Chapter 15青司 The Azure Division

The internal competition within the Azure Division was incredibly fierce. To carve a bloody path out from the countless black-robed Azure Guards required an enormous price.

He'd finally managed to find a path, only to have it blocked!

This filled Yu Baiyi with intense despair.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Demotion isn't necessary. He didn't do anything wrong. We didn't understand the Azure Division's rules and didn't explain them clearly, leading to the misunderstanding."

Who... is speaking up for me?

Yu Baiyi looked toward the source of the voice. It was that annoying guy from before... speaking up for him.

Meanwhile, his friend of the same rank, the one with the dead fish eyes, remained silent.

"Captain Ye thinks the punishment is too harsh?" Lord Jun asked strangely.

"Yes, it's a bit much. Look at him, he looks like he's about to kill himself. It's not that serious."

Lord Jun pondered for a moment and said, "...Since Captain Ye is pleading on his behalf, let's drop the demotion for now. You and Tian Liu, take some men and go to Gu Yue Village. Understand?"

Wh-what?! I'm really not being punished?

Yu Baiyi trembled with excitement. "Thank you, Lord Jun, for your forgiveness! Thank you, Captain Ye, for your forgiveness!"

"Alright, you two go out and prepare, then set off."

"Yes!"

"Yes."

Tian Liu was the one with the dead fish eyes, the white-robed Azure Guard in charge of documents.

The two of them bowed and left the room, exchanging a glance.

It was a death stare.

Neither of them said anything, but Yu Baiyi understood that he'd been backstabbed, and the backstabber made no attempt to hide it. What was done was done.

Unfortunately, Lord Jun wasn't ruthless enough, allowing Yu Baiyi to keep his position.

The two of them silently departed. Yu Baiyi didn't yell or accuse.

The struggles within the Azure Division were this turbulent. A moment of carelessness could lead to ruin.

On the surface, everyone was friendly, but behind the scenes, they were ready to spill each other's brains out.

After the two left, only Fang Yue, Lin Ling, and Lord Jun remained in the room.

"Lord Jun, I was interrupted by Yu Baiyi earlier, but there's something else I need to report."

"What is it?"

"On our way to Qing Si County, our team passed through De Yun Village and discovered it had been attacked by night bandits. Thousands of lives were lost, with only a few women surviving, whom we sheltered in Shadow Village. I also killed the night bandit [Duan Longtou] (Severed Dragon Head). This is his head."

Fang Yue placed [Duan Longtou]'s head on the table.

[Duan Longtou]?

Wasn't that the night bandit You Sisi went out to hunt down?

And De Yun Village... another village annihilation, a special Black Grade case file!

*Bang!*

Lord Jun slammed his fist heavily on the table, making a loud noise.

"These beasts in human skin! They actually commit village annihilation! If their whereabouts weren't so difficult to track, I would have wiped them out long ago!"

Fang Yue could feel that Lord Jun's anger was genuine.

This was someone who truly worked for the sake of other villages, for the sake of others.

Yu Baiyi's behavior, on the other hand, made Fang Yue feel like he was just handling cases, not striving for anything in Qing Si County. He was just climbing the ranks mechanically.

Without heart, there was no warmth.

Someone without warmth, someone who couldn't understand the pain of a village being destroyed or friends being killed, was hard to support.

"Lord Jun, are there more people like you or like Yu Baiyi in the Azure Division?"

Perhaps not expecting Fang Yue to suddenly bring this up, Lord Jun paused before saying, "Naturally, there are more people like Yu Baiyi. They've been pampered since childhood and don't understand the hardships of the world. They see it as a casual stroll. To them, the Azure Division is just a government position."

Lord Jun sighed deeply. "I've always wanted to recruit better talent from the surrounding villages into the Azure Division, but there are too few suitable people. Some have passion but lack the strength, while others have the strength but would rather join sects with more resources to earn more money, rather than join the Azure Division to contribute to the development of the Black Green Mountain Range."

Lin Ling's eyes darted around. "Um, Lord Jun, what do you think of me?"

"You? You came from Gu Yue Village and are also the Captain. It's clear that you're willing to do something for the villages of the Black Green Mountain Range. But... judging from your resume, you've practiced martial arts for many years, but you're still stuck in the Third-Rate Houtian Realm, and it's difficult to make further progress..."

"..."

Lin Ling fell silent. He wanted to follow Lord Jun, but the problem was that he didn't want him!

"Captain Ye, if the Wu Yu Tribe incident is true, I'd like to invite you to join the Azure Division, directly as a White-Robed Azure Guard, to contribute to the Black Green Mountain Range and all the villages!"

That goes without saying!

Fang Yue's expression turned solemn. "To restore the glory of the Azure Division, we are duty-bound!"

Lin Ling: ???

Damn it! I want to be duty-bound too!

"Good, good. If you have time in the next few days, come to the Azure Division often, and I'll personally show you around. By the way, there's also the reward for [Duan Longtou]. I'll have it tallied and sent to your residence. Oh, and one more thing, when you killed [Duan Longtou], did you happen to meet a woman? With a heroic appearance..."

"Lord Jun, are you talking about [Qiansi Jian] (Thousand Thread Sword) You Sisi?"

Lord Jun was taken aback. "You've met her?"

"No, but [Duan Longtou] mentioned it, saying he was being hunted down by her."

"That's right. You Qingyi went out this time to kill [Duan Longtou]. Although you intercepted it, the result is good."

Hearing this, Fang Yue couldn't help but ask curiously, "You Si... You Qingyi, what is her strength? Why did she have to personally go out to deal with a Second-Rate Houtian Realm [Duan Longtou]?"

"You Qingyi's strength? She's in the First-Rate Houtian Realm. Dealing with [Duan Longtou] is just right, and she hates night bandits, so she was very proactive about this matter, and no one stopped her."

"Houtian... First-Rate? As an Azure Robe, she's only in the First-Rate Houtian Realm??"

"She's special. Based on a regular assessment, you can't become an Azure Robe without the Third-Rate Xiantian Realm. But her aptitude is too good, and her strength is increasing extremely fast. She'll break through soon. Moreover, in Qing Si County, she's unrivaled among her peers and can even defeat Third-Rate Xiantian Realm martial artists, so she's worthy of her title."

Can defeat Xiantian Realm experts?

That was understandable.

But invincible among her peers? Is she really that strong?

Fang Yue didn't quite believe it, but he didn't take it to heart. After asking about the bounty reward for [Duan Longtou], he grinned.

The people of Gu Yue Village needed money to develop in Qing Si County. This large bounty would give them a lot of room to maneuver.

Fang Yue was planning how to use this money to develop in Qing Si County when there was a rapid knock on the door.

"Lord Jun, Lord You is back. She said that the [Duan Longtou] case was intercepted, and his head was taken by someone else. Someone will come to collect the bounty soon, and she asks you to help keep an eye on it. She said she wants to personally meet the person who cut off [Duan Longtou]'s head."

Fang Yue: ...

Lord Jun: ...