Chapter 79: All Seats Are Demons

Neither Mu Feng nor Hao Jingchuan anticipated the sudden turn of events. At an official banquet, personally hosted by the county guard and attended by all the county officials, these two young individuals would abruptly rise and injure someone.

Before Mu Feng could even react, Sheng Yuanyao's knife had already struck his neck. On the other side, Lu Xingzhou's left hand drove in a bone-piercing nail, while his right hand, having already thrown away the wine pot, delivered a punch directly to his Dantian.

Mu Feng had no time to do anything. With an angry roar, his clothes shredded, muscles bulged, and his entire body thickened significantly, covered in monstrous fur. His pupils turned red, and his fangs were fully exposed.

"Demon!" Many people at the table scrambled from their seats in horror, hiding far away.

This explosion of demonic power leading to a complete transformation into his true form was not particularly helpful in the current situation. Although a demon's physique is strong, it is not impenetrable by knives and guns. Sheng Yuanyao's knife had already cut into his neck, and Lu Xingzhou's punch, a spiral of ice and fire, struck heavily at the location of his demon core.

Mu Feng's neck was already half-severed, and his not-yet-formed demon core was completely destroyed. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and slumped back onto his seat, "You... you all..."

Sheng Yuanyao knocked him unconscious with one hand and lifted him up. The subordinates of the Town Demon Department seated outside immediately surrounded and protected them. Sheng Yuanyao let out a breath and laughed coldly, "My lord, does this subordinate's statement that the demon originated from within the county still seem incorrect?"

Hao Jingchuan seemed about to act but forcibly restrained himself. He sighed deeply, "Since City Master Sheng suspected Vice County Head Mu... Mu Feng, you should have informed this official privately. Why did you have to act so violently at the banquet? Do you not trust this official?"

"My lord speaks too seriously," Sheng Yuanyao said lightly, "This subordinate was not initially certain who it was but probed a bit. It was precisely this person who couldn't maintain composure and exposed a flaw... This subordinate feared that he might escape after the matter, so it was better to take advantage of his lack of defense at this time, launch a sudden violent attack, and ensure success. It is not that I do not trust my lord, nor is it that I intentionally intended to cause trouble at my lord's banquet. Please forgive the offense."

Her words were indeed watertight. Hao Jingchuan also seemed to have nothing to say, only sighing, "Very well, since that is the case, this demon shall be handed over to the county for disposal. City Master Sheng's merit in exterminating the demon will be truthfully reported by this official."

Sheng Yuanyao's willow eyebrows rose slightly, "Handed over to the county for disposal?"

Hao Jingchuan said, "Since the demon was discovered at this official's seat, it is naturally this official's responsibility and should be handled by this official."

In general circumstances, handing it over to a superior for disposal is not a bad idea. It shifts the responsibility and avoids clashing with a superior. But Sheng Yuanyao didn't care. She herself didn't want to be a busy City Master, and the Town Demon Department was directly managed by the imperial court; the county guard, no matter how important, couldn't manage it. Dealing with official formalities and etiquette was one thing, but when it involved merit, she didn't care about any county guard.

Especially since a faint unease lingered in her heart... Mu Feng's mindset wasn't particularly good, and just one sentence of hers bluffing him had caused him to leak demonic qi. This didn't mean that Mu Feng was the only demon here. Taking Mu Feng back for a thorough interrogation might still yield other discoveries. Handing him directly to Hao Jingchuan would, without a doubt, result in the matter being covered up with no further action.

After all, it was his vice county head who had caused the problem, and Hao Jingchuan bore great responsibility. How could he possibly continue to expand the investigation? Did he still want his official position or not? And this wasn't just his official position; it was a matter where all the officials in Dongjiang County were in personal danger.

"First, this is the duty of the Town Demon Department and has little to do with the City Master or county guard," Sheng Yuanyao retorted directly, "Second, from investigating clues to capturing the criminal in an on-site battle, everything was handled solely by the Xia State Town Demon Department. Why must he be handed over to the county for disposal? How can I explain this to my colleagues in the Xia State Town Demon Department!"

Hao Jingchuan, with a worried brow and a bitter face, sighed deeply. Beside him, the long history stepped forward to persuade, "City Master Sheng, doing this breaks the rules..."

"What rules?" Sheng Yuanyao asked knowingly, "Which court law stipulates that the Town Demon Department must hand over a demon it catches to the county guard for handling?"

Of course, these were the unwritten rules of officialdom. Did she really want to cost everyone their official positions? Hao Jingchuan's expression was extremely unpleasant. How could he say these words publicly?

Encountering a young lady whose father was a first-rank high official rendered these system tacit rules useless. Hao Jingchuan really didn't know how to deal with Sheng Yuanyao and just kept sighing helplessly.

It was the long history who spoke, "The guest should follow the host's convenience. Since the demon was captured here, the county's meaning is the rule!"

"Oh, so it's personal rules. I wonder if this 'county' refers to County Guard Hao or you, Long History Xie?" Sheng Yuanyao sneered, "When this old woman is being polite, she'll call you Long History, but when I don't want to be polite, who are you? What do your rules count for?"

Long History Xie was so angry he trembled, "You!"

"Let's go!" Sheng Yuanyao led her group to retreat.

Although her words were arrogant, she felt a bit apprehensive in her heart. This was, after all, someone else's territory. If the county officials were determined to forcibly detain them, it would be truly difficult to handle.

But looking at Hao Jingchuan's worried brow, bitter face, and deep sighs, this matter indeed seemed not too related to him.

"City Master Sheng, wait a moment," Hao Jingchuan finally spoke, "Can I borrow a moment to speak?"

Sheng Yuanyao subconsciously glanced at Lu Xingzhou. Lu Xingzhou nodded slightly, indicating that she could listen to what he had to say.

Sheng Yuanyao inexplicably trusted Lu Xingzhou's judgment. She then handed the demon over to her subordinates to guard and followed Hao Jingchuan a few steps to a side corridor.

Hao Jingchuan said in a low voice, "Miss Sheng, although Long History Xie's words were unpleasant, this matter... sigh, indeed makes our entire Dongjiang County look very bad. Why don't we both take a step back? This incident can be handed over to my Dongjiang County for handling. We can say that Dongjiang County discovered Vice County Head Mu was a demon, so our county doesn't suffer a loss. As for the Xia State side, we can say that the clues were provided by various individuals from Xia State and that capturing the demon was also due to the desperate efforts of various individuals from Xia State. How does that sound?"

He spoke with extreme sincerity. Using "Miss" instead of "City Master" was more a plea based on private friendship.

To be honest, Sheng Yuanyao had a rather good impression of this superior. At least he didn't put on airs and had the appearance of a somewhat kind old man. And this kind of muddled approach was also routine for this old official; it wasn't uncommon.

But this matter truly couldn't be handled this way... Sheng Yuanyao also put away the attitude she had used to refute Long History Xie earlier and said very sincerely, "Adult Hao, this matter is not about shifting responsibility or dividing merit in official affairs. It means that Dongjiang County may still be hiding other demons. Your approach seems to satisfy everyone, but it doesn't fundamentally solve the problem."

Speaking to this point, her heart stirred slightly.

Had her father asked her to visit the county guard more often precisely because he knew this matter was strange and wanted her to learn how to compromise and retreat? Did he know that there were still demons that hadn't been dealt with?

How could this be...

Hao Jingchuan just asked, "Then, in Miss Sheng's opinion, is there another way to turn this around?"

Sheng Yuanyao said, "If County Guard Hao is willing to host a major cleanup in Dongjiang County and search out all the demons, then this matter can be handed over to County Guard Hao for full responsibility. This subordinate will only assist. So-called merit and so on... are not that important, really."

Hao Jingchuan was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, sighing, "Miss Sheng has a public heart, ah. How could this old man not feel it? We will do as Miss Sheng says."

Sheng Yuanyao breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the hall. If the county was truly willing to conduct a major cleanup, that would, of course, be the best outcome, much more than what she, a mere City Master of Xia State, could accomplish.

Looking at the county guard, who was just an old smooth-talker, things would naturally be fine...

Just as she was thinking this, the demon detection stone she held in her hand suddenly shook violently. Sheng Yuanyao's heart was filled with horror, and an unbelievable thought flashed through her mind—

This seemingly kind old county guard behind her was actually also a demon?

Moreover, he was a third-rank great demon!

He was the root of all the demons in this Dongjiang County, and he had hidden himself truly deeply...

"Bang!" A pair of hands silently struck Sheng Yuanyao's back. Sheng Yuanyao knew she couldn't dodge and simply waited for death. A sword light silently pierced out from the shadows behind the corridor, striking towards Hao Jingchuan's back!

At the same time, mirror light rose from behind, but Lu Xingzhou was already prepared. He had already sacrificed a high-grade mirror light talisman, applying it to Sheng Yuanyao's back.

Hao Jingchuan suddenly encountered a mysterious attack, and the force of the sneak attack on Sheng Yuanyao naturally weakened. The mirror light shattered with a bang, and Sheng Yuanyao also reacted in time, quickly flashing away, completely unharmed.

Sheng Yuanyao looked towards the sword light that had saved her; it was also a familiar face.

He had been seen just in the capital city, the He family's offering, Yang Dechang. At this moment, he was fighting fiercely with Hao Jingchuan... for a while, they were evenly matched.

He family people... Why would they be lurking here and save her in time?

Yes, Lu Xingzhou's ambiguous identity... Sheng Yuanyao glanced at Lu Xingzhou, having no time to think more. She quickly returned to the hall and said sternly, "Quickly take the demon away!"

Instantly, the officials in the hall and the guards outside directly surrounded them. That Long History Xie laughed grimly, "Things have come to this. Do you think you can still get away?"

Sheng Yuanyao's heart felt cold. The people from the Xia State Town Demon Department also couldn't believe it. Up to now, including Hao Jingchuan, no one had revealed their true demonic form. They still looked like a group of human officials, but demonic qi was already overflowing, and the jade stone in her hand was almost shaking numb...

This mere Dongjiang was actually filled with demons at the table! Everyone had lived under demonic rule for so long, yet they were completely unaware!

No wonder even Lu Xingzhou had vaguely reminded her before that it was best not to investigate this matter further... Had he predicted that such a situation would occur?

Dozens of demons pounced towards the Town Demon Department team at once. Lu Xingzhou shuffled open a stack of talismans as if playing cards.

Several demon-subduing talismans, slowing talismans, and weakening talismans accurately landed on the bodies of the front-row demons.

At the same time, sword light suddenly rose from outside the county guard mansion.

Zhang Shaoyou and other newly joined members of the Tianxing Sword Sect appeared as if they were supporting the Town Demon Department. Several swords sent the guards at the door flying, breaking through the door and entering.

Zhang Shaoyou immediately found Hao Jingchuan and attacked him from the left and right with Yang Dechang.

The two exchanged glances, and there was something strange in their eyes... Just the day before, they had been on the same side and had even chatted a few sentences in the Incense Burning Building. A day later, they were on the same side again, but the camps had changed. Truly, the affairs of the world are impermanent.

While these two were sympathizing with each other, Hao Jingchuan was simply going crazy.

He had deliberately brought Sheng Yuanyao to the outside corner. As long as he could quietly and secretly capture Sheng Yuanyao and let the demons below him take her place, everything would be resolved. As a result, how could two troublesome third-rank sword cultivators mysteriously appear, and both were so strong!

How did the Xia State Town Demon Department produce so many strong people... Wasn't this Zhang Shaoyou a member of the Incense Burning Building? Wasn't the Incense Burning Building supposed to attack the Tianxing Sword Sect? How did he end up fighting me?

"Bang!" Sheng Yuanyao and the demonized Long History Xie clashed in the hall. Sheng Yuanyao was unable to withstand the force and retreated a few steps backward. Just then, Lu Xingzhou was also forced back by someone, and the two bumped into each other back to back.

Sheng Yuanyao panted a few breaths and said in a low voice, "Thanks... You, this person, when you truly cooperate, you are surprisingly reliable."

Lu Xingzhou laughed, "Even if you feel I have pitted you those few times, I haven't actually caused you any loss."

Sheng Yuanyao "tsk"ed, "So you're saying you've been quite good to me?"

"Someone like you... shouldn't suffer losses." Lu Xingzhou suddenly pulled Sheng Yuanyao open, just in time to avoid Long History Xie's demonic claw as it reached in.

Sheng Yuanyao slashed her knife towards Long History Xie's throat, "Dongjiang has an army, and who knows how many are demons. If a fight breaks out in a place like this, we will ultimately suffer losses. Do you still have any other tricks up your sleeve?"