Chapter 64: Arrival of the Heavenly Inspection Guard

Inside the inner hall, Shen Changqing, clad in plain clothes, sat at the head of the room.

Below him stood a middle-aged man with unremarkable features.

"You requested to see me by name, may I inquire as to the purpose?"

Judging by the man’s bearing and demeanor, his Qi and blood seemed vigorous, but Shen Changqing couldn’t be entirely certain if he had entered the Meridian Opening Realm.

Reading expressions and sensing auras were not always reliable indicators.

Especially since Meridian Opening martial artists concealed their true Qi within their Dantian and meridians, making it difficult to detect any anomalies unless they actively circulated their power.

As the words fell, the middle-aged man cupped his fist in salute, offering a slight smile. "Rong Yuan of the Heavenly Inspection Guard, under the command of the Demon Suppression Division, greets Lord Shen!"

"Heavenly Inspection Guard?"

Shen Changqing’s brow arched as he scrutinized the man before him once more.

"You claim to be from the Heavenly Inspection Guard, do you have any proof?"

"This is the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s identity token, please examine it, my Lord."

Rong Yuan retrieved a square token from his robes, stepped forward, and presented it with both hands.

Shen Changqing accepted the token, examining it closely before returning it.

"Since you are with the Heavenly Inspection Guard, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, my Lord!"

Rong Yuan retrieved his token and sat down in the lower seat.

Throughout the exchange, his expression remained respectful, without a hint of impropriety.

Shen Changqing had no real doubts about his identity as a member of the Heavenly Inspection Guard, as impersonating one would have little impact on him.

Besides, if someone were to falsely claim to be from the Heavenly Inspection Guard, the real ones would quickly find out.

Exposure would be inevitable.

Looking at Rong Yuan, Shen Changqing inquired, "What brings you here?"

"The original Heavenly Inspection Guard stronghold in Lin’an City was suddenly annihilated by evil. Does Lord Shen have any information regarding this?" Rong Yuan asked with cupped fists.

"No information at all."

Shen Changqing shook his head.

"When I arrived, Situ Bei and the others were already dead. I buried their bodies beneath the Yongfu Pawnshop. If you wish to see them, you can dig them up yourself when you have the time; I believe they should still be there."

Before Rong Yuan could speak, Shen Changqing added.

"Don’t ask too much about the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s affairs. I have no intention of interfering. The Yongfu Pawnshop remains as it is. If the previous Heavenly Inspection Guard left behind any information, you are welcome to search for it yourself.

As for the evil, I don’t know much about it either.

But from the information I’ve gathered so far, it’s likely the work of the Eternal Life Alliance, triggered by a struggle for demon essence blood.

I can’t guarantee the specifics.

After all, Demon Slaying Envoys of the Demon Suppression Division are not known for their intelligence gathering. The Heavenly Inspection Guard, as the eyes and ears of the Demon Suppression Division, should have more information than I do."

Hearing this, Rong Yuan smiled wryly.

"Lord Shen is straightforward, I have no further questions."

Everything he wanted to ask had already been addressed.

It seemed there was nothing else to inquire about.

"By the way, the Heavenly Inspection Guard has well-informed sources, I wonder when the new County Magistrate is expected to arrive?"

Shen Changqing brought up an important matter.

It had been so many days already, and the new County Magistrate seemed to have vanished without a trace. If he didn’t arrive soon, Shen Changqing feared he might become the official County Magistrate himself.

Don’t let the position of a County Magistrate seem low.

Compared to the identity of a Demon Slaying Envoy, it’s not enough.

Moreover, if he couldn’t return to the Demon Suppression Division, he would have no access to advanced martial arts, and relying solely on slaughter points would be incredibly expensive.

Shen Changqing now hoped that the new County Magistrate would arrive quickly so he could return to his post.

Rong Yuan cupped his fist in response. "According to the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s information, the new County Magistrate should arrive in Lin’an City in a day or two.

The recent evil anomalies have been quite significant. Although Demon Suppression Divisions in various locations have been working to suppress them, they have still caused considerable damage.

As a result, many matters have been delayed."

"Evil anomalies, what are the losses?"

Shen Changqing keenly noticed that Rong Yuan’s expression turned grave when he mentioned the word anomalies.

"The losses are naturally substantial."

Rong Yuan took a deep breath. "Five cities have fallen, nearly a million displaced villagers, Demon Slaying Envoys have suffered considerable losses, and rumors even suggest that several Town Guardians have fallen.

Speaking of which, Lin’an City, where Lord Shen is stationed, is considered to have suffered the least damage among the cities plagued by evil."

At this point, a look of admiration appeared on his face.

Recently, evil had become increasingly rampant, and various parts of Great Qin had suffered attacks of varying degrees.

Compared to other places, Lin’an City’s losses were indeed relatively light.

Although Lin’an City was just a small city and the strength of the evil was not very high, Shen Changqing, who guarded Lin’an City, was only a Yellow-Rank Demon Slaying Envoy on the surface.

Of course.

In terms of true strength, he was no weaker than a Black-Rank Demon Slaying Envoy.

But even so.

Protecting the peace of a city was no easy task.

According to Rong Yuan’s understanding, Lin’an City had encountered more than just one Grievance Rank monster.

Faced with the flattery.

Shen Changqing’s expression remained unchanged, he smiled faintly. "You are too kind, the Yamen will provide as much assistance as possible during my tenure in the Heavenly Inspection Guard’s stronghold rebuild.

But I won’t be able to help much with other matters."

"The stronghold rebuild will naturally be completed by the Heavenly Inspection Guard, we dare not trouble Lord Shen!"

As he spoke, Rong Yuan stood up.

"Now that everything is waiting to be rebuilt, I shouldn’t stay long, I’ll take my leave now, I hope to have the opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with Lord Shen in the future."

"Definitely."

Shen Changqing nodded slightly, then said loudly, "Someone, escort the guest out!"

A Yamen Runner walked in from outside.

"This way, please!"

"Lord Shen, farewell!"

Rong Yuan cupped his fist solemnly, then turned and left.

Watching the other party leave, Shen Changqing’s eyes were deep, and he slowly withdrew his gaze until Rong Yuan’s figure completely disappeared from his sight.

"Heavenly Inspection Guard—"

Muttering the name, Shen Changqing shook his head and smiled.

He had no intention of getting too involved with the Heavenly Inspection Guard.

Even though both the Heavenly Inspection Guard and the Demon Slaying Envoys were under the Demon Suppression Division.

But strictly speaking, the two were completely different departments.

Moreover, he was only temporarily acting as the County Magistrate of Lin’an City, and he would have to pack up and leave in a few days. Even if he had a good relationship with the Heavenly Inspection Guard here, it would not help him much in the future.

Instead of wasting time.

It was better to live a leisurely life.

Once the new County Magistrate arrived, he could return to the Demon Suppression Division.

On the other side.

Rong Yuan left the Yamen, squeezed into the crowd, and then came to a street corner.

Not long after.

Rong Yuan left the street corner again, but the clothes and appearance on his body were completely different from before.

Turning left and right.

Finally, he stopped in front of a small courtyard.

He knocked on the courtyard door rhythmically, and soon, the closed courtyard door opened, and Rong Yuan stepped inside.

The courtyard was different.

It looked no different from an ordinary residence.

When Rong Yuan came in, several people dressed as villagers surrounded him at the same time.

"Rong is back!"

"How is it? Rong, did you see that Lord Shen?"

Several people asked in turn.

Rong Yuan nodded: "I have met that Lord Shen, but judging from his appearance, he seems to be a little distant from me, presumably he doesn’t quite believe in the identity of my Heavenly Inspection Guard."

"I heard that he has killed a lot of evil, and his strength cannot be underestimated." One person interjected.

"Indeed, it cannot be underestimated."

Rong Yuan’s expression was solemn, and his eyes revealed fear.

"Although I haven’t seen him take action, judging from the information, this Lord Shen is not easy to deal with. He hasn’t been in Lin’an City for long, but the blood in his hands is not less at all.

The Demon Slaying Envoys of the Demon Suppression Division who can be so ruthless are all old qualified experts.

Like him, who has just entered the Demon Suppression Division and can be so cruel, he is a natural talent for the Demon Suppression Division!"

A strong person with strength may not be worthy of fear.

But a strong person with strength and ruthlessness is truly frightening.

If you accidentally provoke that kind of strong person.

You may not even know how you died.

Hearing this, there was also fear on the faces of several people.

Seeing this, Rong Yuan smiled: "However, we have no intersection with him. This time, the stronghold of the Heavenly Inspection Guard in this place was destroyed by the Eternal Life Alliance. The original stronghold cannot be used. We must find a new place as a stronghold.

In addition, we also need to go to Yongfu Pawnshop to see if we can find some past information."

"The Heavenly Inspection Guard in Lin’an City is too lax. The Heavenly Inspection Guard is all over Great Qin. There are very few examples of the entire stronghold being uprooted like this. It is simply a shame for our Heavenly Inspection Guard to spread this matter!"

Anger appeared on one person’s face.

An intelligence stronghold was wiped out by evil without any preparation.

It was ridiculous to say it out.

Throughout the ages, the strongholds of the Heavenly Inspection Guard that have been destroyed were all because of large-scale attacks by evil, and it was only possible to be uprooted in the end.

Like now.

Just sending an evil out from the Eternal Life Alliance destroyed the stronghold. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a great shame.

"Don’t mention this matter again."

Rong Yuan directly interrupted the other party’s words.

When the others saw this, they had to shut up.

Subsequently.

After a few people discussed it, there was no movement.

When night fell, Rong Yuan took two people and quietly came to Yongfu Pawnshop to find the possible information here.

After dawn, the three people left Yongfu Pawnshop, mixed into the crowd, changed their appearance several times, and then returned to the original place to meet.

Two days passed.

No one noticed that the owner of a restaurant in Lin’an City had changed.

Everything has not changed.

The entire Lin’an City was like a calm lake, without any ripples.

But in the dark.

The Heavenly Inspection Guard completely spread out, and all the information about Lin’an City was collected by them, summarized one by one, and sent to the strongholds of the Heavenly Inspection Guard in various places, and finally fell into the hands of the Demon Suppression Division.

End of Chapter