I Slay Gods and Demons in the Deceit Night

Outside Linjiang Station.

Liang Hu stood for a while before finally letting out a cold laugh.

"It seems this newly appointed Flag Commander is even younger and more vigorous than I expected."

"With the stretch of three hundred and sixty steps of the city walls to guard tonight, I want to see how he can defend it all alone!"

"It's said that those who trample on the rules of the dark will invite misfortune. Moreover, tonight when he guards the walls, his line of defense will be the most vacant and weak; I really want to see if he can still be alive to walk down tomorrow!"

"You all don't need to worry too much. His abilities aren't all that great. Even if he somehow survives, he'll have learned of the dangers involved."

Liang Hu spoke indifferently, "Chances are he's going to die tonight, and even if by some fluke he lives, he will surely come to us for help tomorrow."

The twelve junior banner officers looked at each other in dismay.

At first, they all thought the same way.

They had assumed that even if the other party wasn't willing to give face to Flag Commander Liang, they would still need to rely on them.

But they didn't expect Master Wu Chang to dismiss them all outright.

Although the position of a junior banner officer is not a formal member of the Observatory, they were nonetheless under the command of the Flag Commander and held a high status in the city.

For the past three years, in the eyes of the various powers of Linjiang Square and the common people, they were influential figures of high status.

Aside from the four taels of silver issued monthly by the Observatory, the respect paid to them from all sides was also substantial.

What's more, the medicinal baths provided by the Observatory were of great use for martial cultivation.

If they were to completely lose this status, what would their future hold?

Flag Commander Liang already has twelve junior banner officers in Qingshan Square.

Even if they were to return to Qingshan Square, there would be no positions left for them.

"What? He's just arrived and already you lot are getting restless?"

Liang Hu spoke coldly, "Could it be that you think following Liang here you've chosen the wrong path?"

Before the twelve junior banner officers could respond, he waved his sleeve grandly and shouted, "Do you really think Liang here stepped back because he was afraid of him?"

"Think about it, this fellow is at best in the Blood Refinement stage, and at most only in the Marrow Cleansing stage."

"I completed my Marrow Cleansing two years ago. If it weren't for accumulating merit to obtain a Cultivation Technique, I would have advanced to the Inner Strength Realm two years ago."

"Today, I made it clear to you all that, as early as the beginning of the year, I had refined my heart and my Qi-Blood was interconnected, achieving the Inner Strength Realm!"

"This brash youngster drew his sword on me simply because Liang here didn't want to stoop to his level!"

"With his cultivation level, he is far from being Liang's match!"

"If it weren't for thinking of our camaraderie, why would I have needed to step aside?"

As Liang Hu said this, his eyes grew colder.

This young man known as Wu Chang is, after all, the rightfully appointed Flag Commander of Linjiang Square now.

I was sitting in the main seat, not willing to step down, which led to him drawing his sword on me.

In the end, it was my side that couldn't justify our actions.

If this matter blew up and the Outer South Bureau came questioning, it would still be me who was trying to seize power, causing the strife.

This was the real reason behind his backdown.

And in fact, he felt somewhat helpless in his heart.

He thought that this young man named Wu Chang, with his lack of experience, not understanding the struggles for power, just needed to be treated gently and talked things through, and he would think that Liang was kindly coming forward to help share his worries.

Unexpectedly, this young man seemed to see right through his intentions and turned hostile on the spot.

He had also considered using his much superior cultivation level to pressure the youngster in the background and leverage his influence to make the boy submit obediently.

But who knew that the young man would turn the tables right from the start!

He had even considered having the twelve junior banner officers give the fellow some trouble.

I never expected that the other party would directly eliminate the twelve small banner positions.

"Young people act, starting with a turn of face, simply without any method, completely disregarding the rules!"

Liang Hu felt indignant, secretly thinking, "After tonight, I will personally come to collect his corpse!"

——

Inside Linjiang Station.

Chief Clerk Yang ordered his two clerks to bring over all the book records from the last three years.

"That's enough, you may leave."

Lin Yan waved his hand and said indifferently, "Do not disturb me while I review the books before evening."

After all, he was a local from Linjiang Square and had a good grasp of the various forces within the square.

The reason he was perusing the books was not to learn about the situation in Linjiang Square, but to investigate the events of the previous night.

He vaguely felt that it was targeting "Lin Yan," not Wu Chang.

The Lin Family, the Chen Jiangbao family, Chen Yuannv, the Demonic Tiger, and even that one "different egg," the clues he wanted to check were too many. Since he currently had no leads, he might as well start from the outermost peripheral, Linjiang Square.

To Chief Clerk Yang, it seemed only natural for the Flag Commander of Linjiang Square to go through the records of the past three years.

But the timing seemed a bit off.

"With urgent matters tonight, Master perhaps could put these trifles aside for now and consider how to deal with the city's defenses?"

Chief Clerk Yang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Otherwise, I could send a letter to the Outer South Bureau for help? If Han Commander has any spare hands, he would surely send assistance..."

"The Outer South Bureau is near the inner city, located in the first square! And our Linjiang Square, as the outermost square, is also the twelfth square!"

Lin Yan said slowly, "By the time you go from Linjiang Square to the Outer South Bureau, it will already be late. And by the time the Outer South Bureau decides to send help, the dawn would nearly be breaking."

He lifted his head and continued, "Not to mention other things, just for you to pass through Qingshan Square, Liang Hu wouldn't let you go easily! I think this guy must have anticipated the request for help and placed checkpoints for our Linjiang Station..."

Chief Clerk Yang's expression changed slightly, and he opened his mouth but found himself unsure of how to respond.

After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Then tonight..."

He looked at the Flag Commander above, whose expression was as usual, and could not understand how the other party could face the events of tonight with such indifference?

Based on the information he knew and the calculations he made over and over in his mind, he believed that the Wu Chang Flag Commander could not get through tonight's ordeal no matter what.

"For those seeking help from the city defense, let them wait. I will go out before sunset," Lin Yan said, indicating to Chief Clerk Yang to leave.

His eyes were cold as he lowered his head to read through the books.

He knew very well that tonight, many forces would focus their attention on the issue of city defense and also on what was happening within Linjiang Square.

As the newly appointed Flag Commander of Linjiang Square, he was certainly now under the scrutiny of various forces.

Any action he took now, any sign of seeking external assistance, would spark speculation amongst the parties interested and might even provoke them to intervene!

Perhaps many people believed that he needed to plan a breakout and engage in a battle of wits and bravery.

And many of them had already prepared traps for him.

"For me, when it comes to tonight's matter, as long as I have a sword in hand, why would I need all sorts of schemes?"

——

Chief Clerk Yang outside the room also felt quite helpless at the moment.

Master, new to the position and facing this dilemma, was sure to attract attention from all quarters, even some waiting to see him fail.

As a new Flag Commander, his abilities were naturally doubted by many.

At this moment, Master should be racking his brains and exerting every effort to make various arrangements, coordinate the big picture, resolve the current predicament, and deter the various forces.

But why did it seem like he was just throwing in the towel?