If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

Anyang County, the Imperial Guard Thousand-Household Office.

The gate was wide open, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed on the bluestone path. Zhou Yang dismounted, tossed the reins to the approaching guards, and wore his usual smile.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Zhou?"

The junior officer at the gate greeted Zhou Yang with a beaming smile, but his eyes swept around behind Zhou Yang, not seeing Commander Chen. His gaze narrowed slightly before he quickly reverted to his obsequious demeanor.

"Lord Zhou, where have you been coming from? Lord Chen has been talking about you for days."

Zhou Yang stopped and looked the man up and down.

Sun Dayong. Chen Qianhu's brother-in-law, known in the Qianhu garrison as a "keen-eared man." Nine times out of ten, Chen Qianhu's shady dealings passed through this man's hands.

"Officer Sun," Zhou Yang said with a smile, "perfect timing. I have something here; could you please pass it on to Lord Chen?"

As he spoke, he took out a cloth bag from his pocket and handed it over.

Sun Dayong accepted the money with a beaming smile, weighing it in his hand. It was heavy; it must have been worth several dozen taels of silver.

He grinned: "Lord Zhou, you're too kind. Serving you is my duty..."

Before he finished speaking, the cloth bag fell apart in his hands.

A bloody human head rolled to the ground and hit Sun Dayong's instep.

That was the head of Commander Chen.

Sun Dayong froze for a moment, his pupils shrinking sharply. He opened his mouth to scream, but Zhou Yang's hand was already gripping his throat.

"Shh-"

Zhou Yang leaned close to his ear, his voice as soft as if he were whispering.

"I've come today to collect the wages that Lord Chen owes me. Don't you think his trusted men should also be paid?"

Sun Dayong struggled desperately, kicking wildly with his feet off the ground. His face quickly turned a liverish color, and his eyes bulged outwards.

"I'll count to three," Zhou Yang said, his fingers suddenly tightening, "One, two..."

A crisp snapping sound.

Sun Dayong's head drooped limply, his neck twisted at an eerie angle.

Zhou Yang released his grip, letting the corpse fall to the ground. He wiped the bloodstains on Sun Dayong's clothes with his foot, then turned to look at the stunned constables in the courtyard.

In the courtyard of the Imperial Guard's Thousand-Household Office, dozens of people were completely silent.

Some people gripped the knife handles tightly, some quietly retreated, and most just stood there, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Zhou Yang's gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on the doorway of the left wing. There stood three people, Chen Qianhu's trusted confidants—the only three martial arts masters in the Qianhu garrison.

"Zhao Peng, Qian San, Li Tie." Zhou Yang read out the names one by one, his tone as calm as if he were ordering food. "Did Commander Chen leave any instructions before he died, you three?"

The three men's faces turned ashen. Zhao Peng gritted his teeth, stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Zhou Yang! This is treason! Murdering a superior officer is punishable by death!"

"Rebellion?" Zhou Yang laughed.

He slowly pulled a token from his sleeve and twirled it in his hand.

The token has the character "kill" engraved on the front and the seal of the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard on the back.

"I am acting on the orders of Commander Qin, to execute the traitorous Commander Chen, who has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. Do you accept this token?"

Zhao Peng and the other two's expressions changed drastically.

Although a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard has the authority to execute a commander of a thousand, he still needs the commander's token. When did Qin Shuang obtain this item?

They would never know that Zhou Yang had found this token among the Grand Preceptor's belongings. The Grand Preceptor had a past relationship with the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and this token was a keepsake left behind from that time.

Of course, the token is fake.

Zhou Yang had a lettering craftsman in the city make a copy, which cost him a full five taels of silver.

But among those present, who knew?

While Zhao Peng hesitated, Qian San behind him could no longer contain himself. He suddenly drew his sword and roared, "I don't care about any token! You killed Lord Chen, you won't leave this garrison today!"

With a flash of light, Qian San lunged at Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang stood still, motionless.

He didn't move until the blade was only three inches from his throat.

He turned sideways, drew his sword, and slashed.

The movements were fluid and fast, almost too fast to see clearly.

Qian San's figure came to an abrupt halt. He looked down at his chest, where a deep, bone-revealing knife wound was gushing out.

"I……"

He only managed to utter one word before collapsing to the ground.

Zhou Yang flicked the blood off his knife and looked at the remaining two.

"Who else wants to try?"

Zhao Peng and Li Tie exchanged a glance, their faces deathly pale. They were both at the early stage of the Martial Master realm, as was Qian San. If Qian San was killed in a single move, how many more could they withstand?

"We..." Zhao Peng knelt down with a thud, "Lord Zhou, spare our lives! We were only following orders, we had no intention of being your enemy!"

Seeing this, Li Tie immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Lord Zhou, you are wise! We are willing to follow you and have no other intentions!"

Zhou Yang looked down at the two of them, a smile still on his face, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Absolutely no ulterior motives?"

He spoke slowly, "When Qian Sanfang pounced on me, neither of you stopped him."

"us……"

"Alright," Zhou Yang interrupted him, "you two, each cut off one of your little fingers, and then I'll believe your sincerity."

Zhao Peng and Li Tie were deathly pale, but they knew this was the only option. Gritting their teeth, they each swung their knives and chopped off their left little fingers, sweating profusely from the pain.

Zhou Yang nodded in satisfaction.

"From now on, I'm in charge of this thousand-household office. Anyone who has objections can go talk to Qian San."

He looked around and said loudly, "The rest of you, return to your posts and do your jobs. Those who have done good will be rewarded, and those who have done wrong will be punished."

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Zhou Yang withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the inner courtyard.

Behind them, several quick-witted constables had already begun clearing the corpses from the ground.

They understand social dynamics and interpersonal relationships.

……

The Prefect's Residence, Study.

Prefect Li Changhe of Anyang was enjoying his tea when he suddenly heard a voice outside the door announce, "Your Excellency, Zhou Yang from the Embroidered Uniform Guard requests an audience."

Li Changhe frowned slightly. He had heard of this Zhou Yang. Chen Qianhu's "thorn in his side" had recently turned his fortunes around and was now getting very close to Qin Shuang.

"Let him in."

A moment later, Zhou Yang stepped into the study and looked around.

The study was elegantly furnished, with several calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls and a pot of orchids on the desk. Li Changhe sat behind the desk, his official robes neat, his beard and hair gray, looking every bit the refined elder.

"What brings Lord Zhou here so late at night?" Li Changhe put down his teacup, his tone gentle.

Zhou Yang didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the chair opposite the desk, taking out an account book from his pocket and gently placing it on the table.

"Your Excellency, I have come to ask you to look at something."

Li Changhe glanced at the ledger and his gaze froze.

He was very familiar with the cover of that ledger—it was the Grand Preceptor's habit to use blue sheepskin for the cover, and there was always a private seal stamped in the lower right corner.

"This is……"

"The Imperial Advisor's ledger," Zhou Yang said slowly, "contains quite a few interesting things. For example... the amount of disaster relief funds embezzled by a certain prefect three years ago, a list of gifts given to a certain official in the court five years ago, and evidence of the interception of military funds last year."

Li Changhe's face instantly turned ugly.

He stared intently at the ledger, his fingers gripping the armrest tightly.

"What does Lord Zhou mean by this?"

"It's nothing," Zhou Yang leaned back, crossing his legs. "I just want to make a deal with the Prefect."

"What kind of deal?"

"I heard that the imperial court is going to commend those who have made great contributions in eradicating the cult," Zhou Yang said slowly. "The Imperial Preceptor is a protector of the Heavenly Principle Sect, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard has confirmed his identity. You just need to add a few lines to the memorial to exaggerate the merit of eradicating the cult, and as for the ledger..."

He paused, then smiled with exceptional sincerity.

"I can pretend I've never met you."

Li Changhe remained silent for a long time, his gaze shifting back and forth between Zhou Yang and the ledger.

He knew he had no choice.

If the matter of the Imperial Preceptor is exposed, he will not only lose his position as governor, but he will probably lose his head as well.

"How much merit does Lord Zhou desire?"

Zhou Yang held up three fingers.

"Three thousand... households?"

"No." Zhou Yang shook his head. "I want you to write Qin Shuang's name as the one who made the greatest contribution in this campaign to eradicate the cult, and promote her to commander of a thousand. As for me, I'll just write my name as a minor contributor and promote me to commander of a hundred."

Li Changhe was stunned for a moment, then he understood.

Zhou Yang is paving the way for Qin Shuang.

"Okay." Li Changhe gritted his teeth and agreed, "Deal."

Zhou Yang stood up and pushed the account book in front of Li Changhe.

"Your Excellency the Prefect is indeed very straightforward. I will destroy this copy of the account book another day. As for the original... please keep it safe."

After he finished speaking, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, turned around, and left.

Li Changhe sat in the chair, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

This Zhou Yang is no ordinary person.

……

Late at night, in a secluded courtyard outside the city.

This is the Qin family's property, and it has now become Qin Shuang's temporary place of residence.

When Zhou Yang pushed open the door, Qin Shuang was sitting at the table, flipping through a stack of documents. The candlelight flickered, casting her lonely shadow on the wall.

"Still not asleep?" Zhou Yang sat down opposite her and poured himself a cup of tea.

"I can't sleep." Qin Shuang said without looking up. "The Qin family's affairs are more complicated than I imagined."

"What's wrong?"

"Most of the businesses my father left behind have been divided up by collateral branches," Qin Shuang said calmly, revealing little emotion. "They acted without hesitation after learning of my father's accident. Now, the Qin family can only truly utilize less than 30% of its resources."

Zhou Yang took a sip of tea and asked, "Is that 30% enough for you to come to the capital with me?"

Qin Shuang finally raised her head and looked at him.

"Going to the capital?"

"I've already covered the credit for eradicating the cult," Zhou Yang said, setting down his teacup. "The transfer order for you to be promoted to commander of a thousand households won't be coming down for long. Once we're in the capital, we can both advance further."

He paused, then asked, "What do you plan to do with the Qin family's collateral branches?"

Qin Shuang was silent for a moment, then said, "I've already sent people to settle accounts. What can be recovered, will be recovered; what can't be recovered... well, let it go."

"Forget it?" Zhou Yang raised an eyebrow. "When did you become so soft-hearted?"

Qin Shuang said calmly, "It's not that I'm soft-hearted. It's that they have leverage over my father. If we push them too far, it won't benefit anyone."

"And what about the people your father left behind?"

"Some are dead, some are scattered," Qin Shuang's voice lowered. "Now, only a few old subordinates are still usable."

Zhou Yang thought for a moment, then took out a land deed from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"You can keep this house. Also, I've had several shops owned by the Qin family in the capital transferred to your name as well."

Qin Shuang stared at the land deed for a moment, stunned.

"you……"

"Don't misunderstand," Zhou Yang interrupted her. "Consider this a loan. Remember to pay me back when you have the money. Interest will be 30% per month."

Qin Shuang's lips twitched.

"Thirty percent? Why don't you just rob me?"

"I'm a legitimate businessman," Zhou Yang said seriously. "Besides, expenses in the capital are high. If I don't save up some money, how will I bribe those corrupt officials?"

Qin Shuang shook her head helplessly, but still accepted the land deed.

"What do you plan to do after you arrive in the capital?"

Zhou Yang didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Do you know why the Imperial Advisor came to Anyang County?"

Qin Shuang frowned and pondered for a moment, then said, "For the fragment of the dragon's spine."

"That's right." Zhou Yang nodded. "The Imperial Advisor came for the Dragon Spine fragment. But he's not the only one. People from the Heavenly Principle Sect, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and even people in the palace are all looking for it."

He took out a palm-sized piece of bone from his pocket and placed it under the candlelight.

The bone fragments gleamed with a faint bluish light and were engraved with ancient patterns.

"This is the fragment of the dragon's spine?"

Qin Shuang's gaze fell on the bone fragment, her expression somewhat complicated. She had nearly lost her life in her battle with the Imperial Preceptor, and this fragment was found on his person.

Zhou Yang nodded, held the bone fragment in his palm, and tentatively infused it with a trace of internal energy.

The bone fragment suddenly vibrated, emitting a faint dragon's roar.

The voice was deep and resonant, as if it came from an ancient time.

A scene suddenly flashed through Zhou Yang's mind—

Majestic palace walls, layer upon layer of halls, and somewhere deep within the palace, a golden light shines.

That's the direction of the dragon spine fragment.

The Imperial Palace.

"Interesting." Zhou Yang withdrew his inner force, and the bone fragment returned to its calm state. "It seems the next fragment is in the palace."

Qin Shuang looked at him, hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you planning to sneak into the palace to steal something?"

Zhou Yang laughed.

"Steal? That sounds awful." He stood up, brushing the wrinkles off his robes. "I plan to go in honestly and then get that thing out."

"How do I do it?"

"Become an official, of course," Zhou Yang said, spreading his hands. "Once you're in the Embroidered Uniform Guard and in the capital, why worry about not having a chance to enter the palace? As long as you find the right connections, even a mere bone will be a piece of cake."

Qin Shuang looked at him speechlessly.

This person really can scheme about anything.

"By the way," Zhou Yang said, turning around abruptly as he reached the door, "you should liquidate those assets as soon as possible. The cost of living in Beijing is beyond your imagination."

"And also," he paused, a signature greedy grin spreading across his face, "remember to settle my bodyguard fees."

Qin Shuang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't shortchange you a single penny. I'll come to your house for meals until you go bankrupt."

Zhou Yang burst into laughter and pushed open the door to leave.

The night wind carries the distant sound of the night watchman's clapper; it's past midnight.

He looked up at the night sky, where the Big Dipper hung in the sky, its handle pointing directly north.

The direction of the capital.

A system notification sounded in my mind—

[Ding! The Imperial Advisor has been defeated. Mission complete.]

[Reward: Lifespan +500 years.]

Current lifespan reserve: 1247 years.

Zhou Yang nodded in satisfaction.

With a lifespan of over 1,200 years, he had plenty of time to enjoy himself in the capital.

He strode towards his yard, his steps light and quick.

The night was deep, but his journey had only just begun.