The Heavenly Court is gone, I don't want to be a True Lord.

Zuo Qi doesn't need to worry too much about the affairs of the garrison.

As the commander, his task was to ensure the safe operation of the six garrisons at the same time, and to kill the mountain demons that came down from the mountain.

Each health station has elderly people who know how to do it.

The people in each garrison were all carefully matched by He Xiao, and the atmosphere was quite good.

With Zuo Qi establishing authority in front and He Xiao arranging everything clearly behind them, and Ni Heng also demonstrating his dog-training skills, the group's inappropriate thoughts faded away considerably.

And so everything quickly got back on track.

However, since it hasn't snowed yet, the garrison isn't busy, so the guards go into the mountains in twos and threes to hunt some game.

Now is the time when wild animals in the mountains fatten up for autumn, making it a good time for hunting.

……

Coo coo coo~!

A series of strange cries came from behind.

Zuo Qi gestured for Ni Hengting to stop. In the distance, two dogs were following Da Hong, lying on their stomachs and baring their teeth in one direction.

In the distance, countless pale green eyes were faintly visible, staring at their location.

As if sensing they were too difficult to deal with, they slowly retreated.

A look of excitement appeared on Ni Heng's face. "It's a wolf!"

Wolves are similar to dogs, but more ferocious. He had always wanted to try to tame a pack of wolves.

He immediately wanted to take Da Hong and chase after them.

Zuo Qi didn't stop him and chased after them with his halberd.

The weeds on the ground have begun to turn yellow, but their roots and stems remain strong.

The euphorbia swept across, leveling a large patch of weeds.

Just then, a soft rustling sound came from behind.

puff!

A slender, yellowish-green figure suddenly darted out from the bushes ahead.

Zuo Qi remained unfazed, wielding his halberd with the agility of a dagger, effortlessly slicing the attacking venomous snake in two mid-air.

"This must be Grey Ball, right?"

There is a venomous snake in the mountains, and its venom is quite valuable. Zuo Qi didn't waste it. He took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, pinched the gray ball's head to force out the venom, and then extracted the snake's gall.

Ni Heng ultimately failed to achieve his goal; the mountain terrain was complex, and the wolf pack was too mobile.

But he wasn't annoyed. "Brother Qi, how did those fugitives survive in these mountains, where demons and wild beasts roam freely?"

The dangers in the mountains are not only wild beasts and demons, but also many fugitives from the imperial court who have nowhere else to turn and have fled into the mountains.

Zuo Qi thought for a moment, "They should be on the outskirts of the mountains. They probably wouldn't dare to go deep into the mountains. If they have the strength to survive in the deep mountains year after year, they don't need to worry about being hunted down and wanted by the government."

"That's true."

The three of them took turns going into the mountains these past few days, firstly to hone their hunting skills so they might be able to use them sometime, and secondly to familiarize themselves with the terrain in preparation for Zuo Qi's entry into the demon's lair.

And so, life returned to normal.

During the day, he would hunt or patrol the various garrisons, and in the afternoon and evening, he would practice his martial arts. Occasionally, he would visit the Lu family, introduced by Lin Yuchan, who was a centurion in the garrison, and practice his cultivation three times.

However, the two only knew each other for a short time. Lu Zhuo promised that he would bring people to provide timely assistance should the garrison request help.

Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

……

The situation at Baoyue Lake is more complicated than expected. The demons that resemble floating corpses are being created very quickly. Some people are horrified to discover that the clothes on some of the floating corpses are actually from the previous dynasty more than two hundred years ago, or even earlier.

Moreover, the floating corpse demon is very troublesome, and its appearance rules are too easy to trigger. The floating corpse will emerge from Embracing Moon Lake when it gets dark.

Its attack methods are not complicated; it relies on its body that has been soaked in water. What is truly troublesome is that after death, its corpse will explode, releasing a green plague. This plague is not fatal; it is more like a curse. Once infected, one will fall into a state of weakness of varying lengths.

Therefore, the Provincial Administration summoned all the warriors in the city to take turns weakening themselves, in an effort to suppress these floating corpses and demons in a short period of time.

Fortunately, according to the speculation of important figures in the Six Doors, the true form of the Floating Corpse Demon should be something similar to a worm, which parasitizes the floating corpse. Without the floating corpse, those demons cannot appear.

How many corpses have been floating in the Liang River over the years?

Once all the floating corpses are obliterated, this crisis will be temporarily resolved. We'll deal with the demon's lair after the city guard, Murong Qiong, returns.

Zuo Qi learned this news from Lu Zhuo, and his feelings were complicated.

There was some regret that I couldn't face the demons from the Spirit Nest-level demon nest, but I was also somewhat relieved that I didn't have to worry about directly confronting demons who hadn't fully grasped the rules.

For several more days, the sky remained overcast, accompanied by cold winds howling through the mountains.

Zuo Qi had already changed into a fur coat, with a wolf-skin cloak tied around his back.

The guards in the garrisons did not go out, but made arrangements in each garrison. The people of the Six Doors had already figured out the characteristics of the mountain demons.

Mountain demons, also known as snow demons, appear when there is snow on the ground and fog in the mountains. They resemble monkeys, are good at climbing, and can move nimbly on mountain walls. They can absorb the fog in the mountains to hide their bodies and make themselves invisible to ordinary people.

The methods are not complicated, but like a monkey, they will use stones to throw at people.

The guards skillfully cleared away the stones near the garrison.

Seeing this, Zuo Qi nodded to himself and turned to leave.

As the day the micro-nest appeared drew closer, he needed to witness the mountain demon's methods firsthand. He needed to truly understand this kind of demon; reading about it in books was far from his own personal experience.

Not long after he left with Ni Heng.

Two people slowly emerged from the woods outside the Sanhao Garrison.

He was dressed in a gray-white cloth robe and wore a wide-brimmed hat.

The two of them exuded an aura that was distinctly different from that of ordinary people; if someone got close, they could smell a faint, fishy odor emanating from them.

It's like the smell of menstrual blood mixed with the fragrance of cosmetics, which you get from being around women all the time.

Judging from their simple clothing, they didn't seem like hunters, but more like fugitives who had fled into the mountains in legend.

The two looked up at the garrison in the distance and spoke to each other.

"The Xu family is about to make their move. The hidden forces they left behind in Baoyue Lake back then should have already begun, and those lackeys in the city must be in a state of chaos."

Another person nodded in agreement, "The Xu family is really amazing. After all these years, they still have so many tricks up their sleeves."

"So what if he's powerful? He still got beaten to a pulp by Murong Qiong."

"That's different. If it weren't for that incident involving the Xu family in the capital back then, Murong Qiong might not have been able to take down the Xu family. Do you think it's because that Xu family member has returned that they've started contacting our leader again?"

"Why do you care so much? Get to work and recruit these people into the cult. Wouldn't it be better to go to the city and play with women then? Or do you really enjoy being with lustful demons?"

"Ugh~"

Upon hearing this, the man immediately made a vomiting face, clearly recalling some unpleasant memory.

"Alright, I see there are still a few girls inside. I'll let you have the first taste later."

……

Zhao Heihu was defeated by Zuo Qi in public, but he didn't hate Zuo Qi much. Instead, he hated those who stood up for him. So during this time, when he was working at the garrison, he didn't go hunting with others, but went alone.

"What kind of shitty commander? I don't care!"

He carried a roe deer in his hand and strolled leisurely out of the forest.

He couldn't beat Zuo Qi in martial arts, but Zuo Qi was far inferior to him in hunting, after all, he came from a hunting family and was very familiar with the mountains and forests.

Just then, he suddenly saw two people walking towards him in the distance.

Judging from their attire, they seemed to be people who had nowhere else to go in the mountains. Zhao Heihu had a vague idea of ​​their identities, guessing they were fugitives or something like that.

I wanted to avoid it, but suddenly a thought struck me.

These fugitives hiding in the mountains are generally quite capable. Could these two... be put to my use?

If I can kill Zuo Qi, I doubt many people would dare to compete with me for the position of commander.