They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 85 Sima Yue

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

Inside the carriage, Sima Zhong, who was sitting upright, suddenly spoke up to ask a question.

Wu Cheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, "My surname is Zhuge, and my given name is Cheng."

Since we're all going to see Sima, it really wouldn't make sense if he wasn't surnamed Zhuge.

"Zhuge Cheng?" Sima Zhong thought carefully, but he couldn't recall any family in Lin'an with the surname Zhuge, nor did he seem to be a martial arts family.

Sima Zhong sized Wu Cheng up and down. "From out of town?"

Wu Cheng smiled, "I live in Luoyang."

Sima Zhong nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Oh, you're from out of town. Never mind then.

Judging from their clothes and demeanor, they should be from a wealthy family in Luoyang, and that's enough.

Seeing that his legs were trembling uncontrollably, Wu Cheng couldn't help but laugh and say, "Young Master Sima, are you very afraid of your sister?"

Could Sima Yue be the tigress type? Or perhaps the imposing type?

Sima Zhong retorted, "You think I'm afraid of my elder sister? Don't joke around! My elder sister is like a mother to me! I'm just showing respect! Enough with the nonsense! Just listen to me from now on!"

Wu Cheng smiled but didn't say anything.

Before long, the carriage stopped at the back gate of the Demon Suppression Guard.

The Demon Suppression Guard Office is located in the southeast corner of the imperial city. From the outside, it is just an inconspicuous gray brick courtyard. There is not even a plaque on the lintel, only an oil paper lantern with the word "Suppression" written on it.

Sima Zhong got out of the carriage first. Seeing that no one was around, he quickly waved to Wu Cheng in the carriage, "Zhuge Cheng, get out quickly!"

Wu Cheng jumped off the carriage and looked around. "Why not go through the main gate?"

"

"This is not a good influence. Just follow me." Sima Zhong led Wu Cheng to the back, and after showing his jade pass, he was allowed into the yamen.

As soon as he entered, Wu Cheng raised his eyebrows slightly.

In this seemingly ordinary and deserted courtyard, at least six faint breaths could be heard.

There's one on the roof, one behind the pillars, and another in the rockery cave.

These people suppressed their auras to an extremely low level, which ordinary experts could not detect at all. However, with the dual blessing of Wu Cheng's "Heavenly Dao Scroll" and "Tai Xu Gui Yuan Jue", his perception of auras far exceeded that of ordinary experts.

It seems that the Demon Suppression Guard is indeed full of hidden talents.

Wu Cheng followed the cunning Sima Zhong, who was stealthily maneuvering through two moon gates, without making a sound, and entered the main hall.

The main hall, spanning three bays, was brightly lit. The pillars at the entrance were adorned with the standard bronze lamps of the Demon Suppression Guard, while directly opposite the main gate was a sandalwood table over ten feet long, piled high with official documents.

A woman was sitting behind the desk.

He wore a dark green, narrow-sleeved outfit, covered by a large black overcoat, with a silver demon-suppressing token pinned to the collar.

This woman's appearance bore a slight resemblance to Sima Zhong, but was far more refined. Her eyes and brows conveyed weariness and fragility, yet she possessed an inexplicable aura of someone who had held a high position for many years.

Her fingers were holding a vermilion pen, making rapid annotations on the official document in front of her. After writing each line, she would turn the page over. Her movements were fluid and without the slightest pause.

"Sister! I've come to see you!"

The woman sitting behind the desk, head down, annotating official documents, didn't even look up. "Did you get into trouble again?"

"No! I've been drinking and carousing lately, I haven't done anything else!" Sima Zhong quickly denied.

"Hmm, sit down." The woman gently raised her wrist to indicate that she should sit down, while continuing to work on the files.

After a while, once she finished correcting the errors and put down her pen, Sima Zhong immediately got up and carefully stood in front of the table.

His former frivolous air vanished, replaced by undisguised reverence. Even his voice dropped three octaves. "Sister, this is Zhuge Cheng, a friend of mine. He's new to Lin'an and unfamiliar with the place, so I thought I'd introduce him to you. You're familiar with Lin'an, so if Brother Zhuge encounters any problems in the future, you'll have someone to turn to."

Sima Yue raised her eyes.

Her pupils were extremely dark, like a moonless night, making it impossible to discern any emotion from them.

However, there were very faint blood vessels deep in her eyes, clearly a trace left by long hours of working late into the night.

Moreover, the color on her lips was very pale, and they were even a little dry and cracked, and her cheeks lacked a healthy rosy glow.

But she still sat upright, her shoulders and back as straight as if carved by a knife.

After glancing briefly at Sima Zhong, Sima Yue turned her gaze to Wu Cheng.

Her gaze lingered on Wu Cheng's face for about three breaths.

From the center of his forehead to his eyes, then to the bridge of his nose and the lower jaw, his gaze finally settled on the wooden sword at his waist.

Her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, then she turned to Sima Zhong, her voice calm, "You can leave now."

Sima Zhong was taken aback, then a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

It's a good thing that my older sister didn't refuse on the spot!

He winked at Wu Cheng, then quickly retreated, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Sima Yue got up from behind the desk and came to Wu Cheng's side.

She walked steadily, but Wu Cheng noticed that when she stood up, she held onto the edge of the table with her left hand and her body swayed slightly.

This is a typical reaction of feeling slightly dizzy when suddenly standing up after sitting for a long time.

Feeling the other person's breathing, Wu Cheng felt strange.

This dignified commander of the Demon Suppression Guard doesn't even know martial arts?

Wu Cheng watched her without showing any emotion, while Sima Yue walked up to Wu Cheng and bowed slightly, performing a very formal official salute. "Your humble servant Sima Yue greets Your Highness, Prince Feng. My younger brother is young and ignorant, and has presumptuously disturbed Your Highness. I hope Your Highness will forgive him."

Wu Cheng nodded. "Does Lord Sima know me?"

Sima Yue straightened up, her face still gentle. "I met you when I was young. Your Highness was too young then to remember."

Wu Cheng quickly searched his memory, but he couldn't find her face.

But that's normal. He was mentally impaired for sixteen years, and his memories are hazy; there are simply too many things he can't remember.

Wu Cheng didn't stand on ceremony. Instead, he walked around the table and sat down, then went straight to the point, "Then Lord Sima should know why I came to see you."

Sima Yue did not answer the question. She turned and walked to the bookshelf, took out three scrolls sealed with cinnabar from the top shelf, placed them on the desk, and pushed them in front of Wu Cheng.

Wu Cheng looked down and happened to see her fingers pressing on the file.

She had very fine cuts on her fingertips, left from being torn by the edges of paper while turning pages over and over again. New wounds were layered on top of old ones, and they had not yet fully scabbed over.

"These three volumes of files record forty-six cases of missing children reported by Lin'an and surrounding prefectures and counties over the past three years."

Thirty-one of the missing persons cases involved traces of monks from the Tiefo Temple's branch temples or those staying there.

Wu Cheng stroked his chin. "That's why you sent An Jingru and An Xinzizai to Xin'an County to investigate. But speaking of which, do you know what they found out, Lord Sima?"

Sima Yue frowned slightly. "Your Highness, I do not understand what you mean."

Seeing that she didn't seem to be faking it, Wu Cheng knew that An Jingru must have been hiding the matter, so he smiled and said, "If those two were here, you could call them over and ask them, and you would know."