I defeated the saint with a parry.

"This kid is Li You's half-brother, a Jinshi this year. Even if he weren't in the Demon Suppression Division, he could easily find an official position. But I don't know what's wrong with him, he insists on competing with us poor folks for missions."

Li You, no wonder.

Xu Ling felt that Li Xuance looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before. Now it seemed that he did indeed have some resemblance to Li You in terms of eyebrows and eyes.

If they are brothers, then it can be explained.

Xu Ling also noticed that Li Xuance's expression didn't look good when he heard the words "born out of wedlock".

Li Xuance said he was delivering a letter, but he didn't take out the letter directly. When Zhang Li revealed his identity, he instead bowed and clasped his hands in a respectful manner to Xu Ling.

This is a grand gesture, far beyond the etiquette between peers.

Just because someone treats you well doesn't necessarily mean they care about you.

All eyes turned to him, and when they saw that it was Li Xuance who was bowing, and that the person being bowed to was just a bronze-level demon slayer who was also a complete stranger, all the curious gazes turned to surprise.

"Thank you, Junior Brother Xu, for obtaining the pills from the Dan Sect for my Demon Suppression Division."

Ok?

What did they hear?

The initially surprised crowd erupted into chaos, all eyes immediately turning to the already conspicuous Xu Ling.

"I heard it was the garrison commander's doing."

"There are rumors within the company that someone offered a plan; could it be this person?"

"How could someone who is only at the Body Tempering Realm contact the Song family and exchange information with the garrison commander? Li Xuance must have made a mistake."

"The Li family is the most prominent family in the city. Their information is so well-informed that it's impossible for it to be false."

The hushed conversations echoed noisily in the courtyard, as if everyone had forgotten about the wonderful method of transmitting sound secretly, and everyone was expressing their own opinions.

Everyone kept an eye on Xu Ling's changing expression.

After all, if someone can't even handle this little bit of conflict, how could they be the one offering the advice?

"What does Young Master Li mean by this?"

Xu Ling: "Could it be that Second Master Li instructed you to do this?"

This young man has ill intentions. His plan cannot be kept secret from those who are interested, but most ordinary people have no way of knowing about it. Li Xuance's move is equivalent to those marketing accounts in my previous life bringing Xu Ling into the public eye.

What appears to be a grateful act of support actually harbors malicious intent, a desire to flatter him to his detriment.

"No, no, it has nothing to do with the patriarch." Li Xuance smiled. If he didn't take action, no one would know that he was a top-notch demon slayer, at least at the Nascent Soul Realm. "I am truly grateful."

He waved to the crowd gathered behind him, saying, "Not only me, but every demon slayer in the Demon Suppression Division will owe you a debt of gratitude for Junior Brother Xu's plan."

"If you don't believe me, junior brother, you can ask everyone here whether there is any falsehood in what I said."

indeed.

As soon as Li Xuance finished speaking, someone from among the top-ranked demon slayers stepped forward.

The newcomer carried a giant hammer on his back; he was a truly burly man. Even if he never became a cultivator or martial artist in his life, he would definitely be a fierce blacksmith and butcher.

"Senior Brother Li is right. If the Ruodan Sect's strategy was proposed by this junior brother, then we should all thank you."

He explained, "Don't laugh at me, junior brother, but I'm already fifty years old, and my cultivation is still only at the early stage of the Condensation Realm. If it weren't for the mission from the Demon Suppression Division that gave me resources, I probably would never have reached the Condensation Realm in my entire life. When I was young, my parents thought about sending me to a martial arts school, but firstly, they couldn't afford the tuition, and secondly, they didn't have the means to cultivate my body and build my foundation."

"If I hadn't joined the Demon Suppression Division later, I'm afraid I would never have had the chance to embark on the path of martial arts in my entire life."

He spoke of gratitude for the benefits provided by the Demon Suppression Bureau, but made no mention of the dangers he encountered while performing missions there.

There were many like him, and many of his colleagues, carrying guns and swords, also stood up, from the youngest to the oldest with white hair, all with the same attitude.

Of the demon slayers who dared to risk their lives to join the Demon Suppression Division, few came from impoverished backgrounds. They might be poor or old, but none of them were cowards who feared death.

Xu Ling took a deep breath, glanced at Li Xuance, who remained unmoved, before slowly stepping forward and standing before all his colleagues.

"As my senior brothers have said, we are all people who have benefited from the protection of the Demon Suppression Division, and Junior Brother is no exception. This plan was indeed proposed by Junior Brother, but the person who ultimately implemented it was Lord Xu, the garrison commander. If you senior brothers really want to express your gratitude, you don't need to thank me, a mere bronze token, but should thank our garrison commander. If it weren't for Lord Xu, the garrison commander, who is insightful in his strategy and has us in his heart, where would the pills of the Pill Sect come from?"

Zhang Li chimed in at the opportune moment: "That makes sense. If it weren't for the garrison commander, this plan would not have succeeded."

With Zhang Li's help in guiding them, everyone except Li Xuance gradually came to their senses.

Taking the opportunity, Zhang Li cupped his hands towards the inner courtyard of the yamen and shouted, "Thank you, Commander! You are diligent and benevolent, bringing blessings to the people!"

Upon seeing this, everyone followed suit and bowed, shouting in unison.

Seeing this, Zhang Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though the two of them diverted attention from this achievement, Xu Ling was no longer an ordinary person. The group made way for him, wanting him to go to the front and choose a task first, but Xu Ling refused, saying that he already had a task.

He didn't leave, and Zhang Li, though wanting to go, didn't move an inch. Instead, he glared fiercely at Li Xuance: "What a fine second young master of the Li family! His belly is probably full of wicked thoughts. You deliberately brought this up here to make everyone suspicious of Brother Xu's identity. What are you up to?"

"Brother Zhang, please don't blame me. I was only sincere. How could I be accused of being heartless?"

Li Xuance's smile remained unchanged: "Oh right, I forgot to thank you for something."

He bowed again as he spoke: "My poor aunt was able to travel from Zhangye to Fancheng entirely thanks to Junior Brother Xu's escort. Junior Brother Xu not only has severed meridians but also only has the cultivation of the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm. Yet, he slew many demons and evil spirits in the Condensation Realm along the way, and even killed a heretical cultivator in the Spirit Platform Realm. He is truly a role model for us all, and I admire him greatly."

"What?"

"The young lady from the Li family who died suddenly was actually sent to Fancheng by Xu Ling."

"We've been curious for so long, wondering which gold medalist it would be, but we never expected that the person in question would be a bronze medalist in the Body Tempering Realm."

Li Xi's story wasn't exactly a secret in Fancheng, but the identity of the demon slayer who escorted him remained a mystery.

This was also the first time the Li family had mentioned Xu Ling's name.

A Body Tempering Realm cultivator killing a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator? What kind of mythical story is this?

"Li Xuance! Are you telling the truth?"

The guy with the hammer who had just said he was fifty years old shouted, "Don't tell me you're really hiding something that will make Junior Brother Xu hate you."

"Brother Wang Dachui, don't be anxious. Everything I said is true. If there is even a single lie, may the Heavenly Dao Lord cut off my path of cultivation." Li Xuance pulled out a paper fan from somewhere and swore to the heavens.

Even if everyone could see that he had ill intentions, there was nothing they could say.

Moreover, compared to Li Xuance, everyone was more concerned about Xu Ling's cultivation level.

"Junior brother, are you truly at the Body Tempering Realm?"

Faced with the doubts, Zhang Li was even more anxious than Xu Ling: "It's the truth, everyone doesn't need to ask anymore. I'll answer for my junior brother. He is indeed incapacitated, but his strength to kill a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator is also real."

The memory of fighting the Spirit Platform Realm demon snake with my eyes closed under Xu Ling's command a few days ago is still vivid in my mind.

It can be said that among everyone present, only Zhang Li truly understood Xu Ling's abilities.

Let alone Fancheng, even in the capital, who could make the garrison commander entrust the garrison command to him?

Everyone, including Li Xuance and the Li family, thought Xu Ling relied on his martial prowess, but little did they know that the garrison commander valued Xu Ling's "brains."

Li Xuance asked with a smile, "Junior Brother Xu, how exactly did you manage to kill a Spirit Platform Realm cultivator? I'm truly curious. Did you use some powerful spiritual treasure or Dao artifact?"

Xu Ling: "So what if it is, so what if it isn't?"

"That's easy." Li Xuance closed his fan, finally getting what he wanted. "To be honest, junior brother, I'm not very talented. I just broke through to the Spirit Platform Realm last night and entered the Transcendent Realm. I just needed someone to practice with to consolidate my cultivation. None of the senior brothers present could help me, but your arrival is just in time..."

"Why don't we spar a bit to help me consolidate my cultivation, and also let my senior brothers see your true strength?"

"Junior brother, do you dare?"

Zhang Li didn't respond this time. He silently looked at Xu Ling. Although he couldn't tell what Xu Ling was thinking, this was the first time he had seen Xu Ling with such a sullen face since they had been together recently. Even if he was stupid, he knew that Xu Ling was angry.

He had only one thought: 'Damn it, Brother Xu, go get him! Take down this stinking scholar!'

Just when everyone thought Xu Ling would back down, he smiled and said:

"In that case, we shall respectfully comply."

"please!"

If Li Xuance were still at the Condensation Realm, Xu Ling might have declined out of consideration for the occasion. But this guy actually said he had reached the Spirit Platform Realm, which is truly a case of "Heaven has a road but you don't take it, and Hell has no gate but you come here of your own accord."

Anyone who dares to act tough in front of him is a coward, okay?

Gan!