I defeated the saint with a parry.

It's often said that Promenade is the largest and safest city in Connecticut, but after today, that may have to be changed.

First, the first family was wiped out, and then the dead returned.

Over the course of several days, the Demon Suppression Division had no energy to deal with the Li family's affairs. The assembled demon slayers and the demon suppressors who had returned early all devoted themselves to the returning dead.

The problem is that none of the deceased remember dying. In their memories, they returned naturally according to their old habits after completing what they were doing at the time.

Upon further inquiry, no one knew the specifics of their return journey.

Such a bizarre thing was something that not only they, but even Xu Huaixu had never seen or even heard of.

Xu Ling was dragged out of bed by Xu Huaixu.

"So, what you mean, sir, is that our yamen is about to collapse as soon as this play begins?"

Xu Ling's words made Xu Huaixu blush.

When the two of them were secretly discussing it before, he patted his chest and said that he would build a stage to attract the people behind the scenes to come out and perform.

But... the whole city is in chaos now. Not only is there no progress in the case of the Li family's massacre, but the Demon Suppression Division is also exhausted in manpower due to the sudden appearance of the dead.

At this point, let alone a theatrical performance, even if someone behind the scenes suddenly and openly steps out, the Demon Suppression Bureau would be powerless to deal with it.

Nearly two hundred demon slayers and more than thirty demon suppressors were all dealing with the dead who were at a similar level to themselves, as well as their relatives and friends.

"The most troublesome thing about this matter is that these deceased people are too deeply connected with their relatives. They cannot be simply treated as ghost cultivators or ghosts, nor can they be whipped to death and sent to the underworld all at once, otherwise..."

Xu Huaixu finished speaking, and Xu Ling took over for him: "With the people's hearts lost, everything becomes difficult."

"Sigh!" Xu Huaixu sighed, "I wish those were just ordinary demons, easily killed with a slap."

You see, even highly skilled individuals who are known for their Confucianism and martial prowess cannot be placed on a moral high ground; otherwise, they would not dare to use force even if they had it.

Xu Lingke had no morals whatsoever: "This isn't difficult."

Those who attempt to bind others with the will of the people will inevitably be overthrown by the will of the people. And those who misuse the will of the people will also be disturbed by it.

"If you don't see them as a nuisance, the problem will be easily solved; in fact, they can become our help from another perspective."

Xu Huaixu's expression changed slightly, as if he understood something: "You want everything to remain the same?"

"Exactly!" Xu Ling nodded. "Those people return with their past memories. Even if they are ghost cultivators or ghosts, as long as they don't do evil, what does it matter if they are demons? Didn't you complain about not having enough manpower, sir? Aren't those 'resurrected' demon slayers the best help?"

Xu Huaixu already understood what Xu Ling meant: "It's that twisted logic of yours again, the one about universal harmony."

"Do you know what the consequences would be if we continued as before, and these people were controlled and suddenly betrayed us?"

Xu Ling smiled and said, "It's a bit self-deceptive for you to say that, sir. They are controlled by others anyway, so what's the point of talking about 'what if'?"

"you...."

Although Xu Ling's words had a sophistical undertone, Xu Huaixu really couldn't refute them, because he had truly understood what Xu Ling meant.

Xu Ling continued, "If the government doesn't have enough manpower, then we'll mobilize the people. We'll spread the word about the actual situation to everyone in Fancheng. The government can tell them that there are rewards for reporting wrongdoing. If someone is indeed acting suspiciously, as long as they report it and it's verified, they'll be rewarded. Those who report without malicious intent won't be punished."

"It's difficult to be a true friend or an enemy. Our Demon Suppression Division has no real conflict with the common people; we are allies on the same side. There are bad people mixed in with the people, but they are a tiny minority. Once someone causes trouble, those people who were originally unwilling for our Demon Suppression Division to deal with their 'relatives' will immediately turn their guns on them."

"We only need to keep a watchful eye on things, and when the fox shows its tail, we'll seize it in one fell swoop. The advantage is in our hands, so what's this talk of chaos?"

"Wonderful!!"

Xu Huaixu gave Xu Ling a deep look, then turned and disappeared from Xu Ling's room.

As for Xu Ling, he also went out of the room because Zhong Song was alive, and he had to go and see him.

Xu Ling never expected Zhong Song to return. He had personally witnessed Zhong Song being torn in two by the human-faced tiger, dying with his eyes wide open... but he never imagined he would see him again.

When he first transmigrated to this world, his acceptance of it was zero.

Faced with certain death, Chung Chung's unwavering act of stepping forward to fight for their lives gave him a strange yet familiar feeling, as if he were seeing the figure of an old friend.

Therefore, as soon as Xu Ling arrived in this world, he developed a unique acceptance of his identity as a demon slayer.

When Chung Chung was bailed out by the Leo family, the latter was also surprised to see him.

"It's you? My colleague from that temple."

Zhong Song said with delight, "I didn't expect you to successfully come to Fancheng."

"Brother Zhong, how have you been?" Xu Ling cupped his hands, his eyes filled with emotion. The Zhong Song before him, both in appearance and tone of voice, was exactly as he remembered. No wonder the Demon Suppression Division had found it troublesome to deal with him. What kind of good person would want to watch their living family member be taken away as a monster?

"Brother Zhong, are you feeling unwell?"

Zhong Song shook his head: "It's strange, but even after dying once, there's nothing strange about my body."

Before Xu Ling could ask any more questions, Zhong Song took the initiative to ask, "We must be causing a lot of trouble for the government, right?"

"No," Xu Ling said with a smile. "The yamen is short-staffed right now, so your return is perfect for helping out. Don't doubt it, the garrison commander's orders will be coming soon, so just wait."

While Zhong Song looked on in astonishment, Xu Ling didn't dwell on the question for long: "I've been in Fancheng for so long, and I haven't yet visited Brother Zhong's home. May I...?"

Chung Sung laughed heartily: "Of course, please."

The two traveled together, and before setting off, they also bailed out Zhao Xiong. The two moon lions also transformed into kittens and followed behind. Soon they arrived at the southeast corner of the city from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

When passing by the brothel, Xu Ling bought a few bottles of spirit wine and packed a large table of dishes.

After the Li family was destroyed, Fanlou became a property exclusively owned by "King Kang," and no one dared to touch it, making it a pure land.

When Xu Ling and the other two returned to Zhong Song's house, a little girl was squatting in front of the small house, and her red figure could be seen from a distance.

"Little Red Leaf, what are you doing here?"

Zhong Song went to greet her with doting affection, but when he saw that Xiao Hongye's face was covered with tears, he was immediately furious.

Even Zhao Xiong had a similar reaction when he saw this scene. He obviously knew Hongye and had been here with Zhong Song many times before.

"Who bullied you?"

"Tell us, and your Uncle Zhao and Uncle Zhong will go and deal with him."

Unbeknownst to the two, while they were talking, the person in the corner had a particularly ferocious expression, exuding a ghostly aura, and the surrounding temperature dropped several degrees.

The chilling aura was the same as what Xu Ling had felt before in the "Small Merchants' Walk".

As expected, they all became ghost cultivators.

Little Hongye cried and threw herself into Zhong Song's arms, saying in a tearful voice, "Wang Mazi and his gang overturned Mother's stall. Father went to demand an explanation and hasn't come back yet. I'm scared to be alone, so I can only wait here for Uncle Zhong to come back."

"Wang Mazi? Those hooligans, weren't they killed by the evil cultivators using vengeful ghosts long ago?"

Zhong Song and Zhao Xiong exchanged a glance, then turned to Xu Ling, who nodded: "As you can see, this incident has indeed thrown Fancheng into chaos. It's not just you who have returned; there are also many people who shouldn't have come back."

"Would you two like to come with me and go have another go at those thugs?"

Zhao Xiong cursed, "What else is there to say? Let's go, brothers. If I don't take down these guys, I'm not Zhao."

Zhong Song carried Xiao Hongye on his back, his face full of displeasure, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Xu Ling chuckled, "By the way, when they were alive, they were just street thugs causing trouble, not under our jurisdiction. But now that they've become 'ghost cultivators,' their disturbances in the city are considered demonic mischief, and thus fall under our jurisdiction."

Isn't that a coincidence?

The Great Chu Law states: Any cultivator who brings harm to the human world is a demon, and the Demon Suppression Division may execute them.