Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Qin Lie woke up.

He first glanced at the Demon-Suppressing Blade beside the bed, then at his own control panel.

[Realm Level: Early Stage of Ninth Rank]

[Cultivation Technique: Basic Body Refinement Method (Beginner)]

[Technique: Qi Observation]

Free attribute points: 2.85

Last night's ordeal wasn't in vain; at least he's no longer that newbie who didn't even make it into the ranks.

Although it's only the early stage of the ninth rank, it's still considered stepping into the threshold of martial arts.

Today he's going to Shiqiao Village to investigate a suspected wolf demon case. It's also his first mission since joining the Demon Suppression Division, so it would be a lie to say he's not nervous.

After all, this time it wasn't an illusion from the Hundred Demon Mirror, nor was there anyone watching during yesterday's test.

If this monster is real, it can kill people.

However, monsters can kill people, and he can kill monsters; it's not certain who the hunter will be and who the prey will be.

It would be even better if some monsters like the mother spider appeared, so we could farm another wave of attribute points.

Qin Lie felt that he was now addicted to grinding attribute points.

He got up, washed his face, changed into the black outfit of the Demon Suppression Division, and then hung the Demon Suppression Blade at his waist.

The saying "clothes make the man" is really true; I look much more energetic after putting this on.

Qin Lie pushed open the door and went out, only to see Xu Qinghe already standing in the courtyard.

She was also wearing the black clothes of the Demon Suppression Bureau today, her hair was simply tied up, and she was holding a small booklet in her hand.

Qin Lie walked over and greeted her.

"Good morning, Clerk Xu."

Xu Qinghe looked up at him.

"Good morning. You don't need to call me clerk. Just call me Qinghe like everyone else."

"Okay, Qing..."

"Clerk Xu, where are Lord Lu and Brother Li?"

Qin Lie originally wanted to shout as Xu Qinghe had instructed, but he found himself unable to utter the words halfway through.

It seems a bit inappropriate to use such an intimate term after only knowing each other for two or three days.

Xu Qinghe didn't mind Qin Lie's way of addressing her.

"They both have other tasks to attend to today."

"The Stone Bridge Village mission is just an exploration mission; it hasn't been confirmed whether it's a monster or not yet."

"So today it's just you coming with me."

"clear."

Qin Lie nodded after hearing this.

Lu Chen already gave instructions yesterday: today, Xu Qinghe will be in charge, so whatever Xu Qinghe says goes.

"Were you nervous about your first mission?"

Xu Qinghe glanced at Qin Lie, her tone calm.

"You must be nervous."

Qin Lie didn't hesitate at all and blurted it out.

"Being nervous is nothing to be ashamed of; everyone gets nervous sometimes."

"But as long as you can control your emotions at crucial moments and complete the task in the end, isn't that enough?"

Xu Qinghe seemed to agree with what Qin Lie said, and nodded slightly.

"Let's go. Shiqiao Village is neither too close nor too far from here. It will take about two hours to get there on horseback."

After the two left the courtyard, there were already two horses waiting at the gate.

On the way to Dongxuan City, Qin Lie rode on horseback for two days. Although he was not yet proficient, he was no longer as stiff as he had been at the beginning.

After mounting their horses, the two headed straight for the city gate.

The city of Dongxuan was already bustling with activity in the early morning. Shops along the street opened one after another, and vendors selling all kinds of snacks began to hawk their wares.

As Qin Lie rode on his horse, watching the people coming and going on the street, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

It's like a dream.

Yesterday he was a newcomer to the city, but today he's already wearing the uniform of the Demon Suppression Bureau and has started carrying out his mission.

When they reached the city gate, the guards saw the demon-suppressing tokens hanging from their waists and quickly made way for them.

Once you leave the city, there aren't as many people on the road.

Fields lined both sides of the official road, and some villages could be seen in the distance.

Xu Qinghe rode ahead on horseback, with Qin Lie following behind. The two didn't exchange many words.

After walking for a while, Qin Lie suddenly remembered the Qi Observation Technique he had exchanged for the night before.

Then he looked at Xu Qinghe. Since there was nothing to do on the way, he decided to use him as a practice subject.

Qin Lie focused his mind and, following the method of observing qi, looked towards Xu Qinghe.

The next moment, a faint, blurry aura appeared before his eyes.

Xu Qinghe's aura was very faint.

Just as Qin Lie was trying to get a clearer view, the aura was suddenly blocked by a layer of fog.

I can't see anything clearly.

Immediately afterwards, a notification popped up in front of him.

[Target: Human Race]

[Realm Level: Unable to determine]

[Hint: The target is using a concealment technique, or the difference in cultivation level between the two is too great.]

Qin Lie was stunned for a moment after seeing this prompt.

Was this his first attempt at using the Qi Observation Technique a failure?

If that's the case, then Xu Qinghe's realm must be much higher than his.

Or is this Qi-observation technique rather useless, unable to reveal anything concrete at all?

Xu Qinghe seemed to sense something and suddenly turned to look at her.

"Qin Lie, why are you staring at me like that?"

"No, I just feel that you, Xu Shuli, are not an ordinary person."

The sudden question caught Qin Lie off guard, but luckily he reacted quickly.

"I'm not an ordinary person, that's for sure. Do you see any ordinary people in the Demon Suppression Division?"

"That's true. Those who can enter the Demon Suppression Division are not ordinary people."

Qin Lie breathed a sigh of relief; at least he had managed to cover up the lie.

"Were you using some kind of magic to see me just now?"

Upon hearing this question, Qin Lie's heart, which had just been at ease, jumped into his throat again.

This Xu Qinghe is no ordinary person; she even knows that I used magic to investigate her.

"Last night I learned a technique for detecting other people, and I want to test its effectiveness."

Now that he had been discovered, Qin Lie had no intention of lying.

If, as he suspected, there was a significant gap in strength between Xu Qinghe and him, then lying would be pointless.

Besides, now that we're on the same team, we should at least trust each other.

"Did you figure it out?"

"I can see that. Clerk Xu is very capable."

Upon hearing Qin Lie's answer, Xu Qinghe nodded almost imperceptibly.

"It's obvious that this conclusion can be reached without using magic."

Qin Lie was a little stunned when he heard Xu Qinghe say this.

Unexpectedly, Xu Qinghe, who is usually very serious, can also make jokes.

"However, I still want to remind you that it's best not to use this kind of technique to probe others indiscriminately."

"Some people have bad tempers, and if they find out you're spying on them, they might just take action."

Qin Lie nodded after hearing this, it seemed to make sense.

"Thank you for reminding me, Clerk Xu. I won't be so presumptuous next time."

Just as Xu Qinghe said, what if you encounter someone who is highly skilled but also has a bad temper?

With my novice level of skill, I might just get slapped to death.

Before you've fully developed, you must lie low for now.

The two continued on their journey, and after about an hour, a village finally appeared ahead.

There is a small stone bridge at the entrance of the village, and a narrow river flows under the bridge.

That's probably where the name Shiqiao Village comes from.

However, this village doesn't seem to be very peaceful.

Before even entering the village, Qin Lie saw several people standing at the village entrance, all looking tired, and some of them were holding hoes and wooden sticks.

Upon seeing Qin Lie and Xu Qinghe, an elderly man in his fifties immediately rushed over to greet them.

"My lords, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come soon, everyone in our Stone Bridge Village would have died."

Upon seeing the demon-suppressing tokens on their waists, the old man immediately began to weep and complain.

Xu Qinghe dismounted and walked to the old man's side.

"Are you the village head of Shiqiao Village?"

"Yes, yes, my surname is Chen, and I am the village chief of Shiqiao Village."

"The case file says that six people disappeared from the village within three days. Are there still six now?"

Upon hearing Xu Qinghe's question, the village chief's face immediately turned pale.

"No, it's not six anymore, it's seven. Another one died last night."

"He was fine during the first half of the night when everyone was on patrol, but after they went home in the second half of the night, he just disappeared."

Qin Lie frowned slightly after hearing this.

Did it just disappear at home?

If a wolf were to enter a village and snatch someone, the commotion would be quite significant.

Logically speaking, everyone should have been able to notice it.

Judging from the village chief's expression, he probably only found out early this morning.

That means it wasn't the wild wolves that did it, but rather some kind of demon was at work.

"Sirs, please, please capture this monster quickly, otherwise, we really can't go on living like this."

"Yes, yes, we're too scared to even sleep at night now, we get scared as soon as it gets dark."

Several villagers nearby also knelt down on the ground.

"Alright, stop arguing. Take us to the house where the accident happened last night."

Xu Qinghe waved her hand, and everyone around quieted down.

The village chief, surnamed Chen, immediately nodded.

"Yes, gentlemen, please follow me."

Qin Lie led his horse behind Xu Qinghe. As they entered the village, he subconsciously glanced around.

The village was very quiet, almost unnaturally so.

Even in broad daylight, every household kept their doors closed.

Peering through the crack in the door, you could see pairs of eyes looking out from inside.

Qin Lie sensed something was off about this place, so he quietly used his Qi Observation Technique to look into the village.

At first, all I could see were faint traces of blood and qi; those must have been ordinary villagers.

But soon, he saw a very faint blackish-gray aura behind the village.

The scent flashed by, quickly swallowed up by the smoke from the village chimneys and the bustling activity.

Xu Qinghe seemed to notice Qin Lie's change, and then asked in a low voice.

"Did you find anything?"

Qin Lie shook his head.

"It's too early to say. We need to go to the crime scene first and see if there are any clues."

Xu Qinghe nodded and glanced at the area behind the village.

"OK."

Village Chief Chen, along with Qin Lie and Xu Qinghe, quickly arrived at the house where the incident had occurred the previous night.

The gate to the house was still open, and large patches of blackened blood could be seen on the ground in front of the gate, along with several messy footprints.

It looked like it had been stepped on by humans, or left by wild animals.