Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Mr. Mo glanced around and spotted General Hu, who was directing the repair of defenses from the city wall. He immediately walked over.

"General Hu, where is Li Yuan?"

Upon seeing Mr. Mo, General Hu was initially delighted, but his face immediately darkened, and he sighed, "Mr. Mo, you're back too late. Li Yuan... something happened to him."

Mr. Mo's heart sank: "What happened?"

General Hu then gave a brief and concise account of what had happened in the past few days.

"Unconscious? Even Yu Chi Feng is helpless?"

Mr. Mo frowned, his doubts growing stronger over the past few days. Why did the demon race value Li Yuan so much? What secrets lay behind this?

He stretched out his finger and gently drew a line in the air. A pale blue light flashed. Mo Wentian closed his eyes to calculate, but his expression grew increasingly solemn. After a moment, he lowered his hand.

"Whether this is a blessing or a curse is still hard to predict," Mr. Mo sighed softly. "It all depends on his own fate."

"Mr. Mo, what are your plans now...?"

General Hu knew that Mr. Mo had come for Li Yuan, but the situation in Longyou was tense. If he could be kept here to oversee things, it would provide an extra layer of protection.

"Forget it, since Chen Shuo has already sent him back to Chang'an, there's no point in me chasing after him now." Mr. Mo waved his hand. "I'll stay here for now until the next batch of reinforcements from the imperial court arrives, in case the demon court makes any moves."

"Thank you, Mr. Mo."

General Hu was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Hexi Corridor, Longzhou.

After the harrowing battle outside Yumen Pass, Chen Shuo and his group became extremely cautious. They traveled along the main roads during the day and stayed at post stations at night, taking turns on night watch and not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Strangely, they did not encounter any attacks along the way after that night.

There were no assassins from the Dark Pavilion, no ambushes from the demon race, and not even any petty highway robbers. The journey was so peaceful that it felt almost unreal.

"Brother Chen, why did those demons suddenly fall silent?" Xu Sheng asked, his hand on his sword, looking worried.

Chen Shuo shook his head, feeling quite puzzled. He knew the Dark Pavilion's style very well; they never gave up until they achieved their goal. Although they lost more than twenty elites that night, it was nothing compared to the Dark Pavilion's strength.

He could have sent out an even stronger force to continue the pursuit. He was prepared to fight to the death, but now they seem to have vanished into thin air and never appeared again.

"No matter what, we cannot let our guard down until we reach Chang'an."

Li Yuan's condition was slightly better than before; he could eat and walk, but his eyes were still vacant, as if he were a walking corpse.

On this day, the group finally left the Hexi Corridor and entered the territory of Longzhou. Further ahead lay the capital region. At their current pace, they would arrive in Chang'an in three to five days at most.

As they got closer to home, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As evening fell, the group arrived at a post station outside Longzhou City, intending to rest for the night before continuing their journey the next day. The postmaster, recognizing them as members of the Demon Suppression Bureau, dared not neglect them and quickly arranged for superior rooms and food.

After dinner, Chen Shuo checked on Li Yuan's condition as usual, gave a few instructions to the demon-hunting guards on night watch, and was about to go back to his room to rest when he suddenly heard a series of rapid hoofbeats outside the post station.

The sound of horses' hooves came to an abrupt halt at the entrance of the post station, and then a group of people hurriedly walked in.

The leader was a middle-aged scholar with a sinister face who claimed to be surnamed Zhang and held a token from the Ministry of Justice.

"Lord Chen, we have been ordered to take over the suspect Li Yuan. This is the document from the Ministry of Justice."

Upon meeting Chen Shuo, Lord Zhang immediately produced an official document, which stated unequivocally that Li Yuan was suspected of colluding with the demon race and betraying the country, and ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate.

The document was indeed stamped with the official seals of the Ministry of Justice and the Secretariat. Chen Shuo merely sneered and threw the document back.

"Lord Zhang, Li Yuan is a member of our Demon Suppression Division. Whatever crimes he may have committed, it should be our Demon Suppression Division that investigates them. When did it become your Ministry of Justice's place to interfere?"

"Treason is a serious crime. The Demon Suppression Division is only responsible for capturing demons and eliminating evil spirits. The case should naturally be handled by the Ministry of Justice."

Lord Zhang stared intently at him, his voice laced with threat, "Lord Chen, look carefully. Does this bear the seal of the Secretariat? Are you attempting to disobey orders?"

Chen Shuo's face immediately darkened. He placed one hand on his sword, stepped forward, and said, "Lord Zhang, I only recognize the seal of Commander Luo of our Demon Suppression Division. Perhaps you could request an imperial edict."

Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng and the others behind him immediately placed their hands on their sword hilts. "How come I've never seen this official in the Ministry of Justice before? Could he be a demon in disguise?"

Seeing the men's murderous aura, Lord Zhang's expression changed drastically. He glared at them fiercely, his face contorted with rage. "The Ministry of Justice is now under Grand Secretary Wang's command. Chen Shuo, what problems arise? Can you bear the consequences?"

"Even if Grand Secretary Wang himself comes, I will not release him." Chen Shuo looked at him coldly, his attitude extremely firm. "Gentlemen, please!"

"Very well, very well indeed!" Lord Zhang and his men stormed off, his face extremely grim. "Chen Shuo, I'll remember you!"

Watching the departing figures, Chen Shuo's face was heavy. The Demon Suppression Division had always been independent of the imperial court and never participated in any factional struggles within the court.

But now, these political parties have actually extended their reach to Li Yuan, which is truly outrageous.

"Brother Chen, they just left like that, won't that be bad for you...?" Xu Sheng put down his knife and asked worriedly.

"It's nothing." Chen Shuo waved his hand. "I will explain this to Commander Luo myself."

Xu Sheng sighed. Grand Secretary Wang was the second-highest-ranking official in the court and one of the leaders of the civil officials. His disciples were all over the court and the country, and his power was deeply rooted.

It is said that he was once Li Yuan's nominal maternal grandfather. I don't know how he offended him. It seems that Li Yuan's future days will not be peaceful.

"I fear they may have other tricks up their sleeves. Xu Sheng, immediately send a message to the commander-in-chief requesting backup."

Having lived in the capital for many years, Chen Shuo knew that these high-ranking officials were all capable and would not give up so easily.

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away!" Xu Sheng was startled and hurriedly turned to leave.

The next morning, Chen Shuo did not set off early as usual, but instead let the team rest for a while. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that they set off along the official road toward Chang'an.

In the afternoon, after passing through Longzhou, we came to a rugged mountain road with rolling hills and dense forests on both sides.

Chen Shuo immediately became vigilant, drew his sword, and walked at the front of the group. "This place is mountainous and densely forested, everyone be careful! Xu Sheng, you bring up the rear, the rest of you protect the carriage."

On the official road, there were occasional pedestrians. Chen Shuo looked at the sky and saw that the sun was already setting in the west. "After crossing that hillside, we will reach the post station."

Everyone immediately perked up, gripped their knives, and entered the canyon.

"Whoosh—!"

An arrow shot out from the dense forest and landed in front of a demon-hunting guard's horse. The horse was startled, neighed, and reared up.

"An ambush!" Chen Shuo shouted sharply. "Speed ​​up and charge out!"

Before the words were finished, countless figures rushed out from the forests on both sides, each with a black mask covering their face and holding a sharp blade, and silently pounced on the convoy.