Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

His words not only distanced him from the situation and clarified his stance, but also took the opportunity to criticize the fallen Sun family. People in the court secretly cursed him as an old fox, but they also had to admire his quick thinking.

Li Yan looked at him expressionlessly, remained silent for a moment, and then said indifferently, "Since Grand Secretary Wang has nothing to do with this matter, I will naturally not implicate the innocent. However, the Sun family are your subordinates, and you must give me an explanation."

"Your Majesty, I understand." Grand Secretary Wang hurriedly kowtowed, expressing his stance, "Your Majesty, I will personally oversee the Ministry of Personnel's rectification efforts and ensure that such incidents never happen again."

"Furthermore, regarding the envoy to the Demon Court, this old minister recommends the personnel of the Demon Suppression Division. They have been dealing with the Demon Court for many years and are the most suitable candidates."

Seeing that he had voluntarily withdrawn from the contest for envoys, Li Yan glanced at him and did not pursue the matter further.

Bringing down Vice Minister Sun was already the limit; it was unrealistic to expect to use this opportunity to shake Grand Secretary Wang. Getting him to back down and make concessions was already an unexpected gain.

"In that case, I will choose another capable person to be sent as an envoy to the Demon Court." Li Yan's gaze swept across the court, causing another commotion. However, given the precedent of the Sun family, no one dared to voice their opposition.

Headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division.

Li Yuan's desk was piled high with newly delivered case files.

After the Sun family case was solved, Li Yuan was rewarded by the emperor for his outstanding performance in the case.

He now has fifteen demon-hunting guards under his command. Although most of them are newcomers, he has at least established his own team. Wu Yu and Ji Fanghua have naturally been assigned to his command.

That day, Li Yuan met Han Kuo outside Ye Hongyu's door. He took the initiative to step forward, cupped his fists and said, "Lord Li, I was very offended by what happened before. Please forgive me."

"Brother Han, you flatter me. You were just following the rules. If it were me, I would also be suspicious if I saw a newcomer accepting a bribe to release someone. In retrospect, I was too impulsive. I will need your guidance in the future."

Li Yuan smiled slightly, without becoming arrogant because of this.

Seeing his sincere attitude, Han Kuo's last bit of resentment disappeared. He nodded and didn't say anything more, but from then on, his attitude towards Li Yuan became noticeably closer.

That evening, Ye Hongyu sent someone to summon Li Yuan.

When Li Yuan arrived at Ye Hongyu's courtyard, he found Chen Shuo there as well. Chen Shuo was wearing a brand-new black official robe and had the golden seal of the Demon Suppression Division hanging from his waist.

"Brother Chen, you got promoted?"

Among the members of the Demon Suppression Division, Chen Shuo was the one with the best relationship with Li Yuan, so he was naturally happy for him when he was promoted.

"Yes." Chen Shuo smiled. "There's something I need to tell you. His Majesty has personally appointed me as a guerrilla general, leading a delegation to the Demon Court."

"An envoy to the demon court?"

Li Yuan was taken aback, never expecting that this hot potato would end up in Chen Shuo's hands.

Chen Shuo nodded: "His Majesty appointed me, the Demon Suppression Division recommended me, and Commander Luo also asked for my opinion beforehand. I agreed."

Li Yuan remained silent. The mission to the Demon Court was a thankless and arduous one. The factions that had been arguing before were all harboring their own ulterior motives.

Regardless of the Demon Court's attitude, the long journey alone is enough to deter most people. Chen Shuo must have been prepared to take the risk.

"When are we leaving?"

"Three days later," Chen Shuo said, "His Majesty appointed people from the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy to serve as my deputy envoy."

Li Yuan frowned. Most of the civil officials in the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy had never experienced a real life-or-death test. In a place like the Demon Court, they would be lucky if they didn't hinder anyone, let alone help.

Thinking of this, he turned around and cupped his hands in greeting to Ye Hongyu: "Lord Ye, I would like to go with Brother Chen."

Ye Hongyu glanced at him and refused without hesitation: "No."

"Why?" Li Yuan asked anxiously. "I know as much about the demon race as anyone else, and I've been to the Northwest, so I'm quite familiar with that area..."

"That's precisely why you absolutely cannot go," Ye Hongyu interrupted him. "The Chen Su Demon Emperor specifically requested you at Tiger Wolf Pass, and everyone in the court knows this."

"Besides, your father is still in the Demon Court. If you appear in the delegation, the rumors of you colluding with the demons will be impossible to dispel."

Li Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself speechless.

Ye Hongyu's tone softened a bit: "I know you want to help Chen Shuo, but apart from the border, the situation in Chang'an is just as dire."

"Although the Sun family has fallen, it's hard to guarantee that there are still others colluding with the demon race. Slaying demons and eliminating evil is not something that can only be done at the border."

Li Yuan was speechless, knowing in his heart that Ye Hongyu was right, but he preferred to confront demons directly and settle scores quickly.

"I see."

He turned to Chen Shuo and said, "Brother Chen, take care on your journey."

Chen Shuo smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not that easy to kill. When I get back from the Demon Court, we'll have a good drink together."

A few days later, Chen Shuo led his delegation from Chang'an to the west to the Demon Court.

Li Yuan stood on the city wall, watching the delegation's procession gradually disappear into the vast autumn wind.

Time flies, and it's already late autumn.

Chen Shuo has been away from Chang'an for two months. During this time, Li Yuan has gradually settled down. He handles official business and investigates the demon clan's forces during the day, and consolidates his cultivation and comprehends the power of the stars at night with the help of the Soul-Suppressing Bell.

Now he has completely stabilized his cultivation, and has even faintly touched the threshold of the perfected Core Formation Realm. His use of the power of stars is becoming more and more proficient. He can even attach starlight to the blade, greatly increasing his attack power.

Following the case of the Sun family, Li Yuan followed the clues and successively cracked several contact points of the demon race, capturing more than ten demon spies lurking in the capital.

He was promoted too quickly and had the reputation of being a level nine genius, so he was watched by everyone. Now he has finally managed to suppress those rumors with his strength.

Ye Hongyu's trust in him grew day by day, and he gradually became her right-hand man.

The only regret is that, for some reason, he never replied to a single letter he wrote to Yu Ling'er.

During this period, he wrote letters to most of his classmates, especially to a few close ones like Chu Yunhe. Even the most aloof Shen Lian replied, but Yu Ling'er, who was always lively and cheerful, did not reply, which made Li Yuan somewhat worried.

After making some inquiries, I learned that she is now stationed in a remote village called Changle on the border.

Li Yuan felt a vague unease. He could only comfort himself, thinking that perhaps she was busy with her mission, or that news from there was scarce and it was inconvenient for her to reply.

That afternoon, after finishing his work, Li Yuan went to Ye Hongyu's courtyard for his routine report.

As soon as he entered, he saw a familiar figure.

Liu Hongyan was sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea, talking quietly with Ye Hongyu.

"Instructor Liu," Li Yuan said, both surprised and delighted, "what brings you here?"

"What, can't I just drop by the Demon Suppression Division?" Liu Hongyan joked, then said seriously, "Mr. Mo is back."

What?! Mr. Mo is back!

Li Yuan was overjoyed. He had not seen Mr. Mo for several months since their parting at Tiger Wolf Pass. Although he knew that Mr. Mo was powerful and would not be in any trouble, he still missed him.

"I'll go see him right now."

He turned to leave, but then remembered that he was there to report on his work, and turned back to look at Ye Hongyu with some embarrassment.

Ye Hongyu waved her hand with amusement: "Go ahead, you can report back tomorrow."