Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Zhang Daojing looked at him with compassion and a hint of curiosity: "I don't know who you are or where you come from, but I do know that you have a mission to carry out in this world."

"I only want to say one thing to you: no matter what happens in the future, never forget your true nature. Good and evil are separated by a single thought, and heaven and earth are watching. Only by guarding your true nature can you overcome calamities."

Stay true to yourself?

Given Zhang Daojing's level of cultivation, even without his cultivation, his understanding of heaven and earth would still remain. He would never speak carelessly, so the calamity he spoke of must indeed be true.

Li Yuan nodded solemnly: "Thank you for your teachings, Master. I will keep them in mind."

Zhang Daojing smiled wearily and waved his hand: "Go, go do what you need to do."

"This humble Taoist priest is also going into seclusion."

Li Yuan stood up, bowed deeply to Zhang Daojing, and turned to leave the quiet room.

As he reached the door, Zhang Daojing's voice came from behind him: "That dark star has been targeted. Be careful."

Li Yuan was deeply shocked, but he didn't turn around and strode out.

The next morning, Li Yuan and his party set off to return to Chang'an.

Outside the mountain gate, Xuan Yi, dressed in a simple blue Taoist robe, carried a long sword on his back and a simple bag, looking like an ordinary wandering Taoist priest.

Upon seeing Li Yuan and his group emerge, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Lord Li."

Li Yuan looked at him: "Where are you planning to go?"

"I haven't decided yet." Xuan Yi smiled, with the carefree spirit of a young man. "I'll just go wherever I end up. The world is so big, there's bound to be a place I can go."

Li Yuan nodded without saying anything more.

Xuan Yi solemnly kowtowed three times towards the mountain, then stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the group: "Lord Li, Miss Ji, Senior Han, Fellow Daoist Wu, until we meet again."

Until we meet again.

The group returned the greeting.

Xuan Yi turned around and strode down the mountain path without looking back, his steps unhurried.

Watching his retreating figure, Wu Yu touched his chin in confusion: "This kid seems to have changed a lot."

"People always have to grow up," Han Kuo said calmly. "It's just that some people grow up earlier and some grow up later."

Li Yuan mounted his horse and took one last look at Longhu Mountain: "Let's go, back to Chang'an."

In a quiet room on the back of Longhu Mountain.

Zhang Daojing sat by the window, watching the figures gradually disappear into the distance below the mountain, and sighed softly.

He closed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and chanted incantations. A faint light appeared at his fingertips, flickered a few times, and then returned to calm.

"Xuanqing, send someone to follow them secretly. Don't make a move unless it's a truly life-or-death situation."

Having lived for a thousand years, I can disregard life and death, yet I can never let go of family ties.

"Yes, Master."

Xuanqing bowed his head respectfully.

"That's all I can do. The rest is up to his own fate."

He slowly closed his eyes. "From this day forward, I will go into seclusion. Go."

Xuan Qing was shocked, a trace of sadness flashing in his eyes. This time in seclusion, his master might be able to defy fate and find a glimmer of hope.

But perhaps, this glance will be our last.

"Master."

Xuanqing walked out of the quiet room, slowly knelt down, and solemnly kowtowed three times.

After leaving Longhu Mountain, Li Yuan and his group traveled north along the Gan River, then turned into the Yangtze River at Jiujiang, boarded a passenger ship, and sailed westward along the river.

The river was wide and the scenery was magnificent. Han Kuo and the others stood on the deck to admire the river view, but Li Yuan kept pondering Zhang Daojing's words.

Wu Yu was oblivious and didn't notice anything amiss, but Ji Fanghua noticed his unusual behavior but didn't press him for details.

After several days of sailing, they arrived in Yichang.

Looking into the distance, one could see several warships of the Demon Suppression Bureau lying across the river, cutting off the waterway in half. Passing merchant ships were blocked outside the blockade and lined up in long queues.

"What happened?" Wu Yu stood at the bow of the boat, tiptoeing to look around. "Why is Jiangdu sealed off?"

The passenger ship slowly approached the blockade line. Several demon-hunting guards came aboard in a small boat and shouted, "Martial law is in effect ahead! All ships are suspended!"

"Please show your identification!"

Li Yuan took out his token from his pocket and handed it over. The captain took the token, his expression changed immediately, and he hurriedly clasped his hands in a salute: "So it is Vice Envoy Li. Please board the ship."

The group then boarded a warship, where a middle-aged man with a heroic bearing stepped forward to greet them: "This humble officer is Zhao Peng, a captain of the Yichang Demon Suppression Division, and greets Lord Li."

Li Yuan returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "Captain Zhao, what has happened here? Why is the river blocked off?"

"Reporting to you, sir, there have been several incidents recently of monsters attacking ships on the river."

It turned out that a monster was running rampant. After Zhao Peng's explanation, the group learned that this monster was extremely arrogant and its attacks were unpredictable, affecting both small fishing boats and official vessels.

"They even dare to attack government ships?" Li Yuan frowned. "What kind of government ships have been attacking lately?"

"The grain transport ships carrying military supplies." Zhao Peng lowered his voice a few decibels. "This batch of military supplies is to be transported to the northwest front. After being resupplyed at the Yichang dock, it will travel up the Yangtze River, enter the Han River, and then be sent to Liangzhou by land."

"Just yesterday, five cargo ships were attacked upstream. Three were sunk and two were severely damaged. More than half of the escorting officers and soldiers were killed or wounded, and the military rations were also lost in great numbers."

"Military rations".

The Northwest Front is currently engaged in battle with the demon race, and military rations are the lifeline for maintaining the fighting strength at the front. If someone is eyeing the military rations, then the nature of the matter will be completely different.

"Have you found out what kind of monster it is?"

Zhao Peng shook his head: "At present, we only know that it is a kind of aquatic monster with great strength, capable of easily capsizing cargo ships. We don't know what kind it is or how many there are."

"I sent several groups of people into the water to investigate, but none of them came back."

Zhao Peng asked worriedly, "I have already requested assistance from the General Headquarters. If Lord Li does not have urgent official business, could you please lend a hand?"

Although Li Yuan looked excessively young, his achievements and level of expertise were undeniable, and Zhao Peng naturally hoped to retain this powerful ally.

"Brother Han, since we've encountered this matter, why don't we lend a hand? What do you say?"

As a demon-suppressing envoy, he was naturally obligated to eliminate demons and bring peace to the people.

"That's exactly right."

Han Kuo hurriedly expressed his opinion.

Li Yuan turned to Zhao Peng: "Captain Zhao, could you please take us to the scene of the attack and explain the situation in detail?"

"Yes, sir, please follow me."

Zhao Peng's face lit up with joy. He was just worried that he had no way to deal with the situation when reinforcements came from nowhere. He hurriedly ordered the ship to set sail.

Forty miles upstream, the riverbank was a scene of devastation. Several huge cargo ships lay overturned on the shore, their hulls completely broken. Soldiers were busy retrieving bodies and salvaging the remaining grain.

Li Yuan examined the wreckage. The water demon was incredibly strong; one of the ships was even cut in half. Judging from the remaining aura, it was probably at the level of a demon king.

"A demon king?" Li Yuan mused. "Were there any water demons here before?"

"The Yangtze River waterway is related to people's livelihood and has always been a key area of ​​monitoring. At most, there are some minor water monsters, but we have never seen any monster kings."

Zhao Peng shook his head.

Since the chaos of the world's energy, demons have sprung up everywhere. Some old demons who used to live in seclusion have come out and are causing trouble everywhere.

The appearance of a demon king on the Yangtze River is not unusual, but its blatant nature is rather intriguing.