Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Although it was only for a moment, it was enough to stir up a storm in Li Yuan's heart.

Could the Serpent King's power truly be related to the Bronze Palace? He was an emissary under Nuwa and one of the guardian deities of humanity. But why, in the murals, does the palace appear in the hands of a demon god?

He was filled with questions, but could not find the answers. He couldn't help but recall the Snake King's last words: Some answers can only be found by yourself.

He sighed softly and withdrew from his sea of ​​consciousness. Since the bronze palace had chosen him, why should he be anxious? One day, the answers would come to light.

The most important thing now is to improve my cultivation level, since I'll be going on a mission soon and will encounter all sorts of dangers once I leave the academy.

Relying on the protection of others is not a long-term solution; only by improving one's own self-cultivation can one have more security.

Thinking of this, he took out the bundle that Aji had given him, opened it, and inside were two demon cores, one black and one yellow.

The black one is of the water element, and the yellow one is of the earth element. Considering that their first stop was Poyang Lake, Li Yuan picked up the black demon core without hesitation.

hum!

The moment he grasped it, the knife resting on his lap began to hum, clearly also eager for the demon core in his hand.

After absorbing the power of the vine demon and the fire crystal, the sword regained some of its power and even accidentally awakened the sword spirit once.

He recalled that ancient and weathered voice: My name is Yan Ji.

"Yan Ji?" Li Yuan gently stroked the blade. "Is that your name?"

The blade trembled slightly, as if in response. Li Yuan couldn't help but smile, holding the water-elemental demon core in one hand and Yan Ji in the other.

"Absorption, begin!"

Two days later, Chen Shuo sent a message instructing him to assemble at the Demon Suppression Division and depart immediately.

This time, Mr. Mo personally drove him to the Demon Suppression Bureau. Chen Shuo received him and pointed to a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance behind him, saying, "This is the disguise master of the bureau, named Wang Jian. He will disguise you."

Li Yuan nodded. He had heard of the name of the master of disguise in various movies and TV shows in his previous life, but this was the first time he had ever seen one in person.

"Don't worry, Young Master Li just needs to lie down, it will be over in a little while," Wang Jian said with a reassuring smile.

Li Yuan lay on a bed when Wang Jian took out a brocade box. Inside, spiritual energy swirled, and Wang Jian carefully picked out a human skin mask as thin as a cicada's wing.

"This mask is made from Gu worms from the Southern Frontier and some precious medicinal herbs. It can grow on your face on its own, and it cannot be removed without special techniques, just like it was born that way."

"So magical?" Li Yuan stared at the human skin mask with curiosity. After it was placed on his face, he felt a slight coolness. Soon, he felt as if the mask had come to life and was constantly wriggling.

"It will hurt a little, but just bear with it and it will pass."

It felt like a million insects were biting his face, but for the determined Li Yuan, it wasn't too painful, just a strange feeling.

Half an hour later, Wang Jian took out some medicine and carefully applied it to him, then tidied up his face a little.

"Alright, are you satisfied now?"

Wang Jian smiled and handed him a mirror, which reflected an ordinary face. He was in his early twenties, with slightly dark skin and a somewhat simple and honest appearance. He was completely unrecognizable as the handsome and fair-skinned young man he once was.

Li Yuan curiously reached out and pressed it, then searched carefully, and sure enough, there was no trace of it, as if it were the original.

"Master Wang's skills are indeed superb, it's amazing!" Li Yuan couldn't help but exclaim.

"Haha, my disguise skills are so good that, if not unparalleled, they are certainly few and far between." Upon hearing this, Wang Jian smiled proudly.

"This is your identity certificate. I named you Chen Zhuo according to your wishes. You are a merchant in the capital, with the cultivation level of Body Refinement Realm. You spend most of your time selling furs." Chen Shuo handed him a certificate. "Remember this. My name is Chen Zhong. I am your cousin."

"Okay!" Li Yuan nodded, put the certificate into his pocket, and went with him to the city's warehouse to meet.

As for the academy, they only announced that Li Yuan, after returning from the secret realm, had entered seclusion in the back mountains to consolidate his cultivation. This didn't seem out of place, given that the academic year was nearing its end and a long holiday was approaching.

In the warehouse, Li Yuan met the other seven people who had traveled with him. Six of them were Chen Shuo's subordinates, and the other was named Xu Sheng, a Silver Badge Demon-Slaying Guard. He was about forty years old, with a resolute face, and his cultivation level was at least at the late stage of the Primordial Qi Refining Realm.

He had previously participated in the operation to capture the water monster in Poyang Lake, and was one of the people involved.

Chen Shuo and Li Yuan disguised themselves as merchants, Xu Sheng as an accountant, and the rest of the people acted as guards and helpers for the caravan. They escorted several wagons loaded with goods and quietly left Chang'an, heading southeast.

On the way, Chen Shuo and Xu Sheng gradually told Li Yuan the details of the case.

"When your father and his party were exiled to Lingnan, their original route was to go south from Tanzhou, but a flood happened there, so they changed their route to Poyang Lake."

"A temporary route change?" Li Yuan frowned.

"The Dongting Lake area is prone to flooding, and exile to Lingnan is possible via either route, so it's not unusual," Xu Sheng explained to him. "We've already investigated this, and there's nothing suspicious about it."

Li Yuan nodded slowly and listened quietly as they continued.

"While walking along the official road by Poyang Lake, we were suddenly attacked by a rare black water serpent, whose cultivation level was at the Demon Commander level. This demon was extremely fierce, and the attack was sudden. The soldiers in charge of escorting us and the exiled prisoners traveling with us suffered heavy casualties."

Xu Sheng looked at Li Yuan and said, "At the time, I was a demon-hunting guard in the Demon-Suppressing Division of Jiangnan West Road, and I participated in the encirclement and suppression afterward. The appearance of that Black Water Serpent was extremely strange. Although Poyang Lake is large, demon generals are rare, and they usually lurk in deep water and rarely take the initiative to attack large groups of people."

"Before this incident, no one had ever seen this Blackwater Serpent. What's even stranger is that its target was very clear: the exile group, or rather... your father."

"Oh? Why are you so sure?" Li Yuan asked, puzzled.

"I'll explain that later." Xu Sheng didn't immediately answer his question, but continued, "The scene was extremely gruesome, with severed limbs everywhere. We found half a finger wearing a jade thumb ring downstream, and after identification by the surviving jailer, it was indeed your father's."

"Because of this, everyone thought that your father, Li Chongwen, had been devoured by that water demon." Xu Sheng paused. "Later, we gathered our forces and spent a considerable amount of money to finally surround and kill the Black Water Serpent in the lake."

"But after cutting open the snake's belly, we didn't find your father's remains. At the time, we thought they had been digested or had fallen into the lake, so we didn't pay much attention to it."

"The matter was already settled. I was the one who brought your belongings back back then," Chen Shuo continued. "But a few months later, a fishing village downstream rescued a seriously injured man. His injuries were so severe that he was almost unrecognizable. It wasn't until six months later that he could barely speak."

"Upon investigation, he was found to be a prisoner in the exile group, nicknamed Wang the Leper."

A witness? Could this person be the new lead Chen Shuo mentioned? Li Yuan's heart stirred, and he listened intently.