Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

This sudden relaxation of pressure caught the Demon-Subduing Guards off guard.

Soon, they saw a huge 'Heavenly King' carrying several people from the ferry crossing. After throwing all the people on his back to the ground, the Heavenly King's body slowly returned to its normal appearance.

Qin Zhen looked and saw that it was indeed Ning Xiu himself.

"Captain Ning." Qin Zhen quickly went to greet him: "How's the situation at the Dragon King River?"

"Don't worry, Captain Qin, everything has been quelled by me. Qiantang City is perfectly safe now. Have you caught the arsonist at the city garrison?" Ning Xiu asked.

"The other team leaders have already gone with their men, so there shouldn't be any problem. Who are the people you brought back..." Qin Zhen looked at the four Golden Snake Party leaders and Lu Changqing on the ground with a suspicious expression.

Ning Xiu then briefly recounted what had just happened on the Dragon King River, leaving Qin Zhen utterly shocked.

It was completely unexpected that members of the Black Heaven Gate and the Golden Snake Gang would appear here at the same time today.

What's even more shocking is that Ning Xiu actually resolved this matter all by himself. What kind of strength does that take?

In short, it's definitely not something that Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Captain could achieve.

For a moment, Qin Zhen began to speculate about Ning Xiu's strength. However, Ning Xiu had a concealment technique to hide his true strength, and people below the second rank could not see through Ning Xiu's true strength at all.

In Qin Zhen's perception, Ning Xiu's aura was mysterious and unfathomable, which must be the result of someone whose strength was several levels higher than his own.

Immediately, a thought popped into Qin Zhen's mind: Could it be that Ning Xiu has already stepped into the Upper Three Ranks? This is too incredible. In the history of the Demon Subduing Division, there are very few people who can reach the Upper Three Ranks at this age.

This was comparable to the aptitude of the Three Saints back then. Qin Zhen suppressed the urge to ask and put the thought to himself.

Even though everyone is a Demon Slayer, they all have their own secrets, and it's not appropriate to ask them in such detail.

If Ning Xiuzhen has truly reached the upper three ranks of martial arts, then it can only be said that the Demon Subduing Division has such a talent, and its mission is about to be accomplished.

[097] The Traitor Bearing the Fate of the Lu Family's Extermination

Fortunately, the fire and explosion at the castle lord's mansion did not cause too much damage; only a few houses inside the mansion were burned to the ground.

Meanwhile, the Demon-Subduing Guards, who arrived quickly, swiftly captured the demons who had been specifically sent by Nie Jian to distract the others, and quickly quelled the chaos.

With the remnants of the Golden Snake Gang outside the city killed or captured, and the Black Heaven Gate sorcerers escaping using secret techniques, the matter in Qiantang City can be considered to have passed peacefully today.

The main hall of the city garrison.

Upon seeing Ning Xiu and the other Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Officers enter, Li Jing, the city garrison commander of Qiantang City, immediately greeted them with great joy: "My lords, we are truly grateful to you all today. Without your help, those demons' conspiracy would have succeeded."

Qin Zhen waved his hand and said, "No need to be polite. These are things we should do. But Lord Li, you have neglected your duties this time. You were completely unaware that the city's government offices had been occupied by demons. I hope you will learn from this and not make such a careless mistake again."

"Yes, yes, Lord Qin is absolutely right. This time it was my fault. From now on, I will definitely rectify Qiantang City and not let the evil people have any more opportunities to take over and parasitize it." Li Jing immediately replied earnestly.

Ning Xiu casually found a chair in the lobby and sat down. Because he had just been in his Heavenly King state, he was completely naked except for the waist ornament he had obtained from Eunuch Yin's tomb, which could be either large or small.

His strong muscles and perfect muscle definition made him stand out starkly against the large group of formally dressed people in the lobby.

"Lord Li, has any urgent letter been sent from Chaotiandu in Jingzhou to Qiantang City?" Ning Xiu asked.

Li Jing scratched his head: "Recently? It doesn't seem so. Why does Lord Ning ask such a question? Could it be that today's demonic actions are related to Jingzhou?"

Ning Xiu said, "A dragon has come to the Dragon King River today. You should know that Qiantang City is located in the heart of Baisha Prefecture, and dragons mostly live outside the East China Sea. Obviously, this dragon swam all the way to Baisha Prefecture from the mouth of the East China Sea along the Yellow River. It must have been attracted by something. In the past many years, nothing like this has ever happened in Baisha Prefecture. So I wonder if there is something unusual about Baisha Prefecture. If there is, Chaotian Capital should send someone to send a letter to remind us."

"I have absolutely no recollection of the letter Lord Ning mentioned. It must have been sent by no one from Chaotiandu," Li Jing said.

Just then, Captain Zheng suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Hey, Captain Ning, now that you mention it, I just remembered! Today is the day of the five planets aligning!"

The day when the five planets align is said to be the day when the moon is closest to the earth. On this day, the moonlight is several times stronger than usual, and in some spiritually rich places, the spiritual energy will surge even more than on other days.

The Dragon King River is one of the few spiritual treasure lands in the Great Shang territory.

Qin Zhen suddenly realized, "No wonder so many water demons appeared in the Dragon King River today; they all came to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth."

Once the matter was clarified, Ning Xiu also reached a conclusion in his mind.

Such a special day is bound to cause considerable trouble, and it's impossible that Chaotiandu wouldn't send someone to inform them. It's possible that the courier delivering the letter might have already been killed by the Black Heaven Gate or the Golden Snake Party on the way.

All of this was simply to give them more time to capture the dragon alive, without being influenced by outsiders.

Fortunately, Ning Xiu was present today; otherwise, those demons from the Black Heaven Gate would have succeeded in their plan.

"Gentlemen, now that the Black Heaven Gate demon has been identified and captured, our team will take him back to the capital for interrogation. We have a mission to complete and cannot linger any longer," said Team Leader Jia, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

“Then it’s the same for our team. I’ve investigated the matter of the evil spirits harming people in Qiantang City, and it’s time for us to leave,” Team Leader Zheng echoed.

Basically, all the Copper Leopard Squad members who came to Qiantang City were there for a mission. The reason behind the demons, water ghosts, and monsters was that the Black Heaven Gate guys were secretly causing trouble. Now that the investigation is clear, everyone will naturally continue to carry out their next mission.

This way, we can clear as much of the pressure on our team as possible before the Demon Subduing Martial Arts Competition, allowing the team members to better carry out the event.

After saying goodbye to everyone, the team leaders left one by one, and soon only Li Jing, Ning Xiu and Qin Zhen remained in the hall.

"Captain Qin, aren't you planning to leave?" Ning Xiu asked, seeing that Qin Zhen showed no intention of leaving.

“One of my team members lives in a village near Qiantang City. Now that the mission in Qiantang City has been completed, I’ll let him go home temporarily to see his parents. He should stay here for another day or two until he returns.” Qin Zhen also picked up a chair and sat down.

"Then why don't you two stay at my residence tonight? You two have worked hard this time, so I will personally host a banquet to entertain Captain Ning and Captain Qin," Li Jing said quickly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Li." Qin Zhen cupped his hands in agreement.

Ning Xiu also had some unfinished business in Qiantang City and needed to stay for a day or two, so he agreed to have a meal at Li Jing's residence to experience the chef's skills.

……

Qiantang City, the dungeon.

The dimly lit dungeon was now holding five very important figures.

The four leaders of the Golden Snake Party, and Lu Changqing, the sorcerer of the Black Heaven Gate.

With the former captured, the Golden Snake Gang suffered a severe blow. Already a mid-level organization, it is now probably not even a second-rate one.

The latter is Lu Changqing, a former Silver Tiger Demon Suppression Officer, also known as the "Free and Unfettered Sword Saint".

Lu Changqing was born into the Lu family, a prominent clan in the Shang Dynasty. This family consisted entirely of talented individuals who served the Shang Dynasty. Members of the Lu family were present in both civil and military factions, the Demon Subduing Bureau, and various government offices across the country.

Therefore, the Lu family, along with the Sikong family, the Yuwen family, and the Shangguan family, were known as the four great families of the Shang Dynasty.

Lu Changqing, a young man, was also famous in the Lu family. He was proficient in the art of weapon control and had excellent ideas and talents. When he was in the Demon Subduing Division, he created many weapon control techniques, which contributed to this great path and paved a smooth path for those who came after him.

He is seen as the hope of the Lu family, a hidden dragon of the Lu family, and is destined to become the head of the Lu family and one of the important figures of the Great Shang Dynasty.

If things continue to develop this way, Lu Changqing might even become a representative figure of the Imperial Guardian Sect, or even a patriarch with a huge influence on a certain sect, like the Three Saints.

But one day thirteen years ago, something unexpected happened. Lu Changqing went astray and killed his entire family in the night, not even sparing his own parents and younger brother.

After committing such a horrifying and outrageous act, this person directly betrayed the Demon Subduing Division, fled the Great Shang territory, joined the Black Heaven Gate, and disappeared without a trace.

Many of Lu Changqing's friends in the company felt that this was absolutely impossible, and that it must not have been done by Lu Changqing himself, or that he had been coerced or harmed by some evil force.

Many of the Demon-Subduing Guards went out to search for this person's whereabouts, but several years passed without any results.

Gradually, this matter became a permanent source of pain within the Demon Extermination Division.

Ning Xiu never expected that he would encounter this famous figure in Qiantang City.

In the fight just now, Lu Changqing was severely injured and unable to move. Even when Nie Jian and the others fled, they didn't have time to take him with them and had to leave him alive as Ning Xiu's witness.

Standing in the cell, looking at Lu Changqing whose limbs were bound by chains, Ning Xiu remained expressionless and did not choose to speak first.

One advantage of the Art of Weapon Control is that the weapon master's body is just like an ordinary person's. As long as you have a way to suppress the connection between the weapon master and his weapon, controlling the weapon master in the Art of Weapon Control becomes an extremely easy thing.

There's absolutely no need to worry about the other party having a way to escape.

"When did the Demon Subduing Division produce someone like you, a martial arts master of the third rank whose strength is so unfathomable?" Lu Changqing said weakly, looking at Ning Xiu as he opened his eyes.

In order to keep this guy alive, Ning Xiu even used his internal energy to heal him, so that he would not die suddenly in prison and end up revealing no secrets, which would be too much of a pity.

Lu Changqing has been a member of the Black Heaven Gate for many years and must know a lot about its internal affairs. If we can extract relevant information from him, it will be of great significance to the Demon Subduing Division.

There might still be a chance to destroy the Black Heaven Gate, a treacherous force that has been secretly harming the Great Shang for many years. Therefore, Lu Changqing must not be killed.

"The Demon Extermination Bureau has many secrets, it's normal for you, as an outsider, not to know them."

"Ha...yes, I'm an outsider now..."

“Mr. Lu was once a leading figure in the Demon Subduing Division. If it weren’t for this incident, he would have had a bright future if he had stayed in the Demon Subduing Division and eventually become the Golden Dragon Demon Subduing Captain. As a junior, I am very curious about what exactly happened back then. Could you tell me about it, Mr. Lu? Anyway, if I don’t tell you now, I’ll have to tell you when I’m escorted back to Jingzhou Chaotiandu.” Ning Xiu said with a smile.

"This is my private matter, and I have no comment." Lu Changqing answered quite decisively. After all, the other party was a third-rank expert in the Art of Weapon Control, and Ning Xiu knew that if he really did not intend to disclose anything, he would definitely not be able to force him to reveal it.

The Art of Military Control is very effective in tempering willpower; ordinary tortures cannot break down their mental defenses. Therefore, Ning Xiu did not come for this purpose in the first place.

As Ning Xiu used his Qi Observation and Fortune Reading Technique, the lines of good and evil and the lines of fortune on Lu Changqing's body were immediately revealed.

This person's good and evil lines are very evenly distributed, with neither side higher than the other. This situation would not occur in a demon. Even ordinary people sometimes have an evil line higher than a good line.

Therefore, Ning Xiu had an idea in his mind: Lu Changqing was willing to fall into depravity halfway, and he was still a good person. The reason why he betrayed the Demon Subduing Division and joined the Black Heaven Gate was likely because there was a secret behind it that no one knew.

This secret is the reason why Lu Changqing was willing to give up his position as the Demon-Slaying Officer to help the people fight against evil spirits.

“Mr. Lu, if you have a compelling reason for betraying the Demon Subduing Division, you might as well tell me. Currently, I am the only one who knows that you, Lu Changqing, are here. If I wish, I can release you quietly without even the Demon Subduing Division knowing about this,” Ning Xiu said.

Lu Changqing shut his mouth and remained silent, seemingly indicating that he really didn't intend to say anything.

But Ning Xiu spoke again, saying, "I heard that you killed your entire clan back then, and you didn't spare a single person with the surname Lu, including your parents and younger brother. But Mr. Lu, do you know that your younger brother didn't actually die at that time? He was saved by the Demon Subduing Division's first-rank physician, the Demon Subduing Captain, who worked tirelessly for several days."

Upon hearing this, Lu Changqing's expression finally changed. He looked at Ning Xiu with shock and disbelief in his eyes, and said with trembling lips, "But, but it's true."

“Mr. Lu, you have been away from the Demon Subduing Division for more than ten years, so it is normal that you do not know about this matter. Lu Changkong’s matter is classified information in the entire Shang Dynasty. I only learned about it by chance when I was promoted to Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain not long ago.” Ning Xiu looked at Lu Changqing and suddenly revealed a profound expression on his face.

He continued, "Mr. Lu, when you betrayed the Demon Subduing Division, you were already a third-rank expert in the Art of Weaponry. Many third-rank experts in the Lu family died at your hands, leaving no room for treatment. Your younger brother was only a sixth-rank expert in the Art of Weaponry, so how did he manage to hold out until the Demon Subduing Commander of the Medical Path arrived at the Lu residence? When you attacked Lu Changkong, you definitely held back, didn't you? You didn't really want to kill him."

"No, I want to kill everyone." Lu Changqing's eyes suddenly turned cold: "I just didn't expect that Chang Kong could survive my sword back then. He's lucky to be alive."

Ning Xiu smiled and said, "Now let's get back to our previous topic, Mr. Lu. I imagine you have some unspeakable secret on your mind that you can't tell anyone, because it's a secret you can't reveal."

If you are taken back to the Demon Subduing Division this time, all your previous efforts will have been in vain. Now, if you just tell me a few things, I can release you and let you return to the Black Heaven Gate to continue what you need to do.”

The entire cell fell into complete silence.

Lu Changqing remained silent, and Ning Xiu was not in a hurry, waiting for the other party's choice.

"What do you want to know?" Lu Changqing finally asked with a helpless expression.

"You betrayed the Demon Subduing Bureau and did those horrific things, was it because a powerful figure was secretly ordering you to do it? Sir, you only need to nod or shake your head, you don't need to say anything," Ning Xiu said.

Lu Changqing nodded.

"You joined the Black Heaven Gate to complete a task assigned to you by that important figure," Ning Xiu asked again.

Lu Changqing hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.