Chapter 242: Copy

Early morning.

Sword City was as bustling as ever.

Wei He and his two companions went to compete in the Sword Discussion Conference, their minds heavy with worry.

Lu Changfeng was having a simple breakfast in the main hall—tofu pudding with fried dough sticks and soy milk. It was quite delicious.

Meanwhile, his Clone, Yang Jingtian, had traveled through the night and successfully entered the territory of Cyan Mountain Prefecture.

The Clone, Yang Jingtian, was now resting inside a carriage, having hired a driver to press on. This freed up Lu Changfeng’s consciousness, so there shouldn’t be any issues for the time being.

The missive in his chest vibrated slightly.

Lu Changfeng opened the missive.

It was a reply from Lin Erfeng: “My apologies, Saint Master. I have no more information about the Daliang Secret Domain.”

‘As expected.’

Lin Erfeng had been focused on internal affairs lately, so the Saint Demon Sect’s intelligence network hadn’t improved much; it was basically living off the old Demon Sect’s legacy.

Lu Changfeng put the missive away.

He got up and walked out of the inn.

Before long, Lu Changfeng appeared inside a remote teahouse in the Outer City.

The teahouse had only a few scattered customers, and the Shopkeeper was dozing off behind the counter.

The drowsy Shopkeeper jolted awake only when he saw Lu Changfeng.

“Lord Demon Sect!”

“Yes. Find us a quiet place to talk,” Lu Changfeng said with a slight nod.

“Of course. Please, follow me.”

The Shopkeeper led Lu Changfeng to the teahouse’s rear courtyard.

This Shopkeeper was, of course, one of Lu Changfeng’s men.

He was the intelligence chief for the Law Enforcement Demon Sect stationed in Sword City.

He had arranged everything for Lu Changfeng’s arrival in Sword City. His name was Hua Tiegan, and he was from a side branch of the Hua Family.

Having failed to find success within the Hua Family, he had decisively thrown his lot in with Lu Changfeng and become one of his men.

Lu Changfeng later assigned him to Sword City.

Hua Tiegan’s Root Bone and Talent weren’t bad.

Name: Hua Tiegan

Root Bone: Lower A Class

Talent: Middle Grade Talent [Fast Saber]

His Root Bone was decent, and he possessed a good Martial Talent. In a small or medium-sized Sect, he would have been groomed as a top prospect.

“Lord Demon Sect, how have you been enjoying your stay in Sword City?”

In the rear courtyard, Hua Tiegan brewed a pot of tea for Lu Changfeng and began to speak.

“It’s been fine.”

“Ahem, Lord Demon Sect, I heard my main family has moved into the mountains?” Hua Tiegan, though far away in Sword City, had evidently heard about the Hua Family’s situation in Qin City and was probing with mild curiosity.

It wasn’t a secret. Lu Changfeng nodded slightly. “Why? Do you intend to seek justice for your family?”

Hua Tiegan gave a wry smile. “My Lord, you jest. You know full well how the main family treated me. Besides, if anyone were to fight their battles, wouldn’t it be you, their son-in-law? It’s hardly my place as a member of a side branch. I was just remarking on the unpredictable nature of things.”

Lu Changfeng poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip. The tea was quite good.

“What happened to the Hua Family is a good thing for them.”

“On another note, I have a question for you,” Lu Changfeng said, getting down to business. “You’ve been in Sword City for a long time. Do you have any information on the Daliang Secret Domain?”

Upon hearing this, Hua Tiegan’s expression tightened. “Lord Demon Sect, have you had contact with the Secret Realm Cruel Officials?”

“Don’t ask questions. Just tell me what you know.” Lu Changfeng frowned. ‘This Hua Tiegan is good at everything, and clever too, he just asks too many damn questions.’

Hua Tiegan coughed dryly, acknowledged the order, and began to recount what he knew.

In the eyes of the Daliang People, the Daliang Secret Realm Cruel Officials were a terrifying organization.

There was a legend among the common people of Daliang: if anyone spoke ill of the Emperor of Daliang, the Daliang Secret Realm Cruel Officials would be at their door that very night to skin them alive and pull out their tendons, leaving them to die a horrific death.

The Secret Realm Cruel Officials were created to safeguard the imperial throne. They, along with the Blue-clothed Guard—one operating in the open, the other in the shadows—are the Emperor of Daliang’s most terrifying hidden asset.

No one knows the identities of the Secret Realm Cruel Officials.

No one knows their selection process.

Outsiders know nothing about them, except for the moment a Cruel Official comes to call.

“They sound quite intimidating,” Lu Changfeng said softly.

“Heh heh, it’s just the usual tricks of the Daliang Alien Race. What’s that compared to our Saint Demon Sect?” Although Hua Tiegan hadn’t been with the Law Enforcement Demon Sect for long, his loyalty to the Saint Demon Sect was already quite strong.

“Enough. For the time being, keep a close watch on these Secret Realm Cruel Officials for me.”

“In a while, the Saint Master will send a Demon General over to be stationed in Sword City long-term.”

The importance of Sword City was gradually becoming apparent. Lu Changfeng decided to dispatch a suitable Demon General. With the strength of a Demon General at the Rebirth Realm, they would be able to gather more information.

Hua Tiegan’s Bone Refining Realm cultivation was still a bit lacking.

Hua Tiegan’s face lit up with pleasure. “May I ask which Lord Demon General it will be?”

“You’ll know when he arrives.” Lu Changfeng stood up, preparing to leave.

“Won’t you stay a little longer, my Lord?”

“No. You’ve done well. Keep it up. I’ll continue to allocate funds and cultivation resources to you.”

“Thank you for your patronage, Lord Demon Sect!” Hua Tiegan escorted Lu Changfeng until he vanished into the crowd, then returned to the teahouse, delighted with himself.

Meanwhile, as Lu Changfeng weaved through the crowd, he had already selected the person to send to Sword City.

Xu Fan!

‘That’s right. All things considered, Xu Fan is the most suitable choice for Sword City.’

‘Among the other Demon Generals, some, like Fanyun, were clever enough but lacked strength.’

‘Those who were strong enough, like Bai Touweng and the two Demon Generals from the Hua Family, were too old.’

Xu Fan, who was halfway through his journey in some mountain forest, suddenly felt the missive in his chest vibrate.

He stopped, pulled out the missive, and scanned its contents in a glance.

‘Back to Sword City? Very well.’ Xu Fan changed direction.

And so, having received a message from Lu Changfeng in his capacity as the Saint Master, Xu Fan once again began to make his way to Sword City…

「Two days later.」

Xu Fan reappeared in Sword City.