“So that is what Fellow Daoist wished to ask.
“Within the imperial court, there are the Three Departments and Six Ministries, where responsibilities are strictly divided and errors are not tolerated. Just like in court, our comrades in the Demon Suppression Division have their own designated duties.
“Thus, it is divided into four branches: Arrest, Records, Judicial, and Supervisory, each respectively overseeing apprehensions, archives, punishments, and oversight.
“Furthermore, to prevent the disregard of human life, rampant collusion among officials, extorting confessions under torture for merit, and harming the innocent, General Xu decreed that every case must be handled by at least two demon suppressors working together.”
Shen Luohe chuckled, tapping Hua Xijian beside him with his folding fan:
“My junior sister is an Arrest Officer of the Demon Suppression Division. She is in charge of apprehending offenders and executing malevolent demons and monsters.
“As a Supervisory Officer, my role is to faithfully report all matters as they unfold. Should any hidden circumstances come to light, the Records Officer will report them directly to the clerk.
“It is only because the common folk cannot distinguish between our specific roles that they simply refer to all of us as ‘demon suppressors.’”
“I see, but I still have one question.”
Nan Zhi listened attentively, committing all of this to memory, yet the matter of the Wenshan tiger still weighed on her mind:
“The demon tiger occupied Wen County for several decades. A case like that should have been reported to the Demon Suppression Division for someone to handle.
“Yet the people of the Wenshan region claimed they had never seen a demon suppressor. Why is that?”
“Fellow Daoist Nan is truly candid and open. You ask whatever is on your mind directly to our faces; I feel quite ashamed in comparison.”
The smile on Shen Luohe’s face faded as he exchanged a glance with Hua Xijian:
“The two of us came precisely for this matter. After the demon tiger incident was reported, the Records Officer reviewed the records of cases from various regions and discovered that over the past decade, there were indeed records of a fierce tiger eating people in the Wenshan area.
“However, for some unknown reason, the local prefecture yamen withdrew the case, claiming it was merely an ordinary tiger and that a righteous hero had already slain it. Only then did the Records Officer treat it as a mundane incident and hastily archive the case.”
“The prefecture yamen withdrew the case? Does that mean someone deliberately obstructed the matter and intentionally suppressed news of the fierce tiger?”
Nan Zhi caught on immediately: “So aside from inviting me to join the Demon Suppression Division, was your journey here also tasked with a covert investigation?”
She had thought as much. If it was merely to deliver a reward, there would have been no need to send two people.
—Two Qi Refinement practitioners working together were enough to thoroughly overpower the top martial arts experts of the jianghu.
“Correct.”
Hua Xijian’s eyes shone intently as she stared at Nan Zhi:
“Will Fellow Daoist Nan join us?”
Though phrased as a question, her eyes were practically screaming, Join quickly, join quickly, join quickly.
Outwardly an ice-cold beauty, her straightforward demeanor was almost charmingly endearing.
Nan Zhi nearly burst out laughing at how adorable she was.
Thinking Nan Zhi still harbored hesitations, Shen Luohe chimed in to persuade her:
“Joining our Demon Suppression Division offers several benefits. First, you can use the division’s authority to purge evil, amass merit, and temper your Dao in the secular realm. Second, the Demon Suppression Division possesses all kinds of cultivation resources that can be exchanged using military merit.
“Though Fellow Daoist Nan is not without family—having parents and siblings—walking the mortal path alone as a cultivator can ultimately feel lonely. It would be far better to join the Demon Suppression Division so we can look out for one another in the future.”
Nan Zhi had to admit she was tempted:
“If I join, can I exchange merit for cultivation manuals and miraculous elixirs?”
“Of course. The Demon Suppression Division possesses its own blessed cave heavens, so spirit herbs and grasses are readily available. If you accumulate enough military merit, even exchanging for a Foundation Establishment Pill is by no means difficult.”
Sensing that Nan Zhi preferred freedom and disliked heavy constraints, Shen Luohe added:
“Moreover, the Demon Suppression Division is unlike ordinary government yamens; there is no need for daily roll calls. If you care little for military merit and simply seek stability, taking on a single case every three months is enough to receive your monthly stipend.”
Hua Xijian chimed in: “The stipend is very good. Walking in the mortal realm without silver is absolutely impossible.
“In the past, when Master took Senior Brother traveling, they did not know the mortal realm did not accept spirit stones.
“They feasted lavishly, only to find themselves without a single copper of silver, nearly getting kicked out as freeloaders. Later, Master had to pawn the wine worm he had raised for years just so they could get away.
“Fellow Daoist Nan, silver may be useless for cultivation, but without silver, you truly cannot get by.”
As she spoke, lingering dread from her master and senior brother's ordeal still colored her tone.
“That was only once! Just that one time! How old was I back then? It was Master who was unreliable, not me!”
Shen Luohe hurriedly hid his face behind his fan, muttering through gritted teeth:
“Junior Sister, my dear junior sister, there is no need to recount such matters in front of Fellow Daoist Nan.”
Nan Zhi clutched her stomach, laughing merrily.
Now she finally understood why Hua Xijian had glared at Shen Luohe when she offered to treat them to a meal earlier.
Who said cultivators were devoid of desires and detached from mortal worldly matters?
To her, this brother and sister pair felt like true cultivators—flesh-and-blood, genuine, and completely unpretentious.
“No matter. Though I may not hail from a prestigious sect like you two, I still possess some modest means. I certainly have enough to treat both of you to a fine meal.”
With that in mind, Nan Zhi promptly flagged down the waiter and reeled off a list of signature dishes in one breath:
Braised mutton, fried quail, shrimp buns, fish wrap noodles, steamed chicken with wine, carp noodle cakes, and stir-fried wild delicacies. She also picked out several popular seasonal beverages, ordering perilla mint water, peach rice wine, and lychee soup.
Then, calling out to Qi-ge'er outside the door, she ordered candied cherries, papaya brew, honeyed tangerines, and stir-fried ginkgo. Bowls and plates were stacked high together in a dazzling, colorful spread that instantly whetted the appetite.
It wasn't that Shen Luohe and Hua Xijian had never tasted such food, but their travels were usually hurried and wind-swept, leaving little attention for culinary pursuits. When it came to the delicacies of the Great Song, they knew even less than a newcomer like Nan Zhi.
Listening to Nan Zhi rattle off the string of dish names, Shen Luohe marveled in genuine awe:
“Fellow Daoist tempers her heart in the red dust; no wonder you know far more than ordinary people. But as for joining the Demon Suppression Division...”
Hua Xijian also left her chopsticks untouched, gazing intently at Nan Zhi as she awaited an answer.
“Since I will be working alongside the two of you in the future, we will surely have plenty of dealings, and I will need to consult you on many things. For the price of a single meal, I feel I am getting a tremendous bargain.”
Nan Zhi pushed the freshly served braised mutton forward and said with a smile:
“This restaurant’s braised mutton is exceptional. The sheep heart, stomach, intestines, and face are braised to perfection before being finely sliced and stir-fried. Not only is there no gaminess whatsoever, but if you savor it carefully, there is a delightful fragrance of pepper. Why not try some first?”
Of course she had eaten it before.
Whenever she didn't know what to eat while ordering takeout back home, Nan Zhi would pay a runner to fetch food from a tavern, then extract it into the real world to enjoy.
Truth be told, this tavern prepared mutton with exquisite flavor, rivaling the craftsmanship of star-rated chefs.
“Wonderful! Fellow Daoist Nan is truly straightforward. I will immediately have someone tailor your uniform and forge your token; they will arrive within seven days at the latest.
“As for the reward for slaying the demon tiger, it will be delivered to Fellow Daoist Nan's residence tomorrow.”
Shen Luohe snapped his fan shut and urged Hua Xijian:
“Such a joyous occasion, such a splendid feast—how could we lack fine wine? Junior Sister, hurry and bring out your treasure so the three of us can drink to our hearts’ content!”
“You lost yours, so now you scheme after mine,” Hua Xijian snorted softly. Still, she reached down to her waist and produced a palm-sized red-skinned gourd.
The gourd appeared to be naturally grown to only that size, its spout still connected to a withered vine.
Hua Xijian unplugged the gourd's stopper, and without any visible movement on her part, an endless stream of fine wine flowed forth.
The wine was warm and smooth like jade-like fat, thick enough that it seemed almost viscous, cascading into the cups with a pervasive, intoxicating fragrance that seized the senses.
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