"Uncle Zhou, the Demon Sect’s Ministry of Justice has bullied us right to our doorstep! The Patrol Bureau was attacked tonight. With a little maneuvering from the Ministry of Justice, you’ll have no choice but to resign as Inspector. After all, the higher-ups want you gone. After that, the Ministry of Justice will be the knife and I, Li Qingxian, will be the fish on the chopping block. It’ll be a matter of life and death."
"Sigh... Although your speculation might not come true, it’s definitely something the Ministry of Justice is capable of."
"Do you dare to play for high stakes? Use your connections, borrow men from the various ministries and Government Offices, and counter-encircle those Little Demons outside the Night Guard Office. Make a name for the Patrol Bureau in one fell swoop!"
"I’d love to counter-encircle them, but how can we do it with all those residential buildings out there?"
"I have a Fate Skill. I’ve already discovered most of their hiding spots. As long as we use a Literature Cultivator’s Developing Paper, I can pinpoint all of their locations. If you’re afraid of trouble, we don’t have to attack. We can just surround them, force them to surrender, or wait until dawn and watch the Ministry of Justice become a laughingstock."
"Are you trying to provoke me?"
"No. Besides, I doubt I could provoke you even if I tried."
"Wait a moment."
A moment later, Lu Yunyan’s voice and script appeared on the Developing Paper, followed by a map of the area surrounding the Night Guard Office.
"Mark them." Lu Yunyan’s words were clean and crisp.
Li Qingxian reached out and tapped continuously, marking the approximate number of Demon Cultivators at each location.
"Good. I’ll pass this on to Brother Chunfeng," Lu Yunyan said.
Time passed slowly. Li Qingxian still hadn’t returned, and the Literature Cultivators’ assault on the Ministry of Justice had clearly weakened as their ranks began to contract.
Some of the teams actually fell back, melting into the darkness and disappearing. It looked like a retreat, but it could have also been an ambush in the making.
A full hour passed before a message arrived from Zhou Chunfeng.
"I’ve mobilized forces from all sides. What’s your plan?"
Li Qingxian thought it over. ’Since the Ministry of Justice wants to play, I’ll play a bigger game with them.’
Li Qingxian said, "I think the fight on the Literature Cultivators’ side is losing steam; it’s pretty much settled. It’s too late for me to join the battle at the Night Guard Office now. So how about this: I’ll head back, but I want to participate in the parade. Have the Allied Army parade the Demon Sect captives down Night Guard Street. It’ll bolster the Patrol Bureau’s prestige. And since it’s at night, we’ll be saving some face for the Ministry of Justice. What do you think?"
"A parade? Good."
Li Qingxian went back to bid farewell to his Squad Commander, then he and Han Anbo took a carriage and slowly made their way back to the Night Guard.
Han Anbo laughed. "You’re always full of wicked ideas. A parade of Demon Sect members will be the talk of the Divine Capital tomorrow. It’ll be a massive blow to the Ministry of Justice’s reputation."
"The Demon Sect’s Ministry of Justice already has a terrible reputation, so damaging it further won’t do much. If we’re going to strike, we have to make it hurt."
"You don’t think capturing and parading Demon Sect members is making it hurt?"
"This is nothing. The Demon Sect is notoriously shameless, even more so than the Evil Sects. I won’t be at ease until we hit them where it really hurts," Li Qingxian said.
"Don’t tell me you..." Han Anbo’s eyes widened.
"I’m just fighting for my life, giving it everything I’ve got," Li Qingxian said.
Han Anbo shook his head. "Kids these days... you really dare to do anything."
By the time Li Qingxian arrived at Night Guard Street, the various Assault Teams near the Night Guard Office were already wrapping things up. Under Zhou Chunfeng’s command, the assembled Cultivators from the Patrol Bureau, Night Guard, Divine Capital Bureau, Ministry of War, Ministry of Rites, Imperial College, and Daoist Record Department had killed over four hundred Demon Cultivators and captured more than a thousand.
Since Zhou Chunfeng had mobilized over four thousand people, they had an absolute numerical advantage. Coupled with Li Qingxian’s intelligence, the entire operation was clean and efficient.
The carriage stopped, and Li Qingxian stepped out.
In the pitch-black night, a sky full of torches and Magical Artifacts illuminated Night Guard Street as if it were day.
Over four thousand Cultivators from the various factions stood enthusiastically at the main gate, staring at the captured members of the Demon Sect’s Ministry of Justice, who were squatting on the ground with their hands on their heads.
Numerous Middle-Grade Cultivators stood near the entrance, laughing and chatting with Zhou Chunfeng.
Li Qingxian did a quick scan. There were over a hundred officials in crimson robes. The scale of the gathering was truly immense.
"Qingxian." Zhou Chunfeng waved him over.
Thousands of heads turned in unison, their gazes fixed on Li Qingxian, who was bathed in the firelight.
Li Qingxian clasped his hands in salute to the crowd and walked over to Zhou Chunfeng.
Zhou Chunfeng pointed at Li Qingxian and said with a laugh, "It’s all thanks to Qingxian for finding these Little Demons. Otherwise, my reputation as Inspector of the Patrol Bureau would have been ruined in my final years."
"A hero emerges from the young."
The crowd erupted in praise.
Li Qingxian quickly said, "This whole incident started because of me. Whatever I did, it was my duty. However, when I was coming from the Ministry of Justice, the Little Demons didn’t seem convinced of their defeat."
"Oh?" The crowd looked at Li Qingxian.
Zhou Chunfeng asked, "What’s your take on this battle?"
Li Qingxian bowed with clasped hands to the crowd, looked around, and declared in a loud voice, "Since Lord Zhou is testing me, then I will speak my mind freely. This incident began because the Ministry of Justice sent people to harm my, Li Qingxian’s, family. At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal. But let’s look at it from another angle..."
As he spoke, Li Qingxian randomly picked out a young, Ninth-Grade Literature Cultivator and asked with a salute, "You there, brother. If you discovered Demon Cultivators were tailing your family, what would you do?"
The Ninth-Grade Literature Cultivator blushed as all eyes suddenly turned to him.
"Just tell the truth. No one will laugh at you," Li Qingxian said.
The young Literature Cultivator sighed. "What else could I do? I’d have to swallow my anger and keep quiet."
Li Qingxian then chose a middle-aged Seventh-Grade Scholar Cultivator and said, "Sir, you are a Seventh-Grade Scholar Cultivator, a higher Grade Level. What would you do if you found your family being followed by the Demon Sect?"
The Seventh-Grade Scholar Cultivator shook his head. "What’s so high about Seventh Grade? Forget Seventh Grade, even if I were Sixth Grade, my only option would be to go to the Ministry of Justice, pay someone, and hope they resolve it."
Li Qingxian then looked toward a Fifth-Grade Daoist in crimson robes. "Sir, from the Daoist Record Department, what would you do if your family were being tracked by the Demon Sect?"
The Fifth-Grade Daoist replied, "I’d like to think I would demand justice. But upon reflection, the only advantage of my Fifth-Grade status is that I can get someone to put in a word for me at the Ministry of Justice, making things look a little better on the surface. In reality, I’m no different from them."
The entire crowd fell silent. The crackling of the torches was exceptionally clear.
Amidst the flickering firelight, Li Qingxian swept his gaze across the crowd and proclaimed, "Do you all understand now? We always think that if we just cultivate to become stronger, to reach a higher Grade Level, we can solve any problem. But reality tells us that the problem of the Demon Sect cannot be solved by one person. The most terrifying part of this affair isn’t that the Demon Sect was tailing my family."
"I made inquiries to the Ministry of Justice, and they didn’t offer a single word in reply."
"The Imperial Censorate condemned them, and they remained silent."
"The most terrifying part is that even when the entire imperial court and all the major powers came forward to condemn them, the Demon Sect’s Ministry of Justice still tried to attack the Patrol Bureau! They wanted to slap us all in the face in front of the entire world! What they’re saying is that even if they’re universally condemned, even if they’re guilty of ten thousand crimes, the Demon Sect will do as it pleases!"
"They’re saying that the laws of Daqi can be trampled! That the backbone of the people can be broken! That the voices of the masses can be silenced! That even here, at the foot of the Imperial City, the rules are set by the Demon Sect!"
"As for us—whether we are Literature Cultivators, Martial Cultivators, Daoist Cultivators, Puppet Cultivators, Destiny Cultivators, or anyone else—we are never worthy of an explanation from the Ministry of Justice! If the Ministry of Justice is right, you die! If the Ministry of Justice is wrong, they still want you to die!"
"And I am the bloody proof."
The crowd gazed at Li Qingxian, an indescribable sense of sorrow welling up in their hearts.
"Today, in front of all you righteous heroes, I ask you one question: if your families were harmed by the Ministry of Justice, would you have the chance to gather this many people from the Patrol Bureau, the Night Guard, the Ministry of Rites, the Daoist Record Department, the Honglu Temple, the Ministry of Justice, and so on? Would you?!"
The crowd was silent.