Chapter Fifteen: The Overseer's Duty

Min Ning stared in horror at the twenty-one corpses scattered across the ground.

The man was drenched in blood, a crimson shroud that the torrential rain could not wash away. He held his blade, walking slowly toward her. Min Ning’s fingers trembled, overcome with terror. It felt as though he might strike again at any moment, and yet another body would be added to the pile.

[Basic mastery of the Grudge Yin-Yang Art achieved. Absorbing thirty percent of the two hundred and sixteen strands of heterodox internal energy, gaining seventy-two years of cultivation. Reward for Min Ning’s negative emotions: three years of internal energy.]

Chen Yi stopped and slowly set Yin Tingxue down, saying indifferently, "Take her back to my residence."

Min Ning was dazed, instinctively reaching out to take Yin Tingxue and hoisting her onto her back. Chen Yi looked at her coldly and left her with a final warning:

"If I don’t see her when I return home, you know the consequences..."

Min Ning felt a chill run down her spine. After a long moment, she could only nod. Chen Yi wiped the blood from his blade and turned to leave.

***

At the Eastern Depot compound, the ground was littered with corpses, and blood threatened to saturate the entire training field. In the heart of the slaughter, Xue Youge was locked in combat with an Elder of the Demonic Cult.

The Elder, a master of unarmed combat, dodged a strike and surged forward, slamming both palms into Xue Youge’s chest. With a sudden burst of force, he channeled the Star-Sucking Technique, sending internal energy surging violently. The Superintendent of the Eastern Depot stumbled back, the chainmail hidden beneath his python robe shattering from the impact. Blood welled at the corners of his mouth; even with his Bronze Bone Technique, the Elder’s strikes were infused with deceptive, piercing force.

Xue Youge retreated further, attempting to create enough distance to wield his long saber, but the Demonic Cult’s disciplinary Elder pressed his advantage. One stepped forward, one retreated, until the two were locked in a death struggle within the main hall of the Eastern Depot.

Aside from the two of them, the hall was empty. Finally, Xue Youge was driven against a wall, with nowhere left to go. The disciplinary Elder performed a complex footwork pattern, one palm pressed against the wall, the other striking toward his chest.

Just as the Elder exerted his strength, Xue Youge kicked back against the wall, shouting loudly. Using the wall’s leverage, he thrust his blade forward—a suicidal maneuver meant to trade his life for his opponent's. The Elder hesitated, stepping back, and Xue Youge seized the opening to force him back.

As Xue Youge prepared to swing his saber, the Elder sensed the danger. Channeling all his internal energy, he lunged back in, his palm striking out like a dragon. The blade, only halfway through its arc, struck the Elder’s palm and became wedged in his bone.

The Elder roared, striking out with his other hand, both palms unleashed in a desperate gamble. The wind from his palms was fierce. In a flash, Xue Youge realized that escaping unscathed was impossible; if he did not seize this opportunity, he would surely die on the spot. In a narrow path, the brave prevail. Xue Youge raised his arm to block, his bones shattering inch by inch. As his arm was rendered useless, his internal energy exploded, the blade vibrating and screeching within the bone.

The Elder’s pupils contracted. The blade severed his arm, continuing through bone and flesh to bury itself in his chest. He spat blood, his body growing limp. Xue Youge heaved heavy gasps, the excruciating pain from his ruined arm causing him to hiss through his teeth. Looking at the fallen Elder, a cold sneer appeared on his face.

He gripped the hilt with his remaining hand, preparing to slice the Elder’s throat. The Elder was filled with despair when, suddenly, something flitted through the shadows of the rafters. His eyes widened, filled with surprise and joy.

Xue Youge was momentarily stunned, his face clouding with confusion. Then, a sharp pain erupted in his back. Caught completely off guard, Xue Youge vomited blood as a blade pierced through his chest from behind.

A young man stepped out from the shadows. He had been hiding in the hall all along. Now, he pressed one hand against Xue Youge and the other against the Demonic Cult Elder.

"We shall restore... the World of Non-Light."

The Demonic Cult Elder murmured in a daze as his internal energy left his body. His energy, combined with Chen Yi’s own, nearly two hundred years of cultivation poured into Xue Youge’s shell. Superintendent Xue’s eyes bulged, his meridians rupturing inch by inch. He looked at Chen Yi in disbelief—a look of terror, as if asking why...

They were both men of Senior Minister Lin... This man had only recently submitted to the Eastern Depot...

Seemingly guessing the Superintendent’s thoughts, the man slowly pulled out his blade. He smiled and patted the Superintendent’s face with the back of the steel.

"Superintendent, you thought killing me would be effortless. In that, I am not as good as you—it took a bit of effort to kill you."

Xue Youge, Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, turned deathly pale. Terror filled his final moments before he gasped his last breath.

Chen Yi sheathed his sword, looking at the blood-soaked hall. When the Demonic Cult members had broken in, they had killed several servants and maids of the Eastern Depot. He casually found a corpse of similar build and draped it in the attire of the Demonic Cult. This would be the "Demonic Cult Saintess."

Outside, the sound of galloping horses approached. It was the Western Depot coming to reinforce them. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Yi channeled his internal energy and shouted to the crowd still fighting on the field:

"Superintendent Xue has slain the Demonic Cult Elder! He has sacrificed himself for the sake of justice and died a heroic death!"

"Glory to the Superintendent! Brothers of the Eastern Depot, take revenge!"

Countless blades flashed. Within the Eastern Depot training field, the air was filled with cries of vengeance for the Superintendent’s sacrifice.

***

Wu Qingsheng, Superintendent of the Western Depot, his face as cold as iron, strode into the main hall of the Eastern Depot. With the arrival of the Western Depot, the battle turned into a one-sided rout; the Demonic Cult members were either killed or put to flight. The network that the Bright-Dark Divine Cult had spent years building in the capital vanished like a bubble in a single night.

The Eastern Depot had not fared well, however. After a simple tally, the acting Deputy Superintendent, Song Tong, discovered that the Eastern Depot had lost nearly a third of its men. In one small alley alone, twenty-one people had been slaughtered by the Demonic Cult experts.

Wu Qingsheng scanned the hall and asked in a deep voice, "Where is Commander Chen?"

The Eastern Depot agents parted to clear a path. Chen Yi was kneeling on the ground, head bowed. Though he said nothing, his posture was full of mourning for the Superintendent. Seeing this, Wu Qingsheng’s imposing aura dimmed slightly.

"This subordinate is here."

His voice was calm, yet carried a hint of profound grief. Chen Yi stood up slowly. The agents of the Eastern Depot heard the sorrow in his tone and looked at the body of their fallen Superintendent, unable to hold back their emotions. Wu Qingsheng wanted to speak, but the heavy atmosphere held him back.

Chen Yi took a deep breath and sighed heavily. "The Superintendent of the Eastern Depot... what a great sense of duty. He and I both served Senior Minister Lin. I am cowardly and cling to life, yet he was willing to sacrifice everything for the cause."

As these words fell, the grief in the air grew heavier. Several senior officers of the Eastern Depot choked back tears, wanting to say something but ultimately remaining silent.

Wu Qingsheng stood quietly to the side. After a long hesitation, he asked, "Commander Chen, what exactly happened here... and why were you the first to arrive from the Western Depot?"

When the Western Depot first learned of the incident, they assumed the Eastern Depot could handle it themselves and did not rush. It was only when the situation reached a stalemate that Wu Qingsheng brought reinforcements. He had moved slowly, not without the intention of weakening the Eastern Depot and watching the tigers fight, but he had never expected the death of Xue Youge. He was a fifth-rank expert! Such men were few and far between, even in the capital.

When the Western Depot set out, they could not find Chen Yi. Wu Qingsheng had only heard from Officer Zeng, who was close to Chen Yi, that Commander Chen had already rushed to assist the Eastern Depot. Seeing Chen Yi in the hall now, Wu Qingsheng could not help but feel suspicious. After all, not long ago, Commander Li had represented Xue Youge in pressuring him.

Chen Yi took a deep breath, turned his head, and glanced at Wu Qingsheng, saying coldly:

"Is Superintendent Wu suspecting that I played a part in this?"

The words were so aggressive that Wu Qingsheng instinctively denied it. "That is... an impulsive thing to say."

Chen Yi sneered. "Superintendent Wu, not to mention that my martial arts are far inferior to Superintendent Xue's. You may not know this, but the other day, Commander Li privately gifted me the Bronze Bone Technique to show the brotherhood between our two depots. Commander Li can vouch for this."

Wu Qingsheng turned his gaze toward Commander Li, who nodded. "That is true."

Chen Yi ignored Wu Qingsheng and walked straight to Commander Li. "This manual was authored by Superintendent Xue, so he is, in a way, half a mentor to me. Having received this technique, how could I sabotage him? Furthermore, the Superintendent and I both serve Senior Minister Lin!"

As he spoke, Chen Yi’s voice rose, filled with questioning indignation. The other agents of the Eastern Depot looked at Chen Yi with sympathy, then turned their gaze toward Wu Qingsheng. Wu Qingsheng couldn't help but think it through, and he realized that from every angle, Chen Yi had no reason to sabotage the operation.

"Commander Chen, it seems I have wronged you," Wu Qingsheng said, cupping his hands in a slight apology.

Chen Yi did not press his advantage, but also cupped his hands, saying with grief and indignation, "I only hate my own incompetence for failing to save Superintendent Xue."

"The Superintendent died heroically for the sake of the Eastern Depot. I hope the Superintendent will report this truthfully."

"And the brothers of the Eastern Depot fought to the death; like the Superintendent, they were fearless. I hope you will not let their contributions go unrecognized."

This statement immediately pulled all the men of the Eastern Depot to his side. The agents present turned pleading eyes toward Wu Qingsheng. Being stared at by so many, Wu Qingsheng felt a slight chill on his scalp.

In the end, he could only say, "I will report this exactly as it happened, without sparing a single word."