CH 117

Chapter 117: “You want to search my Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall?”

Edited by: Mochiusagi 

Demon Suppression Division!

Shen Changqing!

The expressions of the two young men suddenly changed.

Shen Changqing’s name was unfamiliar to them, but the three words ‘Demon Suppression Division’ made their minds rumble with thunder.

At this moment, the attitudes of the two immediately became much more restrained.

“Please wait a moment, I will report to the Hall Master!”

One of them said, and hurriedly walked inside.

The other person simply remained in place.

Seeing this, Liu Jian was once again dissatisfied, but he forcibly suppressed it.

Soon, a burly and stout middle-aged man came out from the inside.

When he saw the two, he smiled heartily: “I didn’t know that Constable Liu and the Lord from the Demon Suppression Division would be coming today. I didn’t get to properly welcome you, I hope the two of you don’t take offense.”

“Haha, this Liu did not know that the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall had already become so big that even the Constable would be stopped at the gate. Even the Demon Suppression Division wouldn’t be as unwelcoming.”

“I guess that with a little more time, the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall would outgrow and no longer have the Government in their eyes.”

Liu Jian said with a smile.

When Qianyang, the Hall Master of the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall, heard this, the smile on his face froze. But he quickly recovered.

“Constable Liu jests. The ones below just didn’t recognize Mount Tai. There’s no need to bother with them.”

After saying that, he looked at Shen Changqing and clasped his fists politely.

“So this is Lord Shen Changqing from the Demon Suppression Division? Lord Shen’s feat of destroying the Ten Thousand Flowers Pavilion a few days ago has attracted many people’s admiration.”

“Meeting you is such an honor!”

“The Hall Master is being polite!”

Shen Changqing also clasped his fists in return.

Seeing this, Liu Jian had no choice, but to stop his ramblings.

From start to finish, Qianyang’s words directed all of the blame on the people below him, and steered away from the topic. 

“This place is not a good place to talk. Please come in and have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

Shen Changqing nodded.

He then followed behind Qianyang and walked inside.

“Hah!”

“Hah!!”

As soon as they stepped inside, shouts rang in their ears. There were many wooden piles in the courtyard, which were being hit by the topless disciples, as they trained under the sun.

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“The Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall has received a lot of disciples.”

Shen Changqing’s eyes fell on those disciples. He could perceive that their blood was more vigorous than the average person.

In other words, although these people were not in the Body Forging Realm, they were almost there.

As for Qianyang next to Shen Changqing, because he didn’t do anything, Shen Changqing didn’t dare to be too sure. He could only see a little clue from the other party’s behavior.

There was a high probability that he was around the Peak of the Body Forging Realm, similar to Liu Jian.

Qianyang said with a smile, “In today’s world, many people want to learn some Martial Arts to be able to survive in these troubled times.”

“I don’t have much else in the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall, but I have some body forging skills.”

“In a way, teaching them could also bring benefits in my proficiency.”

“The Hall Master is generous.”

Shen Changqing smiled lightly.

Qianyang’s words were straightforward, and spoke the “facts.”

As they conversed, the three had already crossed the yard and arrived at the inner hall.

Due to Shen Changqing’s special status, like Qianyang, he sat at the top, but Liu Jian lowered his status and sat at the bottom left.

Soon, some of the disciples offered tea.

Qianyang turned his head and said, “I wonder, what is the reason for Lord Shen and Constable Liu to come to my Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall today? My establishment has always abided by the laws of the Great Qin, so there should be no problem!” 

“There is no need to worry, Hall Master. Our purpose is simply to see if there are monsters hidden here.”

“Monsters hiding!”

Qianyang’s expression changed, and the smile on his face disappeared.

“Lord Shen jests. How can there be monsters hiding in my Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall?”

“Whether there are monsters hiding or none, it is not up to you to decide. This time, this Shen is mainly exploring, and I hope the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall can cooperate.”

Shen Changqing smiled lightly, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

At this point, Qianyang’s face was ugly.

“Lord Shen, according to what you said, you want to search my Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall?”

“Yes.”

Facing Shen Changqing’s straightforward answer, Qianyang’s expression turned uglier.

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Searching the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall was, in his eyes, a slap in the face.

Without waiting for Qianyang to speak, Shen Changqing continued.

“The Hall Master should consider this clearly. This time, the thorough investigation of the monsters in the city is of great importance. No one is exempted from scrutiny. If the Hall Master insists on rejecting, then this Shen has reason to believe that the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall is secretly colluding with the monsters.”

“As for what would happen to those who collude with monsters, based on the laws of the Great Qin, I don’t think I need to say it.”

“—”

By now, Qianyang’s expression had completely changed.

Shen Changqing’s words sounded in his ears as a naked threat.

However, although the other party’s words were ugly, it was the truth. There was only one way to end such a crime.

Thinking clearly about the consequences, Qianyang forced a smile.

“Lord Shen jests. How could the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall collude with monsters? We are innocent and just. Since Lord Shen wants to search, then please go ahead!”

“Okay, then I’ll have to ask the Hall Master to lead the way. This Shen is not too familiar with the place.”

“No problem.”

Qianyang nodded. 

Now that the matter has come to this, Qianyang could only accept his fate.

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Since he had already agreed to the other party’s search, being asked to lead the way wouldn’t be too much effort.

During the search, Shen Changqing kept expanding his perception, carefully scanning for possible monsters. 　　

However, even after turning the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts upside down, he did not find any trace of monsters. 　

“How is it? Lord Shen should believe that there are no monsters hiding in the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall now!” 　　

“Indeed.”　　

Shen Changqing nodded. He then asked. 　　

“Then, I wonder if the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall has discovered anything strange recently, or heard of anything strange?” 

“Strange places and strange things…?”

Hearing this, Qianyang fell into deep thought.

After a while, he recovered from his meditation and shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t heard anything out of the ordinary recently. However, if there is, I will definitely report it to the Government as soon as possible.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“Well, we still have something else to attend to, so we will say goodbye first!”

“You two take care!”

After leaving the Qianshan Martial Arts Hall, Shen Changqing and Liu Jian continued to walk towards the next place.

En route, Liu Jian couldn’t help, but ask, “Lord Shen, is it possible that there are monsters hidden in the Thousand Mountain Martial Arts Hall?” 　　

“There’s no Evil Aura, so there should be none.”

Shen Changqing shook his head.

Soon, the day passed. 

Shen Changqing searched the East City, but unfortunately he couldn’t find any trace of monsters. 　　

Seeing that it was getting dark, he asked Liu Jian to return to the Government and then he went to the location of the Black Tiger Army. 　　

In the big tent, two people were sitting there.

“Did Lord Shen find anything today?” 　　

“Unfortunately, none. Did General Chu get any news on your end?” 　　

“Like you, I haven’t gained anything for the time being.” 　　

Chu Ding shook his head, and the smile on his face had long since disappeared. 　　

Shen Changqing was a bit solemn.

“The monsters’ hiding capabilities are much deeper than you and I imagined. The monsters could also move, making the locations we have searched not be 100% monster-free.”

“Lord Shen can rest assured. The Black Tiger Army is keeping watch and guarding every part of the city. The Heavenly Inspection Guard is also scattered in the city. I believe that the monsters wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for too long.”

Chu Ding shook his head.

Heavenly Inspection Guard?

Shen Changqing was surprised at first, but soon recovered.

Although the Heavenly Inspection Guard was affiliated with the Demon Suppression Division, it did not mean that they could not cooperate with other forces.

Chu Ding knowing the existence of the Heavenly Inspection Guard was not a strange thing.

It’s just that—

To tell the truth, Shen Changqing’s confidence in the Heavenly Inspection Guard was really not great.

Unfortunately, the methods they had shown were somewhat unsatisfactory.

But, though he had some doubts in his heart, he didn’t say it outright.

After all, the Heavenly Inspection Guard was on the same side as him.

Complaining about it in front of the Black Tiger Army would be inappropriate.

So, Shen Changqing simply didn’t say much.

In his view, Chu Ding’s deployment had no problem.

If they wanted to find out where the monsters were hiding, they could only take the step-by-step approach, and then narrow down the encirclement.

After the scope was narrowed down to a certain extent, it would no longer be a big problem to find out where the monsters were.

The two talked more for a while, before Shen Changqing got up and left.

There were many things going on, but his primary duty was to slay monsters. Nothing else had much to do with the Demon Suppression Division.

After Shen Changqing left, someone walked in.

“General!”

“How’s the situation?”

“The scouts dispatched have already heard news that after the Barbarian army broke the gate of the Great Wilderness Province, they had occupied several cities as backup supplies, completely opening the passage between them and the Great Wilderness Province.”

“A large number of Barbarians drove straight in, causing a lot of casualties. Currently, three hundred miles away, there’s a Barbarian army coming. It is expected that they will approach Jin City at the earliest tomorrow night, or the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

The man knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists and said in a deep voice.

Earliest tomorrow night.

Latest the day after tomorrow.

Chu Ding took a deep breath and waved at the man.

“Continue to monitor the situation. I want to know every move of the Barbarians, as well as the number and exact information of their forces.”

“Yes!”