The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 32 The Man Who Must Be Killed
Zhou Yan first went to tell the people of the Righteous Society not to cremate Zhang Shoutian's body. He originally planned to go directly to Shen Cangming, but the food at the roadside stalls was too delicious, and when he returned, the boy was still carrying a bunch of things.

None of the stall owners intended to accept money.

They said they were grateful to him for destroying the monster's lair, so how could they accept his money? The boy had no choice but to throw the money over, and some women even threw fruit at him when they saw him.

The boy dodged several times before belatedly realizing that this seemed to be a way for women in ancient times to express their affection, known as "throwing fruit to fill the carriage."

Zhou Yan's skin was naturally much smoother than that of modern people, and coupled with his spirited and energetic demeanor, he was truly likable. Tang Dynasty women did not have the fussy rules of later generations; in fact, a woman on the second floor smiled and invited him in for tea.

The boy's lips twitched, and he fled in a disheveled state.

The dark horse laughed when it saw Zhou Yan's disheveled state.

He had a set of large front teeth, typical of warhorses, and his smile made him look like a big donkey.

Then the boy gave her a fruit.

The dark horse felt that this was a comrade-in-arms, so it expressed its pity in a heartfelt and humane way. This action came entirely from its heart and was by no means tempted by the fruit.

While separating the groceries he had bought, Zhou Yan told Shen Cangming about Wang Chun's true form, saying, "Uncle, this kind of monster has a weak physical body and relies on illusion magic. I have this lamp and a knife."

He patted the bronze Buddhist lamp at his waist.

His words carried a sharp edge.

"Uncle Shen, do you think I can kill him by myself?"

Shen Cangming was surprised that Zhou Yan had found out the origin of this monster on his own. He said, "Changgui... After a person dies, their soul is controlled and turns into Changgui. It will deceive innocent people and feed them to tigers. It is a monster that can be found in the mountains and forests."

"However, those who can fight against the tiger demon's soul will become evil spirits."

"It seems the tiger demon itself is not in good condition. Once the cougar and the tiger soul are completely fused, there may be changes. Let's set off today. As we said before, you kill him alone, and I will teach you to become a [Beacon Tower].

Shen Cangming paused, looking at the young man who had somehow become like family. He had already said what he wanted to say, and this silent man didn't want to go back on his word.

But the opponent is a demon, who forces Zhou Yan to take risks for their own so-called rules...

Shen Cangming remained silent, searching for an excuse.

Finally, under the disdainful gaze of the dark horse, he threw a piece of firewood into the fire, using the gesture to conceal his unease. His expression remained unchanged as he said in a deep voice:
"After all, they are demons."

"I will teach you some of the [Mysterious Official]'s [Exorcising Demon-Slaying Talisman], which can be used to kill ghosts with swords and blades."

"However, since you handled it personally, it doesn't count as a breach of contract."

Shen Cangming emphasized the words "personally handle" in his voice.

The big black horse gave him a disdainful look and ate its own bean cake.

Chew, chew.

Zhou Yan's eyes brightened slightly.

Having come into this world, he wielded a sword, fought, killed thieves, rescued people, and slayed demons. After all this time, he was finally about to truly come into contact with the existence of the [Mystic Official]. He felt a sense of excitement and anticipation.

Meanwhile, in the city, the old county magistrate swiftly and decisively dealt with the matter involving the gambling den.

Everything returned to calm, but just two days after Zhou Yan and his group left, the officer who was arresting thieves was still rubbing his wrists, thinking that things would be peaceful for a long time, when he heard a commotion.

The sound of hooves thundered, and a murderous aura soared to the sky.

A troop of heavily armored cavalry crashed into the peaceful county town like a black hurricane.

The officer who was arresting the thieves was stunned. Before he could say anything, the leader of the cavalry raised his hand, and with a bang, a pile of things was thrown over, hitting the ground and rolling around.

The white cloth outside was pulled back, revealing a bloodied head inside. The murderous aura hit the officer's face, almost making him scream. He suddenly stood up, grabbed a knife, but the next moment, a waist token slammed onto his table.

The leading man was in his early thirties, wearing armor with mountain patterns. A strong smell of blood emanated from him. He said coldly, "Shuofang Army, ordered to pursue and kill the rebels."

"These were all deserters of the rebel army, who were running amok and were killed by us."

"You're the officer in charge of apprehending thieves, so make a record of these people."

The officer in charge of apprehending the thieves was trembling with fear. He immediately went to register the names of those who had been killed. These men were at least armored officers who had survived the Battle of Xiangji Temple. They were ruthless individuals, yet they had been killed by this cavalry force.

Those who hunted down these routed troops were the top elite forces of the Tang Dynasty.

He noticed that the young general's armor was stained with blood, he had a sword at his waist, and he was carrying something on his back. He exuded a murderous aura. After recording the information, the man said, "My name is Li Zhenyue, Zhaowu Colonel of the Shuofang Army."

"in addition……"

"Oh my, what a rare guest! What a rare guest! A captain from the Shuofang Army has come!"

The county magistrate, having heard the news, rushed over. Seeing the leaders, he wasn't afraid at all; he went up and kicked them, just like he had kicked the rat-spirit's head before, saying, "How hateful! These rebels are subjects of our Great Tang Dynasty, yet they commit such heinous acts! They deserve to die, they deserve to die!"

The officer who was arresting the thieves smirked, knowing that this was a seasoned veteran coming to protect him.

To avoid making a mistake in dealing with these fierce generals, they obediently retreated.

Li Zhenyue asked, "Are you the county magistrate?"

The county magistrate smiled and said, "This humble official, Yu Hongjin, greets the general."

Li Zhenyue said, "I cannot be called a general. I have something to ask you."

The county magistrate's gaze swept quickly and shrewdly over the cavalrymen. Seeing that each of them was heavily armored, armed with long-handled weapons, swords, and crossbows, he felt a little apprehensive. Then, when he saw the armor on Li Zhenyue, his eyes twitched.

Mountain-shaped armor plates cover the chest and back, with bronze buckles on the shoulders and a phoenix belt around the waist.

One of the Thirteen Armored Armors of the Tang Dynasty, Mountain Pattern Armor.

Fortunately, it was only a partial set of mountain-patterned armor, not the full set, which relieved him, but also made him a little nervous. If it were the full set, even an old fox like him would probably have knelt down in shock. As a seasoned veteran of officialdom, he could discern the backgrounds of these generals simply by looking at their armor.

The Mingguang armor is a ceremonial armor that emphasizes status; the Shanwen armor, on the other hand, is more suited to actual combat, but it is also a type of heavy armor that only generals of the third rank or above are qualified to possess. There is only one possibility for such armor to appear on someone of low rank who is not a famous general.

His outstanding military achievements.

The most precious of the armor pieces is a chain of interlocking locks, with unusual mountain-shaped patterns!
Only fierce generals who have made terrifying military achievements will be granted this armor in advance.

Otherwise, even the Xuanjia Army would only be qualified to use this set of armor.

Furthermore, even lower-ranking generals can possess a set of mountain-patterned armor specially customized for themselves.

In reality, it represents only one thing: being of humble origin, yet extremely brave and fierce.

He was the most loyal warrior of the Tang Dynasty. He participated in the most dangerous missions for the Tang Dynasty and made one of the three military merits of being the first to scale the walls, killing a general, and capturing a flag in a major battle. He also returned alive.

However, such people are usually legion legends.

He hasn't met him yet.

Li Zhenyue said, "There's no need for such formalities. I'm here on the Marshal's orders to investigate some officers of the defeated army."

"Especially this person, there are rumors that he has been seen in this area."

He stretched out his hand, and the valiant cavalryman beside him handed him a stack of photos.

The county magistrate saw that they were all generals in the rebel army, but the one that Li Zhenyue specifically pointed out was someone whose name he had never heard of before. He seemed to be an unknown junior. He looked at the document with puzzlement.

The painting depicts a man with slightly curly black hair and cold eyes. He appears to be around forty years old. He is clad in full armor with mountain-patterned patterns, a gold plaque hangs from his waist, and he carries a bow on his back and a horizontal sword at his waist.

A menacing aura seemed to leap out from the white paper.

"This is……"

Li Zhenyue said, "Xingxiu River, Shen Cangming."

"A sixth-rank cavalry general has been discovered nearby."

Sixth rank?!
Yu Hongjin was stunned.

To be able to have a complete set of custom-made mountain-patterned armor at the mere sixth rank, what kind of achievements must one have made?
He noticed that this was a complete set of mountain-patterned armor. This kind of specially made heavy armor requires each piece to be forged and polished by hand. A complete set of heavy armor takes half a year to make and requires a huge amount of manpower and resources. In particular, this kind of armor usually requires the participation of the Xuanxiang Bureau. Each piece of armor has the ability to resist evil spirits.

Li Zhenyue looked at the gold medal for his meritorious service, and then stood in his heavy armor.

Thinking back to when I received my orders, I knew a little about this man's main achievements.

Shen Cangming recruited soldiers in the nineteenth year of the Kaiyuan era.

He participated in the Qinghai War against the Tubo Kingdom and was awarded a mountain-patterned armor by the four military governors for his meritorious service in capturing the flag during the turmoil; he was the first to scale the walls in the Battle of Shibao City and was bestowed a gold medal for his military achievements by His Majesty.

A slight ripple appeared in Li Zhenyue's eyes.

That was one of the highest honors representing the bravery of the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty.

Shen Cangming had received a gold medal for his military achievements from His Majesty the Emperor. He had guarded the border for the Tang Dynasty for twenty-six years, risking his life in battle. He was the most loyal soldier of the Tang Dynasty. However, such a person was dragged into the rebel army and roared his anger at the Emperor.

Why did he have such thoughts? What made him decide to purge the court of corrupt officials?

This is similar to the sudden death of the military governor of the four towns of Hedong.

Things that cannot be investigated or thought about in detail.

The phrase "clearing the emperor's inner circle" implies that he believed the emperor was wrong.

A sage cannot be wrong.

If he was once one of the glories of the Tang Dynasty, then now he is a stain that the Tang Dynasty must erase. For the sake of the Holy Emperor and the central Tang Dynasty, a soldier who served for twenty-six years and risked his life is just an insignificant price and sacrifice.

"Xingxiu River, Shen Cangming".

"Regarding this person—"

"We will kill them!"

The county magistrate racked his brains trying to think of anything in the vicinity that might be related to Shen Cangming. The Shuofang army said Shen Cangming was nearby? But in their county, the only recent event was Zhou Yan's demon-slaying incident. How could Zhou Yan possibly be related to Shen Cangming...?

The county magistrate paused, suddenly recalling a small detail from a casual conversation with Zhou Yan.

'These clothes were a gift from an old friend.'

'Old friend...'

In the peaceful county town, a young man who could slay demons suddenly appeared. This young man insisted on living outside the town. The clothes he was given, the swordsmanship he was taught, and the Shen Cangming whom the Shuofang Army said was "hidden near this town"... all these things came together like lightning!
He had a pretty good idea; an old official like him would naturally know a certain principle.

There are no coincidences in the world.

The county magistrate's pupils contracted slightly, and then he immediately lowered his head.

Li Zhenyue immediately noticed this subtle change.

He stood up, took a step forward, the plates of his mountain-patterned armor rubbing together with a menacing air. His fingers pressed against the hilt of his horizontal sword, his gaze like a blade, scraping past the thief-catching officer before finally settling on the face of the county magistrate, Yu Hongjin, who was trying to appear calm.

"County Magistrate Yu".

Li Zhenyue's voice was filled with a bloodthirsty and chilling murderous intent as he said:
"You've seen him."

"Take me to any place that might be related to this person."

(End of this chapter)