At this moment, Xu Qi An felt the disorientation of having established knowledge overturned.

That the Ten Thousand Demons Lord was a Half-Step Martial God—while perhaps not deeply rooted in his understanding—had been something he was fairly certain about.

Five hundred years ago, the Buddhist sect had a Supreme Realm Buddha, four First Realm Bodhisattvas, and numerous arhats and vajra warriors.

To be able to fiercely resist such a massive force’s encirclement, fighting to near mutual destruction, the Demon Lord must have been a Half-Step Martial God—only this made sense.

If the Demon Lord wasn’t a Half-Step Martial God, then the entire history of the “Demon Purge of the Sexagenary Cycle” might be false, and the whole historical period would need to be rewritten.

As for the possibility of the Demon Lord being a Supreme Realm Martial God, Xu Qi An considered it zero.

The reason was simple: given a martial artist’s offensive power and endurance, if the Demon Lord had truly been a Supreme Realm Martial God, then even if the Buddha had joined forces with the Shaman God and Poison God to encircle her, the likely result would have been the Demon Lord licking her lips with lingering interest and saying disdainfully:

Is that all?

Of course, this speculation was purely Xu Qi An’s imagination—the gap between Supreme Realm beings shouldn’t be that large.

But one thing was certain: the Buddha simply couldn’t have killed a Martial God.

Impossible!

If the Demon Lord wasn’t a Half-Step Martial God, then she could only have been First Realm… Just as Xu Qi An was about to express his confusion, Guardian Yuan straightforwardly said:

“Lieutenant Xu’s heart tells me: If the previous Lord had been a Supreme Realm Martial God, she would have licked…”

Guardian Yuan couldn’t finish his sentence because Xu Qi An slapped him to the ground with one palm, his limbs twitching.

“Sorry, there was a mosquito on your head. I’ve taken care of it for you.”

Xu Qi An nodded at Guardian Yuan, indicating it was a small matter, no thanks needed.

The shock just now had been considerable, unconsciously leading him to various speculative deductions, unable to contain his thoughts.

Learning Mind-Reading but not Learning to Keep Quiet, how have you survived until now, Brother Monkey? Xu Qi An muttered silently.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Xu, for helping drive away the mosquito.”

Guardian Yuan got up, his clear blue eyes gazing sincerely as he expressed thanks while attempting to continue listening to Xu Qi An’s thoughts.

Guardian Qing Mu, reminiscing, said:

“The Ten Thousand Demons Nation never said our Lord was a Half-Step Martial God. Who told you this?”

This question stumped Xu Qi An as if someone had asked:

Who told you one plus one equals two?

Fortunately, he had only been in this world for about a year and a half—the time scale was limited enough that he quickly recalled when he first heard the words “Ten Thousand Demons Nation.” It was when he had just become a constable, investigating a case of demons eating humans in Taikang County, a suburb of the capital.

That demon had driven away nearby vagrants and worked with accomplices to dig for saltpeter, secretly manufacturing gunpowder.

When he and Zhu Guang Xiao and Song Ting Feng uncovered the truth and reported it to Li Yu Chun, Brother Chun speculated the demon was likely a remnant of the Ten Thousand Demons Nation.

Eager to solve the case, Xu Qi An had noted this down. Not long after, the impetuous warrior monk Master Heng Yuan broke into the Marquis of Ping Yuan’s mansion at night, killed the Marquis, and, having nowhere to turn, sought help in the Earth Book chat group.

Xu Qi An, who happened to be patrolling that night, had saved him.

Subsequently, he proposed the principle of “equivalent exchange” and began gathering information about the Ten Thousand Demons Nation from Heaven and Earth Society members.

Yes, Li Na had said it.

Li Na said that in the Demon Purge of the Sexagenary Cycle, the Buddha had intervened because the Demon Lord was a Half-Step Martial God.

“I was so stupid. Back then I didn’t know Li Na’s true nature, and was deceived by her…”

Xu Qi An nearly coughed up blood.

At the same time, he remembered more details, like how Daoist Gold Lotus had subtly corrected that the Demon Lord was First Realm, not a Half-Step Martial God.

But at that time, everyone thought Daoist Gold Lotus was just a defeated dog of the Earth Sect—what did he know about the Ten Thousand Demons Nation?

Surely Number Five, who was also born in the Southern Border, was more trustworthy.

Who could have imagined that the defeated dog was an Earth Sect bigshot, while the trustworthy Number Five was just a not-too-bright foodie?

“The Demon Lord was First Realm?” Xu Qi An asked urgently.

“Yes!” Guardian Qing Mu nodded.

“Then the Half-Step Martial God was…”

Xu Qi An held his breath after asking.

Guardian Qing Mu spoke slowly: “Master Shen Shu, the very person we’re trying to rescue.”

As expected… Xu Qi An’s face showed a complex expression, both the realization of “so that’s it” and the shock of “it was him.”

After overturning the conclusion that the “Half-Step Martial God” was the Demon Lord, the truth immediately surfaced in Xu Qi An’s mind.

Three clues became unprecedentedly clear:

First: Shen Shu was sent to the capital for sealing five hundred years ago, and the Ten Thousand Demons Nation was destroyed five hundred years ago.

The timing matched so perfectly, but Xu Qi An couldn’t previously confirm that Shen Shu had “died” five hundred years ago—perhaps he had been dismembered earlier.

Second: The Ten Thousand Demons Nation placed extreme importance on Shen Shu’s dismembered parts. The Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox not only sent the severed arm to him but had repeatedly helped.

However, valuing Shen Shu didn’t necessarily mean having ties with him—after all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox might have wanted to support an enemy to deal with the Buddhist sect.

Third: Shen Shu’s immortal nature.

The severed arm had been sealed in Sang Lake, exhausted of resources for five hundred years without external power replenishment, yet he still hadn’t died.

Even the Supreme Realm Buddha couldn’t completely kill him. Such terrifying vitality obviously couldn’t be possessed by a First Realm martial artist.

Although Xu Qi An hadn’t seen the power of a First Realm martial artist, the Demon Lord was a First Realm demon, and demons and martial artists followed the same path—the difference being that demons cultivated innate divine abilities at Fourth Realm, while martial artists cultivated “Intent.”

History proved that the Demon Lord had perished, showing that the Buddha could kill a First Realm martial artist.

The Confucian Sage had divided the various systems into nine realms, with only the Buddha, Shaman God, and similar beings transcending the realm system. This alone showed that Supreme Realm versus First Realm was a crushing advantage.

“Then, what was Master Shen Shu’s relationship with the Ten Thousand Demons Nation?”

Xu Qi An took a deep breath.

Guardian Qing Mu shook his head: “My level is too low, how would I know? However, our Lord and Master Shen Shu must have been acquainted—friendly fellow cultivators.”

Hmm, in the Buddhist sect’s demon extermination war, Shen Shu wouldn’t have sided with the Ten Thousand Demons Nation either… Xu Qi An nodded, pondering various details when suddenly Guardian Yuan spoke gravely:

“Guardian Qing Mu’s heart tells me: This old one suspects the Lord and Shen Shu were old lovers.”

The cave suddenly fell silent.

Guardian Yuan was greatly startled, shocked by this information, and hurriedly said:

“This is what Guardian Qing Mu said, it has nothing to do with me!”

Guardian Qing Mu’s face flushed red, his dark green hair standing on end, each strand filled with green energy. His hand gripping the vine staff tightened then loosened, loosened then tightened…

After struggling for a moment, Guardian Qing Mu let out a breath:

“This old one won’t stoop to your level. Heh, true, back then we lesser demons did gossip about the relationship between our Lord and Master Shen Shu.”

“But the young Lord is the best proof—the young Lord is a pure-blooded Nine-tailed Fox.”

Guardian Yuan’s azure eyes, clear and untainted, looked at Guardian Qing Mu and said flatly:

“Your heart tells me: Therefore, this old one suspects they were old lovers.”

Old lovers never had official status, always kept secret.

…The cave fell silent again.

Guardian Qing Mu silently gripped his vine staff tightly, entering hunting mode.

Two streaks of light, one white and one green, chased each other out of the cave, disappearing into the horizon.

“Guardian Yuan’s innate divine ability could already see through people’s hearts. After secretly learning the Buddhist Mind-Reading Technique, it exceeded the bounds of the Fourth Realm, making it somewhat difficult for him to control. So he often speaks inappropriately regardless of the situation.”

Fu Xiang—no, Ye Ji explained in a low voice.

Is this just speaking out of turn? He’s completely letting himself go… Xu Qi An made a sound of acknowledgment without further comment.

Ye Ji ordered the female demons in the cave:

“All of you guard outside. No one enters without permission.”

After the female demons left, seeing her lover’s thoughtful expression, she asked softly:

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Qi An held Ye Ji’s slim waist but had no mood to appreciate her beautiful form. His expression grave, he said:

“You might not know this, but the Buddha was sealed away by the Confucian Sage long ago.”

“What?!”

Ye Ji’s expression froze, her pupils dilating slightly. Xu Qi An could hear her heart suddenly racing.

Why would the Confucian Sage seal away the Buddha?

If the Buddha had already been sealed by the Confucian Sage, then who had acted five hundred years ago?

A chill ran through Ye Ji’s heart, an inexplicable cold rising in her spine, making her shudder.

“Couldn’t it be that the Confucian Sage sealed him later?”

Bai Ji, still trying to adjust to her pillow, interjected.

Though still a cub, her intelligence was at least passable, and she could sense the terror hidden within this secret.

Ye Ji shook her head slightly:

“The Confucian Sage only lived eighty-two years and passed away over a thousand years ago, while the Buddhist-Demon War was five hundred years ago.”

“Young Master Xu, you’re skilled at this—what do you think?”

Having her lover beside her made her feel supported, unconsciously seeking his help.

Xu Qi An analyzed:

“I have three theories, but they all contain paradoxes and lack sufficient evidence.”

Pausing, seeing Ye Ji’s bright eyes gazing at him softly, he continued slowly:

“Either the Buddha has broken free from the seal, or someone else acted back then, or Shen Shu orchestrated the destruction of the Ten Thousand Demons Nation.”

“The Buddha and Shaman God were sealed together. The Shaman God has only recently begun breaking free from the seal. Both being Supreme Realm, it seems unlikely the Buddha could have broken free five hundred years ago.”

“If it was someone else, that’s rather terrifying to contemplate. But this possibility isn’t high, because now the Ten Thousand Mountains have been incorporated into the Western Regions’ territory, becoming the Buddhist domain. The fortune favors the Buddhist sect. If some beings had acted back then, what was their purpose? Surely not simply to benefit the Buddhist sect.”

“As for Shen Shu orchestrating the Ten Thousand Demons Nation’s destruction—well, if so, then who dismembered Shen Shu? With the Buddha sealed, what being could dismember a Half-Step Martial God?”

Ye Ji nodded, saying worriedly:

“Does the Lady know about the Buddha being sealed by the Confucian Sage?”

Xu Qi An pondered:

“Hard to say. Your Lady is unfathomable—I don’t understand her. But very few in the Nine Provinces know about the Confucian Sage sealing the Buddha. If the Confucian sect’s leader hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known this inside story either.”

The “Demon Purge of the Sexagenary Cycle” from five hundred years ago was shrouded in mist, hiding deeper secrets.

“Bai Ji, contact your Lady.”

Xu Qi An said.

Bai Ji lazily refused to move, saying in her childish voice:

“Sister Ye Ji can contact the Lady too. Let her do the work.”

In a family, the older ones naturally do the work. As the youngest sister, her job was just to be cute.

The elder sisters would cry “Oh, little darling!” and dote on her, feeding her all sorts of treats.

Fu Xiang can also contact the Nine-tailed Fox… Xu Qi An raised an eyebrow, examining his old flame.

…

As the morning sun rose, Miao You Fang sat cross-legged in the valley, facing a roaring bonfire with a grass root between his teeth.

Hong Ying was roasting two large birds he had hunted while going to receive Miao You Fang.

“Too kind, too kind…”

Miao You Fang enjoyed the VIP treatment somewhat embarrassedly.

“It’s only right, only right. Brother Miao is Lieutenant Xu’s disciple, making him an honored guest. Treating guests well, ensuring they eat and drink well, is our undeniable duty.”

Hong Ying showed none of a Fourth Realm expert’s bearing, instead resembling a seasoned official skilled in social niceties.

As he spoke, seeing Miao You Fang’s gaze repeatedly examining the two female demons at the cave entrance, he immediately waved:

“You two, come here.”

The two female demons hesitated before stepping forward:

“What are Guardian Hong Ying’s orders?”

Hong Ying wore a reproachful expression:

“Wooden heads, obviously it’s to serve our honored guest his meal. Brother Miao has fought alongside Lieutenant Xu in campaigns north and south—he’s an important figure among humans. You must serve him well. If there’s any negligence, see how I punish you.”

This bird demon is quite the smooth operator… Miao You Fang immediately felt himself floating, waving his hand:

“Too kind, too kind. I’ve just helped Lieutenant Xu kill a few Vajra warriors. I mainly assisted—Lieutenant Xu is just too powerful.”

Hong Ying’s eyes lit up: “Brother Miao, you must tell us all about this.”

The two female demons, initially reluctant, quickly sat down, serving Miao You Fang from left and right.

…

The same morning.

Ling Yin shouldered her pack, following her second brother and teacher along the wooden plank extended from the warship onto the deck.

Three warships carried soldiers and officers totaling three thousand men.

Great Zhou’s military system was the Guard-Post system, evolved from the previous Great Zhou dynasty’s府兵 system. The Guard-Post system’s advantage lay in greatly reducing national military expenditure.

It also ensured troops were dispersed across various provinces, allowing quick assembly to suppress rebellions while preventing any single commander from controlling too many troops and becoming a threat.

Therefore, for this military deployment, the capital region only sent three thousand troops, with the remainder drawn from other provinces.

“Ling Yin, be careful!”

Aunt shouted from the dock:

“When you encounter trouble, you should, should…”

She had meant to say “Listen to your teacher more,” but suddenly realized the teacher might not be more reliable than the disciple.

Second Uncle Xu hurriedly said: “Contact Big Brother if you need help.”

Ling Yin, carrying a pack larger than herself, nodded vigorously:

“Mother, I’m going to war!”

The surrounding soldiers and dock workers all turned to stare in surprise.

A small child mixing in with the warship’s crew was eye-catching enough.

Hearing she was going to war…

Second Uncle Xu was shocked and angry: “What war? You’re just accompanying your teacher home. Don’t talk nonsense.”

The little bean had always thought she was going to war.

Questioning gazes examined Ling Yin from afar.

Ling Yue, wearing a veil, called out: “Ling Yin, as Lieutenant Xu’s sister, don’t disappoint everyone’s expectations.”

In an instant, the questioning and disapproving gazes turned warm and friendly.

After some entanglement, the master and disciple were led back to the cabin by Second Young Master Xu.

When the time came, the warships set sail.

Xu Xin Nian arranged for his young sister and Li Na to stay in the adjacent room, instructing:

“Stay in your room properly, don’t wander around, don’t cause trouble.”

“Li Na, don’t eat anything others give you, don’t accept kindness from officers.”

Though Li Na was a Fourth Realm expert, her gluttonous and naive personality would surely be defenseless against some underhanded methods.

“Mm-hmm!”

Li Na nodded vigorously.

She wasn’t afraid of poison. As a girl who grew up on the Southern Border, even though not from the Poison Tribe, her poison identification and resistance were still outstanding.

Moreover, poison capable of stunning or killing a Fourth Realm expert would be too precious for ordinary people to possess.

Li Na felt Second Young Master Xu was just an inexperienced scholar, and there was no need to explain these things to him.

After settling the two women, Second Young Master Xu returned to his study to read military texts and analyze the Qing Province battlefield situation.

Meanwhile, Li Na immediately took Ling Yin out for a stroll, making their way to the deck.

Facing the cold wind, the master and disciple’s eyes sparkled with stars.

This was their first time sailing far away in life.

“What relation are you to Lieutenant Xu, miss?”

A voice came from behind.

Li Na turned to see a square-faced middle-aged man in armor, short and sturdy, his gaze fixed intently on Li Na and Ling Yin.

“Who are you?”

Li Na spoke in the imperfect Central Plains official language.

“Chen Xiao, Infantry Centurion of the Imperial Guard!”

The middle-aged officer cupped his hands: “In summer, I accompanied Lieutenant Xu north to investigate the Three Thousand Li Blood Massacre case. I just heard this little miss is Lieutenant Xu’s sister?”