Those who plunge the world into chaos for love deserve to be slain by all.

Former Demon Suppression Division!

These four words made Ren Tianye’s spirits suddenly lift.

He had put considerable effort into tracking down these very words. And now… someone from the Former Demon Suppression Division had appeared?

“Lord Duke, the letter I discreetly passed to you a few days ago, the one pointing out Liu Aijiu’s whereabouts—that was also delivered by me in secret.”

Ren Tianye nodded slightly.

From the moment this Sun Rong introduced herself, Ren Tianye had already suspected as much. He asked, “You claim to be a member of the Former Demon Suppression Division?”

“But as I understand it, the Demon Suppression Division was founded by my own hand. It began with me, and yet I have questioned every current member of the division, and none of them have ever mentioned such an organization.”

“So then, what exactly is this so-called Former Demon Suppression Division?”

Old Madam Sun smiled bitterly. “It must be a coincidence—and yet, I cannot bring myself to believe it truly is one.”

“What we call the Former Demon Suppression Division is simply a Demon Suppression Division that existed before you, Lord Duke, established the current one. It is an organization older than your own.”

These words did not fully convince Ren Tianye.

He had already consulted Pei Jingzhi on this matter, yet even Pei, with all his vast knowledge, had never heard of an organization with the same name preceding the one Ren Tianye had founded.

In fact, Pei Jingzhi had even gone out of his way to search through a mountain of historical records—and still found nothing.

So Ren Tianye remained deeply skeptical.

Once he voiced his doubts, Sun Rong immediately said, “You don’t know about it, Lord Duke, because the Former Demon Suppression Division was not an official institution—it was a private organization. But…”

As she spoke, a look of glory seemed to flicker across Old Madam Sun’s face, as if she were lost in the memories of days gone by. “Our former Demon Suppression Division was no ordinary organization, either.”

“Back in the day, our leader led us across the land, striking down those love-crazed fools who disrupted the world—and we made quite a stir.”

“The rules our leader laid down are still etched deep in my heart to this day.”

As if stirred by emotion, Old Madam Sun began reciting the guiding principles of the former Demon Suppression Division, which she had once known by heart.

“Whoever throws the realm into chaos for the sake of love—let them be put to death.”

“If the demon of love is not eradicated, order cannot survive. If infatuation is not severed, the nation cannot be at peace.”

No sooner had these words left her lips than Su Jin and others from the current Demon Suppression Division arrived at the door—along with Pei Jingzhi, who had also rushed over. They all heard it loud and clear.

And straightaway, they were stunned speechless.

Even Ren Tianye was shaken.

He almost instinctively asked, “Are you telling me that these words came from the Demon Suppression Division of many years ago?”

“Yes,” Sun Rong replied without hesitation.

“Impossible. That’s impossible!”

Pei Jingzhi’s voice cut through the air.

He strode forward, too agitated even to remember to bow to Ren Tianye first, blurting out, “Those two phrases—I thought of them! I racked my brains to come up with them and handed them over to the Demon Suppression Division!”

“How could they have come from an organization that existed years before?”

As he spoke, Pei Jingzhi looked toward Su Jin.

Su Jin nodded vigorously. “Lord Duke, I can vouch for Lord Pei. It truly was Lord Pei Jingzhi, during his tenure in the Demon Suppression Division, who crafted these as our guiding principles.”

“I remember clearly: by day, he would go out patrolling with the division, slaying infatuated demons in the capital; by night, he’d burn the midnight oil, reading and writing meticulously to refine these words. It took him a long time to complete them.”

“I saw this with my own eyes—there can be no mistake.”

Ren Tianye found this account quite plausible as well.

After all, he, too, had witnessed it firsthand.

Just as he was about to speak again, Sun Rong interrupted. “Lord Duke, in truth, I share your bewilderment.”

“I never dreamed that in my lifetime, I would see the Demon Suppression Division once more—and not our original one, but one so remarkably similar to it, as if it were its mirror image.”

“Only now, it is even grander in scale.”

“And its power to rid this world of those love-sick rebels who defile the laws of family and state is even more formidable.”

“All of this feels as though it was all guided by an unseen hand, bound by some mysterious fate.”

Ren Tianye took a slow breath, steadying himself as best he could.

Now that the matter of the Former Demon Suppression Division was finally made clearer—a coincidence, yet far from ordinary—his mind inevitably wandered back to an even greater doubt.

He fixed his eyes on Sun Rong. “Since there is so much similarity between yourself and the Demon Suppression Division I founded, and since you willingly wrote to me, pointing out Liu Aijiu’s whereabouts, it’s plain to see that your heart still yearns for the Demon Suppression Division.”

“It does,” Sun Rong admitted without concealment. “Indeed. Though I am old, whenever I recall those years of rooting out love-crazed fools, my blood still runs hot.”

“Whether it’s force of habit or something I cannot resist—even while toiling as a servant in the Xu household these many years, I have never forgotten that I was once a member of the Demon Suppression Division.”

“I can’t help it; I find myself constantly on the lookout for those lovestruck plagues upon the world. That’s why I remain well acquainted with the goings-on in Huai’an City—enough to provide you, Lord Duke, with a bit of help now and then.”

“That, I am happy to do.”

Ren Tianye pressed on. “Then why didn’t you come forward sooner? And what made you decide to come to me now?”

Sun Rong heaved a sigh. “For one thing, I am indeed old. Hiding in the shadows and doing small things suited me well enough.”

“For another—”

Sun Rong turned her gaze toward Wu Xingzhou. “I had thought Lord Wu Xingzhou would have informed you, so I had not stepped forward on my own.”

Wu Xingzhou, who had been standing there dumbfounded, was suddenly singled out. He was not even more bewildered—he nearly jumped in shock. “Me?”

“Are you talking about me?”

Sun Rong seemed puzzled. “What? Did your master never tell you about the Former Demon Suppression Division?”

“My master was also a member of the Former Demon Suppression Division?”

“Yes—he was one of our great warriors. Wielding his halberd like a master, he cut down countless love-crazed demons in his day.”

Sun Rong continued, “The moment I saw you wielding that halberd, I knew you were his disciple. Only… the way you use it now is slightly different. You must have refined those techniques yourself through actual combat, haven’t you?”

Wu Xingzhou did not answer that question directly.

Instead, he said, “When I was young, I happened upon my master in the deep mountains. He had a halberd manual in his hand. He said I had extraordinary bones and was a once-in-a-generation martial prodigy, so he sold it to me for ten coppers.”

“I paid him and kept to my training obediently. He would appear now and then to give me pointers.”

“But that was all years ago.”

“Later, I joined the military and never saw my master again.”

“I see…” Old Madam Sun murmured. “So it seems your master did the same as I—he faded into obscurity. The only difference is that I hid in the clamor of the marketplace, while he took refuge among the mountains and forests.”

“Alas. It appears I misjudged the situation.”

Sun Rong turned back to Ren Tianye. “Lord Duke, I should have revealed myself much earlier. If I had, I could have shared more information about Pukou City, and perhaps I could have prevented your defeat today.”

Ren Tianye’s eyes sharpened. “You know about what happened in Pukou City?”

Stewardess Sun replied, "I don’t know much, but Zhou Xiong, the defender of Pukou, has a master who was once from our former Demon-Suppression Office."

Also from the former Demon-Suppression Office?

The questions in Ren Tianye’s mind suddenly intensified, and he couldn’t help asking, "So what has become of the former Demon-Suppression Office now?"

"Everywhere I turn, I see people from your former Demon-Suppression Office, yet I hardly see any of you being active."

……