Order of the Former Head of the Demon-Subduing Department

As soon as Chen Liang finished speaking, the members of the Love Mutual Aid Alliance on the scene all cheered.

It was just writing letters.

And anonymous at that.

It was exactly their forte.

Besides, for the sake of the love cause that had only recently begun to thrive in Pukou City, they had to put in the effort, and if necessary, take risks.

Right then, tasks were assigned one by one.

Some went to buy brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, others prepared to copy the letters, while still others went to find out where the finished letters should be delivered.

Everything was carried out in an orderly manner.

They seemed quite experienced, after all, the Love Mutual Aid Alliances in all parts of Yunjing operated this way. Add to that their own prior trial runs, and it was clear they had become quite familiar with the process.

They kept at it until midnight, and only when everything was settled did the members of the Pukou City Love Mutual Aid Alliance disperse one after another. Chen Liang finally rubbed his temples, his face full of exhaustion.

There were too many things to worry about, too many factors to consider. Even with his abundant energy, he could barely hold up.

Still, now that the first step had been taken, things would be easier from here on out.

“Chen Liang, are you all right?”

A young man who had been quietly standing beside Chen Liang the whole time suddenly spoke, his tone filled with deep concern.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Chen Liang said. “Now that my matter is on the right track, the next step depends on your operation.”

“Don’t worry,” the young man said confidently. “I have experience dealing with these lovesick fools in Pukou City. I also know how to gather the innocent commoners of Pukou City, gather grains of sand into a sea, and make them deliver the fatal blow.”

As he spoke, the young man’s eyes gleamed with intense self-assurance, so much so that he seemed outright triumphant. “This time, the Duke’s arrival in Yunjing will be nothing short of earth-shattering.”

“Not only has it stirred up old acquaintances like you in the capital, but even us former members of the Demon Suppression Bureau have been moved. And what’s most thrilling is…”

“After disappearing for countless years, the Chief has sent word. He has sent someone to place me here and ordered me to gather the former Demon Suppression Bureau members, to spare no effort in helping the Duke take Yunjing and purge it of all these lovesick fools.”

“Right now, though many of our former Demon Suppression Bureau members have retired or passed away, leaving only a handful, our hearts remain unchanged.”

“A firm heart is worth ten thousand soldiers.”

“This time, we will surely let the Duke witness the prowess of our former Demon Suppression Bureau and help him seize Pukou City.”

Chen Liang nodded.

This young man, Song Shaoyi, was someone he had met by chance. He had not expected him to be a member of the former Demon Suppression Bureau. But regardless, they shared the same ideals.

That was enough. Together, they would finish off Zhou Xiong!

Then, deliver this Pukou City into the Duke’s hands.

…

In the Pukou City government mansion.

It was already late at night, but the place was brightly lit.

The city lord of Pukou stared at the mountain of letters piled before him, feeling his scalp tingle.

After being sorted by a dozen clerks, the letters had been roughly divided into two categories.

One category had been delivered to Pukou City’s judicial office. They were all fierce condemnations of the garrison commander Zhou Xiong, with remarkably sharp wording.

“Garrison commander Zhou Xiong defies heaven and perverts the Way, wreaking havoc on the principles of love. On the battlefield before the two armies, he shot and killed his wife, Wanqing. His crimes are unforgivable, abhorrent to both gods and men.”

“This junior can no longer tolerate it, and earnestly begs the city lord to swiftly impose severe punishment, to defend the Way of Love and save the people!”

The other category was addressed to him personally, filled with bitter pleas.

“City Lord, please punish Zhou Xiong severely! This man Zhou Xiong does not understand love at all. Miss Wanqing was merely running toward her beautiful love. That Zhou Xiong not only refused to let go but shot her dead. As a garrison commander, how could he be allowed to defile love like this?”

Both categories numbered in the hundreds, all conveying similar meanings but with exceptionally intense emotions, causing the city lord’s face to flush with fury.

“What a fine Zhou Xiong! As the garrison commander of Pukou City, personally appointed by Yunjing, he dares to act so recklessly, shooting his own wife.”

“His wife, Wanqing, simply didn’t love him anymore, left him to be with another man. This kind of courageous pursuit of love should be highly praised!”

“How could Zhou Xiong do such a thing?”

“And on top of that, after returning, he didn’t tell me the truth; he just claimed victory in battle, nearly fooling me!”

The city lord’s anger had become unstoppable.

He immediately sent for Zhou Xiong.

The moment Zhou Xiong arrived, he was scolded relentlessly, leaving him completely bewildered. It took him a long time to figure out what had happened, and he immediately began to plead his innocence.

“My lord, I am wronged!”

“It wasn’t that I insisted on shooting Wanqing—it was forced by circumstances. At that moment, if I hadn’t shot her, the imperial army would have used her as a hostage to force my surrender, and Pukou City would have been lost.”

“I had no choice!”

Zhou Xiong’s words were reasonable.

But the city lord would have none of it. “No choice? Hah! I say there were plenty of choices. Pukou City believes in love, united as one. As long as everyone has love in their hearts, breaking the imperial army would be easy.”

“But you—you have ruined everyone’s faith!”

Zhou Xiong was stunned.

That was enough to ruin everyone’s faith?

Wait—was faith worth anything? If he hadn’t acted, the imperial army would have stormed in, everyone would have lost their lives, and then what faith would there be left?

He tried to defend himself, but the city lord gave him no chance. With a flick of his sleeve, the city lord turned and left, throwing back a parting remark: “You and I serve as civil and military checks on each other, so I cannot punish you directly. But I will report this to Yunjing.”

“You await Yunjing’s judgment!”

Zhou Xiong watched the city lord’s retreating figure, on the verge of tears.

The imperial army was at the gates, and as garrison commander, he had reinforced Pukou City’s walls and defenses until they were strong and high, fully confident he could hold out against Ren Tianye.

But if the city lord was against him, pulling the reins at every turn, then even with his great talent, he could hardly hold Pukou City.

“At least the situation has just broken out, and the impact isn’t widespread yet. If I think of a solution, I should still be able to salvage it.”

Zhou Xiong was a tough man. He quickly assessed the situation and began plotting how to slowly repair his relationship with the city lord. But…

He never expected that by the next day, things would spiral completely out of control.

“General! General! It’s bad, it’s bad!”

“What is it?”

Zhou Xiong, who had studied the city defense maps all night, had dozed off behind his desk. He had barely slept for a moment when he was jolted awake by the messenger, leaping up in fright.

“What happened?”

“Has Ren Tianye’s army attacked?”

“No, no…” the soldier hurriedly said. “Pukou City has exploded! The whole city is now saying you are heartless and cruel, that you murdered your wife, scorned love, are unworthy of respect, and unfit to be Pukou City’s garrison commander.”

“What’s more…”

“They’re even saying you…”

“Should kill yourself to atone!”

Zhou Xiong’s brow furrowed tightly as he struggled to pull himself together. “Tell me in detail.”

“Speak clearly.”

The soldier quickly replied, “It’s like this… Nobody knows whether it started last night or this morning.”