What Role Does Chizhou Represent

Chizhou.

Demon Suppression Bureau.

Li Yingling sat in the archives of the Demon Suppression Bureau, idly flipping through the sparse pages before her. After a brief glance, she had already finished reading the contents of the few sheets.

She picked up the papers and questioned the middle-aged man standing silently beside her:

"What is this? A storybook?"

The middle-aged man was the archivist of the Demon Suppression Bureau's archives. Hearing her words, he raised his head and looked at Li Yingling. Though his expression remained calm, his mind was already overflowing with endless complaints.

Two days ago, this seemingly very young girl had swaggered into the archives, holding the Xuanwu Token of the Xuanwu Kingdom.

Her first words were still vividly etched in his memory:

"Bring me the juiciest unofficial histories about the founding emperor. The wilder, the better."

The archivist had been stunned on the spot.

If not for the fact that the Director of the Demon Suppression Bureau had been standing beside the girl at the time, wearing the same indescribable expression as himself...

He might have thought he had done something wrong and was about to be fired on some flimsy pretext.

This was the Demon Suppression Bureau of the Xuanwu Kingdom!

Everyone working here served the Xuanwu Kingdom. And yet, this girl had the audacity to demand unofficial histories about the founding emperor?

And the wilder, the better?

Young lady, even if you don’t care about your own nine clans, at least spare a thought for his!

Before the archivist could recover, the Director of the Demon Suppression Bureau had simply said, "Do everything to satisfy this honored guest's requests," before striding away without a backward glance, leaving him alone to deal with the girl.

The girl was quite beautiful, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have minded looking at her a little longer.

But right now, the archivist wanted nothing to do with that face.

Li Yingling glanced at the contents of the papers. This wasn’t an unofficial history—it was shameless glorification of the founding emperor.

Things even the official histories wouldn’t dare exaggerate were all crammed into these so-called "wild" accounts.

What was this about Emperor Taizu of Zhao single-handedly breaking through an encirclement of tens of thousands of enemy troops and countless elite warriors?

And according to these "wild" records, Emperor Taizu of Zhao was a man of impeccable virtue and extraordinary charisma.

Li Yingling pressed further: "When I asked you to find unofficial histories, didn’t I specify accounts related to Xuanwu, Cangzhou, and the emperor and empress’s strange anecdotes?"

"Which of these four does what you’ve given me even remotely touch upon?"

The archivist knew there was no avoiding this. He could only reply in a hushed voice:

"This is the Demon Suppression Bureau of the Xuanwu Kingdom. How could we possibly have the kind of unofficial histories you’re looking for? We used to be the ones arresting people for spreading that sort of thing."

Li Yingling looked at him, finally understanding his meaning. She slapped the papers back onto the table.

Then, testing the waters, she said, "Then why don’t you order your men to go arrest those spreading unofficial histories and bring them to me?"

The archivist exhaled in relief and quickly replied, "Understood! Please wait a moment!"

The past two days had been pure torment for him.

At first, he couldn’t tell whether Li Yingling was here on genuine business or conducting a sting operation to boost her own achievements at his expense.

But after two days of observing her, it was clear she was genuinely researching unofficial histories. Even when the materials he provided were completely unrelated to what she wanted, she would still meticulously summarize them, marking similarities between different accounts.

If this were just a sting, she wouldn’t have worked so diligently for two whole days.

Though he had no idea why this girl was so intent on digging up... those kinds of unofficial histories, he just wanted her gone as soon as possible.

A few more days of this, and his heart might give out.

Especially when she asked questions like: "Do you think Emperor Gaozu of Zhao was really Emperor Taizu of Zhao’s biological son?"

To the archivist, that question might as well have been: "How would you like your nine clans executed—by slow slicing or by chariot-tearing?"

Give me a break!

Li Yingling watched as the relieved archivist hurried out of the room.

She picked up the summaries she had compiled over the past two days and skimmed through them again.

The so-called "unofficial histories" the archivist had provided were essentially glorified fanfiction.

If these were burned as offerings to Emperor Taizu of Zhao, even someone as thick-skinned as him would probably blush.

However... among the less exaggerated accounts, there were some surprisingly consistent details.

Even when different unofficial histories emphasized different aspects, at key turning points—those major events that altered the course of history—they all showed remarkable alignment.

After all, unofficial histories still had to rely on some basis in fact. And history wasn’t just recorded in books—it was also passed down through word of mouth.

Those accounts that completely fabricated such pivotal moments would quickly vanish amid public scorn.

Among these, the themes of military defeat, strategic retreats, Cangzhou, and Xuanwu all appeared repeatedly.

But what role did Chizhou play in all this? If her master’s words were to be believed—if the thieves had no choice but to act this way—then what part did Chizhou have in this hidden chapter of history?

Li Yingling set down her brush and walked to the window, pushing it open.

The heavy rain still showed no sign of stopping, relentlessly pouring down.

The gloomy sky seemed on the verge of collapsing, ready to drown all living things beneath it.

How could the Xuanwu Kingdom not recognize the abnormality of this weather?

But the kingdom no longer had the resources to spare, leaving it to the sect cultivators to investigate.

The Xuanwu Kingdom now seemed to be in its twilight.

The war against the demons at Luopoling had inflicted damage far beyond mere casualties and lost territory, even with Bai Xuanling’s intervention.

The true cost was that others had begun eyeing the weakened, ailing tiger.

For major sects, the rise and fall of dynasties was a commonplace affair.

All immortal sects adhered to an unspoken rule of non-interference in mortal dynastic changes—apparently due to some principle involving fortune and destiny.

Thus, the Xuanwu Kingdom had to face rebellion alone.

According to Cui Hao, rebel forces in the east were already seizing cities and land.

Li Yingling couldn’t help but think that if her master’s "thieves" were the ultimate goal, then everything that had happened so far seemed like preparation for their scheme.

They appeared intent on shaking the kingdom to its core, and then...

Li Yingling sighed. Only now did she feel a sudden clarity—cultivating immortality truly allowed one to escape fate.

Had she not walked this path, all she could have done in this moment would have been to pray for the rain to stop.

Two hours later.

The archivist returned, carrying a thick stack of paper, which he placed on Li Yingling’s desk. Wiping sweat from his forehead with his sore right hand, he said with a smile:

"Your Honor, the confessions of the prisoners you requested are here."

Li Yingling glanced at the top sheet, its ink not yet fully dry.

She didn’t ask how the arrests and interrogations had been completed so quickly.

After closing the door to the archives, the archivist hurried back and said in a low voice:

"Your Honor, please read quickly. These treasonous words cannot remain on paper. Once you’re done, I must burn them immediately."

Li Yingling looked at the archivist’s still-trembling right hand and said, "You’ve worked hard."

The archivist noticed the open window and hurried over to close it, his voice tinged with unease as he spoke:

"Please read quickly."

Li Yingling turned her gaze to the unofficial histories penned by the archivist himself. Within moments, she realized these were the true sources of the information she sought.

Her eyes sharpened with focus.

After a short while, Li Yingling finally pieced together the scattered clues. She picked up the summary beside her and fixed her gaze on the still-sweating archivist:

"Now, all of this can be burned."

With that, Li Yingling strode away without another word.

She now understood the role Chizhou had played in that chapter of history.