Chapter 49: The Eternal Life Alliance Stronghold (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader "Zhuang Shu")

Cultivation ended.

Shi Qingsheng walked in from outside.

"My Lord, someone has delivered a letter to the gate, specifically addressed to you."

"A letter for me?"

Shen Changqing's eyebrows twitched slightly. He took the envelope and waved his hand for Shi Qingsheng to withdraw.

He opened the envelope.

Inside, he pulled out a sheet of white paper that bore no visible marks.

To this, Shen Changqing stood up, fetched a bottle of white liquor, mixed it with tea, and slowly smeared the mixture onto the white paper.

Immediately after, he took it outside and held it directly up to the sunlight.

Within a few breaths, black characters suddenly appeared on the previously blank white paper.

"As expected!"

A smile appeared on Shen Changqing's face.

Upon receiving the white paper, he had immediately thought of the secret messages used by the Heaven-Sensing Guards. Following the memories in his mind, he had decoded the concealment on the message.

Sure enough, the contents of the secret letter appeared on the paper.

Returning to the inner hall, Shen Changqing read the contents of the letter carefully before using his true qi to incinerate it into nothingness.

The letter had been sent by the Heaven-Sensing Guards.

He had not visited the Yongfu Pawnshop for a few days, and it was inconvenient for the people there to come to the yamen in person, so they had sent the investigated information via this secret message.

The contents of the letter recorded the location of the Eternal Life Alliance's stronghold in Lin'an City, along with several pieces of detailed intelligence.

"The Zhang family!"

Shen Changqing tapped his finger lightly, his gaze turning cold involuntarily.

The Zhang family was considered a relatively prestigious clan in Lin'an City. Before Zhao Fang took office as the county magistrate, the previous magistrate had hailed from the Zhang family.

However, since the rise of the Zhao family, the Zhang family had become much more low-profile.

According to the intelligence from the Heaven-Sensing Guards, the Zhang family was the stronghold for the Eternal Life Alliance in Lin'an City.

Furthermore, there had been frequent reports of missing persons in Lin'an City over the past year or two. Following investigations by the Heaven-Sensing Guards, the suspicion had ultimately pointed toward the Zhang family.

"In the last year or two, the number of missing persons in Lin'an City has added up to quite a lot, yet there has been no commotion at all. Clearly, Zhao Fang has forcibly suppressed it. Since no demons have revealed their tracks, the Heaven-Sensing Guards would not have investigated deliberately.

Years of stability have caused the Heaven-Sensing Guards here to become complacent. If they hadn't been specifically searching this time, they wouldn't have discovered the issue with the Zhang family."

Having figured out the underlying connections, Shen Changqing felt there was little he could do about the complacency of the Heaven-Sensing Guards.

The Heaven-Sensing Guards were spread throughout the Great Qin Empire.

Some places suffered from constant demonic disturbances, while others remained stable; even when demons appeared in the latter, it was usually minor and had no significant impact.

As a result, a polarization occurred.

In more dangerous areas, the Heaven-Sensing Guards were frequently rotated, but their vigilance was at its highest. In safer areas, where the guards were stationed for years, complacency naturally set in.

As a mere Yellow-rank Demon Slayer, Shen Changqing could not interfere much in these matters. Fortunately, Situ Bei had provided him with exactly what he wanted this time.

According to the intelligence, the Zhang family's problems likely began about ten years ago.

Their purpose was twofold: first, to serve as the eyes and ears for the Eternal Life Alliance, and second, to quietly nurture certain demons for the Alliance.

In fact, the letter even suspected that the demon in Gu Yue Village had been nurtured and grown by the Zhang family.

"If the demon in Gu Yue Village was raised by the Zhang family, then the demon that ambushed the yamen and escaped earlier likely hid with them as well. It's possible the Zhang family harbors more than just one demon."

"However, the more demons, the better. A small family like the Zhangs shouldn't have any Resentment-grade entities; that Resentment-grade monstrosity from that night was likely sent directly by the Eternal Life Alliance."

Combining the information provided by the Heaven-Sensing Guards, Shen Changqing could roughly judge the strength of the Zhang family.

Even though he knew the Zhang family was a stronghold for the Eternal Life Alliance, he couldn't simply charge in without knowing their specifics.

Comparing his own strength, Shen Changqing felt he could handle one Resentment-grade monstrosity without issue, but two would be a different story.

At the same time, if a Resentment-grade entity were powerful enough to be on the verge of ascending to the Baleful-grade, he would have to turn around and leave immediately.

"Someone, come here!"

"What are your orders, My Lord!" A bailiff waiting outside the inner hall immediately stepped inside.

"Have Zhang Yue come to see me."

"Yes!"

***

A quarter of an hour later.

Zhang Yue walked in and bowed. "Greetings, My Lord!"

"According to the information above, invite all those people here. Tell them I have important matters to discuss." Shen Changqing handed over a piece of paper.

Seeing this, Zhang Yue received it with both hands. After carefully reading the information, he immediately cupped his fists. "Rest assured, My Lord, I will go do it at once!"

"Go."

Shen Changqing waved his hand, and Zhang Yue bowed and withdrew.

The contents of the paper recorded the specific residences of various martial arts factions, such as the Guiyuan Sword Sect.

Since they had come to Lin'an City, they couldn't possibly be sleeping on the streets. Therefore, Shen Changqing had already used the Heaven-Sensing Guards to pinpoint the exact locations of each faction.

In less than an hour, Cui Cheng and the others arrived one after another.

The ten members representing the five factions all sat within the inner hall.

Being from the same Guangyuan Prefecture did not mean they were fond of one another. In fact, most factions had certain frictions, so when they met, everyone sat quietly, eyes downcast, without moving.

Before long, Shen Changqing stepped in from outside.

Seeing him, everyone stood up and cupped their hands. "Lord Shen!"

"You have all arrived."

Shen Changqing wore a smile as he took the seat of honor.

Once he was seated, someone immediately asked, "May I ask what has happened that caused Lord Shen to suddenly summon us all here?"

As the question was asked, confusion appeared on the faces of the others.

They did not have much interaction with Shen Changqing; his sudden summons must have had a specific purpose.

To be honest, no one present wanted to be too deeply involved with the Demon Suppression Division or the Imperial Court. Their previous visits to the yamen were merely to confirm certain matters, primarily to avoid direct conflict with the Demon Suppression Division when competing for demon essence.

Shen Changqing spoke, "I have told you all before: as long as you do not disturb the public order of Lin'an City, I will absolutely not impose too many restrictions on you. However, as fellow citizens of Qin, if demons are causing havoc, we cannot simply stand by and watch."

"What does Lord Shen mean by this?" Cui Cheng had a bad premonition.

"I have received word from the Demon Suppression Division that there is a demon stronghold in Lin'an City. As citizens of Qin, it is our duty to eradicate demons. Therefore, I have decided to take action to wipe out that stronghold.

However, most of the bailiffs in the yamen are ordinary people. Even if there are one or two Body-Refining stage martial artists, they cannot contend with demons. I hope you all can lend your assistance to jointly eradicate the demons."

Shen Changqing spoke slowly.

As he finished, the expressions of many people changed.

"May I ask, Lord Shen, what do you know about this demon stronghold?" a man from the Heavenly Blade Sect asked in a heavy voice.

Though they were reluctant, no one refused immediately.

Shen Changqing said, "I suspect that the demon from Gu Yue Village originated from this stronghold in Lin'an City. However, Lin'an is just a small place; while a demon stronghold exists, its strength certainly won't be overwhelming.

To be honest, I am a member of the Demon Suppression Division, and slaying demons is my duty. Therefore, I could wipe out the stronghold by myself. But to ensure nothing goes wrong, I need you all to surround the area so that not a single person or demon can escape.

Similarly, if I am unable to defeat them, I hope you all can provide backup. After all, if even I cannot handle the demons and they begin to slaughter indiscriminately, you will not be able to remain uninvolved."

Hearing this, the people from various factions felt a sense of tension, but also a strange sense of relief.

It was best if they didn't have to fight personally. If they were merely providing backup, there shouldn't be much danger.

As for Shen Changqing's strength, everyone present had their own guesses. If the demons were something even he couldn't handle, they should consider whether it would be better to temporarily evacuate Lin'an City.

Immediately, Cui Cheng cupped his hands. "Since Lord Shen has put it this way, my Guiyuan Sword Sect will certainly be the first to support you!"

"My Heavenly Blade Sect has no objections!"

"My Burning Heaven Villa has no problem!"

"The Seven Luminaries Sect—"

Everyone answered quite readily.

Even if they disagreed, they had no choice. They had already come to the yamen, and given Shen Changqing's status, it would be difficult for anyone to refuse his request.

If this matter were handled poorly, it could lead to endless trouble. Moreover, since it was just standard backup and not a major battle, no one wanted to offend Shen Changqing or, by extension, the Demon Suppression Division behind him.

Of course, a large part of why they agreed so readily was due to the strength Shen Changqing had demonstrated. If he were merely a martial artist who had just entered the Pulse-Opening stage, even with the mantle of the Demon Suppression Division, the various factions would not have cared much.

"Very good. The sects of Guangyuan Prefecture are indeed warm-hearted and dedicated to eradicating demons."

A kind smile appeared on Shen Changqing's face.

Immediately after, his expression turned solemn.

"Since you all agree, I will not waste any more time. Every day that the stronghold remains is another day people suffer. We shall uproot that demon stronghold today. Someone, come here!"

With a loud shout, a bailiff entered from outside.

"Have Zhang Yue come to see me!"

"As you command!"

Soon, Zhang Yue rushed in.

"What are your orders, My Lord?"

"Assemble all the bailiffs and accompany me to the Zhang family. You must blockade the entire exterior of the Zhang residence; absolutely no one is to escape," Shen Changqing ordered coldly.

"I understand!"

Zhang Yue did not dare to ask why; he could only bow and accept the command.

Then, Shen Changqing stood up and looked at Cui Cheng and the others. "The strength of the yamen is limited. I must entrust the task of surrounding the Zhang family to your assistance."

"We will certainly do our utmost to help!"