The Arrival of the Imperial Envoy

Besides wishing for an inexplicable large sum of money, Su Bai had another wish in his previous life: that in his most unfortunate moments, a beautiful girl would arrive in a red Ferrari to rescue him.

Now, half of that wish had come true. The beautiful girl had arrived, but she descended on a flying sword.

What an astonishing girl she was. Her dark hair flowed like ink, her skin was as pristine as white paper, and she resembled an ethereal, captivating painting.

Her deep, pool-like eyes gazed distantly at the execution platform. Her red lips were lightly pressed together, and a delicate, miniature flying sword hummed in response to her fingertips.

Many onlookers were utterly captivated, as if under a legendary enchantment. Their gazes were involuntarily drawn to the girl, yet her sword-sharp aura stung their eyes.

“Who goes there? How dare you disrupt an execution? Do you realize the gravity of such a crime?”

The execution supervisor was the first to regain his composure. He pointed at the girl, his voice laced with fury.

“Seize her!”

Yet, not a single soldier guarding the execution platform moved. They were not merely stunned by the girl’s beauty; they were also intimidated by the obvious cultivation expert before them—a powerful individual capable of flying with a sword!

‘We’re supposed to capture her? Really? Three thousand copper coins aren’t worth our lives.’

The supervisor glanced at the hesitant soldiers, understanding their reluctance perfectly. He gritted his teeth and turned to the Demon Extermination Squad nearby.

Only they could be relied upon for battles between cultivators. However, these demon hunters, who usually swaggered with arrogance, now stood with their heads bowed, their faces grim and unmoving.

‘What’s happening…’

A shiver ran down the supervisor’s spine. Before he could fully grasp the situation, the girl’s calm voice drifted across the distance.

“Ineffective in your investigations, yet greedy for false renown. Fearing punishment, you apprehended innocent mountain demons to make up the numbers, deceiving your superiors and flouting the Great Jin’s laws.”

Her voice was like a breeze in early spring—pleasant and melodious, yet carrying an icy chill that pierced to the bone.

“Do you, in turn, know the gravity of that crime?”

“Wh—What… utter nonsense!”

The supervisor’s face paled, and he instinctively retorted, “Who do you think you are, daring to slander officials!”

“Me?”

The girl nodded slightly, a hint of pride gracing her exquisite features. With a flick of her wrist, she pressed the miniature sword into her sleeve, transforming it into a dark jade talisman.

“Imperial Envoy, Demon Suppression Division—Shen Qing.”

Her words struck like a bolt from the blue, exploding above the heads of the crowd.

Lord Shen Qing, the Demon Slayer Envoy from the Demon Suppression Division, who was supposed to arrive in Huaizhou three days later, had arrived early!

The atmosphere at the market square instantly turned delicate. Yet, the jade talisman in the girl’s hand was unmistakable; the black dragon bound by a golden lock was indeed the emblem of the Demon Suppression Division.

“Shen… Lord Shen.”

The supervisor’s face turned ashen, and he trembled slightly. He steeled himself, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and stammered, “This humble official did not know it was you. I apologize for any offense. But your words just now…”

“Since this official dared to speak, I naturally have evidence.”

Shen Qing subtly lifted her chin, her gaze falling upon a shifty white figure on the execution platform.

That cold gleam not only severed the great saber but also the ropes binding Su Bai.

The little fox, now free, naturally wouldn’t miss such a prime opportunity to flee.

She had understood now: the beautiful girl on the flying sword hadn’t come specifically to rescue her. A good life, it seemed, still had to be fought for by herself.

Thus, while everyone was utterly bewildered by Shen Qing’s sudden appearance, Su Bai hunched her body like a white caterpillar. Under the envious gazes of the other demons, she painstakingly and cautiously wriggled towards the edge of the execution platform.

Just as she was about to crawl out of her predicament and find salvation, an ominous premonition arose behind her.

‘Not good—’

Shen Qing’s skirt billowed lightly. With a tap of her toe, the flying sword leaped like a swallow. She appeared abruptly behind Su Bai, grabbed the little fox by the scruff of her neck, and lifted her into the air.

“Chirp chirp?!”

Su Bai watched helplessly as the edge of the platform—and her freedom—receded from her, yet she couldn’t break free from the slender, delicate, yet powerful hand behind her.

‘What are you doing? Put the fox down, put the fox down!’

Shen Qing didn’t understand fox-speak. She shook the squirming little creature in her hand, her eyes turning back to the supervisor.

“A small demon not even at the Essence Refinement Realm, barely stronger than a housecat. You claim she was involved in the major case of the Bloody Massacre of Qingxi?”

Finally, someone had noticed the problem!

Su Bai froze, then wagged her tail in gratitude. If she weren’t currently dangling in Shen Qing’s hand, she would have developed a good impression of the latter.

“And those other demons over there, the strongest aren’t even at the Qi Refinement Realm, far from achieving human form.”

Shen Qing pointed at the still-bound demons and continued, “This official has already visited Qingxi Town. The interiors were mostly tidy, with few signs of struggle. To slaughter over a thousand civilians with almost no resistance—do you truly believe they could accomplish that?”

Although these words cleared the demons of wrongdoing, the disdain in her voice deeply displeased them. Several defiant demons glared resentfully at Shen Qing.

“This…” The supervisor opened his mouth, at a loss for an explanation.

Powerful demons were notoriously difficult to catch. The news of the Imperial Envoy’s arrival had been sudden, and the Demon Extermination Squad, pressed for time and under immense pressure, had simply rounded up some minor demons from the outskirts of Mount Qi to fill the quota.

After all, the common folk couldn’t discern a demon’s cultivation realm, so falsifying the reports wouldn’t pose any issues.

Rogue cultivators who could see through it generally wouldn’t pick a fight with the authorities for no reason. Even if they reported it, the officials would suppress the matter layer by layer.

This method was employed by Demon Extermination Squads across the Great Jin, but they never expected it to backfire today.

The supervisor could only cast a pleading gaze at the Demon Extermination Squad, hoping they would step forward to explain.

However, they remained with their heads bowed, pretending not to hear.

‘It’s over…’

The supervisor inwardly despaired.

The Demon Suppression Division operated independently of the Six Ministries, specializing in demons, devils, and evil entities. Granted special imperial authority, they held the privilege of ‘execute first, report later’ in all matters concerning demons.

If they couldn’t offer Shen Qing a convincing explanation today, it wouldn’t be demons being executed on the platform, but their own heads.

The common folk below had also snapped out of their daze, chattering amongst themselves. They pointed at Su Bai, who dangled precariously in mid-air, waiting to see how this farce would conclude.

Beheadings were rare, beheading demons was rare, but beheading officials was even rarer!

The crowd was clearly even more excited than before.

“Lord… Lord Shen, they… they are still demons, after all. It’s not unjust to execute them. The reason we said they massacred Qingxi in cold blood is, is because…”

The supervisor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his words incoherent, utterly unable to defend himself.

“Guilty is guilty, innocent is innocent. If they have indeed consumed humans, they deserve to be executed. But do you truly believe this little fox has also consumed humans?”

Shen Qing shook Su Bai in her hand again, and the latter quickly chimed in with a couple of ‘chirps’.

‘Exactly, exactly! Only the turf can condemn me.’

“This official seeks only fairness in handling cases, whether for demons or humans.”

Shen Qing was quite pleased with the little fox’s cooperation. She subtly raised her pale chin and declared, “Take all these demons away; this official will personally re-examine their cases. As for you all,” her gaze hardened, “save your breath. Your sophistry can wait. You’ll have your chance to speak in court in a few days.”