Returning to his office in the Evil Suppression Department, Chu Bai didn’t delay for a moment. He immediately sent for his two key subordinates, Hu Hao and Feng Qin.
On the desk, a large map of Anping County was slowly unfurled.
Chu Bai extended a slender finger and drew a circle over the most prosperous and densely populated downtown district at the center of the map.
"Regarding this area," Chu Bai asked, getting straight to the point, "have there been any anomalies in the patrol records for the past six months?"
Hu Hao and Feng Qin exchanged a glance, both looking rather perplexed.
Feng Qin was the first to speak. "Captain, for the past six months, our Demon-slaying Team has never once stopped its patrols within the city.
That downtown district is densely populated and bustling with life, so it’s always been the safest place in Anping County. Aside from some fights between local thugs, which are the County Yamen’s responsibility, there’s been... almost no trouble with Demons."
Hu Hao nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Most of the Demons we’ve dealt with in the past six months have been in the remote villages outside the city or on the desolate flats along the Sanmu River.
The occasional trouble inside the city is usually just some Unranked wandering spirits. Before we can even get there, they’re dispersed by the incense and protective wards in people’s homes."
This phenomenon was quite common throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Humans and demons walked different paths. Demonic powers tended to fester in cold, remote, and desolate places suffused with Yin Qi.
Humans, on the other hand, gathered in towns and built cities for the very purpose of using their collective life force and the nation’s Destiny to ward off such evils.
Generally speaking, the more prosperous an area, the less likely it was to have problems.
However, after hearing his subordinates’ reports, Chu Bai’s brow only furrowed deeper.
"Pull the case files for the last five years. I’ll review them myself," Chu Bai ordered in a low voice.
Hu Hao was efficient. Before long, he returned to the office carrying a thick stack of old case files.
Chu Bai sat behind his desk, flipping rapidly through the pages. As a former Patrol Banner Inspector, he had an almost instinctual feel for reviewing files, and the minute details from cases years ago were still lodged deep in his memory.
Fifteen minutes later, Chu Bai closed the file, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk.
"This is the problem."
Chu Bai looked at the two men, a hint of coldness in his voice. "According to the records, in previous years, a random monster would pop up in this downtown district every two months on average—be it a rat spirit from the sewers or an evil specter born of Resentment. Although the previous captain would lead a team to exterminate them quickly, they never completely stopped appearing."
"But what’s strange is that ever since the Luu Family case six months ago, when our Demon-slaying Team was reorganized, the number of ’Demon reports’ for this area has been zero."
Feng Qin was puzzled. "Captain," he asked gruffly, "isn’t that just because we’ve been patrolling so diligently that we’ve scared all the small fry away? Or maybe the County’s Destiny is on the rise, so the evil spirits don’t dare to show themselves?"
"If the areas outside the city were peaceful, that would mean our Destiny is rising."
Chu Bai shook his head. "But in a place like the inner city, a cesspool of vice where human desires run rampant, having no ’filth’ at all isn’t stability. It’s a deathly stillness."
Things that reach an extreme will inevitably reverse.
If a patch of grass that should have the occasional mosquito or bug suddenly has no insects at all, it can only mean one thing: a giant spider is hiding there, and it has eaten them all.
"You mean..." Hu Hao’s expression changed as he suddenly caught on. "There’s something big hidden in this downtown district? Something we can’t find, but that’s powerful enough to devour or intimidate all the Little Demons?"
"That Fox Spirit has been on the run for a month now."
Chu Bai stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the distant city lights. "It managed to evade the Wuu Family’s search and conceal itself from our Demon-slaying Iron Tokens. It’s even wiped out all the other lesser demons and monsters in the area where it’s hiding. This is enough to prove that its ’Status,’ or the methods it’s relying on, are far beyond what you can imagine."
Feng Qin now also realized the gravity of the situation, a flicker of fighting spirit in his eyes. "Should we increase the patrols? I’ll take all our men tonight and tear those streets apart!"
"No, that would only alert the enemy."
Chu Bai waved his hand. "That Spirit Monster has managed to hide for a month without harming anyone, which shows it’s extremely patient and skilled at concealment. If we go in with a big show, it’ll just slip into some dry well or deep ditch, and we’ll still be unable to find it."
He turned to Hu Hao. "Have the men patrol in plain clothes. No Iron Tokens, no uniforms. Focus your surveillance on old residences and abandoned alleys that have heavy Yin Qi but are paradoxically devoid of vermin like snakes, insects, and rats. Also..."
Chu Bai’s eyes narrowed. "Go and check for any rumors from the past six months in that area about missing livestock or illusory sounds in the middle of the night. The common folk might dismiss it as their imagination, but those are often the subtle clues a Spirit Monster leaves behind."
"Yes, sir!" Hu Hao and Feng Qin replied in unison, their expressions solemn as they took their leave.
The office fell quiet once again.
He felt the Five Elements Spiritual Power surging through his body like a great river, and the initial wariness he held for the unknown gradually transformed into a keen interest.
A Fox Spirit that had made the bustling downtown "too clean."
This was no longer simply a private matter for the Wuu Family. It was a secret that he, as the Captain of the Demon-slaying Team, had to uncover with his own hands.
「Late night. Midnight.」
Anping County had shed its daytime clamor, and only the sound of the Night Watchman’s clapper echoed through the empty streets.
The countless lights of the downtown district had long been extinguished. Only the occasional bark of a dog added a sharp chill to the silent night.
At a shadow-shrouded corner, Chu Bai stood clad in practical, tight-fitting attire. He had used his Spiritual Power to forcibly suppress the glow of the Demon-slaying Iron Token at his waist.
Behind him, Hu Hao and Feng Qin each led ten elite guards. Everyone had changed into lightweight night gear, and they kept their breathing so quiet it was nearly silent.

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