The moonlight was desolate and cold.
Jiang Yuechu dragged Pei Changqing's corpse and found a relatively flat earthen slope.
She began digging with her broadsword.
After digging for a long time, it was still only a shallow pit
.Forget it
.In this desolate wilderness, being laid to rest in the ground is already treating him decently
.After finishing this, she turned and walked towards the corpses of the Demon Suppression Guards.
Once you're dead, that's it. If you don't die, you live on for millennia. But when a person dies, the things on their body can still be useful. Bearing her disgust, she began searching the corpses.
A few pieces of broken silver, some dried and hardened jerky, a leather waterskin.
Finally, her gaze fell on a corpse whose build was similar to hers.
That person was very young, their face still bearing a trace of childishness.
Jiang Yuechu was silent for a moment."
...My apologies, brother." She muttered softly and began stripping off the black uniform with crimson patterns from his body.
She definitely couldn't wear the prisoner's uniform anymore; that thing would make her a living target wherever she went.
Changing into this Demon Suppression Division uniform was also dangerous. But weighing the two evils, she'd rather choose the identity that seemed more formidable. At the very least, it could intimidate people.
The clothing was covered in bloodstains and tears, cold and stiff against her skin. She tied up her long hair, haphazardly making a ponytail from memory, and hung the broadsword at her waist.
There was no mirror, but she could imagine how she looked at this moment. Neither fish nor fowl. But when her hand gripped the sword hilt, a strange sense of security washed over her.
She didn't linger any longer. After determining the direction, she stepped onto the official road.
...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The official road was empty, only accompanied by the Lonely Moon.
Jiang Yuechu walked silently, her mind racing with calculations.
Fortunately, in this world's Great Tang, the territory and geography weren't too different from the history she remembered.
According to her memory, the Longyou Circuit she was currently in roughly corresponded to the Gansu Region of later generations.
Since ancient times, Longyou had fierce folk customs, bordering the various Western Regions countries and steppe tribes.
It had always been a strategically contested area.
The Great Tang stationed heavy troops here, establishing a Protectorate to intimidate all sides. Yet even so, horse bandits and roving outlaws still ran rampant. Add to that the mischief of Demons, the lives of ordinary people were not easy.
The most pressing matter at hand was solving the problem of household registration and travel permits.
According to the fragmented memories of this body, the Great Tang's household registration system was called a 'household certificate'.
It was uniformly issued by the Ministry of Revenue of the Department of State Affairs, then distributed down through the circuits, counties, and townships.
One certificate per household, recording the head of household, family members, ages, landholdings, and even simple descriptions of physical features.
This was the 'register'.
Only with household registration could one apply to the authorities for a travel permit.
With a travel permit, one could travel unimpeded within the Great Tang, enter cities and pass checkpoints, and seek lodging at inns.
Those without a register were considered 'black households'.
Those without a permit were considered 'drifters'.
Once caught by the authorities, neither would end up well.
The original owner of this body was the only daughter of a high-ranking official in the capital, so naturally she had household registration. But the problem lay precisely here.
With the Jiang Family's conviction, her household registration was also branded as a 'debased status'.
Before he died, Pei Changqing promised to restore her freedom.
What he referred to was removing this 'debased status' for her.
Jiang Yuechu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Tsk...What a mess. Just solved the survival crisis and immediately fell into a deadlock regarding identity.
How to solve it?
Although she had this Golden Finger by her side, and in this desolate wilderness, killing some wild Beasts or Demons to exchange for Dao Cultivation, enhance her strength, and manage a living or even a carefree life wouldn't be difficult.
But she didn't want to be a wild person in this lifetime.
Find a remote village and live under an assumed name?
Too risky.
The Great Tang's household registration checks were strict.
A stranger of unknown origin would be questioned sooner or later.
Forge a household registration and travel permit?
That was even more of a fantasy.
Where would a penniless, weak woman like her find the connections for that?
Thinking it over, every path seemed like a dead end.
Jiang Yuechu stopped walking and looked up at the Lonely Moon in the sky.
Forget it...What else could she do?
Take it one step at a time.
Just as she was thinking this, a rapid sound of hoofbeats suddenly approached from ahead.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—Over a dozen riders, kicking up dust, charged straight towards her.Jiang Yuechu's pupils contracted.
She instinctively tightened her grip on the sword hilt at her waist.
The mounted group drew closer.
The leader seemed to have also spotted the solitary figure in the middle of the official road and abruptly reined in his horse.
"Whoa—"Over a dozen sturdy horses came to a halt.
The light from the torches dispelled some of the darkness and illuminated the faces of the newcomers.
It was a group of martial artists in close-fitting attire, all travel-worn, with anxious expressions, and swords or sabers at their waists.
The leader was a middle-aged Man with a square face, a thick beard, and sharp eyes.
He was originally full of wariness, but when the torchlight clearly illuminated the black uniform with crimson patterns on Jiang Yuechu, his expression changed drastically.
The Man dismounted, took a few quick steps forward, and clasped his fists with a bow.
"Might I ask... are you a lord from the Demon Suppression Division?"Jiang Yuechu's heart skipped a beat.
Damn!
Exactly what she feared was happening.
She had planned to wear this 'skin' for the emergency, to change it when she found a safe place. But she never expected to run into people in the middle of the night in this desolate wilderness. And by the looks of it, the other party had mistaken her for an official of the Demon Suppression Division.
Her gaze swiftly swept over the group before her
.Each one was full of vitality and spirit, clearly not ordinary people.
They were all mounted on tall, strong horses. Trying to kill them all to silence them would be difficult; she couldn't guarantee none would escape.
Her thoughts raced, but Jiang Yuechu's expression remained unchanged.
Act!
She had to keep up the act!
More words, more mistakes. The highest, coldest act was to say nothing!
She didn't answer, just looked coldly at the Man.
This silent pressure indeed made the Man even more respectful.
After a good long while, Jiang Yuechu finally spoke in a muffled voice, "What is it?"Although she deliberately lowered her voice a bit, being a young maiden, it sounded somewhat comical at the moment.
The Man was also somewhat surprised.So young?And a woman?
Moreover, why would someone from the Demon Suppression Division appear alone in such a desolate wilderness?
He knew that while the Demon Suppression Division had Dusi established in each circuit, there were no branches in the individual counties and prefectures. And the nearest Demon Suppression Dusi was far away in the Region.
Could it be...He shook his head, dispelling the distracting thoughts.
"Lord, please hear me out! I am Chen Qingyuan, Sect Leader of the Flying Eagle Sect in Guangwu County. We are riding through the night under the magistrate of Guangwu County's orders to reinforce Shangpan Village."
"Shangpan Village?"
"Yes!" Chen Qingyuan's face was full of urgency.
"Three days ago, a pack of wolf Demons broke into the village, slaughtered the people, and occupied it! We received the magistrate's request for aid and intended to go suppress them, but those Demons are exceptionally fierce and numerous. My Flying Eagle Sect lost seven or eight good men...
"As he spoke, a trace of shame appeared on his face.
"We truly have no other way. We were just about to return to the county town to report to the magistrate and think of another method... Never did we expect to encounter you, lord, here!"
"The Demon Suppression Division's reputation is mighty. Since you, lord, are here, you must be investigating an important case. But the hundred or so people of Shangpan Village are in imminent danger. We beg you, lord, to lend a hand and save the people from fire and water!"
As he spoke, Chen Qingyuan actually went down on one knee.
"We beg you, lord, to act!"The dozen or so men of the Flying Eagle Sect behind him also dismounted in unison, kneeling on one knee, creating an imposing scene.
"We beg you, lord, to act!"
She was utterly speechless.
Fine, fine, fine...Heavens, you're going to play me like this?
Then I might as well jump off a cliff.
Jumped off, brother.
Seeing her remain silent for so long, Chen Qingyuan couldn't help but feel anxious.
He knew that most people from the Demon Suppression Division had eccentric temperaments. But the dire situation in Shangpan Village left him no time to ponder this lord's thoughts.
Initially, they also thought it was just ordinary Demons passing through, harassing the people. But when they charged in, they found things were far from simple.
Those Beasts had actually occupied the village and weren't leaving!
They corralled the survivors like pigs and sheep in the ancestral hall, dragging out a few every day, devouring them alive and raw in front of everyone.
Men were gutted, women and children became playthings.
The magistrate only had a little over a hundred soldiers under his command.
They could handle bandits, but facing such Demons was no different from suicide.And Guangwu County was quite far from the nearest prefecture, which was Lanzhou Prefecture.
Riding hard, the round trip would take at least ten days to half a month.
By then, Shangpan Village would have long become a village of the dead.Which meant...The Demon Suppression Division lord before them was the only hope.