Chapter 22: The Queen Regent and the Oblivious Constable

“Heh, among the little demons of the mountains, only you listen to me, willing to call me Queen Regent.”

Bai Jiujiu set down the (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag she held, re-coiling her hair into a single strand. Just as she had done three hundred years ago when she first met Lóng Zhí, she let the coiled white hair hang to her left side.

“Queen Regent, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have offended you. Please, at least save my child…”

With her demonic energy depleted, Lóng Zhí could no longer suppress the disintegration of her body.

“Ah!!!”

Such damage to the soul was unbearable for both demons and humans alike.

Enraged spirits, carried by a fierce gale, swept towards Bai Jiujiu, tearing away her veil. Her crimson eyes, devoid of emotion, seemed not to recognize the tormented demon before her.

How many times had she witnessed such a scene in the past eight millennia—a demon’s body collapsing due to an insatiable craving for power?

Lóng Zhí had absorbed too many, too varied souls, most of them the vengeful spirits of women.

Women, being of yin essence, were inherently emotional. Their grievances after an unjust death were far more potent than those of ordinary men.

If Bai Jiujiu’s suspicions were correct, Li Sibao’s actions were merely a microcosm of this town. Earlier that morning, she had observed that most of those who came to view her bounty were men; the few women present were all elderly.

This world was not like her previous one. Here, families could be trapped in a small town for generations, unable to leave. The ‘Registry of Commoners’ effectively sealed off any hope for ordinary people to escape.

It was likely that abandoning female infants and women dying in childbirth had become commonplace here.

After all, the ‘Registry of Commoners’ would simply show one less mouth to feed and one more male infant.

Lóng Zhí, in turn, had implicitly imprisoned these vengeful spirits. The sheer number of souls led to incomplete fusion, intensifying the already profound resentment within them.

Lóng Zhí’s body had been barely holding on all these years. Had Bai Jiujiu not struck her with the (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag in time, allowing her demonic energy to naturally dissipate, the outcome would have been far more catastrophic.

Given Lóng Zhí’s desperate struggle, she would not have simply collapsed but would have exploded. The vengeful spirits accumulated over three centuries would have been unleashed entirely, undoubtedly transforming the entire Chongxi Town into a ghost city.

It was a pity she currently possessed no cultivation methods related to purification; otherwise, this situation wouldn’t be so troublesome.

Anything related to souls, no matter what it was, proved to be an utter pain.

“Demon, where do you think you’re going!”

At that moment, Zhang Feng’s voice echoed from nearby. Simultaneously, two imposing sword qi bolts shot directly towards Lóng Zhí. Yet, such a powerful attack merely passed through Lóng Zhí’s almost transparent body.

It caused no damage whatsoever, startling the arriving Zhang Feng. However, he swiftly drew a token from his waist and hurled it forcefully at Lóng Zhí.

Instantly, the moment the golden token touched Lóng Zhí, the embedded golden beads emitted a white light that enveloped her. In a flash, the vengeful spirits swirling around Lóng Zhí began to writhe, finally burrowing back into her body.

Lóng Zhí’s body slumped weakly to the ground, copious amounts of blood gushing from her disintegrating wounds. She was barely breathing, and the infant on her back also gasped, close to death.

Zhang Feng quickly approached her, conjuring a dragging chain with a flick of his wrist. He expertly controlled it, passing it through an acupoint near the necks of both the mother Lóng Zhí and her infant.

“Hmph, demon.”

‘This artifact purified those vengeful spirits. Is it specifically designed to counter such demons?’

‘And the chain also seems to be an artifact capable of binding demons, somewhat similar in function to my Demon Binding Rope.’

‘Wait, where is the Demon Binding Rope?’

Bai Jiujiu frowned, noticing that the rope, sensing the battle was over, had stealthily crawled back to her wrist.

‘I’ll discuss it with Tong Qiu later. She can use it to cook over a fire.’

“Fellow cultivator, may I ask which constable bureau you hail from, and why you are present here?”

‘Eh, he didn’t recognize me as a demon?’

Bai Jiujiu was not surprised by Zhang Feng’s arrival. She had observed his battle with the mother Lóng Zhí from the tree earlier and had remained vigilant during her confrontation with Lóng Zhí, preparing for an encounter with him.

She had retrieved her Demon Binding Rope precisely to face this Core Formation Realm cultivator, Zhang Feng.

However, it seemed unnecessary now. The man hadn’t recognized her as a snake demon.

Whoosh~ Whoosh~

The (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag circled around Bai Jiujiu, emitting a verdant glow.

‘Is it suppressing my demonic aura?’

‘This thing has such a use?’

‘The versatility of this (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag is quite impressive.’

‘Moreover, it’s common knowledge that demons cannot use human artifacts, which is why Zhang Feng didn’t recognize me as a demon.’

“Ah~ I am…”

Bai Jiujiu was about to casually improvise, but she realized she knew nothing about the internal structure or positions within the Demon Suppression Bureau. It was difficult to even lie convincingly.

Stealthily, Bai Jiujiu put her hand behind her back, grasping the pole of the (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag. She intended to use the explanation as an opportunity to approach the constable and give him a good whack.

Physics was often more effective than rhetoric.

As long as Zhang Feng turned around and exposed the back of his head, Bai Jiujiu was eighty percent confident she could make him sleep until dawn, and twenty percent confident she could add another vengeful spirit to those already plaguing Lóng Zhí.

When Zhang Feng saw the (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag circling Bai Jiujiu, he suddenly recalled a prominent figure within the bureau who also liked to have their artifact hover nearby. He immediately bowed to her in apology.

“My apologies, I failed to recognize you. You are none other than Constable Wúqíng, one of the Four Great Constables of the Demon Suppression Bureau! My deepest respects, my deepest respects.”

‘Eh?’

Bai Jiujiu had already pulled out her ‘club,’ only to see Zhang Feng apparently recognizing her, bowing respectfully as if terrified of offending her.

‘Constable Wúqíng, one of the Four Great Constables of the Demon Suppression Bureau? I’ll ask Tong Qiu about it later.’

‘But he seems to have mistaken me for that important personage.’

‘What a coincidence?’

‘In that case, I absolutely cannot speak now. Since he’s misunderstood, I’ll let Zhang Feng continue his misunderstanding.’

Bai Jiujiu put her hand back behind her, re-sheathing the flag, and adopted a profound and inscrutable demeanor.

“Why does Constable Wúqíng not speak?”

‘Hiss~ Does it really come down to action?’

Bai Jiujiu’s hand crept back to the flag pole, and through her veil, she mentally measured where to strike.

“Pardon me, pardon me. I forgot. You recently infiltrated Juyang Bay to subjugate a sea demon mutated by cultivation waste, and you injured your throat, rendering you temporarily unable to speak.”

‘Good, good, good. If that’s the case, then I can relax.’

Bai Jiujiu re-sheathed the flag, smiling with relief. It was always better not to resort to violence if possible.

“But didn’t Constable Wúqíng participate with the other Four Great Constables in subjugating the Core Formation Realm snake demon on Qianli Yunlai Mountain? Why are you here?”

Zhang Feng, however, took an unexpected turn, posing another crucial question.

‘And subjugating Qianli Yunlai Mountain?’

‘Could it be that the Great Chu Kingdom’s army has already reached my mountain?’

‘And the Demon Suppression Bureau even sent the Four Great Constables to capture me?’

Bai Jiujiu seemed to have stumbled upon some rather significant information.

‘No, I must quickly knock out this constable and then stealthily take Lóng Zhí away from here.’

The ‘club’ was already drawn, ready to strike at any moment.

“Constable Wúqíng must have their profound reasons for doing so. I sincerely thank Constable Wúqíng for lowering their status to help me subdue this demon. This demon has plagued this area for a century and is now finally brought to justice.”

Zhang Feng, oblivious, continued to complete the ‘Wúqíng’ persona for Bai Jiujiu. He even thoughtfully turned his back, exposing it, and indignantly kicked the weakened Lóng Zhí on the ground.

“You must record this achievement for me, Constable Wúqíng, so I can be promoted to a Fourth-Grade Constable more quickly and serve the Demon Suppression Bureau better.”

Zhang Feng suddenly turned, fawningly speaking to Bai Jiujiu. He completely lacked the dignified aura of a demon-subduing constable, instead resembling a smug eunuch.

Bai Jiujiu nodded, which sent Zhang Feng into ecstasy. He eagerly volunteered to personally take Lóng Zhí back to Chongxi Town.

The instant he turned, Bai Jiujiu raised the (pseudo) Zhenyuan Flag in her hand.

She brought it down hard on the back of Zhang Feng’s head.

“Ah!”

Thud.

Fortunately, human physical fortitude was not very high. He had previously been struck by Lóng Zhí’s Soul Recollection Orb. Had it not been for the innate protective spiritual energy of a Core Formation Realm cultivator, that blow would have sent Zhang Feng straight to the King of Hell.

Bai Jiujiu weighed the flag in her hand, once again lamenting whether this item was being misused. It felt even better for hitting people than her own snake tail.

“The effect is quite good~”