In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.


    Several conflicts had erupted between the Demon Suppression Bureau, the demons, and the noble families, and the situation was bing increasingly tense.


    That evening.


    As the sun set in the west, its red light bathed thend.


    Inside the city of Baihua County, within the study of Li Daoxuan from the Demon Suppression Bureau.


    "It''s truly a pity that we couldn''t detain that old man Hong Jiuxiangst time," Li Daoxuan''s gaze traveled through the window, watching the glimmering waves of the river in the distance.


    "Cough cough!"


    As he spoke, he couldn''t suppress a cough.


    An abnormal flush appeared on his face as he wiped at the corner of his mouth.Looking down.


    His thin palm was stained with a patch of blood red.


    Li Daoxuan''s brows furrowed slightly, he sighed, and wiped the bloodstain from his hand clean.


    "Are you alright?" Although this action was discreet, it was noticed by a delicate-looking young man beside him.


    The young man''s eyes were slightly furrowed as he asked with some concern.


    "Hahaha, it''s nothing!"ughed Li Daoxuan heartily, "Just an old ailment, don''t worry about me. These old bones of mine can still hold up for a couple more years."


    "Well, that''s good," the young man replied, nodding his head upon seeing the smile on Li Daoxuan''s face, and said no more.


    The young man was named Murong Hanshuang.


    He was thest one of the three responsible Demon-ying Deputy Capital Commanders.


    The other two were Wang Xindong and Luo Shuang, whom Su Heng had previously met.


    Murong Hanshuang had a remarkably handsome appearance, with a countenance that was androgynous, fair skin, and a high-bridged nose. Together with his dark attire and deep eyes, he was the sort that would absolutely turn young girls'' heads with screams if he walked in a modern city.


    Besides, Murong Hanshuang was also the orphan of Li Daoxuan''s senior sister.


    Li Daoxuan cultivated the Daoist mystical arts.


    He led a life of abstinence, without offspring.


    Owing to a sense of guilt and the desire topensate, Li Daoxuan always treated Murong Hanshuang as his own child.


    Murong Hanshuang lived up to expectations, achieving countless merits within the Demon Suppression Bureau.


    Before the age of forty, he had already be a Deputy Governor of the Demon Suppression Bureau.


    However, these were events of sixty or seventy years ago. Murong Hanshuang appeared youthful because of the integration with a demon''s corpse. His actual age had already surpassed a hundred years. ?


    "Now, where were we..." Li Daoxuan scratched his head, trying to steer the conversation back on track.


    "Hong Jiuxiang failed to achieve his goalst time and will certainly not let it go; we can''t just sit and wait," said Wang Xindong in a grave voice.


    "We''d better take the initiative to strike," Luo Shuang said with a frown, "If the battle takes ce within the inner city, many innocent civilians will be dragged into it. It would also hinder us greatly, which is not in our favor."


    In the modest room.


    Li Daoxuan, along with three powerful Deputy Governors.


    All were discussing the next course of action.


    "What Luo Shuang says makes sense," Wang Xindong asserted, "However, the noble families'' fortresses are also heavily guarded. It would be best if we could catch them by surprise for the most significant effect."


    "The longer we dy, the more unfavorable it is for us," Murong Hanshuang stated, "The sooner, the better."


    He paused for a moment, then continued, "Preferably, we start our action tonight!"


    "Hmm!" Li Daoxuan nodded, not objecting.


    "Shouldn''t we wait a bit longer?" Luo Shuang''s brows furrowed slightly, "Su Heng is still in seclusion; he should be close to finishing. If we act together after hees out, our chances will be much better."


    Luo Shuang had only seen Su Heng once.


    And hadn''t witnessed Su Heng''s full power.


    But the strength Su Heng had shown was already astonishingly formidable.


    "He has even more important things to do," Li Daoxuan replied, shaking his head, "What we can think of, our enemies can also anticipate."


    "You mean to say, the noble families and demonic beings might take advantage of this opportunity tounch a sneak attack?"


    "Exactly," Li Daoxuan nodded.


    "There''s reason in that," Luo Shuang considered for a moment and agreed that Li Daoxuan was right.


    She stepped back, and promptly stopped debating the matter further.


    "Since nobody has any objections, then... this matter is settled," Li Daoxuan said with a smile, "Everyone, go back and prepare. After this battle, Baihua County should undergo aplete upheaval."


    "It''s still unclear who will fall," Luo Shuang murmured with a sigh.


    "Hahaha, don''t talk such nonsense!" Wang Xindong extended hisrge hand, patting Luo Shuang on the shoulder.


    The two turned and left the room, followed by Li Daoxuan.


    He walked a few steps.


    Then stopped.


    Turning around, he saw Murong Hanshuang remaining in the room.


    Bowing his head, his gaze was vacant, lost in thought.


    Luo Shuang and Wang Xindong seemed to realize something was amiss and turned back as well.


    Under the red glow of the setting sun.


    Murong Hanshuang stood alone in the shadows.


    A blurred line clearly split the four individuals to their respective sides.


    "Are you pondering something?" Li Daoxuan asked with a smile, hands sped behind his back, speaking in the manner of an old farmer.


    "It''s nothing..." Murong Hanshuang raised her head, "I just suddenly remembered my mother."


    "Senior Sister," Li Daoxuan nodded.


    "Speaking of which, I remembered another matter."


    Li Daoxuan instructed Wang Xindong, "The great demon on the ninth floor of the Demon Suppression Tower apparently has an offspring still active outside. It''s caused quite a few major incidents recently. This conflict might be an opportunity for it to stir trouble. Remember to leave a message, alert Su Heng, and have him be on guard."


    "I understand," Wang Xindong nodded firmly.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    At the foot of Canglong Mountain, an abandoned vige.


    Yellow mud walls broken, weeds overgrown.


    Lots of copsed houses and courtyards, the setting sun''s red light prated through the gaps in the bricks and tiles, revealingrge patches of dust, shingles, and discarded furniture.


    At this moment...


    The demon offspring that Li Daoxuan mentioned, needing special vignce, appeared in this inconspicuous vige.


    "Hanlin, didn''t you say you wanted to save your mother? Why have we suddenlye to this ce?"


    The divine skill of Taotie activated.


    Apanied by faint red light, a giant mouth full of sharp teeth appeared under the handsome man''s chin, emitting a series of strangeughs.


    "Taotie, my man, can you please be quiet for a bit, just for a little while?" Xu Hanlin''s voice was gentle, pleading, "I want to be alone here in silence for a little while."


    "Alright, but you have to tell me why we came to this godforsaken ce first."


    Taotie spoke in a brash voice.


    "This is my home; I lived here for thirteen years," Xu Hanlin''s voice was filled with wistfulness.


    He walked forward slowly.


    Amid the chirping of birds and the fragrance of the soil, he came to a secluded courtyard.


    Pushing open the ancient wooden door, he entered.


    What met his eye was a vast expanse of blooming morning glories and wild roses.


    So lush that there was hardly any ce for someone to set foot in the whole courtyard.


    In the middle of the courtyard stood a huge locust tree.


    Under the locust tree, there were a wooden bench and a stone table.


    The stone table was engraved with a chessboard, and tea sets were ced on it. Both the tea sets and the stone table were covered in dust.


    "More than twenty years have passed, since mother was captured, this is the first time I''vee back here," Xu Hanlin gently picked up a tea cup, wiping the dust off it, and softly said:


    "The memories left here that I had with mother are just too beautiful."


    "So beautiful they don''t seem real, like a dream," Xu Hanlin said, "And the more beautiful something is, the more painful it is when you lose it."


    "Taotie..." Explore more stories with m,v l''e-


    Xu Hanlin spoke, but no sound came out.


    After a moment of silence, "Didn''t you tell me to shut up?" Taotie retorted.


    "I wanted to talk to someone, anyone," Xu Hanlin put down the tea cup, his eyes already reddening slightly.


    He smiled, "What do you see here?"


    "Flowers, a lot of flowers," Taotie answered, "Too bad I can''t make out the species."


    "That''s okay, I can teach you," Xu Hanlin said gently, "These flowers that look like little trumpets are morning glories, the yellow ones are chrysanthemums, the white ones are roses. The ones that hang in clusters from the rack are wisterias, and the bunches that grow amongst the grass are baby''s breath."


    "Your mother really liked flowers?" Taotie mumbled, "What a strange demon."


    "No..." Xu Hanlin''s smile faded, and he shook his head, "I like flowers, so mother nted a garden full of them. Most of it has already gone to waste now, but twenty years ago, this courtyard had flowers of all colors and shapes."


    "Hmm, that scene must have been beautiful," Taotie said, "Although I don''t appreciate it myself."


    "Yes, it was indeed beautiful," Xu Hanlin sighed, "Butter, I met a wandering artist. He told me that snakes are very sensitive to pollen. This garden full of flowers, a beautiful sight to me, was torture for mother. But she never showed it..."


    "She loved you very much," Taotie said in a deep voice.


    "And this locust tree," Xu Hanlin put down the cleaned tea cup, slowly stood up, and reached out to touch the locust tree''s old rough bark.


    "This locust tree was nted by my mother the year I was born," Xu Hanlin lifted his head, "In the blink of an eye, it''s already grown this big."


    "See that half-piece of zither?"


    Xu Hanlin continued forward, carefully stepping over the sea of flowers.


    In a weedy trash pile, he gently cradled the half-piece wooden zither in his arms.


    "During the River Lantern Festival that year, I saw other kids from the vige going to the riverbank to y and attend thentern show. I also wanted to go, but mother wouldn''t allow it. I couldn''t understand why at the time; I was angry with her. After much begging, she finally agreed."


    "Taotie, do you know? I regret it, I truly do…"


    Xu Hanlin''s voice carried a trace of a sob; he bowed his head, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking involuntarily.


    "It was that River Lantern Festival that led to the Demon Suppression Bureau discovering mother. Not long after, she was captured by the Demon Suppression Bureau''s men. This zither was bought at thentern show."


    "It''s been over twenty years, I remember everything about the day mother disappeared," Xu Hanlin said in a low voice.


    "Those bastards, they must have cast a wide," Taotie said viciously, "They''re inhuman, they''ll do anything to take down a demon."


    "No..."


    Xu Hanlin shook his head, "How could a mother expose her own child to danger so recklessly?"


    "It was an ordinary evening."