July 17th, at a quarter past noon.

Li Gou and his team silently arrived at the inner city of Kyoto. Once inside the city, Chen Xuanze approached Li Gou and suggested temporarily leaving the team to settle Chen Qianqian. Unexpectedly, Li Gou, who had been quite considerate of him in the past, refused. After each mission, the gatekeeper only counted the number of heads returning. If someone was missing, it would be on Li Gou's record. Since no one had died this time, Chen Xuanze couldn't interfere.

"Taking a girl back is not a big deal. Don't worry, with you, Li Ge, around, it's not an issue," Chen Xuanze could say nothing more. Helpless, he had to bring the snake demon Chen Qianqian back to the Exorcism Bureau.

Hope that Li Gou can handle the matter of bringing demons into the Exorcism Bureau. And it wasn't just one – counting Xiao Qing and the mounts of the monk and Taoist, it was a total of four: a green horse, a green ox, a white snake, and a white donkey.

Without further investigation, it was fine, but if investigated, Li Gou would definitely be in trouble for bringing demonic creatures into the Exorcism Bureau. When they were nearing the Exorcism Bureau, Chen Xuanze, riding on Xiao Qing, threatened Chen Qianqian in her ear, "I don't need to say much about this place. If you want to die, go ahead."

Chen Qianqian had been trembling since Li Gou refused Chen Xuanze. Where was this? The Exorcism Bureau, which had wiped out the five immortals.

She didn't need Chen Xuanze's threats; she had already coiled her snake tail.

Arriving at the Exorcism Bureau, Chen Xuanze, riding on Xiao Qing, whispered a threat in Chen Qianqian's ear, "I don't need to say much about this place. If you want to die, go ahead."

Chen Qianqian had already started trembling when Li Gou refused Chen Xuanze. Where was this? The Exorcism Bureau, which had wiped out the five immortals. She didn't need Chen Xuanze's threats; she had already coiled her snake tail.

Upon their return to the Exorcism Bureau, half an hour before, Zhao Baihu had led his trusted men out of the east city gate. Perfect timing meant that Zhao Baihu was destined to make a wasted trip. As the group entered the Exorcism Bureau, they encountered Ma Baihu, who was accompanying Lord Wang on his way out. Both of them wore the wooden pendants given to them by Chen Xuanze.

Looking at Li Gou's group, each with their mounts, a rare smile appeared on Lord Wang's usually stern face. "Ma Zhengyang, don't you have a horse now? Don't wait for the Bureau to assign one to you; go on and carry out your mission."

Ma Baihu's face drooped as he carefully examined the mounts of his subordinates. Not bad, everyone had one. Li Gou's yin-yang face was especially handsome. He walked up, snatched the reins from Li Gou's hands, and said, "I'll borrow this horse for two days. I'll return it to you when I'm done."

Without waiting for Li Gou's reply, he led the horse out of the gate. Riding horses was not allowed inside the Exorcism Bureau; that was the rule. Li Gou smiled. It was an honor for his lord to use his horse!

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At noon on July 17th, Nanmen Puyu led his worn-out horse over, wearing a sly grin. He asked, "Boss, besides not lending your wife, what else is considered off-limits?"

After receiving a kick, Nanmen Puyu's sly expression remained unchanged. "Chen Xuanze, you take this girl, the Taoist, and the monk. You all lead your mounts and follow me," Lord Wang ordered. This statement left the rest of Li Gou's team stunned. Was Lord Wang taking notice of these three rascals?

Without a word, Li Gou headed straight to report the mission. With Lord Ma absent, other captains would handle such matters. Li Gou knew not to ask or think about things he shouldn't. He became the chief captain because of his insight.

Little did he know that Lord Wang taking away these three individuals and four demons had saved him from disaster. Bringing demons into the Exorcism Bureau privately would have incurred a hefty penalty.

Chen Xuanze felt uneasy. Lord Wang called the Taoist and the monk, probably sensing their cultivation level. With the green ox and white donkey, they were not ordinary. The summoning might be due to the horse demon Xiao Qing or the snake demon Chen Qianqian, perhaps both.

The three men and one demon, leading three mounts, arrived at the depths of Lord Wang's courtyard within the Exorcism Bureau. Lord Wang sat under a tree in the courtyard, leisurely brewing a pot of tea. He drank three cups in a row, satisfied to see no panic among the three Exorcism guards.

"Maintaining composure and staying calm in any situation—a promising group," he remarked. As for the three mounts, besides Xiao Qing standing still, the other two were cowering on the ground.

Although the blue ox and white donkey had just gained consciousness, they were as intelligent as five or six-year-old children. Unfamiliar with the Exorcism Bureau's location, they could sense the deadly threat emanating from the man in the red robe seated there.

Chen Qianqian, having seen Lord Wang, intensified her trembling. Her whole body shook like an electric motor, supported solely by her cultivation. Standing there for a long time, the scales forming her white robe were already soaked.

Fortunately, Lord Wang finally spoke, "Chen Xuanze, are these two following you?" Chen Xuanze nodded and replied, "Reporting to Lord, yes. The Taoist is named Wang Qingxuan, from Qingyun Temple on Daedong Mountain in Lu. The monk's monastic name is Sanzang, and he is surnamed Chen, from Shaosheng Temple on Daedong Mountain. According to them, only the two of them remain in Qingyun Temple and Shaosheng Temple, as their masters, Qingwei True Man and Monk Sansang, have ascended to immortality. Their masters instructed them to join the Exorcism Bureau when they left."

No concealment, Chen Xuanze straightforwardly explained their backgrounds. He had discussed this matter with the two individuals earlier, and they both agreed to join, so there was no need for secrecy.

Lord Wang took a sip of tea, chuckled, and said to Wang Qingxuan, "Is your master Qingwei True Man? I had a chance meeting with him ten years ago. Unexpectedly, he has already ascended to immortality. The old man's plans were clever."

After a while, he asked calmly, "Can you handle these two, Chen Xuanze?" Without specifying whether he meant the Taoist and the monk or Xiao Qing and Chen Qianqian, Lord Wang's eyes focused on Chen Xuanze.

Chen Xuanze understood and answered respectfully, "Lord, I can handle them."

"Do you know the origin of this girl?" Chen Xuanze nodded.

"Can you really handle it?" Lord Wang asked again. Before Chen Xuanze could reply, Chen Qianqian knelt down, trembling like a sieve. She pleaded, "Lord Wang, the little demon sincerely acknowledges Chen Xuanze as her master, with no other intentions. I will never, never, do anything evil in the future."

With her voice trembling at the end, she kowtowed repeatedly. The overwhelming aura, like surging waves, was imperceptible to Chen Xuanze but pressed heavily on her.

Lord Wang ignored the snake demon Chen Qianqian, and his narrow eyes stared at Chen Xuanze's simple and honest face. Chen Xuanze nodded and replied respectfully, "Lord, Chen Xuanze occasionally gains insights. I can control both the snake demon and the horse demon. If there's any issue, I will come to you again."

He spoke politely but exuded confidence.