Helpless despite good intentions?

From this moment on, Jiang Feng took sole command of an entire battle zone—the eastern front of the Stone Street Demon Lair. With the assistance of this female demon of school rank, the defense line of this zone became impregnable.

So far, the demons emerging from the lair had not risen above the rank of lieutenant. Whenever they appeared, they were instantly shattered like fragile gourds, unable to even piece themselves back together.

Moreover, all the battles were autonomously fought by the female demon; Jiang Feng only needed to issue orders, requiring no further effort.

For now, he gave her a name: “Curved Blade.”

With Curved Blade operating efficiently, Jiang Feng decided to maximize her value even further.

Adjacent to the eastern front was the southeastern battle zone, overseen by Shi Zhongming. Although Shi had lost an arm and had it treated, he still insisted on commanding on-site. Jiang Feng greeted him and dispatched Curved Blade to assist.

This intervention eased the situation in the southeastern zone, allowing soldiers to be rearranged on lighter shifts than before.

On the Sky Ascension Ranking, Jiang Feng’s score rose at an astonishing rate. Within a single day, he surpassed the ten-thousand-point mark; by noon the next day, he had exceeded twenty thousand—an entire order of magnitude ahead of others.

At the Prefecture Office, many now understood his circumstances. Some believed that with the help of a female demon, Jiang Feng’s achievements shouldn’t count as solely his own. Wang Xuandi pointed at the Sky Ascension Golden Ranking with a cold tone and said, “If you have the ability, control a female demon yourself, and let the ranking acknowledge your own merits!”

Neither challenge was achievable by anyone else, forcing the dissenters to retreat in embarrassment.

Logically, within these five days, the Stone Street area should have been reorganized to relieve the soldiers’ burdens.

Shi Zhongming submitted the request, but Jin Zifu delayed responding. Shi reassured Jiang Feng, “Lord Jin is conservative; he probably doesn't fully trust this demon.”

Jiang Feng merely smiled, though he was perfectly aware.

When the messenger from the Mingxin School arrived, he briefly introduced the previous rankings to Jiang Feng, casually mentioning that the top-ranked Jiang Huaiming was somewhat suspicious.

Shi had earlier proposed boosting points for Jiang Feng and Ning Changkong. Jiang Feng understood such tactics and now comprehended how Jiang Huaiming’s scores were achieved.

There was no doubt that Jiang Huaiming’s high points were inseparable from Jin Zifu, who was likely closely connected with the Fuliu Sect.

Wan Qi Yu, Jin Zifu... delayed drug distributions...

A shadow fell over Jiang Feng’s heart as he clenched his fist silently.

Could the great families and the Fuliu Lord be so reckless as to treat the fight against demons—a matter of utmost importance—as a mere chessboard for their own struggle?

Currently, Jiang Feng controlled both the eastern and southeastern battle zones. Shi Zhongming and the former commander of the eastern front had inexplicably stepped back, beginning to heed Jiang Feng’s deployments and commands. As a result, the latest intelligence was sent directly to him.

Wan Qi Yu and the Mustard Seed Pavilion continued their external efforts to invite the Mingxin Martial Lords, but progress was grim: only five of the twelve Martial Lords were either present or en route, with seven still missing.

Without the full complement of Mingxin Martial Lords, the demon lair would remain unsealed, and the battle would drag on indefinitely.

Vast resources and countless lives were being poured into this bottomless demon pit. Eventually, exhaustion would come. How much longer could their barely roused morale last?

Moreover, the demon lair’s level was continuously rising.

School-level demons had already appeared. Although they took advantage of the unified demon faction, if this trend continued, would truly school-level demons, or even stronger general-level demons, emerge?

At that time, the entire Taicang City would be transformed into a sea of blood for the demons!

Compared to the future of this great human city, what was the title of top scorer in a regional exam worth?

Jiang Feng concealed his worries completely, but he was far from the only one pondering these concerns.

At this moment, at the Taicang Prefecture Office, Wen Liangji burst through the door with a loud bang and strode in.

Several guards tumbled like gourds behind him, attempting to stop him but failing to even touch his clothing, easily being thrown aside.

Wen Liangji fixed his icy gaze on the plump man seated at the table and said coldly, “Lord Wan Qi, are you truly human?”

Wan Qi Yu held a cup of tea in one hand and a letter in the other, looking up in surprise. “Master Wen, why do you say that?”

Wen Liangji slammed a thick stack of papers onto the table with a heavy thud, shaking the furniture. “If you are human, how could you squander such critical opportunities against the demons?!”

Wan Qi Yu picked up the papers and smiled wryly. “The Zhong family truly is remarkable; their intelligence system is unparalleled, faster and more comprehensive than even my Zhu Tian official bureau.”

He raised his hand, and the letter floated gently toward Wen Liangji. Smiling kindly, he said, “But Master Wen, how could you not know the reply my aid request received?”

Wen Liangji caught the letter and rapidly scanned its contents. Anger flared across his handsome face before he suppressed it.

The letter showed that Wan Qi Yu had sought aid from the Zhou family, head of the Zhu Tian lineage, but was lightly dismissed.

No, it wasn’t a complete refusal.

The Zhou family declared that they bore an unshirkable responsibility to fight demons and would do their utmost to dispatch Mingxin Martial Lords if needed.

However, they currently had only three such Martial Lords: two were in seclusion, and one was absent on a journey. They promised to urgently summon them to emerge from seclusion or return, but the timing was uncertain.

This was blatant delay.

Wen Liangji understood why the Zhou family delayed.

The battle between the great families and the Fuliu Lord was fierce and unrelenting. The families controlled civilian forces; the Fuliu Lord wielded official power. Both sought to exhaust the other while preserving their own strength.

Thus, before the opponent had taken sufficient losses, they might send a little aid—but only a little.

With both sides at a stalemate, it was the ordinary soldiers’ lives being consumed.

If this continued, the common people of Zhu Tian Kingdom and lower-level martial cultivators would also be swept into the conflict.

For the great families and the Fuliu Lord, none of this compared to their own interests and power. To Wen Liangji, it was intolerable.

Veins bulged on his temple, but he quickly calmed himself. Looking directly at Wan Qi Yu, he spoke clearly and deliberately, “I hope you will never regret this!”

Wan Qi Yu smiled amiably. “Master Wen, please don’t say that. Honestly, I feel helpless as well... willing but powerless.”

Wen Liangji snorted coldly. The letter shot forward, piercing the table like a blade. A golden ripple burst through the wood with a loud explosion.

The table and all on it exploded into dust, scattering in the air. Amid the swirling dust, the door slammed shut with a bang, shaking twice before collapsing.

Wan Qi Yu rose, shook off the dust, and shook his head with a smile. “This Master Wen has quite the temper, but with the Mustard Seed Pavilion involved, it’s better than depleting our forces...”

From a corner, a man stepped forward, frowning. “Although Wen Liangji is not from the Zhong family, his status is high. If he recklessly opposes us later, it could be troublesome.”

Wan Qi Yu waved dismissively. “The Zhong family are businessmen after all; businessmen have their ways. No need to worry about this.”

The man who stepped out was Li Ming, his hooked nose striking under the light.

He nodded. “Lord Wan’s insight is always precise. But there’s another matter…”

“You mean the current top of the Sky Ascension Ranking?” Wan Qi Yu’s smile vanished when Jiang Feng was mentioned. “That kid is truly strange. Even the two Mingxin Martial Lords don’t know how he controls that female demon. I’ve reported this; I wonder if my master knows anything.”

Li Ming spoke gravely, “I believe we need to monitor him more closely. His luck is unnaturally strong.”

Wan Qi Yu raised an eyebrow. “Oh? By the way, his surname is Jiang too…”

Li Ming nodded. “Yes, he’s from the Lu Ming Jiang family, but he’s not aligned with the few I was instructed to watch over. There’s even some enmity between them.”

He recounted the events since arriving in Taicang and encountering Jiang Feng. Wan Qi Yu grew more astonished, “That fox demon incident—he was involved too?”

Li Ming sighed deeply. “Indeed, all these matters are somehow entangled with him. He’s a real harbinger of misfortune!”

Wan Qi Yu pondered. “The fox demon Huang Gui case was always suspicious. We still don’t know how Jiang Huaiming found him. He even claimed you told him…”

This baffled them deeply.

After Huang Gui’s incident, with Jiang Huaiming implicated, they were the first to raise doubts. Yet no matter how they questioned him, Jiang Huaiming insisted he acted on Li Ming’s advice.

Jiang Huaiming’s weakness made it impossible to hide secrets from them. They discovered he was telling the truth—that Li Ming had personally informed him where Huang Gui was, what he was doing, and how to find him.

If not for Li Ming’s unique status in the Fuliu Sect, such words might have made him a suspect.

The investigation deadlocked here. They all knew the current calm was temporary. This matter would resurface someday, and then real trouble would begin.

Wan Qi Yu nodded after a long moment. “You’re right. We should keep a closer eye on this kid. Often, those with such extraordinary luck are more troublesome than true powerhouses!”

He leaned back, patted his belly, and smiled. “Don’t worry about him anymore. Leave what comes next to me.”

Li Ming smiled sincerely. “With you involved, there’s no doubt it will be handled!”

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