I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 172 - 145: Establishing Authority in the Hall
The next day, before the rooster crowed, Sang Que was already up and practicing his sword in the courtyard out of habit.
Next door, Kou Yushan also woke up early and was practicing boxing in the courtyard to strengthen his physique.
By the time the rooster crowed, both of them had finished their practice, and across the courtyard wall, Sang Que told Kou Yushan that he wanted Xia Chan to go to school.
Kou Yushan took on this task because, after all, in the household registration documents, he was Xia Chan’s real uncle, and since he’s mainly responsible for patrolling the city, he could pick Xia Chan up from school for lunch.
Sang Que now completely treated Xia Chan like a real sister and thanked Kou Yushan, then went back inside to drag Xia Chan and Xuan Yu out from their bedding for washing up, and also reminded one person and one cat about the things to watch out for on their first day of school, letting Xia Chan practice her self-introduction.
After finishing these tasks, Xia Chan happily went out with Xuan Yu, following Kou Yushan to have breakfast and then head to school.
Sang Que went back inside and changed into the black outfit he usually wore, with no makeup on his face except for a silver hairpin on his head. He didn’t carry a bow, just a sword, and his Night Traveler mask was slung across his body in a cloth bag, with his token hanging at his waist, and went out feeling refreshed.
On the first day of work, it was originally expected to wear the Night Traveler’s uniform, but yesterday Yu Da specifically instructed him to wear plain clothes because he was going to take her to deal with some Evil Spirits for several families in the city, meaning to teach her the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Exorcism Technique through practical experience.
Before the third watch (辰时), Sang Que arrived at the Evil Suppression Bureau, where many people wearing Day Traveling Envoy uniforms were coming from all directions, heading inside.
Sang Que followed them in, and to the left after entering the main gate, there was a place resembling a temple, which was the place where the Day Traveling Envoys reported their presence every day.
The Day Traveling Envoys queued at the entrance, smoke rising inside, and three paintings hanging above.
Sang Que observed secretly, seeing two Daoists among the Day Traveling Envoys, but not a monk; the rest looked like ordinary people.
She glanced into the house, and the painting in the center of the three was positioned higher than the other two, depicting a middle-aged man in a red official robe, with a mustache, and a stern appearance.
Sang Que didn’t recognize the official robes of the Xuan Dynasty, but she thought that anyone whose portrait was hung here must be related to the Evil Suppression Bureau; therefore, the person in the portrait could only be the Xuan Dynasty’s Prime Minister, beloved by the people, Zuo Jinye.
On either side of the Prime Minister’s portrait were images of a Daoist and a monk, but neither showed their full face: the Daoist showed only his back, while the monk’s face was obscured by the halo behind his head.
If she was not mistaken, the Daoist was the Daoist Lord, and the monk was the Longevity Buddha.
Sang Que stood before the entrance’s threshold, watching the Day Traveling Envoys lighting incense and kowtowing before the paintings, utterly surprised by this procedure of reporting presence.
"Hey girl, where did you pop up from? Can you move aside?"
A displeased voice came from behind. Sang Que turned around to see a dark-skinned, robust man nearing thirty standing behind her impatiently, trying to cut the line.
Sang Que lowered her eyes; the man had the white mask of a Day Traveling Envoy hanging at his waist, along with a silver token.
As Sang Que looked at him, he also noticed Sang Que, seeing the brass token marked with "Night Traveler" at her waist, he laughed.
"Well, well, so you’re the Female Night Wanderer personally chosen by Captain He. We thought you’d be some fierce woman, but you’re quite attractive. Aren’t you Captain He’s sweetheart? What’s so good about him? Why not come with your brother here?"
"Hahaha~"
"Brother Xue, don’t scare her away; Captain He will come looking for you, haha."
Laughter erupted around them, and the Day Traveling Envoys gathered to watch Sang Que like she was some spectacle.
Sang Que looked expressionlessly at the dark-skinned, robust man with a lecherous look, Xue Er.
"Watch your mouth!"
"What?" Xue Er grinned suggestively, reaching out to touch Sang Que’s face, "Your voice is like a cat’s, wonder how you sound in bed..."
Before he could finish, Sang Que’s gaze turned sharp, grabbing Xue Er’s outstretched hand and twisting it back.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed; before Xue Er could cry out, everyone saw a flash before their eyes, and two muffled thuds and a silver light streaked by.
In the next instant, their vision fixed.
Sang Que had already twisted Xue Er’s broken hand behind his back, kicked his leg to make him kneel, placed her foot on his back, and grabbed his hair, making his face look up.
On Xue Er’s face, a bloodstained silver hairpin pierced through his left cheek and came out from the right!
"Ah! Ah—"
Xue Er screamed in agony, and the people around stepped back in fright, dumbfounded, not expecting Sang Que to be this fast and ruthless!
Sang Que’s eyes were cold and fierce, a terrifying murderous aura emanating from her body.
"Remember, my name is Sang Mulan!"
As she spoke, Sang Que kicked Xue Er to the ground.
Xue Er, humiliated in front of everyone, believed he was caught off guard and quickly got up, pulling out the silver hairpin from his face, furiously charging at Sang Que.
This time he was prepared, though left with only one arm, his moves had some power behind them.
But against Sang Que, who was well-versed in modern combat and grappling techniques, he was at a disadvantage. Within two moves, Sang Que had seized his other arm.
Crack!
The bone-breaking sound that made one’s teeth ache echoed again, and Sang Que slapped Xue Er across the face, the force sending Xue Er flying to the ground.
Xue Er spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth, watching Sang Que calmly standing there, shaking her wrist, fury rushing to the top of his head.
"What are you all standing around for? Are you going to let a Night Traveler woman ride over us Day Travelers? She’s clearly here today to start trouble with us!"
Those who frequently dealt with Evil Spirits were inherently unstable, impulsive, and angry; Xue Er’s words instantly ignited the tempers of some Day Travelers around. They exchanged glances and charged at Sang Que. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
*
Outside the Evil Suppression Bureau.
He Buning and Xiao Wu were riding back to the city, just arriving at the Evil Suppression Bureau’s entrance, when they happened to see Day Travel Captain Cui Cheng coming for roll call.
Cui Cheng, over forty, with only one arm, still walked with tiger-like steps, exuding an imposing aura. Seeing He Buning from afar, he laughed heartily, his voice booming like a bell.
"Pretty boy, I heard you’re recruiting girls as young as sixteen or seventeen into the Night Travelers. Are you that short on people? Why don’t you beg me, and I’ll send a couple of people your way."
He Buning dismounted, tossing the reins to Xiao Wu, "It’s about quality, not quantity. Women are not necessarily inferior to men."
Cui Cheng continued to laugh, "Isn’t she just a Yin Walker? Aren’t you afraid that the Evil Spirits she handles will backfire, harming others instead? I, Cui Cheng, despise you people who rely on external forces. Without the power of Evil Spirits, you’re all useless."
Their eyes met, and sparks flew.
Having worked all night and still pale and somewhat weak from having bled once last night, He Buning didn’t want to waste words with Cui Cheng.
Cui Cheng walked up, slapped He Buning twice on his chest with his fan-sized hand, He Buning stood firm and didn’t move.
"Exercise more often, look at how weak you are."
With that, Cui Cheng laughed heartily and walked into the Evil Suppression Bureau. As he crossed the threshold, someone flew sideways towards him.
Cui Cheng widened his eyes, kicking the person flying, sending him rolling several meters away, focusing his gaze to see who it was.
"Xue Er! You bastard, what are you up to? Who put those two holes in your face?"
Xue Er, seeing Cui Cheng, shivered all over, looking guiltily toward the roll call area.
Cui Cheng squinted, turning to see those around the roll call area groaning and falling in large numbers. In the blink of an eye, there was only a young girl in black, whose gaze was as sharp as a knife, drenched in sweat, and panting heavily, left in their midst.
That girl’s waist, with the brass token embossed with the words "Night Traveler," shone, stabbing sharply into Cui Cheng’s eyes.
More than a dozen Day Travelers were all laid out by one young girl?!
Cui Cheng’s eyes widened like a bull’s, hardly believing his eyes.
"Cough, cough!"
He Buning walked in just in time to see this scene, glancing lightly at Xue Er, who had his arms broken and couldn’t even crawl up, he softly said, "Captain Cui’s chosen people, tsk tsk~ let them exercise more, look how weak they are."
Puh!
Xiao Wu, always serious and unsmiling, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Cui Cheng clenched his back teeth tightly, unbearable!
