Catching Monsters

Chapter 392 Departure from the Demon Kingdom
Night fell, and a faint smell of blood filled the purification room.

Jiang Yun was sitting inside, watching a young eunuch bring a basin of water for Feng Yu to wash his hands.

As soon as Jiang Yun arrived, she heard a scream coming from the purification room. She only dared to come in after the 'surgery' was over.

Feng Yu casually flicked the water off his hands and instructed the eunuch beside him, "Have that boy eat a lighter diet for now, let him rest for a month, and then send him to the palace to start his career from the bottom up."

"Yes." The young eunuch nodded respectfully.

Feng Yu wiped her hands with a handkerchief hanging in the cleansing room, then looked at Jiang Yun and said with a smile, "Jiang boy, see? It's not as painful as you think."

"It's just a matter of one strike. My swordsmanship is renowned."

Jiang Yun sat a little more stiffly, a helpless smile appearing on her face.

Feng Yu sighed. If Jiang Yunzhen really became a eunuch, he could teach him well and he would definitely achieve great things in the palace in the future.

Pity……

Thinking of this, Feng Yu sat down next to Jiang Yun, took a sip of the tea handed to him by his eunuch, and then waved for the eunuch to leave.

"What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Jiang Yun nodded and said in a deep voice, "Father-in-law, I want to go to the Demon Kingdom..."

Then, Jiang Yun recounted in detail how his apprentice's meridians had been damaged.

After listening, Feng Yu frowned slightly. He was somewhat surprised and said to Jiang Yun, "Young man, it's not that your father-in-law is heartless, it's just that everyone has their own fate."

"Your disciple's meridians are destroyed, so why not just find another disciple to teach him?"

"Why go to that demon kingdom and risk your life?"

Jiang Yun shook her head and said, "Father-in-law, Qin Shujian is a disciple I personally accepted before the Three Pure Ones. If there is even a sliver of hope to cure him, why not do it..."

"I can't get over it."

"The way of the Three Pure Ones is to seek a clear and unobstructed mind."

Feng Yu raised his hand: "Stop, stop. This eunuch has no interest in your morality. Tell me, what favor do you want me to do?"

Jiang Yun smiled and then said, "I don't know much about the Demon Kingdom, so I would like to ask you for more advice, sir."

Feng Yu stared at Jiang Yun for a while, making sure the boy was serious, before saying, "There is a map about the Demon Kingdom inside the palace."

"That godforsaken place, I did go there once when I was young. It was full of poisonous haze, countless snakes and scorpions, and teeming with demonic energy."

"The Demon Kingdom is not a monolithic entity. The descendants of the four original Demon Saints all live within it, making them the four largest forces."

"Many other lesser demons also live like tribes."

"In the demon kingdom, the number of people is not small, but their status is extremely low, even lower than what we call slaves."

Feng Yu spoke casually about the deeds of the Demon Kingdom, and Jiang Yun listened attentively, which allowed him to form a general understanding of the Demon Kingdom.

After speaking for a while, Feng Yu looked around to make sure no one else could hear him before reminding Jiang Yun, "The Tongyou Guard needs to go to the Demon Kingdom soon to carry out a mission."

"If you are going, it would be best to meet His Majesty and join the Tongyou Guard."

"Within the Tongyou Guard, there are at least experts at the third rank. If you travel with them, you will have some protection along the way."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun's heart stirred slightly: "Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" Feng Yu smiled, stood up and shook his clothes: "Let's go see His Majesty."

"So anxious?"

Feng Yu said, "What do you think? Hurry up, His Majesty is waiting for you."

Why did Feng Yu and Xiao Yuzheng keep trying to get Jiang Yun to join the Tongyou Guard?
The reason is simple: firstly, Jiang Yun's strength and aptitude are indeed remarkable.

Secondly, as a powerful expert with the cultivation level of a third-grade Celestial Master, he needed to find an organization that could manage Jiang Yun.

Otherwise, Jiang Yun staying in the capital would be an unstable factor.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard alone might not be enough to restrain Jiang Yun.

The two quickly arrived outside the Imperial Study, and soon Feng Yu went up and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Upon hearing Xiao Yuzheng's voice, he opened the door and led Jiang Yun inside.

Xiao Yuzheng, unusually, did not look at the memorials. Instead, he sat inside practicing calligraphy. When he looked up and saw Jiang Yun and Feng Yu, he guessed their purpose.

"Your Majesty, Jiang Yun has thought it through and is willing to join the Tongyou Guard." Feng Yu said respectfully with a smile, "He also wants to go to the Demon Kingdom to carry out our Tongyou Guard's mission there."

A look of satisfaction appeared on Xiao Yuzheng's face. He slowly put down the brush in his hand and looked at Jiang Yun, saying, "Well, it's good that he's willing to join the Tongyou Guard. Take him to see Eunuch Qin. Once Eunuch Qin nods, he'll be officially a member."

"It just so happens that our Tongyou Guard has a new member who joined yesterday, and he can work with Jiang Yun."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jiang Yun said, taking a deep breath.

Look at them, even though they've become His Majesty's servants, they still have to thank His Majesty.

However, Jiang Yun also realized that Xiao Yuzheng and Feng Yu were asking him to join the Tongyou Guard. He could refuse for a while, but not forever.

"Let's go see Eunuch Qin."

When Feng Yu mentioned the name "Eunuch Qin," a strange look was clearly on his face.

Feng Yu led Jiang Yun toward the depths of the palace's rear. This area was the residence of the emperor's favored concubine, and ordinary people could not easily enter.

Jiang Yun followed the rules, keeping her head down and staring at the ground as she walked with Feng Yu, without looking around curiously.

Soon, Feng Yu led Jiang Yun to a courtyard in the inner palace.

Feng Yu took a deep breath before stepping forward, preparing to knock on the door.

The door opened slowly by itself.

As soon as Jiang Yun entered the courtyard, he could feel a faint chill in the air.

"Eunuch Qin, His Majesty has asked me to bring you someone, Jiang Yun, who is preparing to join the Tongyou Guard."

The door to the inner room in the courtyard slowly opened, and an old man dressed as a eunuch walked out.

The man was extremely old, with gray hair and a cane. He looked to be probably in his eighties or nineties, and walking was quite difficult for him. His face was also full of wrinkles. He walked slowly, approaching Jiang Yun.

He approached Jiang Yun, stretched out his hand with long fingernails, and slowly ran his fingers across Jiang Yun's cheek before saying in a hoarse voice, "I've heard Bai Ying mention this kid."

"This is Eunuch Qin Hong," Feng Yu introduced to Jiang Yun in a deep voice. "He is also the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial in our palace."

Qin Hong glanced at Feng Yu and said indifferently, "If it weren't for this old man, Eunuch Feng would probably have become the Grand Eunuch by now."

Feng Yu did not reply to this, but just smiled and remained silent.

Suddenly, Qin Hong grabbed Jiang Yun's hand. Jiang Yun's expression changed slightly as a stinging sensation slowly spread from her palm.

A black mark resembling a ghost face slowly appeared on Jiang Yun's palm before disappearing without a trace.

Qin Hong released Jiang Yun's hand: "Don't be surprised. This is just a little trick I use to control the Tongyou Guards. I've just planted a spying technique on each of you."

“If you betray Tongyou, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you.”

Jiang Yun looked at his palm. This was a Taoist talisman technique. He could cast a spell to undo it, and it wouldn't cause any other harm to his body.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yun felt a little relieved.

Qin Hong, with his hands behind his back, said calmly, "Eunuch Feng, you can go outside and wait. There are some things I need to explain to this little fellow."

This wasn't the first time Feng Yu had brought someone over, so she knew the rules and quickly turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Qin Hong, leaning on his cane, said to Jiang Yun, "Our duty as the Tongyou Guard is to do things for His Majesty that cannot be made public."

"If there is a mission, we will send someone to notify you in advance. Of course, the rewards are also very generous. Once you complete a mission, we, the Tongyou Guard, will find a way to get you anything you want."

"As long as your contribution is significant enough."

"Furthermore, according to our rules for communicating with the spirits, we must act in pairs."

“Previously, one person had been sent here to join the Tongyou Guard, and she happened to be alone.”

"You and she should team up."

Jiang Yun said in a deep voice, "Eunuch Qin, I am planning to go to the Demon Kingdom soon. I heard that our Tongyou Guard has a mission to go to the Demon Kingdom?"

“There is one.” Qin Hong nodded, gave Jiang Yun a deep look, and slowly said, “However, this task is not simple. It requires retrieving the Night Pearl from the Dragon Palace.”

"The Dragon Palace is not something you two with only third-grade cultivation can handle by brute force."

The Night Pearl of the Dragon Palace?
Since I'm going to get the Sacred Dragon Saliva anyway, might as well get it all at once.

Besides, who said we were going to force our way into the dragon palace...?

There are ways to deal with this without forcing your way through.

Jiang Yun smiled and said, "Don't worry, Eunuch Qin, I will definitely be able to complete the mission."

"Tomorrow, I will have someone from your team come to find you, and I will also give you the details of the mission, as well as the details about the Dragon Palace."

After saying that, Qin Hong turned around and went back into the house without saying anything more.

Seeing Qin Hong leave, Jiang Yun thoughtfully walked out of the courtyard. Feng Yu, who was waiting outside, came to Jiang Yun's side with a smile: "Let's go."

"Eunuch Feng."

“This is not the place to talk.” Feng Yu glanced at the small courtyard behind him. With the hearing of that old monster, Eunuch Qin, he could hear every sound in the entire palace if he wanted to.

Feng Yu led Jiang Yun outside the palace, and then Feng Yu said, "Speak, what do you want to ask?"

Although he had joined the Tongyou Guard, Jiang Yun still had many questions. He asked curiously, "How strong is this Eunuch Qin?"

Feng Yu shook his head: "I haven't seen him make a move in many years."

Jiang Yun was silent for a moment, then asked, "Approximately how many people are in Tongyou?"

"Those who communicate with the spirit world, apart from those in the same team, basically never see each other unless there are special circumstances..."

"For example, the white figure you can see is because he has always been protecting His Majesty, which is why you can see him."

Jiang Yun then continued to ask questions, but Feng Yun could not answer many of them. He was not in charge of matters related to the spirit world; rather, he was the chief steward of the palace.

There are many things that even he doesn't understand.

Many of the fragments about Tongyou were only learned by Xiao Yuzheng when he needed to deal with matters related to Tongyou in the Imperial Study.

Before leaving, Feng Yu earnestly said to Jiang Yun, "Kid, be careful when you go to the Demon Kingdom. Don't be careless. There are plenty of old monsters there."

"Don't worry, Father-in-law."

After returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and resting for a night, Jiang Yun went to the Sanqing Temple early the next morning to arrange for Wen Chen to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Then he went to see Qian Buchou again and told him about the matter of Pan Nianfeng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, and told him not to worry.

After finishing all that, he returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and had a good meal with Xu Suwen.

Although Jiang Yun had to leave again soon after returning to the capital, Xu Suwen did not complain about not being able to accompany her. On the contrary, she was worried and told Jiang Yun to be careful.

Of course, she knew that Jiang Yun and Ao Yu had a good relationship, so if they went to the Dragon Clan's territory, the danger shouldn't be too great.

Jiang Yun had always been curious about who the partner Tongyou Guard had assigned to him was.

How strong are they?

That afternoon, Jiang Yun was resting in the courtyard of Sanqing Temple when suddenly there was a knock on the door. When Jiang Yun opened the door, she was stunned to see the person in front of her.

Linglong, that girl, was actually standing at the door, her eyes crinkling into slits with laughter: "Jiang Yun! Surprised? Unexpected!"

"This broken capital city is so boring. I begged my father for so long before he finally agreed to let me join the Tongyou Guard."

"I didn't expect you to join us so quickly, and even make us a teammate."

"Let's go, let's go."

Linglong grabbed Jiang Yun's hand and started walking outside.

"Let's head to the Demon Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)