So it turns out I'm the demon!

Bai Xiang opened the courtyard gate.

Outside the courtyard stood a young guard from the Demon Slayer Division, dressed in a dark blue outfit with a sword at his waist.

The guard clasped his hands in greeting and asked, "Is Lord Jiang at home?"

Jiang Mu, now dressed, approached: "Is the Chief Administrator calling another meeting?"

For the past month, Jiang Mu has basically stayed home to cultivate and hasn't gone out much.

The Demon Slayer Division does occasionally hold routine meetings, and they will send someone to inform him of these meetings. He just goes through the motions.

He would simply drink a couple of cups of tea, listen to his colleagues and superiors chat for a bit, and then return to continue practicing his skills.

The young guard said respectfully:

"Your Excellency, a case has been filed outside the city. The Chief Justice has ordered all the heads of the various departments to go to the government office immediately for a meeting. I have come to inform you of this."

"Okay, I'll change my clothes and then go."

Jiang Mu waved his hand.

After returning to her room, Jiang Mu changed into the official uniform issued by the Demon Slayer Division.

This is a gray-black outfit with cloud patterns, the collar and cuffs are trimmed with silver thread, a majestic mythical beast is embroidered on the chest badge, and a wide belt of the same color is tied around the waist.

It also comes with a standard-issue crossbow.

The scabbard was jet black, and the handle was wrapped with fine hemp rope for gripping.

Jiang Mu was born with striking features and was exceptionally handsome. In addition, his body had become more robust from the training he had undergone, with broad shoulders, a wide back, and a firm waist.

Wearing this official uniform, he appears even more dignified and imposing, displaying the heroic bearing of a young general.

"Xiang'er, prepare some good wine and food for me to eat when I get back tonight."

As Jiang Mu straightened her cuffs, she gave instructions to Bai Xiang, who was busy in the vegetable garden.

Bai Xiang straightened her slender waist, her jade fingers brushing a strand of hair damp with sweat from her temple. She turned to look at the heroic Jiang Mu, a glint of light flashing in her gentle eyes, before she smiled and nodded gently.

……

Upon arriving at the Demon Slayer Council Hall, Jiang Mu found that the meeting had already begun and everyone was engaged in discussion.

He didn't care about that.

This has been the case in previous meetings.

After all, he's just a figurehead who rose to power through connections; there's no need to take him too seriously. If it weren't for the procedure requiring notification to this hall master, he probably wouldn't have even received a notification.

At first, the head of the department, Ran Qingshan, would explain and comfort him, but later he stopped paying attention to him.

Jiang Mu entered the hall as usual and sat down in an empty seat at the end.

He picked up his teacup and started mixing it.

The others glanced at him, then looked away and continued discussing the case.

After listening for a while, Jiang Mu roughly understood the situation.

It turns out that several bodies were found in the Longshou Mountain area outside the city. They were identified as villagers who had gone missing a few days ago.

The corpse had a laceration on its neck, its internal organs had been removed, and there were remnants of demonic energy, indicating that it was the work of a demon.

A search plan is currently being developed.

As Jiang Mu listened, he secretly pondered the operating system of the Demon Slayer Division.

After attending these few sessions, he finally got the hang of it.

Although the functions of the Demon Slayer Division are special, its procedures are actually quite similar to those of government offices.

It can be roughly divided into four steps: "reporting, checking, determining, and implementing".

The first step is to report the incident, either through local inspectors or by ordinary citizens.

Next comes the investigation, where specialists verify whether it is the work of demons or evil spirits. Once confirmed, the demon is classified, and its strength is determined based on the residual demonic energy, leading to the development of a plan to eradicate it.

Finally, action is taken, with appropriate gangs assigned to carry out the purge based on their assigned strength.

If it's just an ordinary demonic threat, one branch of the sect is enough to handle it.

If a powerful demon causes trouble, multiple departments need to work together, and even the garrison commander may need to intervene.

Huzhou City is not far from the capital, and the round trip takes only five or six days.

There are specialized hawks and hounds to transmit intelligence, and it doesn't even take a day. Therefore, the garrison commander stationed here is quite powerful.

It is said that General Shangguan is a master of the twelfth realm.

It is enough to rank among the top five in Daqing.

The garrison commander rarely leaves the city, only responsible for guarding the city's central hub and preventing the invasion of powerful demons.

Last time, it was because General Shangguan was in the critical period of breaking through his cultivation realm in seclusion, and the city's protective formation failed, which allowed the great demon to take advantage of the situation.

Even so, General Shangguan emerged from the pass in time and swiftly killed the great demon with thunderous methods, demonstrating his formidable strength.

However, Jiang Mu had other ideas.

General Shangguan's breakthrough was interrupted by demons, which is extremely harmful to cultivators. It is unknown when the next breakthrough will be possible.

If he were General Shangguan, he would probably be so angry he'd curse.

The meeting ended quickly.

It was likely determined that the demon in this case was not very powerful, so in the end only Wenhe from the Third Hall and Xu Fu from the Seventh Hall were sent to handle it.

Other branches were also assigned tasks.

After receiving their tasks, everyone dispersed, and Jiang Mu also got up to go home and continue lifting weights.

As expected, this kind of hard work involving fighting and killing has nothing to do with him, the mascot.

"Xiao Jiang, wait a moment."

Just as Jiang Mu stepped out of the threshold, the voice of Zhang Si Ran Qingshan came from behind her.

Jiang Mu paused, then turned around to look.

Ran Qingshan, holding a teacup, smiled kindly and asked, "I heard you've been practicing diligently lately? How's it going?"

"It's alright, I feel much stronger."

Jiang Mu said modestly.

Ran Qingshan nodded, his tone kind:

"The path of cultivation is inherently like rowing against the current. You started late, so the body tempering stage is indeed difficult, but don't be discouraged. If you practice for another year or two and build a solid foundation, there is always hope."

"Thank you for your encouragement, Commander. I will certainly do my best."

"In addition, your office is already being renovated and will be ready to open in a few days. We'll pick a good location for you then, so that your title as the head of the hall will be more fitting."

"It's all up to you, sir."

Jiang Mu responded.

The so-called "government office" was actually equivalent to a district police station.

If a case involving a monster occurs within the jurisdiction, they can rush to handle it immediately.

However, Huzhou City is generally safe and stable, with few cases within the city limits; most cases occur outside the city. At that time, a specific branch will be assigned to handle the case.

"I have an important task for you today."

Ran Qingshan suddenly changed the subject.

"Task?"

Jiang Mu was somewhat surprised.

Has the sun risen in the west? Even the mascot has to work now?

Ran Qingshan put down his teacup and said:

"There are some official matters to attend to at the Tongxin County government office. You need to go there."

"What official business?"

"You'll find out about the tax collection when you get there," Ran Qingshan said with a dry cough.

It's actually a minor task; anyone can be sent.

However, considering that Jiang Mu hasn't been given any tasks for the past month, even though he's a mascot, he can't just sit around doing nothing.

I was afraid he might have some ulterior motives, so I made up an excuse.

Collecting taxes?

Although Jiang Mu was puzzled, she still replied, "Yes."

……

Huzhou Prefecture had two attached counties: Tongxin County and Jiuyuan County.

The county governments of both counties were located within the city of Huzhou, with the north and south as the boundaries, and each was responsible for the area within the city and the surrounding area.

Jiang Mu arrived at the Tongxin County Government Office in the north of the city.

As soon as they reached the door, a round-faced man eagerly approached and bowed respectfully.

"This humble clerk, Shi Lang, from the Demon Patrol Office, greets Lord Jiang."

The Bureau of Demon Patrol was located within the county government office and was another institution besides the Six Bureaus.

Besides patrolling, if a case is reported involving demons, they are responsible for reporting it to the Demon Slayer Division.

In addition, he had another duty: to assist the government in urging the collection of grain.

Jiang Mu was somewhat surprised: "You know me?"

Shi Lang's face was all smiles:

"Lord Jiang is a young and outstanding talent. He has become the head of the Demon Slaying Division at a young age. Who in Huzhou City does not know him? Although I am of low rank, I have often heard my superiors mention your illustrious name. Today, I have the honor to see you. Indeed, you are extraordinary and have an imposing presence."

Jiang Mu smiled, not exposing the other party's flattery.

These seasoned veterans of officialdom are masters of reading people's expressions and remembering their facial features.

It's likely that he has the portraits of every notable figure in Huzhou City in his mind.

"The magistrate said he has official business to attend to. What exactly is it?"

Jiang Mu got straight to the point.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Shi Lang's face:

"It's nothing major, just going to collect grain. We need a superior to keep things under control and prevent those unruly people from causing trouble. I just didn't expect the magistrate to send Lord Jiang personally... Sir, why don't we get in the carriage and talk in detail?"

Jiang Mu then noticed that a green-canopied carriage had been prepared next to her.

He nodded, lifted the curtain, and entered the carriage.

Shi Lang followed closely behind.

After getting on the bus, he sat down opposite Jiang Mu, his buttocks only touching half of the seat, his body leaning slightly forward, maintaining a humble posture as if he could get up to serve her at any time.

He then took out an official document stamped with a red seal from his pocket and respectfully handed it over with both hands.

"This is?"

Jiang Mu looked puzzled.

"This is the license plate issued by the authorities," Shi Lang said with a forced smile, patiently explaining.

The so-called "ticket" is an official document that serves as proof for officials to carry out their duties.

For example, official matters such as collecting taxes and grain, summoning and arresting criminals all require the issuance of a warrant by the government.

Getting a license plate is equivalent to getting a cut of the profits.

When yamen runners were ordered to summon witnesses, defendants, or arrest prisoners, they could openly demand money from the parties involved for shoes and socks, transportation, food and drink, and untying fees.

If the other party is unwilling to give it, the yamen runners have plenty of ways to deal with them.

They could tear their own clothes, smear some blood, and claim they were forcibly resisting arrest. Once they had the warrant, they could even hire accomplices to ransack the house.

Therefore, the lottery ticket is also known as the "Imperial Sword".

The warrant in Shi Lang's hand was not for summoning or arresting criminals, but for demanding the payment of "demon-pacification tax," commonly known as "demon grain."

In the eleventh year of the Mingde reign of the Daqing era, the imperial court officially levied a tax on demon-slaying from the people to support the Demon-Slaying Bureau and alleviate the financial burden.

It has been more than eighty years since then, up to the sixth year of Jinghe.

"Generally speaking, the demon grain is collected after the autumn tax. However, this time the higher-ups have requested that it be collected earlier."

Shi Lang explained in a low voice.

"The reason is that it's already difficult to collect spring taxes in the local area, and the autumn harvest is coming soon, so the people have to pay next year's taxes in advance. In addition, there was a flood recently, and although the areas outside the city were not severely affected, they were still affected."

Those above thought it best to strike first and seize the demon's food.

"If we wait until the government finishes harvesting the autumn grain, the people's homes will be completely emptied. Then, when we try to collect the demon's grain, forget about completing our mission; we probably won't even get a sip of soup."

Jiang Mu looked at the playing cards in her hand, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Go to Dawen Township? That's a poor, remote place. Why not collect them in the city first?"

Shi Lang's smile became somewhat meaningful.

He rubbed his hands together and said:

"Lord Jiang, you are an important person and unaware of the difficulties below. We are on the same side, so I will tell you the truth. This city is indeed lucrative, but is it something we can afford to touch?"

Those who lived in the city were either wealthy gentry, powerful families with officials in the court, or local residents with close ties to the government.

Which of these people doesn't have a powerful backer?

"If we go to collect their taxes with our permits, it's like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth. We might not only fail to collect the taxes, but we'll also get ourselves into trouble and lose our jobs."

At this point, Shi Lang pointed out the direction outside the car window:

"But it's different in the countryside. They're all peasants toiling in the fields, powerless and without anyone to back them up. When they see us in our official robes, they're terrified from the bottom of their hearts."

"Although they are poor and not very lucrative, they are safe and obedient. We can manipulate them however we want, and they won't dare to utter a word."

Even if you can't make much money from one place, visiting several places and accumulating little by little is better than running into obstacles in the city.