Fairy, please don't do this!

"In this bundle, there should also be some personal clothing that she prepared for you in advance."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinzhao hesitated for a moment, but still opened the bundle.

Inside were seven or eight winter clothes, several pairs of cloud-patterned shoes, and a brocade box, all neatly folded.

An Wanxi reached out and took the brocade box, asking with great interest, "My little husband, why don't you guess whether your Aunt Ruo gave you undergarments or some other intimate clothing this time?"

"Stop fooling around!"

Gu Jinzhao took the brocade box back from her and gently opened it.

What came into view was a stack of jade-colored silk, as thin as a cicada's wing.

An Wanxi seemed to have discovered something, picked up the silk and slowly unfolded it.

Gu Jinzhao's eyes widened immediately.

These were not undergarments, nor ordinary silk, but a pair of delicate, jade-colored silk stockings with a soft sheen.

An Wanxi gently stroked the surface of the stockings with her fingertips, her smile turning mischievous: "They're still warm to the touch and have a faint fragrance, so they must have been worn."

"Is your Ruo trying to test her husband's weakness?"

Gu Jinzhao was speechless for a moment.

This must be because the calico cat knocked the scroll of "Illustrations of Jade Feet" off the roof beam last time, and Aunt Ruo happened to see it, which caused her to misunderstand.

An Wanxi carefully folded the stockings and put them back in the brocade box, sighing softly, "I never expected that such a dignified and conservative woman would buy such stockings that would make ordinary women feel shy just by looking at them, all for her young husband..."

Judging from this point alone, Si Ruoyu's feelings for Gu Jinzhao are already deep-rooted and doting!

At this point, she seemed to remember something, and a hint of teasing appeared in her soft voice: "But when my little husband returns to Qingyun City, should he ask her for his undergarments, or these ice silk stockings?"

"Or perhaps we want both?"

Gu Jinzhao rolled her eyes at her, then put the brocade box into the [Earthly Branches Mirror]: "Let's talk about it another day!"

……

In the northern border of Qingzhou, there lies Fengling.

Just past midnight, a thick, inky black mist was rapidly flying past the rugged rocks deep in the desolate mountains.

A distorted human face could be vaguely seen in the fog, with blood and curses constantly spilling from its mouth.

The evil cultivator who had just slaughtered three villages with the [Soul Refining Technique] was now fleeing frantically.

"Those mad dogs from the Qingyun Sect... they're really hot on their heels..."

puff-

Before the words were finished, a crimson sword beam sliced ​​through the night without warning, piercing precisely through the black mist.

Where the sword's edge passed, the black mist emitted a shrill shriek, instantly disintegrating into a foul-smelling rain of blood that drizzled down onto the withered grass.

The moonlight illuminated a tall, slender figure atop the cliff.

She was dressed in a red cloud-patterned sword robe, her figure graceful and slender, with a touch of heroic charm between her brows.

"Can you escape?"

Yu Fengzhi sheathed the Red Lotus Sword and was about to turn and leave when a faint flapping sound of wings suddenly came from the night wind.

A paper crane flew slowly through the thin mountain mist and landed in front of her.

With a flick of her finger, the paper crane instantly unfolded, transforming into a powerful and vigorous rainbow of written characters.

[My junior brother Gu is about to enter the Demon Suppression Division. I'm worried he might encounter some misfortune, so I've asked my junior sister to go to Zhongzhou to secretly protect him...]

The messenger was none other than the Grand Elder, Chu Wuyai.

Chapter 100, Little Sword Immortal Gu Jinzhao? (3K)

Deep within Yuzhenfang, west of Yujing City, stands a building with dougong brackets and flying eaves.

High walls and deep courtyards, white bricks and black tiles, from a distance, resemble a fierce white tiger lying dormant in the mortal world, with a chilling aura almost emanating from the walls.

The Demon Suppression Division is named after the four celestial spirits and is divided into four prefectures, each guarding a region and protecting the east, west, south, and north of Jade Capital.

The imposing government office before us is the Military Supervisor's Office, one of the four offices.

"I am a newly recruited disciple of the sect. Please verify my identity."

Gu Jinzhao took out the Qingyun Sect jade token from his bosom and handed it to the White Tiger Guard on duty at the gate.

"Wait a moment."

The other party took the jade token, glanced at him, and turned to walk into the depths of the government office.

Before long, the White Tiger Guard returned and handed back the jade token: "Go to the Hall of Name Recording to have your bone structure and image drawn. Only after receiving your identity jade token can you enter and carry out your duties."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Gu Jinzhao bowed respectfully and slowly stepped into the magnificent mansion gate.

The Hall of Records is located in the southwest corner of the White Tiger Office. It is a square and simple ancient hall.

The hall was empty, with only a long table inside.

Behind the desk sat an old clerk dressed in a silver-patterned white tiger robe, holding a wolf-hair brush dipped in bright red cinnabar, carefully sketching on a register of names.

The old clerk didn't even look up: "Name, sect, cultivation level."

"Gu Jinzhao, a disciple of the Qingyun Sect, is at the early stage of the seventh-grade Divine Path."

The pen paused slightly, and the old scribe looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "You are the little sword immortal who swept through the younger generation of the Zen Realm?"

Little Sword Immortal?

When did I acquire such a title?

Gu Jinzhao was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said, "It is indeed me, Gu."

The old scholar looked puzzled and put down his pen: "With such extraordinary talent in swordsmanship, why did you choose to join the Imperial Demon Suppression Division?"

Gu Jinchao said calmly, "It is to eliminate evil and uphold righteousness."

The old scribe said with a half-smile, "Does staying in the sect mean you can't eliminate demons and protect the righteous path?"

Gu Jinchao met his gaze and said solemnly, "I am both a disciple of the sect and a citizen of the Cangyue Dynasty."

"Wherever demons run rampant, that is where my sword will strike."

Why force a distinction between sects and the imperial court?

I hope that every word you say comes from the heart.

The old clerk gave him a deep look, said nothing more, picked up his pen and wrote a few lines of small characters on the name certificate, then took out a palm-sized jade tiger token from the drawer: "Blood recognition, from now on this will be your identity certificate in the Military Supervisor's Office."

The tiger-shaped plaque feels slightly heavy in the hand. The front features a lifelike, embossed tiger head roaring with angry eyes, while the back is inscribed with three lines of text in neat small regular script:

【White Tiger Guard - Gu Jinchao】

[Class: Squad]

Merit Points: Zero

The old clerk briefly explained: "The ranks within the prefecture, from bottom to top, are: junior officer, general officer, centurion, chiliarch, and so on, up to the highest prefecture lord."

"You've just entered the manor as a junior officer. If you want to be promoted, you need to prove yourself with real achievements."

"The merit system is similar to sect contribution points, and can be used to exchange for cultivation resources, magical artifacts, cultivation manuals, and other items..."

Gu Jinzhao had already learned these rules during the game, but since the other party had taken the initiative to tell him, he naturally had to be polite: "This junior understands."

Within the Demon Suppression Division, anyone with ability can be promoted based on their merits, and may even take charge of a prefecture.

This was the imperial court's strategy of recruiting talented individuals.

Many disciples of sects have limited talent and either stop at becoming outer sect elders within the sect.

In the Demon Suppression Division, as long as one is loyal to the imperial court and serves diligently, one can climb the ranks step by step.

As if remembering something, Gu Jinzhao patted his clothes, revealing the calico cat: "Do spirit pets need to be registered?"

"Of course I will remember."

The old clerk took out another notebook, examined the calico cat briefly, made some marks, and then took out a tiger-shaped pendant, slightly smaller than the cat, and handed it over: "Just tie it around your neck."

The calico cat stared at the majestic tiger head relief on the tiger tag, its round eyes shining, as if it could see its future heroic self, and couldn't help but proudly raise its little head.

The old clerk waved his hand: "Go to the White Tiger Hall to collect your uniform. You are to report for duty at the beginning of the morning tomorrow. If you are late, you will lose ten merit points."

Following the procedure, Gu Jinchao received a set of white tiger black robes from the White Tiger Hall before leaving the yamen.

He directly purchased a quiet two-courtyard house in the nearby Qingyue Lane.

A brand-new plaque was soon hung above the door, bearing the two dignified characters "Gu Residence".

The calico cat jumped down from his shoulder and looked around curiously: "Will this be our home from now on?"

"You should familiarize yourself with the environment first, so you don't get lost later."

Gu Jinzhao responded lightly, stepped into the main room, and began to make arrangements.

This two-courtyard house, along with its fine furniture and various furnishings, cost nearly ten thousand taels of silver.

He wasn't bothered by the loss, after all, the last time he had Lin Qingci bet on him to win big at Qianjin Tower, he had won back a full 200,000 taels of silver.

The ghost wife then emerged gracefully from his shadow, surveying the room with gentle eyes: "I'll help my little husband too."

This place will be where the two of them live together in the future, so she naturally wants to decorate it to her liking.

An Wanxi carefully arranged a pear wood wardrobe, hung up several of her favorite dresses inside, and suddenly remembered something. She asked softly, "Isn't the imperial court afraid of being infiltrated by sect forces by allowing sect disciples to enter the Demon Suppression Division like this?"

As far as she knew, the Cangyue Dynasty initially established the Demon Suppression Division with the intention of slaying demons and protecting the people.

However, after several generations of evolution, the power of the Demon Suppression Division grew stronger and stronger, and it became a sharp weapon in the emperor's hands to monitor all officials.

Their duties encompass intelligence gathering, prison interrogation, upholding the law, and even covert purges...

Such an important institution should, in principle, only admit those who are loyal to the court.

Disciples of sects like Gu Jinzhao should naturally be excluded.

While arranging the brocade quilt on the bed, Gu Jinzhao explained, "Among the four offices of the Demon Suppression Division, only the Military Supervisor's Office and the Ming Enforcement Office accept disciples from sects."

"Moreover, the vast majority of these disciples are only responsible for field work, such as slaying demons and patrolling for demonic traces, and have little access to the core secrets and decisions within the manor."

Simply put, the White Tiger Guard and Black Tortoise Guard of these two prefectures are mostly outsourced employees of the imperial court.

The real, officially authorized staff who control confidential matters are the Vermilion Bird Guard and the Azure Dragon Guard.

The former was loyal to Empress Dowager Xiao Qingyi, while the latter obeyed Emperor Yongxing.

According to the game's storyline, as the Zen Realm returns to Zhongzhou, the four prefectures of the Demon Suppression Division will also become a battleground for the two factions.

……

At the beginning of the next day, the east was only tinged with the pale light of dawn.

Gu Jinzhao, carrying the still-sleeping calico cat, stepped into the gate of the military supervisor's residence on time.

Passing through the moon gate on the east side of the training ground, you will arrive at a small courtyard paved with blue bricks.

North of the courtyard are three interconnected guard rooms, with a black plaque bearing the three large gilded characters "Gengjin Group" hanging above the door.

Four people were already standing at the door of the guardhouse. As he entered the courtyard, their eyes all turned to him.

Standing at the front was a burly man in his early thirties, arms crossed, his muscles bulging.

Seeing Gu Jinzhao approach, he grinned and said, "This must be our new team leader, right?"

Gu Jinzhao paused slightly, his brows furrowing: "And who are you, sir?"

The man smiled heartily and spoke in a booming voice: "Wang Han was once an outer disciple of the Martial Yuan Sect, a mid-stage eighth-rank body cultivator, and is now a junior officer in the Gengjin Group!"

Gu Jinchao looked puzzled: "We are all newcomers to the manor, so the team leader should not have been selected yet."

When he reported for duty yesterday, he already knew that he had been assigned to a commander named Zhao Jinbei.

The general commanded fifty people, divided into ten groups according to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, with five people in each group.

He belongs to the Gengjin group.

This group's situation is quite special. It is said that some time ago, when they were chasing a fierce demonic cultivator, all five White Tiger Guards of the original group were wiped out, with no one surviving.