"I have to say, your experience sounds even worse than going to work."
Seeing Xiao Yuwei with a melancholy expression, Fang Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
But there was nothing that could be done about it; the job of the Town Protector was equivalent to being a police officer in his past life. When a task came, there was absolutely no time for rest.
Just as Xiao Yuwei was wondering what Fang Yuan meant, he spoke again:
"Could you tell me about the current situation? Start with Yongnan Province, then tell me about the whole country."
Since there was no urgent matter at hand, he could take the opportunity to learn more about the outside world. After all, up until now, Fang Yuan had known very little about these things.
"Yongnan Province…" Xiao Yuwei's eyes dimmed as she began to explain to Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan quickly understood everything. Yongnan Province had a lot of demons, and the biggest force was the Iron-Horn Demon King.
It was like the outlaws of Liangshan, occupying a large swath of wild mountain ranges in Yongnan Province. They would descend the mountain and cause chaos, whether there was a reason or not.
As for the current martial strength in Yongnan Province, it was already impressive to just maintain the situation; they couldn't possibly eliminate them.
As for why they didn't ask the court for help, they had, but there was no response.
Currently, the highest combat forces of the Yan Kingdom were all sent to guard the borders.
Compared to the Iron-Horn Demon King, who was only at the seventh level of power, enemies from other countries, who had truly master-level warriors, were obviously much more terrifying.
The northern Ice Plain Kingdom had been eyeing Yan Kingdom's territory, and several small countries to the southeast were also restless, often invading the borders.
Besides that, to the west, there was a huge continent separated from Yan Kingdom by the sea. It was said that there were many powerful individuals there too.
Fang Yuan couldn't help but think that the situation in Yan Kingdom felt like a dream back in the Qing Dynasty, a time where crises were everywhere.
"I wonder what the capital of Yan Kingdom is like... it wouldn't still be filled with music and dance, right?"
Fang Yuan silently thought, recalling the scene when he last saw the Fourteenth Prince, sailing on a magnificent flying boat. Anyone who didn't know would have thought it was a prosperous era.
Even though the country was in turmoil, the royal family still had to maintain their grandeur.
"Wait a minute, I have a question. Is it just Yan Kingdom that has demons? What about other countries?"
Fang Yuan suddenly thought of something else.
After all, in Xiao Yuwei's description, it seemed that other countries could handle their own demon problems and still have time to trouble Yan Kingdom.
It seemed like only Yan Kingdom was trapped in a demon crisis, unable to get out.
Surely, only Yan Kingdom couldn't deal with demons, right?
"Well... I don't really know," Xiao Yuwei shook her head. She was just a scout and knew little about other countries.
But from the current situation, it seemed like that was indeed the case...
Fang Yuan fell into deep thought. Yan Kingdom was teetering on the edge of collapse, yet the royal family, in order to maintain their control, was still messing around with spiritual energy refinement...
Was this the famous "to defend against external threats, you must first secure internal stability"?
Seeing Fang Yuan frowning, Xiao Yuwei thought he was worrying about the state of the country and immediately tried to comfort him:
"Don't think so much, let's just take care of the situation in Yongnan Province first. As for the problems with enemy countries, let those masters worry about them."
Anyway, the news of General Shen's appearance in Jianghai Province was a huge positive.
At least Jianghai Province wouldn't end up like they had originally feared, becoming a slaughterhouse for demons.
Fang Yuan opened his mouth, about to say something, but suddenly his eyelids twitched, and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Alright, you rest here!"
"I've got something to do, I'll head out first!"
After leaving these words, Fang Yuan's entire demeanor changed, his murderous aura surging upwards in an instant!
Xiao Yuwei was so startled by the murderous aura around him that she felt a chill down her spine. How did they go from chatting to him suddenly walking out in such a murderous way?
She thought for a moment and decided to follow him.
But by the time she turned into an eagle and flew out the window, there was no sign of Fang Yuan anywhere!
...
On the outskirts of Songgu County, at the midsection of Liuxia Mountain.
Two strange figures were climbing the mountain. On the left was a red-faced old tiger, standing over two meters tall, with scales covering its body, walking like a human, looking majestic and powerful.
On the right was a massive blue-backed crab, its claws as thick as pillars, creating a roaring wind with every swing.
"I say, Tiger Brother, those two, Hou Yuntao and Fang Lin, one is at the peak of the fifth level, and the other is at the second level of the sixth. Both are capable of guarding an entire province by themselves."
"Such warriors are a huge asset to us. Yet we just let that damn dragon get them? We didn't even get a bite!"
The Blue-Backed Demon King seemed a little agitated, its eight crab legs shaking continuously.
"What can we do? After all, this Dragon Lord just joined us and became the second-in-command."
The Red-Faced Mountain King replied, "And the Dragon Lord is indeed very capable. We have to admit that."
The Blue-Backed Demon King was left speechless. This Dragon Lord, who had only joined the Iron-Horn Demon King's faction about a month ago, appeared very young, yet his cultivation had already reached the terrifying peak of the sixth level, far surpassing many other sixth-level demon kings!
It must be the advantage of his bloodline, the Blue-Backed Demon King thought. He had seen many demons, but this dragon demon was the first of its kind.
It changed the subject:
"These scouts from the Town Protector's office are really crafty. I didn't expect them to find out about our arrival in Jianghai Province. They even sent two deputy generals to obstruct us."
"Yeah." The Red-Faced Mountain King sneered, "But they never thought that this operation isn't just about us two!"
The Town Protector's office in Yongnan Province clearly hadn't learned about the Dragon Lord's presence. Otherwise, they would have sent more than just two deputy generals.
After all, with the Dragon Lord's strength, he could easily deal with these two!
With the Dragon Lord's help... the long-standing stalemate between the Town Protector's office and them should now be tipped in their favor.
Thinking of this, the Red-Faced Mountain King felt his heart burn with excitement. Even though they couldn't eat those two deputy generals, they could still feast on the people of Jianghai Province to make up for it.
At that moment, the Red-Faced Mountain King silently set a small goal in his mind: first, eat the population of a county!
"By the way, where's Mo Yu? Didn't he invite you to Liuxia Mountain? Why haven't we seen him?"
The Blue-Backed Demon King spoke again.
"Maybe he couldn't resist and already ran off to feast on Jianghai Province."
The Red-Faced Mountain King replied, but then his tone shifted sharply, "But it's also possible that he's already dead. Let's be careful."
Mo Yu, the Demon King's trusted aide, had sent someone to invite him to Jianghai Province for a feast, but the Red-Faced Mountain King was cautious and didn't go alone. He reported the matter to the Iron-Horn Demon King first, and that's how this three-demon operation to Jianghai Province came about.
Just then, the Tiger Demon suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?" the Crab Demon asked.
"There's a strong smell of blood from the top of the mountain!" the Tiger Demon said, its face changing drastically. "And this isn't the scent of human blood!"
The Blue-Backed Crab Demon paused. If it wasn't human blood... then it could only be...