Chapter 53
The Alliance government sent a demon hunter this time, someone who had never interacted with the Bureau of Security, to apprehend Ye Xiyao and Xing Xu.
When the demon hunter was led into the doors of the Bureau by the police, there was a subtle arrogance in his expression.
It didn’t take long for someone to recognize him as Fu Zhuo.
“Oh, isn’t that the most powerful demon hunter after Xing Xu?”
“I heard he thinks he’s stronger than Xing Xu. He’s always felt that without the Demon-Slaying Array, Xing Xu would be nothing.”
“But the point is, Xing Xu *does* have the Demon-Slaying Array.”
“Why is he glaring at us? He hates Xing Xu, we hate Xing Xu too. Shouldn’t we be friends?”
“How could we be friends? He once filed a complaint against the Bureau with the Alliance, saying we cooperated with Xing Xu because our director had personal ties with him. He’s always believed the reports of Xing Xu’s demon-hunting achievements were made up, and even accused Director Luo of embezzling money with Xing Xu.”
Many whispered among themselves, and some of the gossip reached Fu Zhuo’s ears. Normally, he might stop and argue with them, but today, he didn’t need to waste any extra effort.
He had already confirmed that Xing Xu had joined the demons, so now, he was undoubtedly the strongest demon hunter in the Alliance. These people, gossiping behind his back, would soon be begging for his help with demon hunting.
Fu Zhuo had come to see Luo Yiji this time, bringing with him some reinforcements assigned by the Alliance, along with an arrest warrant. He intended to join forces with Luo Yiji to apprehend the demon Ye Xiyao and his followers.
But after a long wait, he still hadn’t seen Luo Yiji in person.
Everyone at the Bureau greeted him with smiles, but they wouldn’t let him meet with Luo Yiji.
Fu Zhuo was starting to get impatient. He grabbed one of the exorcist special police officers and asked, “What is Director Luo doing?”
Yu Liefeng shrugged. “I have no authority to question the Director’s work.”
Fu Zhuo responded, “Is he trying to protect Xing Xu? In such a large Bureau, is there no one brave enough to point out Director Luo’s dereliction of duty? Are you all just going to let him allow Xing Xu to get away?”
Yu Liefeng straightened up, looked coldly at Fu Zhuo, and instead of directly refuting him, began listing the things Xing Xu had done for the Alliance over the years. From over a decade ago to today, in every demon-hunting incident, whenever an unsolvable problem arose, it was always Xing Xu who arrived first and saved everyone present.
“As for the claim that Xing Xu defected to the enemy, so far, all he’s done is take his mission target out of our monitoring range. He hasn’t harmed humans or betrayed the Alliance in any way. On the contrary, he’s sacrificed his youth—more than ten years of it—for the Alliance without complaint—well, okay, he’s complained, occasionally grumbling that there aren’t any capable demon hunters in the Bureau. But other than that, Xing Xu hasn’t done anything wrong.”
Yu Liefeng spoke firmly, “If you’re here to investigate Xing Xu, we’ll fully cooperate. But if you’re here to arrest him, sorry, you’re on your own. We’re busy.”
Fu Zhuo’s eyes widened, and he laughed, turning to the Alliance’s special commissioners behind him. “Did you hear that? The entire Bureau has turned traitor!”
The special commissioners looked a bit conflicted. They first tried to calm Fu Zhuo down, then bypassed Yu Liefeng and sought out Alabai, the head of the action team and someone who could take charge of the situation.
In a low voice, the commissioner said, “Things haven’t escalated to the point where we need internal strife. Let’s find Xing Xu first. Have your men stand down and take me to see Director Luo.”
Alabai saluted and then said, “I’m really not trying to make things difficult for you, but Director Luo received new information. Our top priority shouldn’t be Xing Xu’s arrest.”
The commissioner asked, “Whose information did he receive?”
Alabai responded, “It seems… it might be from Xing Xu.”
The commissioner’s headache grew. “He got information from Xing Xu and now he’s telling us not to arrest Xing Xu???”
Alabai sighed. “Yes, that’s how it is. You know, Xing Xu is always a bit of an exception.”
“I don’t know anything. I don’t want this situation to get any more complicated.”
The commissioner stepped back, standing beside Fu Zhuo again to signal where he stood. “Now, I must see Luo Yiji. Otherwise, I will consider him to be conspiring with Xing Xu in treason. Alabai, you’ve always been a man of principle. The Alliance demands that you and your team join us in this operation immediately.”
Alabai saluted again and said, “Sir, Director Luo is the head of the Bureau of Security, and I serve the Bureau.”
The implication was that he only took orders from Luo Yiji.
The commissioner shouted, “If he shields a demon, he won’t be the director for long!”
“Understood, sir,” Alabai replied helplessly, folding his arms. “As soon as he’s no longer the director, I’ll defect to your side immediately.”
—
“This is the situation…” Ye Xiyao leaned against the corner of the house and succinctly explained everything.
He told Luo Yiji about his own identity and also revealed that Xing Xu had not defected to the enemy. Xing Xu was merely afraid that once the Demon-Slaying Array backfired, he would turn into a demon, so he was preparing humans in advance—preparing them to view him as an enemy.
Ye Xiyao tried to speak as kindly as possible on Xing Xu’s behalf. Only at the end did he reveal his true purpose, saying, “I hope you can send someone immediately to keep an eye on Xing Xu. The snow has stopped, and I don’t know how much time I have left. Once your people arrive, I will leave.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Ye Xiyao glanced nervously at his phone, confirming the call hadn’t dropped and the signal was still good.
He tentatively asked, “Are you still there?”
Luo Yiji finally responded, panting, “I-I’m here! I see the front gate of the house, where are you?!”
Ye Xiyao was stunned. “…So fast?”
Luo Yiji replied, “Is that strange? I left the office the moment you said your first sentence. I’ve been here before, so I know the way. Flying at full speed in my own craft, it takes about eight minutes.”
Ye Xiyao was too shocked to respond, barely managing to mutter, “Wow.”
He moved around to the front and met up with Luo Yiji.
Upon seeing Ye Xiyao for the first time, Luo Yiji’s phone slipped from his hand, his eyes and mouth wide open, as if he had just witnessed something unbelievable. Ye Xiyao, thinking he had scared him, tried to hide.
Luo Yiji quickly regained his composure, cleared his throat, and said, “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t realize demons looked like this…”
He had heard over the phone that Ye Xiyao had “taken on a demonic form” and had been mentally preparing himself the entire way for something terrifying or even repulsive. But now that he saw Ye Xiyao, who was not only stunningly beautiful but far from horrifying, there seemed to be nothing surprising about him at all.
This was also Ye Xiyao’s first time meeting Luo Yiji. He had imagined that Luo would be an authoritative and stern old man, but it turned out Luo was still young—for someone who became director in his forties, that was considered very young.
Moreover, Luo Yiji treated him with great kindness, not viewing Ye Xiyao as a monster at all.
Ye Xiyao asked curiously, “You didn’t bring anyone else with you?”
He was worried that if only Luo Yiji came, it might not be enough to keep Xing Xu in check.
Luo Yiji reassured him, “Don’t worry, no matter how many people come, we still wouldn’t be able to restrain him.”
Ye Xiyao was at a loss for words. “…”
Luo Yiji smiled bitterly and said, “Don’t you know him well? If he really wanted to run, do you think a pair of handcuffs and a gun would stop him?”
Ye Xiyao was even more confused. “Then why are you here now…?”
Luo Yiji admitted, “To be honest, all this talk about gods and demons is a bit much for an ordinary human like me. Frankly speaking, if you want to leave, I can’t stop you, and if Xing Xu wants to find you, I can’t stop him either. The only thing I can do is, as an observer, confirm that Xing Xu is innocent.”
“Innocent?” Ye Xiyao clutched his clothes nervously and asked cautiously, “What do you mean?”
“Everyone assumes that demons are always the enemy. And yes, most of the time, that’s true. So, if Xing Xu is consumed by the Demon-Slaying Array, the Alliance will undoubtedly do whatever it takes to kill him. Whether they succeed or not is another matter, but they’ll likely attempt it. However, no one has ever truly witnessed the Array’s backfire, have they?”
“At least in all the exorcism history I’ve learned, no inheritor of the Array has ever turned into a murderous demon. If such a thing had happened, their crimes would have been documented. But history doesn’t mention it, which means—”
Luo Yiji wiped the cold sweat from his brow, caused by his rush, “It means there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance that even if the Array backfires, he might not become an enemy of humanity. I’m here because if I can’t stop any of you when the worst happens, I’ll at least be able to prove that Xing Xu didn’t commit any demonic crimes.”
Ye Xiyao became anxious, “You can’t wait until that happens. You must stop him!”
Luo Yiji smiled bitterly, “I’ll do my best, but that’s easier said than done.”
They lowered their voices and approached the house where Xing Xu was now.
Before opening the door, Luo Yiji suddenly placed a hand on Ye Xiyao’s shoulder and asked, “What about you?”
Ye Xiyao looked at him. “Hmm?”
Luo Yiji asked, “You said you were going to leave. Where will you go?”
Ye Xiyao didn’t respond.
He had assumed Luo wouldn’t think too deeply about it, but Luo had already figured it out.
“As you said, if the divine punishment really causes you to lose your humanity, staying by Xing Xu’s side would be the safest choice. At least, he could still protect you, right?”
Ye Xiyao quietly retorted, “And then?”
Luo Yiji was stunned: “What?”
Ye Xiyao asked, “How long can humans live?”
“You already said it—those who inherit the Demon-Slaying Array have pure souls and can go to heaven after they die. He’ll become an angel later, right? So, just like you, he’ll be immortal. He’s someone who keeps his promises. No matter what you become, he’ll stay by your side.”
Luo Yiji tried to say this with a lighter tone, “Even if by then, you’re a demon and he’s an angel.”
But after hearing this, Ye Xiyao only gave him a faint, bitter smile.
It took Luo Yiji a moment to realize what he had said: an angel paired with a demon—how familiar that combination sounded.
It was as if he was pushing Ye Xiyao and Xing Xu onto a path that had already been traveled.
Ye Xiyao said nothing more, simply opening the door and leading Luo Yiji inside.
And when Luo Yiji saw the expression on Ye Xiyao’s lowered face, a sudden realization hit him… Ye Xiyao probably wasn’t just planning to leave this place.
He was planning to die—using some method unknown to humans—before he could fall into demonhood.
Ideally, his soul would be completely annihilated, vanishing without a trace. That way, the divine punishment wouldn’t affect his next life, and there would be no chance for Xing Xu to save him.
