0123 What about the seven hundred pieces?

"Permanent regression!"

Upon hearing these two words, Wanqi Yu could not help but gasp.

Official Hu’s expression was complex; he shook his head and sighed inwardly. This consequence applied only to ordinary people. Even if the retired veterans of the Demon-Suppression Army still possessed the Ming Realm, they had arrived there through a "high-level regression." Their Ming power was extremely unstable, and for most of them, it was constantly draining away. If they were to utilize the Chain-Ming Method, the consequences would be far more severe than for a normal person, likely leading directly to death.

He gazed into Hua Su’s eyes. Hua Su’s expression was calm and resolute; clearly, he was well aware of all this and had long since prepared himself mentally.

Hua Su nodded and said, "Official Hu is profound in his knowledge, and that is exactly what we were thinking. We have already communicated with Master Gan, and he will make certain adjustments according to this special situation when designing the treasure artifacts."

He suddenly looked toward Wanqi Yu and bowed. "Speaking of which, there is one more matter I would like to ask Lord Wanqi to assist with."

Wanqi Yu reflexively avoided his gaze and said stiffly, "Please, speak."

Hua Su said, "Master Gan arrived in such a rush that he only brought one disciple with him. He still needs someone to help with the manual labor. I would like to ask Lord Wanqi to dispatch some manpower to assist Master Gan in crafting the artifacts."

Wanqi Yu immediately felt relieved. "That is no problem at all! I will certainly provide full assistance!"

Gan Fuxing cleared his throat and said, "The crafting of treasure artifacts requires an extremely high level of Ming power sensitivity and control; ordinary martial cultivators simply cannot do it. I heard that Master Fang Liuxian has a disciple currently in Taicang City for the Grand Examination. I would like to ask for his help..."

Official Hu’s eyes brightened, and he said loudly, "Exactly! Old Fang’s disciple, Jiang Feng, is right here in Taicang City! The Grand Examination is about to end, so he can come help right away! By the way, that lad’s examination results are quite impressive; he will likely take the top spot again this time!"

Upon hearing the name Jiang Feng, Wanqi Yu’s face changed slightly.

Hua Su had been staring at him fixedly and said, "Jiang Feng is also my student. He was previously assigned to the Shizi Street theater of war. I just went to inquire about him and learned he was temporarily reassigned to Kulian Street. But since leaving Kulian Street, he hasn't appeared again... Lord Wanqi, could I ask you to help me find out where he is?"

Wanqi Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly began to laugh. He said candidly, "Lord Hua, you won't be able to find him."

Hua Su asked, "Oh? Why is that?"

Wanqi Yu did not hide it: "Because he is suspected of colluding with the Demon race, so I have locked him up!"

Collusion with the Demon race was the most serious accusation for any human. Hua Su’s expression changed drastically, and he demanded, "Before the Grand Examination, Jiang Feng was fighting the Demons alongside me in the Zitong Forest. Since the examination began, his record of slaying Demons has been unparalleled, and he still sits at the top of the Jietian Rankings. You say someone like that is colluding with the Demons?!"

Hua Su’s gaze was sharp, yet Wanqi Yu did not flinch. He nodded heavily and said, "That is correct, he is indeed highly suspicious!" Before Hua Su could refute him, Wanqi Yu asked, "Lord Hua, let me ask you: who was the first person to discover the presence of Demons in the back streets of Taicang?"

Hua Su sneered, "If it hadn't been for Jiang Feng discovering that Fox-Demon, Taicang City might not have realized anything until the Demon lair had officially manifested. Without any preparation, could Taicang City have held out for so long?"

Wanqi Yu nodded. "True, under normal circumstances, he should indeed be credited. But how do you explain the fact that a Demon—a powerful school-level Guiyi Demon—was controlled by him and followed his orders? You have been in the Demon-Suppression Army for so long and have seen countless experts; have you ever seen such a situation?"

Jiang Feng’s control over the curved blade had been witnessed by countless people, yet no one knew how it had happened. Even Jiang Feng himself only had a slight guess as to the reason; he dared not make any assumptions, nor could he replicate it.

Hua Su certainly knew that Jiang Feng possessed some unique qualities, but he knew even better that such secrets must never be exposed to others. Therefore, facing Wanqi Yu’s accusation, he could only say, "After Jiang Feng controlled that Demon, he still kept it fighting on the front lines of the Demon lair. If he were in league with the Demons, why would he do such a thing?"

Wanqi Yu shook his head and sighed, "How can we humans possibly guess the thoughts of the Demon race?"

He was determined to pin the label of collusion on Jiang Feng. Hua Su said coldly, "This is merely your speculation; you have absolutely no evidence!"

Wanqi Yu spoke sternly, "Twelve Demon lairs have opened in Taicang City; this is a sign of a full-scale Demon invasion. We are at a moment of life and death, and we cannot afford the slightest negligence! The retired veterans of the Demon-Suppression Army are about to sacrifice everything to recast our defensive lines and seal the lairs. The items being crafted now are the treasure artifacts they will rely on! Tell me, how could I carelessly entrust such an important task to someone whose background is so questionable?"

Wanqi Yu said gently, "Lord Hua, I know you cherish your student, but suspicion is suspicion. I suggest we delay this matter; let him remain in custody until Taicang City returns to peace. After all, how could an ordinary person possibly control a Demon?"

As they were speaking, a few people approached. The person in the center was a short youth who showed no fluctuations of Ming power—he was just an ordinary person.

Hearing Wanqi Yu’s words, a suspicious look appeared on his face. He suddenly strode forward and interrupted, "Who are you talking about?"

Everyone present could see that this person was not a martial cultivator. An ordinary person, interrupting at a time like this?

Wanqi Yu frowned and barked, "Who are you?!"

A natural aura of power radiated from him as he frowned. The youth’s breath hitched under the pressure, but he stared back stubbornly and shouted, "My name is Wu Qi, I am, I am from Taicang City's..."

Before he could finish, his voice was completely suppressed, and he could not utter another word.

The person who had brought him over quickly added, "This is the deputy captain of the West District’s Civilian Self-Defense Force. He and his brother have been leading the civilians, helping the city defense forces along the various streets. You were the one who asked me to bring him to see you, Lord Wanqi!"

Wanqi Yu suddenly realized. He had heard about Wu San and Wu Qi not long ago and had been greatly astonished.

Although ordinary civilians had mixed bloodlines and could not fuse with Ming-Heart Seeds to cultivate, they were, after all, a part of human society. In the past, during such battles, the martial cultivators would fight at the front while the civilians hid at the back. The fact that civilians had taken the initiative to step forward and fight alongside the city defense forces was truly a remarkable story.

If the events in Taicang City could be resolved successfully, this would certainly add a significant entry to Wanqi Yu’s record of merit.

He quickly released his pressure on Wu Qi and said gently, "You have worked hard; you are truly very brave..."

Before he could finish, Wu Qi bowed and asked, "I heard you mention a human martial cultivator who controls a Demon—are you referring to Lord Jiang Feng?"

Wanqi Yu’s face changed slightly, though he maintained a smile. "Oh? You’ve heard of him?"

His smile was somewhat cold, implicitly containing a threat. Had it been any other ordinary person, they would have likely sensed his intent and dared not continue.

But Wu Qi was exceptionally bold. He said loudly, "Yes, my brother and I have both met him; he saved our lives!"

He was articulate and, in no time, recounted everything that had happened. He said, "Lord Jiang saved us, agreed with our ideas, and even taught us what to do. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything!"

As he spoke, Wanqi Yu’s smile vanished. He looked down at him and said with disappointment, "A small favor was enough to buy you off. Young man, let me tell you something: you can judge a person's face, but you cannot judge their heart. You only met Jiang Feng once; how do you know what plans he has in mind?"

Wu Qi retorted, "A small favor? This was a life-saving grace! He didn't just save us two brothers; he helped everyone in that area! We followed his instructions and were able to save even more people. He has saved countless lives; why shouldn't I trust him?"

His voice was clear and his presence imposing. "Otherwise, Lord Wanqi, you tell me: if he weren't genuinely looking out for humanity, why would he waste his time saving us?"

Wanqi Yu said coldly, "Hypocrites perhaps wait for people like you to speak up for them at times like this!"

"Hahahaha!" Wu Qi burst into laughter. He said unceremoniously, "Lord Wanqi, we are just civilians! If it weren't for these extraordinary times, when would we ever have had a say in anything!"

His tone was extremely disrespectful. Wanqi Yu frowned, and Hua Su stepped forward as if nothing had happened, diluting Wanqi Yu’s aura. He asked calmly, "There is so much evidence here, Lord Wanqi—must you still hold Jiang Feng for unfounded reasons?"

Just then, a few more people walked into the pavilion. They asked cautiously, "My lords, are you talking about the treasure artifact master, Jiang Feng?"

Upon hearing the words "treasure artifact master," Gan Fuxing raised his eyes.

These people were wearing tattered armor and were more or less injured; they were just ordinary city defense soldiers from Taicang City.

Gan Fuxing swept his gaze over them and immediately noticed that they all had the same small object hanging from their waists—shaped like an incense burner, with barely visible smoke drifting out from within.

He recognized it instantly; it was something he was most familiar with.

"Treasure artifact? Let me see it?" Everyone had one—this was not the state of a normal treasure artifact. Gan Fuxing’s curiosity was piqued, and he requested to see it.

The soldier carefully untied the incense burner from his waist and handed it to Gan Fuxing.

Gan Fuxing’s eyes first brightened. "This structure is quite interesting." Then, he frowned, saying with disdain, "This is made far too crudely!"

"That is because it was made in a hurry."

A voice suddenly came from outside the pavilion, explaining clearly.

Gan Fuxing shook his head. "Even so, it is too rough; it’s a disgrace to us treasure artifact masters!"

The voice asked, "What if he made seven hundred of them?"

Gan Fuxing paused and looked up at the person.

Fan Gensheng walked into the pavilion and swept his gaze over Wanqi Yu. "In less than ten days, he made seven hundred and fifty repair-grade treasure artifacts. Old Gan, if it were you, what would you have been able to produce?"