The stone cave was dark, the palace desolate.

After Mo Chuan spoke, no one replied.

When footsteps sounded, they were clearly audible, especially distinct in the dark cave.

Numerous Silver State Guards immediately became alert, drawing their weapons from their waists.

The sound of clashing metal echoed endlessly.

At the end of everyone's gaze, Qin An approached slowly, a black blade hanging at his waist.

On Qin An's shoulder was slung a girl, who was already unconscious.

Seeing Qin An, Yang Quanfeng stood up and said, "Qin An, where did you go?"

Only then did the numerous Silver State Guards react, looking at Qin An with surprised gazes.

Was this the protagonist of the earlier argument?

Though he appeared handsome at a glance, there seemed to be nothing special at first glance.

Cheng Sufeng and Ye Lengshuang quickly approached Qin An.

Seeing the girl in Qin An's hand, Ye Lengshuang couldn't hide her excitement: "Little sister!"

Her eyes towards Qin An carried a hint of gratitude.

At first, they had found Qin An when there was no way out, without much hope in their hearts.

Especially after the Tree Spirit abducted Ye Lengyu, Ye Lengshuang had already despaired.

But she never expected Qin An to actually rescue Ye Lengyu.

Qin An put down Ye Lengyu and said indifferently, "The trade is complete."

In his view, the two were just a transaction.

He took Ye Lengshuang's family cultivation technique, so naturally, he had to complete the transaction.

Ye Lengshuang wanted to say something, but knowing the moment that just happened was not the time to talk, she hurriedly masked her excitement and checked Ye Lengyu's injuries.

Ye Lengyu was still unconscious, showing no signs of waking, but upon careful examination, she was not in a life-threatening state.

Cheng Sufeng succinctly explained the previous matter, whispering to Qin An to be careful.

Qin An nodded.

He also didn't expect the situation to escalate to such a degree.

However, the problem was not significant, just a minor issue.

Mo Chuan had already turned his gaze to Qin An when he arrived.

After the few had finished exchanging, Mo Chuan waved his sleeve and said.

"Take him down!"

Many Silver State Guards received the order and surrounded Qin An.

Qin An raised an eyebrow and said, "Why take me down?"

Mo Chuan sneered, "Leaving the stone cave without permission, deserting in battle, detain in the cell, after the investigation, execute by the end of autumn."

Since the main character had arrived, Mo Chuan naturally wouldn't let Qin An off.

This person even made two Gold State Guards oppose him, but unfortunately, he would soon die.

Yang Quanfeng slightly frowned, "Mo Chuan..."

He was about to articulate the rest of his words.

Qin An was his subordinate and someone he valued greatly.

At first, he only saw that Qin An had good talent and wasn't afraid of death, suitable for the Evil Extermination Bureau's line of work.

As time went on, Yang Quanfeng grew fond of Qin An.

Since Qin An had returned, he had to think of some way to save Qin An.

Qin An interrupted, "Mr. Yang, no need to say more."

Yang Quanfeng was interrupted by Qin An, slightly frowning.

Wan Ziqing said with a cold look: "Qin An, don't speak."

Though she had little interaction with Qin An, she understood his nature, hence she told him not to speak.

Qin An shook his head, raising his hand to throw out a withered tree stump: "Mr. Mo, look at this object."

The stump traced a trajectory and landed on the ground, rolling several times before it stopped.

Just now, everyone's attention was on Qin An, and they didn't notice the stump.

Once the stump stopped, everyone felt the evil qi emanating from it.

Although the evil qi had dissipated a little, it was still as terrifying as an ocean.

Mo Chuan was slightly startled, narrowing his eyes and said, "Tree Spirit?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire place was shocked.

Voices of discussion suddenly rose.

"Is this the Tree Spirit's corpse?"

"That's right, that aura definitely isn't fake."

"You mean to say that this Silver State Guard named Qin An killed the Tree Spirit?"

"Impossible, even though the Tree Spirit was badly injured, it wasn't something an ordinary Jade Bone Realm could handle."

"At least ten with Jade Bone Realm Perfection are needed to surround and kill it."

The discussions started small then grew louder, echoing throughout the stone cave.

Mo Chuan's face was icy as he shouted, "Silence!"

The discussions abruptly ceased, yet the gaze of many Silver State Guards still rested on Qin An, not hiding their shock.

Mo Chuan's gaze shifted to Qin An, sneering, "You claim you killed the Tree Spirit alone?"

Qin An said nothing, brushing over his black blade.

Mo Chuan continued, "Even though the Tree Spirit's power has greatly waned, it would still require at least ten with Jade Bone Realm Perfection to take it down, and you, being merely at Jade Bone Realm Great Success, how could you singlehandedly kill the Tree Spirit?"

Qin An remained silent.

Mo Chuan took a step forward: "Answer me!"

Qin An raised his eyes and said, "Idiot."

Mo Chuan was stunned.

Many Silver State Guards were also stunned.

Cheng Sufeng tugged at Qin An's sleeve, whispering, "Big brother, keep a low profile."

He knew Qin An's nature but never expected him to scold a Gold State Guard as an idiot, it was somewhat frightening.

Mo Chuan snapped back to reality, angrily saying, "How dare a mere Silver State Guard scold me!"

Qin An said coolly, "The corpse is here, the evidence is solid, why do you talk nonsense?"

"I possess secret techniques, do I really need to display them publicly?"

"If you're not a fool, who is?"

"I've accomplished the feat of slaying the Tree Lord. At most, it's just a misdemeanor of leaving my post without permission. In front of so many colleagues, how can you make them lose heart?"

"Today, here I stand. What will you do?"

Every sentence was a confrontation point for point.

Though the words were light, they revealed a chilling intent.

Mo Chuan was already fuming with rage, "Today, I'll first capture you, you insolent brat!"

Being a commander in Jinzhou, Mo Chuan held a prestigious position in Lingzhou. Even if he made a mistake, how could Qin An dare to speak to him like this?

Speaking to him in this manner in front of hundreds of Yinzhou officers left him at an impasse.

Qin An stood with knife in hand, a trace of a cold smile at the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, a giant hammer blocked the way between them.

With a tone as cold as ice, Yang Quanfeng said, "Mo Chuan, dare you bully the small with your power? If I don't act today, do you think my iron hammer is just for show?"

Mo Chuan halted, his sharp gaze fixed on Yang Quanfeng, "You want to protect the cub?"

Wan Ziqing stepped forward to stand beside Yang Quanfeng, "The Evil Extermination Bureau does not care about the process, only the result. Today, Qin An slayed the Tree Lord, which is a great merit."

"At most, it's just a leave of duty without permission. You're making a mountain out of a molehill, living all those years for nothing."

Two Jinzhou officers stood in front of Mo Chuan, making him feel the terrifying pressure, with a cold sweat on his forehead.

At this moment, his anger slightly subsided, realizing that Wan Ziqing was speaking the truth.

However, it was a public embarrassment he couldn't easily let go of.

Ou Yunlong stepped in slowly, "Forget it, you're all colleagues, why fight so hard?"

"Let's put this matter to rest, and consider it as Qin An's merit, but also mark him with a leave of duty offense."

Upon hearing this, Mo Chuan snorted coldly, flung his sleeves, and stood aside.

With someone smoothing over the situation, he naturally followed suit, though his gaze towards Qin An remained icy.

Yang Quanfeng retracted his hammer, "Qin An, you did well. As long as you are in the Evil Extermination Bureau, I am your backing. Even if the Chief of the State returns, you are still in the right."

Qin An cupped his fists, "Many thanks, Mr. Yang."

The matter was settled, with no further issues.

Yet many Yinzhou officers gazed at Qin An with envy.

There are many Yinzhou officers under a Jinzhou commander, and being a Jinzhou commander, it's impossible to attend to everything.

Having a Jinzhou commander value and support him, Qin An's status in the Evil Extermination Bureau was rapidly elevated.

Wan Ziqing flicked her sleeves, "What are you staring at? Clean the battlefield and return to the city quickly."

The Tree Lord was dead, the Tiger Race's secret cache had been broken.

Although the items inside had long been taken by the Demon Hall, annihilating three forces was greatly beneficial to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

Soon, a part of the Yinzhou officers cleaned up the battlefield.

Only when the battlefield was cleared did everyone head towards the Evil Extermination Bureau.

...

The Evil Extermination Bureau.

Night had fallen by this time.

The sky was like a curtain, stars twinkling.

Under the leadership of four Jinzhou commanders, the many Yinzhou officers returned to the Evil Extermination Bureau.

As for the Tongzhou commander and state officials, they remained in the mountains to wrap up the ensuing matters.

Mo Chuan's face was sullen all the way, and after returning to the Evil Extermination Bureau, he cast a cold glance at Qin An and left the courtyard gloomily.

Qin An watched Mo Chuan's back without saying a word.

Today's events, had he not contested, he would likely have been blamed.

Even if cleared afterwards, it would have wasted much time.

As for offending a Jinzhou commander, Qin An was indifferent.

He was not under Mo Chuan's command, and Yang Quanfeng was his backing; Mo Chuan couldn't do anything to him.

These days, it's foolish not to use one's connections.

Wan Ziqing and Ou Yunlong quietly left.

Before leaving, Wan Ziqing left a message,

"Yang Quanfeng, remember what I told you, some people you can't protect, they belong elsewhere."

Yang Quanfeng's expression was complicated. He patted Qin An's shoulder, "This matter is complicated, and it will probably take another day for the merits to be tallied. You've been through a lot chasing the Tree Lord, rest tonight. Come find me tomorrow, I have some things to discuss with you."

Qin An nodded, knowing it was about the opportunity Wan Ziqing mentioned, said no more, cupped his fists, and left the courtyard for his room.

Cheng Sufeng watched Qin An's back, "Mr. Yang, where is he going to..."

Yang Quanfeng glanced at Cheng Sufeng, "Don't speak nonsense."

Cheng Sufeng nodded immediately, shutting his mouth tightly.

Yang Quanfeng continued, "If you can reach Jade Bone Realm Perfection, you can try this opportunity too. Work hard to enhance your cultivation."

Cheng Sufeng cupped his fists, "This humble subordinate will not fail Mr. Yang's expectations."

Yang Quanfeng said nothing more and left with a flick of his sleeve.

...

The next day.

Sunlight streamed through the window. Qin An changed into clean black clothes, a black knife hanging at his waist, and stepped outside.

Walking a straight path, he arrived at Yang Quanfeng's residence, where Yang was already seated in the courtyard, sipping fine wine from a jug.

"Sit."

Yang Quanfeng gestured to the seat beside him, his tone carrying a hint of melancholy.

He hadn't slept the whole night, repeatedly pondering Wan Ziqing's words.

Ultimately, he decided to let go, allowing Qin An to gain what he deserved.

Qin An nodded, placed his hand on his black knife, and sat down, asking, "Mr. Yang, why have you called me here today?"

Though he guessed it was about the forthcoming opportunity, Qin An followed the protocol and asked first.

Yang Quanfeng put down the jug, wiped the wine from the corner of his mouth, "Two matters."

"Firstly, break through to Jade Bone Realm Perfection as soon as possible and seize the opportunity."

"As for what the opportunity is, have you ever heard of the Patrol Commander?"

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