Turns Out I'm the Real Monster?!

Demon-slaying Bureau, Chief’s Seal Room.

The fragrance of tea curled in the air.

Ran Qingshan pushed a classified intelligence report across the desk:

"This is the latest news, and it’s been repeatedly verified. The Old Island Master of Glazed Island, Beitang Batian, has indeed... fallen."

Sitting across from him was none other than Patrol Envoy Ling Ye.

The woman still wore a long, black, form-fitting gown. Its tight tailoring accentuated her stunning figure, but her frosty aura suppressed any hint of allure, leaving only an unapproachable, aloof air.

A thin veil concealed most of her face, revealing only a pair of clear, autumn-water eyes.

She took the report, scanned it carefully, and said flatly,

"In that case, the ’Lesser Son’ Star Position he occupied will soon return to the sea of stars."

Ran Qingshan nodded, his gaze a mixture of hope and apprehension.

"Does General Shangguan... have a chance?"

"It will be difficult."

Ling Ye set the report down, her eyes dimming as she let out a soft sigh.

"Her injuries are even more severe than I anticipated; her foundation is damaged. Forget about competing for the new Star Position. If she can’t recover quickly, I’m afraid she might not even be able to hold on to the one she has now."

Ran Qingshan’s expression froze, then turned grim.

If Shangguan Luoxue were to fall, Hu State would lose its Twelfth Realm Garrison Envoy, and the city would be in real danger.

The Demon Fiends, watching like tigers, would surely make a comeback.

He suddenly recalled the special Cultivation Technique Shangguan Luoxue had secretly given him. His lips moved as if to ask about its progress, but he immediately remembered her strict orders to keep it confidential and swallowed his words.

But on second thought, the woman before him was Shangguan Luoxue’s own mentor; she must already know about it. He chose his words carefully and began,

"General Shangguan previously bestowed upon me a special Cultivation Technique and ordered me to secretly find a suitable person to practice it. If someone could truly master it, perhaps it could help the General recover..."

"Has anyone succeeded?"

Ling Ye looked up, her gaze cool as it fell upon him.

Ran Qingshan opened his mouth, a look of awkwardness and helplessness crossing his face. Ultimately, he just shook his head.

He had, in fact, secretly investigated during this time.

But everyone he asked fell silent.

They either couldn’t understand the technique at all or were left completely clueless after trying. Some even stated outright that its core principles defied common sense, making it impossible to even begin practicing.

The difficulty was clearly beyond human capability.

Ling Ye said flatly,

"It’s impossible for anyone to master it. Pinning our hopes on that is a long shot, so we must find another way.

I have already sent a letter to the central Court. Luoxue is, after all, a Garrison Envoy officially appointed by the Court. If she truly loses her Star Position, it will be a great loss for the Great Qing as well."

"The Court should intervene to help."

Ran Qingshan nodded in agreement, but his tone lacked any real conviction.

Both of them knew it would be very difficult.

Shangguan Luoxue’s Star Position was too high, involving a struggle at the level of the Celestial Dao’s rules.

The Court’s power could rarely interfere directly in the changing of a Star Position at this level. At most, they could provide some support in the form of resources or intelligence.

Whether she could ultimately hold on to it would depend on Shangguan Luoxue herself.

And on the whims of fate.

After a long silence, Ran Qingshan asked a very practical question:

"Lord Ling, if General Shangguan truly loses her Star Position... who do you think the Court will send to take over as the next Garrison Envoy of Hu State?"

Ling Ye stood up and walked to the window.

The afternoon breeze drifted in, gently teasing the few strands of dark hair at her temples that escaped her veil, accentuating her solitary coldness.

"There’s no one."

"No one?" Ran Qingshan was stunned.

"Correct."

Ling Ye gazed at the gray, hazy sky outside the window, her tone calm.

"Hu State is important, but the Great Qing is more important. The realm is in turmoil, with demon plagues rising on all sides. You understand what I mean."

Ran Qingshan thought of the recent rebellion in Yan City and fell silent once more.

The Great Qing of today was like a tattered cotton jacket, full of holes and letting in the wind from every direction.

The Court’s limited top-tier experts were like precious cotton stuffing, needed to patch a hole here and plug a gap there. What spare "material" could possibly be left over just for Hu State?

"The Demon-slaying Bureau is failing to produce a new generation of leaders... Who will be left to carry the banner in the future?"

Ran Qingshan lamented,

"The Court is now being overly tolerant of those martial sects, even making compromises, all to win their support. But this is no long-term solution. It might even be like rearing a tiger that will come back to bite us."

Ling Ye was silent.

When the martial world grows strong, it means the Court has grown weak.

The Divine Sword Sect was the perfect example.

In the past, if they had dared to secretly raise a Demon and openly clash with the Demon-slaying Bureau, they would have been wiped out long ago, their sect gates razed to the ground.

But now?

All that could be done was for each side to take a step back and compromise.

"Strengthening from within is better than seeking help from without. In the end, we have to rely on ourselves. Let’s start by focusing on cultivating our own people."

Ling Ye said, turning around.

Ran Qingshan gave a bitter smile.

"Cultivate them? Since the last invasion of the Mist Demon, I don’t dare to fully trust anyone. Besides, even if we were to cultivate someone, apart from Yan Fenghuo and a few others, who else has enough potential to be worth the full investment?"

"What about Master Jiang?"

Ling Ye suddenly spoke, her tone feigning nonchalance.

Ran Qingshan paused, stroking his chin in thought.

"Master Jiang is certainly unusual. You can’t call him mediocre—his cultivation progress is unnervingly fast. But you can’t quite call him a genius, either. He started too late, and his foundation always feels a bit unstable.

It always feels like his potential has already been overdrawn, that he’s hit his ceiling. I can’t quite figure him out."

Ling Ye considered this for a moment, then nodded lightly.

"He is indeed a rare talent—bold yet meticulous, decisive in killing. If he can be tempered and given time, it’s not impossible for him to become a shield for Hu State.

Of course, we can’t expect him to be the kind of savior who can turn the tide single-handedly.