Chapter 362: Suppress! Prefect of Yingchuan! Justice of the Court of Judicial Review! An Official of Rank Six! The Grand Undertaking of Slaying a Dragon!

At this time, Li Yanchu’s faint smile stiffened. He was not skilled in water combat. Strictly speaking, he had never fought beneath the water at all. If this Dragon King of the Chu River came ashore, he would not hesitate to meet him saber to saber!

But if the battle was to be in the depths of Chu River... that was a far trickier matter. Fang Qinglan, holding her iron sword with a cold and clear expression, showed no sign of wavering at his words.

“You’ll lead the way ahead. I’ll follow you to the Dragon Palace and see for myself.”

Li Yanchu was both surprised and a little helpless.

You dared to descend into the perils of Fengdu! Now, the depths of the Dragon Palace of Chu River is unknown, its Dragon King’s cultivation unfathomable, and you still dare to go down?

“Shouldn’t we think this over more carefully?” Li Yanchu frowned slightly.

Fang Qinglan shot him a sidelong glance. “We’re only going to take a look. It’s not as if we’re marching in to slay a dragon. What are you so afraid of?”

At this moment, he found himself missing the innkeeper. She was charming, perceptive, full of grace, not one to recklessly seize the spotlight or rush into danger.

“This poor young woman is in such a pitiful state,” he said at last. “We can’t just leave her here alone, to make her own way back to Yingchuan Prefecture.

Better to bring this fish demon back, put him to a thorough interrogation, and tomorrow report all of this to the Prefecture. Then invite the renowned Daoist temples and eminent monks to descend upon the Dragon Palace together. That would be the wiser course!”

As soon as Li Yanchu spoke these words, the young woman in her red bridal gown—still shaken, her soul not yet settled—burst into tears of gratitude!

The Daoist’s reasoning was sound. Moments ago, she had nearly been abandoned here to fend for herself.

Fang Qinglan arched a brow at his words, but did not refute him. Instead, she gave a faint nod of agreement.

The fish demon had thought, seeing Li Yanchu so young, a Daoist who did not carry a sword, but a saber instead, that his first ruthless strike, cutting men down without hesitation, marked him as a vicious and arrogant type.

Surely he was one of those young prodigies, proud beyond measure, who, having just emerged from their caves, believed themselves peerless under heaven, and dismissed all other heroes of the world.

Especially with that cold and severe expression of his, which was clearly the face of one who kills without hesitation.

The fish demon had secretly felt a surge of eagerness. If he lured them to the Dragon Palace, there would be no need for the Dragon King himself to act. The Crown Prince alone could easily crush these reckless mortal cultivators!

But then, he heard what Li Yanchu said. The fish demon’s eyes went wide! This man, whose aura was steeped in killing intent, was actually so steady and cautious!?

Li Yanchu turned his gaze on the fish demon, his expression faintly mocking.

“Since you’re of the riverfolk, why haven’t you tried slipping away into the water?”

The fish demon’s heart gave a violent lurch.

He had thought of it. But all along, he had felt some unseen qi locking onto him, and feared that the instant he moved, he would be cut down where he stood!

The calmer Li Yanchu was, the more terrified he became.

“Immortal, your powers are vast, how would I dare make mischief before you!”

“The Dragon Crown Prince preys on innocent maidens. I too feel fury in my heart, though I dare not speak! Such acts are not fitting for cultivators at all, indeed, they offend Heaven itself!”

“I am willing to return with you, Immortal, and I will conceal nothing! I will aid you in slaying that wicked dragon, and restoring righteousness to these waters!” He spoke with righteous indignation.

Li Yanchu gave a slight nod, though inwardly he sneered. A moment ago, this same fish demon had been lamenting that only one bride had been offered.

Still, he didn’t bother to expose the farce. Instead, he reached into his sleeve and drew out the mysterious brush he had taken after slaying the Night-Wandering God in Fengdu.

Channeling spiritual power into it, he inscribed a single word: Suppress! The seal landed squarely on the fish demon’s forehead. At once, he felt a vast, mysterious force surge through him, sealing away his demonic qi.

Stripped of his powers, he shrank into a pitiful one-chi-long green carp. His scales cracked, his form wretched beyond words.

The young bride in her crimson gown stared in astonishment.

“Could this Daoist master... truly be an immortal!?”

He appeared out of nowhere, and slashed demons with a single strike! And with such unpredictable, ingenious methods. If not an immortal, then what else could he be?!

Li Yanchu stopped Fang Qinglan, deciding not to descend into the Dragon Palace of Chu River that night. Even though he now possessed immortal techniques, she was still that righteous, vengeance-driven, sword-wielding heroine of the

jianghu

. Li Yanchu didn’t want to see her get into trouble.

The two of them brought along the young bride in her crimson gown, as well as Song Heng, the middle-aged man whose legs had been severed and was wailing in pain, and returned to Yingchuan Prefecture!

The city guard commander, seeing three figures emerging from the deep night, froze in place. They were: a cold and composed woman carrying a long sword, a young maiden in a red bridal gown, and a young Daoist with a long saber, holding the legless middle-aged man in one hand and a large green carp in the other.

“Gah!” The commander drew a deep breath, feeling his scalp tingle immediately! Was he seeing a ghost?!

“Who’s there?!” Though the commander had faced large-scale disturbances before, he barked the command sharply. Even the soldiers on the gate felt a chill run down their spines. This scene was far too eerie!

Fang Qinglan furrowed her brows slightly. Li Yanchu, however, remained calm.

“I am Li Yanchu,

Chief

[1]

of the Court of Judicial Review, dispatched to handle this case. Open the city gates immediately!”

He took a waist badge from his bosom, enveloped it in his aura, and tossed it forward.

The commander caught the badge and immediately recognized it, and he was shocked. The Court of Judicial Review was a special institution of the Great Qian Dynasty, equivalent in rank to the Censorate and Ministry of Justice. It dealt specifically with matters of demons and spirits, and it was a name that struck fear into anyone who heard it. The

Chief

of the Court of Judicial Review held a sixth-rank official title.

“Open the gates!” The saber-wielding commander ordered at once, hurrying down to receive them.

Fang Qinglan looked surprised, turning to Li Yanchu to ask softly, “Where did you get that badge?”

Li Yanchu replied quietly, “A friend sent it to me.”

It was actually from Chen Yang, a martial official of the Court of Judicial Review, sent to Li Yanchu for convenience, so he could act freely in the future, unbound by the temple’s authority. In short, it was mostly a formality, a symbolic gesture.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Fang Qinglan nodded, then frowned and said, “Why didn’t you take it out earlier?”

“I forgot,” Li Yanchu replied.

Although the badge was genuine and a special credential, it was mainly meant to intimidate, not a magical artifact. He had never really cared about it. But at certain moments, it was extremely useful.

Whether it was wandering martial artists of the jianghu or Daoists outside the official sects, nothing carried as much authority as a credential from the Court of Judicial Review.

The case was quickly accepted by Yingchuan Prefecture. The Prefect of Yingchuan personally received Li Yanchu and Fang Qinglan, treating them with considerable warmth and trust.

Li Yanchu was somewhat surprised. The Court of Judicial Review was powerful, yes, but a single Chief’s official rank shouldn’t wield this much clout.

“Daoist Li, you are dignified and elegant, your mastery of the Dao is profound. In time, you will surely be honored as a true immortal by the court, with a bright future ahead,” the Prefect said with a smile.

The Court of Judicial Review’s official rank was only ever given to outsiders in one situation: when the person was undeniably exceptional, so powerful that the court could not ignore them. Usually, these were high-level monks and immortals capable of subduing dragons and tigers, or reclusive wandering Daoists. Li Yanchu, of course, was unaware of this precedent.

“You are too kind, sir!” Li Yanchu said, cupping his hands.

The Prefect of Yingchuan was decisive and efficient, leaving no room for delay. He took the Chu River Dragon Palace matter seriously, immediately drafting a report to the imperial court and dispatching it with urgency.

Song Heng was locked in the city’s prison and subjected to strict interrogation. The Prefect also summoned renowned masters from the city’s temples and Daoist sects to assist in the grand dragon-slaying endeavor.

1. A Sizheng was a specialized judicial review official under the Court of Judicial Review during the Ming dynasty. Two were appointed in each of the Left and Right Court of Judicial Review, holding the rank of Zheng Liu Pin (sixth rank, senior grade). Their core responsibility was to review and overturn criminal cases, re-examining cases below exile that had been judged by the Ministry of Justice. Death penalty cases still required the emperor’s approval after review.

As a key component of the Ming dynasty’s three-judicial-office system, the Court of Judicial Review, to which the Sizheng belonged, worked alongside the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate to form a judicial checks-and-balances mechanism: “the Ministry of Justice handles criminal cases, the Censorate supervises, and the Court of Judicial Review reviews and corrects.” ☜