In the wilderness beneath the night sky, a few faint blue flames rose, illuminating the surroundings. After dealing with the evil spirits on the road, the white-clad swordsmen began to clean up the battlefield, finishing off the remaining evil spirits.

"Check again to make sure they've all been killed."

"Yes, Captain."

The leading man in white wiped the blood off the blade, then took out a piece of cloth and wiped it carefully. He had a pale complexion and looked a little thin. He was probably around 20-30 years old.

These hybrids of the Youchi clan and the dynasty's subjects have a blend of characteristics from both sides. They are neither as pale as the Youchi clan, nor as warm and bloody as ordinary people.

Although no one on the White-Cloaked Swordsman's side died in this battle, two of their companions were injured and it will probably take several months for them to recover.

A few minutes later, after they had finished their inspection, they helped their injured companions back to the border of the dynasty. They had to report on their encounter and also report on their battle results, which was the reason for their existence.

Late at night, in a fortress on the border.

The fire pots in the camp were burning with crackling flames, emitting a slight smell of tar. Soldiers wearing brown and yellow scale armor were patrolling the city walls. Compared to the undefended outside world, this place was much safer.

In a courtyard of the fortress, several wounded soldiers were being treated by military doctors. They first undressed and washed the injured areas. Then, the doctors cleaned the blood clots, straightened the bones, and used a variety of methods to accelerate healing. Finally, they applied herbal remedies and bandaged the wounds.

A hiss of pain was heard in the yard, and then several people started teasing each other again. It seemed that they were already accustomed to this kind of life.

In another house not far away, the man leading the team was reporting the situation.

"...We stopped this group of evil spirits and started fighting with them..."

"Very good. I will send someone to check the road and bury the bodies."

An old man with a graying beard sat behind a wooden table, on which lay various documents, pages of paper, and writing materials. He was a lieutenant on the border, specializing in dealing with these invading monsters and evil spirits.

After the two men finished their business talk, the man in white talked about his feelings during this period.

"Nowadays, more and more demons are running out of Yanluo Mountain, and their number is several times more than usual. If this continues, I'm afraid there will be heavy casualties." He frowned.

"Yin Chen, I know what you are thinking, but I have already reported it to my superiors." The old man stroked his beard.

"But sir, it's been so long, why is there still no action in the continent?" the man named Yin Chen asked.

"I'm not sure about that. Maybe the higher-ups are also hesitating." The old man looked outside, then called Yin Chen over and said in a low voice.

"I heard the governor has suppressed all these matters."

"why is that?"

"Why? Maybe the governor doesn't want to get involved in this mess in the Sunset Mountains." The old man picked up the cold tea beside him and moistened his throat.

"It is said that the current governor was transferred here because he had a conflict with other powerful officials in the court. Many people are currently looking for something to use against him."

"Shouldn't this be more prudent?" The man in white was puzzled.

"You don't understand what the court is thinking." The old man shook his head. Although he was not a high-ranking official, he did clerical work in the army and was much more informed about the court news than ordinary people.

"You think the death of someone close to you is a big deal. But for the court, people die every day everywhere in the world. It's not a strange thing."

"Besides, this isn't even considered the core area of ​​Xiyouzhou. The population is small to begin with. It's perfectly normal for border residents to be attacked and killed by monsters occasionally. No one can use such a thing to impeach the governor."

"But if this continues, those Youchi clan in Yanluo Mountain..." After all, the man in white has half Youchi blood, so he can't just sit back and watch.

"I know the bloodline in your body, but Yinchen, I have watched you grow up, so I still hope that you will find a girl from the dynasty and start a family in the mainland, and stop thinking about the Youchi clan." The old man shook his head.

"Anyway, you grew up in this territory and haven't received any favors from the Youchi Clan. Instead, you've suffered a lot because of your bloodline. Why should you care so much about the plight of those outsiders?"

"Those members of the Youchi clan are descendants of criminals, not subjects of the dynasty. The court will not care about their lives. Moreover, the major sects in the surrounding continents still have many records from those years and have no good feelings towards the Youchi clan, so they will not send anyone here."

"Is that so? Alas..." The man in white sighed, as if he felt that he was a little too idealistic.

"What will happen if we continue like this?"

"I don't know either, but according to this trend, even if the demons in the Sunset Mountains completely erupt, it will be more than ten years later. It will be a question whether I will still be alive by then, haha." The old man was open-minded. After all, he had no descendants and was alone with nothing to worry about.

"Now, no matter how serious the situation is, it's still an internal matter within the Sunset Mountains. By the way, now that you mention it, I understand why the Black Leopard Cavalry are so permissive of those rumors."

"What rumors?" the man asked.

"It's about some recent haunted things, like travelers from a certain place encountering all sorts of strange and scary things on the road."

"A lot of people have been talking about this recently, so many merchants haven't come to this border area. Without merchants to settle down, some local residents have also moved inland."

"This will satisfy the governor's wishes and significantly reduce the number of dynasty citizens on the border. Even if there is a disturbance later, not many people will die."

"What about later?"

"And later? Although this lord is currently dormant, he will probably return to Luojing in a few years. After that, it will be the business of the next person in charge. What does it have to do with him?"

"But why didn't he just issue a notice directly? Wouldn't it be very troublesome if he had to use such means?"

"Haha, Yinchen, you don't understand the rules of officialdom."

"If he had issued a notice directly, wouldn't that have indicated he knew the truth and seriousness of the matter? And if he knew nothing about it, wouldn't that have given him something to hold against him?"

"But if we really want to do this, it's not easy."

"The dragon veins and caves in the Ximu Mountains are in disorder. Even Chi Feng couldn't solve it back then. Even if the demons can be eliminated, it can only be a temporary solution. He might be trapped in this remote Xiyouzhou for the rest of his life. With that adult's ambition, how could he be willing to stay here and waste his prime years?" The old man shook his head.

"So, it's better to pretend he doesn't know. Even if something goes wrong, he can say he's focused on the livelihoods of the people on the continent and has no time to worry about the borders and foreign lands. Strictly speaking, the events in the Sunset Mountains are indeed not within his purview."

Although he had never personally questioned the governor, the old man had guessed about it based on his experience in officialdom.