Chapter Eighteen: The Prototype of the Shadow Guard
Sitting at the highest point of the throne, Shang Jiuya lowered her eyelids. It was a success! It even exceeded her expectations!
Ao Li and Guan Shanyue's attention was now firmly tied to each other, their anger was completely ignited, and they were even willing to completely break off relations in front of the Elders' Council and the Daqing Hall.
Their forces are consuming and restraining each other. In the short term, it's likely that no one will have the capacity to pay much attention to her as a "puppet." The conspiracy of You Chi and others to depose the emperor will inevitably be disrupted by this sudden and intense infighting over the successor, forcing them to temporarily slow down and reassess the situation.
However, Shang Jiuya knew all too well that this peace, gained through sowing discord, was incredibly fragile and could collapse at any moment due to a sudden compromise between the two sides or strong external intervention. She couldn't place her hopes for survival entirely on the enemy's internal strife. Rong Jiang's experience had taught her that in dire straits, one must possess a force of one's own.
“Li Yue,” Shang Jiuya said calmly during a private meeting in the inner palace, “we can no longer rely solely on information and instigation. We need eyes that can actively spy, hands that can act silently, and a dagger that can be used when necessary.”
Upon hearing this, Li Yue's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light, "Please give your instructions, Your Excellency!"
"I want you to secretly assemble a small team." Shang Jiuya said clearly, "The number of people should be of high quality, not many. The primary condition is absolute loyalty, and the second is ability. Their backgrounds must be clean, preferably those who are not deeply involved with the major powers, or even those who have also been ostracized and suppressed, and who harbor resentment and a fighting spirit. Can you find such people from your old subordinates, or from the disgruntled guards you have observed?"
Without hesitation, Li Yue immediately named several people: "Yes. Shi Gu, you know him, he's upright and honest, and was once suppressed for refusing to compromise his principles. There's also You'ao, who was once a skilled border guard, but was demoted to guard the abandoned palace after offending his superior. He's very capable, but harbors a lot of resentment. There are also two or three others, all capable but without connections, marginalized individuals. I've been observing them for a long time, and their character is acceptable."
“Alright.” Shang Jiuya nodded. “Make contact with them and test their intentions. They don’t need to declare their loyalty to me. Just ask them if they are willing to be forever trapped in this world, and if they are willing to risk their lives for a chance to change their own situation or even the state of the Demon Realm. If they are willing, bring them to see me.”
Li Yue acted swiftly and decisively. In just two days, he led four sharp-looking demons through an extremely secret passage in the dead of night to a long-forgotten secret chamber deep beneath the Purple Light Palace.
The air here was thick and murky, and the only source of light was a dim magic crystal lamp brought by Li Yue. Shang Jiuya was wrapped in an inconspicuous black cloak, which concealed her face, revealing only a pair of eyes that shone exceptionally brightly in the darkness.
She calmly looked at the four uneasy demons and her first words were: "What Li Yue told you is all true. There is a chance, but it comes with a near-death experience. It's not too late to back out now. I guarantee that no one will know what happened tonight."
Shi Gu and the other three looked at each other. Finally, Shi Gu took the first step and said, "Your subordinate... is not willing! I am willing to follow Captain Li and fight for a better future!" The other three also gritted their teeth and expressed their opinions.
“Very good.” Shang Jiuya nodded. “From this day forward, you will have no names, only code names. Your existence is the deepest secret of the Demon Palace. Your mission is to become shadows, to see, hear, and do things that I cannot do openly. Your first and eternal rule is: absolute obedience to Li Yue’s orders, and absolute secrecy.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over the four: "If you succeed, you will no longer be dust to be trampled on; if you fail, your remains will be lost, and I will be unable to vindicate you. Now, tell me your choice."
"I am willing to fight to the death!"
Thus, the "Shadow Guard" was born. Although at this moment, it only consisted of four people plus Li Yue.
In the days that followed, this abandoned chamber became their secret purgatory. Li Yue was in charge of training them in demonic combat skills such as stealth, tracking, assassination, and reconnaissance, with extremely strict, almost cruel, requirements. Meanwhile, Shang Jiuya would occasionally offer some "concepts" that surprised even Li Yue but were incredibly practical.
"The faster the operation, the better. We need to calculate the gaps between patrols and take advantage of blind spots in light and sound."
"Disguise is not about physical resemblance, but about capturing the essence; it's about mimicking the target's behavior and aura."
“Group operations require a clear division of labor: reconnaissance, cover, action, and withdrawal, each performing their duties as one’s own arm.”
"Sometimes, intelligence gathering doesn't even require taking action; a single image-recording magic crystal is far more effective than a thousand words."
She subtly instilled in them some core concepts of modern special operations and espionage. Li Yue was a perfect executor and transformer; he could quickly understand Shang Jiuya's intentions and combine them with the actual situation in the Demon Realm and the abilities of the Demon Clan to design more effective training programs.
However, even the most skilled cook can't cook without ingredients. The Shadow Guards need equipment, magical artifacts better suited for stealth and reconnaissance, healing potions, and disguise tools. These are things that Shang Jiuya currently lacks the ability to acquire.
At that moment, she thought of that still faint thread—Seventh Elder Qingcheng.
Shang Jiuya had Bai Yu pass on a seemingly insignificant "technical problem" to Qingcheng through that extremely secretive channel: "I've heard that 'Shadow Spider Silk' is excellent for weaving stealth cloaks, but its enchantment requires stable 'Ghost Soul Dust,' otherwise the magic power will easily dissipate, increasing consumption unnecessarily, which is a pity."
Shadow Spider Silk and Ghost Dust are both materials used to craft stealth equipment.
This time, the response came even faster.
A few days later, at that remote waste dump, Li Yue's men "accidentally" discovered another abandoned, damaged toolbox. Inside were several pieces of practical equipment that were neither new nor old, but in excellent condition: two cloaks with concealment runes, several smoke bombs with a weak effect but enough to interfere with low-level detection magic artifacts, a small bottle of highly effective hemostatic powder, and even two short and powerful daggers.
These pieces of equipment are of ordinary design and have no markings, making it impossible to trace their origin.
Qingcheng responded once again in this way.
With the equipment in hand, the Shadow Guard's prototype finally had its fangs. Shang Jiuya decided that a real combat exercise was necessary to test the training results and obtain tangible value.
The target was chosen to be the entrance to a main mine shaft in the obsidian mine that Ao Li and Guan Shanyue were fiercely fighting over. The area was heavily guarded by both sides, held high intelligence value, and had a complex environment, making it easy to hide and create chaos.
Mission Objectives: First, to record as clearly as possible the guard deployment, shift change patterns, and defensive fortifications at the mine entrance (using the image-recording magic crystal). Second, while ensuring your own absolute safety, to incite a misunderstanding between the two patrol teams and escalate the conflict further.
Li Yue personally led the team, with Shi Gu and three other shadow guards all on the move. This was their first mission, filled with a mix of tension and excitement.
Using the cover of night and the complex terrain, this small group blended into the darkness. Like ghosts, they avoided both visible and hidden sentry posts. Li Yue, employing the modern observation techniques taught by Shang Jiuya, combined with the demons' unique affinity for shadows, precisely recorded everything. Then, at a carefully calculated moment, one of the shadow guards used a slingshot to launch a sharp-edged ordinary pebble, accurately striking the helmet of one of Ao Lifang's sentries.
The sentry cried out in pain, instinctively drawing his sword and looking in the direction of the attack—precisely the area where Guan Shanyue's patrol was about to pass. Almost simultaneously, another shadow guard, from another direction, mimicked the accent of one of Guan Shanyue's officers, and uttered a short, cursing curse about Ao Li.
The sudden attack and insults instantly ignited their already tense nerves. Ao Li's sentries immediately raised the alarm, and the patrol rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Guan Shanyue's patrol also arrived at the same time, and the two sides met abruptly in the darkness, each assuming that the other had launched the attack first.
A chaotic battle broke out suddenly, and the sounds of clashing swords, roars, and screams shattered the silence of the mining area.
The shadow guards who orchestrated all of this had already quietly withdrawn under Li Yue's command, leaving no trace.
Several days later, in the secret chamber of the Purple Light Palace.
Li Yue presented Shang Jiuya with a magic crystal that recorded detailed images of the mine's defenses, and reported the entire mission process and the "results" of the mine's chaos.
As Shang Jiuya looked at the clear image in the magic crystal and listened to Li Yue's calm narration, an indescribable excitement welled up in her heart.
She looked at Li Yue and the four shadow guards behind him, whose eyes shone brightly despite their exhaustion, and solemnly said, "You have done very well! Even better than I imagined! From today onwards, your magic crystal quota will be doubled, and I will do my best to secure cultivation resources for you. Remember, you are the sharpest blade in my hand, and my deepest reliance. Remain secretive, and become stronger!"
"We swear to serve Your Majesty to the death!" Including Li Yue, the five knelt on one knee, their voices low yet full of power.
Looking at this nascent force, Shang Jiuya knew that she was no longer a puppet who could only struggle to survive by relying entirely on schemes and luck.
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