Chapter 231: Worlds Apart

Earlier in the afternoon, Zhou Zhongtian had already led Gu Ning’an to settle at an inn located at the end of the alley.

The inn was somewhat old, but at least it was clean. Aside from the rooms being a bit small and the location rather secluded, there wasn’t much else to complain about.

As a free temporary lodging, Gu Ning’an was satisfied with it. After all, he had endured far worse conditions, so a slightly rundown inn was nothing to fuss over.

However, Zhou Zhongtian and the others had entered the inn with sullen expressions, as if someone owed them money.

At first, Gu Ning’an didn’t quite understand their frustration, but after seeing the Golden Guard’s accommodations, he realized the real reason for their displeasure. It wasn’t just about the conditions—it was the blatant discrimination rather than the quality of lodging that upset them.

The costs for accommodations and meals had already been covered in advance by the local county office. Logically, to facilitate communication between the Golden Guard and others, everyone should have been housed together.

But since the Golden Guard looked down on the External Agents, they deliberately separated them.

Inside the dimly lit inn’s main hall, a few flickering oil lamps swayed in the wind. Under this poor lighting, the two tables of Group A and Group B could barely make out what was on their plates.

Each person was given two steamed buns, a bowl of egg-drop soup with barely any egg, a small plate of vegetables, and a piece of braised pork with more fat than lean meat.

By the end of the meal, aside from Gu Ning’an, the others ate without enthusiasm, their faces showing clear discontent.

It wasn’t that they were being picky—it was simply that after attending an inexplicable meeting where they watched others feast on delicacies, only to return to their own meager meal, the stark contrast naturally dampened their appetite.

“These bastards! They even have to treat us differently over just a month of accommodations and meals!”

“I don’t get it—every damn time someone rushes in to fight for their lives, it’s always us External Agents!”

Zhou Zhongtian’s grumbling caught the attention of the others.

At the Group A table sat a woman in her thirties, named Feng Wei. She was lean and was said to be highly skilled with a whip.

She reached over, patted Zhou Zhongtian’s hand, and lowered her voice. “Alright, alright! When are you going to learn to hold back? Haven’t you been given enough trouble for speaking out already?”

Zhou Zhongtian sighed and muttered in a quieter voice, “Ugh, once I save up enough money, I’m quitting this job… At this rate, I’ll die of frustration before a demon even gets me.”

“Just say less,” Feng Wei murmured.

Hearing this, Zhou Zhongtian nodded and fell silent.

At that moment, Agent Ma, the leader of Group B’s External Agents, walked over and patted Zhou Zhongtian’s shoulder with a smile.

“Young man, it’s normal to have some fire in you… How about we take the night patrol shift instead? Doesn’t really matter who goes first—either way, we all have to do it.”

Zhou Zhongtian shook his head and got up. “Nah, thanks for the offer, Brother Ma… You guys have been traveling too. You should head upstairs and rest early.”

Then, turning to his group, he said, “We’re all done eating, right? If so, let’s get moving and start our patrol. Don’t give those high-and-mighty bastards any excuse to pick on us.”

Before leaving the inn, Zhou Zhongtian fetched a standard-issue long blade for Gu Ning’an. Though plain-looking, it had been blessed with jade incense and could at least be considered a basic demon-slaying weapon.

With preparations complete, their group of five began their patrol from Dongjia Village, where they were stationed.

By the time the hour of the Dog arrived (7-9 PM), the streets were eerily quiet, though many homes still had their lanterns lit.

As they passed by a temple, Zhou Zhongtian suddenly halted, staring intently at it.

Following his gaze, they saw a stone temple called the Universal Temple. The temple had a flat roof and, even in the late night, was illuminated by a faint, flickering light.

“Have any of you heard of this Universal Temple before?” Zhou Zhongtian asked.

“When did this temple even pop up?”

Feng Wei shook her head. “Never heard of it. But in Great Wu, people live tough lives. New temples are built all the time, and their names are always odd.”

“They usually run out of incense offerings within a short time. Probably not worth worrying about, right?”

Zhou Zhongtian nodded. “Yeah, it’s probably nothing. As long as the people willingly offer incense and no strange occurrences happen, there’s no need to interfere.”

Hearing this, Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Zhou, does Great Wu’s government really turn a blind eye to unregistered temples?”

“If any of them turn out to be evil cult temples, wouldn’t that endanger the common folk?”

Zhou Zhongtian chuckled. “Mr. Gu, you might not know this, but in Great Wu, there are already enough demons and monsters to deal with. Those who establish temples usually understand the balance—they rely on incense offerings and, in return, they offer some protection to the people.”

“So, unless a temple causes serious disturbances or crosses a line, the authorities don’t interfere.”

“Some officials even secretly visit these unknown temples to offer prayers themselves.”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Why don’t we go inside the temple and take a look?”

“Sure! If Mr. Gu is interested, we might as well take a look. We’ve got plenty of time anyway.”

With that, the five of them quickly made their way toward the Universal Temple.

Like the other temples of its kind, this one was simple and unadorned. Aside from the stone statue representing the Universal Immortal, the only things present were an altar table, prayer mats, and other common temple furnishings.

As they stepped inside, they noticed that despite the late hour, someone was still here burning incense and offering prayers.

The person was a plainly dressed woman, murmuring something that the group couldn’t quite make out. However, they could hear a faint sobbing mixed in with her prayers.

Zhou Zhongtian shot a glance at Feng Wei, who immediately understood. She took a few steps forward and softly asked, “Big sister, have you encountered some trouble?”

The woman was so startled by the unexpected voice behind her that she nearly knocked over the altar table.

Feng Wei reacted quickly, catching her just in time. “Don’t be afraid,” she reassured gently. “We’re with the Golden Guard. If you’ve run into any trouble, you can tell us, and we’ll see if we can help.”

“The Golden Guard?” The woman hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Oh, I remember now. You’re the officials who specialize in exorcising demons.”

Feng Wei nodded. “That’s right. Have you encountered a demon?”

Tears streamed down the woman’s face as she cried out, “Not me—it’s my daughter! She was taken by a black bear demon!”

A black bear demon?

The group’s expressions turned serious. They hadn’t expected to come across a lead on a demon so soon after starting their patrol.

And from the woman’s words, it was clear that the black bear demon had already begun preying on people!

Zhou Zhongtian quickly stepped forward, his tone grave. “Where is the black bear demon? How big is it? When did you see it? Did anyone else witness it?”

“I… I…” Faced with the barrage of questions, the woman stammered, unable to decide which to answer first.

“Step aside. Let me handle this.”

Feng Wei shot Zhou Zhongtian a glare before gently rubbing the woman’s back. “Big sister, don’t worry. Just tell us everything from the beginning, and we’ll help you find your daughter, alright?”

“Yes…” The woman nodded. “But first, I need to place the incense for the Universal Immortal.”