Evil Bandit and Yin Sha

The Martial Academy.

On the open training ground, Wu Ming held his long spear, sparring with Chen Gui.

Both of their movements were swift. After dozens of exchanges, Chen Gui drew his saber, leaped back, and gasped for breath, waving his hand. "No more, no more! In such an open space, your spear is too unfair."

Wu Ming smiled and lowered his spear, standing straight.

Since he had gradually mastered the Falling Leaf Spear Technique, even for a Proficient martial artist at the First Blood Forging stage, it was difficult to overcome his spear skills. Chen Gui, who could once completely suppress him, now couldn't even break through his defense.

In reality, Wu Ming was holding back while defending with his spear. If he attacked proactively, even with Chen Gui's Proficient saber skills, it would be difficult to withstand his current spear techniques. His spear skills were only a tiny gap away from complete mastery, and with his Microscopic Perception, his moves were even more fluid and skillful than those of ordinary Proficient martial artists.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go for a drink."

Chen Gui pulled Wu Ming along and headed out of the Martial Academy.

Recently, the medicinal tea business at the pharmacy had been booming, with demand exceeding supply. He was very happy about this and often dragged Wu Ming along to eat out and drink at nearby restaurants. When Wu Ming had free time, he would mostly accompany him. On one hand, he was currently working as a guard, and on the other hand, it was a good opportunity to get free meals.

Leaving the Martial Academy, They hadn't walked far when Wu Ming suddenly saw a group of soldiers in official uniforms posting notices on the street.

As he got closer, he saw that the notice was written in scarlet letters, stating that an "Evil Bandit" had appeared in the northern part of the city recently, committing multiple crimes and causing the deaths of dozens of innocent people. They were described as extremely vicious, and the public was warned to be vigilant and avoid going out at night.

"It seems like things haven't been very peaceful in the city lately."

Wu Ming looked at the notice.

Chen Gui's expression remained normal as he calmly said, "There are always evil bandits like this every year. However, after they commit crimes consecutively and are targeted by the Cautious Punishment Division and put on the wanted list, they usually quiet down. Those people from the Cautious Punishment Division are not to be trifled with."

Wu Ming nodded slightly. The Cautious Punishment Division was responsible for the public order of Jingye City, and their status was on par with the Demon Suppression Bureau. Their talent selection was even more rigorous than the Inner Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance, and their position was extremely high. They commanded the City Guard Division, which had at least several thousand men. Once they got serious, they could seal the city gates and conduct a thorough search of the entire city.

It was precisely because of the Cautious Punishment Division's presence that order could still be maintained in this era of abundant martial power, preventing a situation where martial artists acted recklessly and fought everywhere for resources.

After a brief pause, Wu Ming kept the matter of the evil bandit in mind and followed Chen Gui away.

Within the inner city of Jingye City.

A solemn and majestic cluster of bluestone buildings stood.

This was the headquarters of the Cautious Punishment Division, one of the two major bureaus. Since Yong Country revered martial arts, the Cautious Punishment Division, as a purely martial force, also held immense power, responsible for all order within Jingye City, including the governance and management of tens of thousands of martial artists.

In a quiet government office, several zitan wood desks were placed around. Behind one of the desks, a man wearing a dark blue official robe sat cross-legged, reviewing stacks of documents on the table.

Suddenly, A figure walked in from outside.

"Are there any leads on the case in the northern part of the city?"

"Yes, there are some leads, but they are not very helpful. This group likely doesn't belong to any of the forces outside the city, nor are they from the 'Thieves' Guild' within the city. I estimate they are some vicious individuals who have temporarily banded together to rob and plunder. I reckon that after they commit a couple more crimes and obtain enough silver coins, they will likely split the loot and go their separate ways."

"..."

Huang Lin, the head of the Cautious Punishment Division sitting behind the desk, his eyes turned cold. "If they are allowed to go their separate ways, it will be troublesome to track them down later. We must apprehend this group before they fall apart."

As the head of the Cautious Punishment Division, Huang Lin held a position of great power. Generally, only the vicious bandits roaming outside the city would attract his attention. A group composed solely of martial artists at the First or Second Blood Forging stage would not normally catch his eye. However, the viciousness of this group's actions, their wanton slaughter during their raids, and the deaths of dozens of people in a single night had reached his ears.

The deputy head, wearing a light blue official robe, responded and continued, "My Lord, those evil bandits are just nameless rabble. More importantly, how should we deal with the Yin Sha Yin Hour tomorrow night?"

"Yin Sha..."

Huang Lin appeared to be in deep thought.

The universe revolved on yin and yang. Every so often, a special time known as a "Yin Year Yin Month Yin Day" would occur. During this period, the Yin Sha energy would be extremely dense, often giving rise to evil thoughts and ghostly spirits.

However, these things could not last long. Generally, they would naturally dissipate after the crowing of the rooster.

"Should we notify the entire city and order all households to stay indoors?"

The deputy head pondered and asked.

Huang Lin shook his head. "No, we shouldn't cause panic in the city. A little Yin Sha won't cause much damage. If we announce it, everyone will be terrified at night, and if it causes widespread chaos, it's more likely to give the malevolent ghosts an opportunity."

When the Yin Sha energy was dense, some ghosts that wouldn't normally appear would emerge and wander around. But in reality, those ghosts had no killing power against people. As long as one's spirit was upright and they were not afraid, even a non-Blood Forging martial artist could make ghosts retreat with a shout. If the entire city was notified and people became fearful, it might actually boost their power.

"Demons and monsters are not to be feared. However, a few months ago, our division, in conjunction with the Black Fiend Sect and the Profound Jade Sect, dealt with an Yin Sha evil spirit. That evil spirit disintegrated and scattered into Evil Sha Demonic Qi. Although we eliminated ninety-nine percent of it at the time, a small portion still fled in all directions and hid deep underground. I am only worried that this residual Evil Sha Demonic Qi will take this opportunity to resurface and cause trouble again."

The deputy head said with a solemn and grave expression.

Huang Lin heard this and his eyes showed contemplation. "Evil Sha Demonic Qi is indeed troublesome. Ordinary yin souls and ghosts cannot approach Blood Forging martial artists, but this Evil Sha Demonic Qi is essentially between solid and void, yet it can invade a martial artist's body. Once it enters the body, it can devour the soul and drain the blood energy, turning it into nourishment..."

"However, there's no need to worry too much about this. We already destroyed its core consciousness that day. These scattered remnants of demonic thoughts cannot amount to much. Well, to prevent any accidents, we can contact the Demon Suppression Bureau. Tomorrow night, our two bureaus will join forces to patrol the city strictly. As long as the most Yin hour passes, everything will be fine."

After hearing Huang Lin's words, the deputy head nodded.

"My Lord's words are wise. I will go to the Demon Suppression Bureau immediately to inform them of the matter."