Corpse on the Mountain Road

How can we find demons and monsters if the County Yamen's cases don't involve them?

With a path dependency already established, Shen Lin couldn't be bothered to think too much and simply chose to throw the problem to Sun Zhi.

He didn't believe that the only demonic creatures Sun Zhi knew were the Mantis Demon and the White Fox family.

Sun Zhi said with a bitter face: "Master Shen, you blamed me for what happened with the Bai family last time. Now all those demons and monsters have gotten the news, how could any of them possibly cooperate with me anymore?"

But facing his complaints, Shen Lin remained unmoved and said softly, "There will always be some stubborn demons and monsters. Give it a try!"

What kind of stubborn demons and monsters would contact me at a time like this?

First the Mantis Demon, then the Bai family's fox demons. Any demon with a bit of brains could see the problem.

But no matter how distressed Sun Zhi was, when he saw Shen Lin's cold eyes, he swallowed his words and agreed to try first.

After seeing Sun Zhi off, Shen Lin put away the rewards he had exchanged and was about to head home to deduce when a yamen runner ran in.

"Master Shen! Steward Qian needs to see you urgently."

Shen Lin was a little confused. He had just returned from Steward Qian's place. What could have happened now?

He tucked the Meridian-Opening Pill and the Shadow-Breaking Step cultivation technique close to his body and walked out.

"Steward Qian, what is it you need me for?"

Hearing Shen Lin's voice, Steward Qian, who had been pacing back and forth anxiously, seemed to immediately find his backbone and calmed down.

"Brother Shen, I just sent you off on a case, so I shouldn't be bothering you again. It's just that this matter is urgent, and all the other squad leaders are busy. I couldn't find anyone else in a short time..."

Shen Lin wasn't annoyed by the rambling Steward Qian.

On the contrary, as if he had thought of something, the corners of his mouth curved slightly, and he probed, "Could it be... a demon committed a crime?"

If it were just a normal case, Steward Qian wouldn't need to specifically look for a squad leader at the Martial Artist realm. He could have just sent a few yamen runners.

As expected, Steward Qian sighed, "The probability is very high. Four of our brothers went out on a case yesterday and haven't returned yet..."

He explained the whole story to Shen Lin bit by bit.

Yesterday, a hunter came to the County Yamen to report that he had seen a mangled corpse by the roadside on Xiangyang Mountain.

The body was so badly eaten that it was unrecognizable, but the hunter identified from its clothing that the person was not from a nearby village.

It looked like a common murder case.

However, Steward Qian, being cautious, still sent four yamen runners to investigate.

But now, a full day had passed, and not a single one of those yamen runners had returned.

What worried Steward Qian the most was that he had inadvertently heard something from County Lieutenant Hu this morning.

The County Magistrate's distant nephew was coming to seek refuge with him.

By the time, he should have arrived yesterday.

But yesterday, the County Magistrate had hosted a banquet at home and waited all day, but the visitor never showed up.

What if that nameless, mangled corpse was the County Magistrate's nephew?

Whether it was bandits robbing and killing, or demons causing trouble, once the County Magistrate's relative was involved, this case would be different.

Coupled with the fact that the yamen runners who went to investigate were now missing, it made Steward Qian believe that this was very likely the work of demons.

After all, four yamen runners who had practiced the Blood Battle Saber Technique and were armed with sharp weapons wouldn't be easily taken down by ordinary bandits.

Demons causing trouble and killing the County Magistrate's relative would be enough to nullify all the efforts of County Lieutenant Hu and Steward Qian over the years.

Whether it was the County Lieutenant's position or his own as Steward, the County Magistrate could decide it with a single word.

If this matter wasn't handled properly...

Steward Qian finished explaining the details of the case with great concern.

But as Shen Lin listened, his eyes gradually lit up. Before Steward Qian could finish, he stood up and said, "Steward Qian, since the situation is urgent, I'll go take a look."

"Good, I'm confident in your abilities."

Steward Qian breathed a sigh of relief when Shen Lin accepted the task. "That hunter is still in the city. I've already found him and asked him to lead you. Do you want to bring more people?"

"No need!"

Shen Lin shook his head and said directly, "If your guess is correct and there are indeed demons at work, it will be more convenient for me to go alone."

"That makes sense!"

Steward Qian nodded.

Unlike the Patrol Inspection Division with their large crossbows and iron armor, ordinary yamen runners had little power to fight back against powerful demons and might even drag Shen Lin down.

"Then be careful. If you find the situation too serious to handle, come back immediately."

"Understood."

After bidding farewell to Steward Qian, Shen Lin found the hunter and headed out of the city without even returning home.

After all, he couldn't just rely on Sun Zhi for demon slaying. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally had to seize it.

Along the way, with nothing else to do, he took out the Shadow-Breaking Step manual he had just obtained and began to read it.

After a long while, the hunter, who had walked to the mountainside, suddenly stopped.

"Master Shen! We've arrived!"

However, his words received no response.

He turned his head and found Shen Lin holding a book, motionless.

After waiting for a moment, the hunter couldn't help but speak again, calling out softly, "Master Shen! Master Shen, we've arrived!"

This time, Shen Lin finally reacted.

He slowly put down the book, revealing his face.

Upon seeing Shen Lin's deep eyes, the hunter was stunned.

In that instant, he saw a sense of vicissitude in Shen Lin's eyes that was even more profound than that of the ancient elders in his village.

The hunter's intuition was not wrong.

Because just now, after fully mastering the Shadow-Breaking Step, Shen Lin had begun to deduce.

In the blink of an eye, he had already spent a hundred years within the system.

[Year 1: You began cultivating the Shadow-Breaking Step. Although you had no prior foundation in footwork, you managed to achieve an introductory level thanks to your robust physique.]

[Year 10: You cultivated day and night, your footwork becoming increasingly elusive. The Shadow-Breaking Step reached Minor Accomplishment.]

[Year 21: The techniques of the Shadow-Breaking Step had become instinctual. You could perform exquisite footwork anytime, anywhere. The Shadow-Breaking Step reached Great Accomplishment!]

[Year 45: Over twenty-four years, you constantly practiced the Shadow-Breaking Step, finally grasping its essence. From then on, your movements were formless, like a phantom dancing in the shadows. The Shadow-Breaking Step reached Perfection!]

[Year 53: You continued to study the Shadow-Breaking Step and finally clearly sensed the five meridians connected to it. Perhaps because you had not practiced any body-lightening techniques before, three of these meridians were ones you had never cultivated before.]

[Year 54: You took a Meridian-Opening Pill and began to break through the eighth meridian.

After consuming two Meridian-Opening Pills consecutively, you directly opened the eighth meridian, and a surge of potent vital energy flowed into the ninth meridian.

However, even with the assistance of the residual medicinal effects, the progress in opening the ninth meridian was exceptionally slow.]

[Year 100: After fifty years of effort, you had opened nearly one-third of the ninth meridian.]

Shadow-Breaking Step, Perfection!

Eighth Meridian, Opened!