She Gave Him Far Too Much

This night was a sleepless one for many people.

Steward Qian braved the cold wind and waited outside the county magistrate's residence for the sun to rise.

County Lieutenant Hu examined Cao Yongjun's corpse, hoping to find even the slightest clue.

After flying away from the county seat, the bird demon returned inside through a secret passage.

Inside Wonderful Sound Pavilion, Purple Crystal was playing chess with someone.

A slender, fair arm placed a black stone on the board as she asked softly, "That bird demon just now—was it the great demon from Black Wind Stronghold?"

"No!"

A white stone landed on the board. The man opposite her spoke in a steady voice. "None of Black Wind Stronghold's eight leaders is a bird demon."

Purple Crystal held a chess piece between her fingers and pondered. "That's strange. Then where did this Meridian Opening Realm bird demon come from?"

"Compared to that..."

The man opposite her raised his head and said solemnly, "Miss, you need to keep a lower profile lately. I heard those great lineages have already made preparations in secret. They're just waiting for you to fall into their net."

His features were firm and resolute. Even while sitting cross-legged on the cushioned couch, his back remained ramrod straight.

"Inspector Cheng!"

Purple Crystal immediately revealed his identity. He was none other than Cheng Yi, the inspector of Qiulin County.

"You should know that my father died unjustly, and all fourteen members of my family perished. I was the only one who survived. They're all watching me from below, waiting for me to avenge them and wash away their hatred. To accomplish that, I have to recover our family's inherited cultivation technique!"

Crack!

Her slender, fair fingers easily crushed the stone chess piece.

As she spoke those words, Purple Crystal's face twisted viciously, and her eyes brimmed with endless hatred.

Cheng Yi sighed and said softly, "I think Lord Yuan, if his spirit watches over us from Heaven, would only wish for you to live peacefully for the rest of your life..."

"Cheng Yi!!!"

Purple Crystal suddenly shouted in a low voice, "You were nothing more than my father's stable boy back then. Don't pretend you understand my father so well!"

Although she had insulted him so harshly, Cheng Yi showed no anger. He remained silent for a long while before asking, "How do you want me to help you?"

Hearing this, Purple Crystal's expression eased somewhat. "The Thousand Pines Painting containing my family's secret technique was indeed sold to Qiulin County by a merchant back then. But I've investigated every wealthy household in the county seat and found no trace of it."

"But a few days ago, the foolish son of the Wu Family, a wealthy household in Baoshan Village, was drinking at Wonderful Sound Pavilion. Someone heard him say that his family possessed a Thousand Pines Painting, a rare treasure from that era."

Cheng Yi frowned. "Baoshan Village? It's close to the Qiulin Mountain Range, and most of the wealthy families in the village have friendly ties with the demons of Black Wind Stronghold..."

Purple Crystal seemed to know what worried him and smiled. "Don't worry. You won't have to take any risks. All you need to do is impersonate me during this period and continue visiting the treasure vaults of several wealthy families."

Cheng Yi froze for a moment, then seemed to understand. His expression grew solemn. "They've started suspecting you?"

Purple Crystal spread her hands helplessly. "I ran into that fool from the Li Family by accident last time. Although I got through it safely, the Li Family has been investigating me in secret lately. This time, I'm going to Baoshan Village to clear my name while I'm at it."

"You're going alone?" Cheng Yi immediately shook his head. "No! It's far too dangerous. If you run into several of Black Wind Stronghold's leaders, even with your strength, escaping will be difficult."

"Don't worry!" Purple Crystal wore an enigmatic smile and murmured, "I recently met an interesting fellow. I think he'll be more than happy to help me."

Qiulin County's night seemed peaceful, but beneath the surface, hidden currents surged.

Yet none of this seemed to have anything to do with Shen Lin.

After sleeping soundly, he received good news early the next morning.

"I contacted many people, but only one demon agreed to meet me."

Sun Zhi stood with his head lowered beside the table. When he saw that Shen Lin had finished breakfast, he hurriedly offered him a towel.

After wiping his hands, Shen Lin smiled. "Captain Sun, you truly didn't disappoint me."

After receiving Shen Lin's praise, Sun Zhi showed no joy at all.

A trace of worry clouded his face. "It's just that the other side demanded that I go alone."

He had to go by himself. He could not even bring along a human to serve as Blood Food.

No matter how one looked at this condition, something seemed wrong.

Shen Lin, however, did not care in the slightest. He stood up and patted Sun Zhi on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid. I'm right behind you."

"I guarantee those fellows won't be able to harm a single hair on your head."

After receiving Shen Lin's promise, Sun Zhi hesitated for a while before finally gritting his teeth and nodding. "They want me to go to Baoshan Village tonight. I'll set out first. Please wait a quarter of an hour before leaving. The target of this trade is a dog demon. Its senses are exceptionally sharp, so please be extra careful!"

After saying this, Sun Zhi hurried away to return home and pack.

After seeing him off, Shen Lin looked at the clear sky and stretched lazily.

What wonderful weather for going to work.

Since that was the case, he might as well go back and sleep in a little longer.

With that thought in mind, he had just been about to return to his bedroom when he heard knocking at the door.

"Another case?"

He assumed someone from the County Yamen had come looking for him.

But when he opened the door, he saw Purple Crystal in a pink dress, smiling radiantly.

Bang!

Shen Lin decisively slammed the door shut.

Outside, the smile on Purple Crystal's face froze.

After standing there blankly for a moment, she glanced around. When she saw that no one was paying attention, she immediately gathered her qi and leaped straight over the courtyard wall.

She landed directly in front of Shen Lin and sneered, "Master Shen! Why have you stopped paying attention to your little sweetheart?"

"I'm tired of playing."

Shen Lin rolled his eyes and answered bluntly.

He genuinely did not want to get entangled with this woman.

Her face was indeed beautiful, her figure enticing, and her voice pleasant to hear.

But she was a rich woman capable of casually giving away two Meridian-Opening Pills. Her origins were certainly extraordinary.

Although Shen Lin's current strength placed him among the best in Qiulin County, who knew how many old foxes were lurking in the shadows?

The Demonic Cultivator he had dealt with yesterday might not have possessed much combat power himself, but between his corpse-controlling methods and all sorts of underhanded tricks, Shen Lin would at the very least have paid a price if he had not comprehended the Shadow-Breaking Step technique.

Therefore, aside from demons, it was best to provoke as little other trouble as possible.

Thinking this, he yawned and said, "Whatever you want, I'm not interested. You should go back."

But Purple Crystal seemed to understand Shen Lin's temperament. She knew that without sufficient compensation, it would be difficult to make this old schemer, who had hidden his strength for so many years, take action. Thus, she opened with a trump card.

"Five Meridian-Opening Pills! Help me with one thing tonight!"

Shen Lin's eyes widened, and his steps, which had been carrying him back inside, halted abruptly.

Five Meridian-Opening Pills!

Damn, what a rich woman!

After hesitating for a long while, he still shook his head. "I can't help you!"

Although Meridian-Opening Pills were tempting, he had something important to do tonight.

If his guess was correct, Sun Zhi would draw out at least two Meridian Opening Realm demons this time. After all, Sun Zhi had previously killed a Meridian Opening Realm wolf demon, so the other side would certainly be prepared.

Two Meridian Opening Realm demons meant at least two hundred years of Demon Lifespan.

Moreover, the danger was controllable. At worst, he could abandon Sun Zhi as bait and leave directly, so his own safety would still be guaranteed.

But Purple Crystal's matter was filled with unknown risks. He should still...

"It's not troublesome at all. You only need to accompany me to Baoshan Village to retrieve something."

Shen Lin abruptly turned around. "You said where?"

"Baoshan Village!"

"Actually, I'm not doing this for those Meridian-Opening Pills. I simply enjoy helping people. How many Meridian-Opening Pills will you give me in advance?"