Terrifying Sword Qi, as though capable of cleaving through all things, crossed an immense distance and arrived in an instant.
A sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
The Fox Demon was impaled by the Sword Qi, its powerful and terrifying force pinning it to the ground along with the Fox Demon itself.
A man dressed in black, his face covered by black cloth, emerged from the darkness.
The man carried a longsword in his hand, and a fury visible to the naked eye radiated from him, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Qin Shuang hid in the shadows, watching Shen Bai rush out, and froze completely.
She had never sensed anger from this mysterious man. Even that night, all she had felt from him was calmness.
But now, she felt it. That fury seemed to blanket heaven and earth, terrifying beyond measure.
"That constable must be someone he values greatly."
Qin Shuang thought to herself, secretly pulling a notebook from her chest and carefully recording everything.
The scene shifted, and Shen Bai had already arrived by the river with his longsword in hand.
Though his face was covered by black cloth, the rage in his eyes nearly burst forth.
Zhou Qing opened his eyes. When he saw the black-clad figure before him, he was stunned outright.
Even with the black cloth covering Shen Bai's face, the two knew each other far too well. With only one glance, Zhou Qing recognized Shen Bai.
Countless doubts took root and sprouted in his heart.
Wasn't Old Shen just an ordinary man?
What was going on? What was this oppressive feeling?
And what was with the Fox Demon struggling on the ground?
Zhou Qing suddenly felt that his brother seemed to have become incredibly formidable overnight.
Of course, Zhou Qing did not call out, because he saw that Shen Bai had covered his face.
They were all clever people. Shen Bai had covered his face because he naturally wanted to conceal his identity.
Since that was the case, Zhou Qing simply went along with the act.
"Once this is over, I'll go to the pawnshop and find Old Shen," Zhou Qing thought.
That was what he thought, but the others were even more bewildered.
Chief Constable Zheng in particular.
At that moment, Chief Constable Zheng was fighting the Fox Demon while watching Shen Bai's side.
He could not make sense of the other man's identity, but the man had severely wounded the Fox Demon as soon as he appeared. For now, he did not seem to be an enemy.
Everyone here had their own guesses. Shen Bai alone was different.
Shen Bai's gaze was icy as he slowly approached the Fox Demon with his longsword in hand.
The Fox Demon, heavily wounded by the Sword Qi, struggled to climb back up.
But the moment it got to its feet, a blood-red streak of Sword Qi tore through the air toward it.
"Sshhk!"
The dull sound was like cloth being ripped apart.
The instant Shen Bai attacked, several streams of Sword Qi shot forth.
The resplendent righteous aura, combined with Blood Sword Dance's innate demon-breaking attribute, caused the streams of Sword Qi to weave together into a sword net.
As the sword net descended, it instantly carved the Fox Demon apart.
The Fox Demon did not even have the slightest strength to resist. It became a pile of fragmented corpses, twitching twice on the ground before turning into foul-smelling smoke.
A strand of Killing Intent emerged and was collected by Shen Bai.
This scene left everyone present standing there like wooden statues.
The terrifying Fox Demon had left them scrambling in panic, yet beneath Shen Bai's Sword Qi, it had vanished after merely two strikes.
The first strike grievously wounded it. The second exterminated the Fox Demon.
Several constables swallowed hard, their mouths dry and their tongues parched.
Since when had Ascending Cloud County produced such a figure?
Chief Constable Zheng called loudly, "Hero, please lend me a hand!"
Since someone had come to help, Chief Constable Zheng naturally had to speak up.
Though he did not know the man's identity, the fact that he could deal with the strange beings was enough.
Shen Bai said nothing. In truth, he had indeed intended to act.
These Fox Demons were strange beings. To Shen Bai, they were sources of Killing Intent.
Shen Bai flicked his longsword, and blood-red Sword Qi emerged once again.
The Fox Demon that had been locked in battle with Chief Constable Zheng had its head pierced by Sword Qi. It convulsed briefly on the ground before turning into black smoke and vanishing.
Another strike, and the Fox Demon died in an instant.
A trace of astonishment appeared in Chief Constable Zheng's eyes.
The first one could perhaps be called luck. The second was strength.
Chief Constable Zheng cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Hero, for coming to our aid. May I know your name? When I return, I will certainly repay you with a generous gift."
Shen Bai said nothing and looked around.
He could not speak.
Chief Constable Zheng knew him, though not nearly as well as Zhou Qing did.
As for speaking in a deliberately hoarse voice like in storybooks—sorry, that was only in storybooks.
No matter how hoarse one pretended to sound, one could still be recognized.
Since Shen Bai did not speak, the atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Feeling awkward, Chief Constable Zheng withdrew his hands and said, "That makes sense. Since you are concealing your identity, Hero, you would not reveal your name. Have you come for the Grand Tomb as well?"
News of the Grand Tomb had already leaked, which was why Chief Constable Zheng made that guess.
Perhaps the other man had come for the Grand Tomb, encountered the Fox Demons by chance, and simply lent a hand.
Shen Bai rubbed his chin. Rather than responding to Chief Constable Zheng's words, he sank into thought.
At first, Shen Bai had thought the people from Upper Evil Gate were somewhat foolish to expose the Fox Demons so easily.
But now, Shen Bai no longer thought so. Instead, he believed the people of Upper Evil Gate were very clever.
They wanted to make an even bigger disturbance, to stir the waters until they grew muddier and muddier.
There had been two Fox Demons on this trip. If Shen Bai had not been here, these constables would likely have suffered heavy casualties.
Shen Bai looked toward the middle-aged man.
"This fellow didn't survive by luck. He was deliberately let go. The person controlling the Fox Demons knew he was capable of finding them, so they used his hand to set this trap here, intending to create an even greater mess."
The only variable today had been Shen Bai.
Do not be fooled by the fact that Shen Bai had dealt with the Fox Demons in two strikes. That was because Shen Bai was strong enough.
That was what a variable was.
After Shen Bai figured it out, he turned around and prepared to leave.
With two strands of Killing Intent in hand, the matter was settled. He still needed to return and wait for the Grand Tomb to open.
Chief Constable Zheng watched Shen Bai's departing back. He wanted to say a few words, but the words reached his lips and stopped there.
"Clean up the aftermath. Return to the yamen."
Chief Constable Zheng gave the order, and the constables began cleaning up.
But none of them could forget what they had just witnessed, especially Shen Bai's bearing as he killed one strange being with every strike.
Zhou Qing, in particular, was thinking that once he returned, he would definitely corner Shen Bai and interrogate him thoroughly.
Ascending Cloud County, Shen Family Pawnshop.
After Shen Bai and Qin Shuang returned to the pawnshop, curiosity filled Qin Shuang's eyes.
"That constable is someone very important to you, isn't he?" Qin Shuang asked.
Shen Bai nodded. "He is the person who has treated me best in all of Ascending Cloud County, and my only close friend here."
Qin Shuang gave an oh. "No wonder. But now that the person behind this has had their plan ruined, there will probably be further moves."
Shen Bai smiled. "I only fear that he will have no further moves."
Qin Shuang was slightly taken aback.
Shen Bai raised a finger and slowly said, "Remember this: there are no perfect people in this world, only more or fewer flaws."
"The more he acts, the more flaws he reveals. If enough flaws appear before the Grand Tomb opens, perhaps he will not live to see it open."
Qin Shuang nodded as though she understood, then asked, "You are not practicing your fist techniques tonight?"
Shen Bai shook his head. "I'm waiting for someone."
Just as Qin Shuang was about to ask whom he was waiting for, someone knocked on the pawnshop door.
Before you continue