Dividing the Credit

The Zheng Residence was already close at hand!

Another piercing tiger roar rang out, and Liu Wei could wait no longer.

He stamped down hard, his body leaping high like a bolt of black lightning. He vaulted straight over the wall and into the courtyard.

The moment Liu Wei entered, he saw Chen Bin raise his blade high, ready to bring it down. His heart burning with anxiety, he shouted, "Spare him!"

"No..."

The man turned deathly pale with fright and tried to drop to his knees and beg for mercy.

But how could that possibly help?

Chen Bin brought down his blade without hesitation. A flash of cold light, and the man's head hit the ground.

After killing the last Red Name, Chen Bin seemed to have used up all his strength. He slumped down onto the Tiger Corpse.

"Why did you kill him?" Liu Wei demanded angrily, pointing at the man.

Chen Bin looked somewhat weak. Leaning on his blade, he slowly raised his head and looked at Liu Wei, who was beside himself with rage. Then he said unhurriedly:

"Banner Officer Liu, would you spare an enemy who was pointing a blade at you?"

"What?" Liu Wei looked down and only then noticed the headless corpse still clutching a blade in its hand.

"I was wrong to blame you!" Liu Wei said, his anger finally easing.

Just then, a rush of heavy footsteps poured into the courtyard from outside.

Seeing the bodies strewn across the courtyard—some human, some demon—everyone was so stunned by the carnage that they couldn't say a word.

Looking at Chen Bin sitting on the tiger's corpse, they couldn't help wondering: Was this man really human, or a Rakshasa?

Chen Bin forced a smile and said to Liu Wei, "You jest, sir. I only hope you won't blame your subordinate."

Looking at Chen Bin, Liu Wei asked, "Since you discovered the demons, why didn't you wait for us to arrive before killing them?"

"How can you put it that way, sir?" Chen Bin knew perfectly well that Liu Wei simply wanted a share of the credit.

So he smiled and said, "Weren't these demons slain by you, sir, together with all your fellow officers and me?"

Chen Bin had earned Merit, so he didn't mind sharing some of the credit.

After all, he didn't want to do the dirty, exhausting work.

These men had helped by moving the corpses, too.

Liu Wei was taken aback. He hadn't expected the young man to be so understanding.

Then a smile spread across his face, and he asked, "How did you find this place?"

Chen Bin took a "Demon Sensing Plate" from inside his robe and said, "I owe it all to this."

At that moment, demonic energy ran rampant through the courtyard. Thick clouds of it seeped from the corpses, spreading through the air like black smoke.

The pointer on the "Demon Sensing Plate" spun wildly in the dense demonic energy. It couldn't point in any direction, making it difficult to tell whether Chen Bin was telling the truth.

But Liu Wei knew he was lying.

Why had no one else's "Demon Sensing Plate" detected the demons here, while Chen Bin's had?

Still, Liu Wei certainly wasn't going to expose Chen Bin's little trick. After all, everyone had a few secrets of their own.

The other man had just handed him a hefty share of the credit; he couldn't turn around and fall out with him now.

Liu Wei casually tossed the "Demon Sensing Plate" back to Chen Bin.

He saw that Chen Bin's uniform had been torn to shreds and was covered in blood. Concerned, he asked, "Those wounds of yours—are they all right?"

Chen Bin glanced down at his wounds and said nonchalantly, "They're nothing to worry about. Just a few minor injuries.

"It's just that there are corpses all over the place. I'll have to leave them to you, Flag Officer."

"No problem." Liu Wei nodded. "You get some rest."

With that, Liu Wei turned to his men and shouted, "You heard what I just said, didn't you? Get to work!"

"Yes!" The Captains and constables immediately sprang into action.

The Captains directed everything in orderly fashion while the constables bustled about doing the work. The whole courtyard became a hive of activity.

"Quick," Liu Wei directed. "Collect every 'Demon Sealing Ornament' on them."

The constables began turning over the corpses. Before long, one of them stared at the "Demon Sealing Ornament," shattered into pieces like stone, and shouted, "Flag Officer, they're all broken!"

It was normal for one or two "Demon Sealing Ornaments" to break.

Liu Wei paid it no mind. "Look again. See if any of the others are intact."

The constables searched every corpse, but all they found were "Demon Sealing Ornaments" broken into pieces across the ground.

They had no choice but to report the truth.

If all the "Demon Sealing Ornaments" were broken, who else could have done it but a person?

Only then did Liu Wei realize what had happened, and he looked at Chen Bin.

Chen Bin met his gaze with an innocent expression. "Is something the matter, sir?"

"Nothing!" Liu Wei shook his head.

"If there's nothing else." Chen Bin slowly got to his feet. "This subordinate would like to go home and rest.

"After all, I'm injured."

"Go on." Liu Wei was frustrated, but there was nothing more he could say.

"Thank you, Flag Officer!" Chen Bin started to leave, then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, sir."

Chen Bin pointed toward a group of people trembling in the distance. "They colluded with demons. Someone in the County Town must have put them up to it. I hope you'll get to the bottom of it, sir."

"Of course." Liu Wei had finally caught these people and wasn't about to let them off easily.

Chen Bin cupped his fist toward Liu Wei, then limped out of the Zheng Residence.

Everyone in the courtyard turned to watch him until his figure disappeared through the gate.

Before long, another rush of footsteps sounded.

Kang Ronghao appeared at the entrance, still not dressed in his official uniform. He looked flustered as he shouted, "What are you doing? How dare you run wild in my South Ward!"

Liu Wei sat astride the Tiger Corpse in the middle of the courtyard. He slowly looked up at Kang Ronghao, just as Chen Bin had looked at him a moment earlier.

His gaze was icy. He said only two words: "Draw blades!"

"Yes!" One after another, the Demon Suppression Blades slid from their sheaths. Their edges cut through the air with crisp ringing sounds, glinting with a bone-chilling light in the moonlight.

Kang Ronghao, who had meant to cow them with his bluster, stopped in his tracks. A hint of gravity crossed his face.

Chen Bin hadn't witnessed the clash that erupted after he left the Zheng Residence.

He left the din and bloodshed of battle behind and went straight home.

The well in the courtyard gleamed coldly under the dim moonlight.

He lowered the wooden bucket with practiced ease and drew a full one of well water. Then he carried it to the wall and poured bucket after bucket of cool water over his head.

The water ran down his sturdy body, washing away the stench of blood.

He tossed his ruined uniform, stained with all manner of marks, into the rubbish basket without a second thought.

Now naked, he walked slowly back to his room, his steps weary but tinged with relief.

In the dim room, he felt around in a familiar corner for the fire striker, guided by memory.

His fingertips found it. He gave it a gentle blow, lit the oil lamp, and its wavering glow gradually illuminated one corner of the room.

He picked up an undershirt, shook it out, and put it on.

In truth, he hadn't suffered any real injuries.

Those marks were all from the fight with the Tiger Demon. He had deliberately slowed down and let its claws rake him, leaving them behind.

After all, if he'd emerged unscathed from such a fierce, prolonged battle, anyone would have grown suspicious.