Su Ye was at a loss. He wasn't one to meddle in other people's business; he'd only happened upon this by chance. But with everyone pleading nonstop, he had no choice but to agree for now. He would report the matter to the county government truthfully.
I'll be stationed here for the time being. I doubt Huang Qianqing will dare come back.
The old man who had spoken earlier started to make another request, but after a long moment of thought, he finally said hesitantly, "We'll follow your arrangements, sir."
The old man was named Liu Baotian. As Headman, he managed the affairs of Kaoshan Town. He seemed to notice the bloodstains on Su Ye's clothes.
"Sir, it'll take a while to repair the town office. Why don't you wash up first?"
Noticing the thick bloodstains on his clothes, Su Ye replied, "All right."
He then told Liu Baotian about Meng Daniu's sister and asked him to organize people to search for her. After that, he took his leave.
The sky was as dark as a black curtain. Su Ye quickly finished the food Liu Baotian had brought him, then thought over the Body Refining Technique and martial skills he'd just obtained. But without Assistance Points, he couldn't improve quickly. If he relied on cultivation alone, who knew how long it would take him to get started?
With his current strength, it wasn't safe to go out looking for Demonic Beasts. Forget it. He'd take things one step at a time.
"Sir... the town office has been cleaned up, and we've repaired the broken wooden walls. Please let us know if there's anything else you need."
Hearing the voice, Su Ye looked toward the man who had spoken and the others behind him. "Thank you, everyone. You can go home now."
The group had just said their farewells and hadn't even left the room when a loud shout came from outside.
"Sir! S-sir!" A man in his forties rushed in, his face deathly pale. "Sir, there are Demonic Beasts!"
Before Su Ye could reply, the men who had repaired the town office stared in terror and hurriedly asked, "Niu Er, are you sure you saw them? You can't go around making things up!"
"It's true, absolutely true! I saw two Pig Demons sneak into Big Tiger's house when I went out to relieve myself." Niu Er looked at Su Ye, his voice trembling.
"Don't panic. Go home and warn your families. Don't go out. Niu Er, take me there now. I'll see what's going on."
Su Ye stood up and casually picked one of the long sabers lying on the table. In a few quick strides, he was out the door. He turned to Niu Er, who was still standing there. "Come on!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
When Su Ye disappeared beyond the town office gates, the men exchanged glances. One of them said, "Lord Su is powerful. Meng Daniu said he's slain Demonic Beasts before. Let's do as he told us."
"Fool! This time's different. Didn't you hear Niu Er say there were two Pig Demons? Besides, we don't even know if what he saw was real."
"If there are more than two Pig Demons, even Lord Su might be in grave danger. Maybe we should—"
"Feng Qi, spit it out!" The men gathered around him hurriedly pressed him.
Feng Qi's eyes gleamed. "We should warn the others first. If we all stick together, we can watch each other's backs. With more people, we'll be braver, too."
"That makes sense. Let's do that, then. We'll split up."
By now, Huang Qianqing had returned to Linshan County and the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters. An old man in his fifties sat quietly in the main seat of the hall, listening.
"Second Uncle, you have to avenge me! That brat not only injured me, he also killed six constables. That's a serious crime!"
The old man looked at Huang Qianqing's pale face and said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, I'll pay a visit to the county government and have them bring that brat back. Then you can do whatever you want with him."
Huang Qianqing hurriedly said, "Second Uncle, why not go to Kaoshan Town tonight? That brat's face is all I can think about. I want to eat his flesh and drink his blood!"
"Why the rush? I shouldn't meddle in the affairs of your office. I promise you'll be satisfied tomorrow."
"Thank you, Second Uncle."
A flush spread across Huang Qianqing's pale face. Once they caught that brat, he wouldn't let him die easily. He'd humiliate him until he begged for death and couldn't find it.
He liked meddling in other people's business? Fine. Huang Qianqing would drag Wu Lao Er and his wife in and toy with them right in front of him. He'd make that brat kneel and beg.
North of Kaoshan Town, Su Ye followed Niu Er back to his home. Though autumn had arrived, the wind still carried a touch of dryness, stirring the treetops with a rustle. The two crouched in a thicket, and Niu Er pointed.
"Sir, that's Big Tiger's house."
Su Ye looked in the direction he indicated. Not far ahead stood a fenced yard with its gate wide open. The house was quiet, but faint candlelight flickered inside.
"Do you have anyone else at home?"
At Su Ye's question, Niu Er replied with a troubled look, "To be honest, sir, I'm forty-three and still a bachelor. I have no family."
"In that case, go back the way you came and wait at the town office."
Niu Er had long since wanted to leave. As soon as Su Ye finished speaking, he turned without hesitation and ran toward the town office.
Su Ye didn't say anything. He hurried toward the fenced yard, slowing his pace as he passed through the gate.
Niu Er wouldn't dare deceive him, but there could be other Demonic Beasts around. Better to be careful. As Su Ye weighed this, he peered through a crack in the wooden window and heard voices inside.
"Second Brother, put it down gently. The little brats at home are waiting to reach Sentience. If you break it, Father won't let you off." A hulking Pig Demon chewed on entrails, speaking indistinctly.
Su Ye shifted his gaze from the Pig Demon who had spoken to another one holding a sack. This Pig Demon was quite a bit shorter than the first.
It hadn't said a word the whole time. Carrying the blood-soaked sack, it headed for the door.
"Tch, boring. Second Brother, hurry up. We can't let the other brothers get there first." Though the first Pig Demon urged him on, it remained seated on the floor, making no move to get up.
"Creak."
The wooden door slowly opened from within. The Pig Demon carrying the sack froze halfway through, its pupils contracting sharply as its sturdy frame quickly lurched backward. But it was too late.
Su Ye had been waiting by the door for some time. The moment half the Pig Demon's body emerged, he raised his saber and brought it down at lightning speed.
The blade flashed bright as snow, turning even colder under the moonlight. It swept down so fast that, in the blink of an eye, it reached the Pig Demon's neck.
"Pfft!"
After a soft thud, red liquid sprayed through the air, and the Pig Demon's head crashed heavily to the ground.
Killed [Early Sentience · Pig Demon] Gained 19 Assistance Points
The commotion outside made the Pig Demon in the house spring to its feet. It gripped a giant axe tightly and glared viciously at Su Ye.
"Who are you, brat? How dare you kill my brother?"
Su Ye didn't answer. He tapped the ground with his toes and closed in on the Pig Demon, dodging the giant axe as it swept sideways. Then he gripped his saber with both hands and struck with all his might.
The Pig Demon cursed inwardly. Its giant axe was too heavy to bring up in time to block the blow. It shifted to protect its vital spots, planning to take the hit.
Blood sprayed. The saber struck the Pig Demon's thick collarbone but couldn't cut any deeper. Su Ye didn't press his luck. He twisted aside and dodged the Pig Demon's powerful kick. Just as he got back to his feet—
A rough voice came from outside. "Zhu Lie, what are you doing in there? With all that noise, aren't you afraid of drawing the Demon Suppression Division here?"
"You're finished, brat. Just wait to die!"
"Is that the Gou brothers?" The Pig Demon's face twisted into a grimace as it shouted, "There's a brat here, looks like a constable from the county government. He dared to break our agreement. We can't let him get away tonight!"
Hearing the Demonic Beasts outside, Su Ye realized things had taken a turn for the worse. He had to deal with the Pig Demon in front of him first. Otherwise, if the Demonic Beasts outside came in and attacked from both sides, his situation would take a sharp turn for the worse. With that in mind, ...
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