Old Master Bai's emaciated body crumpled to the ground, gradually transforming into a white fox with sparse fur.
It seemed that even if Shen Lin hadn't acted, the old thing wouldn't have lived much longer.
The next moment, the system notification confirmed his guess.
[Slain: Enlightened White Fox Demon, not yet Xiantian, lifespan: 150 years, remaining lifespan: 4 years. Absorption complete.]
"Only four years..."
Shen Lin muttered, though his face showed little disappointment.
After all, he'd already reaped plenty of demon lifespan on this trip.
Besides the old thing, the other fox demons still had plenty of years left.
Madam Bai had forty years remaining, while Bai Erlang and Qianqian had each provided a hundred years of demon lifespan.
That delicate, seemingly young Qianqian, who looked to be in the bloom of youth, was actually damn near fifty.
Thinking that he'd been flirted with by a demon old enough to be his grandmother made Shen Lin feel strange.
He shook his head and focused on his status panel.
[Shen Lin] [Martial Arts Mastered: Blood Battle Saber Technique (Perfected), Wild Wind Sword Technique (Perfected)] [Cultivation Techniques Mastered: None] [Remaining Lifespan: 1 year] [Demon Lifespan: 359 years]
This fox family, together with the wolf demon from before, had given Shen Lin 359 years of demon lifespan in one go. This trip had truly been a bountiful harvest.
Coming back to himself, Shen Lin looked up and saw the farmhand's head, eyes wide open.
"Heh, almost forgot one."
With a soft laugh, Shen Lin walked into the house.
He kicked a wooden chair aside with a bang and smiled at the trembling little fox.
"Little friend... how about I help you go find your grandpa and grandma?"
[Slain: Enlightened White Fox Demon, not yet Xiantian, lifespan: 50 years, remaining lifespan: 42 years. Absorption complete.]
Demons that hadn't cultivated demonic energy seemed to have lifespans of only fifty years, not much different from ordinary people.
After his demon lifespan officially surpassed four hundred years, Shen Lin rummaged around in Old Master Bai's study for a while longer.
He not only reclaimed the money he'd handed over earlier, but also found the Bai family's savings inside a wooden chest.
Five thousand taels' worth of silver notes in total.
The fellow had demanded two thousand taels for a single deal, yet his savings amounted to only this much.
Besides that, Shen Lin found quite a few IOUs from the villagers.
The smallest were for a few taels of silver; the largest was only thirty.
Yet even those paltry sums had driven the villagers to sell their children, turning them all into provisions for the Bai family.
With a sigh, Shen Lin picked them up and looked around the study again.
Just as he thought he'd found everything and was about to leave, he suddenly stopped.
Slowly, he lowered his head and looked at the floor beneath his feet.
Knock, knock!
He crouched and tapped gently. The floor tiles beneath him gave off a hollow echo.
Shen Lin slid his long saber into the crack and gave it a light pry.
With a crack, the saber broke.
During his earlier fight with Old Master Bai, it had repeatedly clashed against the treasured sword and was already battered and scarred.
Now, it had finally given out.
Fortunately, the floor tile had loosened a little.
Shen Lin glanced regretfully at the saber in his hand, set it aside, then curled his fingers beneath the tile and lifted it.
Hidden underneath wasn't gold or jewelry, but a yellowed scroll of animal hide.
Puzzled, Shen Lin took it out, blew the dust off, and unfurled it.
Qingqiu Body Tempering Technique
This was actually a martial art!
Shen Lin's face lit up, and he murmured, "I didn't expect to stumble on another unexpected treasure."
Without rushing to examine its contents, Shen Lin tucked it into his robes, planning to study it carefully once he got back.
Whether a martial art of the Demon Race was suitable for humans to cultivate remained unknown.
After examining the study carefully and confirming he'd missed nothing, he went outside, picked up the treasured sword, and carried Old Master Bai's body out.
At the entrance, the old farmer hadn't waited long before he heard a commotion from inside the courtyard.
But this was the Bai family's courtyard, after all. He wouldn't have dared go in and investigate even if he'd had ten times the nerve.
Yet if he left outright, he feared the constable might come out and find him gone, bringing disaster down on him.
As he hesitated, the gate suddenly opened, and Shen Lin appeared, carrying a white fox's corpse.
With a thud, Shen Lin tossed the fox demon's corpse onto the donkey cart, dusted off his hands, and said to the old farmer, "Head Constable Sun had long since discovered something was wrong with the Bai family. He came to investigate yesterday and finally confirmed their true nature: they were a group of white fox demons in disguise."
"Now, Head Constable Sun has mastered his divine skill and displayed his full might. He fought five fox demons alone and slew them all, though he was badly injured in the end."
Hearing Shen Lin's words, the old farmer was first startled, his mouth falling open in disbelief.
The Bai family's servants had always thrown their weight around, but Old Master Bai himself had always been warm and smiling. How could he have been a white fox demon?
But the enormous white fox corpse on the donkey cart made the old farmer believe it, at least a little.
Then he turned his head in confusion and scratched it, looking at Head Constable Sun, who lay on the cart with life and death uncertain.
Hadn't Head Constable Sun been lying there without moving the whole time?
How had he displayed his full might...
The next moment, Shen Lin handed him a silver note, his expression unchanged.
One thousand taels!
The old farmer's eyes went wide, and his hand reached out of its own accord.
After he took hold of the note, Shen Lin didn't let go right away.
With a metallic ring, half of the treasured sword in his left hand sprang from its scabbard, its blade radiating a bone-chilling gleam.
The old farmer jumped in fright and instinctively tried to let go and back away.
But Shen Lin released the note, grabbed him by the collar with his right hand, and asked with a serious look, "Did you hear what I just said?"
"I... I heard." The old farmer answered instinctively, then suddenly caught on to what Shen Lin meant and hurriedly added, "Head Constable Sun displayed his full might and slew the fox demons after a series of fierce battles."
"Good!" Shen Lin nodded in satisfaction, then continued, "Later, you can tell the villagers what happened, so they'll know that as long as Head Constable Sun is here, no demon can run wild on the lands of Qiulin County!"
"I understand, I understand..."
After finishing his instructions, Shen Lin returned to the courtyard, carried out the rest of the white fox demon corpses, and placed them on the donkey cart.
As he finally left with the little fox's corpse in his arms, Shen Lin suddenly sensed something was wrong and spun around.
He saw that the farmhand's head, which had been glaring wide-eyed with its eyes refusing to close, had somehow shut them. Its mouth was twisted slightly, as if it wore the faintest smile.
Shen Lin fell silent for a moment, then murmured, "May you rest in peace."
With that, he didn't linger and left at once.
Before you continue