Return Journey

The country road at night was not dim at all under the light of the full moon overhead.

Kong Yu, carrying a large sack on his back, panted as he followed Shen Lin.

Even though the sack was very heavy, he didn't feel impatient at all. Instead, he was in a good mood, and the smile never left his face.

This was because his sack contained half the demon body of the Mantis Demon.

Although Shen Lin had killed the demon, Kong Yu had been promised a share of the credit.

Two months ago, Constable Old Huang, along with Head Constable Sun Zhi, had killed a demon and returned triumphantly to the County Office.

After that, the old fellow, who had spent his entire life at the County Office without achieving anything, actually bought a house and got married. The way he was living now... tsk tsk.

The rewards issued by the Demon Suppression Bureau, no matter how many hands they passed through, still amounted to so much when they reached Old Huang.

His own spoils this time should be no less than Old Huang's.

Thinking of this, Kong Yu felt his fatigue vanish, and his body filled with strength.

He had married into a prominent family and, by virtue of his status as a constable, could usually earn quite a bit, so he shouldn't be lacking in money.

But he was living under someone else's roof, and all the money he earned had to be handed over to his wife. He had to ask for permission for everything.

He even had to grovel and ask his wife for permission just to go out for a drink with his colleagues. How stifling it was.

But now, with the credit for killing a demon, everything would change.

Both his father-in-law and his wife would look at him with newfound respect.

Thinking of this, he looked gratefully at Shen Lin.

Whether it was his life or the share of the credit, it was all thanks to Shen Lin.

Ahead, Shen Lin carried a sack in each hand, carrying even more than Kong Yu.

Yet, his steps were steady, his breathing calm, and his complexion showed no abnormality.

Through the hundred years of cultivation experience deduced by the System, Shen Lin could now conceal his Qi and Blood Force within his body, appearing like an ordinary person.

But Kong Yu could never forget the terrifying pressure he felt from Shen Lin when he first woke up.

That aura was no less than that of Head Constable Sun Zhi.

He was already a Martial Artist!

Thinking of this, Kong Yu suddenly seemed to recall something and asked, "Brother Shen, shouldn't we wait for Head Constable Sun?"

After tidying up, they had left the room directly, not even having time to arrange the bodies of their colleagues.

According to Shen Lin, these matters would be handled by people from the County Office once they returned.

What Kong Yu couldn't quite understand was, since the demon had been eliminated, why not wait for Head Constable Sun Zhi to arrive before they all set off together?

Shen Lin stopped and turned his head, smiling meaningfully. "No need! When Head Constable Sun discovers the situation there, he'll naturally understand what happened."

Kong Yu had been unconscious when the Mantis Demon and Shen Lin were talking, so he naturally didn't know that their Head Constable had reached an agreement with the demon.

And Shen Lin had no intention of exposing Sun Zhi's true colors for the time being.

This Head Constable Sun still had great use.

With a snap, a pair of cowhide official boots broke a dry twig.

Sun Zhi, carrying the corpse of a Tiger Demon larger than his own body on his shoulder, slowly walked into the small courtyard.

He was tall and ruggedly built.

It was already late autumn, and the nights were cold, but this fellow was bare-chested, with heat rising from his strong muscles.

He suddenly stopped and frowned slowly.

It was too quiet!

Sensing that something was wrong, his eyes sharpened as he scanned the surroundings.

Bang!

He tossed the Tiger Demon's body aside, cracked his neck with a crisp sound, and walked towards the still-lit house, his hand on his saber.

Upon entering, he was met with a scene of disarray.

The Mantis Demon, who should have been waiting for him here to help set up the scene, was nowhere to be found.

The demon's body could be exchanged for rewards from the Demon Suppression Bureau, which was why Shen Lin and Kong Yu had endured the nausea and packed all the remains.

Even the demon's blood had been absorbed with cloth strips and collected.

Therefore, there was no trace of the Mantis Demon left in the room.

But Sun Zhi twitched his nose and still detected something amiss.

The keen senses of a Martial Artist allowed him to smell a pungent, fishy odor.

This smell...

It seemed to be demon blood.

No!

Sun Zhi suddenly seemed to remember something, left the room, and walked to the nearby storeroom.

With a bang, he kicked open the storeroom door. What greeted his eyes were corpses hanging from the rafters.

At least a dozen human corpses, their limbs removed, hung there like dried meat, swaying gently.

Most of the corpses were already dried out, only five were still dripping blood, looking like they had died not long ago.

Silently counting the corpses, Sun Zhi muttered, "Five people..."

He walked forward and began to identify their identities one by one.

Just then, a corpse suddenly opened its eyes.

"Sun... Head Constable... save me! Save..."

Even though he had been dismembered, the person still had a breath left.

However, Sun Zhi acted as if he hadn't noticed his subordinate's plea for help and walked straight past.

The person couldn't call out again, and the trembling lips gradually calmed down.

After examining each corpse, Sun Zhi muttered, "Kong Yu and... Shen Lin!"

His seven constables should have all died here.

This would explain how difficult his battle had been.

All his subordinates dead, and he himself severely injured, but after a bitter fight, he had still killed the malevolent Tiger Demon.

This was the story he had prepared for the Demon Suppression Bureau.

But now, the story's direction had changed.

What had happened?

Did some expert pass by, discover the Mantis Demon, and kill it?

Or was it...

Sun Zhi narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, then directly turned back to the small courtyard, shouldered the demon tiger's corpse, and walked out.

Destination: the County Office!

It didn't matter whether those two dealt with the Mantis Demon themselves or if an outsider had helped.

What was most important now was to return to the county town and figure out how much those two knew about what he had done.

If they knew too much...

A cold glint flashed in Sun Zhi's eyes, a dense killing intent almost tangible.