Conflict Triggered by the Demonic Body

[Killed Enlightened Ape Demon, not yet Xiantian, lifespan 150 years, remaining lifespan 53 years, absorption complete.]

[Shen Lin]

[Mastered Martial Arts: Blood Battle Saber Technique (Perfect)]

[Mastered Cultivation Methods: None]

[Remaining Lifespan: 1 year]

[Demon Lifespan: 53 years]

As the System's prompt chimed, Shen Lin let out a long sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he feared Head Constable Wu would snatch the Ape Demon from his grasp, but rather...

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Amidst the dull thuds, a troop of soldiers clad in armor and wielding long spears ran over from not far away.

Seeing this, Head Constable Wu forced himself to muster his spirits and stood beside Shen Lin.

"Demonic creatures within the city should be handled by our Patrol Division. You've overstepped your bounds!"

A tall man in black iron armor, mounted on a horse, rode up before the two.

Shen Lin frowned, muttering inwardly about trouble.

At the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty, to counter demon incursions, each county town established a Patrol Division of fifty armored men.

Ordinary lesser demons were simply incapable of breaching the defenses of these armored soldiers.

Even more powerful demons, like the Ape Demon just now, or the Mantis Demon before it, once they were surrounded by armored soldiers, could only meet a bitter end. After all, they couldn't withstand the assault of blades and spears with their bare bodies.

Moreover, the Patrol Division possessed powerful crossbows.

Even Shen Lin, now in the Opening Meridians Realm, wouldn't dare claim he could escape unharmed under their crossbow volleys.

Head Constable Wu took a deep breath and smiled, "Inspector Cheng, what you say is true. Although the other party was a demon, it committed a crime. Maintaining order and arresting criminals is the duty of our Criminal Investigation Department."

With over a dozen gleaming long spears pointed at him, he showed no fear.

While the Patrol Division held high status in the early days of the dynasty, that was no longer the case.

After the demon plagues subsided, in this era of peace, demons were rare, and the Patrol Division was no longer as powerful as before.

Never mind that the dozen or so men before him were all armored and brought crossbows; in reality, they had brought out all their assets.

Furthermore, it was their Criminal Investigation Department who had slain the Ape Demon. Head Constable Wu naturally felt confident.

Cheng Yi remained silent for a moment, then suddenly took a deep breath and shouted, "Patrol Division soldiers, obey my command! Advance and secure the demon corpse! Do not let it disturb the citizens!"

"Yes!"

The armored soldiers shouted in unison and advanced in step.

Seeing this, Head Constable Wu's expression changed.

This guy wants to force his way through.

Is he crazy?

"Cheng Yi! Are you going to attack your colleagues?"

"Colleagues?" Cheng Yi smiled, looking at Head Constable Wu with some disdain. "The soldiers of the Patrol Division are all registered soldiers of the Great Wei. Do you think you are worthy of being our colleagues?"

These words made Head Constable Wu laugh in anger.

"Fine, fine, fine! In that case, today you will have to step over my corpse to hand over this demon body!"

Cheng Yi's expression remained unchanged, showing no reaction.

The armored soldiers didn't pause in the slightest, continuing their advance.

Seeing this, Shen Lin took a deep breath and placed his hand on his saber's hilt.

Previously, he had only revealed his strength as an ordinary martial artist.

But now, it seemed his strength in the Opening Meridians Realm could no longer be hidden.

Because the faint surge of blood and qi emanating from Inspector Cheng was on par with Shen Lin's current state.

Just as the tension reached its peak, a resonant voice suddenly came from not far away.

"Inspector Cheng, you sure have a lot of authority!"

Hearing this, Inspector Cheng abruptly turned his head, a hint of apprehension appearing on his face.

From down the street, three figures were rapidly approaching.

Upon seeing the newcomers, Shen Lin searched his memories of his previous life and finally identified them.

The superior of the Criminal Investigation Department, the County Lieutenant of Qiulin County, Hu Dongxing.

He was in the Opening Meridians Realm, and in his predecessor's memories, he was the strongest person in Qiulin County.

Behind him followed two Head Constables from the Criminal Investigation Department.

One of them was Sun Zhi.

After Sun Zhi returned to the County Office with the Tiger Demon's corpse, he found that everyone reacted normally, realizing his secret was safe.

But did Shen Lin and the other know, or were they intentionally hiding it?

Just as he was about to probe Kong Yu, the County Lieutenant called him over, leading him to this place.

At this moment, Shen Lin and Sun Zhi locked eyes across the crowd.

Seeing the inexplicable smile on Shen Lin's lips, Sun Zhi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately understood that Shen Lin had discovered his secret.

However, the situation was complicated. He couldn't communicate with Shen Lin, so he had to suppress the matter for now.

"Inspector Cheng, this demon was first discovered by our Punishment Bureau, and it was our men who killed it. Are you not afraid of us confronting the County Magistrate if you forcefully take it?"

Hu Dongxing's expression was serious and displeased.

Cheng Yi, understanding that there was no turning back, acted decisively. Without replying, he called his subordinates back.

Before leaving, he glanced at Shen Lin and asked, "What's your name?"

Shen Lin was taken aback, wondering why Cheng Yi, who had ignored even the County Lieutenant, was asking for his name.

Without time to think, he cupped his fists and said, "This junior is Shen Lin! Greetings, Inspector Cheng."

Cheng Yi nodded and said thoughtfully, "You... are quite good!"

Leaving behind a strange remark, he turned and left.

"More than good, Brother Shen is my lucky star!"

Hu Dongxing muttered, then came to Shen Lin, patting his shoulder and exclaiming, "In a single day, you've killed another demon. Not bad, not bad! You're young and promising."

After praising Shen Lin, he turned to Sun Zhi and smiled, "But you deserve the most credit. Not only did you bring out a new Martial Artist, but this time you also brought a Tiger Demon with a rare bloodline. I will personally request a commendation for you from the Demon Suppression Bureau!"

Just then, the Constables under Head Constable Wu also rushed over.

Hu Dongxing glanced at them but didn't blame them.

After all, they were mortals who hadn't cultivated Qi and Blood Force, so they naturally couldn't keep up with the Ape Demon and Head Constable Wu.

"Men, follow me! I'm in a good mood today! Drinks at Yanbin Restaurant!!!"

Sun Zhi added, "Sir, Chief Qian is still at the County Office. Should I go get him?"

"Right, right! Get Old Qian, and also that pretty boy who came back with this kid earlier... what the hell was his name?"

"Kong Yu!"

"That's right! Kong Yu! Wealthy Zhang's son-in-law... no, daughter's husband! Get him too, he also contributed this time!"

Sun Zhi bowed his head in agreement and went alone to the County Office to fetch them.

The others, meanwhile, swaggered with Hu Dongxing towards Qiulin County's best restaurant.