The Mighty Shen

Sun Zhi fell silent for a moment, then asked, "What if I refuse? Will you make my secret public?"

"How could I?" Shen Lin's face be wreathed in a brilliant smile, but his words sent a chill straight through Sun Zhi.

"From now on, you'll just have to watch your back when you're on the job, Head Constable Sun. After all, you're worth quite a lot. You wouldn't want some villain setting his sights on you."

Sun Zhi sounded as though he'd just heard a joke. He looked at Shen Lin with scorn. "You're threatening me? You? A kid who just stepped into the martial artist realm thinks he can—"

He got halfway through the sentence before his voice abruptly cut off.

His mouth hung open. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't dare swallow.

A Steel Saber had appeared at his throat at some point, its blade pressed against his skin.

The icy steel made his hair stand on end.

When did this guy...?

"Head Constable Sun, do you know..." Shen Lin grinned, showing his pearly white teeth, and said softly, "that in martial arts, it doesn't matter who came first—the strong come first?"

Shen Lin hadn't used the Qi and Blood Force in his Opening Meridians Realm body. Every move had relied entirely on his understanding of saber techniques.

How to draw his saber faster, which angle to swing it from to reduce resistance—he'd spent over a hundred years working all that out with the system's help.

Sun Zhi was utterly shaken.

The Qi and Blood Force the other man displayed was clearly not much stronger than his own, yet with nothing but refined saber techniques, he'd subdued him in the blink of an eye.

This kid's talent for martial arts was astonishing!

Just then, Shen Lin drew back his saber and said with a light laugh, "I'll leave it to you to think this over, Head Constable Sun."

The long saber slid back into its sheath. Shen Lin turned around, waved as he walked, and headed for the courtyard gate nearby.

"Please give my regards to Prefect Hu, Head Constable Sun. Tell him I can't hold my liquor and have gone back early."

Sun Zhi stood rooted to the spot. Only after Shen Lin's silhouette had completely disappeared did he seem to remember how to breathe. He sucked in great gulps of air and leaned against the wall.

In nearly forty years, he'd never felt so close to death.

Even fighting those monsters had never put him under such pressure.

And Shen Lin—a martial artist who had only just awakened his Qi and Blood Force—had left him feeling as though he were suffocating.

Facing that man, he'd been utterly powerless to fight back.

"Such talent, such patience..."

Sun Zhi couldn't help murmuring.

He remembered how Shen Lin had always acted like a playboy: gifted, yet uninterested in practicing martial arts, spending his days drinking and carousing.

But now it seemed the man had simply been far too dark-minded, hiding himself all along.

When it came to saber techniques alone, no one in all of Qiulin County could match him.

Still shaken, Sun Zhi touched his neck, took a deep breath, and turned back toward the tavern.

Inside the main hall, the ordinary constables crowded around a table, and by now they were making quite a racket.

Sun Zhi had just been about to return to the private room when he saw a throng of people gathered around Kong Yu, with gasps rising from the crowd every now and then.

"That Mantis Demon was a real piece of work. It swung those two sickles, and even the steel sabers issued by the County Office couldn't withstand their edge. It dismembered a lot of our brothers on the spot. Luckily, our Lord Shen stepped in at the crucial moment!"

At that, Sun Zhi's thoughts stirred, and he edged a little closer.

He'd already tested Kong Yu earlier, and nothing in the man's behavior suggested he'd discovered Sun Zhi's secret.

But now, the tale he was telling about the demon-slaying had caught Sun Zhi's interest.

After what had just happened, Sun Zhi was curious about everything concerning Shen Lin.

He still hadn't decided how to respond to the man. Whether they were friends or foes remained to be seen, but it would be better to gather as much information about him as possible.

Kong Yu picked up his wine cup, and someone beside him promptly filled it, eager to please. "Brother Kong, Lord Shen is a martial artist. How come he couldn't save our brothers from the Mantis Demon?"

Gulp!

Kong Yu drained his cup in one go, shook his head, and sighed. "Lord Shen and I fought side by side back then. I didn't sense any change in his strength. He only broke through to the martial artist realm later, when he was facing a life-or-death crisis."

"What kind of life-or-death crisis?"

A strange look crossed Kong Yu's face, as if he found it difficult to speak. He looked around at the brothers and lowered his voice. "I'm only telling you lot. Don't go blabbing about it afterward."

"That Mantis Demon was female and liked handsome men. After dealing with our other colleagues, she left just me and Lord Shen. I was tied up outside, but I could hear everything happening inside the room. It was a real earth-shaker."

"Ew!"

Someone gave a disgusted squeal, then sighed as if he pitied Shen Lin. "Those monsters are all hideous and vicious-looking... Lord Shen really had it rough."

"You don't understand!"

Someone beside him cut in. "Monsters that have cultivated demonic energy can take human form. Some of the beauties they transform into are even prettier than ordinary courtesans. There are places in the prefectural city where shapeshifting monsters entertain guests. I hear the experience is, tsk, tsk..."

A bunch of lecherous old men all burst into lascivious laughter.

Kong Yu waved his hands and hurriedly steered the conversation back on track.

"Even so, monsters that have cultivated demonic energy are much stronger than us ordinary people. Maybe Lord Shen only broke through and became a martial artist when he was pushed into that sort of life-or-death crisis."

"As for what happened afterward, I was knocked unconscious, and my mind was hazy, so I don't know much. I only vaguely remember hearing that after becoming a martial artist, Lord Shen showed off his might. Not only did he tease the Mantis Demon with ease, he beat her until she kept crying for him to stop."

At that, Sun Zhi's expression turned strange.

Maybe this guy really did have some psychological issues...

Looks like I'll have to think this through carefully.

Shaking his head, Sun Zhi returned to the private room with mixed feelings.

After that night, tales of Lord Shen's heroic exploits began circulating through Qiulin County.

From street corners to alleyways, vendors traded gossip with one another.

"Have you heard? After the monster did that to Lord Shen, he was so ashamed that he broke through to the martial artist realm on the spot and slaughtered his way through them all. He drove that monster back again and again until she kept crying for him to stop."

"That doesn't sound right. I heard our Lord Shen was into that sort of thing and even teased the monster before he slew it."

On the street outside the brothel, a man crept around, peddling pills.

"Brother! Want one? These pills boost your energy and strengthen your kidneys. They'll have you standing proud, your spear never falling!"

"Are they really that miraculous?"

"Of course! Why would I lie to you? You know Lord Shen from the torture chamber? He took my pills, and that's how he fought the monster for three hundred rounds. After wearing her out, he killed her with a single saber stroke."

Inside the County Office, the ordinary constables watched Shen Lin as he walked in. Once he'd gone past, one of them leaned toward another and whispered:

"Have you heard? Lord Shen fucked that Mantis Demon to death!"