Hero of the Grassroots!

At this moment, the two dog demons commanded their offspring to pounce and tear at Chen Fan and the others, while they themselves hid in the shadows, not daring to show themselves easily.

Chen Fan brandished his Embroidered Spring Blade, one slash per dog demon. Killing these dog demons, the first stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm, was as simple as eating and drinking for him.

Lu Xuenning and Huang Chengyue were not to be outdone, also making their moves. With their strength, killing low-level demons of this realm was simply effortless.

As soon as the three attacked, after a few rounds, more than twenty dog demons were either dead or wounded. The remaining dog demons scattered like leaves in the wind, fleeing and hiding in various corners of the County Magistrate's mansion.

"Head Constable Lu, how dare you send people to surround my official residence? Are you trying to rebel?"

Just as Chen Fan and the others were searching for the dog demons and killing them, County Magistrate Li Shouyi, accompanied by the mansion's servants and guards, strode out aggressively. Upon seeing Lu Xuenning, he immediately began to berate her.

"County Magistrate Li, for harboring demonic creatures and colluding with demons and devils, your crime warrants death."

"My Jinyiwei directly obeys His Majesty's orders, overseeing noble families and sects, and eliminating demons, devils, and monsters. If anyone dares to obstruct, they may be executed first and reported later, with no mercy shown!"

"County Magistrate Li, do you wish to test the sharpness of my Embroidered Spring Blade?"

Chen Fan walked up to Li Shouyi, his hand resting on the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, and said coldly.

"You... you... don't be so arrogant!"

Li Shouyi was intimidated by Chen Fan's imposing aura and retreated a few steps.

Although he was the esteemed official of a county, he was, in the end, a scholar who had studied the classics. Facing a martial artist like Chen Fan, who possessed formidable strength and an imposing presence, he instantly faltered.

"Restrain all these people."

"Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

Lu Xuenning glanced at County Magistrate Li Shouyi and then waved her hand. The yamen runners, constables, and soldiers behind her hesitated for a moment before quickly surrounding Li Shouyi and his entourage.

"You are too presumptuous!"

"I, Li Shouyi, am the parent official of Ping'an County, the esteemed leader of this county, your benefactors! How dare you draw your swords against me?"

"You truly have immense audacity!"

County Magistrate Li Shouyi stared at the yamen runners, constables, and soldiers who had surrounded him and shouted sternly.

The crowd turned a deaf ear, choosing to be selectively deaf. No matter how harshly he cursed, they did not retort, nor did they lay a hand on him, but they also did not let him out of their sight for even a moment.

Just then, two tall, bipedal dog demons emerged from the main hall. Upon seeing Chen Fan and Lu Xuenning, they lunged towards the two of them.

[Killed a fourth-stage Spirit Concealment Realm dog demon, stole 28 years of its remaining lifespan!]

[Killed a fourth-stage Spirit Concealment Realm dog demon, stole 30 years of its remaining lifespan!]

Chen Fan swiftly and efficiently dispatched the two dog demons. Seeing the prompts on the attribute panel before him, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Ordinary dogs generally lived for a dozen years or so. After gaining sentience and becoming demons and devils, their lifespans would increase, but compared to demons with abundant innate lifespans, it was still insufficient!

Chen Fan and the others killed two fourth-stage Spirit Concealment Realm dog demons and twenty-four first-stage Spirit Concealment Realm dog demons in County Magistrate Li Shouyi's home. In the backyard, where the dog demons resided, they discovered a pile of white bones as large as a small mountain.

"This Li Shouyi truly deserves to die!"

Chen Fan said in a deep voice.

"We cannot kill him, but I will report his wicked deeds to Longyuan Prefecture. The laws of Great Zhou will naturally deal with him!"

Lu Xuenning spoke.

If County Lieutenant Liu Xuan was merely forced into a corner and had no choice but to collude, then County Magistrate Li Shouyi was an unadulterated corrupt official.

He willingly became a running dog for demons and devils, contending for power with Cao De. The dog demons he harbored at home caused countless prisoners who should not have died to be devoured, and also led to the ruin of countless families.

If he were not to die, it would be insufficient to quell the public's outrage!

As a ninth-rank Black-Robed Head Catcher, Lu Xuenning directly imprisoned the seventh-rank official, Ping'an County's County Magistrate, in jail to await judgment from Longyuan Prefecture.

Next, they proceeded to the homes of the county assistant, registrar, instructor, and advisor, respectively. In each of their homes, they discovered varying numbers of demons and devils.

Among them, the wolf demon in the registrar's home was the most ferocious. Sensing that the county soldiers had surrounded the registrar's house, it believed the registrar had betrayed them and proceeded to maul to death the registrar's entire family of over a dozen people.

In the instructor's home were two ape demons. The female members of his household had been tormented to the brink of death by these two ape demons.

After the two ape demons were slain by Chen Fan and the others, the instructor took a knife and killed all the surviving female members of his household before taking his own life.

In the county assistant's home were several female snake demons. Besides consuming humans, they also practiced aphrodisiac rituals, draining the life force of men. Consequently, the county assistant's servants and guards were almost completely depleted, their bodies emaciated, and their steps unsteady.

Some had already died on the bellies of the female snake demons, entering their stomachs.

"You know, if these female snake demons transformed into human form, they'd be quite attractive!"

Geng, the county assistant's bearded guard, remarked with a hint of lingering interest.

As a result, Ye kicked him directly, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"You still have the nerve to say that? In my mansion, you were the one who was getting hot and bothered with a bunch of female demons."

"When you joined my mansion as a guard, you were broad-shouldered and strong, capable of lifting a thousand-pound millstone, possessing the might to face ten thousand men. Now, you almost fall over from a kick from me, a frail scholar."

"Aren't you ashamed?"

Ye Jichuan pointed at his childhood friend and guard, speaking with exasperation.

"Hehehe."

"I was just helping to share the burden with our brothers, the household guards."

"Lord Ye, can you bear to watch these brothers die in the bellies of those female snakes?"

"The capable should bear more responsibility. A little replenishment will do."

Geng scratched his head sheepishly and said.

Chen Fan looked at Geng, thinking this guy was quite something.

A hero of the common folk, Geng!

This guy wasn't going to let Ning Caichen, the Knight of the Undead, steal all the glory!

"Thank you, Chen Fan, Head Constable Lu, and everyone present for saving me from the brink. I, Ye, am deeply grateful!"

Ye Jichuan bowed to everyone with clasped fists, showing no airs of an official. He wasn't furious that Chen Fan and the others had killed the demons and devils.

It seemed that although Lord Ye was held hostage by the demons and devils, he had not chosen to collude with them or act in league with them.

Constable Liu also praised him as righteous and incorruptible, indicating that Lord Ye truly could be considered one who emerged unstained from the mud!

However, this Lord Ye was no fool. Trapped in Ping'an County under the control of the demons and devils, he chose to protect himself. He wouldn't help the demons and devils harm the people, but he also wouldn't openly oppose them.

He chose to wait for the opportune moment.

And now, the opportune moment had arrived!

"Today, seventy-five demons and devils were slain, with the largest number coming from the litter of dog demons in the County Magistrate's home. This battle has likely purged the vast majority of demons and devils in Ping'an County."

"Even if any remain, they've probably fled far away and dare not show themselves again. This is an unprecedented great victory for us!"

Huang Chengyue remarked with emotion.

Time seemed to rewind to thirty to forty years ago.

Back then, he had just become a Jinyiwei in Ping'an County. The demon scourge in Ping'an County wasn't too severe yet; demon incidents didn't even occur once a year in the city.

Their main focus was patrolling the area. Sometimes, they wouldn't find a single demon for months, making it difficult to accumulate merit.

As soon as they heard of demons causing trouble somewhere, they, the young ones, would eagerly volunteer for missions to slay them!