Tragic Blood! Flying Blade! Heavy Hammer!

Night was dark and the wind was high; the alley lay desolate.

As Mu Yang neared his own courtyard, a faint, fine chewing sound, like a wild beast gnawing its food, came from within.

This monster was eating?

But what was there in his courtyard for it to eat?

Mu Yang's brows furrowed slightly, yet his feet did not hesitate in the slightest. As he circulated his Blood Qi and lightened his body with the method of Three-Breath Lightness, he approached the low courtyard wall.

With a light leap, he silently landed atop the wall.

The sight within the courtyard made his pupils suddenly contract.

In the middle of the yard, a burly Rat Demon even larger than the one he had killed yesterday squatted facing him. As if eating a quail, it was gnawing on a small piece of something.

On the ground lay a tiny corpse with limbs missing.

It was the little boy next door who had brought him sesame cakes yesterday, who had looked at him with worship in his eyes and said he wanted to become a constable.

Now, the bright smile that had once graced his face was gone. All that remained was blood, stained by terror and helplessness, flowing in streams and pooling into a glaring red patch upon the bluestone slabs.

Seeing Mu Yang land on the wall, Hui Er unhurriedly stuffed the last section of a small forearm into his mouth, which was smeared with blood and bits of flesh. His green eyes gleamed with cruel light beneath the moon.

"The real target has finally come back. You sure made me wait."

Hui Er grinned, baring a mouthful of sharp fangs. "This little thing had too little meat to fill me up. Now that you're here, I can finally have a proper feast."

Mu Yang's face was as dark as water. He said nothing. The joy he had felt upon smelling demon aura was gone from his placid, ancient-well-like eyes.

The old constable had once told him that noticing another person's pain was attentiveness; feeling another person's pain was kindness; suffering on someone else's behalf was pure stupidity.

In this man-eating world, misery was not something you had caused. What was there for you to be upset about?

With that time, you might as well spend the silver you earned, so the craftsmen at the bottom could afford some charcoal for the winter.

Mu Yang understood all those principles.

But right now, his heart was in turmoil, and he felt thoroughly unhappy.

So now, he only wanted to smash this beast to death and make himself feel better!

Mu Yang tossed away the roast chicken in his hand and drew the Feather-Command Broadblade from his waist.

"You deserve to die!"

His voice was icy to the bone, devoid of even a trace of emotion.

"I deserve to die?"

Hui Er rose from the bluestone slabs. He was taller than both Hui Jiu and Hui Wu, standing a full ten feet high.

As he stood, terrifying demon aura continuously rose through the courtyard.

"I think you're the one who deserves to die! Tonight, I'll use your head to pay tribute to my two dead younger brothers!"

With that, Hui Er's thick lower limbs abruptly exerted force. Under the moonlight, the surrounding pitch-black shadows seemed to come alive, gathering around his claws along with his rapidly pouncing body as he viciously struck.

Demon Blood Art: Shadow Strangling!

When humans cultivated martial arts to the Third Rank, they could nurture Blood Marrow, tempering flesh, skin, tendons, bones, and marrow until they were fused into one, reaching the limits of human strength.

When demons reached the Third Rank, they could likewise use demon aura to nurture their blood.

However, unlike human martial artists, who merely increased their strength, monsters already possessed astonishing physiques. During this process, there was a tiny chance that they would awaken a power hidden within their bloodline.

This power was known as a Demon Blood Spell!

Hui Er was one of the lucky few monsters.

He possessed the power to control shadows.

"Die!!"

Hui Er extended his pitch-black claw, wrapped in shadows, and lunged straight for Mu Yang's chest.

Terrifying Sha Qi, killing intent, and demon aura rushed toward him. Anyone else might already have been frightened senseless by this bloody wind, but Mu Yang's expression remained calm.

At the very instant Hui Er's claw was about to touch Mu Yang's chest,

He moved!!

Three-Breath Lightness, Third Breath: Fullness!!

His Blood Qi circulated rapidly, and his light breathing suddenly grew thick and heavy.

In an instant, Mu Yang went from utter stillness to extreme speed.

His figure vanished from the wall in a flash, so fast that even Hui Er's vision blurred.

Almost at the same moment he evaded Hui Er's claw, Mu Yang arrived at his side, raising the Feather-Command Broadblade clenched in his hand high overhead.

Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique—Tiger-Subduing Dragon-Subduing Stance!!

Whoosh—!!

Blade light flashed like the Milky Way plunging from the ninth heaven, carrying the force of ten thousand catties as it hacked viciously down at Hui Er.

The fierce blade wind made Hui Er's soul fly from his body.

This speed, this power—was he really a rookie constable?

Though his heart was filled with shock and doubt, Hui Er had no time to think. He almost instinctively drove the demon power within his body, trying to dive into the shadows.

Unfortunately, even though he activated his demon power with utmost speed, he still could not avoid being grazed by the blade light.

The thick fur that could withstand ordinary blades, spears, swords, and halberds was like paper before the Third-Rank Feather-Command Broadblade driven by immense force. It was split and severed in an instant.

"Aah—!!"

A cry of pain rang out beneath the moonlight, accompanied by a severed arm spinning through the air.

"Third Rank—and not an ordinary Third Rank. At least Third-Rank Late Stage, perhaps even Perfection. How is that possible?!"

Hui Er emerged from the shadow in the corner of the courtyard, clutching the stump of his arm as blood poured endlessly from it. His voice was filled with horror.

He had never imagined that an obscure little constable would possess Third-Rank strength!

And whether in power or speed, Mu Yang was stronger than his own Third-Rank Middle Stage body!

That old bastard Wang Rudong had actually dared to deceive him. This was fucking not some rookie!

No, he couldn't win. He absolutely couldn't win. He had to retreat—immediately!

With that thought, Hui Er disregarded the pain from his severed arm. He forcibly suppressed the demon aura raging within him from his injury and activated the Shadow-Diving Technique with all his strength.

The black shadow beneath his feet surged again, like boiling water about to roll over, spreading outward from the soles of his feet.

However, at that moment,

A sharp whistling sound suddenly tore through the silent night sky, making his eardrums buzz.

He instinctively raised his head and looked toward the source of the sound.

The long blade that had just severed his arm was shooting toward him like a silver bolt of lightning, trailing a howling gale.

Hundred Shadow Flying Needles' ultimate move—Yama's Roll Call!!

That was right. To prevent Hui Er from escaping, Mu Yang had directly used the technique of Hundred Shadow Flying Needles to throw the Feather-Command Broadblade in his hand.

With the ten-thousand-catty force of one arm, the Feather-Command Broadblade weighing over three hundred catties was nearly as light to him as a flying needle.

Bang!!

Like a long spear, the Feather-Command Broadblade pierced through Hui Er's abdomen and nailed him firmly to the ground. Dense cracks spread across the earth like a Spider Web.

"Aah—!!!"

Hui Er let out another miserable scream, and the Shadow Stealth he had just used was forcibly scattered.

The force of that blade nearly shattered his internal organs, hurting him so badly that he could barely open his eyes.

"P-please... spare... spare my li..."

Perhaps he had truly felt the terror of death. Hui Er tried to beg for mercy.

But Mu Yang did not want to hear it at all.

He strode forward, spreading his broad shoulders. His powerful five fingers shot out and seized Hui Er by the thick neck.

Then, the fingers of his other hand clenched into a fist.

No fist technique, no stance—he simply relied on the immense strength of his body and smashed down.

Bang—!

One punch shattered Hui Er's right arm. He howled in agony and begged to cling to life.

Bang—!!

Another punch caved in Hui Er's chest. His eyes lost focus, and his breath became a thin thread.

Bang—!!!

Another punch made Hui Er's body convulse. The light in his eyes went out, and his life force dispersed.

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a Third-Rank Rat Demon. Equipment Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique has met the requirements for permanent solidification. This equipment has been permanently solidified! ]

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a Third-Rank Rat Demon. Equipment Hundred Shadow Flying Needles has met the requirements for permanent solidification. This equipment has been permanently solidified! ]

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a Third-Rank Rat Demon. Equipment Rat Demon Corpse (Second Rank) has met the requirements for permanent solidification. This equipment has been permanently solidified! ]

[ Current number of empty Equipment Slots: 3 ]

The sound of equipment solidifying rang in Mu Yang's mind, yet he was utterly unaware of it. He only continued bringing down punch after punch.

Dull blows echoed through the silent night.

Only after Hui Er's head had been smashed beyond recognition, shattered pieces scattered everywhere, did Mu Yang finally stop, panting heavily.

He pulled the Feather-Command Broadblade from where it had pierced Hui Er and embedded itself in the ground. Then he walked to the well in the courtyard, leaned against the cold stone wall, and looked up at the bright moon in the sky.

The moonlight was whiter than snow; filth covered the courtyard floor.

In a daze, Mu Yang seemed to see the old constable push open the courtyard gate and walk toward him.

Mu Yang narrowed his eyes unconsciously. Only then did he see clearly that it was not the old constable at all, but Old Feng, the sesame-cake seller next door.