You Mean He Killed This Many Alone?

Qingxi County, South City Gate.

Zhou Heng stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth beneath the gate tower. From time to time, he stopped and looked into the distance, as though waiting for something.

"Lord Zhou, please don't worry."

Clerk Liu followed beside Zhou Heng and gently reassured him, "Head Constable Mu is blessed by heaven. His talent is exceptional and his strength is formidable; he'll definitely be fine. Besides, Head Constable Xue is there too. Surely you trust his abilities?"

Though Clerk Liu's words made sense, Zhou Heng could not stop the worry rising in his heart.

"Alas, let's hope so."

Zhou Heng let out a sigh.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop~~~"

Just as Zhou Heng furrowed his brow, a crisp burst of hoofbeats suddenly came from the official road in the distance.

He instinctively looked up. Several tall horses came into view first, followed by a crude-looking wooden cart.

Zhou Heng recognized the driver at once. It was Old Fang, an experienced constable under Mu Yang.

And beside him was the Mu Yang Zhou Heng had been worrying about for so long.

Seeing Mu Yang appear completely unharmed, the gloom on Zhou Heng's face instantly scattered. Smiling, he prepared to step forward and greet him.

Then, suddenly, his steps froze.

As they drew closer, he finally saw what the mountain-like pile on that wooden cart was.

Heads—seven Rat Demon heads, neatly stacked together!

And six huge, headless demon corpses.

Dark-red demon blood that had not yet fully dried dripped through the gaps in the boards. A soft breeze wafted past, carrying a faint stench thick with blood.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

The smile on Zhou Heng's face stiffened, his eyes filled with shock.

Clerk Liu beside him rubbed his eyes hard, making sure he was not seeing things.

The gate guards, nearby vendors, and passing pedestrians all stopped what they were doing. One after another, they craned their necks, their eyes wide as bronze bells.

The entire South City Gate fell into dead silence.

Only the wooden cart continued slowly forward amid the clip-clop of hooves.

"Lord Zhou."

Mu Yang swung down from his horse and gave Zhou Heng a slight cupped-hand salute. His tone was as calm as ever, as though the cart behind him carried not terrifying demon heads and corpses, but ordinary firewood, rice, oil, and salt.

Only when Mu Yang came over did Zhou Heng seem to wake from a dream. Regaining his senses, he pointed at the cart and instinctively swallowed. "Head Constable Mu, did you all kill these?"

Mu Yang nodded.

Wu Cai, standing nearby, interjected, "It wasn't us who killed them..."

At those words, Zhou Heng instinctively looked toward Xue She.

Could it be that my brother-in-law's strength has grown?

As Zhou Heng's thoughts raced, Wu Cai continued, "By the time we arrived, Brother Mu had already killed all these Rat Demons. He killed every one of them by himself!"

"Alone?"

Zhou Heng cried out in alarm.

It was not that he could not keep his composure. He had simply lived all these years without ever seeing such a formidable constable.

He felt that even if his brother-in-law, the Chief Constable, had taken action, he might not have been able to achieve such a feat.

Yet that was not all. Wu Cai excitedly pointed at the oldest-looking rat head on the wooden cart. "Oh, and this one."

"This is?" Still not fully recovered from his shock, Zhou Heng asked instinctively.

Wu Cai grinned, speaking with considerable pride. "This is the Yellow Wind Old Monster of Yellow Wind Mountain. My brother went up the mountain and killed him alone as well!"

"The Yellow Wind Old Monster!!"

Zhou Heng's voice rose several more notches.

Xue She watched his usually steady brother-in-law reveal such a loss of composure and could not help curling his lips into a smile.

When he had first seen Mu Yang carrying the Yellow Wind Old Monster's head, he had looked exactly the same.

Still, that was only natural.

After all, who could have imagined that a young man who had only just turned twenty could accomplish such an astonishing feat alone?

"Head Constable Mu truly possesses extraordinary talent and peerless martial prowess!"

Zhou Heng stared at Mu Yang with blazing eyes, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "For Qingxi County to produce a man like Head Constable Mu is a blessing for its people! A blessing for Great Jing!"

"You praise me too highly, Lord Zhou." Mu Yang smiled faintly. "Killing demons is simply a constable's duty."

Watching Mu Yang remain so humble even after such an astonishing achievement, Zhou Heng nodded inwardly.

No wonder he could attain such accomplishments. With that mindset alone, he surpassed countless others.

If Zhou Heng had slain the Yellow Wind Old Monster at twenty, he would have climbed onto his father's head and started painting. His father would still have had to praise him for sitting steadily, painting well, and being the Zhou Family's qilin child!

"Come, come, come, Head Constable Mu! You have slain demons and earned great merit today. This is a joyous occasion of heaven-shaking proportions—we must drain three great cups!" Zhou Heng's face glowed red as he excitedly invited Mu Yang to drink at his home.

"Then I'll trouble Lord Zhou."

Mu Yang happened to have matters to ask about, so he did not refuse.

As for what he wished to ask, it naturally concerned the Wang Family.

The Wang Family was different from the Rat Demons of Yellow Wind Mountain. Rat Demons were demons; as long as he was strong enough, he could kill however he pleased, and it did not matter how many he killed.

But the Wang Family was different. Killing people and killing demons were, after all, not quite the same.

He was wearing this constable's uniform properly enough. He had no desire to become an outlaw.

"Old Fang, take the brothers and transport these demon corpses and heads to the small courtyard at my home. While you're at it, take the brothers to drink some warmed wine and listen to some music, to drive away the Sha Qi." Mu Yang turned to Old Fang and the others, giving them instructions.

As he spoke, he reached into his robes, preparing to take out some silver.

"Why should you trouble yourself over drinking, brother? I'm happy today, so I'll pay for the wine!" Wu Cai strode forward and said cheerfully.

Seeing Wu Cai insist on treating them, Mu Yang did not refuse.

After all, he truly did not have much cash on hand. The Merit Points he had earned from slaying demons had all been exchanged for martial arts.

But after tonight, he would not be short of silver.

He had already exchanged for all the martial arts available in the county. The remaining Merit Points could only be exchanged for silver.

"Good heavens, our head constable is far too incredible! At such a young age, he's probably already on par with the Chief Constable!" Watching Mu Yang leave with Zhou Heng and Xue She, Old Ye could not help sighing in admiration.

"I only hope the head constable can stay in our county a while longer," Old Fang added.

"What do you mean? Is the head constable leaving?" Old Ye asked, puzzled.

"What else? Do you think the head constable is like you, with no ambition and nothing to do all day but play cards? A man like him can hardly remain forever in a little place like our county." Old Fang mocked.

"That's true." Old Ye nodded unconsciously, but quickly came to his senses. "Wait, what do you mean, 'like me'? Are you so impressive? Just wait until we drink—I'll make sure you're dead drunk!"

Elsewhere.

Within the Zhou Family residence, in the banquet hall.

Exquisite dishes covered the entire redwood round table. Aged Huadiao Wine gave off a rich, intoxicating aroma.

There were not many people in the hall. Aside from the maidservants responsible for pouring wine and serving dishes, only Mu Yang, Zhou Heng, and Xue She sat at the table.

It had to be said that the Zhou Family truly deserved its reputation as a prominent family in the county. Though it could not compare to the prestige of the Three Great Families, its food, clothing, and daily luxuries were indeed excellent.

The dishes were lavish, and their flavors were superb.

It was clear Zhou Heng had put considerable thought into this meal.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.

Zhou Heng, his face faintly flushed, suddenly dismissed the maidservants. Then he rose, lifted his wine cup, and looked at Mu Yang with a complicated expression.

"Head Constable Mu, this official has wronged you!"

At those words, Xue She silently set down his chopsticks and looked toward Zhou Heng.

Mu Yang looked over as well, unsure what game he was playing.