"Open the door."
On the shadowy street, Captain Zheng drew his long saber and braced himself.
A constable swallowed and reached out with a trembling hand, pressing it against the old wooden door.
They were Captain Zheng's trusted men. They knew that when he wore that expression, danger lay inside.
If he opened the door, whatever danger waited behind it would come for him first.
But did he dare refuse?
He did not.
If he wanted to keep getting by in Ding County and preying on its people, he could not refuse.
Creak!
The old wooden door let out a piercing squeal.
The constable pushed it open, then immediately retreated several paces, his saber hand trembling slightly.
Captain Zheng spat, slapped the constable on the head, and cursed, "Useless fool!"
Moonlight made the inside of the house easy to see.
It was empty. Apart from the furniture, there was nothing there.
"Where did that butcher go?"
Puzzled, Captain Zheng ordered two more constables inside to search.
A moment later, they came out and shook their heads. Nothing was amiss inside.
"It's just a little cold."
One constable hugged his arms, unable to shake the feeling that a pair of eyes was watching him from the dark.
Captain Zheng's frown deepened. After looking around, he said, "Back to the Yamen. We'll report this to Clerk Wang."
He had a suspicion. Could the Wild Boar Demon have met its end here?
But he knew better than anyone what kind of experts Ding County had.
And this was the butcher's house. Could a butcher really be an expert?
The constables followed Captain Zheng out.
It was late. Night hung like a curtain.
Soft footsteps sounded, unusually clear in the darkness.
At the sound, Captain Zheng drew his long saber with a clang. His gaze turned fierce, but sweat had already slicked the hand gripping his weapon.
"Who's there?"
The Wild Boar Demon had fallen, and this alley reeked of danger.
He had spent time in the martial world, after all. Though he had grown fat in Ding County, instinct still put him on guard.
The constables drew their sabers and fell into disarray, buzzing like a swarm of hornets.
A black-haired young man with a Sharp Knife at his waist slowly emerged from the alley ahead.
"Qin An?" Captain Zheng barked. "Stand against the wall. Don't move."
He still remembered Qin An's name.
When none of the butchers had known what to do with the Pig Demon's corpse, only Qin An had been able to butcher it. The memory had stuck with Captain Zheng.
Qin An's expression was calm. He rested a hand on the Sharp Knife at his waist. "You saw it all?"
Silence fell. A dropped needle would have been heard.
Captain Zheng swallowed. "You killed the Pig Demon?"
He still found it hard to believe, but Qin An's composure left him little choice.
Qin An nodded. "It came looking for trouble, so I slaughtered it."
He had just returned from the Blacksmith Shop. As he reached the alley, he had spotted Captain Zheng and his men.
Faced with the question, Qin An chose to admit it.
Things had reached this point. Denying it would be useless.
Besides, Qin An had his own ideas.
His situation was dangerous now. The threat came not only from demons, but from the Yamen.
As Chen Chun had said, the Yamen was in league with the demons. It would not allow an unstable factor to emerge in Ding County.
He was that unstable factor.
He had expected today's events to come to light.
No wall could keep out every draft. Now that the truth was out, he had only two choices.
The first was to deny it. But even a fool would see that Qin An was lying, and knowing Clerk Wang, the man would put him through one test after another.
The second was to admit it and show his strength.
In Great Qian, strength ruled.
He had slaughtered a demon, not killed a person. With strength to back him up, what could even Clerk Wang do?
Of course, this would not work forever. Clerk Wang would not let him remain an unstable factor.
But buying some time was the best he could hope for.
Given enough time, the Golden Finger would raise Qin An far above everyone in Ding County. By then, Clerk Wang would be even less willing to make a move.
Perhaps he only needed a few days—enough to train up the talent of his Blacksmith Profession.
Captain Zheng raised his saber. "That's your story, but we don't know if it's true. Cooperate and come to the Yamen with us."
Something was suspicious here. He did not dare decide what to do himself and wanted Clerk Wang's guidance.
Qin An glanced at Captain Zheng. "You don't understand the situation?"
Captain Zheng froze.
A flash of brilliant steel cut through the air with a soul-shaking whistle.
Captain Zheng watched the Sharp Knife sweep before his eyes. He could not even begin to swing his own saber. Cold sweat covered his forehead.
Had that slash crossed his neck, his head would have parted from his body in an instant.
Too strong. Qin An was only a butcher. How had he become this strong?
"Are you resisting the law?" Captain Zheng took several steps back, his voice trembling.
Qin An shook his head. "What's wrong with killing a demon?"
That simple answer turned Captain Zheng's face livid.
As Qin An had said, there was nothing wrong with killing a demon.
Did he dare say otherwise?
In the Great Qian Kingdom, a man could kill a whole den of demons and face no consequences. He might even earn a commendation from the Evil Extermination Division.
Captain Zheng drew a deep breath. "We're going back."
He said no more.
For one thing, there was no flaw in Qin An's words. For another, he feared Qin An's strength.
He was getting old. The grand ambitions of his youth were long gone; all he wanted was to prey on the people of Ding County.
How much was he paid each month? Hardly enough to risk his life.
He could go back and let Clerk Wang decide.
The constables exchanged strange looks, fear showing in their eyes as they glanced at Qin An.
Even their captain had backed down. How could they do otherwise?
Qin An looked at one constable. "After I butchered the Pig Demon, you told me to get lost?"
Sweat streamed down the constable's face. He hurried to flatter Qin An. "I failed to recognize a towering mountain before my eyes."
"Get lost," Qin An said.
The constable dared not say another word. He followed Captain Zheng and hurried out of the alley.
After watching Captain Zheng and his men leave, Qin An returned to his house.
The oil lamp cast a dim yellow glow across his face, now bright, now dark.
I need to raise my Blacksmith Profession to level three as soon as possible.
Qin An had made up his mind.
Tonight had changed his outlook.
Strength was the foundation for standing firm in this world.
Without it, he would have been taken away tonight.
With it, even the haughty Captain Zheng could only slink away.
Qin An intended to raise his Blacksmith Profession to level three as soon as possible, while also looking into mental cultivation methods and martial techniques.
After washing up, Qin An hung up the Bell and fell asleep gripping the Sharp Knife.
Captain Zheng led his constables back to the Yamen.
As soon as he entered, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "He didn't follow us, did he?"
A constable's mouth twitched. "Captain, he didn't."
Their captain had asked more than ten times on the way back.
Captain Zheng let out a breath, strode to Clerk Wang's room, and knocked.
"Come in."
Clerk Wang's voice came between breaths.
Captain Zheng pushed open the door and froze at the sight inside.
Before you continue