New Profession, New Plan

The amber candlelight flickered. Qin An adjusted the flame, and it burned brighter.

He sank into thought.

The danger had yet to pass, and Qin An faced two choices.

He could level up an old profession or unlock a new one.

Smoke appeared before his eyes and gathered into words.

[Butcher Profession lv.3 (80/400): The livestock you slaughter tastes slightly better.]

[Scholar Profession lv.3 (40/400): You read slightly faster.]

[Blacksmith Profession lv.3 (0/400): The quality of the items you forge improves.]

The Butcher Profession had gained 80 proficiency points from his recent string of demon slaughterings.

The Scholar Profession had gained proficiency from his recent reading of cultivation manuals.

As for the Blacksmith Profession, it had not changed at all. It remained at level three with zero points.

Those three professions were all Qin An had.

Qin An picked up the Azure Bird Leap he had gotten from Captain Zheng and decided to unlock a new profession.

Leveling an old profession cost more proficiency. Even the Butcher Profession, which was closest to leveling up, still needed 320 points.

A new profession needed only 300 points to go from level one to level three, twenty fewer than the Butcher Profession.

Between the two, unlocking a new profession for a new talent was the better bargain.

Besides, Qin An now had the Azure Bird Leap. Unlocking a profession suited to movement techniques would improve his strength as much as possible.

He faced pressure not only from the Yamen but also from the Three Great Demon Factions. And Chen Chun, an Undercover Agent of the Evil Extermination Division, was hiding on his side.

Qin An needed to unlock a new profession as quickly as possible.

Having made up his mind, Qin An hung up the Bell as usual and went to sleep.

Tomorrow, he would go out and look for a way to unlock a new profession.

At the Yamen.

Clerk Wang gripped his wine cup, his face dark as water.

A constable knelt with his head lowered, trembling like chaff in a sieve, too afraid to look up.

"A living man vanished, and there are signs of a fight on the Wild Grass Plain. Yet you tell me you have no leads?"

Clerk Wang hurled his cup into the constable's face. "And that butcher even went home?"

Blood streamed from the constable's forehead, but he dared not show his pain. He forced a fawning smile. "My lord, more than a dozen constables are searching the Wild Grass Plain. We've found a few leads. We'll find him within a few days at most."

Clerk Wang took several deep breaths. "Keep searching. And send men to watch the butcher's home closely."

The constable nodded at once, not daring to hesitate.

Clerk Wang picked up another wine cup and tried to take a sip, but the wine he usually enjoyed tasted bland at his lips.

What had happened tonight was far too strange.

Clerk Wang had not climbed to his current position without learning that Captain Zheng and the Eagle Demon had come to harm.

Yet the butcher was still alive.

Clerk Wang knew full well that the butcher was likely the killer.

But he did not dare act rashly.

The longer a man lived, the more he feared death.

He had to proceed with caution.

The constable was about to leave when he asked quietly, "My lord, should we tell the county magistrate?"

Clerk Wang came back to himself and sneered. "If you dare tell him, your head will leave your shoulders today."

He could not tell the county magistrate about this.

He had earned his position through his own efforts, but the county magistrate's patronage had helped him rise.

He had to keep this hidden, or his head would be forfeit.

Hearing the ice in Clerk Wang's voice, the constable dared say no more. He hurried out of the room.

But before he had taken more than a few steps, a thick leg kicked him in the chest.

The constable coughed up blood and rolled across the ground several times. By then, he was barely breathing.

Clerk Wang shot to his feet, a chilling killing intent rising from him. "Who dares cause trouble in the Yamen?"

He had nowhere to vent his anger and was ready to unleash it on the intruder.

But when he saw who had come, his fury vanished. A fawning smile appeared on his face.

"So it's Second Master Eagle."

The newcomer wore pale yellow silk. Muscles bulged across his body, and he wore a bamboo hat.

Beneath the hat, an eagle's head exuded a wild, savage air.

His left eye had been gouged out, making him look even more vicious.

Second Master Eagle of Flying Cloud Gorge controlled all of Flying Cloud Gorge.

Clerk Wang knew exactly who he was and how ruthless a demon he could be.

Years ago, Flying Cloud Gorge had been home to eight Eagle Demons at the Peak Qi Concealment Realm.

But during an internal feud, Second Master Eagle had led half the Eagle Demons into battle against First Master Eagle.

In the end, he had taken First Master Eagle's place.

The price was that only three Eagle Demons at the Peak Qi Concealment Realm remained in Flying Cloud Gorge.

Now the aura around Second Master Eagle was so chilling that even Clerk Wang shuddered.

He's broken through!

Only one thought filled Clerk Wang's mind.

Second Master Eagle was no longer in the Qi Concealment Realm. He had reached the Body Infusion Realm.

Second Master Eagle said coldly, "Those constables you sent to search the Wild Grass Plain were useless. I ate them on my way here. You don't mind, do you?"

Clerk Wang hurried to smile. "Not at all. Not in the slightest. It was their good fortune to be eaten by you."

Second Master Eagle slapped Clerk Wang on the head. "If you weren't of some use, I'd eat you today too."

The slap knocked Clerk Wang to the floor. He dared not resist and scrambled back to his feet.

Before he could speak, Second Master Eagle continued, "That butcher took away the Evil Extermination Division's Undercover Agent."

Clerk Wang froze like a wooden statue.

He had known about the Undercover Agent for some time, but he had never told anyone.

The Three Great Demon Factions had surrounded Ding County. Even someone with wings could not escape.

And now he was being told that the butcher surnamed Qin had taken the Undercover Agent away?

At the thought, cold sweat dripped from Clerk Wang's brow.

"Second Master Eagle, save me!"

Clerk Wang clutched Second Master Eagle's feathered leg and cried out.

If word got out, neither he nor the county magistrate would survive.

Second Master Eagle kicked Clerk Wang away, then planted a foot on his chest. "I came to take the butcher's life today, but I have one condition."

Clerk Wang nodded frantically. "Name it, Second Master Eagle."

No matter how far the demon factions around Ding County went, they did not dare cause havoc inside the county town at will.

It was not the town's strength they feared, but the Evil Extermination Division.

If things got out of hand and the Evil Extermination Division in distant Ling Prefecture learned of it, the Three Great Demon Factions would likely be torn out by the roots.

But if Second Master Eagle came in just to kill a butcher, Clerk Wang could smooth things over.

For someone in the Body Infusion Realm, killing a butcher would take no more than a wave of the hand. The Undercover Agent would die too, leaving them safe.

He would agree to a hundred conditions, let alone one.

Second Master Eagle said slowly, "Old Eighth is dead. Flying Cloud Gorge has grown weaker and now ranks last among the Three Demons. From now on, the Yamen must send more offerings to Flying Cloud Gorge."

Clerk Wang understood at once and nodded rapidly.

It would cost only a few commoners' lives. When the time came, he could find a few demons to take the blame.

Seeing Clerk Wang agree, Second Master Eagle strode outside on his feathered legs. "Third Brother, let's go."

On the wall outside the Yamen, another Eagle Demon, two zhang tall, answered and silently followed.

Before leaving, Second Master Eagle grabbed the constable from earlier and walked out of the courtyard eating him.

Clerk Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Qin An, let's see how you survive this."