第1章 妖魔乱世

Mottled earthen walls, a dim oil lamp.

A small bed covered in an old red cloth exuded the scent of rotting wood.

Shen Yi stared at everything before him, stunned for a long while, unable to accept the fact that he had transmigrated into a minor bailiff in Baiyun County.

Yet, everything around him felt so real.

The fragmented memories in his mind grew increasingly clear.

Demons ran rampant, and evil spirits thrived.

His predecessor had been a rogue who clawed his way up from the bottom, finally securing a position as a government bailiff, ensuring he would never go hungry or cold again—it sounded like a truly inspiring tale.

But why had the man suddenly died?

At this thought, Shen Yi felt an inexplicable, throbbing pain in the back of his head.

He reached up to touch it, and his hand came away covered in blood.

The glaring crimson between his fingers acted like a switch; in an instant, Shen Yi finally shook off the grogginess of a hangover, and a violent, surging pain crashed into him.

"Haa-huff!"

He widened his eyes, gasping for air in short, rapid bursts.

He looked down.

At the foot of the bed sat a thin, small girl, clutching her undergarments in terror.

Right beside him stood an old man in tattered, patched clothing. The man's hunched frame trembled uncontrollably as he clutched a wooden club, blood dripping from its tip.

The gaze the two cast at him was as if they were looking at some monstrous beast—desperate and terrified.

"I said..."

Shen Yi gritted his teeth. Under the stimulation of the intense pain, a surge of ferocity hammered against his chest.

He stared at the old man, intending to tell him to put the club down first.

Just then, the girl suddenly tore frantically at the remaining undergarments on her body, wrapping them around Shen Yi's leg like a crazed little beast, sobbing as she shrieked, "Master! I'll give it to you! I'll give you anything! Please, just let my father go back to the countryside, won't you?"

The old man's grip loosened, and the wooden club clattered to the floor.

His face was numb, his eyes dull, as if that single strike had exhausted every ounce of his strength.

Given the notorious reputation of Master Shen in Baiyun County, the moment he opened his eyes again, there would be no way out for the father and daughter.

"Can you just shut up for a second?"

Shen Yi's eyelids twitched from the pain.

He was already in agony and annoyed; how could he stand this girl's wailing?

His predecessor had intended to force the Liu girl into marriage tonight, so the old man's strike could be considered a service to the people—worthy of praise.

But he himself was innocent; why should he suffer this muffled blow for nothing?

Shen Yi was stifled with anger but couldn't bring himself to curse. After all, in the eyes of others, the head bailiff had simply woken up after a brief dizzy spell; they had no idea the soul inside had changed.

He pulled the clothes off the bed, tossed them casually onto the Liu girl, and waved his hand like he was shooing away flies, saying weakly, "Get out, get out, get out."

They had beaten him until he was hallucinating; back in his previous life, he would have at least extorted them for half an apartment.

He rubbed his temples, but the hallucination before his eyes actually became a bit clearer.

[Current Martial Arts]

Bone-Piercing Grappling Hand (Great Success)

Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Entry)

[You may inject lifespan into martial arts to gain corresponding progress]

[Cannot continue infusion when lifespan is less than one year]

[Current remaining lifespan: 34 years]

Shen Yi saw the text clearly and muttered to himself.

Don't get him wrong—according to the residual memories, his predecessor really did know these two skills.

The Bone-Piercing Grappling Hand was provided by the yamen; every bailiff had to practice it, as it was their bread and butter.

It was precisely because he had mastered this grappling technique that his predecessor had been promoted to a minor leader.

As for the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique, it had been taught to the bailiffs by a captain of the Demon Suppression Division himself after demons began plaguing Baiyun County; it was a legitimate martial art for slaying demons.

But by then, his predecessor already had a bit of status and had ruined his body with wine and women. Compared to learning martial arts for self-preservation, he had found another way to survive under the demons.

In other words, this panel was real, not a hallucination?

But this was too useless.

Injecting lifespan to gain martial arts progress—it was no different from his previous life, where he'd trade years of his life for a paycheck.

The problem was that in his previous life, he had lived like a wreck—no hope, no attachments, just a walking corpse. Taking the money to enjoy himself for a few years wouldn't have been a loss.

But martial arts were meant for survival; if you were dead, what was the point of learning them?

Couldn't he just practice slowly on his own?

"Hiss."

Shen Yi turned his head, wanting to dispel the panel.

He happened to see the father and daughter again.

The two stood there like wooden stakes, looking completely soul-shattered.

"I told you to get out..."

Shen Yi grimaced, pressing his hand to the back of his head, wanting to speak, but then he suddenly remembered something.

His predecessor had come in the middle of the night to force the Liu girl into marriage, so this was the Liu household. That meant the ones who should be leaving were...

At this thought, embarrassment welled up in Shen Yi's eyes.

Fine, he'd leave.

He rolled his eyes, stood up, reached for his saber, and walked out of the courtyard, his clothes in disarray.

Transmigration was one thing, but having to walk home after taking a club to the head—he didn't know what kind of sin he had committed to deserve this. How pathetic!

"..."

The Liu girl gripped her father's hand, her thin frame trembling beneath her clothes.

She didn't understand why Master Shen's temperament had changed so drastically. He hadn't tortured her, hadn't beaten her father, and had just left in a foul mood.

Yet, there was no relief in her eyes at having escaped death.

On the contrary, as Shen Yi drew closer to the courtyard gate, the girl's pupils gradually constricted; she was clearly terrified to the extreme.

Creak.

The dilapidated gate was pushed open.

Shen Yi stepped out of the courtyard and took a deep breath of the dry night air.

He had wanted to clear his head, but the stench that drifted into his nose made him frown instinctively.

Had he forgotten something?

"Finished? Then it's my turn."

A coarse voice rang out by his ear, and the stench intensified several times over.

Shen Yi went rigid and glanced to the side.

A mountain-like, muscular humanoid figure was squatting at the entrance of the courtyard.

Its muscles were densely packed, its shoulders were hunched high, and its black fur was slick and oily. Its neck was thrust forward, and it actually possessed the head of a dog.

It turned its head slowly to look at him, its claws reaching into its loincloth to scratch.

Then it stood up, a full head taller than Shen Yi, with shoulders more than twice as broad, casting a massive shadow across the ground.

"Be quicker next time. Being hungry makes me angry."

Hearing this, Shen Yi lowered his head with a complex expression. He finally remembered his predecessor's way of survival.

It was to collude with demons and run a business of providing "rations."

With him and his lot acting as intermediaries in the yamen, fabricating false cases, they could ensure the demons were well-fed without alerting the Demon Suppression Division.

Take tonight, for example: he had already paved the way for the Liu father and daughter. Once the dog demon had finished its meal, not even a ripple would remain in Baiyun County by tomorrow.

Having figured it all out, Shen Yi forced a smile a moment later. He bumped his shoulder against the creature's arm and laughed, "You know my brother's skills—how could I be any faster?"

With that, he tried to walk past the creature: "Come on, come on. I'll treat you to drinks tonight as an apology to my brother."

However, the massive figure didn't budge.

The dog demon lowered its gaze, looking at Shen Yi with indifference: "Do you take me for a fool?"

It turned, tore off the roof of the shed, and stepped into the courtyard.

Caught with his intentions exposed, Shen Yi instinctively reached out to stop it. Even he hadn't realized why his hand had dared to reach out.

Damn it! What does this have to do with me?

He reacted quickly, trying to pull his arm back, but it had already been caught by a thick, furry dog claw.

The dog demon whipped its head around, pressing close to Shen Yi's face. Sharp teeth gleamed in its bloody maw, and viscous saliva dripped from its long snout like threads.

"Shen, you really seem to think you're something, don't you?"

"Did you forget what kind of demon I am? I heard every sound inside. You motherfucker, you dare to double-cross me?!"

The two had come together to commit murder, but one had backed out halfway—the implication was self-evident.

As it spoke, the dog demon's thick leg lashed out with a boom!

"No, are you a dog? You flip your face just like that?"

An unimaginable force struck his abdomen, instantly causing Shen Yi's brain to black out. Veins bulged on his neck as he flew backward like a broken sack, smashing through the door of the house.

He swore this was the closest he had ever been to death.

"You don't know what's good for you. I should just use you to sacrifice to my own gut."

Listening to the cold voice from outside the courtyard, Shen Yi lay limp on the ground, clutching his abdomen. He looked up at the father and daughter, who were shaking like chaff.

He withdrew his gaze and gasped, "Can't you two... give me a heads-up... to use the back door?"

The old man and the girl swallowed frantically, as if that were the only way to suppress the screams in their throats.

Their faces were filled with confusion; they couldn't understand why this villain, who should have been arm-in-arm with the demon, had also been kicked inside.

"Forget it, the blade..."

Shen Yi raised his hand weakly. Seeing the two of them looking like idiots, he had to remind them again: "Pick up the blade and bring it to me."

The Liu girl hurriedly picked up the saber and handed it over. She just couldn't understand who he wanted to hack—it couldn't possibly be the demon outside, could it?

Shen Yi swallowed the bloody, metallic taste in his mouth and gripped the hilt. Under the gaze of the father and daughter, he suddenly spat, "Disgusting."

Whether it was this chaotic world in his memories, his predecessor's way of survival, or the fact that he had to imitate him to barely scrape by—it was not only disgusting, it was utterly meaningless.

"..."

He watched as the dog demon pushed over the courtyard wall, stooped to enter, and flicked its thick tongue to lick its claws, already prepared to feast.

The thought of his head being held in that filthy dog mouth, chewed to pieces bit by bit, and swallowed along with viscous saliva...

Shen Yi's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and a trace of madness quietly emerged in his eyes.

Fine, fine. So that's how we're playing.

My life was a gift, but yours is your own. You want to play for keeps with me? What gives you the right?

The panel unfolded rapidly before his eyes.

Injecting lifespan into martial arts to gain corresponding progress.

"Right, the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique. Please, fill it up for me."

"Thank you."