Movement Under the Bed

Song Changfeng lay in the corner, gasping for breath, his peripheral vision catching the figure of the young man walking slowly toward him.

His facial muscles twitched and his Adam's apple bobbed as he let out a wheezing, rattling sound. His body, numb with pain, couldn't help but shrink back.

Everything he had witnessed earlier made him unable to believe his own eyes.

Years ago, it was Song Changfeng who had personally plucked Shen Yi from a crowd of ruffians, having taken a liking to the lad's sharp wit.

He never expected Shen Yi to be too clever by half; not only had he thrived in Baiyun County, but he had also managed to fraternize with demons and handle the yamen's affairs with impeccable efficiency.

Even so, Song Changfeng had merely avoided the man, choosing not to provoke him, all while harboring a deep sense of disdain and aversion in his heart.

Yet, at this moment, a thick sense of dread surged within him.

To take on three and slaughter all three Ape Demons with such effortless ease—such formidable martial prowess could never be forged in a single day.

Recalling how Shen Yi usually spent his time calling for friends, carousing every night, and clutching his waist after walking only a few steps, Song Changfeng felt a strange chill run through him.

With such deep concealment, what was he plotting?

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the young man reached him, and Song Changfeng instinctively raised a hand to shield his face.

The next moment, he was hoisted onto the man's back.

Shen Yi felt the middle-aged man's trembling frame and sighed. "Is it really that bad? You didn't actually lose any limbs."

The yamen's criminal division was responsible for the security of the entire county. As the head of the division, he should have been composed, yet he was terrified to this extent even after the Ape Demons were dead.

If not for the eight hundred soldiers of the Military Division guarding the city, the people of Baiyun County would have likely been devoured by demons long ago.

Song Changfeng did not reply.

Shen Yi originally intended to ask where the man lived, but as the thought surfaced, his feet naturally began to move on their own.

They exited the yamen and stepped onto East Street.

It was deep into the night, and the darkness made the road difficult to see.

Yet, Shen Yi felt no sense of unfamiliarity; he stood familiarly before a small courtyard and reached out to knock on the door.

"You still know how to come back? You should have just died out there."

Following a cold voice, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

The person who opened the door was a beautiful woman in her thirties, dressed in thin pink silk. She was charming and well-maintained, with delicate, firm skin and a curvaceous, alluring waist.

When she saw Shen Yi's face, her expression shifted slightly, and a hint of joy flickered in her narrow eyes. "Why are you here? Is that old thing still at the yamen?"

"..."

Shen Yi's expression turned strange. He shifted slightly to let her see the "old thing" he was carrying on his back.

The woman's face revealed surprise, but she did not panic. She glared at the deathly silent Song Changfeng. "You can even get yourself into this state just by sitting at the yamen drinking tea? Can you have a little backbone?"

Hearing this, even Shen Yi felt a bit of pity for Chief Song.

His work was going poorly, he had to hide from his own subordinate, and he had to endure verbal abuse upon returning home. He was nearly fifty years old, had remarried a charming young wife, and yet let someone else steal her away.

He walked into the small courtyard, entered the house, and placed Song Changfeng on the bed. The old man turned his head toward the wall and began to feign unconsciousness.

I saved your life, and you can't even offer a word of thanks... Shen Yi shook his head and turned to walk out the door.

Just as he stepped into the courtyard, a warm, soft body pressed against him.

"What happened today?" Sister-in-law Song wrapped Shen Yi's arm into her ample bosom, worriedly asking, "Are you alright? Come, come inside with me, let me give you a proper check-up."

"Ahem." Shen Yi's mind wavered for a moment.

A moment later, he glanced at the door that had just been closed and gently pulled his arm away. "Chief Song slew the demons, and I still have to return to the yamen to handle the aftermath. I won't intrude any further."

The beautiful woman watched the young man walk away and stamped her foot. "He can even slay demons, and you have that kind of ability—you heartless thing."

Leaving the Song residence.

Shen Yi stood on the deserted street, reaching out to pull his clothes tighter.

The sensation of that warm, supple touch was hard to shake off.

It wasn't that he was pining for the woman, but he felt a sense of emptiness, a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction.

Although he didn't like the situation at Chief Song's house, the idea of having someone leave a lamp lit for him when he returned home, like Chen Ji, didn't sound too bad.

Unfortunately, his predecessor was a scoundrel who had lost his parents at a young age, let alone any close friends or family; his bed had been filled with nothing but prostitutes.

Shen Yi took a deep breath of the night air and summoned his panel.

[Enlightened Ape Demon, not yet in the Initial Realm, total lifespan 326, remaining 44 years, absorption complete]

[Enlightened Ape Demon, not yet in the Initial Realm, total lifespan 355, remaining 78 years, absorption complete]

[Enlightened Ape Demon, not yet in the Initial Realm, total lifespan 420, remaining 83 years, absorption complete]

[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 222 years]

Shen Yi intended to pour all of this lifespan into the Wind and Thunder Precious Scroll.

The power of the Subduing Demon Yang-Blade was indeed impressive; it was worthy of being a technique involving the Initial Realm.

When he slew the final Ape Demon in the scholar's robe, Shen Yi had truly felt the process of his internal blood and qi being converted into mist.

This blade was no longer limited by the magnitude of force or the finesse of technique, but was a different realm entirely.

But after all, it was merely a side path carved out by mortals; forcibly consuming one's own essence to temporarily reach that realm would never compare to the true Initial Realm.

"I wonder if two hundred years will be enough."

Shen Yi knew he wasn't a genius. If he wanted to carve out a path from nothing, he could only stack it with a massive amount of time.

He didn't have the luxury of waiting for a ready-made technique.

The three Ape Demons had vanished in Baiyun County, and unlike the Black-skinned Dog Demon and Huang Laoliu before them, the other Ape Demons would soon discover this.

With most of their kin dead in one fell swoop, that genuine Great Demon would surely not let him off.

Baiyun County was in a remote region, surrounded by four demon factions: the Yellow Weasels to the west, the Apes in the eastern mountains, the demon snake known as Old Mother Green Scale, and a group of foxes.

Shen Yi had already offended two of them.

Although he had been clean in his work, demons didn't need evidence for revenge. As long as they were suspicious, it wouldn't be strange for them to wipe out the entire Baiyun County.

"I'll go home first and think about it."

Shen Yi's head ached; he wasn't a ruthless man by nature.

Before, he had only acted with a sense of reckless malice because he had only one year of life left. Now, having gained twenty years of life out of thin air and witnessed the profound martial realm, he certainly didn't want to give up if he could continue living.

With his thoughts drifting, he finally returned to a small, detached room.

As a minor official, the housing provided by the yamen was slightly better than Chen Ji's, though not by much.

Although he had extorted quite a bit of wealth, his predecessor had no interest in buying a house. After all, in Baiyun County, aside from a few people he couldn't afford to offend, he could sleep wherever he pleased.

His own room was a mess.

Shen Yi felt a sense of disgust. Fighting off his fatigue, he began to tidy up, but lacking a broom, he could only toss the clutter and the wine jars littering the floor into the backyard.

He glanced at the greasy straw mat, frowned, and tossed that out as well.

After finishing all this, Shen Yi lay down on the hard wood, his eyelids beginning to droop.

Logically, his current body no longer feared exhaustion, but perhaps having experienced so much in such a short time and seen so many things he disliked, he simply wanted to rest.

A heavy drowsiness washed over him.

Shen Yi closed his eyes completely, enjoying a moment of peace.

If there was anything to be dissatisfied about, it was the lack of a soft, fragrant body to hold while he slept.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Shen Yi opened his eyes, looking toward his bed with suspicion.