"Just keep two of them. Pick the ones with decent reputations."
Shen Yi's thoughts were all on martial arts now.
He wasn't particularly interested in the odd jobs the constables handled, or the scraps of profit they skimmed through bribes and shakedowns.
Replacing them with a couple of cleaner-handed men would at least mean fewer sins committed.
Hearing this, Song Changfeng froze for a moment, unsure whether Shen Yi's talk of a "good reputation" was meant sarcastically.
As far as reputation went, could anyone working under Lord Shen possibly come out looking good?
He quickly turned and called out two names. "Niu Da, Niu Er, starting today, you'll transfer over and take those two men's shifts."
The two summoned were the burliest constables, and the two with the most dissatisfied expressions.
The brothers mustered their courage, stood there with cold faces and arms crossed, and planned to give Shen no respect, no matter what he said.
Yet Shen Yi didn't seem interested in lecturing them. He simply turned back to Song Changfeng. "Anything else?"
The constables' corpses lay in the courtyard, but the demon's corpse had vanished. It was indeed a little strange.
"Thank you for yesterday."
Song Changfeng sighed. It was hard to tell whether he meant Shen Yi's slaying a demon at the Constabulary Office or his using an excuse to slip away from Song's house.
Then a complicated look crept into his eyes. "Liu the Clerk asked me to pass along a message. He said you should rein things in. You've gone a little too far these past couple of days."
In the past, Shen Yi would have been far better informed than this sidelined old man. Yet today, word had come down from above through him.
Apparently, rumors of the dog demon's head and the ape demon's corpse over the past couple of days had finally reached the higher-ups.
"..."
Shen Yi furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing.
"Demons are vicious, but they're still outside the county seat. If it's just a little trouble, we can pretend we didn't see it... You used to be the best at that."
Song Changfeng seemed a little despondent. Clearly, yesterday's incident, when a demon had swaggered into the county yamen to demand justice, had shaken him deeply.
"Fine. Get back to work. I'm going home to rest some more."
Watching Song Changfeng lead the constables away from the courtyard, Shen Yi slowly rose and walked out of the room.
With the Demon Suppression Division's inspection approaching, the yamen officials had grown tense as well.
He just couldn't understand: even if they muddled through this time, what did these people plan to do in the future?
Was temporarily taking off their official hats really worse than losing their lives?
Those were demons! When they ate people, they wouldn't care whether their victims were ordinary folk or the county magistrate!
"Lord Shen."
Chen Ji cupped his hands, then asked quietly, "Yesterday... were you all right?"
He had meant to ask what exactly had happened the previous night, but the words died on his lips.
"I'm fine."
Shen Yi rubbed his temples.
Chen Ji seemed to read his thoughts. "Lately, several people from the yamen, along with the county's wealthy gentry, have been doing everything they can to spend silver in Qing Prefecture and hire renowned martial artists. Even if they're only guarding their homes, those martial artists can still do a lot to deter the demons outside the city."
"Martial artists from the jianghu?" Shen Yi glanced sideways at him.
"Members of prestigious orthodox sects. They all have lineages to inherit." Chen Ji looked envious before continuing. "Take the one the Lin Family hired, Master Liu Qi, known as the Monument-Splitting Hand. More than ten demons have died beneath his iron palms alone."
"These martial artists grew up bathing in medicinal herbs and eating precious meats and rare tonics. They're much more reliable than us constables who took up martial arts halfway through life. Those wealthy gentry never expected us to protect their families."
"Doesn't the yamen worry they'll use their martial arts to break the law?" Shen Yi asked, puzzled.
"Not really. Any member of a prestigious orthodox sect will have registered with the imperial court." Chen Ji usually seemed taciturn, but he was quite interested in these martial arts rumors.
"Besides, someone hired with silver can't compare to someone brought in through connections... They say the county magistrate wrote to his former teacher in Qing Prefecture and invited back some important figure. He's been keeping him at his residence, and the man rarely shows his face. Even Master Liu Qi had to send a calling card before visiting when he first arrived in Baiyun County."
Shen Yi felt tempted. He asked slowly, "Do these jianghu sects have any requirements for admitting disciples?"
If he could find a master to take him on, it should be more comfortable than staying at the yamen.
"Talent and aptitude, family background and character. You need all of them." Chen Ji tugged at his sleeve. "There's also a rule they can't say openly, and it's the most important one: you can't have worn this uniform."
Seeing the helpless look in his eyes, Shen Yi immediately understood.
The jianghu was supposed to be free and unrestrained, yet now sects had to register with the imperial court before they could be recognized. It was like having shackles clamped around their ankles.
Once they made that concession, they couldn't help worrying that the imperial court would swallow them up and assimilate them. Under those circumstances, shutting out government spies was only natural.
"In any case, Baiyun County is still Baiyun County. Things won't get too chaotic. It's just the ordinary people who suffer." Chen Ji's eyes filled with indignation. Then he remembered something and asked anxiously, "I sent the girls home. When will the ape demon come?"
In the past, he would never have asked about something like this. He would only curse that dog of a man, Shen, behind his back.
Now he'd suddenly realized that cursing alone wouldn't solve anything.
All he knew how to do was draw his blade and charge. His head was empty of ideas, and all he had was a rush of hot blood. He could only put his hopes in Shen Yi. Shen Yi could move with ease under the eyes of so many demons; surely he could come up with a plan.
"I've already sent it packing."
Shen Yi brushed it off lightly.
Chen Ji froze a little. He hadn't slept all night, yet Shen Yi had already settled the matter without a word.
"The ape demon didn't say anything?"
"They said I used to be efficient at my work and they were very pleased with me. They wanted to give me Head Song's position."
Shen Yi recalled that the Confucian-robed Old Ape really had said that.
"You agreed?"
"No."
"No wonder..." Chen Ji rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He'd wondered what had gotten into Head Song today. Now he knew there was more to it.
"Oh, I forgot to mention: you seem a little strange today." He looked up.
"What's strange?"
"I can't quite put it into words... You're just a little conspicuous."
Shen Yi nodded, more or less understanding what he meant.
The next moment, the aura coursing freely through his body slowly returned to his acupoints.
He was showing off this cultivation to the Demon Suppression Division, not using it to warn demons. If every lesser demon avoided him, replenishing his demonic lifespan would become difficult.
After suppressing his aura, Shen Yi waved a hand. "From now on, take the others with you when you're on duty. Don't let anything go wrong."
Chen Ji felt a flicker of confusion.
Only after a moment did he understand what Shen Yi meant.
Was he planning a complete overhaul? Would they stop squeezing the common folk dry from now on?
"This subordinate understands!"
"One more thing."
Shen Yi stopped him. Chen Ji turned back, puzzled.
"Lend me some silver. I'll pay you back when my salary comes in."
"..."
Chen Ji rolled his eyes. Fine, fine. Now Shen Yi was going to squeeze him dry instead.
He reached into his waistband and took out three qian of silver, muttering, "I still have to save up a dowry for Jinyu..."
"Don't worry. If I can't pay you back, I'll marry her."
Shen Yi casually took the silver and strode out of the courtyard.
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