The Liu Family Tragedy

After leaving the county office.

Shen Yi entered a tavern and ordered a pot of rice wine and six meat-stuffed flatbreads.

After a moment's hesitation, he also ordered some salted pork.

Now that he had reached the Initial Realm, martial artists preferred food rich in vital essence to ordinary grains. Unfortunately, a constable's salary was nowhere near enough to afford such luxuries.

But he still had to eat, so all he could do was keep his appetite in check.

Shen Yi found a seat and ate, washing down each bite of meat with a sip of rice wine.

It was noon, when the tavern should have been packed, but it was unusually quiet.

The people coming and going wore little joy on their faces, but they weren't grieving either. They all had the same numb look of people who'd grown used to it.

Shen Yi lowered his head and took a bite of a meat-stuffed flatbread.

He was only a minor clerk. He couldn't do anything about the suffering of the common folk; all he could do was try to claw his way out of this quagmire.

The few scattered tables were filled with people eating in silence. Few spoke loudly.

So even though the only two people chatting kept their voices low, their words still drifted into Shen Yi's ears.

"Someone died on Willow Leaf Street."

"I know. I just came from there. Don't bring it up, don't bring it up. I won't be able to eat."

Shen Yi lifted the wine jug without changing expression and drank the sour, bitter wine. It helped wash down the dry flatbread.

Willow Leaf Street was in his jurisdiction. More precisely... it was where he had woken up.

But Shen Yi hadn't received a single word about it. He knew less than a couple of passersby.

He recalled Song Changfeng's warning before he left.

The people above were quick to act. In such a short time, they'd managed to cover his eyes and ears.

"I heard the victim was bitten to death."

"I told you to stop talking about it! Are you trying to ruin my meal? I went there early and saw it with my own eyes. Just thinking about it makes me sick."

The two men sighed.

Shen Yi frowned at the flatbread in his hand. He'd lost his appetite too.

He asked for a lotus leaf to wrap up the leftover bread and salted pork, then picked up his saber. "Waiter, the bill."

Baiyun County, Willow Leaf Street.

Several constables came out of a small courtyard, pinching their noses. "That was disgusting. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come."

"It's not even our turf. Why stick our necks out?"

"Master Zhang, you've got to ask the higher-ups for a favor. We don't mind covering two more streets, but our pay has to go up."

Zhang Pengtian glared at them. "Enough whining. If you don't want the job, get lost. There are plenty of people who'll take it."

When he turned back, he froze.

A familiar young man had appeared in front of him without a sound. With one hand resting on his saber, the man quietly watched the courtyard.

"Well, well! Master Shen!"

Zhang Pengtian hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting. "What brings you here?"

Shen Yi nodded and stepped toward the courtyard.

Seeing this, Zhang Pengtian quickly reached out to stop him, wearing a strained smile. "If this were a brothel, I'd carry you inside myself, Master Shen, and cover every expense. But this is an official assignment from above. Surely you can see that this isn't appropriate?"

Shen Yi lowered his gaze.

Just two days ago, he had stood in this very spot and made the same gesture.

"Master Shen, even if you don't care about my feelings, you should at least show the clerk some respect."

When Shen Yi made no move to back down, Zhang Pengtian's smile vanished. "I'll make this clear, Master Shen. Anyone in Baiyun County can enter this courtyard—except you."

They had once feared Shen Yi because the county office had valued him.

But the tide had turned. The people above were clearly targeting Shen, and once the rug was pulled from under him, he was nothing but a fox bluffing with a tiger's skin.

"Brothers, let Master Shen see our blades. Maybe it'll sober him up."

Zhang Pengtian flicked his hand. At his signal, the men behind him drew their sabers three inches and glared at Shen Yi, brows furrowed.

The next instant, a boot slammed into Zhang Pengtian's stomach.

The blow hit with such force that he had no chance to react. He flew backward like a torn sack.

Shen Yi brushed off his clothes and walked straight into the courtyard.

"You... Are you trying to rebel?!"

The other constables hadn't expected him to act so decisively. They gripped their sword hilts, unsure what to do.

Just then, Chen Ji hurried over from the end of the street with the Niu Brothers and Zhang Dahu.

He rushed to the courtyard gate, grabbed the scabbard, and brought it down hard on them. "Have you gone blind? Can't you tell what street this is? Tie them up!"

Zhang Dahu froze.

Usually, he was the one who said that. And he usually said it to ordinary people. He'd never tried it on fellow constables.

Chen Ji had always despised this kind of bullying with authority. What was with him today? He was cursing more smoothly than Zhang Dahu himself.

Though puzzled, Zhang Dahu and the Niu Brothers rushed forward and quickly tied up the constables like dumplings.

Whatever they thought of Shen Yi, they couldn't lose face in front of outsiders!

"I knew it..."

Chen Ji had been patrolling the streets when he heard rumors. A sudden premonition had struck him, so he'd hurried over with the others.

"Knew what? You're acting like you're so smart. With Lord Shen's temper, how could he let someone else fish around in his territory?" Zhang Dahu spat.

Chen Ji glanced at him. The explanation seemed plausible enough. He'd let Zhang Dahu explain himself to the higher-ups later.

As for the real reason—

Even Chen Ji found it hard to believe, but he still thought... maybe it was because the family had been killed by a demon.

Judging by Shen Yi's behavior in the village that day, if he hadn't been putting on an act, he'd definitely come and take a look.

Inside the courtyard.

Shen Yi crouched down and looked at the two corpses on the straw mats, painstakingly pieced back together.

He took a deep breath and carefully set the five scattered fingers of the dark, skinny girl back in place.

That was the hand that had washed his feet earlier. She'd been clumsy, but it had been a rather pleasant experience.

In the past, when demons or monsters attacked, usually all that remained was a pile of scattered body parts. This time was different. The Liu father and daughter had been torn apart so badly that their ears and eyes had to be collected and put back in place, yet there were no signs they'd been eaten.

This hadn't been a hunt. It had been a brutal, vengeful slaughter.

Just like Huang Laoliu, demons and monsters had family and friends. If any of them knew where the Black-skinned Dog Demon had gone that night, they might not have been able to guess who'd killed it... but they didn't need proof to take revenge. They only needed to vent their rage.

"Wait, are these your relatives?"

Zhang Pengtian, still twitching after being kicked, struggled to lift his head. "You still beat the hell out of me... damn it... What's the point of looking? What can you do? If you've got the guts, go after the county magistrate. Go after the monsters outside the city."

"This is obviously the work of dog demons. But can you figure out which ones did it? And even if you can, what can you do about it?"

The constant racket made Shen Yi's chest feel tight and his thoughts grow muddled.

He pulled up the white cloth and covered the two corpses.

He was just a lowly constable. He couldn't summon the Demon Suppression Division or call out the city's garrison. At most, he could gather a few downtrodden runners.

The only thing Shen Yi could rely on was the busted saber in his hand.

If he couldn't find out who did it, then he wouldn't bother looking.