The Liu Family Tragedy

After leaving the yamen, Shen Yi walked into an eatery and ordered a pot of yellow wine and six flatbreads.

He hesitated for a moment, then added a serving of salted pork.

Having entered the Initial Realm, a martial artist preferred foods rich in vital essence over mere grains. Unfortunately, the salary of a low-level bailiff was far from enough to support such luxury.

However, one still had to eat, so he could only tighten his belt.

Shen Yi found a seat and alternated between sips of wine and bites of meat.

It was midday, a time when the eatery should have been packed, yet it was strangely deserted.

The passersby on the street showed little joy, but neither did they show grief; they all wore the same look of numb resignation.

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

He was merely a minor official; he could not manage the suffering of the masses, only strive to crawl his way out of this mire.

The few scattered guests were all buried in their food, with almost no one speaking loudly.

Thus, even though the only two people chatting were keeping their voices low, their words drifted into Shen Yi's ears.

"People died on Willow Leaf Street."

"I know, I just came from there. Don't mention it, don't mention it—I can't even eat my meal now."

Shen Yi expressionlessly lifted his wine pot and drank the slightly sour, bitter liquid to help swallow the choking flatbread.

Willow Leaf Street was his jurisdiction. To be precise... that was where he had first woken up in this world.

Yet Shen Yi had received no news, not even as much as these random passersby.

He recalled the warning Song Changfeng had given him before leaving.

The people above were moving quite fast; in such a short time, they had managed to cover his eyes and ears.

"I heard they were bitten to death?"

"I told you not to talk about it, can't you just eat? I went there early and caught a glimpse. I still feel nauseous thinking about it."

The two sighed repeatedly.

Shen Yi frowned at the flatbread in his hand, his own appetite gone.

He asked for a lotus leaf to wrap up the remaining bread and salted pork, then reached for his saber. "Waiter, check."

Baiyun County, Willow Leaf Street.

Several bailiffs walked out of the small courtyard, pinching their noses. "Disgusting. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come."

"It's not our territory anyway, no point in wading through this muddy water."

"Master Zhang, you really should plead with the higher-ups. We don't mind taking on a few extra streets, but the salary has to go up."

Zhang Pengtian glared back. "Where do you get all this nonsense? If you don't want to work, get lost. There are plenty of others who will."

When he turned back around, he froze.

A familiar young man had appeared before him out of nowhere, hand resting on his waist saber, quietly looking toward the courtyard.

"Yo! Master Shen!"

Zhang Pengtian hurriedly cupped his hands. "What wind blew you here?"

Shen Yi nodded and stepped toward the courtyard.

Seeing this, the man surnamed Zhang hurriedly reached out to block him, his smile insincere. "If this were at the entrance of a brothel, I'd carry you in myself, Master Shen, and cover all the expenses... but this is an official duty ordered by the higher-ups. Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Shen Yi looked down.

Just two days ago, he had been standing in this very spot, performing the same action as the man before him.

"Master Shen, if you won't give me face, you must at least give the Clerk some face."

Seeing that Shen Yi had no intention of backing down, Zhang Pengtian dropped his smile. "I'll lay it out for you today: anyone in Baiyun County can enter this courtyard, but you, Shen Yi, cannot."

In the past, they feared Shen Yi because of the importance the yamen placed on him.

But now the tide had turned. The higher-ups were clearly targeting him. Once his protective backing was stripped away, he was nothing more than a fox bluffing with borrowed power.

"Brothers, show Master Shen your steel. Help him sober up."

Zhang Pengtian flicked his hand. At his signal, the men behind him instantly drew their blades three inches, brows furrowed as they stared him down.

The next moment, a government boot slammed into Zhang Pengtian's lower abdomen.

Before he could even react to the overwhelming force, he flew backward like a sack of rags.

Shen Yi brushed off his hem and walked straight inside.

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

The remaining bailiffs were stunned by his decisiveness, standing there with hands on their hilts, unsure of what to do.

Just then, Chen Ji arrived in a hurry with the Niu Brothers and Zhang Dahu.

Rushing to the gate, he used his scabbard to smack them across the face. "Are you blind? Don't you know whose street this is? Tie them up!"

Zhang Dahu blinked in surprise.

Usually, he was the one saying those lines, and usually to commoners; he had never tried it on his own colleagues before.

Didn't Chen Ji used to despise such bullying tactics? What was wrong with him today? He was cursing more fluently than he was.

Despite his confusion, Zhang Dahu and the Niu Brothers swarmed forward, binding the bailiffs like rice dumplings in a few swift motions.

Regardless of their personal opinions of Shen Yi, they couldn't lose face in front of outsiders!

"As expected..."

Chen Ji had been patrolling the streets when he heard rumors and suddenly had a premonition, so he had rushed over with his men.

"As expected, what? Trying to look smart? With Master Shen's temper, how could he tolerate others poaching on his turf?" Zhang Dahu spat on the ground.

Chen Ji glanced at him, deciding that explanation was good enough. He would let Zhang Dahu take the blame with the higher-ups later.

As for the real reason.

Even though Chen Ji found it hard to believe, he felt... it might be because this family had been bitten to death by a demon.

Given Shen Yi's performance in the village that day, if it hadn't been an act, he would definitely come to take a look.

Inside the courtyard.

Shen Yi crouched down, looking at the two corpses that had been painstakingly pieced together on the straw mat.

He took a deep breath and carefully arranged the five fingers scattered from the thin, dark girl's hand.

It was this hand that had washed his feet earlier; though the technique was clumsy, it had been a unique pleasure.

According to past experience, victims of demons were usually left as a pile of remains. But today was different. Although the father and daughter were in pieces—even their ears and eyes had been gathered and placed back—there were no signs of them having been eaten.

This was not a hunt; it was a slaughter filled with vengeance!

Just like with Huang Laoliu, demons had friends and family. If any of them had learned where the Black-skinned Dog Demon had gone that night, they might not have known exactly who had done the deed... but they didn't need evidence to take revenge; they only needed to vent their rage.

"No, is this a relative of yours?"

Zhang Pengtian, who had been kicked until his body was spasming, struggled to lift his head. "Still hitting me... damn it... what can you do even if you see it? If you've got the guts, go take it out on the County Magistrate, or the demons outside the city."

"This is clearly the work of a dog demon. Can you find out which ones did it? Even if you could, what could you do about it?"

The noise in his ears was incessant, and Shen Yi felt only a stifling, chaotic pressure in his chest.

He pulled up the white cloth to cover the two bodies.

As a mere low-level bailiff, he couldn't summon the Demon Suppression Division, nor could he mobilize the city guards. At best, he could only call upon a few miserable errand runners.

The only thing Shen Yi could rely on was the broken blade in his hand.

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