第22章 妖魔境界

"How long do you plan on staying?"

Watching her eat with such relish, Shen Yi felt a sudden, inexplicable hunger. He reached out to grab a flatbread, but to his surprise, a pair of fair, jade-like fingers gave his hand a light tap.

Lin Baiwei picked up a clean piece of flatbread and handed it to him. "I've set up a small shed in the backyard, so I'll try my best not to disturb you. As for how long I'll stay... another month?"

She didn't seem entirely certain.

Shen Yi took the bread, his expression revealing neither anger nor joy.

This woman didn't have a single honest word in her. Her background appeared clean, but in reality, she had been sent away by the Lin Family years ago. When she returned, she had somehow acquired unknown skills, bold enough to venture out of the city alone to hunt demons.

He had initially taken her for a naive, greenhorn novice.

But after spending time together recently, Shen Yi found her to be meticulous and calculating. Her every gesture suggested she had endured hardship; she was by no means the kind of fool who didn't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth.

Most importantly, she had provoked that group of incredibly mysterious fox demons and yet managed to return alive.

His predecessor had locked her in the room, seemingly having gained an advantage, but in Shen Yi's eyes, this was nothing short of a death wish.

Setting aside how a common constable would handle the Lin Family's wrath once this matter came to light, why would the fox demons spare her life?

Shen Yi couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped trying. He said calmly, "No."

Hearing this, Lin Baiwei wasn't surprised. Instead, she chuckled softly, "What, you've been wanting to keep me as your wife all this time, having second thoughts now?"

When he had dragged her here, that look of lust on his face certainly hadn't been faked.

She had expected that upon hearing her slight concession, Shen Yi—no matter how much he feigned composure—would reveal at least a flicker of reaction.

However, the young man merely raised his eyes slightly.

A moment later, a trace of mockery flashed through those clear, black-and-white eyes.

Lin Baiwei's eating slowed to a stop. She wiped the crumbs from the corner of her lips with her index finger and looked back at him. The pitiable, charming expression on her pretty face gradually faded under Shen Yi's mocking gaze.

"Sigh."

She smoothed her hair and sighed with resignation. In an instant, her entire temperament shifted quietly.

Lin Baiwei sat up straight, a sharp edge appearing in her long, narrow eyes. "Although I don't know why a mere little constable—or the kind who works for demons, at that—would suddenly provoke them."

She glanced askance at the blood-stained clothes on the young man. "The taste of feigning calm isn't pleasant, is it? Desperate to know the path to transcendence?"

Lin Baiwei pointedly identified the fact that he had reached the perfection of the Mortal Body. She crossed her legs, adjusted her hem with unhurried grace, and a cold, detached look surfaced in her eyes.

"Call me master, and I will help you cross the threshold into the Initial Realm. How about that?"

She had been too rushed before, and the martial arts names she'd made up were too crude. Today, she had come prepared; there was no way she couldn't bluff this young man. What a joke.

Lin Baiwei was full of confidence.

She watched the young man quietly.

Following that, she saw Shen Yi gently lift his palm, take the sword from his waist, and place it casually on the table.

"You left your hometown to study the arts."

Shen Yi's voice grew indifferent. "Did you study how to perform in a play?"

He pressed his fingers against the scabbard. Lin Baiwei suddenly felt herself enveloped by a dense, suffocating Sha Qi, and she couldn't help but swallow hard. "What... what are you trying to do?"

"I have no interest in you."

Shen Yi shook his head. "But I am very interested in your sect."

"I told you, I don't have a sect."

Lin Baiwei tried to explain, but Shen Yi pulled a small cloth bundle from his chest and unfolded it casually beside the scabbard, revealing the slightly trembling meat ball inside.

"Prove your worth."

Shen Yi stood with his hands hanging at his sides, appearing harmless, yet the sword and the meat ball on the table already made his stance clear.

Choose one. He requested she cut the theatrics; his patience was wearing thin.

"..."

Lin Baiwei stared at the meat ball, her fingertips, hidden within her wide sleeves, trembling imperceptibly.

She was stunned for a moment before saying, "A Beast Essence? Where did you get this..."

Before she could finish, she looked back at the blood-stained clothes on his body, and the answer became self-evident.

"A Beast Essence of about four hundred years... is this from a Yellow Weasel?"

Lin Baiwei clenched her fingers, masking the shock in her heart. The man had gone out with a pancake in his mouth that morning and returned at night with the Beast Essence of an Initial Realm demon.

Since when had the constables of Baiyun County become this ferocious?

She glanced at the young man and said crisply, "Generally, a Beast Essence of this quality can be used directly as the main ingredient for a Qi Gathering Pill, or to assist in refining the higher-grade Liquid Condensation Pill. If conditions don't permit, swallowing and refining it directly can still yield seventy or eighty percent of its efficacy, though there are more impurities, which is slightly harmful to cultivation. It's best to take your time."

"Of course, regardless of its use, it is not something a martial artist below the Initial Realm can enjoy... I am telling you the truth." Lin Baiwei's tone carried a hint of seriousness.

Hearing this, Shen Yi nodded and covered the Beast Essence back up.

It was much as he had guessed.

If she had continued to spout nonsense, labeling it as poison, Shen Yi would have truly had to consider drawing his blade.

However, the fact that Lin Baiwei could identify the source of the Beast Essence at a glance exceeded his expectations. Could it be that she had knowledge of all the demons in the vicinity of Baiyun County?

"You may stay, but I will not involve myself in your affairs with the fox demons, nor will I inquire about your identity."

Shen Yi put the items away and continued, "As a condition, I want two genuine Initial Realm cultivation manuals."

"The Peach Blossom Mountain-Cleaving Axe, the Peerless Demon-Slaying Sword..." Lin Baiwei had just raised her fingers when she felt the cold, indifferent gaze sweeping from the young man. She pursed her lips and lowered her hand. "I don't have any manuals on me right now. I can only give them to you after I am rescued."

"That is acceptable."

Shen Yi did not press her further.

He was not in the habit of putting all his eggs in one basket. The Demon Suppression Division was fine, but if he could establish ties with some martial arts sects and thereby gain more information regarding martial cultivation, that was naturally a better choice.

"Baiyun County suddenly killed a Yellow Weasel. Aren't you afraid the other demons will be enraged?"

Lin Baiwei picked up the flatbread again, stuffed it full of salted meat, and took a large bite. As she chewed, she mumbled, "Although the demons have their own factions, their attitude toward the imperial court is unanimous. If you ask me, you shouldn't have moved against the Yellow Weasel first. You've alerted the snake by beating the grass."

"What do you mean?" Shen Yi's interest was piqued.

"That dog demon had only just entered the Initial Realm, while Yuan Tongtian has stayed in East Mountain for years without leaving, preparing to break through to the perfection of the Initial Realm. He should be the most wary of such things."

Lin Baiwei's face flushed red as she struggled to swallow the bread, letting out a long sigh. "Then there is Old Mother Green Scale. There have been rumors for over a hundred years that she is already a Jade Liquid Realm great demon. If I were you, I would report this to the imperial court and request a few deputy commanders from the Demon Suppression Division to eliminate the snake demon first. The likes of the old ape and the yellow dog would naturally flee."

Shen Yi listened quietly, but noticed she didn't continue. "And the fox demons?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

She had finished all the food and gave her full chest a light pat. "Burp... I'm sleepy, so sleepy."

Shen Yi sat back on the edge of the bed and cupped his hands. "Thank you for the warning."

Lin Baiwei walked slowly toward the backyard, casting a sidelong glance at him. "At least you have a conscience."

Arriving at the quiet courtyard, the ease in the woman's eyes faded, and the expression on her face gradually grew complex.

Don't let her dismissive words about the Yellow Weasel fool you; that was a genuine Initial Realm demon. The man was a common constable with no master, and he even had to find ways to obtain cultivation manuals from a stranger like her. Even if he had encountered some stroke of luck, his foundation was incomplete.

Under such circumstances, he had still managed to slay a dog demon.

If someone could pave a path of cultivation for him, his future achievements would surely be extraordinary.

With such talent, it would be a true waste of heaven's gifts if he were to die in the muddy waters of Baiyun County.

It was a pity that she could barely save herself; she truly had no energy to worry about such idle matters... so hungry.