The Yamen Takes Action

"So that's how it is."

Shen Yi ruminated on the Blood Baleful Blade Technique that had appeared in his mind; every stance was saturated with a fierce, malevolent aura.

It was clearly tainted with the ruthlessness of demons, bearing no resemblance to the conventional, rigid Demon-Subduing Blade Technique from which it had supposedly evolved.

Fighting fire with fire!

This was a complete martial art that truly belonged to the Initial Realm, not in the same league as the Zhengyang Saber, which relied on shortcuts to forcibly cross the threshold.

Coupled with his cultivation at the perfection of the Initial Realm, if he were to face the Yellow Weasel again, Shen Yi was confident he could take it down within three strikes.

He looked at the panel.

His demon lifespan remained at only one hundred and thirty years. The excess had been consumed by the other two martial arts, though the harvest was meager, yielding only a talent similar to Weapon Mastery.

[Light as a Swallow: Years of light-foot technique accumulation have made your control over your body increasingly proficient. Your movements have become nimble.]

One could only say it was better than nothing.

Shen Yi did not feel disappointed; he now understood the utility of this panel.

To deduce new martial arts, the accumulation of "material" was far more important than time.

Relying solely on lifespan meant pinning one's hopes on ethereal, elusive spiritual opportunities.

Only by learning more martial arts himself could he achieve a synthesis during deduction, drawing inferences from one instance to create something entirely new.

This was not something that could be accomplished by sitting around with an empty head and daydreaming.

For instance, the Blood Baleful Blade Technique had combined the baleful power from the beast essence, and the Wind and Thunder Precious Scroll had only been able to evolve into an Initial Realm path because of the existence of the Zhengyang Saber.

"One must be content."

The improvement he had made in a single night would likely take an ordinary person a lifetime, provided they lacked the aid of precious medicines or miraculous encounters.

This was already a tremendous stroke of fortune.

Shen Yi got up and looked at the cabinet, where the clothes Lin Baiwei had washed and dried for him were laid out.

He reached out to take them and stripped off his inner layer, revealing a near-perfect muscular physique. The only flaw was that, due to his excessive laziness—he was too slothful to even walk while patrolling the streets—his skin had taken on a pale, unhealthy pallor.

That was not a major issue; a bit more sun would fix it.

Shen Yi quickly changed his clothes and turned to see the woman standing at the back door, holding her breath.

"Something the matter?"

"Just looking around."

Lin Baiwei withdrew her gaze, still unsatisfied, and rubbed her belly with anticipation. "Is there breakfast today?"

"Wait for me."

Shen Yi turned and headed out. He bought two pancakes at a stall, then hesitated, thinking of the two martial arts he had yet to acquire. "How much... for an extra egg?"

Logically speaking, as a head of the bailiffs with no bad habits, he shouldn't be short on silver.

His predecessor had plenty of ways to make money; if he were to harden his heart...

"Master Shen, what money for a couple of pancakes? Just come by whenever you like." The vendor bowed and scraped as he wrapped the pancakes and handed them over.

"I appreciate the kindness, but no need." Shen Yi shook his head, took out ten copper coins, and placed them on the table.

He brought the breakfast home.

Shen Yi chewed on a pancake as he walked toward the yamen. Halfway there, he noticed something strange.

Whether they were selling buns or carrying produce, passersby all cast curious glances his way. When he looked back, they would hurriedly bury their heads, pretending to be busy with their work.

"From now on, in our Baiyun County, any matter involving demons or evil spirits must be reported to him."

"Him? Master Shen?"

"What nonsense are you spouting early in the morning? If you're worried your wife or daughter is too innocent, or you have too much silver in your pockets, he might be a big help. But demons?"

"Keep your voice down! Do you know what happened yesterday? There are no more demons in the west suburbs. Two villagers said it themselves—the mountains were crawling with monsters, all of them beheaded and sent to our county, and the one leading the charge was Master Shen."

Now an Initial Realm martial artist, Shen Yi caught every word of the whispers, which sounded like the buzzing of mosquitoes in his ears.

He quickened his pace and stepped into the yamen office.

The scene inside was no different from usual, though it felt somewhat empty.

In the large courtyard, there were only four people. Chen Ji was expressionlessly sweeping the floor with a broom, while the Niu Brothers and Zhang Dahu squatted at the doorway, looking dull and staring at each other.

Seeing Shen Yi enter, Zhang Dahu leaped up from the ground, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Master Shen, you've finally arrived! You must stand up for us!"

He rushed over, looking deeply aggrieved.

"Why stop us from patrolling the streets and make us deal with demons? The three streets in the west end were where the brothers earned their keep through blood and sweat, and Head Song just scrapped it all with one word!"

"Master Shen, you're the favorite of Liu the Clerk. How dare that Song fellow be so arrogant? He's not just slapping our faces, he's clearly..."

Chen Ji silently bumped him aside, walked up to Shen Yi, and said softly, "This is the Clerk's intent."

The four people remaining in the office were the very ones who had gone to the scene of the Liu Family tragedy yesterday.

Liu the Clerk's intent was obvious.

He not only wanted to marginalize these men, but he also wanted them dead, to show everyone else the consequences of following Shen Yi.

You're very good at killing demons, aren't you?

Then let you kill them all.

Post notices, make it public, lift you to the highest pedestal, and then watch coldly as you fall.

If you don't dare, then behave yourself and stop causing trouble.

"He knew you were the one who killed the Yellow Weasel. He came in the middle of the night, threw a fit, and left before dawn, afraid of running into you."

Chen Ji offered a wry smile.

Clearly, the strength Shen Yi had suddenly displayed had deeply intimidated Liu the Clerk, perhaps even terrified him.

But it still wasn't enough...

Even the experts invited by the County Magistrate from Qing Prefecture, who possessed the strength to fight the Yellow Weasel, only received a monthly salary of six hundred taels of silver.

Six hundred taels of silver could crush an ordinary person, but if thrown into the muddy waters of Baiyun County, it wouldn't even cause a ripple.

Beyond the dog demon, there were even more terrifying man-eating demons outside the county.

Once a problem broke out, even if the Demon Suppression Division were mobilized, they would first have to take over the entire county, relocate the populace, and then proceed steadily. It would be a miracle to resolve the demon infestation in three to five years.

Don't look at it as just a few years.

For the County Magistrate and his ilk, it meant ten years of hard study wasted, their future prospects dimmed, and any hope of promotion vanished.

Even if the imperial court allowed him to return to his position after the demons were cleared, he would only be left with a poor, depopulated county, which was absolutely unacceptable.

If obstructing the extermination of demons weren't a crime punishable by the execution of one's entire clan, and if Shen Yi didn't possess such extraordinary martial arts, the higher-ups probably wouldn't even bother with such dirty schemes; they would have stripped him of his position or found someone to take his head.

"Master Shen." Chen Ji's expression was complex. He had a younger sister at home to care for, and now he had been branded a "co-conspirator" of Shen Yi by the higher-ups; his heart felt heavy.

If he felt this way, the target of the persecution must feel it even more.

Thinking of this, a hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes:

"Liu the Clerk left a message for me before he left. He said, if you've thought it through, bring a pot of wine and sit with him... He said if the County Magistrate can pay others six hundred taels, surely he wouldn't be short of yours..."

(End of chapter)