You're Only Getting Here Now?

Under Thin Ascetic's gaze, Chen Ji's mouth suddenly went dry.

After all, he was a young man whose blood still ran hot. He'd joined the yamen just to earn a living, but his heart still yearned for the jianghu.

Now that he was seeing a famous senior of the jianghu, even the hand gripping his sword hilt trembled with excitement.

He couldn't help feeling a little wistful amid his excitement.

They were both constables in the yamen, yet even a senior like this addressed Shen Yi courteously as "young friend." It was true, then: fame in the jianghu was earned with one's fists.

Chen Ji shook his head. He remembered Shen Yi, drenched in blood, sitting lazily in the countryside beside corpses that had yet to grow cold, and felt that it was only right.

"You flatter me, senior."

Shen Yi cupped his hands in reply and continued forward, with no intention of trading more pleasantries.

Thin Ascetic, however, led his people over and blocked the way. "This is my junior brother from the Vajra Sect. People call him Butcher Zhang. He came from Qing Prefecture to find me and is also hoping to get a position under the county magistrate."

Shen Yi nodded in greeting, and Butcher Zhang responded with a nod.

"I have official business to attend to, so I'll leave you two to it."

After the pleasantries, Shen Yi started forward again, but Thin Ascetic shifted slightly and still stood in his way.

"..."

Shen Yi looked at him calmly.

Everyone had their own aspirations. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Thin Ascetic taking money to do a job. If he hadn't transmigrated into this world already wearing this uniform, cutting off his path to joining a jianghu sect, he would've wanted to join one just like Thin Ascetic, learn some martial arts, and serve some wealthy family in exchange for food and shelter.

But if Thin Ascetic had taken money to cause trouble for him specifically, that was another matter.

"All three of us are devoted to martial arts. Why don't we find somewhere to drink together?"

Thin Ascetic chuckled and reached out to put a hand on Shen Yi's shoulder. "I'm much older than you, so I'll shamelessly call myself your senior. You're still young, and your edge is too sharp. There's no harm in talking more with an old man like me."

Even Chen Ji, standing behind them, could sense the subtle shift in the atmosphere.

Master Lin and his steward stayed silent, their eyes dim.

Neither of them had much faith in Shen Yi's abilities.

But, by comparison, they trusted Thin Ascetic's judgment even less. Still, what merchant would dare question an expert like this?

It would've been good if the yamen could step in and help. They hadn't expected Thin Ascetic to obstruct even that. How could a mere constable like Shen Yi dare defy the county magistrate's favored man?

Under everyone's watchful eyes,

Shen Yi fell silent for a moment, then slowly removed Thin Ascetic's hand from his shoulder and brushed his shoulder twice. "Thank you for the offer, senior, but I still have official duties today. Sorry."

His gesture instantly froze the atmosphere.

Embarrassment surfaced in Thin Ascetic's eyes, and a hint of anger crept across his aged face.

Butcher Zhang turned his head. Beneath his thick beard, the corners of his mouth curled with mockery.

"If I remember correctly, Constable Shen was recently promoted and now oversees all demonic disturbances in Baiyun County. I already said there are no demons here, just an ordinary murder case. What official business could you possibly have at the Lin Family? Or do you not trust me?"

Thin Ascetic's voice had turned colder.

Shen Yi glanced at the steward and said calmly, "Lead the way."

"Ah... all right..."

How could a mere steward dare get involved in a dispute like this? The only thing that shocked him was that a former gambling addict could now stay calm in front of Thin Ascetic.

Most unbelievable of all, Thin Ascetic seemed unable to do anything about him.

If they'd known this would happen, the master might as well have gone straight to the Constabulary Office instead of the county magistrate's residence... That had been completely useless.

The steward's thoughts wandered as he hurried toward the side courtyard.

When the three of them had disappeared from sight,

Master Lin repeatedly clasped his hands. "Seniors, please forgive us for the offense. Constable Shen is only focused on his duties. Please don't take it to heart."

Thin Ascetic's face darkened. He flicked his sleeve and followed them.

Butcher Zhang followed close behind and asked casually, "Are you close with him, senior brother?"

"Never met him. I just hate to see talent go to waste. I thought we'd be working under the county magistrate together, so we could look out for each other. I never expected him to be such a brainless fool."

"I see. I thought you were afraid he'd find out we'd been bluffed by a demon and make us lose face for nothing."

Hearing the implication in his words, Thin Ascetic suddenly turned around, his expression dark. It took him a long while to calm down. "You've only just come from Qing Prefecture. You think this is some backwater, and I don't blame you for being arrogant. But remember: the waters here run deeper than you imagine."

With that, he continued walking. "What do you think makes him any different? Just wait. He'll make up an excuse to leave obediently, same as us."

Butcher Zhang said nothing, his expression unreadable.

As the two spoke,

Shen Yi and Chen Ji followed the steward to a side room, where they watched him slowly lift the white cloth and reveal the corpse beneath.

After just one glance, Chen Ji's admiration for Thin Ascetic grew even more.

What a talent for looking people in the eye and spouting lies.

A sturdy man lay on the bed. His left arm had been severed halfway up, and his abdomen had been ripped open and scooped clean.

His eye sockets were empty, his nose was gone, and the flesh on the right side of his face had been licked away until nothing remained but bone—not even a single shred of flesh was left.

"He was fine yesterday. It happened in a single night."

The Lin Family steward closed his eyes and rubbed his face hard, trying to dispel the chill that clung to him.

He still remembered how Liu Qi had strutted into the Lin Family, so imposing and full of himself. Now he'd ended up like this.

"Does no one know how he died?" Chen Ji asked with a deep frown.

He'd been a martial arts expert. Even if he'd run into a demon, how could he have died without a sound?

"The person who found him wasn't one of our Lin Family."

The steward sighed. He seemed to want to say more but didn't dare, and glanced back at Shen Yi. "When you brought Miss Bai Wei back, her injuries healed, and her temperament didn't change, but she'd lost many of her memories. She couldn't remember a lot of her relatives."

At this, the steward pursed his lips. "Half a month ago, she said a friend she'd met outside was coming to visit. It turned out to be a young man. This isn't something I should be saying. Miss is still an unmarried woman, so please forget you heard it, and don't spread it around and damage her reputation..."

Chen Ji nodded.

The steward continued, "The master dotes on Miss, and thought having an old acquaintance with her might help her recover her memories, so he let the man stay. Miss was quite close to him, and we treated him as an honored guest."

"Liu Qi's body was found in his room... and Miss happened to be away these past few days..."

"Senior Thin Ascetic spoke with him and said it had nothing to do with him..."

At this, Shen Yi finally understood what the steward meant.

The Lin Family had already suspected someone. They hadn't sought out Thin Ascetic to find a demon at all—they wanted to get rid of one.

"Where is he?" Chen Ji asked instinctively.

"I'm right here."

A lazy voice came from the doorway.

A young man in black leaned against the doorframe and yawned. His fair face, with its red lips and white teeth, wore a smile. When he grinned, his two canine teeth gave it a taunting edge.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're Shen Yi? What took you so long?"

His voice dripped with superiority, and he looked at Shen Yi as if he were a servant in his household.