What the Hell Are You?

"You... you..."

Thin Ascetic had also spoken with the young man in black, so he knew all too well how terrifying the power backing him was.

Even Old Mother Green Scale wouldn't dare provoke those foxes on North Cliff without good reason, let alone a wandering martial artist like him, who had come alone from Qing Prefecture.

There was no shame in bowing your head before them.

The only thing he hadn't expected was that someone would dare not to.

"Cough..."

Master Yin Seven's features twisted. Blood and flesh he'd swallowed earlier came back up with his saliva.

He forced himself through the spasms and scrambled to his feet, glaring furiously. The rasping breaths in his throat grew heavier, sounding less and less human—more like the growls of some beast.

"Roar!"

He opened his mouth, and a bellow rang out like a great bronze bell, deafening everyone around him.

If they'd had Initial Realm cultivation to rely on, they might have managed. But even Chen Ji, a constable with a little martial skill, staggered back two steps despite struggling to hold his ground.

As for the Lin Family steward, his plight was worse. He slumped to the ground, soiling his silk robe.

"It's over, it's over! Someone's going to die in the Lin Family!"

His voice trembled with tears as he sneaked a glance ahead.

Shen Yi seemed not to hear a thing. With steady steps, he calmly drew his three-foot-long blade.

Unlike Chen Ji, he didn't put on a fierce expression or grit his teeth. He seemed almost casual, as if pulling an oil-paper umbrella from his robes when autumn rain began to fall.

But the instant he saw Shen Yi draw his blade,

Old Yin Seven abruptly stopped roaring. Fear surfaced in his eyes, and he turned to flee!

Inside the house, the instant Shen Yi had struck, Old Yin Seven had keenly sensed the strength of his aura. He was no novice who had just entered the Initial Realm... At the very least, he was a master at the peak of the Initial Realm.

Old Yin Seven's legs drove him forward, his body hunched low as he covered eighteen feet in a single bound.

He didn't even think of looking back.

At the sight of his miserable flight, even the two senior brothers from the Vajra Sect looked a little surprised.

They were both at the Initial Realm. Why was he so scared?

"The imperial court is handling this case. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to interfere."

Thin Ascetic seemed to guess that the other man was wary of Shen Yi's companion and suddenly chimed in with a taunting remark.

Butcher Zhang glanced at him and let out a slow sigh.

Yet, puzzlingly, Old Yin Seven still showed no sign of stopping. If anything, he ran even faster.

The next moment, Shen Yi moved with startling agility. In just two or three steps, he appeared behind the young man in black.

His long blade swept down. The fierce, murderous force rushing toward Old Yin Seven finally sent a chill down his spine. He couldn't help turning around and raising an elbow to block it.

Squelch!

The blade came down wrapped in surging currents of scarlet and ashen-gray energy!

Its razor edge tore through Old Yin Seven's flesh as easily as paper. His hard elbow bone cracked on impact, and the rampaging blade energy sliced through his arm, carving a gash down to the bone in his face.

The gash stretched all the way to his right shoulder. A sizzling, corrosive sound followed as the flesh around it turned to pus at a visible rate.

As blood sprayed, strands of dark yellow fur sprouted from Old Yin Seven's face, and the rank, beastly stench spread through the air.

Black stripes stood out against the dark yellow fur, revealing his true identity.

The "human skin" covering his body had lost its power. He opened his enormous jaws, revealing the fearsome head of a tiger.

Old Yin Seven fought through the pain. His vision blurred red, and he fled blindly to the side, shouting in terror, "You madman! She won't let you get away with this!"

The remark struck a chord with Thin Ascetic.

He stared at Shen Yi in shock, as if he were looking at a dead man.

Butcher Zhang watched the tiger demon charging toward him, clicked his tongue, and reached behind his waist to draw an ordinary-looking butcher knife. In his broad hand, the black blade looked more like a toy.

After a moment's thought, he turned the blade around and swung its back down with his thick arm.

The blow landed with brutal force, sending the already-panicked tiger demon flying back.

It flailed desperately for something to grab. Then, through its blood-red vision, a clean-cut face suddenly appeared. The man looked down at it sidelong, his movements swift and decisive.

Thwack!

A flash of silver streaked past.

Head and body separated, hit the ground one after the other, and kicked up a little dust. Then the corpse swelled several times over, transforming into the powerful, hulking body of a tiger.

Shen Yi sheathed his blade, bent down, and plunged his long, strong fingers into the tiger demon's abdomen. After probing briefly, he retrieved a small Beast Essence.

[Slain an early-stage Initial Realm tiger demon. Total lifespan: 520 years. Remaining lifespan: 132 years. Absorption complete.]

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Thin Ascetic glared angrily at his junior brother. "How many times have I told you? Stop getting me into trouble!"

Butcher Zhang put away his butcher knife and didn't answer. He plucked another blade of grass and stuck it between his teeth. His expression changed, and he quickly spat it out. "Bah! Do you keep dogs at home? This tastes like it's been soaked in piss. It reeks."

"Thanks."

Shen Yi put away the Beast Essence.

"I just have itchy hands. I can't help wanting to smack whatever I see."

Butcher Zhang looked over and laughed it off.

"Damn it... damn it..." Ignored, Thin Ascetic trembled with rage.

Shen Yi turned away and noticed the blade in Chen Ji's hand. A trace of confusion crossed his face.

"I was a little nervous, so I took it out to steady my nerves."

Chen Ji hid the blade behind his back and managed a strained smile, his eyes tinged with embarrassment.

How many more demons would Shen Yi have to slay before he could prove he wasn't one of those who colluded with monsters?

That nameless ghost fire earlier had shown that even he had doubts about himself. Otherwise, why would he fear the rumors?

Still...

Lord Shen's progress in martial arts was far too fast! This was the first time Chen Ji had personally seen him slay a powerful demon. In Shen Yi's hands, the tiger demon hadn't even once shown the slightest desire to fight back.

The only thing that offered Chen Ji any comfort was that Shen Yi hadn't used the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique.

That meant Lord Shen had probably been secretly practicing martial arts for some time, and most likely had another master.

"Enough. Bring the demon's corpse. We're going back to the yamen."

Seeing that Chen Ji didn't want to explain, Shen Yi didn't press him.

"Yes, sir." Chen Ji promptly strode forward.

Just then, the sinister voice sounded again from nearby.

"Young Shen, he didn't need to steady his nerves. He was so bold he nearly tried to chop this old man with his blade, and even asked what I was."

Thin Ascetic strode over with a cold laugh.

Just because you wore the imperial court's uniform didn't mean you could put on airs in front of wandering martial artists. Even without resorting to dirty tricks, your immediate superior alone could silence you.

At his words, Chen Ji paused, regret welling up inside him.

Exterminating demons was already troublesome enough. Why had he made more trouble for himself just to vent his anger?

As the thought crossed his mind, he lowered his head and rubbed his face, trying to figure out how to apologize. Then he heard Shen Yi ask coolly,

"Did you really say that?"

Chen Ji stiffened. He could only answer helplessly, "I did."

Thin Ascetic's smile turned even colder as he stood with his hands at his sides.

Shen Yi nodded and turned toward him.

"It's not a big deal. I'm not an unreasonable man. But Constable Shen, you should keep a closer eye on your subordinate..."

Thin Ascetic hadn't finished speaking when he saw Shen Yi stop in front of him, one hand resting on his scabbard.

Shen Yi gave him a calm look. His thin lips parted, his voice tinged with scorn.

"So."

"What the hell are you?"