第34章 高手来投

Shen Yi's greatest regret was that he hadn't been able to use someone's banner to hack down a few more demons.

Of course, he couldn't say that out loud.

He unbuckled his scabbard and tucked his saber back under his arm. Though it was a bit uncomfortable, it was better than losing his head before he even realized it.

Seeing his cautious demeanor, Lin Baiwei pursed her red lips.

If only she had been more careful back then, she wouldn't have ended up in this state today.

She went to the cabinet to fetch paper and a brush, sat down at the table, and added some oil to the lamp.

Under the flickering lamplight, she closed her eyes, grinding the ink while lost in memory.

A moment later, Lin Baiwei began to transcribe with focus. As her slender fingers moved, elegant, delicate characters danced onto the paper.

"What are you doing? Not sleeping?" Shen Yi turned his head.

"If I don't get this done, do you think you'll be able to sleep?" Lin Baiwei curled her lip.

They were both ordinary people with their heads hanging by a thread; there was no need to put on a show of composure.

She still remembered the first time a demon had gripped her throat. In that moment, as she neared suffocation, even though her colleagues had quickly lopped off its head, she had still been haunted by palpitations all night long.

If someone had been by her side back then, she wouldn't have been startled awake, crying from nightmares in the middle of the night.

"..."

Shen Yi remained silent for a long time, then closed his eyes.

When the rooster crowed, he rose slowly and glanced at the woman yawning beside the table.

It really wouldn't work... Even knowing she was from the Demon Suppression Division, Shen Yi still wasn't used to having a living, clothed person nearby while he slept.

"Mm, half is done."

Lin Baiwei rubbed her wrists and checked the work carefully. "Don't complain that it's slow. If there's even a single mistake in this sort of thing, it will lead to big trouble."

Shen Yi changed into clean clothes and nodded. "Thank you for your hard work."

"Tsk." Lin Baiwei feigned surprise. "So you actually know how to speak properly."

"After all, I'm counting on using you to trade for some silver from the Lin Family. You know, I'm very short on money."

Shen Yi straightened his cuffs, picked up his saber, and headed out.

Baiyun County was small; many things could spread throughout the entire town in a single night.

The day was still early, but a crowd had already gathered outside the Constabulary Office, clamoring and packing the entrance so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Someone shouted, "Constable Shen is here!"

A wide path instantly opened up before Shen Yi. He looked ahead in confusion, only to see Chen Ji and the others flushed with anxiety.

"I'll say it one more time: this place only handles demons, not lecherous thieves, and we are certainly not responsible for finding your lost coin purses!"

"Lies! Old Yang's wife brought a man home, and those two tall guys were the ones who caught them! I saw it with my own eyes!"

The crowd erupted into noise. "Maybe my coin purse was taken by a demon too. Master Shen, you must seek justice for me!"

"..."

Shen Yi entered the courtyard in silence and waved his hand. "Close the door."

The men pushed hard against the wooden door, finally managing to slide the bolt into place. Exhausted, they sat on the ground and looked at each other.

Zhang Dahu said, trembling with fear, "Damn it, they used to dodge me, but now the world's turned upside down—they actually dare to storm my office!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he realized his mistake and hurriedly offered a fawning smile to Shen Yi. "You're the boss, you're my own boss."

Chen Ji stood up with a smile, but his expression suddenly shifted as he looked toward the wooden door behind him.

The next moment, the door was pounded with a thunderous thud-thud-thud.

"They're really pushing their luck."

The Niu Brothers rolled up their sleeves and opened the door, ready to start cursing, but they suddenly shuddered and looked up in shock.

They were already considered large, sturdy men, but the person standing before them was a head taller, with a frame that was immensely thick—especially his bulging, greasy belly, which looked truly terrifying.

With a build like that, he could easily toss a few men aside without even needing to practice martial arts.

The Niu Brothers had never seen such a ruthless character. They retreated two steps, trembling. "Boss, someone... someone is looking for trouble."

Chen Ji stood his ground with a grave expression, not daring to act rashly.

He couldn't understand why an expert from the Vajra Sect would come to this tiny office. If there was something even he couldn't handle, there probably wasn't a second person in all of Baiyun County who could step up.

"Closing the door in broad daylight? I thought I'd walked to the wrong place."

Butcher Zhang chewed on a blade of grass and smiled at the man opposite him. "You really are here."

Shen Yi didn't see the Thin Ascetic behind him. He cupped his hands. "What can I do for you, Senior?"

"Don't call me Senior, that's bullshit."

Butcher Zhang squeezed into the courtyard and replied indifferently, "I was invited here from Qing Prefecture, but now I've been told I'm too stupid. I happen to dislike his cleverness, so after thinking it over, you're just as 'stupid' as I am. I figured I'd come here to earn a living."

Hearing this, Chen Ji nearly lost his footing.

An expert at the Initial Realm with a formal lineage, lacking food? It was absurd.

Not to mention anything else, as long as he named his price, given the current situation in Baiyun County, countless wealthy merchants would be willing to spend silver to worship him like an ancestor.

The salaries of the hundred-plus bailiffs in the office combined wouldn't be enough to hire him for half a month.

"First of all, I am not stupid."

Shen Yi looked up helplessly, then spread his hands. "And I am very poor."

"Then I'm not stupid either." Butcher Zhang laughed, walking straight inside. "And I'm just as broke as a church mouse. A bowl of coarse tea and rice to fill my belly is enough."

Shen Yi was about to explain that he might not even be able to provide coarse tea and rice—after all, that belly of his was no ordinary sight.

Chen Ji was already stomping his feet in anxiety.

What the hell was wrong with these people? One was refusing to take real gold and silver, and the other was looking at an expert who had delivered himself to their doorstep and still trying to find excuses to push him away!

He pulled a silver ingot from his waist and shoved it into Shen Yi's hand, his eyes practically twitching.

Shen Yi glanced at Chen Ji and pushed it back. "Go play with your balls elsewhere."

Did he really look that stingy?

"Who is this?"

The Niu Brothers might not have known, but Zhang Dahu knew Chen Ji's personality well. He wouldn't spend a single cent of his monthly salary, saving it all for his younger sister. Why was he suddenly being so generous?

"The junior brother of that person in the County Magistrate's residence."

As soon as these words were spoken, their minds went blank.

To them, the Thin Ascetic was a figure who only existed in legends. Only someone at the level of Liu the Clerk would have the chance to see his true face, and even then, it would be just a glimpse.

Now, an expert of the same level had appeared in their own office, and he was even playing with a stone lock that hadn't been moved in years with great interest.

The stone lock, used purely for decoration, weighed at least three or four hundred pounds, yet the man was tossing it around with one palm...

"Do you usually use this to train your strength?"

Butcher Zhang asked curiously.

"No, I usually practice martial arts before I go to sleep," Shen Yi replied, his expression unchanging.

He was telling the truth; after all, practicing on the street too often made people think he was a fool.

"In martial arts, the worst thing you can do is study in isolation. I've been feeling restless staying in Baiyun County alone. When you have time, shall we spar?" Butcher Zhang put down the stone lock.

"No problem." Shen Yi nodded. It just so happened that he really needed someone to help him cram some common knowledge.

Hearing this, a smile suddenly appeared on Butcher Zhang's face. "I have time right now."

Shen Yi: "..."

"Damn it, he really is here to look for trouble." The Niu Brothers shook their thick heads, nearly having been fooled by the bearded man.