You Should Die

The constabulary office was silent.

Shen Yi awkwardly gripped the brush. Though he wasn't skilled at calligraphy, he still did his best to make every character clear.

Back when his predecessor had been a street punk, he'd been diligent about studying so he could wear a constable's uniform. Martial arts, social etiquette, reading and writing—he'd dabbled in all of them.

Muscle memory helped. His handwriting wasn't pretty, but it was passable.

The Blood Baleful Blade Technique had been deduced from the panel, with every detail poured into his mind, so copying it down wasn't difficult.

When it was time to leave the constabulary,

Shen Yi put down his brush and let the ink dry before reaching for the meal Chen Ji had brought.

The yellow-flour steamed buns from Huang Shop on East Street, along with salted fish sold by a street-corner peddler, weren't exactly delicious, but they were good value.

He wolfed down the food, stood up to stretch, and pushed open the door.

In the courtyard, Zhang Dahu was drenched in sweat, struggling through a warm-up routine. The Niu Brothers and Chen Ji were repeatedly practicing their sword swings, while Butcher Zhang watched with a furrowed brow. Whenever he spotted even the slightest flaw in their stances, he kicked them.

"In all of Baiyun County, are you really the only ones who can exorcise demons?"

Hearing the voice, Butcher Zhang turned around, puzzled. "This is terrible. Chen's the only one who looks halfway decent. What are the rest of you supposed to be?"

Before anyone else could speak, Zhang Dahu piped up. "Who wants to exorcise demons? The old clerk is targeting our lord, and he won't stop until he's driven us all to our deaths!"

At that, Butcher Zhang paused, as if he'd figured something out. He spat on the ground. "Those bastards."

He'd only learned from his senior brother that Baiyun County was plagued by demons after arriving here.

Concealing demon attacks was nothing unusual. More than ten county magistrates had been beheaded for it just last year.

But using demons to eliminate political rivals? That was shameless beyond belief.

"Here."

Shen Yi said no more and handed over the copied blade technique.

He had to kill demons to obtain enough demonic lifespan, which put him fundamentally at odds with the constabulary's plans.

They didn't even need to use rules to keep him in line. A few underhanded tricks would be perfectly normal.

"So soon?"

Butcher Zhang took the pages with delight. "What I figured out is, frankly, just a body-tempering martial art. Among the sects in Qing Prefecture, it's one of the easiest to get into. As long as you have enough time, you'll hardly hit a bottleneck."

He tucked the technique into his clothes. "Don't get impatient. If you don't understand anything, come ask me."

"Thank you."

Shen Yi nodded and said goodbye.

He left the constabulary carrying the fresh meat and spices he'd asked Chen Ji to buy.

"He can cook, too?" Butcher Zhang scratched his head.

"If you'd seen Lord Shen half a month ago, you'd realize it's no surprise that someone like him can do anything." Chen Ji drew a deep breath and kept holding his stance, his voice full of feeling.

"Is that so?" Butcher Zhang didn't argue. He merely smiled.

After all, this was just a small county. He'd never been to Qing Prefecture, so how could he know what a true genius was like?

In his eyes, Shen Yi was impressive in both temperament and skill—better than himself, but that was all.

The sky was ablaze.

Shen Yi knocked on the door, then pushed it open.

The woman was slumped over the table, her dark hair spilling like a waterfall. Her fair, delicate face looked serene, save for her faintly furrowed brows and slightly trembling lashes, which hinted at unease.

Shen Yi walked over and glanced at the thick stack of yellow paper pinned beneath her forearm. Ink stains smudged the edges, and some had even gotten onto the corner of her lips.

Feeling rather speechless, he took the brush and pulled its tip from Lin Baiwei's mouth.

"Mine... don't take it..."

She clenched her teeth around the brush and mumbled as she opened her eyes. "Bleh, bleh, bleh!"

Then she gazed at the stack of paper in dismay and hurriedly began sorting it. "I've already copied half..."

Before she could finish, Lin Baiwei noticed what Shen Yi was holding, and delight immediately spread across her face.

"I'll leave this to you!"

She took the fresh meat and darted toward the back courtyard.

"..."

Shen Yi looked at the scattered pages on the table, carefully gathered them, and set them aside.

He went into the kitchen in the back courtyard.

Lin Baiwei had tied up her hair and was washing vegetables with practiced ease. Without turning around, she waved him away. "Out, out."

Feeling he'd only be in the way, Shen Yi sat in the courtyard, picked up an axe, and began chopping wood.

As the sky gradually darkened, neat stacks of firewood in various lengths piled up on the ground.

The aroma of rice mingled with the rich scent of meat and drifted into his nose.

Shen Yi turned around to find the woman standing behind him. She carefully picked up a piece of half-fat, half-lean braised meat with her chopsticks, blew on it, and looked at him with confidence. "Hey, open wide. Taste it and tell me if it needs more salt."

As a lone wolf in both lives,

he instinctively leaned back, about to say something, but she was quick. She shoved the chopsticks into his mouth.

"..."

"How is it?" Lin Baiwei asked, her face full of expectation.

It wasn't exactly delicious, but it was surprisingly good. It was a little like the big-pot meals from his previous life—rough around the edges, but bound to go well with rice.

"You've got some talent."

Shen Yi dropped the axe and stood up to fetch the meat soup.

"Of course." Lin Baiwei gave a soft snort and put her hands behind her back like a master chef.

Just then, someone began pounding violently on the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Shen! Get out here!"

Shen Yi paused mid-step, his brows knitting together, then turned and headed outside.

Lin Baiwei looked puzzled but didn't ask. She quickly went into the kitchen.

The next moment, five or six constables burst straight through the door.

Two figures entered, one after the other.

The first was an old man with snow-white hair and beard, dressed in a blue-green robe, his face gloomy. It was Liu the Clerk.

Thin Ascetic stood behind him with his hands hanging at his sides, looking like an outsider eager to watch the show.

Outside, Chen Ji and the other three had constables' blades pressed against their shoulders. They struggled as they were pinned against the wall, while Butcher Zhang stood far away by the street, his face dark and his bowl-sized fists clenched tight.

"The constabulary trusted you and entrusted you with the important task of overseeing demon affairs."

Liu the Clerk was furious, his fingers trembling with rage. "In two nights, more than ten children have been abducted from Baiyun County and its three villages and six outlying districts, yet you've been lying comfortably at home. The whole constabulary is a den of snakes and rats, hiding what it knows... I treated you like my own nephew!"

The old man burst out, his voice shrill. "You deserve to die!"

"Our constabulary's gates were wide open! We didn't receive a single report!" Chen Ji panted as he shouted in protest.

Who wouldn't be frantic after losing a child? Lord Shen's reputation was at its height. Why would anyone not seek him out, but go to Liu the Clerk instead?

A sharp slap was his answer.

Liu the Clerk drew back his hand. "You still dare to argue?"

As he spoke, more than twenty young men came down the street, all carrying crossbows. Their clothes were different from the constables'—they were soldiers guarding the city.

Liu the Clerk turned to Shen Yi. "If you can't get rid of the demons today, I'll take your head!"