"Go!"
Liu the Clerk swept his hand, and the group set off down the long street in a grand procession.
"Lord Shen, please."
Thin Ascetic stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked over.
Shen Yi casually shut the door, a cold glint passing through his eyes.
This group had clearly come prepared. They had not only found an excuse, but had even estimated his strength.
More than a dozen constables wore sabers at their waists and carried spears over ten feet long. The soldiers all had powerful bows and crossbows. None of that posed much of a threat to demons or martial artists, but with Thin Ascetic holding them back and keeping them in check...
Even two more Yellow Weasels would be lying dead on the ground.
"I'd like to see what kind of tricks you're up to." Butcher Zhang walked over, his face dark, and stood behind Shen Yi.
At the sight of him, Thin Ascetic's expression shifted, but he made no move to stop him. He merely raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Suit yourself. I'm only here to accompany them under orders."
There was no point in talking when they were at odds.
The three fell silent and started walking. Under the suspicious gazes of passersby, they headed out of town.
Beyond Baiyun County, Shilin Village lay about thirty miles away.
Liu the Clerk was clearly on pins and needles. He strode along with a dark expression, occasionally looking back at Shen Yi, the killing intent in his eyes growing ever stronger.
"Are we here to deal with demons or with us?"
Even Zhang Dahu sensed something was wrong. He struggled again with all his might.
Two spears immediately shifted toward him, their sharp points pressed against his neck and drawing two streaks of blood.
"No, seriously, where are we going?"
The Niu Brothers didn't struggle. They only watched as the group passed Shilin Village without so much as a glance and headed straight down a narrow path.
"Beyond here is nothing but wasteland. Aren't you afraid of running into demons?"
At that, Thin Ascetic gave a mocking smile and slowly came to a halt.
Almost at the same time, everyone else stopped. The constables and soldiers opened a path, then kicked the prisoners hard behind the knees. They stumbled down, and cold blades pressed against their throats.
One of their colleagues sighed and looked away.
At the far end of their vision, beneath the dim moonlight, a thatched shack stood by the roadside.
A tall figure stood beside a table, dressed in plain cloth. Black fur covered its arms beneath the sleeves as it concentrated on pouring wine into a bowl.
The one sitting there was small and thin, clad in a straw raincoat with a bamboo hat on its head. Its back was turned to them, as if it were having a late-night snack.
"Damn. This one's a tough customer."
Butcher Zhang looked over with a grim expression.
At last, he understood why his senior brother hadn't minded him coming along. Two Initial Realm demons stood before them.
The one sitting down carried a hint of agitation in its aura. It had clearly broken through not long ago, yet its powerful presence was unmistakably at the peak of the Initial Realm.
The one standing was a little weaker, but still a match for him—even their builds were about the same... And then there was his senior brother, along with thirty or forty constables and soldiers.
Butcher Zhang had been around for years and had plenty of experience.
In the space of a breath, he made his decision. "Go!"
Better to preserve the green hills than to fight a losing battle.
"I brought them to you."
Liu the Clerk stepped forward, actually working up the nerve to approach the shack. "I didn't kill those ape demons, and I even helped cover up the matter of you kidnapping children... I know you're trying to draw him out... Master Ape, I had my son in my fifties. Give him back to me..."
"Shut up." The tall, plainly dressed ape demon set down the wine jug and shot him a cold glance.
"Fine, fine. I'll shut up." Liu the Clerk bowed with a fawning smile, then waved toward the men behind him.
The soldiers' powerful bows instantly trained on Shen Yi, who stood among the crowd.
More than a dozen spears pressed down at once, blocking his way back.
Just then, the old ape in the straw raincoat let out a satisfied belch and neatly stacked beside it the remains of what it had gnawed clean.
It stood up and wiped its mouth with its sleeve. In the moonlight, thirteen tiny skulls sat on the table, licked until they gleamed. Their empty eye sockets were chilling to behold.
After wiping its mouth, the old ape turned to look at them and gave a polite nod. Its voice was hoarse. "Thank you."
Pleased by the praise, Liu the Clerk beamed. Then his gaze fell on the table. Something felt off, so he counted the skulls on his fingers.
A moment later, his old face turned deathly pale.
His body shook like a sieve. His legs went weak, and he collapsed toward the ground, unable to stop himself.
Liu the Clerk's Adam's apple bobbed. He couldn't speak, only letting out a mute, animal-like cry:
"Ah! Ah! Aah!"
Looking at the pile of skulls, Butcher Zhang couldn't bear it. He abruptly turned and glared at Thin Ascetic. "You bald, leprous-headed bastard! Have you lost your mind?"
"What does that have to do with me?" Thin Ascetic frowned and spread his hands. "I haven't done a thing. I'm only here under the county magistrate's orders, accompanying Liu the Clerk to investigate the matter tonight."
"If you want to talk about it, shouldn't you ask Lord Shen how he's been doing his job?"
Thin Ascetic smiled as he turned his gaze toward Shen Yi.
"Bullshit! They gave us four men to deal with everything, while we're supposed to protect the two hundred thousand people of Baiyun County and help demons suppress the news. If I were with the Demon Suppression Division, I'd chop the heads off those beasts first!"
Butcher Zhang was furious and was about to curse some more, when he realized someone had suddenly disappeared from beside him.
He looked up.
Shen Yi was walking away in silence, paying no heed to the spears and bows around him.
He went to Chen Ji's side and bent down to draw the saber at his waist.
"Go first! We'll have plenty of chances—" Chen Ji hadn't finished speaking before someone beside him smacked him back down.
The constable who had struck him stared at Shen Yi's profile, unable to get a single word out.
Before long, the young man had reached the shack.
The two ape demons studied him indifferently. The younger, taller one sneered. "If you kneel like him now, you might still get to keep your whole body."
"Kill them! You fool! Aren't you always looking to show off? I'm ordering you to kill them right now!"
Liu the Clerk clutched at his sleeve in a frenzy, howling like a wild beast.
But his desperate cries lasted only an instant before turning into the wet, bubbling sound of blood.
A flash of the blade passed, and the white-haired head thudded to the ground.
Shen Yi stared at the two ape demons. Before Liu the Clerk's body had even fallen, he casually wiped his blade on the blue round-collared robe.
In the distance, the constables' hands tightened around their spears, and sweat suddenly beaded on their palms.
The soldiers swallowed. Their powerful bows were already aimed at that slender figure, the arrows drawn, but for a long while, none dared let them fly.
"What unbelievable nerve!"
Thin Ascetic froze for a moment, then flew into a rage and strode forward.
He had come under orders tonight, not as the main force meant to ambush Shen Yi, but to protect Liu the Clerk and help hold the line.
Who would have thought this madman would stand right in front of the two demons and kill the clerk first? Worse, the two old apes simply watched in silence!
Anyone else would have thought Liu the Clerk was the one being ambushed tonight.
As Thin Ascetic boiled with rage, a thick arm swept through the air and slammed into his chest without mercy.
Thin Ascetic staggered backward several steps. Once he finally steadied himself, he roared, "You stupid mutt! Didn't you see him kill someone?"
Butcher Zhang's face twisted with fury. He drew his Butcher Knife and hacked at him. "Oh, go fuck yourself!"
Meanwhile,
the indifferent expressions of the two ape demons finally stirred.
Before you continue