Ape Demon Offers a Treasure

Shen Yi picked up the Ceremonial Blade, its surface gleaming with a dark sheen.

Compared with his previous saber, its blade was narrower and straighter, thin as a cicada's wing, yet several times heavier than the one before.

It was clearly no ordinary weapon.

And yet even a treasured blade like this couldn't pierce his skin.

The effects of the Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body had already surpassed Shen Yi's expectations.

According to Butcher Zhang, he had only pieced it together himself by studying the Vajra Sect's Initial Realm martial arts. If he had the complete Jade Liquid Realm martial arts from the sect, wouldn't they be even more formidable?

Shen Yi shook his head and used the blade to pry out Yuan Tongtian's Beast Essence.

He then went over to the young ape demon from earlier and did the same. Finally, he picked up the scabbard and slid the Black Blade back into it.

It was a shame the treasured blade didn't have a name.

Shen Yi thought for a moment. Since the blade was dark and the scabbard as black as ink,

he would just call it Erhei.

He raised his eyes and called up the panel.

[Slayed an ape demon at the peak of the Initial Realm, total lifespan: 774 years, remaining: 197 years. Absorption complete]

[Slayed an ape demon in the late stage of the Initial Realm, total lifespan: 631 years, remaining: 270 years. Absorption complete]

[Remaining demon lifespan: 651 years]

"..."

First, an ape demon had presented him with a treasured blade, and then he'd reaped such a bountiful haul of lifespan.

He should have been in high spirits.

Shen Yi looked at the skulls arranged neatly on the table, and for some reason, his enthusiasm dimmed.

He turned and walked toward the crowd.

Chen Ji silently got to his feet and followed. Seeing this, the Niu Brothers and Zhang Dahu hurriedly scrambled up from the ground as well, though their faces were tinged with fear.

Lord Shen had never been a particularly kind man.

But compared with what they had just witnessed, he could absolutely be called softhearted.

To beat a living demon into a pulp had been too much for ordinary constables like them to take. They probably wouldn't recover for days, maybe even half a month.

"What are you standing around for? Get out of here!"

Seeing Shen Yi walk away, Butcher Zhang went around kicking the soldiers and constables on the ground.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Unlike Liu the Clerk, who deserved a thousand deaths, these men were merely blades in the county office's hands, following orders.

Even after the clerk was beheaded, they hadn't dared to act.

He had truly feared that Shen Yi would fly into a murderous rage and slaughter these ordinary people on a whim.

The Vajra Sect had some ties to Buddhism. Butcher Zhang didn't believe in that nonsense about karmic retribution, but too much killing could still weigh on one's mind and even lead to demonic possession while practicing martial arts.

It simply wasn't necessary.

Once the county office's corruption was dealt with, someone would sort out these soldiers. With a little straightening out, they could still form the backbone of the county's defenses.

To put it bluntly, if they killed them all, were they really going to rely on a handful of martial artists to guard the city day and night?

"Thank you, Lord Shen, for sparing our lives!"

Only then did the young men kneeling on the ground finally relax. They repeatedly kowtowed toward the direction the young man had gone, begging for mercy.

Butcher Zhang recalled the bald man with the scar who had fled earlier, then looked at the blue-robed corpse, already slashed beyond recognition by saber qi. "He..."

"The clerk was killed by demons. We understand."

Every one of the young men was sharp-witted. They might not have had the courage to fight demons, but they knew how to read the situation.

Baiyun County was done for!

Lord Shen had slain demon after demon. There was no way this could be kept secret.

For three years running, the county office had reported that the city was peaceful, the people prosperous, and there were no demons beyond the walls or public grievances within.

Once this came to light, the county magistrate wouldn't have enough heads even if he had ten.

It was obvious that though all these demonic incidents had occurred within just a few days, the magistrate had still sensed that something was amiss. That was why he had arranged for that expert to accompany him.

Remembering the Thin Ascetic's desperate flight...

Everyone understood who the lamb led to slaughter was now.

"Hmph!"

Butcher Zhang flicked his sleeve and chased after Shen Yi, somewhat annoyed.

His opponent had easily killed two demons without so much as a scratch, while he couldn't even handle the Thin Ascetic.

As for their spar earlier...

That hadn't been holding back. That had been holding back the sea!

And the other man had kept calling him senior. The sheer humiliation of it nearly made Butcher Zhang die of shame!

Late that night, at the county magistrate's residence.

In the main hall, the old man wore only a white undershirt and leaned back in a redwood chair. He had on a pair of breeches and was soaking his feet in a wooden basin.

His eyes were closed, and his fingers tapped rapidly against the armrest.

The water in the basin had already grown cool, but he hadn't noticed. His mind was clearly elsewhere.

The night watchman's clapper had sounded three times.

By rights, the matter should have been settled long ago.

Song Changfeng and that dog Liu had truly had a keen eye. Each had chosen and nurtured someone, and between them they had raised a calamity for him.

Earlier, they'd even claimed that with that young constable around, the demon lords were perfectly satisfied and had not a single complaint.

They were already lying in the mortuary. How could they complain?

If the man truly had peerless martial arts and wiped out all the demons nearby for him, so be it. He would have given him all the silver and beauties he deserved.

But he was neither here nor there, useless except for ruining everything. The man deserved to die!

"Why did you only get back now?"

The county magistrate opened his eyes and looked at the figure who had stumbled in through the door.

"Quick! The silver! Load all the money that belongs to me onto a cart. I'm going back to Qing Prefecture. I'm leaving right now!"

The Thin Ascetic panted as he strode over in a few steps. Under the county magistrate's startled gaze, he grabbed him by the collar.

"You... What do you mean by this? Your mentor sent you here to protect me. Only a few months have passed, and you're already leaving?"

"Protect your great-grandmother! What kind of idiot demon did Liu get involved with? He provoked that baleful fiend. If I don't leave now, he'll probably break down the door and cut off my head!"

The Thin Ascetic's eyes were bloodshot. He had come to Baiyun County hoping to make a little money, not to lose his life here.

How had a remote backwater like this managed to produce such a martial arts expert?

"Let go of me first... Why are you in such a hurry? He's only a constable, a servant of the imperial court! He's not one of you martial artists!"

As the county magistrate spoke, he began to panic too, reaching out to pry the other man's fingers loose.

To his surprise, his fingers actually gave way.

The county magistrate froze, staring at the other man as his life ebbed away. A needle as fine as a cow's hair was all that remained at his throat.

The next moment, a diminutive young man carrying a pole of sugar figurines grinned as he put away his blowpipe and walked in from the night.

Behind him came people dressed as coachmen, wealthy merchants, even beggars...

More than a dozen people filed into the room, then casually found places to sit. The only thing they had in common was the expressions on their faces, utterly at odds with their clothes and assumed identities.

It was a cold indifference from on high.

And the object of that indifference was none other than the trembling county magistrate, who was pushing the dead man off himself.

"Who... Who are you people? How dare you trespass in the county magistrate's residence?"

No one answered. Instead, they turned their gazes toward the doorway.

Footsteps sounded, and a figure stepped over the threshold, boots first.

The newcomer was tall, dressed in a long black brocade robe with a flowing skirt, a white jade belt around his waist. A ferocious wolf, ready to devour its prey, had been embroidered on his shoulder in gold thread.

Cloud patterns were embroidered on his cuffs as well, three in all.

The man entered the hall and casually swept his gaze around. His voice carried a hint of chill. "Colluding with demons. Check his identity."

"Sure thing."

At that, the man dressed as a beggar walked over. His grimy fingers quickly ran over the Thin Ascetic's body. A moment later, he looked up with a grin. "Body-tempering method, with finger techniques... Divine Eagle Claw. He's a disciple of the Vajra Sect. Well done, Old Liu. Even this body-tempering martial artist couldn't stop your hidden weapon from piercing his neck."

The young man carrying the sugar-figurine pole chuckled and waved his hand. "If he'd been any tougher, I couldn't have done it."

The man sat down in the seat of honor and gave a slight nod. "Send a letter to the Vajra Sect. Let them come to the Demon Suppression Division to receive their punishment."

Ever since he'd recognized the man's clothes, the county magistrate's face had gone deathly pale, hardly better than a corpse.

That was the uniform of a Demon Suppression Division Captain. The three cloud patterns meant he was one of the most senior among the Captains.

"May I ask your surname?" he asked, mustering his courage. What he really wanted to ask was why the man had arrived in Baiyun County before the appointed time.

"Please, County Magistrate, no need for formalities. My surname is Li, my name Xinhan." The man glanced over, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Sorry for the trouble, but please tie yourself up. We have important matters to discuss."