Qing Prefecture Jianghu

Lying on his bed, Shen Yi attempted to circulate his internal energy according to the profound trajectory.

Immediately, a dense sense of detachment washed over him, as if it were about to hollow him out entirely. It felt like a whale swallowing the ocean, while he possessed only a small pond... no, merely a cup of water.

The sensation was far too terrifying, and Shen Yi hurriedly ceased his circulation.

He had finally experienced the helplessness that his past self had endured during the martial arts deductions.

The speed at which a martial artist in the Initial Realm absorbed the essence of heaven and earth was agonizingly slow.

The internal energy within the twelve major acupoints was more like a principal deposit; one only needed to use the interest in daily life to maintain the basic usage of martial arts.

Even a formidable Initial Realm martial art like the Blood Baleful Blade Technique consumed very little internal energy.

However, once the depletion became too severe, it was equivalent to damaging one's foundation, requiring a vast amount of time to compensate.

In this deduction, every time he used the Four-Unity True Qi, he would waste years of time to re-accumulate it—a torture that was simply inhuman for an ordinary martial artist.

Shen Yi recalled the earlier transformation of internal energy into jade dew.

No wonder it had to be condensed into liquid; otherwise, how could one possibly bear the cost?

"Could it be that one dares not use it after practicing it, treating it only as a desperate move, waiting for death once it is exhausted?"

Shen Yi's brows furrowed slightly, and then he seemed to recall something.

He looked at the Wind and Thunder Demon-Subduing True Interpretation on his panel.

This thing had never yielded a result in his deductions, and no matter how much demon longevity he poured into it, there was no reaction, as if it were a bottomless pit for gold.

It only knew how to sluggishly demand essence from heaven and earth.

At this thought, Shen Yi's brows smoothed out. Wasn't this a stroke of luck? It could compensate for his own consumption while simultaneously allowing him to attempt to deduce something new—killing two birds with one stone.

According to his previous experience, filling the twelve major acupoints once required approximately five years.

If he used his own life, it certainly wouldn't be worth it; after all, after breaking through the Initial Realm, he only had forty-six years of longevity remaining. But using demon longevity to solve an urgent need while searching for a method of advancement was feasible.

[Remaining Demon Longevity: 391 Years]

Shen Yi suppressed the urge to go out and test it, forcing himself to close his eyes.

While knowing the true power of his moves was important, there was no need to disturb people's dreams in the middle of the night; that would be quite unscrupulous.

Perhaps because he hadn't slept well the previous night, he fell asleep extremely quickly today.

The sesame cakes here were warm, the salted meat was chewy, the bed boards were hard, the woman was warm and soft—everything felt so real.

In his mind, mangled corpses flashed by, with demons devouring flesh and blood in large gulps.

Shen Yi unconsciously clenched his fingers. With so many martial arts at his disposal, he finally no longer needed to numb his thoughts with the idea that "this life was picked up," and he finally possessed the courage to draw his blade against demons.

Using the excuse of a short life to act recklessly was useful, but it wouldn't last.

Living a second life felt like waking from a long dream.

When the rooster crowed, Shen Yi opened his eyes right on time. He walked outside to breathe in the morning dew, feeling refreshed and light in body and spirit.

"So early today?"

Lin Baiwei stretched her body as she walked from the backyard into the house, looking outside with curiosity.

"Early."

Shen Yi looked back, his eyes holding a rare hint of a smile.

"Did you find money or something?" Lin Baiwei shook her head suspiciously.

"Something like that."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and returned to the room to change into clean clothes.

Counting the days, there were still more than twenty days until the Demon Suppression Division's inspection.

If he used this time to patch up his weaknesses, landing a good job shouldn't be a problem.

His current strength was more than enough to protect himself in Baiyun County, but one always had to fear the unexpected.

Take Lin Baiwei, for example. Being able to transcribe a Jade Liquid Realm martial art from memory was a completely different matter from simply possessing a manual; the former meant she had personally practiced it.

Before her acupoints were sealed, she must have been much stronger than he was now.

If one is destined to be unlucky, one will be unlucky.

With such a cautionary tale hovering before his eyes every day, Shen Yi could not afford to be anything but cautious.

To survive in these chaotic times, joining a decent faction was absolutely the best choice, as both martial arts and resources would be guaranteed.

Even if he were ever caught by a demon, the other party would have to fear his background, leaving him some room for maneuver.

Shen Yi went out and bought two portions of breakfast to bring back.

After finishing in a few bites, he headed toward the duty room.

Walking on the road, Shen Yi's pace suddenly slowed, and he glanced toward the side of the road.

A young man holding a sugar-figure pole smiled obsequiously: "Master, you like these sweets too? Why not take two to try?"

Shen Yi shook his head and resumed his pace: "Sorry, I don't have any silver on me."

He dared not eat a sugar figure sold by a wandering martial artist.

As for why the man appeared in Baiyun County, Shen Yi didn't want to ask; he was just a bailiff responsible for demons, not a city official.

People came and went constantly; perhaps he could encounter several strange ones every day.

It was just that his own discernment hadn't been sharp enough before to notice.

Stepping into the courtyard of the duty room, Shen Yi saw Butcher Zhang training a few men early in the morning. Zhang Dahu was rubbing his waist, picking up his blade in a panic and running away: "I... I... patrolling the streets..."

Butcher Zhang didn't make things difficult for the slacker: "He's getting old, and there's no future to speak of, but you three shouldn't be lazy... You still dare to glare at me! Ungrateful things. If you could get into the Demon Suppression Division, your parents would have to bring cured meat to thank me."

As he spoke, he kicked the Niu Brothers in the waist twice in succession: "Keep your hands higher! A perfectly good Demon-Subduing Blade Technique, and you two play it like you're performing in a theater."

"I'm doing just fine as a bailiff; I don't want to climb higher. Dealing with demons costs lives," Niu Er complained, baring his teeth.

"You've been comfortable for too long," Butcher Zhang sneered. "Just five months ago, Sanshui County was taken over by the Demon Suppression Division. More than a dozen lieutenants were stationed there. In three days, they leveled a demon mountain. Two hundred soldiers died, and over eighty demons were slain. Do you think it's like here, where commoners die before the bailiffs?"

"The compensation for the dead is only forty taels of silver, but if you carry the name of the Demon Suppression Division, even as a reservist, that amount of silver is nothing more than your two-month allowance."

Hearing this, the Niu Brothers silently did the math in their heads, and their blade-wielding hands gradually grew more forceful.

"Do they recruit ordinary bailiffs too?" Shen Yi walked into the courtyard, feeling curious.

"Why else would they pass down the three styles of Demon-Subduing martial arts?" Butcher Zhang smiled when he saw him. "As long as one cultivates all three to the minor success stage, or one of them to the major success stage within the allotted time, they have a chance to be selected. At most, in ten or twenty years, they can use medicinal baths to soak these people into the Initial Realm."

"Do you know how terrifying it is to have Initial Realm martial artists growing in batches, like planting rice?"

The more Butcher Zhang spoke, the redder his eyes became, as if he were extremely resentful of the Demon Suppression Division's extravagance.

"If there really are that many, why do they look like they're short of hands?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, not quite believing it.

"Haven't you ever harvested rice? It grows in batches, and it falls in batches," Butcher Zhang rolled his eyes, gestured across his throat with his palm, and continued:

"If one has even greater aptitude, like that Demon Catcher who was taken as a disciple by the Qing Prefecture Commander of the Demon Suppression Division ten years ago—ten years! I was still standing on stakes, punching, and carrying water, while she ate precious medicine like it was rice. She reached the peak of the Jade Liquid Realm, using qi to manifest swords and slaughtering demons like pigs and dogs."

"Hiss, an illegitimate child?" Even someone as composed as Shen Yi couldn't help but gasp.

"An illegitimate child would be better," Butcher Zhang said, suddenly looking much more dejected. He waved his hand: "You don't understand Demon Catchers. They eat the fullest meals and take the most vicious beatings. It not only requires extremely high talent but also a steady temperament, the ability to endure loneliness, and the ability to suffer."

"They travel thousands of miles alone to hunt demons and explore secrets, acting as the eyes and ears of the Demon Suppression Division. Half of the Demon Hanging Orders of the Great Gan Dynasty were fulfilled because of them."