Nostalgia

The Beggar spoke this name with a light, airy tone.

Chen Ji and the others had yet to react.

Butcher Zhang, however, jolted awake from his earlier stupor and pinched his own large belly hard.

Hiss! It wasn't an auditory hallucination!

But how could that be?!

Butcher Zhang was not a man who envied his friends; he simply could not wrap his head around it.

Although he took little interest in court affairs, the Commander of Qing Prefecture was a figure of the same generation as the sect leaders of the major schools. Coupled with the Demon Suppression Division's inherently transcendent status in the martial world, that person could effectively dictate the fate of the entire prefecture.

It was fair to say that for an ordinary martial artist, such a figure was more like a character from a storyteller's tale—someone mentioned to pass the time after a meal, accompanied by the sharp crack of a wooden block.

How had he suddenly become entangled with someone right beside him?

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Old Liu furrowed his brows and glared at the Beggar.

Spreading rumors about something that hadn't even begun to take shape—it was truly a case of someone who had spent too long begging, losing all sense of discretion.

He shook his head, looked back at Shen Yi, and gave a wry smile. "The letter sent to the Commander did indeed mention that much, but the Commander is away on duty year-round, and no one knows when she will return. Even if she does... in any case, it is best not to hold your hopes too high."

Old Liu was a pragmatic man; he did not want the other party to suffer such a crushing disappointment that it would affect his state of mind and ruin a promising talent for nothing.

He cast a casual glance to the side, and Butcher Zhang caught the meaning. He scratched his head, stepped into the main hall, and began chatting aimlessly with Chen Ji and the others.

"Commander Lin was struck by a demonic art and has already been escorted out of Baiyun County by specialists to seek the Commander. She will not be returning to Qing Prefecture for the time being."

Old Liu lowered his voice. "Once you enter the Demon Suppression Division, we are all brothers who have shared life and death. These brothers are not afraid to take a blade for you, but they also don't like to see someone rise to the heavens in a single step, especially someone who has just arrived. It is human nature; I hope you can understand."

His words were concise and to the point.

Rather than a reprimand, it was more of a reminder.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment and understood the other man's intent.

The "talent" he had deliberately displayed in front of Lin Baiwei had indeed served its purpose.

But everything has its price.

Do not be fooled by the smiles on the faces of the people before him; in reality... they were likely not as happy as they appeared.

These were all people who traded their lives for merit.

If he truly acted as if he had climbed a high branch, it wouldn't matter if his backing was solid enough, but if it wasn't, he would only be inviting trouble for himself.

"According to Li Xinhan's wishes, we will send you back first. Everything will proceed according to standard procedure; do not leak any rumors. Wait for the two Commanders to return before making further arrangements."

Old Liu finished speaking and fell silent.

Head Li certainly had a prickly temper, but his heart was in the right place. If Shen Yi had his own plans, or if he felt that they were suppressing him, then there was nothing more to say—let him be.

"I have no objections."

Shen Yi shook his head.

He joined the Demon Suppression Division for two reasons: first, to have a backer when killing demons, and second, for martial arts and precious medicines.

The former would allow him to have more channels of information when facing demons, rather than being completely in the dark about everything outside the county, as he was now.

With enough demonic lifespan to sustain him, and the assistance of martial arts and precious medicines, his progress would be far faster than if he were to struggle alone.

Compared to these practical benefits, Shen Yi did not place much value on empty titles that, for the moment, only invited trouble.

Just as the other man said, if there were real benefits to be had, he would have to wait for them to return anyway.

Old Liu quietly observed the changes in his expression.

Seeing that Shen Yi's eyes remained clear, and that he truly did not seem to care, he was secretly astonished.

Everyone understood the logic that a painted cake could not satisfy hunger, but when such a massive opportunity fell into one's lap, even if it were ninety-nine percent fake, how many people could truly ignore it?

Of course, there was another possibility: that the other party had already eaten the cake.

"Damn it, you didn't actually conquer Commander Lin, did you!"

Recalling the oversized clothes Lin Baiwei had been wearing yesterday, Old Liu gritted his teeth, his firm conviction suddenly wavering.

The men behind him hurriedly kicked him to the ground. "Do you want to lose your head?!"

To dare spread rumors about a Demon Catcher—if those ascetics who spent their days lurking in demon dens heard this, they would surely skin the lad alive.

"We are here on official business, just a temporary trip to Baiyun County, and we are in a hurry. You should go home and pack up quickly; you can come with us."

The Beggar pressed Old Liu's face into the dirt and gave Shen Yi a helpless smile.

Outside the yamen.

Several of the selected young men were clenching their fists in excitement.

In these chaotic times, having some martial arts skills was undoubtedly the fastest way to improve one's status.

Even though they were only ordinary bailiffs and soldiers today, if they could pass the Demon Suppression Division's trial, the county magistrate would have to treat them with great courtesy when they returned to Baiyun County.

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but look at the young man in front.

No one was blind or deaf. Although they couldn't hear exactly what the officers had said to him, one look at their attitude was enough to know.

Constable Shen was definitely not going for the same trial as them.

It was a pity that they hadn't been close before, and trying to build a relationship now felt a bit forced... but at least with the shared identity of being from the same hometown, they would have a bit more face once they entered the Demon Suppression Division.

"Boss Shen, I still need to go home to spend some time with my old mother, and by the way, comfort my wife."

The two people closer to Shen Yi didn't have so many complicated thoughts. Niu Da was in a rush to get home; he scratched his crotch and wanted to run off as soon as he finished speaking.

Chen Ji had long felt that Shen Yi was no ordinary man, and even believed that it wouldn't be strange if that Commander had truly taken him as a disciple.

Whether it was a trial or entering as an official, it was only a matter of time.

"Lord Shen..." he bowed.

"That's enough." Shen Yi gathered his thoughts and waved his hand.

He could finally shed this uniform, which was a clean break from the scoundrelly things his predecessor had done.

Since he was no longer working at the yamen, there was no need to call him "Lord."

He felt a slight pang of emotion watching Niu Da's retreating back.

Leaving one's hometown was supposed to be a sorrowful affair.

Shen Yi tried hard to squeeze out a bit of melancholy, but after thinking carefully, he had no relatives to bid farewell to, nor a home to remember—the small room he lived in belonged to the yamen.

He only had two friends he could talk to; one was coming with him, and the other...

Shen Yi looked back at Butcher Zhang, who was following behind with a silly grin, and remembered him mentioning earlier that he was going back to Qing Prefecture to see an old flame.

Well, it was highly likely the other one was coming along too.

He certainly couldn't go bid farewell to Old Mother Green Scale.

"Let's go, let's hit the tavern." Shen Yi shook the silver notes in his hand.

"Let's go, let's go! My mouth has been so bland lately it's driving me crazy. Let's find three girls to play the flute and sing, too." Butcher Zhang slapped his belly hard.

"..."

Who brings silver notes to a tavern like that?

Chen Ji took the silver ingot from his waist and sighed. "Two is enough, I don't need any."

"It's fine, I'll use two." Butcher Zhang slapped his shoulder generously.