Shi Yun arrived with his men.
He looked at the nest of Yellow Weasel cubs and the adult Yellow Weasel already slain by Lu Yuan.
Shi Yun immediately grew anxious.
"This is the Yellow Family, one of the Five Great Demon Houses. Its background is far greater than that Gray-Skinned Rat Demon's. And the Five Great Demon Houses are extremely united."
"They have dealings with countless demons. They are simply not something we can afford to offend."
"Now you've killed one of them and still want to slaughter their cubs. The Yellow Weasel demons will never let you off."
"You'll be harassed by demons without end."
"And you'll bring a colossal disaster upon our Pingyang County."
Shi Yun spoke in a furious panic.
He was not doing this for Lu Yuan's sake.
If this fellow died, then so be it.
But if he slaughtered demons like this and enraged them...
How would they clean up the mess?
"You mean they'll keep coming for me without end?"
Lu Yuan's voice carried a note of confusion.
Yet an inexplicable excitement rose in his heart.
"You only just realized? Yellow Weasels hold grudges. Just wait for death!"
A constable named Bao Tianbao pointed at Lu Yuan's nose and cursed.
"You killed the adult and won't even spare the young. When the demons come to settle accounts, are you expecting the yamen to take the blame for you?"
"The captain told us to prioritize maintaining stability. Who told you to kill the Yellow Weasels?"
Another constable, Bao Dibao, chimed in.
The two had come with Shi Yun, so naturally they stood on Shi Yun's side.
Hearing Shi Yun and the two constables, the villagers who had followed them into the cave instantly erupted.
"What? One of the Five Great Demon Houses? Isn't that poking a hornet's nest? How are we supposed to clean this up?"
"It's over, it's over! This officer didn't kill some lone demon—he killed one with a Lineage! When the Yellow Family takes revenge, will Great River Village still be able to live? We can't kill them! We absolutely can't kill any more!"
Some of the more timid villagers.
Immediately began trying to stop him.
Some even started blaming Lu Yuan.
But even more clear-headed villagers had reddened eyes as they cursed, "Bullshit! Those demons showed no mercy when they killed people from our village—they didn't even spare children! They deserve to die! Kill every last one of these beasts!"
Just then.
A young woman in plain silk garments, with delicate features, suddenly squeezed out from the crowd.
She ran to Lu Yuan's side and threw herself in front of the remaining nine Yellow Weasel cubs.
Like a mother protecting her young, she spoke with a hint of reproach. "The one that killed people was the adult Yellow Weasel demon. It's already dead!"
"These are newborn cubs. They pose no threat at all, and they're so cute."
"Why can't you let them go? Or is your bloodlust simply too great?"
The woman stared at Lu Yuan accusingly.
Normally, many men in the village fawned over her, and it had given her a habit of lording it over others in everything she did.
"Oh? Is that what you mean?"
"So I was wrong to kill them?"
Lu Yuan frowned and asked in return.
"Of course you were wrong..."
The woman shrieked.
"You damned Yellow Weasel, you actually bit someone! This woman has already been infected..."
Lu Yuan shouted.
Whoosh!
Without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his wrist, and the Rusty Saber carved a shrill arc through the air.
Splurt!
A fine head shot into the air. The headless corpse crashed heavily onto the dry grass, blood spraying all over the little Yellow Weasels.
The compassionate expression on the woman's face had not even faded before she was already separated from head and body.
Everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air. In an instant, the place fell silent as a grave.
Lu Yuan flicked the blood from his blade, his gaze sweeping over the remaining nine cubs like knives as he raised his hand and brought the saber down.
A sanctimonious bitch?
Why keep her around until the New Year?
When that Yellow Weasel had sliced living people into strips and swallowed the flesh raw.
Why hadn't this woman come out and told the Yellow Weasel to show mercy?
If you did not pull up the weeds by the roots, the spring wind would bring them back to life.
Especially demons that took revenge over the slightest grievance?
How could Lu Yuan possibly be swayed by a few words from some sanctimonious bitch?
Since she wanted to protect those little Yellow Weasels, she could die with them.
"Hiss!!!!"
Everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air. In an instant, the place fell silent as a grave.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Blade light flashed. Before the nine little Yellow Weasels could even cry out, every one of them was beheaded.
[ Ding! Experience gained: 9 points. ] [ Current experience: 960 points. ]
He was still forty points short.
Lu Yuan sighed.
"You are truly lawless, daring to slaughter villagers."
Shi Yun looked at the woman's headless corpse on the ground, as well as the little Yellow Weasels that had lost all signs of life.
And rebuked him.
"I already said she was infected by the Yellow Weasels. She would soon become a demon."
"If I didn't kill her, she would harm the villagers."
"I killed demons and eliminated evil. Was I wrong? Or is it that... you, Shi Yun, have some shameful connection with these man-eating demons?"
Lu Yuan slowly turned around, holding the blood-dripping Rusty Saber as he stared at Shi Yun.
"You... you're talking nonsense! Don't slander me!"
At the words "shameful connection," Shi Yun's expression changed dramatically. Frightened, he staggered back two steps, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat.
Colluding with demons was a capital crime.
If those words reached the Demon Suppression Office, ten heads would not be enough for him to lose.
Indulging demons, colluding with demonic creatures—whether such things existed or not, they could never be brought into the open.
"Killing demons is naturally eliminating evil for the people!"
"I... I was merely worried that if you killed them all, it would draw even more frenzied retaliation from the Yellow Family. Then the demons would continue harming the villagers. I was protecting the villagers."
Shi Yun forced himself to remain calm, swallowed, and desperately explained himself.
"These demons are already harming the villagers! Where were you when they treated living people like livestock, slicing their flesh and eating it? Is your so-called protection offering roast chickens to demons? Is it making villagers wait to die?"
"Against beasts like these, only harsher and more ruthless methods will do. Kill until they tremble in fear, kill until they are extinct—only then can we truly deter these demons!"
Kong Jie, who had remained silent all along.
Could no longer hold back upon hearing Shi Yun's words.
Before this, he had listened to the words of these veteran yamen men, these old hands.
He had offered tribute to demons.
He had delayed for time.
All he received in return was the demons' contempt, followed by even crueler slaughter.
"You..."
Shi Yun was left speechless, his face shifting from pale to green, then finally turning ashen. He opened his mouth, but could not utter a single rebuttal for a long while. All he could do was glare fiercely at Lu Yuan and Kong Jie, venom flashing through his eyes.
"Well said! Well killed!"
"The officer is mighty! These demon beasts deserve to be killed!"
Kong Jie's words also ignited the fury and courage in the villagers of Great River Village.
Lu Yuan glanced at Kong Jie.
He had not expected this kid to have some backbone after all.
Lu Yuan sheathed the Rusty Saber and pointed at the woman's headless corpse on the ground, his voice calm. "Everyone, I killed the demons. When revenge comes, it will come for me."
"But I still have to remind you of something."
"Those of you who just said these Yellow Weasel cubs should not be killed—stay away from them in the future."
"Why?"
A villager asked in confusion.
"Because today, they could stop yamen officers from killing demons for the sake of a few Yellow Weasels."
"When the demons come again tomorrow, to save their own lives, they may very well bind you up and offer you to the demons as rations."
At those words, the villagers suddenly understood. Their gazes toward the people who had tried to stop him earlier instantly filled with disgust and wariness.
Lu Yuan said nothing more and walked straight out of the mass graveyard.
He had ruined Chen Kuang's plans more than once.
Tomorrow's escort mission would probably not be easy.
Fortunately, he was close to saving up 1,000 experience points.
Before you continue