Tell Me, Do You Listen to Constable Zhang?

"Your strength is impressive. You're more than qualified to serve as a constable. I still have business to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer."

Li Tie took a deep breath and gave Yang Xiao a strange look.

He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and turned to leave.

According to the rumors from Hu Kai and the County Yamen, this fellow had killed more than thirty Dog Demons. He had originally thought it was all bluster, but he had not expected Yang Xiao to truly possess such strength.

He had actually failed to gain the upper hand when their attacks collided just now?

He had practiced martial arts for twenty-three years, while this boy was only eighteen, right? At most, he had trained for two or three years. How could that possibly make sense...

Yang Xiao watched Li Tie's back, a trace of wariness flashing in his eyes.

Li Tie had been probing him just now. He had no idea what his purpose was.

He touched the Spring Embroidery Saber at his waist, gathered his thoughts, and walked toward the County Yamen's rear courtyard to meet the four runners Zhang Hu had arranged for him.

In the rear courtyard, several young runners were gathered together practicing martial arts.

Yang Xiao entered the rear courtyard, and the four men immediately stopped and rose to their feet in unison.

"Greetings, Constable Yang!"

Yang Xiao swept his gaze over the four men, his eyes landing on each of them in turn.

The first was a burly young man at the sixth stage of the Body Forging Realm. He looked simple and honest.

The second was a thin young man at the fifth stage of the Body Forging Realm. His eyes held unmistakable scrutiny as he looked at Yang Xiao.

The remaining two dark-skinned young men looked like brothers. Both were at the fifth layer of Body Forging, and they smiled and nodded at him.

Yang Xiao noticed a trace of doubt in the second runner's eyes.

But he did not care. In a few days, he would be going to the Demon Suppression Division. As long as that man did not cause trouble for him during his tenure, Yang Xiao could not be bothered with him.

"What are your names?" Yang Xiao asked.

The first burly young man said in a thick, rustic voice, "This subordinate is Zhao Tieniu."

The second thin young man said, "This subordinate is Sun Ming."

"This subordinate is Zhou Qiang." One of the sturdier dark-faced runners pointed beside him. "This is my younger brother, Zhou Gang."

Yang Xiao glanced over the four men and did not exchange many pleasantries. "Make your preparations. In a moment, follow me to Wang Village to investigate the traces of Demons."

The four men answered in unison, "Yes, Constable Yang!"

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, outside the County Yamen's main gate.

Yang Xiao mounted his horse, took the lead, and urged it forward. The four runners followed close behind.

The group of five traveled eastward along the official road toward the eastern outskirts.

On the way, Zhao Tieniu rode up beside Yang Xiao.

"Constable Yang, I heard that you killed thirty-seven Dog Demons all by yourself yesterday?" His voice was filled with admiration.

Yang Xiao nodded. "That's right."

Shock flashed through Zhao Tieniu's eyes. "That's incredible!"

"Constable Yang, how did you manage it?" Zhou Qiang also rode over.

Yang Xiao fell silent for a moment, recalling all his memories from the past.

"Grip the saber tightly and keep hacking until all the Dog Demons are dead."

Zhou Qiang froze for a moment, then laughed. "Constable Yang, you're really humorous."

Zhou Gang remained silent the entire time, quietly following behind.

Sun Ming snorted from the back and muttered under his breath, "He's spouting nothing but nonsense..."

After roughly half an hour, they finally reached Wang Village.

The sight of Wang Village remained horrifying.

Collapsed houses, bloodstained ground, and the pervasive stench of decay filling the air—the Dog Demons had already been wiped out, but the devastation here still made one's heart tremble.

At the village entrance, an old man sat on a tree stump, staring blankly at the ground.

Hearing the commotion, he raised his head. When he saw Yang Xiao and the others, he immediately came over.

"Officers! Officers!"

He recognized Yang Xiao, who was leading the group, and a strange glint flashed through his eyes. "Officer, you've come."

"It's you?" Yang Xiao recognized him as the old man who had used his clothes to hold the Dog Demon ears for him yesterday. He dismounted. "Why are you waiting at the village entrance? What happened?"

The old man lowered his voice. "We discovered traces of a Demon!"

Yang Xiao furrowed his brow. "Traces of a Demon?"

"Yes!" The old man nodded and pointed deeper into the village. "In a residence on the eastern side of the village. Someone saw a Demon enter!"

Yang Xiao's gaze sharpened as he carefully observed the old man.

The old man's expression... was somewhat strange.

His eyes darted about, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, as though he were suppressing something.

Moreover, his breathing rhythm was abnormal.

A villager who had just discovered traces of a Demon—especially after witnessing yesterday's massacre—could not possibly remain this calm.

Yang Xiao turned to look at the four runners and found that they were also observing the old man.

Zhao Tieniu's face was full of indignation, while Sun Ming's eyes were lively, as if he had noticed something.

Yang Xiao looked at the old man. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Lead the way."

The old man froze for a moment, then nodded. "All right, all right. Officer, please follow me."

He turned and walked toward the eastern side of the village, his steps somewhat stiff.

Yang Xiao followed, deliberately keeping some distance from the man ahead. The four runners exchanged glances and followed closely behind.

On the way, Sun Ming quietly moved closer to Zhao Tieniu.

"Tieniu, that old man's expression is off. This could be a trap."

"A trap?" Zhao Tieniu was somewhat shocked. "Then what should we do?"

Sun Ming thought for a moment. "We should go back and report first, then have Constable Zhang send more people."

"What if the Demon in this place eats all the villagers and leaves by the time we return?"

Sun Ming gritted his teeth. "There's nothing we can do. The situation is unclear, and we could easily be ambushed."

"But our leader now is Constable Yang. We have to listen to him."

Zhao Tieniu's expression was incomparably resolute.

The brothers Zhou Qiang and Zhou Gang also nodded in unison from the side. "We trust Constable Yang."

Zhao Tieniu draped an arm around Sun Ming's shoulder and gestured for him to relax as he consoled him. "Our superior is Constable Yang, whose combat strength is at the ninth stage of the Body Forging Realm."

"He killed thirty-seven Dog Demons by himself without even blinking! With strength like that, who in the County Yamen could do the same?"

"Tell me, do you listen to Constable Yang?"

Seeing that the other three all supported Yang Xiao, Sun Ming remained silent for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Then I'll listen to Constable Yang too."

The group continued forward and soon arrived at a residence.

It was a dilapidated residence. The main gate had long since disappeared, and the surrounding walls were broken and uneven. The rooms inside, however, still had their doors and windows tightly shut.

The old man stood before the room and pointed inside. "The traces of the Demon are in there."

Yang Xiao looked at the tightly shut door, a grave expression flashing through his eyes.

A faint fishy stench permeated the air.

It was similar to the scent of the Dog Demons from before, but more intense and colder.

"Officer, hurry and go inside. The Demon might still be in there."

The old man sounded somewhat anxious.

Just then—

"Splurt—"

A fleshy palm smashed through the door and instantly emerged from behind the old man, piercing straight through his chest!

Blood gushed forth, and the old man's body stiffened.

Anxiousness still lingered on his face, but his eyes had already gone dull.

"Hrgh—"

The old man's throat emitted a groan like a broken bellows, and his body collapsed with a thud.

The fleshy palm that had pierced through his chest was covered in yellowish-white fur, its long nails sharp as blades.

At that moment, the palm gripped a bright-red heart that was still beating. Extending from the old man's back, it slowly raised the heart toward its mouth.

"Splurt—"

Blood sprayed in every direction, and the intense metallic stench of blood drilled into Yang Xiao's nostrils.