Packing Up the County Yamen's Martial Arts

The villagers crowded around Yang Xiao, showering him with gratitude.

Meanwhile, he, the Second Constable who had guarded Li Family Hamlet for months, was left out in the cold.

"Head Constable Yang..." Li Tie stepped forward and forced a smile. "What are you..."

"Sharing the meat. Help yourself if you want some. There are bowls and chopsticks left."

Li Tie's mouth twitched. "I'll pass."

He had swallowed his pride in Li Family Hamlet for so long, carefully catering to the great demons of Three-Demon Mountain.

He had not dared offend or resist them. He had even found people and delivered things for them.

Yet Yang Xiao had arrived less than two days ago, killed the Pig Demon, and won the villagers' gratitude and admiration.

"Head Constable Yang truly... cares for the people." Li Tie's voice was stiff.

Yang Xiao nodded without saying more, then turned back to the villagers.

Li Tie stood to one side, staring at Yang Xiao's back. Hatred nearly spilled from his eyes.

You have no idea...

He gritted his teeth inwardly.

You have no idea what you've provoked!

The Pig Demon was only the weakest great demon on Three-Demon Mountain. There are still the Ape Demon and Bull Demon above him!

Xiangyun County can't withstand the Bull Demon's wrath!

You think you've done a good deed?

You're only digging your own grave!

Li Tie took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and turned to leave.

But halfway there, he doubled back.

He had never eaten the meat of a great demon at the Qi Gathering Realm. Now that it was right under his nose, passing it up would be absurd.

The aroma hung thick in the air. Meat from a demon that had absorbed spiritual energy for years had to be extraordinary. Perhaps a few more bites would even help him break through his bottleneck in the Qi Gathering Realm.

By the time the meat had all been shared, the sun was already high.

"Head Constable Yang..."

An old man stepped forward and bowed deeply to Yang Xiao.

"You saved everyone in Li Family Hamlet!"

"From now on, you're our benefactor. If you need anything, just say the word!"

The other villagers chimed in.

"That's right, Head Constable Yang! Li Family Hamlet will never forget your kindness!"

Yang Xiao nodded slightly, his expression calm.

"It was nothing. Don't give it another thought."

He turned to Li Tie. "Constable Li, I'll leave Li Family Hamlet to you. I'm heading back to the County Yamen to report."

Li Tie forced a smile.

"Yes... of course. Safe travels, Head Constable Yang."

Yang Xiao called Zhao Tieniu and the others over. Dragging the Pig Demon's corpse, they set off along the official road toward the county town.

Li Tie stood in the distance, watching with a dark expression.

The villagers clustered around Yang Xiao, thanking him again and again.

And he, the Second Constable who had guarded Li Family Hamlet for months, might as well have been an outsider.

On the official road.

Yang Xiao walked ahead, dragging the Pig Demon's corpse, while Zhao Tieniu and the other three followed.

"Head Constable Yang, you've earned another great merit!" Zhao Tieniu could not help exclaiming. "That Pig Demon was a great demon at the Qi Gathering Realm, and you killed him on your own!"

Sun Ming nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly. Head Constable Yang's strength is unfathomable."

"We chose the right man to follow."

Zhou Qiang and Zhou Gang said nothing, but the admiration in their eyes spoke for them.

Yang Xiao smiled without saying more.

They continued down the official road and soon reached the city gate.

The guards saw Yang Xiao dragging an enormous demon corpse and froze for a moment before stepping aside as though it were nothing unusual.

"Head Constable Yang killed another demon?"

"Looks like it. What kind this time?"

"A Pig Demon, I think... Look at the size of that head!"

The people at the gate murmured among themselves, but their initial shock was gone.

After all, this was not the first time Yang Xiao had dragged a demon's corpse back into town.

In the eyes of Xiangyun County's people, the young Fourth Constable killed demons as easily as drinking water. He had become a legend.

Yang Xiao passed through the streets and headed straight for the County Yamen.

All along the way, vendors and passersby looked at him with awe.

"Head Constable Yang!"

"Good day, Head Constable Yang!"

Some called out to him; others bowed from afar.

Yang Xiao acknowledged them with a slight nod, never slowing his steps.

At the gates of the County Yamen.

Yang Xiao handed the Pig Demon's corpse to the Yamen Runners on duty and told them to take it to the Armory for registration. Then he led Zhao Tieniu and the others straight there.

The Yamen Runner at the Armory hurried over when he saw Yang Xiao.

"Head Constable Yang, here to exchange Merit again?"

"The usual. Calculate my Merit while I take them in for a look."

Yang Xiao tipped his chin toward Zhao Tieniu and the other three behind him.

They had accompanied him on several outings. Though they had not killed any demons themselves, they had earned enough Merit through their assistance to choose a basic martial art from the Armory.

The Yamen Runner opened the Account Book and carefully tallied the figures.

"Head Constable Yang, you've earned 170 Merit this time."

"You had 30 left over, bringing your total to 200."

Yang Xiao nodded. He looked through every martial arts booklet on the wooden shelves, then selected several and stacked them on an empty table.

Zhao Tieniu and the others stared, dumbfounded.

They planned to choose just one, as the other Yamen Runners did. They could not keep up with more than that, so spending Merit on extra booklets would be a waste.

But Yang Xiao's actions shattered everything they thought they knew.

"Head Constable Yang, you... intend to learn all these?" Sun Ming could not help asking.

Yang Xiao picked out several that caught his eye. Once they were registered, he tucked them into his robe and left the Armory.

"More skills never hurt."

Back at home.

Yang Xiao spread the stack of martial arts booklets across the table and counted them carefully.

"Grass-Gliding Steps," "Floating Cloud Shattering Hands," "Hard Skin Technique," and "Resting Breath Classic."

He had chosen them from more than twenty basic techniques in the Armory. Each carried an attribute that could benefit him.

Little by little, grains of sand formed a tower.

He had not yet joined the Demon Suppression Division, so he had to make use of every resource at hand, however small.

With a thought, Yang Xiao opened the Equipment Slot and saw two empty slots. His confidence settled.

[Equipped "Grass-Gliding Steps." Gained attribute (White) Light Body: Step on grass without leaving a trace; movement speed increased slightly.]

[Equipped "Floating Cloud Shattering Hands." Gained attribute (Green) Force Dissipation: Weaken the force of impacts and reduce internal injuries from shock.]

[Equipped "Hard Skin Technique." Gained attribute (White) Thick Hide: Skin defense increased.]

[Equipped "Resting Breath Classic." Gained attribute (White) Breath Regulation: Soothe the meridians and ease fatigue; injury recovery speed increased slightly.]

Two hours later, all the martial arts had finished solidifying.

Most attributes were white. Only one was green.

Yang Xiao took careful stock of everything he had accumulated.

Cultivation: Qi Gathering Seven Apertures.

Martial arts: Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, Monument Splitting Palm, Astonishing Swan Steps, Iron Cloth Technique, Punching, Wind-Breaking Spear, Floating Cloud Shattering Hands...

Attribute bonuses:

(Blue) Hundred-Refined Edge, Demon-Slaying, Spirit Swallowing;

(Green) Swallowing Filth to Restore Essence, Mountain-Opening Force, Vitality Recovery, Shadow Skimming, Spiritual Olfaction, Force Dissipation;

(White) Iron Garment, Continuous Charge, Sinking Foot, Rapid Stab, Light Body, Thick Hide, Breath Regulation.

With so many martial arts perfected in one person, it would probably take at least a century of training. Yet it had been less than six days since he first held the Spring Embroidery Saber!

Even Yang Xiao was somewhat stunned by how quickly he had progressed.

In the County Yamen's rear courtyard.

Zhang Hu watched his subordinates come and go, gathering around the Pig Demon's head in an uproar. There was not a trace of joy on his face.

Killing a great demon at the Qi Gathering Realm should have been good news. But this Pig Demon was different from the Dog Demon in Wang Village, which had been on the verge of dying of old age.

The Dog Demon had no backing. Killing it had been the end of the matter.

Behind this Pig Demon stood two even stronger great demons.

For years, they and Xiangyun County had appeared to live in peace, but in truth, they had been implicated in plenty of trouble.

Missing livestock, ruined crops, vanished people...

Demons had always been capricious, savage, and bloodthirsty, their beastly nature impossible to shake. Who knew what Three-Demon Mountain would do next?

He paused and turned toward Yang Xiao's courtyard, a bitter smile on his lips.

"You brat never could stay out of trouble. You're just like your father, always determined to stick your neck out. You've stirred up a disaster this big, and I don't even know how we'll settle it..."

Zhang Hu sighed softly and went around from the rear courtyard to the front hall, intending to discuss a response with the County Magistrate.