Half-Beast

As Fu Shaoping stepped down from the execution platform,

he noticed

wisps of pale red energy drifting from Yang Shan's corpse onto him. At the same time, his blood and vitality kept surging, scouring his flesh.

A faint rumble sounded within his body.

Suddenly,

the Treasure Mirror in his sea of consciousness flickered, revealing a line of text:

"Body Tempering Realm: third layer (2/100)"

He had broken through!

Joy flashed in Fu Shaoping's eyes.

He had advanced from the Body Tempering Realm Second Level to the third. One more step would bring him to the fourth layer, where he could temper his skin with the Origin Energy within his body. Only then would he have one foot in the ranks of true martial artists.

The first three layers merely increased blood and vitality and strengthened the body. Like an ordinary person who had never cultivated, he would still bleed and die if struck by blades or spears. But once he reached the fourth layer of the Body Tempering Realm and developed copper skin, he would have the means to withstand attacks. Ordinary blades and spears could not pierce it at all.

At the same time,

among the sixteen runes surrounding the Mystic Mandate Codex,

the second flickered faintly and lit up as well!

Lighting all sixteen runes would mean the Mystic Mandate Codex would turn again, and his destiny might no longer be [Hates Evil Like an Enemy]. But judging by his current progress, he probably would not accumulate enough energy to light all sixteen for at least several years.

After stepping down from the execution platform, Fu Shaoping climbed straight into the carriage.

The carriage returned to the Hundred Households Office.

Old Zhan was drinking tea. When Fu Shaoping entered, he deliberately looked him over several times. Seeing how calm Fu Shaoping looked, as though he had merely gone out for a stroll after a meal, he smiled.

"It seems your month overseeing punishments in the prison really did forge some courage in you. Come, try my Black Spirit Tea. This is fine tea from the prefectural city."

The Black Spirit Tea had a faint milky fragrance.

It was used to refresh the mind.

Fu Shaoping took a sip and smiled.

"Fine tea indeed."

After they each drank a cup of tea,

Old Zhan finally came to the point.

"Shaoping, have you ever heard of Half-Beasts?"

Half-Beasts?

Fu Shaoping frowned in thought, then nodded slightly.

Half-Beasts were born from unions between humans and demonic beasts. In pursuit of martial might, the preceding Great Zhou Dynasty had issued an uncompromising decree ordering humans to mate with powerful demonic beasts. Their offspring were half-human and half-demon. With demonic beast blood in their veins, they possessed powerful physiques from birth. Precisely because of this, the Great Zhou Dynasty had flourished for a time.

Yet for that very same reason,

as the half-human, half-beast population grew, their martial might began to surpass that of human martial artists.

Most frightening of all,

after being used as killing weapons for so long, the half-human, half-beast beings developed rebellious ambitions. Their rebellion lasted nearly a hundred years. Only the sudden rise of the current Heavenly Martial Emperor had brought that turmoil to an end.

From then on,

the Great Wu Dynasty ordered every half-human, half-beast being slaughtered.

Nearly a thousand years had passed.

These days, one hardly ever heard of such half-human, half-beast aberrations appearing again.

Old Zhan said,

"According to word from above, a half-human, half-beast aberration appeared in Dakui Village last night. In a single night, it slaughtered nearly a hundred villagers!"

Such a brutal incident

was the first Fu Shaoping had encountered since birth.

If he could capture and kill this aberration, he could hardly imagine how high his reward would soar.

However,

he quickly dismissed the thought.

Half-human, half-beast aberrations often possessed the strength of the fourth layer of the Body Tempering Realm or higher from birth. How could his current strength possibly contend with one?

Old Zhan continued,

"Although Dakui Village falls under Azure Sun Town's jurisdiction, it sits right on the border with our Green Ox Town. So early this morning, the Hundred Households Commander personally issued a mission. Every member of the Hundred Households Office must mobilize, divided into thirty teams, and thoroughly search every village in Green Ox Town to ensure this aberration isn't lurking in any of them."

"The moment you find a clue, immediately fire your smoke signal flare. The Hundred Households Commander will personally set out to capture it."

"Though our team consists of just you and me, we've also been assigned a village. Coincidentally, it's Yellow Creek Village, where that murder just happened."

"The other teams have already left."

"Shaoping, if you have nothing to attend to at home, come with me."

"According to the rewards announced from above, anyone who merely provides a clue will receive ten Ninth-Rank Merits! Whoever captures this Half-Beast will receive one Seventh-Rank Merit!"

"Naturally, that Seventh-Rank Merit is beyond our reach."

"But if we're lucky enough to find even a thread of evidence of this Half-Beast's whereabouts, those ten Ninth-Rank Merits will be ours!"

He paused.

Old Zhan glanced at his missing leg.

Shaking his head, he said,

"Of course, it'd be best if we didn't encounter it at all."

"They say the preliminary assessment puts that Half-Beast at the ninth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, only a step across the threshold away from the Earth Origin Realm. If it spots us, I'm afraid it'll kill us to silence us before we even have time to send a signal."

After hearing Fu Shaoping's final remark,

Fu Shaoping finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With something this dangerous, it was best not to rush toward it if he could avoid it.

Those ten Ninth-Rank Merits seemed tempting, but the greater the reward, the greater the danger. Fu Shaoping knew exactly how much he weighed on the scales. He had no desire to stick his neck out. Following orders, making a circuit of Yellow Creek Village, and returning was the wisest course.

"Sir, I've been in seclusion for over ten days, and I've just finished an execution. Could you let me go home for a bath and half an hour's nap before we set out? After all, it's the unexpected we have to fear most. I think it'd be best to keep my strength and energy at their peak."

"Of course, that's no problem. We're only responsible for one village, so this little delay won't matter. Go home first. In an hour, I'll send the carriage straight to your house to pick you up."

"Thank you for your consideration, sir!"

Fu Shaoping was sincerely grateful.

After all, ten Ninth-Rank Merits were no small temptation to the other commandants. Why would they let him dawdle? Joining Old Zhan's command back then had truly been the wisest decision.

He left the Hundred Households Office.

As he walked along the street,

halfway home, the crowd suddenly erupted into a commotion. Shops immediately shut and locked their doors, and the pedestrians vanished from the street in an instant, each fleeing home.

Clearly,

everyone had heard about the massacre in Dakui Village.

Dakui Village was right next door.

If the creature really fled into their Green Ox Town, their lives would be in danger. How could they not be afraid?

When Fu Shaoping returned home, Zhou Pan'er was standing at the door, craning her neck as she waited for him. The moment she saw him, she pulled him inside. Yet when she heard that he would have to leave again in an hour, her smiling face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Shaoping, do you absolutely have to go to Yellow Creek Village?"

"It's a compulsory order. We have no choice but to go. But don't worry. Uncle Zhan has no intention of chasing credit. We'll just make a circuit and return to town. Besides, the Longflow River separates Dakui Village from Yellow Creek Village. This Half-Beast probably won't come to Yellow Creek Village, so rest easy."