Chapter 1: Demons Ravage the World

Cracked earthen walls, dim oil lamps.

A small bed covered in faded red cloth, emitting the smell of rotting wood.

Shen Yi stared at the scene before him, frozen for a long while, unable to accept that he had been reborn as a lowly soldier from Bai Yunxian.

But everything around him felt utterly real.

The fragmented memories in his mind grew increasingly clear.

Demons and monsters ravage the world; evil spirits abound.

The original owner was a ruffian who clawed his way up from the bottom, finally donning the uniform of an official, securing food and shelter—sounds quite inspiring.

But why did he die so suddenly?

Thinking of this, Shen Yi felt a sudden, inexplicable pain at the back of his head.

He reached out to touch it—and came away with blood on his hand.

The glaring crimson between his fingers was like a switch being flipped; in an instant, Shen Yi shook off the fog of a hangover, and searing pain surged through him.

"Huff!"

He widened his eyes, breathing rapidly and continuously.

He looked down.

At the foot of the bed was a thin, small girl, clutching her undergarments in sheer terror.

Beside him sat an old man in a patched, tattered robe; his hunched body trembled uncontrollably as he gripped a wooden stick, from whose tip blood dripped steadily.

Their fixed gazes, as if seeing a flood or a ferocious beast, were filled with despair and dread.

"I said—"

Shen Yi clenched his teeth; under the agony, a surge of malice pounded against his chest.

He glared at the old man, about to order him to drop the stick.

At that moment, the girl suddenly tore at the last piece of her undergarment, wrapping it around Shen Yi's leg like a frenzied beast, wailing through tears: "Master! I give you myself! I give you everything! Please let my father go back to the countryside!"

The old man's grip loosened—the stick clattered to the floor.

His face was numb, his eyes vacant, as if that single blow had drained every last ounce of strength.

With Shen Ye's infamous brutality in Bai Yunxian, the moment he opened his eyes again, his father and daughter would have no chance left to live.

"Can you just shut up?"

Shen Yi's eyelids twitched from the pain.

He was already in agony and irritated—how could he endure this girl's screaming?

The original owner came here tonight to forcibly take Liu's daughter; this old man's strike was practically a public service—deserving praise.

But I'm innocent—why should I suffer this blow?

Shen Yi seethed inwardly, yet couldn't curse aloud; to others, Captain Shen had merely regained consciousness after a brief dizziness—they didn't know a new soul now inhabited his body.

He grabbed the clothes on the bed, flung them carelessly onto Liu's daughter, and waved her off like shooing flies, weakly muttering: "Get out. Get out."

I've even given them hallucinations—back in my past life, I'd have extorted half a house from you two.

He rubbed his temples—but the hallucination before him grew even clearer.

【Current Martial Arts】

Bone-Crushing Grappling Hands (Mastery)

Demon-Slaying Blade Art (Beginner)

【You may inject your lifespan into martial arts to gain corresponding progress】

【When your remaining lifespan is under one year, you cannot continue injecting】

【Current remaining lifespan: thirty-four years】

…

Shen Yi read the text clearly, and a murmur rose in his mind.

Come to think of it, according to the lingering memories, the original owner really did know these two skills.

The Bone-Crushing Grappling Hands was provided by the government office; every constable had to train in it—it was basic training.

Precisely because he wielded this grappling technique convincingly, the original owner rose in rank to become a minor officer.

As for Demon-Slaying Blade Art, it was personally taught to the constables by a Captain of Zhen Mo Si after demons plagued Bai Yunxian—it was genuine demon-slaying martial art.

But by then, the original owner had gained some status and was weakened by alcohol and lust; rather than learning martial arts for self-preservation, he had another method to survive under demons.

So… this panel is real? Not a hallucination?

But this is so useless.

Injecting lifespan to gain martial progress—this is no different from my past life's idea: live fewer years, get paid directly.

The problem is, in my past life, I was already a wreck—no hope, no attachments, just a walking corpse; if I got paid, I could enjoy a few more years—no real loss.

But martial arts are meant to preserve life—if you're dead, what's the point of learning them?

Can't I just train slowly myself?

"Hss."

Shen Yi turned his head, trying to dispel the panel.

He happened to see the father and daughter again.

They stood like wooden stakes, utterly shell-shocked.

"I told you to get out—"

Shen Yi winced, pressing his skull, about to speak—when suddenly he remembered something.

The original owner came here in the dead of night to forcibly take Liu's daughter—so this is the Liu household. Then who should be leaving…?

At this thought, embarrassment flooded Shen Yi's eyes.

Fine, then get lost.

He rolled his eyes, stood up, reached for his sword, and walked out of the courtyard with his clothes in disarray.

Just being transported was bad enough, but having to walk home after getting hit by a stick? I wonder what sin I committed to deserve this. Pathetic!

"..."

The Liu family girl clutched her father's hand tightly, her thin body trembling beneath her clothes.

She didn't understand why Master Shen's temperament had changed so drastically; he surprisingly didn't torture her or beat her father, but simply left in a sullen mood.

Yet, there was still no relief of having escaped death in her eyes.

On the contrary, as Shen Yi drew closer to the courtyard gate, the Liu girl's pupils gradually shrank, clearly terrified to the extreme.

Creak.

The dilapidated courtyard gate was shoved open.

Shen Yi stepped out of the courtyard and took a deep breath of the dry night air.

He intended to clear his head slightly, but the fishy stench that drifted into his nose made him frown instinctively.

Did I forget something?

"Finished? Then it's my turn."

A rough voice sounded by his ear, and the fishy stench instantly intensified several times over.

Shen Yi's whole body stiffened as he turned his head to look.

He saw a human-shaped figure as bulky as a small hill squatting at the courtyard entrance.

Its muscles were tightly packed all over, its shoulders were high, its black fur was sleek and shiny, its neck was thrust forward, and it was actually topped with a dog's head.

It slowly turned its head to look, sticking its paw into its waistband and scratching around.

Then it stood up, a full head taller than Shen Yi, with shoulders more than twice as wide, casting a huge shadow across the ground.

"Be quicker next time; starving will make me angry."

Hearing this, Shen Yi lowered his head with a complex expression; he finally remembered the former owner's way of survival.

That was colluding with demons and devils to run a food supply business.

With his group acting as intermediaries inside the government office, busily creating false cases, they could ensure the demons ate their fill without alerting the Zhen Mo Si.

For instance, tonight, he had already paved the way for the Liu father and daughter; once the Dog Demon finished eating, there would be no ripple at all in Bo Yunxian the next day.

Having figured everything out.

Moments later, Shen Yi forced a smile, bumped the other's arm with his shoulder, and laughed, "You know my brother's skills; how could I possibly be quick?"

With that, he pushed past the other and started walking forward: "Let's go, let's go, let's go. I'll treat you to wine tonight as an apology to my elder brother."

However, that bulky figure remained immovable.

The Dog Demon lowered its eyes, looking at Shen Yi indifferently: "Do you take me for a stupid pig?"

With that, it turned around, tore off the roof of the shed, and strode into the courtyard.

With his thoughts exposed, Shen Yi instinctively reached out to block him, not even realizing himself why his hand dared to reach out.

Damn! What does this have to do with me?

He reacted quickly, trying to pull his arm back, but it was already caught by a furry, broad dog paw.

The Dog Demon suddenly turned its head, leaning close to Shen Yi's face; sharp teeth gleamed coldly in its blood-filled mouth, and thick saliva dripped from its long snout like threads.

"Surname Shen, you really seem to think you're something."

"Did you forget what kind of demon I am? I heard the commotion inside clearly. Do you dare to betray me?!"

The two had come together to commit murder, yet one had abandoned the plan halfway; the implication was obvious.

As the words fell, the Dog Demon's thick legs kicked out with a boom!

"Wait, are you a dog? You turn on me the moment you get angry?"

An unimaginable force struck his abdomen, instantly making Shen Yi's brain faint; veins on his neck burst, and his whole body flew backward into the courtyard like a broken sack, smashing through the door all the way.

He swore this was absolutely the closest he had ever come to death.

"You ungrateful thing; you deserve to be sacrificed along with me to feed my five viscera and six entrails."

Hearing the cold voice from outside the courtyard, Shen Yi collapsed on the ground, clutching his lower abdomen tightly, and looked up at the father and daughter beside him who were shaking like a sieve.

He withdrew his gaze and, gasping for breath, said, "Couldn't you two... remind me... to take the back door?"

The old man and the girl swallowed their saliva frantically, as if that was the only way to suppress the screams in their throats.

Their faces were filled with confusion; they couldn't understand why this person in front of them, who should have been colluding shoulder-to-shoulder with demons and devils, had also been kicked in.

"Forget it, the sword..."

Shen Yi weakly raised his hand; seeing the two looking like fools, he had to remind them again: "Pick up the sword and bring it to me."

The Liu girl quickly picked up the sword and handed it over, but she just couldn't understand who the other person wanted to chop; it couldn't possibly be that demon beast outside the door, could it?

Shen Yi swallowed the bloody, sweet fluid, gripped the sword hilt, and under the gaze of the father and daughter, he suddenly spat out inexplicably, "So disgusting."

Whether it was the chaotic world in this memory, the former owner's way of survival, or the fact that he still had to imitate him doing the same thing just to barely survive.

Not only disgusting, but also terribly boring.

"..."

Watching the Dog Demon push down the courtyard wall, bend down to enter the yard, and extend its thick tongue to gently lick its paw, it was already ready to eat.

Just thinking about his head being held by that dirty dog mouth, chewed up bit by bit, and then swallowed mixed with thick saliva.

Shen Yi's breathing grew more and more rapid, and a thread of madness quietly appeared in his eyes.

Fine, fine, fine, so you want to play like this?

My life was picked up from the jaws of death; your life is your own. You want to play for your life with me? On what grounds?

The panel unfolded rapidly before his eyes.

Infuse lifespan into martial arts to gain corresponding progress.

"Yes, it's the Demon-Subduing Saber Art. Please help me charge it up."

"Thank you."

(End of chapter)