Chapter 113: The Simple Shen Yi

“You’ve all come a long way from Yushan County—have you grown accustomed to your accommodations?”

Deng Jianyuan stood with his hands behind his back, calmly regarding the three men in the courtyard: “If you’re not comfortable, why not come to my place? Let me fulfill my duty as host.”

Upon hearing this, Deng Mingxu had just been silently resenting his ancestor for being too aloof, causing Lin Rou to feel neglected yesterday—and by extension, himself as well.

Now his face lit up with joy.

His ancestor was about to personally arrange his marriage!

Jiang Chengyun looked over in surprise, then nodded after a moment: “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Deng Jianyuan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the three without lingering on any.

As if he didn’t recognize Shen Yi at all, he dismissed the entire family and turned toward the inner depths of the courtyard.

When they reached their destination.

Jiang Chengyun finally understood the source of his unease.

There, standing in the courtyard, was another figure clad in red.

Xiao Qiangwei idly played with a jade bead bracelet, presumably bored, and casually tossed it onto the stone table.

“Please make yourselves at home.”

With those words, Deng Jianyuan walked silently into the house and slowly closed the door.

Only the three familiar figures remained, staring at each other in silence.

Shen Yi sat beside the flowerbed, drew out his black blade, and placed it across his knees, gently stroking its golden patterns.

“You came out on official business yet brought so many juniors—can you even manage them all?”

Xiao Qiangwei’s face bore no trace of yesterday’s weariness; instead, it held a sharper edge of mockery.

Lin Rou reached out timidly: “Sister Xiao, I’m just passing through.”

In such a small courtyard, two Silver Bell demon hunters had gathered at once—it was impossible to relax.

Thinking of this, she glanced sideways at Shen Yi in the distance.

They were both young; he had even less experience than she did—why did he seem so calm?

“Better than you sneaking into brothels to hook old men.”

Jiang Chengyun clearly had no appetite for banter; he found a room and slammed the door shut.

Xiao Qiangwei sneered, uninterested in the two juniors, and turned to walk back inside.

Thud.

Amid this tense atmosphere, Shen Yi lifted his gaze toward the room belonging to Deng’s ancestor.

The suspicion he’d raised earlier on the road now surged back into his mind… where had this rumor come from?

Put yourself in their place—if this were your child’s trial, you’d give a few words of advice at home and be done with it. Would you really go public with it?

Unfortunately, being newcomers, neither Jiang Chengyun nor Xiao Qiangwei, nor even Lin Rou—a common demon hunter—would take his words seriously.

As he’d said on the road: even if it were false, they would never let it slip.

Could Deng’s ancestor, as the local kingpin of Yong’an City, know something even demon hunters didn’t?

Recalling yesterday, the old man’s abrupt farewell.

Perhaps it wasn’t because he held any special opinion of Shen Yi, but because Jiang Chengyun and Xiao Qiangwei were too formidable—he couldn’t speak to them, and didn’t want to unsettle the Deng family.

Then came Shen Yi, conveniently present, with meat but no wine—the old man had simply sat down beside him.

If that were the case,

then the entire situation felt deeply wrong.

Knowing two great experts stood beside him, and being no greenhorn himself, why would the old man be so terrified before battle—even develop a death wish?

Thinking of this, Shen Yi silently gripped his blade’s hilt tighter.

Originally, he’d thought that if no opportunity arose, he’d just tag along to learn, for future convenience—but now it seemed… perhaps not.

…

Three days passed swiftly; night fell again.

Since that day, Deng Jianyuan had not left his room.

Jiang Chengyun and Xiao Qiangwei, however, remained vigilant, watching him like prisoners.

Imperial officials naturally distrusted martial cultivators—a survival principle forged from countless deaths.

Lin Rou clearly grew bored from waiting; she tried speaking to Shen Yi several times, but found he didn’t seem like her—a mere spectator.

“Hey, why don’t we leave first? They won’t split the merit anyway.”

“….”

Before Shen Yi could reply, the silver bell at his waist suddenly shook violently.

A sensation slipped into his ear.

The message within… was nothing at all.

At the same moment, Jiang Chengyun and Xiao Qiangwei burst through the door, their expressions changing slightly, tinged with excitement.

About three breaths later, the silver bell delivered a second message.

This time, there was sound—but muffled, as if the speaker hadn’t swallowed his saliva yet, and the voice was faint beyond measure.

“Shan Jun…”

Before the words could finish, Deng Jianyuan finally opened his door and stepped out slowly.

The old man’s face was calm, his gaze steady on Jiang Chengyun.

“Tsk.”

He shook his head, then stepped forward in a flash, his form like a swallow darting through air, his aura fully exposed as he landed instantly in the main hall.

Both Silver Bell demon hunters followed immediately.

The sudden commotion from the ancestor clearly startled the Deng family; crowds surged from every courtyard, streaming toward the main hall.

Lin Rou stared at her small bell, her expression grave.

It wasn’t that she cared about a colleague’s death—such things were far too common—but she hadn’t expected that a great demon, already on par with a Golden Core at its peak, would dare risk being hunted by the You General of Tingyang County, and enter Yong’an City at the cost of its life.

Suddenly, she realized something: “Oh no! It’s about to break through—wants to swallow a few more human elixirs to become a Pill-Bearing Demon Lord!”

All this nonsense about the Shan Jun trial—it was just a feast prepared for itself.

“How close that was.”

Lin Rou patted her chest, shuddering: “Thank goodness it was Sister Xiao and Brother Jiang who came—if two ordinary Golden Core cultivators had shown up, it would’ve succeeded today.”

She instinctively glanced beside her—but the black-clothed youth who had been sitting there was gone.

The Deng family’s main hall.

A cluster of bewildered family members pressed together, staring at their ancestor—who hadn’t fought in years.

There, the “Lin family bodyguard” and the “courtesan” brought back by the master now flanked him on either side.

Jiang Chengyun frowned and ordered: “Come with me.”

If they were facing Shan Jun, they couldn’t afford to miss any possible aid.

The old man might not have detailed information, but using his local advantage, he’d likely guessed something. The demon hunters feared he’d flee; he, in turn, feared they’d run off before the battle.

Their thoughts had aligned perfectly.

“Nope, nope.”

Deng Jianyuan chuckled like a mischievous child: “An old man must first protect his family—even the imperial court can’t fault that.”

Just as their expressions changed, he suddenly added: “Unless you find someone to watch over them… how about him?”

Deng Jianyuan pointed into the crowd.

Shen Yi stood quietly inside the room, hand on his blade’s scabbard.

Before Jiang Chengyun could speak, Xiao Qiangwei had already sent a message through her silver bell: “Ignore him. After we leave, if danger comes, do as you please.”

Demon hunters aren’t the Demon Suppression Bureau—they have no duty to protect a region.

“Let’s go.”

Jiang Chengyun no longer hesitated; he grabbed Deng Jianyuan and leapt out of the Deng family courtyard.

A great demon on par with a Golden Core at its peak was far more enticing than a few tiger cubs.

Once the three vanished from sight, the remaining Deng family members finally snapped out of their daze. Deng Mingxu rushed toward Lin Rou, who was running over: “Miss Lin, what’s going on?”

Lin Rou impatiently shook off his hand: “What’s going on? Demons are coming to eat you.”

Both Silver Bell demon hunters had gone to fight Shan Jun—only three tiger cubs remained. If even one of them was Golden Core, they could freely hunt demon hunters and martial cultivators in the city.

Now was the time to leave.

Thinking this, she quickly waved to the clueless youth: “Let’s go!”

With Deng’s ancestor gone, only a dozen or so Jade Fluid cultivators remained—they’d become the tiger cubs’ prime targets.

As she spoke, Shen Yi, as if deaf, stepped forward to the main seat, casually brushed his robe, sat down, placed his black blade upon the table, and gently laid his palm atop it.

Xiao Qiangwei’s warning was unnecessary. Deng’s ancestor wasn’t a fool—he knew that after he left, no one in the vast Deng family could stop Shen Yi. He simply didn’t want Shen Yi involved in the great demon’s affairs.

It was a small favor—he’d rather have Shen Yi take a few of the cubs away than flee outright.

“None of these people tell the truth.”

Shan Jun leaked the rumor early, intending to use human elixirs to break through.

The demon hunters used the noble families as bait, hoping to lure the demon back for merit.

Deng Jianyuan prepared to die, and turned the situation to his advantage by keeping the demon hunters to guard the city…

But I’m simpler.

I simply want to kill demons.

(End of chapter)