Chapter 17: The Liu Family Tragedy

Leave the government office.

Shen Yi entered a eatery, ordered a pot of yellow wine and six stuffed buns.

After hesitating a moment, he added some salted pork.

Having entered the Initial Realm, martial cultivators preferred foods rich in essence over staple grains, but a constable’s salary could never afford such luxuries.

Yet one still had to eat, so one must simply control one’s appetite.

Shen Yi found a seat and ate, sipping wine and chewing meat.

It was noon, and the eatery should have been packed, yet it was unusually empty.

The passersby showed no joy, nor sorrow—only the numb resignation of those long accustomed to hardship.

Shen Yi lowered his head and bit into a stuffed bun.

He was merely a lowly clerk; he could not relieve the suffering of the masses, only strive to climb out of this mire himself.

The scattered patrons all ate in silence, few speaking loudly.

Thus, the two men chatting—even in hushed tones—still drifted into Shen Yi’s ears.

“Someone died on Willow Street.”

“I know. I just came from there. Don’t mention it—talk of it kills your appetite.”

Shen Yi lifted his wine pot without expression and drank the sour, bitter liquor, helping the dry bread go down easier.

Willow Street was his jurisdiction—more accurately… he had awakened there.

Yet he had received no word of it, not even as much as a few passersby.

He recalled Song Changfeng’s warning before leaving.

The higher-ups moved quickly—within such a short time, they had already blinded and deafened him.

“I heard he was bitten to death alive?”

“I told you not to talk about it—can you even eat now? I got there early, saw one glance, and now I’m nauseous just thinking about it.”

The two sighed heavily.

Shen Yi frowned at the bun in his hand, suddenly losing his appetite.

He asked for a lotus leaf to wrap the remaining buns and pork, then picked up his sword: “Boy, settle the bill.”

…

Baiyun County, Willow Street.

Several constables pinched their noses as they stepped out of the small courtyard: “Disgusting. Should’ve never come.”

“It’s not even our patch. Why get tangled in this mess?”

“Brother Zhang, you’ve got to beg the higher-ups for a favor—take charge of two more streets, but raise our pay.”

Zhang Pengtian glared back: “Enough nonsense. If you don’t like it, quit. There are plenty who will take your place.”

When he turned back, he froze.

Before him stood an unfamiliar young man, hand resting on his sword hilt, silently gazing into the courtyard.

“Oh! Master Shen!”

Zhang Pengtian quickly bowed: “What wind blew you here?”

Shen Yi nodded and stepped into the courtyard.

Seeing this, Zhang immediately raised a hand to block him, smiling coldly: “If this were a brothel entrance, I’d carry you in myself and cover all expenses… but this is an official case ordered from above. You’re not supposed to be here.”

Shen Yi looked down.

Just two days ago, he himself had stood here, making the same gesture.

“Master Shen, even if you don’t respect me, you owe the Dianli a modicum of respect.”

Seeing Shen Yi did not retreat, Zhang’s smile vanished: “I’m saying this plainly today: anyone in Baiyun County can enter this courtyard—except you, Shen Yi.”

Once, they feared Shen Yi—not him, but the government office ’s favor toward him.

But now the tide had turned; the higher-ups were clearly targeting the Shen family. Once stripped of his protection, he was nothing but a fox bluffing with empty threats.

“Brothers, show Master Shen your blades—wake him up from his drunken stupor.”

Zhang waved his hand, and behind him, several men instantly drew their swords three inches, frowning sharply at Shen Yi.

The next instant, a government boot slammed into Zhang Pengtian’s abdomen.

Before he could react, the overwhelming force sent him flying like a torn sack.

Shen Yi brushed dust from his robes and stepped straight inside.

“You… are you rebelling?!”

The remaining constables, stunned by his sudden violence, clutched their sword hilts, unsure what to do.

At that moment, Chen Ji arrived with the Niu brothers and Zhang Dahu, rushing to the courtyard gate.

He lunged forward and smashed his sword scabbard down on their heads: “Blind dogs! Don’t you know which street this is? Bind them!”

Zhang Dahu froze.

Usually, he was the one saying this—always to common folk, never to fellow constables.

Chen Ji had always despised such bullying tactics. Why today was he spouting them better than Zhang Dahu himself?

Confused as he was, Zhang Dahu and the Niu brothers still lunged forward, binding the constables into knots in moments.

No matter their opinion of Shen Yi, in front of outsiders, they could not let their own face be lost!

“Of course…”

Chen Ji had been patrolling the streets when rumors reached him; he’d felt a premonition and rushed over with men.

“Of course what? Think you’re clever? With Master Shen’s temper, how could he let others encroach on his territory?” Zhang Dahu spat.

Hearing this, Chen Ji glanced at him—this explanation was plausible enough. He’d make Zhang Dahu go apologize to the higher-ups later.

As for the real reason…

Chen Ji didn’t fully believe it himself, yet he still thought… perhaps because this family had been killed by a demon.

Given Shen Yi’s behavior in the village that day—if it wasn’t an act—he would have come to investigate.

…

Inside the courtyard.

Shen Yi crouched down, staring at the two corpses painstakingly reassembled on the straw mat.

He took a deep breath and carefully arranged the black girl’s five scattered fingers.

Just the other day, that hand had washed his feet—clumsy, yet strangely soothing.

By tradition, victims of demonic attacks left only scattered remains, but today was different: though Liu’s father and daughter were torn apart—ears and eyes even reattached from elsewhere—there was no sign of being eaten.

This was no feeding—it was a vengeful torture!

Like Huang Lao Liu, demons had kin. If any one of them knew where the black dog demon had gone that night, they might not know who struck… but vengeance needed no proof—only rage to vent.

“Wait, are these your relatives?”

Zhang Pengtian, writhing from the kick, lifted his head: “Still beating me… fuck… what good does it do you to look? If you’ve got guts, take it to the County Magistrate—or to the demons outside the city!”

“This is clearly the dog demon’s work. But can you even find which ones did it? Even if you find them, what can you do?”

The noise in his ears grew unbearable; Shen Yi felt only stifled frustration.

He pulled a white cloth over the two corpses.

A lowly constable couldn’t summon the Demon Suppression Bureau or mobilize the city guard—his only recourse was a few lowly runners.

Shen Yi had only one thing to rely on: the broken sword in his hand.

If he couldn’t find who did it, then he wouldn’t look.

…

(End of Chapter)