Chapter 318

Tea splashed in all directions, soaking the hem of You Longtao's robe.

He had replaced his old black armor with the long robe he most loved to wear in leisure.

After his master left, You Longtao took charge of all the incense and devotional power of Outside Qingzhou, ascending instantly to the rank of Wu Xian.

Shen Yi had left him a stable and peaceful Outside Qingzhou.

He had believed he would no longer endure the pressures his master once faced, nor need to sacrifice anything—just be a general who lived as he pleased.

Until two weeks ago, this fox demon strolled boldly into Outside Qingzhou City.

The instant he saw it, You Longtao was jolted awake from the joy of his breakthrough to Wu Xian.

That overwhelming pressure was even more terrifying than when he had faced the Yueyue Demon King in his Embracing Elixir Realm.

The Qiuqiu fox demon had finally come looking.

You Longtao had long anticipated this, yet he could never understand how the death of just one Nascent Core Realm fox demon could draw such a formidable being.

Pleas for aid were sent repeatedly to the imperial capital.

He received only a reply from the headquarters of Zhen Mo Si: the Inspector my lord was away on official business and had no spare capacity to oversee Outside Qingzhou.

Beyond that, the letter subtly hinted that the Great Gan faced another crisis.

The only silver lining was that this fox had no immediate intention to strike—it merely humiliated these veteran generals over and over, trampling beneath its feet the warriors who had slain demons and guarded this commandery, crushing their dignity.

The Zhen Mo Generals had become dogs serving demons.

"Go."

You Longtao slowly turned, using as steady a voice as he could to soothe the others' emotions.

He truly was a very clumsy man.

His master had known to seek aid from Princess Wang Fei; he could not even conceive of such a chilling method—only now, sitting in this seat, did he understand that heart-chill was better than bone-chill.

This was the Great Gan's territory.

But this fox demon's patron seemed far stronger than his own.

"Yes, my lord."

As an old general, Chen Qiankun was the only one to step forward and accept the order.

He led the other officers toward the gate.

This humiliating task might drag on for a long time, for even now, under these circumstances, no one had ever considered betraying that boy.

The name Shen Yi had become a taboo in Outside Qingzhou—unmentionable, unspeakable.

"Hmph!"

Aunt Aqian stormed past Chen Qiankun and hurried out of the courtyard.

The old man sighed helplessly, about to follow, when he saw the petite figure suddenly freeze, head tilted upward in disbelief.

He paused, then stepped out in three quick strides.

When that familiar face came into view, Chen Qiankun's white beard trembled slightly: "You… you've come back?"

The young man stood tall and slender, his features still handsome.

Compared to his former solitary ways, several unfamiliar figures now trailed behind him: a beautiful, gentle woman, a middle-aged man standing with arms crossed, and an elder.

"Shen Yi greets the old general."

Shen Yi gave a slight bow, then stepped into the courtyard.

Chen Qiankun froze for a moment, instinctively reaching out to stop him: "No!"

Xu Wanyun glanced at him in confusion—and instantly, the old man felt unprecedented pressure… even though the woman showed no malice whatsoever.

Even more terrifying than Jiang Qiulan.

Just where had this boy met such formidable experts?

Watching the group enter the courtyard,

nearly all the Zhen Mo Generals held their breath— their patron had returned. Word had it he had become the Great Gan's Inspector; perhaps he could make the fox demon retreat.

Aunt Aqian spun around and dragged the dazed Lin Baiwei into the courtyard as well.

You Longtao also saw Shen Yi—his breath quickened slightly, then he glanced sidelong at the fox demon, falling silent.

They had kept their mouths shut—and yet the very man himself walked right in.

"You…"

The shift in atmosphere caused the Bai Mao elder's languid expression to flicker. It slowly sat up, fixing its gaze on the newcomers.

Aunt Aqian's face showed growing confusion.

As a demon hunter, she excelled at reading expressions.

Yet neither Shen Yi nor any of his companions showed the slightest reaction upon seeing the fox demon.

"Looks like a Qiuqiu fox."

Bai Wei pulled out a small notebook and hastily scribbled notes toward the Bai Mao elder.

This sight left You Longtao stunned—wasn't this girl being far too frivolous? And… why did she look so pressed for time?

"Who are you?"

The fox demon sensed something amiss; it even lost interest in the woman's disrespectful nickname and instinctively rose to its feet: "I am an elder of Qiuqiu…"

It moved swiftly, forming a spell-hand seal.

The next instant, its wrist was firmly gripped by long, slender fingers.

Crack—

A sickening sound of bone snapping echoed.

"Aaaah!!" The Bai Mao elder screamed in agony, his features twisted.

Shen Yi stood motionless beside it, released its wrist, then backhanded it across the face.

Boom!

A slap that seemed like a light scolding directly caused the fox demon's head to explode with a thunderous crash.

Blood mixed with shattered bones flowed all over the ground, staining the floor tiles a dark red.

Dead... is it dead?

Everyone's eyelids twitched violently; only after a long silence did they confirm this was not the fox demon using some illusion technique.

But rather, its skull had truly been smashed to pieces so simply.

They instinctively looked at Shen Yi's palm; what immense power must be hidden within those knuckle-defined fingers!

Aqing sighed as if accustomed to it, put away her small notebook; it was another day with nothing recorded.

Xu Hongde and the Sixth Ancestor of the Xu family exchanged a glance, their pupils shrinking tightly.

They indeed had not taken this fox seriously; it was merely a Jinghunyuan Sect cultivator; setting up a formation slightly would have made it beg for death without dying.

But Shen Yi had not even summoned a Dao Infant just now.

He truly relied solely on his physical body to strike and kill the opponent with a single palm.

"Is this Great Qian? It looks so beautiful."

Seeing the matter concluded, Xu Wanyun finally dropped the seriousness from her face and looked around curiously.

"It's alright."

Shen Yi put away the fox demon's corpse and, rarely, deigned to reply to her.

He then looked at You Longtao: "Is there anything else?"

"Anything else?"

You Longtao was still immersed in the thick scent of blood in his nose and couldn't quite react: "Nothing... I suppose."

After all, the gap in strength was too great; even if there were others, they would not be detectable by a Wu Xian of his initial realm.

Hearing this, Shen Yi pondered for a moment and said to Aqing: "Help me guard Outside Qingzhou; I will return as soon as possible to pick you up."

"Ah..."

Aqing, who had been curiously looking at the bells on Aunt Aqian's and Lin Baiwei's waists, instantly felt a bit disheartened upon hearing this, but still nodded obediently and said: "Understood, Big Brother Shen."

Xu Wanyun, however, silently muttered a complaint.

If one were to guard a certain place, she, a Grandmaster of the Slain Hunyuan realm, would be the best choice.

It was obvious that in Shen Yi's heart, Aqing was far more reliable than herself.

"..."

Aunt Aqian finally lifted her gaze from the crimson on the ground and looked at that little girl whose aura resembled her own.

Can she guard Outside Qingzhou?

(End of this chapter)