Chapter 32: Lin Baiwei

The sky grew dark.

Shen Yi knocked as usual, then pushed the door open.

Lin Baiwei, as always, hid in the back courtyard, only peering out when she heard his voice.

Unlike yesterday’s damp appearance, the woman had changed into her white robe today—a fitted long tunic with flowing sleeves, ethereal as if detached from the mortal world; if only her exquisite face would restrain its greed and stop constantly swallowing saliva, she might truly pass for an immortal’s grace.

“Hee, I smell meat.”

“Did you get paid?”

She reached out, took the clay pot and lotus leaf parcel from Shen Yi’s hands, and hurriedly set them on the table to open.

Shen Yi watched her profile, feeling a touch of envy.

Whether eating roasted bread or fine dishes, she could wear the same smile—if only I’d had such a heart in my past life, maybe I wouldn’t have had to struggle so hard.

“You’re covered in bloodstains again. Every time you go out—”

Lin Baiwei teased carelessly, but as the lotus leaf and clay pot were uncovered, she frowned slightly, her expression growing cold.

Shen Yi noticed her change in expression but didn’t know what had happened.

He didn’t care either—eat it or not, it was her choice.

He sat at the table, grabbed a goose leg, and the crisp skin and savory juices burst on his tongue, masking its slight blandness.

Lin Baiwei’s nose twitched; she shut her eyes tight, hugging her arms: “Ugh, I’m sick of it. Not the slightest appetite.”

Shen Yi gave her a look, then lifted the wine jug straight to his lips and drank.

Lin Baiwei cracked open one eye, her lashes trembling, glancing at him from the corner: “If you can’t stand the bread, tomorrow buy some raw meat and soy sauce—I’ll cook for you, alright? Why go steal from others…”

“You can cook?”

Shen Yi looked up, surprised.

“If I couldn’t cook, I’d have starved to death long ago—not every place has a restaurant… Are you even listening to me?”

Lin Baiwei counted on her fingers: “A pound of pork costs about twenty cash. If you save your salary, accounting for firewood, rice, oil, and salt, you could eat meat almost every day. I can sew too—when your clothes or shoes tear, you won’t need new ones.”

In the dim room, Shen Yi stared at her as she recited these details like a household ledger, then thought of Lin Master casually pulling out eight hundred taels of silver.

“You’re really the Lin family’s daughter?”

“Are you deaf?” Lin Baiwei fumed—why couldn’t he ever listen?

A clean government clerk drawing imperial salary either fraternizes with demons or bullies common folk—wasting such talent.

In the past, I’d have torn off his ears.

The woman’s puffed-up expression was oddly endearing; Shen Yi looked away, pulled a few silver fragments from his waist, and tossed them on the table, cutting off her chatter: “From your father.”

At these words,

Lin Baiwei froze, her gaze darting between the silver and the bloodstains on Shen Yi.

“You went to see her?”

Before he could answer, she sprang up, leaned forward, and pressed her face close to his, urgent: “Do you know how serious this is? It’s not as simple as you think—the Northern Cliff fox demon has elders wandering nearby. They haven’t entered the city because they fear my identity! But if you kill their junior and enrage them fully, no one can save you!”

She was genuinely panicked.

Shen Yi, feeling the fragrance wafting toward him, remained calm: “So, what is your identity?”

At this, Lin Baiwei fell silent, then muttered gruffly: “At least you heard the important part.”

Shen Yi rose too, expressionless, and crushed the faint odd feeling stirring in his heart without hesitation.

This woman was still hiding something—her troubles were far greater than he’d imagined.

“Eat.”

Shen Yi returned to the bed and sat down.

“I’m not a bad person,” Lin Baiwei said, sensing his distance. She sat back, poking at the yellow fish with her chopsticks.

This time, she truly had no appetite; after a long while, she whispered: “Is my father alright?”

“For now.”

Shen Yi understood her mood: “The fox demon isn’t at your home, but it brought other demons inside.”

“Thank you.”

The bloodstains on the young man and the silver on the table had already said enough.

Lin Baiwei forced her trembling hands to steady, sipping the fish broth slowly from the clay pot.

She calmed her breathing, her emotions gradually settling.

Shen Yi recalled her earlier words—she had to live… now he understood more precisely: even if her parents’ lives hung in the balance, she still had to survive.

In Lin Baiwei’s words, even the fox demon’s elder was afraid of her identity and dared not enter the city.

“I want more pay.”

“What?”

Under Lin Baiwei’s startled gaze, Shen Yi carefully wiped the scabbard with a cloth: “I said, two beginner martial arts manuals aren’t enough. I want two from the Jade Liquid realm—and I want one upfront as deposit.”

Since her status had changed, so must the price.

Lin Baiwei stared at him silently, accepting this “exploitation in desperation.” She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of fish: “I can only memorize one. Bring me paper and ink—I’ll give it to you in three days.”

The woman chewed the fish meat vigorously, hiding the rising sense of grievance in her eyes.

She wasn’t used to showing weakness before anyone.

Suddenly, that cold, annoying voice echoed again.

“Is what you said earlier still valid?”

“What?” Lin Baiwei stuffed sweet, tender fish meat into her mouth, cheeks puffed, oil smudged on her lips, determined not to let him hear the tremor in her voice.

“Cooking.”

Shen Yi hung the clean scabbard on the wall.

Even if she was an enigma, he’d roughly pieced together the logic.

The fox demon didn’t kill her out of fear of her identity, yet casually dumped this helpless woman on the former’s lap—could those foxes possibly guard her day and night?

They simply wanted the former to eliminate her.

What made me special?

After thinking it over, Shen Yi could only conclude it was his role as a clerk—thus easily deducing the truth Lin Baiwei had tried to hide.

Tch. The Lin family sent their only daughter out to study under a master—and ended up delivering her to the Demon Suppression Bureau, didn’t they?

What she truly feared wasn’t the fox demon—it was me.

If she were killed by an imperial clerk, the foxes could easily disentangle themselves from the affair and wash their hands clean.

If only my earlier thoughts had strayed by a hair’s breadth.

If I’d truly slashed this woman to death—killed a Demon Suppression Bureau officer myself.

Just imagining the entire Great Qian Empire putting a bounty on his head sent a chill down Shen Yi’s spine; he silently cursed the former’s lecherous fool.

You’d dare touch any woman!

“….”

Lin Baiwei had no idea of Shen Yi’s thoughts. She swallowed the fish meat, sniffed her slightly reddened nose, and said hoarsely: “Fine, I’ll cook!”

So you want cooking? I’ll feed you till you burst!

Her small hand gripped the chopsticks until they creaked—once I get through this month, I’ll find a way to break the seal.

Then I’ll prepare a huge basin of dishwater and force-feed it to you, pinching your nose shut.

Thinking of this, Lin Baiwei’s mood lifted slightly. She grabbed the wine jug and drained it in one gulp.

(End of chapter)