Chapter 33: First Setback

Lin Baiwei finished cleaning the desk, grabbed Shen Yi’s soiled outer robe, and walked silently to the back courtyard.

When the room fell into silence.

Shen Yi pulled out the beast core still streaked with blood, then glanced at the panel.

【Remaining demonic lifespan: two hundred and twenty-six years】

He closed his eyes, a faint heat rising in his heart.

Indeed, trouble and opportunity always came together—if not for the previous owner’s foolishness, how could he have so easily obtained martial arts related to the Jade Liquid realm?

He just didn’t know what kind of martial art it would be.

The best would be internal cultivation, next best would be swordplay… but the demonic lifespan was running low again.

The demons who had once consorted with the previous owner now rarely contacted him—how cold and realistic, indeed.

As for leaving the city to hunt demons.

Shen Yi had occasionally considered it, but seeing Lin Baiwei’s pitiful state, he felt it was unwise.

Though the county had almost no decent experts and the garrison was weak, it stood behind the Great Gan Dynasty—demons would not dare escalate matters unless they were thoroughly tired of their peaceful lives.

Sneaking off to steal a few people to eat was entirely different from openly storming the county seat.

But if he stepped outside and accidentally encountered a ferocious demon…

Shen Yi didn’t believe he had any chance of being tied up and locked under the bed, only to meet someone generous enough to feed him on his meager salary.

More likely, he’d be torn apart by fangs and claws, and at best, the demon might raise a thumb and praise, “Today’s takeout is wonderfully tender and succulent.”

“…”

Remembering Liu Qi’s corpse, Shen Yi turned his body, a flicker of sorrow in his eyes.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a cold, wriggling sensation on his arm.

Instantly, the sorrow in Shen Yi’s gaze turned to icy killing intent; all twelve major acupoints activated at once, sharp energy surging violently within him!

He violently threw back the covers and saw two black-and-white snakes, as thick as a wine cup, slowly twisting their bodies out from the gap beside the wall—one coiling around his thigh, the other slithering over his left arm.

They lazily flicked their tongues.

Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and swiftly reached for the sword hanging on the wall.

Compared to before, his perception was now incredibly sharp—no demon reeking of stench, no ordinary beast, not even a crawling insect the size of a fingertip could escape his notice.

Yet these two snakes had climbed onto his bed without him sensing a thing!

The next instant, their bodies rapidly transformed.

Two pale, plump female forms appeared, barely covered by scattered scales over vital areas; one smiled as she rested her head in Shen Yi’s arm crook, the other languidly wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her long, rounded thighs against his knees.

The two women lifted their heads, their faces stunningly beautiful, almost demonic.

They lazily twirled strands of hair around their index fingers, voices like silver bells, breaths fragrant as orchids, dripping with allure: “Master Shen, it’s been so long—have you missed us?”

Now in human form, their true aura finally leaked out.

Shen Yi gazed calmly at them, sensing a familiar energy on their bodies.

That was the perfect harmony of the initial realm, complete and unified, reaching fullness.

Without hesitation, he drew the sword from his right palm—the silver blade, bathed in dim candlelight, instantly drenched in thick, crimson blood.

This slash aimed straight at the white snake woman’s neck—fierce, ruthless, leaving no room for mercy.

“Sss!”

The white snake woman’s face twisted in shock as she rolled off the bed.

The black snake released Shen Yi’s waist, her hand shooting upward—her palm and fingertips instantly covered in metallic-gloss black scales.

She reached to grasp the blade, but her beautiful face suddenly contorted in shock.

Her most trusted black scales, upon touching the blade, emitted a sizzling sound and were instantly corroded.

Dark red blood seeped from between her fingers, quickly forming crimson streaks that stained the blade.

The white snake woman collapsed on the floor, her chest heaving uncontrollably; she touched her neck, trembling with lingering terror and rage: “Are you mad?!”

“We’ve heard Master Shen has changed greatly.”

The black snake woman gripped the blade tightly, her other hand slowly opening—countless golden particles scattered across the bed: “But we still can’t understand why you’ve abandoned business entirely? We were merely following Mother’s orders, asking you to send a craftsman from Caihua Pavilion into the mountains to make her a few beautiful ornaments.”

As she spoke, cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

This wasn’t just a change in temperament—this was a complete rebirth.

That slash just now looked simple, yet it was practiced, refined, returning to pure simplicity—even a genius would need decades of grueling training to achieve such depth.

His aura was even more formidable, not a whit weaker than her centuries of cultivation.

Even if both sisters attacked together, they might not be able to subdue him.

“If Master Shen no longer wishes to handle such trivial matters, just say so plainly—we’ll leave at once.”

The black snake woman spoke, casting a glance to the side.

At this, the demon woman on the ground transformed back into a serpent, then a thick mist enveloped her, vanishing instantly from sight.

“…”

Shen Yi watched the white snake vanish, frowning slightly.

These two creatures were unquestionably the strongest demons he’d ever encountered.

It wasn’t surprising they could block his slash.

But their strange concealment technique and ability to vanish—those truly opened his eyes.

If only he could learn it too…

Thinking of this, Shen Yi turned his gaze back to the pale woman covered in black scales, his eyes warming slightly.

Under this intense stare, the black snake woman felt as if she’d seen the old lustful lecher again—until she realized something was wrong; he wasn’t interested in her body at all.

She looked down at her abdomen, then clenched her teeth.

This bastard—he was after her beast core!

“Shen, I won’t fight you today. Wait—I’ll report to Mother! If you’ve got the guts, don’t hide!”

The black snake reverted to her true form, hissing as she flicked her tongue.

At that moment, her peripheral vision caught a figure at the courtyard gate.

A tall woman in white leaned quietly against the wall, her profile cold and serene.

She merely glanced at them with indifference.

The black snake straightened up, scales bristling, speechless for a long moment.

No wonder Master Shen suddenly gained such formidable martial skill and no longer feared Mother—he’d climbed to higher ground and forgotten his old ties!

“We’ll see how long you can enjoy this!”

The black snake coiled angrily, no longer mentioning the Green-Scale Mother, summoned black mist to envelop her body—and the golden particles on the bed—and vanished instantly.

The room was left with only two people.

Shen Yi looked toward the door, his expression slightly disappointed.

Indeed, his lack of experience with demons had shown.

He could handle wild demons fine, but against those with connections, he couldn’t even comprehend their methods.

“…”

Lin Baiwei lowered her hands, quietly studying the young man’s expression—astonished, yet unable to suppress a bitter laugh.

She’d originally thought Shen Yi was a deeply hidden clerk, just one step away from transcending mortality, and had planned to manipulate him.

After two days of contact, she’d guessed she’d misjudged him—he’d at least entered the initial realm.

But she never imagined he’d grown strong enough to single-handedly intimidate two initial realm-perfect demons… and yet he was still dissatisfied?!

“They were the Green-Scale Mother’s most prized attendants—even the Town-Suppressing Office’s Captain would need at least ten men, plus a pre-set demon-suppressing array, to have any hope of killing them.”

“Or are you regretting you didn’t get to feel their bodies a little longer?”

(End of Chapter)