Chapter 40: The Ape Demon Offers Treasure

Shen Yi picked up that ceremonial blade gleaming with a dark, inky sheen.

Compared to his previous side-blade, its body was somewhat narrower and far straighter; the edge was thin as a cicada's wing, yet it weighed several times more than the blade before.

Clearly no ordinary weapon.

Yet even such a treasured blade could not break through his own skin and flesh.

The effects of the Golden Sun Eight Treasures Mystical Body had already exceeded Shen Yi's expectations.

According to Zhang the Butcher, this was only something he had pieced together himself by referencing the entry-realm martial arts of the Jin Gang Gate; if the complete Jade Liquid Realm martial arts of that sect were used, wouldn't they be even more formidable?

Shen Yi shook his head, and used the blade to fish out Yuan Tongtian's beast essence.

He then walked over to the young ape demon from before, repeating the same method, and finally picked up the scabbard and slid the dark blade back in.

A pity this treasured blade had no name of its own.

Shen Yi thought for a moment — since the blade's body gleamed dark, and the scabbard was like ink.

He'd just call it Er Hei.

He raised his gaze and summoned the panel.

【Slain: Entry-Realm Perfection Ape Demon. Total Lifespan: 774. Remaining: 197 Years. Absorption Complete.】

【Slain: Entry-Realm Late-Stage Ape Demon. Total Lifespan: 631. Remaining: 270 Years. Absorption Complete.】

【Remaining Demon-Monster Lifespan: 651 Years.】

"……"

First the ape demon offered up a treasured blade, and now such a bountiful harvest of lifespan.

He ought to have been in a pleasant mood.

Shen Yi looked at the neatly arranged skulls on the table, and for no clear reason lost a few points of interest.

He turned and walked toward the crowd.

Chen Ji silently rose and followed behind him. The Niu brothers and Zhang Dahu, seeing this, hurriedly scrambled up from the ground as well, though their expressions could not help but carry a hint of dread.

Lord Shen had never been any sort of kindly soul in the past either.

But compared to the scene just now, he could absolutely be called tender-hearted and soft-handed.

Pummeling a demon-monster alive into a paste of meat — for ordinary bailiffs like them, the visual impact was simply too great; they probably wouldn't recover for days or even half a month.

"What are you lot gawking at? Get lost, now!"

Seeing Shen Yi walk off into the distance, Zhang the Butcher lashed out with kicks at the soldiers and bailiffs on the ground.

He let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

Compared to Liu Dianli, who deserved death a thousand times over, this lot were nothing more than blades in the government office's hand — merely following orders.

After the Dianli was beheaded, they hadn't dared to make a move either.

He truly feared that Shen Yi's killing intent would surge, and he would casually slaughter these ordinary folk.

The Jin Gang Gate had some slight connection to the Buddhist school. Although Zhang the Butcher didn't believe in any nonsense about karmic retribution, excessive killing would inevitably affect one's state of mind, and might even lead a martial practitioner into demonic deviation.

There was simply no need for it.

So long as the government office's ailments were set right, this group of soldiers would naturally have people to deal with them; with a little tidying up, they could still serve as the backbone force guarding the county town.

To put it bluntly, if they were all killed, could the defense of the city really be left to a mere handful of martial instructors working day and night without rest?

"Thank you, Lord Shen, for sparing our lives!"

Only then did the taut nerves of the young men kneeling on the ground finally relax, and they kowtowed repeatedly toward the direction the youth had walked off, begging for mercy.

Zhang the Butcher recalled the scabby-headed figure who had fled earlier, and looked again at the blue-robed corpse, already scraped by blade-qi until it no longer looked human: "He……"

"The Dianli was killed by the demon-monster — we understand."

Every one of those young men was a sharp one; they lacked the courage to subdue demons themselves, but they still had the sense to read the situation.

Cypress Yunxian was finished!

With Lord Shen slaying demons one after another, the matter absolutely could not be kept hidden.

For three years running, the government office had reported upward that the city was peaceful, the common folk safe and sound, no demon disasters without, no popular unrest within.

Once this matter was exposed, the county magistrate wouldn't have enough heads even if he had ten of them.

Clearly, even though the demon-monster incidents had all occurred within just these few short days, the magistrate had still sensed something was off, which was why he had arranged for that expert to accompany them.

Recalling the way Skinny Head had fled for his life……

Everyone understood who the fattened lamb awaiting slaughter was now.

"Hmph!"

Zhang the Butcher waved his sleeve and, with some vexation, hurried after Shen Yi.

The other had slain two demon-monsters with ease, not even a single wound on his body, yet he himself couldn't even finish off a Skinny Head.

As for today's sparring……

That wasn't pulling punches — that was releasing the sea!

The other had even called him "senior" every time, utterly shaming this butcher!

……

Late at night, the magistrate's residence.

In the main hall, the old man wore only a white inner garment, leaned back against a rosewood chair, had on a pair of calf-nose trousers, and soaked his feet in a wooden basin.

His eyes were closed, his fingers tapping the armrest in quick, restless beats.

Even though the water in the basin had already grown somewhat cold, he hadn't noticed — clearly his mind was not on his feet.

The night watchman's clapper had already struck three rounds.

By all rights, the matter should have been finished long ago.

Song Changfeng and that fellow surnamed Liu — these two dogs truly had sharp eyes. One chose, one trained, and between them they had raised a calamity for him.

Earlier you were saying that with that little constable around, the demon lords were perfectly satisfied, not a single word of complaint.

They're all lying in the morgue now — what would they complain with?

If he truly were a peerless martial expert, he could simply cut down every demon and monster around him, and the silver and beauties owed would never be shortchanged.

Stuck in the middle, good for nothing but trouble — he deserves to die!

"Why are you only just back?"

The county magistrate opened his eyes and looked at the figure that had burst through the door in a sorry state.

"Quick! The silver! Load up every tael owed to me onto the cart — I'm heading back to Outside Qingzhou, leaving right now!"

Skinny Headscarf panted heavily, strode over in a few steps, and under the magistrate's startled, suspicious gaze, reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

"You… what do you mean by this? My teacher sent you here to protect me, and it's only been a few months — and now you want to leave?"

"Protect your granny! What kind of brain-dead demons and monsters did that Liu fellow hook up with? Offending that killing star — if we don't leave now, he'll probably smash through the door and take my head!"

Skinny Headscarf's eyes were bloodshot. He had come to Bai Yunxian just to earn some silver to spend — he had never planned to lose his life here.

How on earth did such a remote, backwater little place produce a martial expert of this caliber?

"Let go of me first… what's the rush… he's just a constable, a man of the imperial court! Not one of your jianghu martial men!"

The magistrate grew anxious as he spoke, reaching out to pry the man's fingers loose.

To his surprise, he actually managed to pry them open.

The county magistrate stared blankly as he watched the man breathe his last, the only sign being an ox-hair-thin needle at his throat.

The next moment, the thin youth carrying a pole of sugar figurines grinned and put away his blowpipe, stepping into the room from the night.

Behind him came men dressed as cart drivers, as wealthy merchants, even as beggars…

A dozen or so people filed into the room one after another, each finding a seat on their own. The only thing they shared was an expression on their faces that didn't match their clothing or station.

It was a cold indifference, looking down from above.

And the target of that indifference was, unmistakably, the county magistrate, who was shakily pushing the dead man off himself.

"Who… who are you? How dare you break into the magistrate's residence?"

No one spoke; instead, they all turned their gaze toward the doorway.

As footsteps sounded, a figure stepped over the threshold in boots.

The newcomer was tall and broad, dressed in a long robe of ink-black brocade in the yesa style, a Bai Yu belt at his waist, and a fierce wolf embroidered in gold thread on his shoulder, baring its fangs as if to devour men.

The cuffs were likewise embroidered with cloud patterns — three of them in total.

The man walked into the hall, casually scanning the room, his voice carrying a chill: "Colluding with demons and monsters — look into his background."

"You got it."

At his words, the beggar-dressed man walked over, his filthy fingers quickly roaming over Skinny Headscarf's body. A moment later he looked up and laughed: "Body-tempering path, trained in finger techniques… Divine Eagle Claw — a disciple of the Jin Gang Sect. Not bad, Old Liu — even a body-tempering martial man's neck couldn't block your hidden weapon."

The youth carrying the sugar-figurine pole chuckled and waved a hand: "Any tougher and it wouldn't have worked."

The man sat down in the seat of honor and gave a slight nod: "Send a letter to the Jin Gang Sect, tell them to come to Zhen Mo Si and receive their punishment themselves."

From the moment he had made out this man's clothing, the magistrate's face had gone deathly pale — no better than a corpse's.

This was the dress of a Zhen Mo Si Captain, and three cloud patterns meant the man was among the most senior of that rank.

"May I ask your honored surname?" he asked, mustering his courage. In truth, he would rather have asked why the man had arrived at Bai Yunxian early, before the appointed date.

"You're too kind, County Lord — if you must know, Li Xinhan." The man glanced sideways, a smile spreading across his face: "Please trouble yourself to tie yourself up. We still have important matters to discuss."

(End of chapter)