Chapter 5: Huge Harvest

“Come to see you.”

Shen Yi stepped forward and smiled softly: “How come Brother Huang Six came down the mountain all of a sudden? Didn’t even give me a heads-up.”

The dog demon stopped chewing, fell silent for a long while, then shifted its body slightly aside, revealing the scene on the bed.

There, another, slightly thinner dog demon lay quietly on the bed, swallowing small bites of soft internal organs; beneath it, a palm-sized puppy demon curled up, suckling milk.

“Too many enemies on the mountain. Came down to lie low.”

Huang Liuliu grunted: “Don’t talk to me about rules. Here, food and drink are plentiful. I’m staying for six full months—until my son grows a bit.”

Seeing this, Shen Yi’s eyes brightened further: “Congratulations! Mother and child are both safe.”

As he spoke, he walked over to Huang Liuliu’s side, unbothered by the blood-slicked bed, and sat down without hesitation.

Shen Yi reached out and gripped the dog demon’s neck: “With such good news, why didn’t you tell your brother ahead of time?”

Huang Liuliu glanced at him but didn’t pull away: “Stop trying to be friendly. Today, even if the county magistrate came, I wouldn’t leave.”

“Won’t leave. Won’t leave.”

Shen Yi smiled warmly, staring at the other, his clear black-and-white eyes growing even sharper.

Hearing this, Huang Liuliu’s face finally softened into a faint smile. It turned back to face him, about to speak—when its pupils suddenly contracted.

There, beneath their intimate posture, a steel blade had already pierced its chest.

“Huh! Huh!”

Hearing the strange sound, Chen Ji snapped his head up—and froze.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

There, Shen Yi held Huang Liuliu close, his expression calm: “Guests are guests. Why would I drive you away?”

As the words ended, another blade plunged into the dog demon’s heart. Blood splattered across both of them, adding a glistening sheen to the room’s dark red.

“You should’ve… stayed right here… nowhere else to go.” Shen Yi’s voice grew gentler, his movements more practiced.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

Each word marked a merciless stab, turning the sturdy body into a pulp.

Huang Liuliu struggled desperately—but no matter how hard it fought, its efforts vanished like a clay ox sinking into the sea beneath Shen Yi’s grip.

To onlookers, it looked like a well-behaved child, sitting quietly, watching as blades pierced its body.

After a long while, Shen Yi finally released his hold, gazing coldly as the dead dog demon collapsed to the floor.

He looked up: “You go outside first.”

Chen Ji’s body stiffened like wood, his mind a chaotic mess.

Under Shen Yi’s gaze, he jolted, turned, and walked toward the door—then couldn’t help glancing back one last time.

There, Shen Yi sat on the edge of the bed, slowly pulling the steel blade from Huang Liuliu’s corpse, glancing sideways at the dog demon on the bed, its eyes wide with terror. He reached out, plucked the organ from its mouth, and whispered softly: “Sister-in-law, family should stay together, don’t you think?”

Chen Ji stumbled forward.

He strode out the threshold, stood still outside, closed his eyes, and breathed deeply.

Moments later, Shen Yi strolled out slowly, wiping his long fingers with a cloth, speaking calmly: “Go in. Clean it up properly.”

Hearing this, Chen Ji opened his eyes, stared at that familiar face, his thoughts tangled like a ball of unraveled yarn—finally forming one dull question: “Why?”

“Why what?” Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

Chen Ji clenched his teeth, eyes wide.

Why did he suddenly attack? Why, one moment they were chatting, and the next, he sat there and butchered the dog demon like an animal?

Why, as he killed it, was he still smiling that damned smile! Is he angry or not? How does he really feel about the dead civilians? About these demons?

In Chen Ji’s eyes, this man could coldly watch his own kind’s corpse being devoured, then coldly treat the dog demons who called him brother—including the pup whose eyes couldn’t even open.

It was utterly incomprehensible.

Amidst these questions, Chen Ji forced himself to calm down and asked the most practical one: “Why kill them? Aren’t you afraid the yellow weasels will retaliate? Or has Master Shen already found a better solution?”

“What solution?” Shen Yi frowned, speaking calmly: “It didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want it to keep eating people. So I found a middle path—everyone’s satisfied.”

“This… this counts as a reason?”

Hearing this, Chen Ji took a deep breath. He knew Shen Yi wouldn’t explain further. He lowered his head and walked into the room, beginning to clean up the demon corpses.

In just a few days, he realized he no longer understood this man.

“…”

When no one was nearby, Shen Yi stood quietly by the door, finally dropping the cloth. He revealed his slightly trembling fingers, gazed down at his palms, clenched his fist tightly, forcing them to still.

As a transmigrator, this was the first time he’d clearly seen a corpse—watching the stinking rot being torn away in large bites, even seeing strands of meat caught in the dog demon’s teeth.

Shen Yi truly wanted to vomit. He could only release his fear and rage through relentless stabbing.

But he had to control his emotions.

Only by staying calm could he survive until the Demon Suppression Office arrived. If even he panicked, no one in this vast Baoyun County would lift a finger to help him.

As for Chen Ji’s question, Shen Yi had thought about it too—but finally realized one thing.

Was there another solution? The answer was no.

If he walked away, the villagers would still die. Either way, death was inevitable. So he’d just do his duty. Why burden himself with unnecessary torment?

Better than numbing himself with empty phrases like “the greater good” or “endure for peace.”

Better to gather more demon lifespans, strengthen himself—and when the next beast reached out its claws, cut it down in one stroke!

…

Shen Yi thought of demon lifespans. This time, the harvest was quite abundant.

【Sentient Dog Demon, Not Yet Entered Initial Realm, Total Lifespan 145, Remaining 59 Years, Absorbed】

【Sentient Dog Demon, Not Yet Entered Initial Realm, Total Lifespan 152, Remaining 61 Years, Absorbed】

【Non-Sentient Dog Demon, Total Lifespan 80, Remaining 79 Years, Absorbed】

【Remaining Demon Lifespan: 199 Years】

【Remaining Personal Lifespan: 1 Year】

“It even rounded up for me—exactly two hundred years total.”

Shen Yi hadn’t yet decided where to invest the demon lifespans.

Should he continue refining the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, building on the Righteous Blade, to uncover more about the Initial Realm?

Or the Cloud-Pushing Fists, to see if he could gain more fist-and-palm talents?

As Shen Yi pondered, Chen Ji had already loaded the demon corpses onto a cart and led the old donkey over.

“No matter what Master Shen is thinking…”

Chen Ji handed over the reins, his expression complex, glancing back toward the distance.

On the field ridges, scattered villagers stood as they always did—numb, like living corpses, hands hanging limp. Only when their eyes swept over the cart did their vacant gazes flicker with a trace of emotion.

“At least today, you saved their lives.”

As Chen Ji spoke, he tried to force a smile—then felt the reins yanked from his hand.

He looked up to see Shen Yi already mounted on the old donkey, strolling away leisurely.

“...”

Shen Yi stretched, rolled his eyes.

Think? What’s there to think? If you want to praise someone, you have to insult them first. What kind of attitude is that?

Pretentious.

(End of Chapter)