Chapter 196: Corrupt Officials and Wicked Gentry, Local Tyrants and Evil Squires

Chen Mo pulled over a towel and wiped the bloodstains off the table; just as he had expected, this shop was indeed a black shop.

He sank his consciousness into the Reward Good and Punish Evil Order.

The Good Merit he had accumulated soared directly to 1,372 points.

From this, one could see just how many lives these two had taken; the Good Merit Chen Mo gained from killing them was actually more than what he got from the dog demon.

There was still some food left in the wine shop's kitchen, all of which Chen Mo found at this time.

Steamed buns, mixed-flour mantou, and pickled vegetables; the only thing that could be called a meat dish was half a piece of cured salted meat.

This was normal; in a roadside shop like this, even if they were doing honest business, they wouldn't prepare much meat.

Chen Mo ate everything clean like the Wind sweeping away scattered clouds, then carefully searched the wine shop again.

There were still three taels and two mace of silver on the counter, and in the bedroom to the side, there was a set of clean coarse cloth clothes and cloth shoes; he retrieved all of these.

The shoes didn't fit well, but they could be worn, and they were better than straw sandals.

While searching the wine shop, Chen Mo suddenly froze; he heard something approaching, but it was not of the Human Race.

A black-skinned dog demon walked in from outside the wine shop; its frame was no more than five and a half feet, but its entire body's sinews and bones were extremely lean and capable.

The dog demon's fur was sleek and glossy; one look told him it was of great value.

Chen Mo's expression was indifferent; he tucked the Short Blade he had found in the kitchen and stepped out into the main hall.

"So you're the one who killed my two stupid nephews?" The black dog sniffed lightly, its tone unhurried, clearly very confident in its own strength.

"Why couldn't you just honestly dig the irrigation ditch? As long as the ditch is repaired, the King will naturally let you go. But you killed my two nephews, and the King will think I am incompetent!"

When the black dog said this, it suddenly grew a bit more malicious.

"I have no choice but to kill you and cut out your heart to present to the King!" As it said this, it couldn't help but lick its lips.

Chen Mo used them as Blood Qi food, and they were no different.

A Martial Artist of the Human Race with powerful strength and vigorous Blood Qi would also provide a great boost to a demon beast after consumption.

As the dog demon's voice fell, the sharp claws on its two palms changed in an instant, growing to over two feet in a moment.

Chen Mo's figure lunged forward like the Wind, his entire body's Qi and Blood merging into one, the Greedy Wolf Style's double-strength force erupting.

Two thousand catties of force condensed into one, the long blade tore through the air and slashed forward.

Only a crisp sound was heard; the dog demon had hurriedly raised its claws and actually blocked this strike.

A cruel grin appeared on its face; having seen the wounds on its two nephews earlier, it knew Chen Mo was skilled at using a blade to seal the throat with one strike, so it had been prepared.

"Clang." The sharp blade broke through the air, emitting a trembling ring.

Chen Mo's left hand held a sharp Kitchen Knife, slicing open the black dog demon's throat with incomparable smoothness.

Its face was full of confusion and shock, its eyes filled with disbelief.

Even if it racked its dog brain, it couldn't understand how someone could exert force twice in a row in such a short time, and both at full strength.

Its own Qi and Blood power suffered no shock at all, and it could instantly unleash a second strike after a full-force blow.

To it, this was an absolute impossibility, and it had never seen anyone achieve it.

The meticulousness of Chen Mo's control over his physical body was naturally not something a dog demon could comprehend.

With one Kitchen Knife slicing the throat, the dog demon's vitality was strong and it had not yet died.

Chen Mo kicked out, his arms suppressing the dog demon's claws, and he began to devour the Qi and Blood on its body once again.

The dog demon struggled desperately to resist, but it couldn't thrash much before its vitality faded rapidly, no longer giving it any chance to fight back.

The Qi and Blood within Chen Mo's body surged, attempting to influence the Qi and Blood inside the dog demon, causing it to flow out faster to be consumed by himself.

Such a small trick was considered extremely difficult for a Post-Heaven Martial Artist.

But for a Heaven-Man Martial Artist like Chen Mo, it really wasn't that difficult.

Under his guidance, the Qi and Blood within the black dog demon continuously flowed out from its throat, and he swallowed it in large gulps.

Chen Mo's own Qi and Blood power also climbed continuously, rising from a thousand catties of force directly to three thousand two hundred catties.

Taking the Short Blade from the side, he sliced open the black dog demon's corpse again along the throat and took out the still-warm heart.

Too late to cook it, he ate it raw, and his own Qi and Blood power surged by another five hundred catties.

Looking at the dog demon's corpse on the ground, Chen Mo walked back into the wine shop, found clean water to wash away the bloodstains on his body, and changed into a set of clean clothes.

The set of clothes evolved from the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate had been refined and mastered by him, stored within his physical body.

Now that he had clothes, he no longer needed it to evolve garments to cover himself.

After finishing this, he sank his consciousness into the Reward Good and Punish Evil Order; this black dog had slaughtered countless humans, and by slaying it, the Good Merit Chen Mo gained was quite substantial.

The Good Merit he had accumulated had reached over three thousand points; he didn't intend to continue accumulating it, but instead directly exchanged it for a Vajra Treasure Pill.

If nothing went wrong, the Black Wind Demon King might continue to send people to hunt him down, or might even take action personally.

He had perfect control over his physical body and could mobilize his entire body's Qi and Blood, so although the combat power he unleashed far exceeded that of experts in the same realm.

Human strength, however, always had its limits.

If one only had one portion of strength, even if Chen Mo used it in a fancy way, it would be very difficult to defeat an opponent with ten portions of strength.

Therefore, improving his own strength was the top priority.

Chen Mo chose to exchange; the Reward Good and Punish Evil Order appeared between heaven and earth, and the surrounding power of heaven and earth converged.

Chen Mo held his breath and focused, observing extremely carefully, but in just an instant, a treasure pill appeared.

A pill pattern appeared on the pill's surface; furthermore, when this pill appeared, it was as if a tiger's roar truly echoed in his ears.

Chen Mo watched extremely carefully, yet still did not discover how this pill appeared.

Only one thing he could be certain of: this pill was definitely not sent by the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate from another world, but appeared out of thin air in this world.

The Reward Good and Punish Evil Order was a means of the Heavenly Court; with his current strength, he was afraid he didn't have the ability to peer into it carefully.

Chen Mo didn't intend to ponder it carefully now either; he just observed the surrounding heaven and earth, confirming that the previous fluctuation had not affected the Mirage Sea power of this world.

Only then did he take the pill and walk into the back hall of the wine shop to consume it.

The Vajra Treasure Pill is extraordinary; Chen Mo swallowed this pill and truly heard bursts of tiger roars.

It was as if a fierce tiger stood before him, pouring its entire essence and Qi into his body.

The power of the Blood Qi contained within this pill was approximately two thousand jin.

An ordinary Mountain Lord has roughly this much strength.

However, if an ordinary person were to swallow this pill, they would absorb at most seventy to eighty percent of the medicinal power, with the rest wasted during the absorption process.

But Chen Mo locked his body's essence and Qi to ensure it would not leak out; the moment the medicinal power entered his body, it was greedily devoured by his physical form at an extremely fast speed.

The physical Blood Qi he could mobilize finally reached the six-thousand-jin threshold.

This level of strength, whether in the Cangxuan World or the Xuantian World, is enough to dominate a hundred-mile radius and be a top-tier powerhouse in a local county.

It is just unclear what level this strength actually is in this world.

But from the exchange just now, Chen Mo could roughly judge that the Blood Qi power of this black dog did not exceed four thousand jin.

It is just unclear what kind of cultivation the Black Mountain Demon King behind it possesses.

Chen Mo found an old garment, wrapped the black dog's corpse in it, and carried it on his back.

He prepared to take the demon dog's corpse to the vicinity of the government in this world to see how the government of this world would react.

If he happened to encounter the County Magistrate of Changsheng County, and if his own strength was sufficient, he would kill the person directly.

Then he would see how the Imperial Court of this world reacts—whether they would send troops to suppress bandits or offer him amnesty.

He needs to find the World Core and the Spirit of Heaven and Earth; besides improving his own strength, inquiring from the powerhouses of this world is indeed the fastest way.

Especially in a Human Race dynasty, there must be the gathering of national destiny dragon Qi.

If he could hold the Jade Seal, he could find the Spirit of Heaven and Earth the fastest.

It is too difficult to build a dynasty from scratch; it is more appropriate to use an existing one.

The World Core is even more so; as long as he can master the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, coupled with sufficient strength, finding the World Core will not be a difficult task.

Therefore, contact with secular dynasties and the Human Race powerhouses of this world is an unavoidable matter.

Furthermore, after contacting them, he can also learn about the cultivation techniques of this world.

He wants to see how the Martial Artists of this world cultivate after the changes in the rules of heaven and earth.

Additionally, if there is an opportunity, he can also try to search for the traces of the others.

He and the Master of the Blood Sea are certainly competitors, but in this world, they can also be trusted allies to each other.

As long as the terms are right, the two sides can definitely cooperate.

Chen Mo walked along with the black dog on his back; pedestrians gradually appeared on both sides of the road, and the passing commoners looked at him carrying the demon creature with expressions of surprise mixed with terror.

Clearly, demon hunters are, if not in this entire world, at least in the nearby region, an extremely rare existence.

Chen Mo took long strides toward the city; the city before him was dilapidated.

The city walls were in disrepair, and many bricks and stones had already decayed.

The commoners coming and going inside and outside the city mostly had patches on their clothes and sallow complexions, and the bailiffs responsible for guarding the city gate were collecting a city gate tax from all the commoners.

Directly above the city gate, the three slightly blurred characters for "Changsheng County" were carved.

Chen Mo arrived at the city gate carrying the demon body, and the passing commoners all gave way; even those bailiffs collecting the city gate tax lowered their heads at this moment.

They were not so foolish as to not understand that a powerhouse capable of hunting demon beasts is definitely not someone they can afford to offend.

Chen Mo walked into the city gate as if no one else were there; the situation inside the city was slightly better.

Except for the roads being in disrepair due to age, the other conditions were not much different from an ordinary small city.

Upon stepping into this place, Chen Mo felt a different kind of power; not far away, a force of the Heaven and Earth Profound Gate was resonating with his own.

This indicates that one of the Master of the Blood Sea and the others must be near him, and is right within this city.

This is quite rare; when the four of them descended into this world together, their locations were completely different.

Yet it turned out one person was not far from him; it is just unclear if they were both lucky, or if the distance between everyone was not too far when they descended.

Chen Mo was not in a hurry to find the other party; it was more important to handle the matter at hand first.

"May I ask this brave warrior, was this dog demon killed by you?" An elderly man with a noble air and a wealthy physique walked over tremblingly to ask.

"That's right, old man, do you want to buy this dog?" Chen Mo stopped his steps and asked.

"Brave warrior, please save our whole family!" The old man fell to his knees with a thud and immediately wailed.

"My family has now been occupied by a wolf demon, which is wreaking havoc in my home and even wants to forcibly take my young daughter. It eats people every day; the servants in my house have already been eaten by it, sixteen of them."

The old man's tone was agitated, and he was already covered in snot and tears as he spoke.

"As long as you, brave warrior, can drive away that wolf demon, I am willing to offer half of my family's wealth as a reward."

After the old man finished speaking, he kowtowed repeatedly and would not rise.

"Are there no other Martial Dao powerhouses in this city? Why don't you go and invite them?" Chen Mo was quite curious and could not help but ask.

If this wolf demon were powerful enough that all the powerhouses in the city could not deal with it, why would the old man believe that he could kill the wolf demon?

As he asked, the old man's expression froze.

"You may not know, this wolf demon is the Third Commander under the Black Wind Demon King of Xiaonan Mountain; the powerhouses in the city all dare not offend that Black Wind Demon King. Therefore, when I went to invite them, not a single one was willing to help.

You are a powerful dragon crossing the river; as long as you take action, that wolf demon will surely flee at the sight of you."

The old man's smile was fawning, his words full of flattery.

There were indeed many powerhouses locally, but they had homes and businesses and were worried about the Black Mountain Demon King's retaliation if they acted rashly.

And Chen Mo looked like an outsider; after killing the demon, he could simply walk away.

"Does the local government not care?" Chen Mo continued to ask, having a rough guess in his heart as to why the old man had come.

"How could the corrupt officials of the government care? He has long since sworn an oath of brotherhood with that Black Mountain Demon King!" Mentioning the government, the old man's tone could not hide his hatred.

"Then aren't you afraid that if I kill that wolf demon, the Black Mountain Demon King will come back to retaliate against you?" Chen Mo's gaze was cold, his tone low as he questioned.

"This..." The old man's heart jumped violently, and for a moment he did not know how to answer.

"Or could it be that the wolf demon smelled me entering the city and specifically sent you to find me, to trick me into becoming its blood-food?" Chen Mo wore a smile, asking in a ghostly voice.

He had only just entered the city, yet the old man appeared directly, and before even asking two questions, he knelt to beg for help, even willing to offer half his family fortune as a reward.

This was indeed full of temptation, but it made one all the more suspicious.

This black dog demon was not strong, yet it could follow the scent he left behind and pursue him for over two hundred li.

That wolf demon was even stronger, so its sense of smell must be even more sensitive; he feared that before he even approached the city, he had already been discovered by it.

However, since this wolf demon did not flee upon seeing him arrive, but instead took the initiative to set a trap, it seemed to have absolute confidence in its own strength.

The old man realized this now and turned to flee, only to find Chen Mo's palm like an iron tower, pressing down firmly on his shoulder.

"Lead the way, I want to go see that wolf demon." Chen Mo spoke, his palm exerting force to directly crush the old man's shoulder bone.

"Awoo!" Only a shriek like a slaughtered pig rang out; the old man's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, his mouth opening wide as he gasped for air, yet he could not let out even half a moan of pain.

The two servants following behind him looked at each other, feeling their legs go weak, not daring to make the slightest move.

The old man wailed, but sensing the ever-increasing power on his shoulder, he knew that if he did not lead the way, he would definitely be killed by Chen Mo.

"Strong man, follow me, this lowly one will take you there right away!" He still squeezed out a fawning smile, though a few glints of malice could not stop flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Chen Mo casually discarded the black dog corpse and followed behind the old man, walking all the way into the city, and after only a moment, they arrived before a high-gated mansion.

The black lacquered wooden gate was spacious and imposing, and the courtyard covered a significant area; it was definitely one of the top luxury residences in this county.

Inside the courtyard, maids and servants walked to and fro, each of them trembling with fear.

This was also normal; after all, that wolf demon often devoured people, and the old man naturally would not be eaten, so the unlucky ones were only the lowest-ranking maids and servants.

They had long since signed their indentures, sold to this master, and had no chance to escape; even if they escaped, it was a dead end.

Remaining in this mansion, they could at least pray that today would not be the day they were eaten.

With one arm dangling, the old man led Chen Mo all the way toward the side hall in the courtyard.

Sitting in the side hall was a wolf demon, its fur snow-white, its figure lean, not much different from an ordinary strong man.

High-quality Shu silk woven into clothing was draped over the white wolf demon, and its two front paws now had five distinct fingers, though they were still covered in a bit of fur.

The higher the strength of a demon, the more it resembled a human; this indicated it was constantly approaching Shape Transformation.

"I say, you old man Wang, can't I, your father, just eat a few of your people here? Why do you always invite people to come and disturb me!

You listen to me, be obedient, and send your daughter to our Great King; from now on, we are all one family, aren't we!"

Seeing the old man arrive, the white wolf demon immediately stood up and scolded him, its face showing a hint of anger.

"Virtuous nephew, save me!" The old man had no time to think, and with a flurry of winks and grimaces, he hurriedly tried to run forward.

"Bang!" Chen Mo lashed out with a whip kick, directly sending the old man flying and smashing into the pillar on the left.

His body folded, and he could no longer speak a word; his internal organs collapsed, and death was but a matter of an instant.

The white wolf demon was startled, not having expected such a turn of events.

"You actually dare to kill the Great King's father-in-law; how do you expect me to answer to the Great King when I go back!" The white wolf demon threw down the teacup in its hand and actually drew a Pudao from its side.

Chen Mo felt slightly surprised; he had originally thought the old man was just a human traitor, never expecting that he was actually related to the demon by marriage. It seemed this chaotic world was indeed far beyond his imagination.

"I only have to kill you and use you as a gift of apology to the Great King." The white wolf spoke, the Pudao in its hand flashing with a biting cold light as it slashed directly at Chen Mo's face.

"Clang!" Chen Mo raised his Short Blade to block, but the blade could not withstand such immense force and snapped into several pieces.

A human-like smile appeared on the wolf demon's face, even tinged with greed.

Chen Mo discarded the blade and switched to fists, his hands moving like spirit snakes as he thrust directly at the white wolf's face.

The white wolf had not expected Chen Mo's exertion of force to be so strange and swift; in its haste, it failed to dodge, and its eye sockets were smashed to pieces by Chen Mo!

It only felt its eyes turn blood-red, unable to see anything before it.

"Awooo!" The white wolf let out a long howl to the sky, its body constantly expanding, manifesting its true form over ten feet tall.

That thick white tail swung like a steel whip, smashing the furniture in the side hall to pieces.

Although the wolf demon's eyes were stained with blood, its ears remained sensitive; hearing the sound of the Wind outside, it prepared to leap out the window.

How could Chen Mo let it go? He kicked his toe at an angle, exerting force to kick up the Pudao the white wolf had just discarded.

In a flash, he grabbed the Pudao, stepped before the white wolf, and suddenly slashed forward.

The white wolf heard the whistling of the Wind and twisted its body to dodge, but it had not expected Chen Mo's force to be so strange; the Pudao entered from its lower abdomen and pierced straight into its heart.

"Woo!" The white wolf let out a final roar, and Chen Mo drew out the surging Qi and Blood from within its body, allowing himself to consume it continuously.

He now needed a large amount of Qi and Blood to make up for his own deficiencies, and this kind of improvement had almost no bottlenecks and no loss.

Many servants nearby were scared out of their wits; some sat dazed on the ground, while others fled for their lives regardless of everything else.

Some of the cleverer ones even took some of the master's silver money with them as they fled.

After Chen Mo finished consuming the essence blood within the white wolf, he tore out its heart.

Demon beasts naturally have Demon Pills, but not every demon beast has one.

Just like this white wolf, it was not yet qualified to nurture a Demon Pill, so its heart was the essence of its entire being.

After refining the white wolf's Qi and Blood, Chen Mo's own strength was further restored, and he now possessed the strength of ten thousand jin.

At this moment, the entire mansion was in chaos; some were fleeing, while others were weeping with joy.

Chen Mo did not care about the reactions of the crowd and walked alone into the courtyard kitchen to search for food.

Now he could only rely on his own strength to fight, and every fight consumed a great deal, so he naturally had to eat more to store up reserves.

As long as the quantity of this food entering his stomach was large enough, it could also supplement his own Qi and Blood strength.

While he sat there eating, the city was already in complete chaos.

The news of the white wolf demon being killed could not be covered up at all, and it reached the County Magistrate's desk in just a moment.

The Changsheng County Magistrate was short and thin, no more than five feet tall, with dark skin like polished charcoal.

Sitting below him was the locally-born County Assistant, handsome in appearance with regular features, forming a great contrast with the County Magistrate.

Besides him was the County Lieutenant, who was also the only one of the three with Martial Dao cultivation, tall and strong, with vigorous Qi and Blood throughout his body.

These three people are the most important chief officials in the county, and the remaining ones include the Inspector, Warden, Chief Clerk, and other subordinate officials.

When these people gather together, they constitute all the officials with official status within the entire county government.

"Colleagues, speak up, how shall we handle this matter! That white wolf was placed in the city by my sworn brother to handle affairs for it; he is dead, and if my sworn brother gets angry, I will not find it easy to persuade him."

The County Magistrate looked around at everyone and spoke slowly; hearing his words about being sworn brothers with a demon, he felt no shame, but rather felt honored by it.

To him, whether it was giving gifts to superiors or swearing brotherhood with a demon, both were ways to find a backer. Since it was about finding a backer, the backer only differed in strength, not in whether they were human or demon.

"Shall we report this matter to the Imperial Court?" the County Lieutenant asked, weighing his tone.

"You bastard, you don't want to live, but I do!" The County Magistrate suddenly slapped the table and flew into a rage, his expression appearing extremely furious.

Collusion between officials and demons is not a rare occurrence in Great Zhou, but this does not mean the Imperial Court ignores it entirely.

If they were to truly report it to the Imperial Court, letting the Imperial Court know about the collusion with demons here, and that there were demons entering the city in broad daylight.

Then, no matter how much silver he gave his superiors, the best result would be being stripped of his status to become a commoner, and the more likely outcome would be immediate execution.

Therefore, this matter must not be reported to the Imperial Court under any circumstances.

As long as he does not report it, and the prominent families in the city are in cahoots with him, then there will be no problems.

As for the complaints of the common folk, no one cares at all.

Even if someone goes to report it, so what? Officials protect one another, and his superiors will protect him.

Moreover, for a commoner to accuse an official is an act of great disrespect; one hundred heavy beatings are enough to break the spine of most people.

Even if someone could actually make it to the Capital to file a petition, it would likely be sent back to the prefecture for trial.

In Great Zhou, an official is an official, and a commoner is a commoner.

A master official is a master official; even if they commit a grave error, they are still superior to others, and if they are to be punished, it must be done by other officials, not by the mud-legged peasants who scratch a living from the soil.

If a commoner were to succeed in accusing an official, wouldn't that disrupt the ethical order? If this continued, the nation would inevitably cease to be a nation.

"My lord, do not be angry; I have a plan." The County Assistant spoke slowly, a flash of malice appearing in his eyes.

"Although that white wolf was killed, the culprit is still in our city. You should send someone to set off quickly and tell your sworn brother about this.

We will then find a way to stabilize this villain and keep him in our city. When your sworn brother or his subordinates arrive, we will kill this person to vent his anger.

If that doesn't work, we will find a way to drug him, or get some strong liquor to make him drunk, and while he is delirious, use iron chains to pierce his shoulder blades and bind him tightly to be sent to Xiaonan Mountain.

That Wang Dahu was killed by the villain, but he still has quite a bit of wealth in his home; we shall collect it all. Then have the various major families in the city take the lead, and have the numerous commoners and merchants all pay a Peace-Keeping Demon Tax.

We will use this silver to buy some gifts, and together with this villain, send them to your sworn brother, so as to offer him an apology."

The County Assistant spoke calmly and methodically, laying out his plan; the more he spoke, the brighter the County Magistrate's eyes became.

Whether it was the silver left behind by Wang Dahu or the collected Peace-Keeping Demon Tax, it all had to pass through his hands.

As for exactly how much would be given out, that would be entirely up to them to decide.

"Good, good, good, we shall follow the plan of Brother Xiaoxian. As for the silver from the scholars and gentry in the city, I will have to trouble you, Brother Xiaoxian, to take the lead."

The County Magistrate laughed loudly and gave detailed instructions to the County Assistant.

If one wants to collect a Peace-Keeping Demon Tax, one naturally needs the scholars and gentry in the city to take the lead and pay the silver first; once the gentry have paid, the commoners will follow suit.

After the matter is accomplished, the money from the wealthy gentry will be returned in full, and the money from the commoners will be split seventy-thirty.

Whether it is the Black Mountain Demon King or the County Magistrate and the city's gentry, no one loses out.

As for the commoners who can barely survive but must still have an extra tax added, those mud-legged peasants are not even considered human in the eyes of the County Magistrate and the others.

"Ma Sanwu, you take men to Wang Jia Dazhai now and invite that villain here properly. Tell him that his slaying of the demon evil has earned him merit in our Changsheng County. This official will host a banquet in the residence tonight to reward him well."

The County Magistrate stood up, shifted his gaze to the Inspector below, and instructed him sternly.

Although the County Lieutenant had greater strength, the County Magistrate clearly did not trust him and only entrusted this matter to someone he trusted.

"This subordinate understands!" The middle-aged Inspector, wearing a ninth-rank official robe and sporting a thick beard, answered loudly.

After speaking, he hurriedly gathered a few bailiffs to go and search for Chen Mo's whereabouts.

The other officials in the county government also left one after another to busy themselves with the collection of the Peace-Keeping Demon Tax; except for the County Lieutenant, everyone had a smile on their face.

Because as long as this demon-clearing tax is collected, although the County Magistrate, County Assistant, and others take the lion's share, they themselves can also get a share.

(End of this chapter)