The mottled earthen walls and the dim oil lamp cast a somber atmosphere.
The small bed, covered with an old red cloth, emitted the scent of decaying wood.
Shen Yi stared at his surroundings, dazed and struggling to accept the fact that he had transmigrated into the body of a lowly constable in Baiyun County.
But everything around him felt so real, and the fragmented memories in his mind were becoming clearer.
In this world, demons roamed freely, and evil spirits thrived.
His previous self had been a scoundrel, clawing his way up from the bottom to finally don the uniform of a constable, ensuring a stable life.
It sounded like a rags-to-riches story, but why had he suddenly met his end? As Shen Yi pondered this, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head.
He reached up and felt blood on his fingers.
The sight of the crimson blood seemed to trigger something.
In an instant, Shen Yi shook off the grogginess of a hangover, and a wave of intense pain surged through him.
He gasped heavily, his eyes wide open.
Looking down, he saw a thin, terrified girl clutching her undergarments at the foot of the bed.
Beside her stood an old man in tattered clothes, trembling as he held a wooden stick, its tip dripping with blood.
Both of them stared at Shen Yi as if he were a monstrous beast, their eyes filled with despair and fear.
"Listen..."
Shen Yi clenched his teeth, the pain fueling his anger.
He glared at the old man, about to tell him to drop the stick.
But before he could speak, the girl suddenly began tearing at her undergarments, wrapping them around Shen Yi's leg like a frantic animal.
She sobbed, "Master! I'll give you anything! Please, just let my father go back to the village!"
The old man's grip on the stick loosened, and it fell to the ground with a clatter.
His face was numb, his eyes vacant, as if that single strike had drained all his strength.
With Shen Yi's notorious reputation in Baiyun County, the old man knew that once Shen Yi opened his eyes again, there would be no hope for him and his daughter.
"Can you just shut up for a moment?" Shen Yi winced, his eyelids twitching from the pain.
He was already in agony and in no mood for the girl's wailing.
From the memories he inherited, Shen Yi knew that his previous self had intended to force the girl into marriage tonight.
The old man's strike could be seen as an act of justice, a blow for the greater good.
But now, Shen Yi was the one suffering the consequences, and he felt utterly wronged.
He grabbed a piece of clothing from the bed and tossed it at the girl, waving her away like shooing a fly.
"Get out of here," he muttered weakly.
If this had happened in his previous life, he would have at least demanded compensation, maybe half a house.
But now, he was left with nothing but a splitting headache.
As he rubbed his temples, the strange vision before him became even clearer.
[Current Martial Arts]
Bone-Crushing Grappling (Mastered)
Demon-Slaying Saber Technique (Beginner)
[You can infuse lifespan into martial arts to gain corresponding progress]
[You cannot continue infusing if your remaining lifespan is less than one year]
[Current remaining lifespan: 34 years]
Shen Yi stared at the text, his mind racing.
According to the fragmented memories, his previous self had indeed mastered these two skills.
The Bone-Crushing Grappling was a standard technique taught to all constables, a necessary skill for their line of work.
It was thanks to his proficiency in this technique that he had risen to a minor leadership position.
As for the Demon-Slaying Saber Technique, it had been taught to the constables by a Demon-Suppression Division officer after a series of demon attacks in Baiyun County.
It was a legitimate martial art for slaying demons.
However, by then, his previous self had already gained some status and had been weakened by a life of indulgence.
Instead of relying on martial arts for survival, he had developed other methods to stay alive in a world overrun by demons.
So, this panel was real, not a hallucination? But it seemed utterly useless.
Infusing lifespan to gain martial arts progress? It was no different from trading years of his life for immediate power.
In his previous life, he had lived like a walking corpse, with no hope or attachments.
Trading a few years for some enjoyment might have been worth it.
But here, learning martial arts was supposed to help him survive.
If he lost his life in the process, what was the point?
"Ugh," Shen Yi groaned, trying to shake off the panel.
But as he turned his head, he caught sight of the father and daughter again.
They stood there like wooden statues, their souls seemingly drained from their bodies.
"I told you to get out..."
Shen Yi pressed his hand against the back of his head, about to speak when a thought struck him.
His previous self had come here in the middle of the night to force the girl into marriage.
This was her home.
So, shouldn't he be the one to leave?
Realizing this, Shen Yi felt a pang of embarrassment.
Fine, he'd leave.
He rolled his eyes, stood up, and grabbed his saber.
With his clothes in disarray, he stumbled out of the courtyard.
Transmigrating was bad enough, but getting knocked out and having to walk home alone? What kind of karma was this?
The girl clutched her father's hand, her small body trembling beneath her clothes.
She couldn't understand why Shen Yi had suddenly changed.
He hadn't tormented her or beaten her father.
Instead, he had left in a huff.
But there was no relief in her eyes.
As Shen Yi approached the gate, her pupils shrank with terror.
The creaky, broken gate swung open.
Shen Yi stepped out and took a deep breath of the dry night air, hoping to clear his head.
But the stench that filled his nostrils made him frown.
Had he forgotten something?
"Finished? Now it's my turn."
A rough voice echoed in his ears, and the stench grew stronger.
Shen Yi froze, turning his head to see a massive, hulking figure crouched by the gate.
The creature's muscles were tightly packed, its shoulders broad, and its black fur glistened.
Its neck extended forward, revealing a dog's head.
It slowly turned to look at Shen Yi, its clawed hand reaching into its waistband.
The creature stood up, towering over Shen Yi by a full head, its shadow stretching across the ground.
"Next time, be quicker. Hunger makes me angry."
Shen Yi's expression darkened as he finally remembered his previous self's survival strategy: colluding with demons to trade lives for food.
With his connections in the constabulary, he had orchestrated false cases to ensure the demons were fed without alerting the Demon-Suppression Division.
Tonight, he had set the stage for the dog demon to feast on the girl and her father, ensuring no one in Baiyun County would raise an alarm.
Realizing this, Shen Yi forced a smile and nudged the demon's arm.
"You know how I am, brother. I can't rush these things."
He tried to steer the demon away.
"Come on, let's go for a drink. My treat, to make up for the delay."
But the massive figure didn't budge.
The dog demon lowered its gaze, staring coldly at Shen Yi.
"Do you think I'm a fool?" With that, it tore off the roof of the shed and strode into the courtyard.
Caught off guard, Shen Yi instinctively reached out to stop the demon, though he had no idea why he thought he could.
Damn it, this has nothing to do with me! He quickly tried to pull his arm back, but the demon's thick, furry paw clamped down on it.
The dog demon turned its head, its massive jaws inches from Shen Yi's face.
Its sharp teeth glistened, and thick saliva dripped from its maw.
"Shen, you seem to have forgotten your place. Have you forgotten what kind of demon I am? I heard everything inside. You dare betray me?!"
The two had come together to commit this atrocity, but one had backed out halfway.
The implications were clear.
Before Shen Yi could respond, the dog demon's powerful leg shot out, striking him with unimaginable force.
Shen Yi's vision blurred, the veins in his neck bulging as he was sent flying back into the courtyard, crashing through the door.
He swore this was the closest he had ever come to death.
"You ungrateful wretch. You deserve to be devoured along with them."
The demon's cold voice echoed from outside the courtyard.
Shen Yi lay on the ground, clutching his stomach.
He looked up at the trembling father and daughter.
"Couldn't you... have warned me... to use the back door?"
The old man and the girl swallowed hard, their faces filled with confusion.
They couldn't understand why this man, who was supposed to be in league with the demons, had also been thrown back inside.
"Never mind... the saber..."
Shen Yi weakly raised his hand, seeing the two of them frozen in fear.
"Bring me the saber."
The girl quickly picked up the saber and handed it to him, though she couldn't fathom who he intended to use it against.
Surely not the demon outside?
Shen Yi swallowed the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and gripped the hilt of the saber.
Under the watchful eyes of the father and daughter, he suddenly spat out, "Disgusting."
Everything about this chaotic world, the survival tactics of his previous self, and the fact that he now had to mimic those actions to stay alive—it was all revolting and utterly meaningless.
As the dog demon pushed down the courtyard wall and stepped inside, licking its thick tongue over its paw in preparation for its meal, Shen Yi's breathing grew rapid.
The thought of his head being clamped between those filthy jaws, slowly chewed and swallowed with that thick saliva, filled him with a growing madness.
Fine, if this is how you want to play, then let's play.
My life was a fluke, but yours is your own.
If you want to gamble with your life, then bring it on.
The panel before him expanded rapidly.
Infuse lifespan into martial arts to gain progress.
"Yes, the Demon-Slaying Saber Technique. Fill it up for me, please."
"Thank you."
(End of Chapter)