Twenty years of life—it’s not a long time, but for Shen Yi, it was a huge surprise.
When he first crossed over into this world, his predecessor had only left him with a little over thirty years of life.
Even if he stretched it to the limit, he’d be lucky to make it past fifty.
A short-lived existence, indeed.
The so-called "great limit" was approaching, and it was fate.
With the help of the Wind and Thunder Scripture, Shen Yi had barely managed to achieve physical perfection, but he was still confined to the realm of an ordinary mortal.
Being able to slightly extend his lifespan was already no small feat.
Shen Yi calmed his mind, growing more and more excited about the upcoming inspection by the Demon-Suppression Bureau in a month.
Of course, before that, he needed to make two preparations.
The first was strength.
The Great Qian Dynasty had established the Demon-Suppression Bureau, independent of the imperial court.
Even the lowest-ranking member, without any troops under their command, was exceptionally granted the title of a seventh-rank captain, equivalent to the magistrate of Baiyun County.
Just an ordinary captain could casually gift something as extraordinary as the Wind and Thunder Scripture to Chen Ji, simply because he had decent talent.
To join such a group, Shen Yi needed to show something extraordinary.
The initial realm... or higher? Shen Yi wasn’t sure, but having a higher cultivation level couldn’t hurt.
Although he currently had no cultivation techniques or precious medicines, he had managed to comprehend initial-realm martial arts from the Demon-Slaying Saber Technique before.
Now, with half of the Wind and Thunder Scripture, as long as he was willing to spend his lifespan, he could surely deduce something useful.
Thinking of this, Shen Yi glanced at his panel, feeling a pang of regret.
Just moments ago, he had felt like he was rolling in wealth, but after a meal, he was back to being a pauper.
[Remaining Demon Life Essence: 17 years]
Killing demons wasn’t easy.
Shen Yi had only managed it by leveraging the connections of his predecessor, giving him the chance to be alone with demons.
But as more and more demons went missing, the trust he had built over the years would crumble at an unimaginable speed.
To forge iron, one must be strong themselves.
Shen Yi needed to accumulate enough strength before the demons realized his betrayal and launched a frenzied counterattack!
Besides strength, the second thing he needed was reputation.
After all, if things continued as they were, the yamen wouldn’t be able to hide his tracks.
When the Demon-Suppression Bureau captain arrived in Baiyun County, the first thing he’d likely do before slaying demons would be to drag the "notorious" Master Shen to the execution ground and have him sliced into a thousand pieces.
But this wasn’t something to rush.
As long as he killed enough demons, his reputation would naturally improve.
"Hmm..."
Shen Yi stood at the door, stretching his body.
Not having to worry about dying next year made him feel much more relaxed.
Just then, two bailiffs came running from the end of the street, panting heavily.
"Master Shen, we finally found you! Captain Song wants you to return immediately to report."
"Report?"
Hearing this, Chen Ji, who was clearing the dishes, looked up.
The "Captain Song" they mentioned was Song Changfeng, the head of the criminal division.
In theory, it was normal for subordinates to report to their superiors.
But in Baiyun County’s yamen, things were different.
Captain Song was in his forties, an age when one’s ambition should be at its peak.
But because he had taken the wrong side in dealing with demons, he had been repeatedly suppressed by the yamen and could no longer control Shen Yi, his subordinate.
Though he was upright in his dealings, his personality wasn’t particularly strong.
He had watched helplessly as Baiyun County’s waters grew murkier, filled with anger but too afraid to truly stand up and denounce anything.
After being suppressed, his ambition had gradually faded.
He had become a hands-off boss, spending his days idly sipping tea and avoiding Shen Yi as much as possible to save face.
Why was he seeking him out now?
"I’ll head to the yamen. Rest early, no need to leave the light on for me."
Chen Ji turned to grab his sword, but Chen Jinyu obediently nodded.
She had always worried that her brother’s stubborn temper and inability to tolerate injustice would lead to him being ostracized and bullied by his colleagues.
But now, it seemed he had found a trustworthy superior.
Thinking of this, she quietly glanced at the tall figure at the door.
What kind of person could make her proud and aloof brother so convinced?
Shen Yi turned back, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"What? Put the sword down and finish washing the dishes."
"..."
Chen Ji silently dropped the sword.
Shen Yi turned his attention to the two bailiffs in front of him.
They were his subordinates, but now their eyes were darting around, clearly hiding something.
If they were this scared, the person calling him over likely wasn’t Captain Song.
"Let’s go."
Without asking further, Shen Yi stepped out onto the street.
The two bailiffs led the way, not daring to make a sound, until they reached the duty room.
The slightly chubbier one finally turned around, his face bitter as he whispered, "Be careful..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly turned back.
The two stood in front of the closed door.
"Captain Song, Master Shen is here!"
Hearing this, Shen Yi was slightly puzzled.
It really was Song Changfeng?
But before he could even process the thought, a response came from inside—though it wasn’t Captain Song’s voice.
Bang! Bang!
Two large holes were punched through the wooden door, and black shadows shot out, piercing through the chests of the two bailiffs.
Shen Yi stared at the two black shadows protruding from the bailiffs’ backs.
They were a pair of wrinkled, black-furred hands.
Each hand clutched a still-twitching heart, slowly extending toward him before sharp nails suddenly dug into them.
"Brother Shen, why aren’t you coming in?"
"..."
Shen Yi closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of the warm, foul-smelling air.
Then, with a sudden kick, he shattered the door!
As the door splintered, a sharp cry came from inside, and the black shadow swiftly retreated.
Shen Yi stepped inside, his cold gaze sweeping the room.
The first thing he saw was Song Changfeng, his face pale and miserable.
The middle-aged man was kneeling in front of a rattan chair, trembling like a leaf.
It wasn’t just fear—more so, it was the weight on his shoulders.
A thick, furry leg rested casually on Song Changfeng’s shoulder, crushing his bones and leaving him drenched in sweat from the pain.
The owner of the leg lay sprawled in the rattan chair, wearing a loose Confucian robe that hung open.
It slowly propped itself up on its elbows, revealing an ugly ape-like face, baring its teeth slightly.
"Brother, have a seat."
Besides it, there were two other ape demons in the room.
One of them hunched over, its arms dangling to the ground, its face full of malice.
Its fingertips were still dripping with blood—clearly, the earlier "warning" had been its doing.
"Why did you take so long... Look at the mess you’ve made..."
Song Changfeng’s face twitched, his emotions on the verge of collapse.
"This is how you deal with demons? You’ve brought them right into the yamen..."
It was unclear what had happened earlier, but the grown man was now crying and wailing like a scorned woman.
Shen Yi glanced at the table, where three bloody dog heads were neatly arranged.
He then looked back at the two warm corpses of the bailiffs at the door.
The Confucian-robed old ape smacked its lips, reaching out a claw to pat Song Changfeng’s head.
"There’s one more, right here."
As it spoke, the other two ape demons quietly blocked the door.
(End of Chapter)