"How long do you plan to stay?"
Watching her eat so heartily, Shen Yi suddenly felt a bit hungry himself.
He reached out to grab a piece of flatbread, but her fair, jade-like fingers lightly slapped his hand away.
Lin Baiwei picked up a clean piece of flatbread and handed it to him.
"I set up a small shed in the backyard. I’ll try not to disturb you. As for how long I’ll stay... maybe another month?" She sounded uncertain.
Shen Yi took the flatbread, his expression unreadable.
This woman was full of lies.
Her background seemed clean, but in reality, she had been sent away by her family years ago.
When she returned, she had somehow learned some skills and dared to venture out alone to hunt demons.
At first, he thought she was just a naive rookie.
But after spending some time with her, Shen Yi realized she was sharp and experienced, not the reckless fool he had initially assumed.
Most importantly, she had crossed paths with those mysterious fox demons and still managed to come back alive? His predecessor had locked her up in the house, thinking it was a lucky catch, but in Shen Yi’s eyes, it was practically a death wish.
Not to mention how a mere constable like him would deal with the Lin family’s wrath if this got out.
And why hadn’t the fox demons killed her? What was their reason?
Shen Yi couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped trying.
He calmly said, "No."
Hearing this, Lin Baiwei wasn’t surprised.
Instead, she chuckled lightly.
"What’s wrong? Didn’t you always want me to be your wife? Changed your mind?"
When he had captured her, his eager expression hadn’t been fake.
She had expected that, with her slightly loosening up, Shen Yi would at least show some reaction, no matter how much he tried to act composed.
But the young man merely raised his eyes slightly.
A hint of mockery flashed in his clear, black-and-white eyes.
Lin Baiwei slowly stopped eating.
She wiped the crumbs from the corner of her lips with her finger and looked back at him.
The delicate charm on her pretty face gradually faded under Shen Yi’s slightly mocking gaze.
"Ah," she sighed helplessly, brushing a strand of hair from her temple.
In an instant, her entire demeanor changed.
Lin Baiwei sat up straight, her narrow eyes now sharp and piercing.
"I don’t know if you’re just a small constable or someone working for the demons, but why did you suddenly provoke them?"
She glanced at the bloodstained clothes on the young man.
"Pretending to be calm isn’t easy, is it? Desperate to know how to transcend your mortal limits?"
Lin Baiwei directly pointed out that Shen Yi had reached the peak of mortal cultivation.
She crossed her legs, leisurely straightening her clothes, her eyes cold and clear.
"Call me master, and I’ll help you step into the first realm. How about that?"
She had been too hasty before, making up a rough name for her martial arts.
But today, she had come prepared.
Surely, she could intimidate this young man.
What a joke.
Lin Baiwei was full of confidence.
She calmly looked at the young man.
Then, she saw Shen Yi slowly raise his hand, take the saber from his waist, and casually place it on the table.
"You left home to learn skills," Shen Yi’s voice grew cold.
"Did you learn how to put on a show?"
He placed his five fingers on the scabbard.
Lin Baiwei suddenly felt enveloped by a dense, murderous aura.
She couldn’t help but swallow hard.
"You... what are you planning?"
"I’m not interested in you," Shen Yi shook his head.
"But I’m very interested in your sect."
"I already told you, I don’t have a sect," Lin Baiwei tried to explain, but Shen Yi took out a small cloth bundle from his pocket, unfolded it beside the scabbard, revealing a faintly trembling meatball.
"Prove your worth," Shen Yi stood with his hands hanging by his sides, seemingly harmless.
But the saber and the meatball on the table clearly represented his stance.
Choose one.
Please, less drama.
He was running out of patience.
"..."
Lin Baiwei stared at the meatball, her fingertips hidden in her wide sleeves trembling slightly.
She was stunned for a moment before saying, "Beast Core? Where did you get that..."
Before she could finish, she glanced at the bloodstained clothes on Shen Yi, and the answer was obvious.
"A Beast Core from around four hundred years... is this from the Yellow Weasel?"
Lin Baiwei clenched her fingers lightly, hiding her shock.
This man had left in the morning with a pancake in his mouth and returned at night with the Beast Core of a first-realm demon.
Since when had the constables of Baiyun County become so fierce?
She glanced at the young man and said straightforwardly, "A Beast Core of this quality can be directly used as the main ingredient for Qi Gathering Pills or to assist in refining higher-level Liquid Condensing Pills... If conditions don’t allow, you can also directly consume and refine it, though it will only yield about seventy to eighty percent of its potential, with more impurities, which can slightly harm your cultivation. It’s best to take your time with it."
"Of course, no matter how you use it, it’s not something a warrior below the first realm can handle... I’m telling the truth this time," Lin Baiwei’s tone grew more serious.
Hearing this, Shen Yi nodded and casually covered the Beast Core again.
It was pretty much what he had guessed.
If she had continued spouting nonsense, calling it some kind of poison, Shen Yi would have seriously considered drawing his saber.
However, Lin Baiwei’s ability to immediately recognize the origin of the Beast Core was beyond his expectations.
Did she have knowledge of all the demons around Baiyun County?
"You can stay," Shen Yi said as he put the items away.
"But I won’t get involved in your affairs with the fox demons, nor will I ask about your identity."
"As a condition, I want two genuine first-realm cultivation techniques."
"Peach Blossom Mountain-Splitting Axe, Demon-Slaying Unparalleled Sword..."
Lin Baiwei had just raised her fingers when she felt Shen Yi’s cold gaze sweep over her.
She pouted and put her hand down.
"I don’t have the techniques with me now. I can only give them to you after I’m rescued."
"Fine," Shen Yi didn’t press further.
He wasn’t one to put all his eggs in one basket.
The Demon-Suppression Bureau was good, but if he could establish connections with some martial sects and gain more information about martial cultivation, that would be an even better option.
"Baiyun County suddenly killed the Yellow Weasel. Aren’t you afraid the other demons will be furious?" Lin Baiwei picked up the flatbread again, stuffing it with salted meat until it was bulging, then took a big bite.
Chewing, she mumbled, "Although the demons have their own factions, when it comes to dealing with the imperial court, their attitude is united. If I were you, I wouldn’t have touched the Yellow Weasel first. You’ve alerted the snake."
"What do you mean?" Shen Yi showed a hint of interest.
"That dog demon had just entered the first realm, while the Ape King has been holed up in the Eastern Mountains for years, preparing to break through to the peak of the first realm. It’s probably the most wary of such things."
Lin Baiwei’s face turned red as she struggled to swallow the bread.
She let out a long sigh.
"And then there’s the Green-Scaled Matriarch. Over a hundred years ago, there were rumors that it had already reached the Jade Liquid Realm. If I were you, I’d report to the imperial court and request a few deputy generals from the Demon-Suppression Bureau to deal with the snake demon first. The old ape and the yellow dog would naturally flee."
Shen Yi listened quietly but noticed she didn’t continue.
"What about the fox demons?"
The girl rolled her eyes.
She had already finished all the food and patted her ample chest lightly.
"Burp... I’m tired, so tired."
Shen Yi sat back on the edge of the bed, cupping his hands in a gesture of thanks.
"Thanks for the advice."
Lin Baiwei slowly walked toward the backyard, giving him a sidelong glance.
"At least you have some conscience."
Arriving in the quiet courtyard, the ease in the woman’s eyes faded, and her expression grew complicated.
Despite her dismissive tone about the Yellow Weasel, it was a genuine first-realm demon.
This man was just an ordinary constable, with no master to guide him, and he had to resort to trying to get cultivation techniques from a stranger like her.
Even if he had some fortuitous encounters, they were incomplete.
Yet, he had managed to kill the dog demon.
If he were given a proper path of cultivation, his future achievements would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Such talent, if it were to perish in the muddy waters of Baiyun County, would be a true waste.
But now, she could barely protect herself.
She had no energy to care about such matters...
So hungry.
(End of Chapter)