Lin Baiwei finished cleaning the table, grabbed the dirty outer robe Shen Yi had taken off, and silently headed to the backyard.
Once the room fell into silence, Shen Yi took out the beast core still stained with blood and glanced at his status panel.
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 226 years]
He closed his eyes, a flicker of excitement rising in his heart.
Indeed, trouble and opportunity always came hand in hand.
If it weren’t for his predecessor’s foolish actions, how could he have so easily obtained martial arts related to the Jade Liquid Realm? He just didn’t know what kind of martial arts it would be.
The best would naturally be internal cultivation techniques, followed by blade techniques... but his demon lifespan was still a bit lacking.
Those demons who had been in cahoots with his predecessor rarely contacted him now.
It was a classic case of "out of sight, out of mind"—too realistic.
As for going out of the city to hunt demons, Shen Yi had occasionally thought about it, but after seeing Lin Baiwei’s miserable state, he felt it might not be the best idea.
Although the county town lacked any truly powerful experts and its defenses were weak, it was still backed by the Great Qian Dynasty.
Unless the demons were tired of living peacefully, they wouldn’t easily cause a major incident.
Sneaking around to eat a few people was one thing, but openly attacking the county town was a completely different matter.
But if he were to venture out and accidentally run into a fierce demon...
Shen Yi didn’t think he’d be lucky enough to be tied up and hidden under a bed, let alone find someone as generous as Lin Baiwei, living off her meager salary to support him.
More likely, he’d be torn apart by sharp claws and fangs, and at best, the demon might give a thumbs-up after swallowing his flesh, praising how tender and delicious today’s meal was.
"..."
Thinking of Liu Qi’s gruesome death, Shen Yi turned to the side, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a cold, wriggling sensation on his arm.
Almost instantly, the emotion in Shen Yi’s eyes turned into icy killing intent.
All twelve of his major acupoints activated simultaneously, and a sharp, violent energy surged within his body!
He abruptly threw off the blanket, only to see two snakes, one black and one white, each as thick as a cup’s mouth, slowly twisting their bodies as they emerged from the crack between the bed and the wall.
One coiled around his thigh, while the other slithered onto his left arm.
They lazily flicked their forked tongues.
Shen Yi narrowed his eyes and quickly reached for the saber hanging on the wall.
Compared to before, his senses were now incredibly sharp.
Not only could he detect the stench of demons, but even ordinary beasts and tiny insects couldn’t escape his notice.
Yet these two snakes had managed to climb onto his bed without him noticing!
In the next moment, the snakes’ bodies rapidly transformed.
Two voluptuous, pale figures emerged, their vital areas barely covered by a few scales.
One of them rested her head on Shen Yi’s arm with a smile, while the other lazily wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her long, shapely leg against his knee.
The two women lifted their heads, their faces stunningly beautiful yet tinged with a hint of wickedness.
They twirled their hair around their fingers, their voices like silver bells, their breath as fragrant as orchids, carrying a seductive tone: "Young Master Shen, it’s been a while. Have you missed us?"
Now in human form, their auras finally became apparent.
Shen Yi calmly observed them, sensing a presence similar to his own—a perfect, seamless, and complete initial realm.
Without hesitation, he drew his saber with his right hand.
The blade, gleaming under the dim candlelight, was instantly enveloped by a thick, bloody aura.
The strike was aimed directly at the white snake woman’s neck, ruthless and without mercy.
"Hiss!"
The white snake woman’s expression changed drastically as she rolled off the bed.
The black snake also released Shen Yi’s waist, her palm reaching upward, instantly covered in metallic black scales.
She grabbed the blade, about to speak, when her beautiful face suddenly showed shock.
The black scales she trusted so much began to sizzle upon contact with the blade, corroding almost instantly.
Dark red blood seeped from between her fingers, quickly staining the blade.
The white snake woman collapsed on the floor, her chest heaving as she clutched her neck, her eyes filled with fear and anger: "Have you gone mad?!"
"We’ve heard that Young Master Shen’s temperament has changed," the black snake woman said, still gripping the blade tightly.
With her other hand, she slowly opened her palm, scattering countless golden particles onto the bed.
"But we still don’t understand why you’ve stopped doing business with us. We were only sent by the Old Mother to ask you to invite the craftsmen from Caihua Workshop to the mountains to make her some beautiful jewelry."
As she spoke, cold sweat formed on her forehead.
This wasn’t just a change in temperament—it was a complete transformation.
That single strike, though seemingly simple, was executed with such skill and precision that even a prodigy would need decades of practice to achieve such mastery.
His aura was equally formidable, not at all inferior to her own centuries of cultivation.
Even if the two of them fought together, they might not be able to defeat him.
"If Young Master Shen no longer wishes to deal with these trivial matters, just say so. We’ll leave immediately," the black snake woman said, giving a meaningful glance to her companion.
Seeing this, the white snake woman transformed back into a snake, and a thick mist enveloped her, causing her to vanish into thin air.
"..."
Shen Yi watched as the white snake disappeared, frowning slightly.
These two creatures were undoubtedly the strongest demons he had ever encountered.
It wasn’t surprising that they could withstand his strike, but their ability to conceal their presence and vanish like that was truly eye-opening.
If only he could learn such techniques...
Thinking this, Shen Yi turned his gaze back to the pale woman covered in black scales, his eyes now carrying a hint of warmth.
Under his intense gaze, the black snake woman felt as if she was seeing the lustful devil of old.
But after a moment, she realized something was off—he didn’t seem interested in her body.
She looked down at her abdomen, then gritted her teeth.
This damned scoundrel was actually eyeing her beast core!
"Shen, I won’t fight you today. Just wait—I’ll report this to the Old Mother! If you have the guts, don’t run away!" The black snake transformed back into its true form, hissing as it flicked its tongue.
At that moment, its peripheral vision caught a figure standing at the backyard door.
A tall woman in white leaned quietly against the wall, her profile cold and aloof.
She merely glanced in their direction.
The black snake straightened its body, its scales bristling, but it couldn’t speak for a long time.
No wonder Shen Yi had suddenly gained such formidable martial skills and no longer feared the Old Mother—he had climbed to a higher branch and forgotten his old connections!
"Let’s see how long you can keep this up!" The black snake coiled its body in anger, no longer mentioning the Green Scale Old Mother.
It summoned a black mist, enveloping itself and the golden particles on the bed, and vanished on the spot.
Only two people remained in the room.
Shen Yi looked toward the door, his expression slightly disappointed.
Indeed, his lack of knowledge about demons was starting to show.
Dealing with wild demons was one thing, but facing these more sophisticated ones, he couldn’t even comprehend their methods.
"..."
Lin Baiwei lowered her hands, quietly observing the young man, taking in his expression.
She was both shocked and amused.
She had initially thought Shen Yi was a deeply hidden constable, just waiting for someone to guide him out of his mortal shell.
After two days of interaction, she realized she had been wrong—he had at least stepped into the initial realm.
But she never expected he had grown strong enough to intimidate two initial-realm demons on his own... and yet he was still unsatisfied?!
"They are the Green Scale Old Mother’s most valued attendants. Even if the Demon-Suppression Division’s lieutenants were to act, they would need at least ten people and would have to set up a demon-trapping array beforehand to have any chance of killing them."
"Or are you just regretting not being able to enjoy their bodies a bit more?"
(End of Chapter)