The two old donkeys moved steadily, one after the other, quickly leaving the county town behind.
Chen Ji walked with a serious expression, his head lowered.
He hadn’t expected Shen Yi to actually agree to leave the city, and even more surprisingly, to bring him along.
This should have been a good thing, but...
Chen Ji glanced back and saw Lord Shen riding on his donkey, flipping through a martial arts manual with great interest.
In the past, before dealing with demons, Shen Yi would always send people like Chen Ji to buy good wine and meat, calling it "proper etiquette."
Chen Ji had always been uncomfortable with this practice, finding it distasteful.
But today, going empty-handed, he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.
If they couldn’t handle those two demons, the hundreds of farmers in Liuli Temple Village would likely be devoured in no time.
"Why do you keep looking back? Focus on leading the way. Don’t be jealous of my handsome face," Shen Yi said casually as he finished skimming through the manual and closed it.
Two new lines of text had appeared on his status panel:
[Cloud-Parting Long Fist (Not Yet Mastered)]
[Eight Steps of the Spirit Snake (Not Yet Mastered)]
A set of fist techniques, a set of light-footed movement, and the previously acquired Demon-Subduing Saber Technique—these were all the martial arts passed down by the Demon-Suppression Division’s captain.
If Shen Yi could master all three, he would have the ability to deal with minor demons.
Without hesitation, Shen Yi poured the remaining demon lifespan he had into the light-footed movement technique, which he currently lacked the most.
After all, no matter how sharp his saber was, he still needed to be able to catch up to his enemies.
[With your solid foundation in martial arts and strong physique, you mastered the Eight Steps of the Spirit Snake in just one year.]
[After three years, your movements became increasingly elusive, and your light-footed movement reached a minor mastery level.]
[After six years, the Eight Steps of the Spirit Snake became second nature to you, reaching a major mastery level.]
[After eleven years, your movements were like a ghost’s, your attacks invisible, and your light-footed movement reached perfection.]
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: Twenty-five years.]
...
Shen Yi felt the changes in his body and couldn’t help but feel surprised.
Infusing lifespan into martial arts actually took into account his current physical condition.
It was like how an old swordsman, deeply immersed in saber techniques, would naturally progress faster in martial arts.
He subconsciously adjusted his posture on the donkey, feeling his body become much lighter, as if he could leap several meters in a single step.
Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to test it now.
Shen Yi focused his mind and poured the remaining demon lifespan into the Cloud-Parting Long Fist, hoping to gain some insight into the "Initial Realm" while refining his martial arts.
However, this time the results left him somewhat disappointed.
**[Though you are not skilled in fist techniques, after eighteen years of practice, you can now strike like thunder and shatter stones with your palms.
The Cloud-Parting Long Fist has reached perfection.]**
[After twenty years, you made no further progress and began to feel lost, as if you were wasting your time.]
[After twenty-three years, you started to doubt yourself, feeling that the fist technique had reached its limit.]
[After twenty-five years, through years of contemplation, your understanding of fist and palm techniques deepened, and your talent in this area improved.]
After exhausting all his demon lifespan, the gains were fully displayed on his status panel:
[Cloud-Parting Long Fist (Perfected)]
[Eight Steps of the Spirit Snake (Perfected)]
[Fist and Palm Proficiency: Reduces the time needed to learn fist and palm techniques and increases the chance of gaining insights.]
Aside from the two perfected martial arts, Shen Yi also gained something akin to a talent, but there was still no information about the "Initial Realm" that he desired.
He raised his eyes slightly and asked, "By the way, isn’t it about time for the Demon-Suppression Division to come inspect our county?"
Hearing this, Chen Ji, who had been focused on leading the way, suddenly stiffened.
A complex look flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t turn around.
"Yes, my lord. They should arrive in about a month."
He understood perfectly well what Shen Yi was hinting at.
The entire Baiyun County government was corrupt, and the most urgent task now was to survive the Demon-Suppression Division’s inspection.
They had to present a picture of peace and prosperity in the county.
If anything went wrong, at least half of them would lose their heads, and the youngest and most handsome of them all would undoubtedly be Lord Shen.
No wonder Shen Yi had been acting so unusually today.
He had been waiting for this moment.
If there was one person in the government who truly hoped for the Demon-Suppression Division’s arrival, it was Chen Ji.
He genuinely wished... that the imperial court would execute Shen Yi.
If it weren’t for Shen Yi’s deceitful practices, the government wouldn’t have been able to suppress the news, and the Demon-Suppression Army would have already taken over the area, wiping out all the demons!
"A month, huh?" Shen Yi rubbed his temples.
According to his memories, he was just a minor official with no authority to communicate with the Demon-Suppression Division.
If he wanted access to more advanced martial arts, he would have to wait patiently.
If he could fully step into the "Initial Realm" within a month, would he have a chance to join the Demon-Suppression Division? But his demon lifespan was still insufficient!
As his thoughts wandered, the two old donkeys came to a stop at the edge of a field.
Shen Yi looked up at the dilapidated temple on the hillside.
The statue inside was exposed, covered with straw, and the altar had collapsed halfway, overgrown with weeds.
The farmers had even stopped worshiping the gods, a clear sign of their resentment.
"My lord, this way," Chen Ji said, tying up the donkeys and pointing in the direction they needed to go.
The two of them quickly crossed the field.
A group of ragged farmers stood scattered in the distance, their faces gaunt and their eyes hollow as they watched the newcomers.
When they saw the two men’s attire, they squatted back down without a word.
There were no cries for justice, no pleas for help.
They knew all too well who had brought them their suffering.
"..."
Chen Ji felt the weight of their gazes from afar, and a hint of shame appeared on his youthful face.
When he saw Shen Yi’s calm and indifferent expression, that shame turned into resentment.
He adjusted his bamboo hat, covering most of his face.
"This is the household that was attacked by the offspring of the Yellow-Skinned Demon at night... You’ll understand once you go inside."
The Yellow-Skinned Demon wasn’t a weasel.
Demons also had their own factions, mostly connected by bloodlines, each ruling their own territory.
Different factions had different demands on Baiyun County—some wanted fresh meat, some wanted beautiful women, and others preferred rare treasures.
Among them, a pack of dog demons had the closest relationship with Shen Yi.
Their leader was an old yellow-skinned dog demon who called himself the Yellow-Skinned King.
"Open the door," Shen Yi said with a nod.
Chen Ji pushed open the wooden door, revealing a narrow room filled with a nauseating dark red color.
The room was dimly lit, and on the table were dismembered body parts neatly stacked.
Those that couldn’t fit were strung up with straw and hung from the rafters.
A dog demon sat on the edge of the bed, holding a human thigh in its hands, chewing on the rotting flesh with an expressionless face.
Its sharp eyes resembled those of a guard dog.
When it saw who had entered, its gaze softened slightly.
"Oh, it’s you. What brings you here?"
Shen Yi stepped inside, the stench hitting him like a wave.
He glanced around the room.
Chen Ji had seen this scene before, but even on his second visit, his face twisted slightly under his hat, and his hand gripping the hilt of his sword trembled uncontrollably, the blade already three inches out of its sheath.
Chen Ji had exceptional talent.
In just three years, he had mastered the martial arts passed down by the Demon-Suppression Division to a minor level, giving him the ability to fight this dog demon and likely win, albeit with great difficulty.
The reason he had held back his killing intent earlier and returned to report to the government was twofold: first, for the sake of his younger sister, and second, because he couldn’t defeat the Yellow-Skinned Demon behind this dog demon.
Acting rashly would only bring greater disaster.
"..."
At that moment, a strong hand reached over and quietly pushed his sword back into its sheath.
Chen Ji snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Shen Yi’s profile, wondering how the man would handle this situation.
No matter how heartless Shen Yi was, seeing his own kind being devoured should at least evoke some reaction.
In his line of sight, Shen Yi finally looked at the old dog demon.
There was no sorrow or joy in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curled up, revealing a row of white, even teeth.
He smiled.
Seeing this, Chen Ji’s heartbeat gradually slowed.
He lowered his eyes in disappointment, unwilling to listen to the small talk between the two.
(End of Chapter)