"..."
Shen Yi calmly looked over and extended his index finger.
"First, that's your Senior Sister Lin. She has nothing to do with me. Although I took some advantage, in the end, it was a transaction both of us agreed to."
Upon hearing this, Fang Heng's eyes widened in shock.
"Second," Shen Yi raised another finger, his voice lowering slightly.
"You asked your Senior Sister Lin to come over. I really want to see if she can draw a line at the courtyard gate."
After these two sentences, Fang Heng was left in a daze.
On the other hand, everyone except Li Muyin couldn't help but purse their lips, feeling a bit downcast.
That unpleasant memory resurfaced in their minds.
In the dilapidated side room of Baiyun County, Senior Sister Lin was bustling about, wearing his clothes, while this damned man stood by the table, waiting.
Judging from that situation, Shen Yi's words weren't entirely false.
However, it probably wasn't due to strength but something else entirely.
"Finally."
Shen Yi glanced at the little old lady who had been awakened by the commotion at the doorway.
Seeing her timidly holding onto the door, he smiled helplessly, his tone softening unconsciously.
"He started it first."
The old lady nodded and whispered, "I saw it all. Heng'er was being unreasonable. You're a good kid. You just taught him a lesson to help him remember. It's a good thing. Better than being taught a lesson by someone else outside."
Hearing this, Li Xinhan and the others couldn't help but shake their heads inwardly.
This old lady really thought that a fight between martial artists was just child's play.
Neither of them had even a scratch.
They hadn't even started fighting yet.
Still, it was quite rare to see Fang Heng being put in his place.
"Thank you for your care these past few days. I'll take my leave now."
Shen Yi slightly cupped his hands and turned to leave the small courtyard.
Li Xinhan, seeing Fang Heng standing there dumbfounded and no longer trying to stop them, finally breathed a sigh of relief and led the group to follow Shen Yi.
After walking a distance, he was still puzzled.
"What just happened? Why did he suddenly back off?"
Li Muyin slowly caught up from behind, putting away her short sword, and casually said, "Who knows? Maybe he pulled a muscle from running too fast."
As she spoke, she curiously glanced at Shen Yi.
Although she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she had heard of the five unique skills of the young commander.
Among them, the most inconspicuous was the Meridian-Severing Dragon Capture.
Connecting it to Fang Heng's expression and movements just now...
She subtly looked at Shen Yi's hand resting on the scabbard.
Hmm, fair and slender.
Quite beautiful.
"Big sister, won't this affect your relationship with him?"
Li Xinhan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"After all, he's the son-in-law father personally chose. Sending you to the Demon-Suppression Bureau was also partly to let you get familiar with him in advance."
"Son-in-law my foot."
Li Muyin retracted her gaze, completely indifferent.
"A little brat who hasn't grown up yet, always bringing up his senior sister when things get tough."
Hearing this, the others exchanged strange looks, while Li Xinhan's expression changed slightly.
"I didn't call you here. If my people hadn't been left elsewhere, I wouldn't have asked you to come this time."
As he spoke, he glanced at Shen Yi, who was slightly behind them, feeling a bit surprised.
Regardless of anything else, just the calmness Shen Yi showed when facing Fang Heng far surpassed his own.
Such composure, coming from a small place like Baiyun County, was truly hard to understand.
"We're about to set off. Do you have any other needs?"
Hearing this, Shen Yi didn't beat around the bush and nodded.
"I need a Jade Liquid Realm internal cultivation manual."
"Wait... Boss Li meant to ask if you needed anything that could be immediately useful, like weapons or armor."
Liu Xiujie clicked his tongue.
What kind of logic was this? They were about to go out to slay demons, and he wanted to carry a book around? What good would that do?
"If you're willing to get involved with the Li family of Qingzhou, I can give it to you right now."
Li Xinhan stopped in his tracks and said something that shocked the others.
"Come to my family as a guardian elder, or if there's a marriage connection, that works too. A direct descendant might be difficult, but if you're interested in a branch family's daughter, I can arrange it for you."
Leaving aside the latter, after all, a Demon-Suppression Bureau captain marrying a branch family daughter of the Li family wasn't exactly a stretch.
But being a guardian elder was a different matter.
Compared to those hired with silver, being a guardian elder meant joining the Li family, protecting them for life, and even being closer than some branch family members.
The problem was, no matter how promising Shen Yi was, no matter how high his martial arts talent, he was currently only at the initial stage of perfection.
Even if he broke through to the Jade Liquid Realm tomorrow, as long as he hadn't broken through yet, there was a 99% chance it was as good as nothing.
In martial arts, it might seem like just a half-step away, but you could wait until you turned to ashes, and that foot might still be hanging in mid-air.
This was an extremely common situation.
"Why can't it be a direct descendant?"
Li Muyin tilted her head slightly, curious.
Li Xinhan's eye twitched.
"Because your matters aren't up to me. Father has to agree."
"Ha."
Li Muyin placed her hand on Shen Yi's shoulder and laughed.
"Just kidding, little friend. Don't be nervous."
Shen Yi brushed off her hand and calmly looked at Li Xinhan.
"What about the Demon-Suppression Bureau's martial arts?"
"..."
Li Xinhan was a bit disappointed.
Even such generous treatment couldn't move him.
But he still patiently explained, "Although you're wearing the cloud-patterned robe, you're not officially part of the Demon-Suppression Bureau yet. Here, it's different from the outside sects and families. Outside, talented young disciples are usually treated like treasures."
"Because once you join a sect, you become part of the family. The stronger you are, the stronger the sect or family becomes. You're one entity."
"Is it different in the Demon-Suppression Bureau?" Shen Yi was hearing this perspective for the first time.
"Of course it's different."
Li Muyin pursed her lips and waved her hand.
"The Demon-Suppression Bureau is backed by the imperial court. It doesn't need to grow bigger or stronger. It only seeks stability in Qingzhou. Whether it's demons or powerful martial artists, they're all things that disrupt Qingzhou's peace."
"Of course, it does need sufficient strength to deter all sides."
"But the premise is that you have to prove you're a blade that slays demons, not a parasite that consumes precious medicines but does nothing for Qingzhou."
The beggar stepped forward and took over the conversation.
"To put it bluntly, you have to work first, then eat... At least when you show off the cloud patterns on your sleeves, you should have some achievements to back it up."
"As a reward, the Demon-Suppression Bureau's feedback will exceed what any sect can offer."
"For example, the Wind-Thunder Sun-Melting Codex for breaking through to the Jade Liquid Realm can seamlessly connect with the Wind-Thunder Scroll. Throughout Qingzhou, you won't find three Jade Liquid internal cultivation manuals that surpass it, even counting the legendary ones."
As he spoke, the beggar glanced at the Li siblings beside him, choosing his words carefully.
"The Li family is already a very famous family in Qingzhou. Their family's internal cultivation manual only connects 126 acupoints. But the Demon-Suppression Bureau's internal cultivation manual can activate 270 acupoints, more than doubling the cultivation efficiency."
"Hey!"
Li Xinhan couldn't help but kick him.
"You're the expert, huh?"
"..."
Shen Yi retracted his gaze, his hand gripping the sword hilt tightening slightly.
(End of Chapter)