In the dimly lit River God Temple, a towering statue stood shrouded in shadows, its benevolent face tinged with an eerie aura.
A plump woman in a green robe lay sprawled across the offering table, her hands gripping the edges tightly.
The entire table, along with the statue, shook violently with her movements.
Her neck was arched, veins bulging, and her chubby face, though still bearing traces of her once-delicate features, now bore a striking resemblance to the statue.
"Hah!" Unlike the River God's gentle demeanor, her face was twisted, her eyes rolled back, and she struggled to breathe, exuding a sense of ferocity.
Behind her stood a young man with a fierce expression, his upper body bare and covered in dark, mottled scales.
Countless scars crisscrossed his back, their scabs a deep red, resembling a spider's web.
The most striking feature was the small horn on his forehead, about the size of a finger.
The young man stared intently at the River God statue, his lips curling into a sneer as he bared his sharp, white fangs.
"Is this you?"
"Yes, it's me!" The woman let out a long sigh, and the horned youth trembled slightly.
He grabbed her head and slammed it onto the table, then leaned in to bite her neck.
As blood gushed into his mouth, he swallowed greedily, and the wounds on his body began to heal.
The plump woman convulsed, but her face showed an increasing sense of reverence, as if being devoured by him was some kind of great honor.
"Ugh! Tastes like fish," the young man muttered, wiping his lips in dissatisfaction.
"I want the real treasure!"
The bodies of martial artists, infused with the essence of heaven and earth, were considered the most valuable treasures.
The River God stood up, gasping for breath as she straightened her clothes.
She tenderly touched the wound on her neck, her expression a mix of adoration and fear.
"The treasure is here, better than last time. There are five of them, two at the Jade Liquid Realm, young and delicious. I won't let them escape. I'll make sure you're satisfied."
"Same as before, those two are mine," the young man said, raising an eyebrow.
"You just need to hold off one of them. The other three at the Initial Realm are yours."
"I wouldn't dare," the River God quickly shook her head.
Despite her aura being stronger than his, she maintained a subservient posture.
Hearing this, the young man pinched her cheek.
"If I give it to you, take it."
"Go," he waved her off.
"Yes!" The River God, still weak, shuffled out of the temple.
...
In a bamboo-fenced courtyard, a young widow carefully ladled soup into a bowl.
The madman, who had calmed down since the earlier incident, sat quietly in a corner, sipping the fish soup.
Shen Yi sat in the courtyard, chewing on the bland fish meat.
He swallowed carefully, as if trying to extract every bit of nourishment from the fish.
If his judgment was correct, from the moment they entered the village, they had been marked by demons.
Danger could strike at any moment.
A single misstep, and they could vanish without a trace, just like the previous constables, without even a chance to send their badges back to Qingzhou.
"Well, well, I was wondering where you were. Turns out you're here sneaking a meal," Li Muyin strolled into the courtyard.
Seeing another constable, and a beautiful one at that, the young widow wisely took her bowl and left the courtyard, sitting with the madman at the entrance.
"Is it good?" Li Muyin asked, eyeing the young man with curiosity.
Though she didn't believe he could actually defeat Fang Heng, the fact that he had made Fang Heng back down showed that Shen Yi was no ordinary Initial Realm martial artist.
Plus, on his first mission, he was more composed than her younger brother.
Was it the fearlessness of youth? Regardless, even if he hadn't witnessed the ferocity of demons, his courage was commendable.
"Warn the others to stay alert and not to separate. There are demons in the village," Shen Yi said, swallowing the last bite of fish and looking up at her.
"What?" Li Muyin was momentarily stunned, then chuckled.
"You're giving orders now..."
Before she could finish, under Shen Yi's serious gaze, she involuntarily stopped smiling.
"Got it. I'll go inform them right away."
She didn't ask how he knew.
As experienced constables, even the slightest possibility required them to prepare in advance.
...
Just as Li Muyin turned around, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.
Then, a foul black wind suddenly appeared, sweeping across the sky and heading straight for the outskirts of the village.
The two people who had been sitting at the entrance were now gone.
"Don't wander off. Go inform Xinhan!" Li Muyin reacted swiftly, her lazy demeanor gone.
Without hesitation, she drew her short sword and chased after the black wind.
To dare snatch people right under the noses of the Constabulary—this was a blatant provocation!
Her figure darted across the muddy path, covering dozens of feet in a single breath.
At that moment, Li Muyin glanced to the side and her expression changed.
She saw a figure in black robes, hair fluttering in the wind, holding a black blade.
Shen Yi, expressionless, was running even faster than her!
"What are you doing here? You're fast," Li Muyin muttered, holding her breath as she watched the black wind disappear into the low hills by the river.
With the power of the Jade Liquid Realm, her aura grew more turbulent.
"I told you to go inform the others. That thing is clearly a Jade Liquid Realm demon. No matter how eager you are, you won't make a difference," she said.
Before she could finish, a sense of foreboding struck her.
She turned to look.
Outside the fishing village, the Yangchun River roared, sending up waves ten feet high.
At the crest of the wave stood a woman in a green robe, barefoot, like a river deity from legend, ready to drown the entire village with a wave of her hand.
"Dammit!" Li Muyin cursed, recognizing the figure.
Though she didn't understand why the River God had suddenly abandoned her four hundred years of peace, the last shred of hope in her heart quickly faded.
Shen Yi had been right.
Not only were there demons, but they had come prepared.
She looked back at the low hills, but both the black wind and Shen Yi had vanished in the blink of an eye.
"..."
"It's over," she muttered, biting her lip and breathing heavily.
After all her years serving the Constabulary, how could she have made such a careless mistake?
And that kid, how could he be so fast? Where did he get such courage?
...
Shen Yi adjusted his breathing, fully utilizing the White Ape Plays with the Python technique.
He scaled the mountain as if it were flat ground, moving even faster than before.
He had noticed Li Muyin falling behind and seen the terrifying sight of the Yangchun River.
His heart stirred slightly, but he quickly calmed himself.
This was an ambush targeting the Constabulary constables, likely aiming to separate the Li siblings and pick them off one by one.
Shen Yi wasn't impulsive.
On the contrary, his thoughts were crystal clear.
If the River God was truly a late-stage Jade Liquid Realm demon, even the Li siblings together might not be a match.
And the black wind before him was also a Jade Liquid Realm demon.
In such a situation, gathering all five of them wouldn't make a difference.
Someone would still have to face this beast alone.
The two demons had planned everything, going through the motions just to minimize the risk of injury.
And he was the only variable.
Shen Yi wouldn't concern himself with the villagers or whether the Li siblings could defeat the River God.
In a life-and-death crisis like this, hesitation meant certain death.
He forced himself to focus on the present.
Only by beheading the demon before him could he secure a chance at survival.
In that case—
The black blade slid out of its sheath, gripped tightly by his slender fingers.
The mountain wind howled, tugging at his dark robes.
Shen Yi held the black blade and slowly came to a stop.
The black wind dissipated, revealing a figure covered in black scales.
"..."
When he saw Shen Yi's face, Jiao Feng tossed aside the two unconscious figures in his hands, his expression growing increasingly irritable.
"Why is it you who followed? You think you're worthy?!"
He hadn't expected the first to catch up to be an Initial Realm martial artist.
This meant the River God would have to face two Jade Liquid Realm constables at once.
Yet, Jiao Feng's eyes showed no concern, only impatience and displeasure.
His impatience stemmed from not being able to immediately torment the young woman and savor her fresh, essence-rich flesh.
His displeasure was simple.
The constable before him was too weak.
Compared to the two treasures, he was so feeble that he couldn't even stir Jiao Feng's appetite.
As a flood dragon, not just anyone was worthy of being devoured by him.
(End of Chapter)