In the quiet room.
After saying this, Fang Heng lowered his arm and took half a step back, a hint of wariness in his movements.
From the moment they met, every time he tried to persuade the other to stay, his arm would suffer—first the right arm, then both arms...
Yet, he still stared intently at the young man in black robes sitting by the table.
In their master's criteria for accepting disciples, talent came second to the will to kill.
Every senior brother and sister, including himself, were among the most ruthless demon slayers, their achievements far surpassing their peers.
This was because Qingzhou was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.
It was like a sandcastle, seemingly stable but ready to collapse at the slightest touch.
The current Qingzhou didn’t need geniuses who focused solely on cultivation, broke through realms swiftly, and then drifted away like immortals untouched by mortal affairs.
What it needed was a demon-slaying god! Someone who could suppress demon kings and make the demons tremble at their feet!
Fang Heng was the only person in the Demon Suppression Bureau, aside from Lin Baiwei, who had witnessed Shen Yi's terrifying growth firsthand.
It took Shen Yi only five days to master the "Intercepting Pulse and Capturing Dragon" technique, and another five days to grasp the "Four Harmonies True Qi."
More importantly, he had never seen fear in Shen Yi's eyes.
Whether it was during their trip to Shuiyun Village or their ascent of Qingfeng Mountain.
Every time Shen Yi left, his back was always slender but filled with unshakable confidence.
The river god died, the flood dragon perished!
The black blade at his waist remained as dark as ever, but the stench of blood on it grew thicker.
Such a person shouldn’t be sent to temper his mind, toiling for decades or even a century to become a general guarding a single prefecture.
He should keep killing until he becomes like Senior Sister Jiang, competing with her for the position of Commander-in-Chief! Wielding his sharp blade to awe the twelve great prefectures!
Senior Sister Baiwei hadn’t returned yet.
Now, aside from himself, no one knew just how extraordinary Shen Yi was—not just his rapid progress in martial arts, but also his astonishing composure and unwavering self-reliance.
What does a Commander-in-Chief need most? Isn’t it that unshakable confidence, bordering on arrogance?
After all, he is the one millions of commoners rely on, yet there is no one he can rely on.
"I..."
Fang Heng felt a burning sensation in his throat and couldn’t help but want to explain himself to Shen Yi.
At that moment, he saw Shen Yi slightly raise his eyes, holding a cup of water, lazily looking at him.
"Who told you I’m going to Linjiang Prefecture?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the two figures outside the courtyard froze.
Bai Ziming rolled his eyes and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Fang Heng also fell silent, unable to react for a long time.
After a while, he finally turned his bewildered gaze to the new yin-yang fish robe on the bed.
"Then why... didn’t you refuse..."
"Why should I refuse?"
Shen Yi took another sip of warm water, puzzled.
"Can’t I have both?"
If he remembered correctly, he hadn’t received any orders forcing him to go to Linjiang Prefecture.
Couldn’t a personal lieutenant stay in Qingzhou City to continue his duties? He didn’t need any lieutenants or captains to assist him.
Mainly because, for so long, the performance of the Demon Suppression Bureau members... had been utterly disappointing.
Shen Yi really couldn’t muster much interest.
"Both... both?"
Fang Heng’s eyelids twitched.
For the first time, he realized things could be handled this way.
Using Elder Chen Qiankun’s authority... to do his own thing?
"Yep."
Shen Yi nodded.
Fang Heng fell silent again, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.
This sounded completely outrageous, but there were no rules against it.
After all, most lieutenants spent their entire lives striving for a bit of stability.
Who would stop just short of their goal?
Seeing Shen Yi’s calm expression, Fang Heng grew even more conflicted: "Do you also feel... uncomfortable staying too comfortably?"
"Nonsense."
Shen Yi gave him a look of disdain.
Who would complain about living too comfortably? He wasn’t a masochist.
"Then why?"
Fang Heng finally felt an unshakable curiosity.
"Because I’m sick."
A rare hint of teasing appeared on Shen Yi’s face as he picked up his chopsticks to grab a large pork knuckle from the food box.
When eating a knuckle, you had to start with the skin.
He wasn’t just brushing off Fang Heng.
He really did have a serious illness.
For example, at the entrance of the Liu family, when he first saw the black-skinned dog demon, his hand had instinctively reached out to stop it.
When he saw the group of weak children in the fields, his legs had inexplicably carried him past them to stand before the yellow-skinned demon.
Shen Yi was trying hard to break this bad habit that could get him killed.
But so far, he hadn’t seen any results.
So he could only keep pushing himself, tirelessly improving his strength, hoping that the next time he accidentally reached out or stepped forward, he could rely on the black blade in his hand to save his own life.
At the courtyard gate.
The middle-aged man’s expression was grim, while the little girl covered her mouth, her body shaking with laughter, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes, her feet kicking uncontrollably at his arm.
"Hah... he wants both... this is no ordinary kid, his ambition is terrifying."
"I really—" The girl stopped laughing, jumping down from his shoulder, her eyes turning deep.
"I really like him."
"Grandma, where are you going?" The middle-aged man frowned, clearly not expecting Shen Yi to have such thoughts.
"I want to see if he really dares to take everything."
The little girl, dressed in emerald green, skipped to the door of the house, glancing at Bai Ziming.
"Scram."
"Alright!"
Bai Ziming nodded obediently, not bothering with his junior brother, and quickly left the courtyard, relieved.
Thankfully, that fool hadn’t spilled the beans yet... that was close.
Once he was gone.
The little girl in green smiled sweetly again, standing on tiptoe to knock on the door, her voice soft and sweet.
"Big brother, can A-Qian come in?"
"..."
Inside the room, Shen Yi narrowed his eyes, his hand gripping the chopsticks tightening.
This was the first time... someone had entered this small courtyard without him noticing.
The last time he’d experienced something like this was back in Baiyun County with those two demon snakes.
Fang Heng was stunned, then felt as if struck by lightning.
His face turned pale as he turned around, gritting his teeth and struggling to move his numb arm to open the wooden door.
He looked down at the petite figure before him and instinctively said, "Old..."
Hearing that word, the little girl’s eyes flashed with danger, her voice soft but cold.
"You scram too."
Fang Heng glanced back at Shen Yi, then silently left the room.
Once his tall figure was gone, Shen Yi finally saw the little girl clearly.
She wore a small emerald-green dress, standing barefoot, her long lashes framing a chubby, delicate face that was utterly adorable.
Seeing A-Qian’s sweet smile, her pearly teeth showing, her watery eyes curiously looking at him.
The handsome young man returned a gentle smile.
Then, quietly, he placed his hand on the hilt of the blade at his waist.
This harmless-looking little thing gave him the greatest sense of pressure he’d felt in a long time!
"Hey, don’t be nervous."
A-Qian noticed his movement, hopping onto a chair and resting her arms on the table, leaning her chubby face closer to Shen Yi.
"I accidentally overheard what you said earlier, so I came in to ask..."
She extended her wrist, a golden bell jingling softly.
Between her slender fingers hung a silver bell of the same design.
"Do you want this?"
Shen Yi stared at the bell, a flicker of confusion passing through his dark eyes.
He had seen a bell like this before in Baiyun County, in the hands of a fox demon, though that one was made of bronze.
At the time, he thought it was a treasure bestowed by the fox demon’s elder.
Now, it appeared within the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Three identical bells.
They jingled in his mind and before his eyes, their clear, melodious sound echoing.
(End of Chapter)