"Come and take a look at you."
Shen Yi stepped forward, smiling softly, "How come Brother Huang suddenly came down the mountain without giving me any notice?"
The Dog Demon stopped its chewing, silent for a long time, its body slightly turning to reveal the scene on the bed.
A rather emaciated Dog Demon lay quietly on the bed, swallowing morsels of soft, tender innards, while beneath it, a palm-sized puppy was curled up, suckling.
"There are too many foes on the mountain, I came down to take shelter."
Huang Lao Liu spoke in a muffled tone, "And don't you talk to me about rules. There's enough food and drink here. I'm staying here for a full six months, until my son has grown a bit more."
Seeing this, joy filled Shen Yi's eyes even more, "Congratulations, congratulations! Mother and child are safe."
As he spoke, he walked over to Huang Lao Liu's side and without minding the blood-stained bed board, he casually sat down next to him.
Shen Yi reached out to rest his hand on the Dog Demon's neck, "With such a happy event, why didn't you tell your brother in advance?"
Huang Lao Liu glanced at him, but didn't break free, "Don't get too familiar, even if the county lord himself came today, I wouldn't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere."
Shen Yi's eyes narrowed into a smile, his distinct black and white irises growing ever clearer.
At these words, a hint of smile finally appeared on Huang Lao Liu's face. It turned back to Shen Yi and just as it was about to speak, its pupils suddenly constricted.
Beneath their intimate gesture, a steel blade had already been plunged into its chest.
"Heh! Heh!"
Hearing the strange noise, Chen Ji abruptly looked up, his whole body then shaking.
He couldn't believe the scene before him.
Shen Yi, with Huang Lao Liu in his arms, said calmly, "Visitors are guests, how could I drive you away?"
As his voice fell, another stab punctured the Dog Demon's heart, scattering blood over both of their bodies, adding a touch of luridness to the dark red of the room.
"You should always stay right here... nowhere else to go," stated Shen Yi, his voice ever gentler, his movements increasingly practiced.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Each sentence punctuated by another merciless stab, turned that robust body into a pulpy mess.
Huang Lao Liu struggled with all its might, but no matter how hard it tried, beneath the enclosing arm of Shen Yi, it was like a clay ox entering the sea, with no effect.
To spectators, it looked as though it sat obediently quiet, watching helplessly as it was pierced by the blade.
After a while, Shen Yi finally released his grip, looking indifferently as the already lifeless Dog Demon collapsed to the floor.
He lifted his head, "You go out first."
Chen Ji's body was rigid like wood, his mind in utter disarray.
Under his gaze, with a jolt, Chen Ji turned around walking towards the door, taking another glance before leaving.
He saw Shen Yi sitting by the bed, slowly drawing the steel blade from Huang Lao Liu's body, turning his head to observe the other Dog Demon on the bed, its eyes filled with terror, removing the innards from its mouth, and whispering softly, "Sister-in-law, a family should stay together, don't you agree?"
Chen Ji stumbled.
Striding across the threshold, he stood outside, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.
Moments later, Shen Yi walked out leisurely, wiping his slender fingers with a rag, and said indifferently, "Go inside and clean up thoroughly."
At his words, Chen Ji opened his eyes, looked back at the familiar face, and his mind, tangled like knotted yarn, finally formed a stunned question, "Why?"
"Why what?" asked Shen Yi, raising his eyebrows in confusion.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Chen Ji clenched his teeth, his eyes bulging.
Of course, he meant why did you suddenly attack! Why were you exchanging pleasantries one second, and the next, slaughtering like butchering livestock, sitting there and just slaughtering that Dog Demon!
Why, when you moved to kill, did that damn smile still hang on your face! Whether you hate or not, how do you view the death of common folk, how do you view these Demons!
In Chen Ji's eyes, it was as if he could watch his kin being devoured indifferently and then treat those brother-calling Dog Demons with the same indifference, including the puppy that couldn't even open its eyes.
This was completely unreasonable.
Amidst many doubts, Chen Ji forcefully calmed his emotions and asked the most practical question, "Why kill them? Aren't you afraid the monsters will seek vengeance? Or does Officer Shen already have a better solution?"
"What solution?" Shen Yi frowned slightly and said indifferently, "It didn't want to leave, and I was unwilling to let it continue eating people, so I had to find a middle ground to satisfy everyone."
"This... is this also a reason?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Ji took a deep breath, knowing that the other party did not wish to elaborate. He simply buried his head and barged into the house to start cleaning up the Dog Demon's corpse.
Just after a few days of not seeing him, he found that he could no longer understand this official.
"..."
When there was no one beside him, Shen Yi stood quietly at the doorway, finally dropping the rag, revealing his slightly trembling fingers. He looked down at his palm, clenched his fist tightly, and forced his fingertips to still.
As a transmigrator, this was the first time he saw dead bodies so clearly, witnessing the foul-smelling rotting flesh being torn apart, even seeing the meat stuck between the Dog Demon's teeth.
Shen Yi really wanted to throw up; he could only vent the fear and anger in his heart through continuous stabs and jabs.
But he had to control his emotions.
Only by remaining calm there was a chance to hold on until the Demon-suppression Bureau arrived; if even he himself became scared, no one in the vast Baiyun County would offer him a helping hand.
As for the question raised by Chen Ji, Shen Yi had indeed pondered it. But in the end, he realized something.
Was there another solution? The answer was no.
If he walked away from this, the villagers in this area were as good as dead. Between certain death and an unsolvable situation, one might as well do one's duty and not trouble oneself unnecessarily.
Instead of numbing oneself here with talks of "considering the bigger picture" and "enduring for a moment of calm,"
it was better to collect more Demon lifespans, enhance one's power, and when the next beast extended its claws, strike it down with one slash!
...
Shen Yi thought of the Demon lifespans, and the harvest this time was indeed quite rich.
[Intellect-awakened Dog Demon, not yet in the Initial Realm, total lifespan 145 years, remaining 59 years, absorption complete]
[Intellect-awakened Dog Demon, not yet in the Initial Realm, total lifespan 152 years, remaining 61 years, absorption complete]
[Non-intellect-awakened Dog Demon, total lifespan 80 years, remaining 79 years, absorption complete]
[Remaining Demon lifespan: 199 years]
[Remaining personal lifespan: 1 year]
"It's even brought the total up to a nice round number for me, exactly 200 years."
Shen Yi hadn't decided yet where to invest the collected Demon lifespan.
Should he continue with the Demon-subduing Sword Technique, using the Zhengyang Sword as a base, exploring more about the Initial Realm?
Or should he focus on the Cloud-Dispersing Long Fist, trying to gain more talents in fist and palm techniques?
While Shen Yi was mulling this over, Chen Ji had already loaded the Demon's corpse onto a cart and then led an old donkey over.
"Regardless of what Officer Shen is considering..."
Chen Ji handed over the reins, his expression complex, and turned to look into the distance.
The villagers standing sparsely on the field ridges, still wearing their numb expressions, stood there like the living dead, their listless eyes showing a trace of emotion only when they glanced at the cart.
"At least for today, you have saved their lives."
After speaking, Chen Ji tried to force a wry smile, but felt the reins being pulled away from his hands.
He looked up to see Shen Yi riding away leisurely on the old donkey.
"..."
Shen Yi stretched lazily and rolled his eyes.
What considerations? Before you praise someone, you first take a dig at them with snide remarks, what kind of behavior is that?
Pretentious.