According to Shen Yi's judgment, the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution that he practiced had four stages.
Which corresponded perfectly to the different levels of Initial Realm cultivation.
Three Apertures signified the beginner's stage, equivalent to the Early Stage of the Initial Realm. Since he had reached the Five Apertures, his cultivation was at the Mid Stage of the Initial Realm, close to twice that of a regular goblin.
Strong against weak, and yet the battle was still so hard-fought.
The reason was that he didn't possess demonic abilities like his opponent, and faced with such formidable defense, he was somewhat at a loss for a time, only able to rely on brute force and cultivation to overpower the enemy.
Shen Yi sighed. Cultivation was indeed important, but it would be best to have two or three extra powerful moves up one's sleeve.
The three techniques passed down by the Demon-suppression Bureau were already somewhat inadequate against a real Great Demon.
He turned around; the villagers had already prepared two carts. There were too many and too heavy corpses, so they decided to take only the heads. Even so, they were stacked up like a small hill.
"What's all this for?" Chen Ji was a bit puzzled.
"Going back to the city." Shen Yi walked towards the old donkey trotting leisurely toward the road entrance and mounted it.
After this ordeal, he had completely awakened.
To gain a good reputation and join the Demon-suppression Bureau was not as simple as he had thought.
The government office wouldn't just sit by and watch as he messed up their plans.
If that was the case, then a clear separation was necessary.
...
The sky was darkening, Baiyun County.
Street vendors were busy packing up their wares, and a group of soldiers yawned mightily as they guarded the city gate.
Along with stench that arrived.
Several of the soldiers quickly covered their noses and mouths, while the vendors stood upright, curiously looking towards the city gate. The next moment, a pile of terrifying wolf heads came into view—all with fierce expressions as if alive, mouths wide open in anger, and seemingly still filled with intense fear.
"Demons... demons are entering the city!"
The spoon fell from the vendor's hand as he hustled backward in panic, tripping and falling flat on his face.
The soldiers immediately tensed up, gripping their spears tightly.
The two villagers who were pulling the cart were originally hunchbacked with a look of curiosity and unease from not having entered the city for a long time. Seeing the soldiers' comical reactions, they couldn't help but straighten their backs.
"What are you looking at? We were so scared by the demons we could hardly walk, but that doesn't mean we are afraid of a pile of dead bodies, tasty as they might be."
Chen Ji walked into the city with a complicated expression.
Behind him, an old donkey leisurely chewed on fodder while a handsome young man rode atop it, his gaze calm. However, the bloody scent emanating from him made everyone shiver.
"Shen... is that Shen Yi?"
The soldiers, holding their spears, blinked incredulously.
They were all too familiar with his appearance, but now, despite the unchanged facial features, his expression and aura were drastically different from the brash ruffian he had been before.
"A scourge that deserves a thousand cuts, dead and still giving us a fright."
The vendor, too, got up from the ground with embarrassment and annoyance, dusting off his clothes and stealing glances at the young man on the donkey, inexplicably feeling a bit shocked.
How many demons would one have to kill for their clothes to be stained like this?
"Officer Shen, this way, please!"
He hurriedly cleared a path, his mind buzzing with excitement over the new gossip for after-dinner conversations.
How long had it been since someone from Baiyun County had left the city to slay demons?
Let alone with such a grand display!
"You have truly offended the government office now."
Chen Ji observed everyone's expressions and couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
He didn't quite understand why Officer Shen, who was renowned for his 'people skills,' would suddenly commit such a rash act.
Shen Yi looked down indifferently and spoke slowly, "Do I have a choice?"
"You have the ability to slay demons, but there's no need to make it known to everyone. With your skills, you should have a great future ahead of you..."
Mid-sentence, Chen Ji suddenly froze.
He remembered. The inspection by the Demon-suppression Bureau was impending, and if they could show that Baiyun County was peaceful and prosperous, a bright future was assured.
But now that he had offended the demons, who could guarantee that in a moment of necessity, the government office wouldn't sacrifice him to fend for themselves?
If the Ape Demon and the yellow-skinned ghost were to join forces and come for him, it would be like putting his life and everything he owned in the hands of those corrupt officials.
Better to make a sound and let the whole county know what kind of person Shen Yi is.
Under the scrutiny of the Demon-suppression Marshal, who would dare claim they could withstand the gossip of more than a hundred thousand citizens?
This was not recklessness, but clearly the result of careful thought.
"After following you for two days, I almost grew a brain."
Chen Ji shook his head helplessly, then straightened up and puffed out his chest, adopting a high-spirited attitude.
Just as he watched a group of constables stumble out of the tavern in front of him, he purposefully moved closer with two laborers and swung his sheathed blade down.
"Get out of the way! Do you want to be whipped?"
Zhang Pengtian had never suffered such humiliation, and turning around while drunk, he tried to strike back, "Damn it, which blind son of a..."
His eyes scanned over Chen Ji, and just as he was about to draw his sword, he noticed a cold, condescending gaze looking down upon him.
"Shen... Shen..."
Zhang Pengtian's courage to show off in front of his brothers disappeared without a trace upon seeing the cartload of Dog Demon heads, especially the yellow-skinned one piled at the very top.
Touching his slapped face, Zhang Pengtian retreated tremblingly.
No matter what, he couldn't understand how the other man had made it back alive... He needed to go report to Liu Dianli quickly!
...
"Alright, you take these two to the yamen, and after it's done, find them a place to stay and have a good meal."
Leaving the street, Shen Yi dug into his waistband and threw out a handful of broken silver, "You two have worked hard, this meal is on me."
"Officer, you are too kind!" The two laborers had witnessed his ferocity while slaying demons and hadn't expected him to be quite gentle normally; they quickly nodded and thanked him.
Only Chen Ji frowned, pinching the piece of silver, and no matter how he looked at it, it seemed familiar.
After bidding farewell to the others.
Shen Yi dismounted the donkey, stretched his body slightly, concealing the fatigue in his eyes, and walked home unhurriedly.
It had to be said, this was the battle that had taken the most out of him.
Not just physically, but also the drained essence of heaven and earth in his acupoints, made him feel as if he had fallen from the heavenly palace to the mortal dust all of a sudden, and under the huge sense of disparity, his spirit could not help but be somewhat listless.
He stopped underneath the thatched eaves.
To avoid seeing something he shouldn't, Shen Yi knocked on the door.
Before he arrived, his voice did, "How come you're only back now, I'm almost starved flat."
Though the voice was weak, it was still crisp and pleasant to hear.
Hearing the response, Shen Yi pushed open the door and immediately frowned slightly.
The little house, which was a complete mess just yesterday, was now spotlessly clean, almost making it hard to step inside.
The woman's wet hair was draped behind her. Her freshly washed face looked pretty and endearing, with a hint of heroic spirit in her eyebrows and eyes, adding a different kind of charm.
She was wearing a black shirt, which though slightly loose, showed off her tall figure. The thick trousers were half wet, revealing her round and slender legs, and her fair and delicate feet were placed directly on the ground.
"I've washed the clothes, including your soap robes. I borrowed your old clothes to wear for now."
Lin Baiwei spoke and then suddenly looked up, "Did you go to work or did you take a bath in a pool of blood?"
She sniffed slightly at her nose, her expression changing subtly, "Monster Blood?"
Shen Yi didn't respond, simply averting his gaze and pulling out a lotus leaf-wrapped package from his bosom, casually tossing it onto the table, "Make do with it."
Seeing he didn't want to talk more, Lin Baiwei thoughtfully didn't ask further, sat at the table, and expectantly opened the monster blood-stained lotus leaf.
"Huh! There's actually meat."
She picked up a piece of bloody salted pork, wiped it a bit, then stuffed it into the hard pancake, "Awooh."
"I said make do, but at least pick the clean pieces," even Shen Yi couldn't help but rub his temples at this moment.
"Only someone like you who has never tasted hardship would be so fastidious. Out in the wilderness, who cares whether you might starve to death or not."
Lin Baiwei chewed on the pancake, her face full of enjoyment, and she didn't forget to comment, "Really delicious."
"..."
Shen Yi was left speechless, her words making it sound as if he were the one raised in a wealthy merchant's family, and she was the one who grew up roughing it on the streets.