"Understood, go on with your business."
Having heard the other party's words, Shen Yi simply nodded his chin.
Since the incident on Liuye Street yesterday, when his senses had been obscured, he had anticipated this very scene.
Liu Dianli had responded in a well-organized manner, befitting someone who had been around for so many years.
If he were to shut himself in, Shen Yi would become the county's laughingstock, forced to humbly accept their terms; if he were to fling open his doors... only a pure fool would do so.
Who in the world would willingly make an enemy of demons without good reason? As the saying goes, 'the bird that sticks its head out gets shot', and with no silver to be earned, why risk one's life?
The only thing Liu Dianli hadn't considered was...
...that Shen Yi could indeed benefit from killing demons.
Not just benefit, but far more than mere gold and silver—it was tangible longevity.
Therefore, Shen Yi's heart was without the slightest ripple.
Even if there was a thought, it was only a flicker of pleasure.
"You..."
Chen Ji always felt like the other party hadn't really listened to what he was saying—this was a matter of life and death!
A moment later, he helplessly lowered his arms and rested his hand on the hilt of the knife at his waist.
What on earth had the world come to? Just a few days ago, he was denouncing the other's reckless antics, yet now, he had become the advocate.
Recalling the figure of Shen Yi standing alone in front of the village, it was clear that he wasn't one for mere talk.
Chen Ji smirked at himself, gripping the knife tighter... Damn, I need to hurry up with gathering the dowry.
"How much do you need for your daughter-in-law's dowry?"
"What?" Shen Yi looked back in confusion.
"Nothing, just asking," Chen Ji took a deep breath, hastily shaking off the inexplicable thought that had sprung to mind. Business is business; the man might barely pass as a good arrest officer, but his shabby personal life, tsk, one simply couldn't push their sister into hellfire.
Fortunately, the other party hadn't heard clearly...
"Actually, I prefer someone more mature."
Shen Yi shook his head, briefly reminiscing about the generous bosom of Sister-in-law Song.
Taking advantage of Chen Ji's failure to react, he slowly strolled into the duty room.
"Not just like that, is the matter settled?"
Zhang Dahua, in a flurry of anxiety, shouted at the two burly men squatting at the doorway: "Have you two gone mute? Speak up!"
The Niu brothers had long harbored dissatisfaction with Officer Shen, but now they were as silent as bottlegourds.
"My wife wouldn't even let me in the house yesterday."
Niu Da naively scratched the back of his head; ever since the news spread that he was following a man surnamed Shen, he nearly had a domestic fire, as if he had indeed seized someone else's daughter.
"This morning, I was still asleep, when she suddenly... heh heh... heh heh..."
As he spoke, Niu Da suddenly burst into sheepish laughter and vigorously rubbed his crotch.
"..." Zhang Dahua.
"..." Chen Ji.
Shen Yi glanced over helplessly and said indifferently, "Open the courtyard doors."
Under normal circumstances, ordinary people would never enter the yamen lightly, let alone the duty room under the notorious Lord Shen.
But Shen Yi was not in a hurry.
He had seen the desperation of the Liu Family, father and daughter. When it came to the demons, they would not miss any straw that might save them. The world hadn't left them with any other choice.
Once the courtyard doors opened, a notice was posted.
This compound became the sole "Demon-subduing Yamen" of Baiyun County; he also arranged for Chen Ji and Zhang Dahua to go out to gather information, taking turns with the Niu brothers every three hours.
Shen Yi, however, had closed his eyes to feign sleep, conserving his energy.
Surprisingly, after only half a day, someone came to visit.
The visitor was a skinny middle-aged man with dark skin, clearly someone who did rough work.
He cautiously poked his head inside.
The expressions of the Niu brothers in the courtyard changed instantly as they both stood up straight, even Niu Da, who had just been laughing foolishly, now had a look of unease in his eyes.
Exterminating Demonic Beasts is easy to say, nothing more than two words spoken with a flick of the tongue, but having served in Baiyun County for so many years, they had never actually done such a thing.
"Officer Shen, I have news about an evil spirit."
The skinny middle-aged man nervously swallowed, his eyes flickering, and under the guidance of the Niu brothers, he carefully stepped inside.
"What kind of Demonic Beast is it? Speak quickly," Niu Er demanded with anxious eyes.
"No, no... not a Demon, an evil spirit," the skinny middle-aged man hastily clarified with a wave of his hands.
At these words, Shen Yi slowly sat up straight.
He had been here for several days, and including the memories of his predecessor, this was the first time he had received information about an evil spirit.
"No need to rush, take your time," he said.
Seeing Shen Yi's calm gaze, the middle-aged man calmed down considerably. Having heard the oil seller spouting nonsense yesterday, he thought the man was just drunk, but now, seeing Shen Yi's kindness, he half believed him.
"I didn't encounter the evil spirit myself; it was my wife who did," he said, trying to choose his words carefully.
"About a month ago, every night when I would take a bath in the courtyard, my wife would light a candle in the room and comb her hair in front of the mirror."
"While combing her hair, she would also laugh, as if possessed."
"But that wasn't everything."
The middle-aged man's face grew increasingly ugly: "One night, I woke up needing to pee and reached out to find nothing. I went out to look for her, and you guess what, she was standing at the door in her flowery dress, her hair all wet, her neck covered in sweat. I mustered the courage to tap her, and when she saw it was me, she screamed, her voice sounding like she had seen a ghost."
"She said she didn't know how she got up, she had no recollection whatsoever."
"And since that day, I've also not been feeling well. No matter how early I go to bed, I always sleep until the crack of dawn. It's definitely that evil spirit possessing her, stealing my yang energy, Officer Shen! My wife made me herbal soups, but it's useless, the more I drink, the sleepier I get."
Listening to the middle-aged man's vivid description, Shen Yi's expression gradually became odd.
"Moreover, she no longer wants to sleep with me, just laughs idiotically all day long, the more I look at her, the creepier she seems."
"The most terrifying thing is, yesterday when business was bad and I came home early, I heard her yelling in the house as if her throat was torn, constantly screaming 'spare me'... Have you ever heard the sound of a pig being slaughtered? It was like that..."
Just as the middle-aged man was about to give an impromptu imitation,
Shen Yi slightly frowned and glanced at the Niu brothers, helplessly saying, "You two go on night patrol, and deal with this evil spirit for him."
"We obey," said the Niu brothers, looking at the middle-aged man with sympathy as they led him out.
Shen Yi leaned back in the wicker chair again, gently pressing his brow.
It seemed that finding a loophole in the city wasn't as easy as he thought.
Originally, when Demonic Beasts entered Baiyun County, his predecessor accompanied him in dealing with them. Now that he had slain the group of Dog Demons, the word must have spread among the Demons, making it more difficult to lure any in.
Just then, a figure hurried in.
Chen Ji, gasping for air, stood still with a serious expression. Even though he tried to lower his voice, he couldn't conceal the shock in his heart.
"Officer Shen, Liu Qi is dead."
At this, Shen Yi looked up.
If he remembered correctly, that name had been mentioned once before.
Liu Qi, the one with the stone-breaking fist.
The man Lin Family had invited over from Qingzhou.
The very Lin Family where Lin Baiwei resided.