```
Upon hearing this name, the Niu brothers who had just walked out of the room paused for a moment.
Then they bowed their heads and pretended not to hear, quickly escorting the thin middle-aged man out of the courtyard.
Liu Qi was a well-known figure, and these underlings had heard plenty about him.
Coming from Qingzhou, he was a martial master with a mentorship lineage, and among the martial experts hired by the Lin Family at great expense, his fame was one of the greatest.
His pair of iron palms could shatter gold and stone almost as easily as slicing through tofu.
Rumors had it that there were no less than thirty or fifty demons that had perished under these hands.
"Should we go and take a look?"
Chen Ji turned to look at the silhouettes of his two brothers, but didn't think them cowardly—on the contrary, he understood them quite well.
Baiyun County wasn't much of a big city, with not even a proper sect, Liu Qi was regarded as a dragon crossing the river by the locals, and even these underlings were hoping to deter demons with his reputation.
If even he had died, the perpetrator was almost certainly a Great Demon.
According to Eunuch Clerk Liu, it was Officer Shen's responsibility if a demon was involved.
To get involved or not was the question.
Logically, with no one reporting the incident, feigning ignorance wouldn't be a problem, but when even the street vendors could guess the truth, turning a blind eye would only make Officer Shen lose face on his very first day, or even worse, he could be accused of being inept at subduing demons.
"This death is just too suspicious."
Chen Ji felt a headache coming on as he retracted his gaze, seeming to himself like a harbinger of bad luck, always the bearer of trouble.
"Let's go, let's have a look."
Shen Yi rubbed his brow, hiding a flicker of irritation in his eyes, then got up, took his saber, and walked outside.
His concern wasn't about saving face as others might think.
Compared to the others, he knew exactly what was hidden inside the Lin Residence.
That fox was personally delivered into their hands by his former self.
Every crime it committed, added yet another sin to Shen Yi's name, and if it were to be captured by chance, he'd likely have to accompany it to the Demon-suppression Bureau's dungeon.
"..."
Shen Yi proceeded down the main street with Chen Ji.
The gazes from the street side were still as oddly cast as they were early in the morning. Only as the buildings transitioned from thatched walls to blue brick and black tiles did those stares slowly disappear.
In the relatively affluent area east of the city, the deterrent effect of their uniforms rapidly waned.
It wasn't until the grand and luxurious mansion came into view with its vermilion gates and brass handles, stone lions taller by half a head than those at the government office's entrance, that the attention stopped.
At this moment, the gate was only opened wide enough for one person to pass through. The plump Steward Lin of the Lin Family, dressed in silk and a small cap, stood at the gate with a look of worry, waving his hands to disperse the crowd: "Go away, go away, is this a place for you to gawk?"
"What's this about gawking? If there's a demon, at least let us know so we can seek help at the government office," a few idle onlookers protested as they reluctantly withdrew.
"There is no demon, no demon!" Steward Lin contorted his chubby face and said with a dejected tone: "I've said it eight hundred times already, there's no such thing."
"You coward, what's there to fear! Haven't you seen the notice on the streets, Officer Shen was able to slay the Dog Demon of the West Suburb, is he unable to exorcise the evil in your house?"
There were also a few people of some standing among the crowd who did not give face to the steward and shouted loudly.
"Still going on about Officer Shen... you lot know jack squat," Steward Lin glanced at them with scorn, weighed down with concern and couldn't be bothered to engage with them.
As for Officer Shen, he knew far more about him than these people.
He had saved Miss Bai Wei from outside the city, and Master Lin, grateful, had shown him great courtesy.
But it turned out that Shen was a gambler, always showing up every few days to borrow money. The silver lent to him vanished like throwing meat buns to a dog, never returning—hardly the behavior of a good man.
```
It was only recently that things have quieted down some.
Master Lin didn't trust such people, and the moment he discovered something had happened to Liu Qi, he went to the county magistrate's residence at night and invited that famous thin monk.
Despite his incredibly thin stature, as if a gust of wind could blow him down, he once remained by the side of the Qingzhou county magistrate's mentor, trusted immensely. Even Liu Qi, when he was alive, would refer to him as a senior without any slight.
Such a person came to investigate the Lin Residence.
In the end, the conclusion was... there were no demons causing trouble, so Master Lin need not worry.
As for the death of Liu Qi, the thin monk kept his lips sealed.
In short, his word was final: there were no demons.
With the thin monk's status, once he had spoken, it was as if the matter were settled. Even if Officer Shen had no real skills, and even if the tales of him slaying demons were true, what of it?
Steward Lin reeled his thoughts back in, suddenly noticing the noisy crowd parting to make way: "Here it comes, they really did come! The notice was true!"
The young swordsman with a saber slowly approached, followed by an arrest officer.
"Oh, Officer Shen... Miss Bai Wei is not at the residence," Steward Lin mustered a strained smile, also somewhat astonished within. Perhaps the other party hadn't heard of Liu Qi's reputation to dare get involved in such affairs.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yi's brows furrowed slightly.
Not here?
"She's gone out of the city to enjoy the spring, it will take a few days for her to return," Steward Lin shook his head, then continued, "If you're looking for Miss Bai Wei, you should return."
"I'm not looking for her. Troublemaker, lead me to the corpse," Shen Yi said as he stepped onto the stone staircase.
A martial master died when the Fox Demon was not around, which was indeed odd.
Upon hearing this, Steward Lin hesitated, wondering if the other party was just trying to gather autumn wind. Hearing that the young mistress wasn't home, he should have just left. But if he was truly here to investigate the demon...
Thinking of this, he purposefully raised his voice,
"Officer Shen, the one from the county magistrate's office has already come to look."
Upon hearing this, Chen Ji was initially startled, then heaved a sigh of relief.
Since a master had taken the reins, the issue should be easily resolved, and there was no need for them, the lowly arrest officers, to worry about it.
The idle onlookers in the distance also seemed to realize this and understood why the Lin Family was so composed. Alas, it seemed that they would not witness Officer Shen in action today.
Having said that, Steward Lin turned back to the young man, his face clearly signaling,
We've given you a way out; this responsibility cannot be blamed on you in any case. Just turn around and leave; it won't affect your reputation in the slightest.
"..."
Shen Yi looked down and took in the steward's barely concealed anxiety and helplessness.
He said indifferently, "Taking another look can't hurt."
Hearing these words, Steward Lin was finally surprised, thinking that Shen Yi seemed like a different person today. In the past, he would have thrown his troubles away as cleanly as possible, focusing solely on securing money, but what was happening today?
After a moment of indecision, he smiled wryly and stepped aside, "If you really want to take a look, then come with me."
The steward turned and pushed open the door, about to step through when his expression suddenly stiffened.
There they were, two striking figures walking out, one ahead of the other, both accompanied by Master Lin.
The one in the front was tall and thin, appearing to be in his fifties with eyebrows that hung down like dragon's whiskers, dressed in a long black robe and as thin as a bamboo pole.
The one behind was a burly middle-aged man, as robust as a small hill, with a face as rough as sandpaper and a thick beard like steel needles. His expression was somber, draped in a greasy white jacket, skin darkened, and a swollen belly as horrifying as if he were ten months pregnant.
The thin monk, with a calm smile, was about to bid Master Lin farewell when he lifted his head and saw the people at the doorway.
As Steward Lin's heart pounded, about to speak up and explain, he saw the thin monk's smiling expression slightly retract as he bowed, "Could this be the renowned Shen Yi? I have long heard of you, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Hearing this, the dark and rough man, who had previously been disinterested and looking down, now glanced casually in their direction.