Chapter 54: Crazy Improvement

“No matter what my past life was like, having come here, I am now a person of Qin. The demons treat humans as fodder; if they grow stronger in the future, my end will not be any better!”

“Joining the Demon Suppression Division to become a Demon Slayer—it is said I am protecting the people of Great Qin, but in truth, I am merely seeking a way to survive—”

The raging fires of the Zhang family reflected in Shen Changqing's pupils.

Without truly coming into contact with demons, one could never fully grasp the severity of the calamities they bring.

Perhaps in the eyes of a demon, humans are no different from pigs or sheep, and consuming them is merely a natural instinct. But he was not a demon, so he could not empathize with that perspective.

“I am human; naturally, I must consider things from the standpoint of humanity!”

Shen Changqing felt a sense of clarity.

As a human, he could not view things from the perspective of livestock and wonder if the pigs and sheep destined for slaughter were pitiable.

Similarly, he could not view things from the perspective of demons and wonder if their consumption of humans aligned with the natural order of heaven and earth.

***

Returning to the yamen.

Shen Changqing first had Shi Qingsheng inventory today's spoils.

The Zhang family was considered a prominent clan in Lin'an City; during the seizure of their estate, large and small chests were hauled out, and nothing was left behind.

Because of this, Shi Qingsheng had to conduct the inventory throughout the night.

It was not until the eastern horizon began to turn white that the accounting was finally completed.

“My Lord, all assets of the Zhang family have been inventoried. All shops, land deeds, and other items combined amount to one hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver!”

One hundred and thirty thousand taels!

Shen Changqing nodded. It was slightly different from what he had anticipated, but not by much.

The Zhao family was at the height of its power, with all assets valued at around two hundred and ten thousand taels. The Zhang family was slightly inferior to the Zhao family, so one hundred and thirty thousand taels was not far off.

“A Zhao family plus a Zhang family already totals over three hundred thousand taels. If a small place like Lin'an City is like this, how much wealth must the great families in other prefectural cities or even the capital possess!”

Shen Changqing couldn't help but sigh.

When he was in the Demon Suppression Division, his monthly salary was a mere one tael of silver.

Now that he had become a Yellow-rank Demon Slayer, his salary had increased to five taels.

Regardless, being a Demon Slayer was a profession that walked on the edge of a blade; it was normal for the pay to be higher. Moreover, the true benefits of joining the Demon Suppression Division had never been limited to salary alone.

Even so, a Demon Slayer's salary was already much higher than that of others.

A Yellow-rank Demon Slayer earned five taels a month, which amounted to only sixty taels a year. The assets of a single Zhao family in Lin'an City could sustain a Yellow-rank Demon Slayer for three and a half thousand years without them eating or drinking a single thing.

“Three and a half thousand years—”

Shen Changqing felt a twinge of discomfort at the thought.

At that moment, standing to the side, Shi Qingsheng noticed the change in Shen Changqing's expression and whispered a reminder: “My Lord, the assets of both families have only been temporarily placed in the yamen's warehouse; they have not yet been escorted to the capital. Sometimes, discrepancies between the recorded books and the actual inventory are unavoidable—”

He stopped himself mid-sentence.

However, Shi Qingsheng's words caused a sudden realization to dawn on Shen Changqing.

Anyone who wasn't a fool could understand the implication of his words.

“Were all previous County Magistrates like this?” Shen Changqing's expression remained unchanged; he showed neither anger nor eagerness.

“Naturally.”

Shi Qingsheng nodded, then added with a smile, “Otherwise, how could the Zhao family have built such an industry in Lin'an City in just a decade or two? One must remember that a County Magistrate's monthly salary is a mere few taels of silver.”

“In your opinion, how much discrepancy would not cause trouble?”

“The assets of both families were inventoried by this humble official. As long as it is not too excessive, the Imperial Court will not conduct a thorough investigation. However, it is also unwise to take too much. With over three hundred thousand taels, it would be most appropriate for Your Lordship to divert no more than thirty thousand taels.”

Shi Qingsheng acted with great experience.

Shen Changqing saw through him clearly. It was obvious that having served by Zhao Fang's side, the man had done things like this many times before.

However, Shi Qingsheng's words did indeed tempt him.

Thirty thousand taels of silver.

Based on his salary as a Yellow-rank Demon Slayer, it would take him hundreds of years to save that much.

With this thought, Shen Changqing's gaze fell upon Shi Qingsheng.

“I believe you know very well what should and should not be said. Although I am only acting as the County Magistrate, I am, after all, a member of the Demon Suppression Division. For the Division, there are plenty of ways to make a person keep their mouth shut. I trust I do not need to remind you of this!”

“Rest assured, My Lord, this humble official knows nothing!” Shi Qingsheng replied hurriedly.

“Very good!”

Shen Changqing nodded with satisfaction and then said, “The total liquidated assets from the seizure of the Zhao and Zhang families amount to three hundred and ten thousand taels. You must ensure the registration is accurate and nothing is omitted. As for the rest, handle it however is most convenient for you.”

“This humble official understands!”

“Additionally, have someone prepare some supplements to replenish blood qi, along with poultry and meat, and send them over immediately. If the yamen's subsidies are insufficient, I shall cover the remainder myself.”

“Yes, I will see to it at once!”

Shi Qingsheng bowed respectfully and withdrew.

***

In less than an hour, Shi Qingsheng had delivered everything. Along with the supplements came a thick stack of silver notes.

Shen Changqing checked them; the silver notes amounted to approximately thirty thousand taels, though strictly speaking, they were short by a few taels.

Looking at the table full of food, he felt a sense of lament.

“A single meal costs several taels; such consumption is extraordinarily high. Relying solely on the salary from the Demon Suppression Division, I will undoubtedly waste a lot of time if I want to increase my realm.”

While the panel required Kill Points for advancement, daily replenishment of consumption was equally essential.

In the past, Shen Changqing had not thought this would be an issue, but as his realm grew higher, his consumption increased accordingly.

By now, a single breakthrough required preparing a vast amount of resources to replenish the body's depletion.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so decisive in squeezing thirty thousand taels out of those two families.

Drawing on his previous experience, Shen Changqing first ate some food to fill his stomach, then settled his mind to use the panel to upgrade his martial arts.

*Thirteen Grand Protectors External Training, upgrade!*

Five Kill Points were consumed.

A powerful suction force erupted from all parts of his body. The food in his stomach vanished at an incredible speed, transforming into surging blood qi.

Soon, an intense hunger struck.

Without hesitation, Shen Changqing took the opportunity to eat a large amount of food.

Finally—

His body shuddered.

A faint, lustrous glow seemed to flow beneath his skin.

At this point, the *Thirteen Grand Protectors External Training* had broken through to the seventeenth layer.

With his external arts improved and his blood qi replenished, Shen Changqing began to push for a breakthrough in his *Tianwu Astral Qi*.

With a single thought, ten Kill Points were instantly consumed.

Immediately following this, his physical blood qi began to deplete, converting into *Tianwu True Qi* within his dantian.

Before long, the true qi in his dantian reached a state of overflow. When the overflowing qi could no longer break the constraints of the dantian, it began to compress in reverse—

One drop!

Two drops!

The gaseous true qi began to transition into a liquid state.

After an unknown amount of time, all the true qi in his dantian had transformed into a red liquid, resting quietly like a clear spring.

As the true qi liquefied, all the meridians he had opened throughout his body instantly connected. The thin, membrane-like internal astral qi that usually resided within his body grew wildly, becoming incredibly dense.

Simultaneously, an overwhelming sense of weakness washed over him.

The intertwining sensation of being both satiated and exhausted caused Shen Changqing's spirit to waver for a moment.

Once he regained his senses, he hurriedly grabbed the items on the table, stuffing whatever he could find into his mouth.

In just a moment, the table was a mess. All the food had entered Shen Changqing's stomach, yet even so, he still could not fully replenish the depletion.

“Someone!”

With a loud shout, someone immediately pushed the door open.

“My Lord, what are your orders?” As Shi Qingsheng bowed, his peripheral vision caught the mess on the table, and he was secretly startled.

He clearly remembered that the items he had brought were enough to feed several large men. He hadn't expected them to be devoured by one person in such a short time.

However, considering his master's status, Shi Qingsheng did not overthink it. It was only logical that a powerhouse capable of slaying demons would eat more.

Shen Changqing took out a ten-tael silver note and handed it directly to Shi Qingsheng. “Prepare another table of food for me immediately, at twice the standard of the previous one!”

“Uh, as you command!”

Shi Qingsheng did not dare ask questions; he took the silver note and withdrew.

Shen Changqing sat motionless on the stool, closing his eyes to feel the current changes in his body.

With the *Thirteen Grand Protectors External Training* reaching the seventeenth layer, his overall physical attributes had improved significantly.

But there was a clear drawback.

Such improvements could not keep pace with the consumption required for internal arts.

For the same level of advancement, when his *Tianwu Astral Qi* broke through from the eleventh to the twelfth layer, it had nearly drained his blood qi completely.

It was evident that if the *Thirteen Grand Protectors External Training* only improved by one layer before he began upgrading his internal arts, it would no longer be sufficient to support the consumption.

“The thirteenth layer of *Tianwu Astral Qi* will certainly consume even more. The *Thirteen Grand Protectors External Training* might need to reach the nineteenth layer to support that momentary surge of consumption. To put it bluntly, the grade of this martial art is ultimately too low. Even with Kill Points breaking the limits, its cost-effectiveness cannot keep up with other martial arts.”

If the cost-effectiveness could not keep up, it meant he would inevitably have to consume more Kill Points to achieve the desired effect.

Because of this, Shen Changqing also wanted to change his martial arts.

Since he could not return to the Demon Suppression Division for the time being, he had ideas but no way to take practical action.

However, it was also inappropriate to simply hoard Kill Points and wait until he returned to the Division to slowly convert them.

Lin'an City was currently filled with undercurrents. Having just uprooted an Eternal Life Alliance stronghold, there was no telling when the Alliance would make another move.

Therefore, he could only improve himself as much as possible under the current limited circumstances.