Chapter 35: The County Magistrate of Lin'an City

"Speak!"

When Situ Bei mentioned this matter, Shen Changqing visibly brightened.

His own strength had reached a bottleneck; to break through in the short term, he had to rely on Killing Points.

The source of Killing Points could only be found through the monsters and evils.

"According to intelligence, about twenty miles east of Lin'an City, everyone in a certain village died overnight. Based on the preliminary judgment of the Heaven-Sensing Guard, it was likely the work of an evil entity."

Situ Bei paused for a moment while speaking.

"However, after a thorough investigation, the Heaven-Sensing Guard found no trace of that entity in that village. Therefore, I suspect the entity has already left to find its next target. The Heaven-Sensing Guard has already spread out. I believe it won't be long before we can accurately locate its whereabouts."

Evil entities do not remain fixed in one place.

Although they might possess certain objects, they can use their environment to deceive others, causing people to unknowingly carry them away.

Furthermore, powerful entities can even leave their original host objects to move to other locations in search of new vessels.

Thus, it was not unusual to fail to find an entity in a place where it was suspected to have caused havoc.

"To have the capability to massacre a village, that entity's strength is extraordinary. If it used illusions to deceive others and lead its true body away, that would be one thing. My fear is that the entity walked out on its own—"

As Shen Changqing reached the end of his sentence, his expression turned solemn.

An entity capable of walking out on its own was, at the very least, beyond the Ghost Grade.

Although he was already a Xiantian martial artist, he did not have much confidence in facing a Grievance Grade entity.

Situ Bei shook his head. "Based on our assessment, the entity should be within the Ghost Grade. If it were Grievance Grade, the Heaven-Sensing Guard would not have failed to obtain even a single clue. As for anything above Grievance Grade, that is even more impossible. There is a Guardian in Guangyuan Prefecture; if a calamity above the Grievance Grade appeared, the local Guardian would certainly intervene!"

"Mhm."

Shen Changqing nodded.

The Guardians of the Demon Suppression Division were different from other Demon Slayers; they were basically stationed in specific locations.

Every one of the nine prefectures of the Great Qin had a Guardian stationed within it.

In addition, some more important cities also had Guardians.

However, small cities like Lin'an would not have a Guardian, as the number of Guardians in the Demon Suppression Division was limited.

Any entity of the Baleful Grade or above could be described as a natural disaster, capable of wiping out an entire city or region without difficulty.

Once an entity of that level appeared, the local Guardians would intervene immediately to completely slay it.

"Hurry up and find the entity's exact location. Since it left after destroying a village, it must be heading toward another village. We cannot delay too long; otherwise, the more essence blood it absorbs, the harder it will be to deal with."

Shen Changqing's expression was grim. He vaguely suspected that the appearance of this entity might be related to the emergence of the Demon Essence Blood.

After all, twenty miles from Lin'an City was still strictly within the jurisdiction of Lin'an.

First, an entity in Guyue Village, and now another in a different place.

To be honest, Lin'an was just a small city; how could entities appear one after another? There must be something attracting them, or perhaps something lurking behind the scenes pulling the strings.

"If it's for the sake of competing for the Demon Essence Blood, then so be it. But if there are other motives, then things are going to get interesting!"

Shen Changqing thought to himself, his gaze turning deep.

The Eternal Life Alliance wanted to nurture a Baleful Grade entity in Lin'an City but had been thwarted by him; it was impossible for them not to have received news of this.

A force controlled by evil entities from behind would certainly not be benevolent.

To put it simply, if his own plans were sabotaged, he certainly wouldn't let the person responsible go.

Therefore, this suddenly appearing entity might be after the Demon Essence Blood, or it might be after him.

Regardless of which possibility it was, Shen Changqing would not allow the opponent to live.

"Rest assured, Lord Shen. In a day or two at most, we will find the entity's location."

"Mhm. Also, there is no need to pass this news to the Demon Suppression Division for the time being. They won't be able to spare any manpower anyway; leave it to me to handle," Shen Changqing added after a moment's thought.

He did not want other Demon Slayers coming to compete with him for the entity.

Taking a step back, the Demon Suppression Division indeed lacked available hands right now.

Situ Bei nodded in reply, "The Heaven-Sensing Guard reported the news to the Demon Suppression Division as soon as they obtained it. However, if you are taking charge of this entity, Lord Shen, the Heaven-Sensing Guard can report back to them. That way, the Division will not dispatch new Demon Slayers to handle this matter."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Shen Changqing stood up and left.

After leaving the Yongfu Pawnshop, he headed toward the yamen.

Having received his appointment letter, he was now considered the County Magistrate of Lin'an, even if only in an acting capacity.

As the Magistrate, he naturally ought to reside within the yamen.

Shen Changqing was quite happy to finally escape the awkward situation of having to stay in inns.

At the entrance of the yamen, two bailiffs were standing guard.

Most of the bailiffs were busy surrounding the Zhao family residence; very few were left to guard the yamen itself.

"Lord Shen!"

Seeing Shen Changqing arrive, the two men's expressions changed, and they hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"Is the Registrar here?"

"The Registrar is inside the yamen handling affairs!"

"Tell him to find me in the inner hall; I have matters to discuss with him," Shen Changqing instructed, walking straight into the yamen. The two men did not dare to obstruct him in the slightest.

The inner hall was still the same inner hall.

Zhao Fang's body had been dealt with, and the bloodstains had been thoroughly cleaned, making it impossible to tell that someone had died here.

Not long after sitting down, Shen Changqing saw a plump, middle-aged man walking in with a hurried expression.

"Greetings, Lord Shen!"

"Are you the Registrar of this yamen?" Shen Changqing scrutinized the man. When he had first arrived at the yamen, this man had been following behind Zhao Fang, so they had met once before.

It was just that back then, Shen Changqing hadn't known he was the Registrar.

"I am!" the Registrar nodded nervously.

"Take a look at this."

Shen Changqing took out the appointment letter and handed it to him.

Seeing this, the Registrar took the letter, opened it carefully to read, and his expression changed once more.

Soon, he handed the letter back and bowed solemnly, "Shi Qingsheng greets the County Magistrate!"

"There is no need to mention 'Magistrate.' I am merely acting in the position; a new magistrate will be appointed in the future."

"But as it stands, Lord Shen, you are the County Magistrate of Lin'an!" Shi Qingsheng said with a forced smile.