Chapter 26: Handling

Inside the inner hall.

The lamplight flickered on its own.

Zhao Fang sat quietly with his head bowed. A dagger was embedded in his chest, his slightly aged hands gripping the hilt tightly, as bright red blood flowed down from the wound.

This man, who had served as the County Magistrate of Lin'an City for twenty years, had ultimately died by his own hand.

Shen Changqing’s expression was calm; his heart felt little turbulence.

In his eyes, from the moment Zhao Fang betrayed the human race and colluded with the demonic evils, he was already guilty of a capital crime.

The fact that the man committed suicide proved he understood his path was a dead end, and that any resistance would have been futile.

He took out the Clear Spirit Jade Pendant.

Only two black lines remained on it.

"It seems Zhao Fang indeed did not become one of the demonic evils." The last shred of doubt in Shen Changqing's heart was finally cleared away.

The Clear Spirit Jade Pendant had not reacted.

That proved Zhao Fang had not, like Zhuang Mingyuan, abandoned his human shell to undergo transformation into a demonic evil.

He glanced at the corpse twice.

Shen Changqing did not touch it; instead, he rose and walked toward the study behind the inner hall.

The study was not small.

The layout inside was quite exquisite, filled with a faint scent of ink.

Sitting in the position where Zhao Fang usually sat, Shen Changqing took a sheet of white paper and spread it out before him.

He ground the ink.

He took up his brush.

He recorded everything that had happened today.

Although he had only been in Lin'an City for two days, a great deal had transpired.

First, the betrayal of Zhang Long and Zhao Fang, then the slaying of the Ghost-grade anomaly, followed by the matters involving Zhuang Mingyuan and the Eternal Life Alliance; the mixture of all these pieces of information made Shen Changqing feel a certain amount of pressure.

All of these matters had to be reported to the Demon Suppression Division one by one.

It was unavoidable.

If he had merely killed a traitor and an anomaly, he could have made up an excuse to gloss over it, but the death of a County Magistrate was a major incident.

If he did not explain the matter clearly and truthfully, even as a member of the Demon Suppression Division, he would face significant trouble.

Of course, during the writing process, Shen Changqing practiced a bit of selective emphasis.

For instance, regarding the strength of the Ghost-grade anomaly, he wrote that it was not nearly close to breaking through to the Grievance-grade, but merely slightly stronger than an average newly-entered Ghost-grade.

There was no other way; if he wrote it otherwise, he wouldn't be able to account for his own strength.

He had already broken through to the Xiantian Realm. Looking across the many peerless geniuses and monsters within the Demon Suppression Division, not a single one had been able to break through to the Xiantian Realm within a single year.

Therefore, Shen Changqing needed to hide himself slightly to avoid attracting too much trouble.

The Xiantian Realm seemed more powerful than the Pulse-Opening Realm, but within the Demon Suppression Division, it was merely at the level of a Mysterious-grade Demon Suppressor. Above the Mysterious-grade, there were still Earth-grade and Heaven-grade Demon Suppressors.

Furthermore, above the Demon Suppressors, there were the Guardians.

Those were the most powerful existences in the entire Demon Suppression Division, and the core strength that allowed the Great Qin Empire to resist the demons for over three hundred years without falling.

Breaking through to Xiantian in one year—even if he could use talent as an excuse, if he caught the eye of certain people with ulterior motives, trouble would be inevitable.

It was worth noting that the writing tools of this world were not much different from those Shen Changqing knew in his previous life.

It took him nearly half an hour to finish writing everything that needed to be recorded.

With a slight surge of True Qi, he dried the ink, folded the paper simply, placed it in his robe, and rose to leave.

At this time, the sound of the night watch rang out.

"It is the third watch!"

Shen Changqing looked into the surrounding darkness and immediately located the several constables stationed at the yamen.

The yamen was a vital location.

The constables were required to patrol day and night. Because a person's energy is limited, night and day shifts required occasional relief, so separate side rooms were established within the yamen for them to rest.

After such a massive incident occurred during the night, even the most thick-skinned person would be unable to sleep.

When Shen Changqing arrived, the men were all sitting there idly.

"Lord... Lord Shen!"

An older-looking constable stood up tremblingly, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

Zhao Fang had colluded with demonic evils; as members of the yamen, they might be implicated as well.

He had heard that the people of the Demon Suppression Division were ruthless and treated human lives like grass. If they took their anger out on them, he might be walking straight to his death.

Shen Changqing, unaware of the man's wild speculations, looked at him with a flat gaze.

"What is your name?"

"Re... reporting to Lord Shen, my name is Hong Cheng!"

"How many years have you served in Lin'an City, and is there anyone currently in the yamen with more seniority than you?"

"This subordinate has served in Lin'an for nearly ten years. Aside from Lord Zhao and Head Constable Zhang, no one has worked longer than I have," Hong Cheng answered honestly.

Shen Changqing nodded. "Very well. From today onward, you will temporarily act as the Head Constable until the imperial appointment arrives. For now, I need you to do a few things."

"Ah, oh, please speak, Lord Shen!"

Hong Cheng stood dazed for a moment before quickly reacting, an uncontrollable look of joy appearing on his face.

Acting as the temporary Head Constable meant he wouldn't be implicated.

Moreover, once the new County Magistrate arrived, he might actually become the permanent Head Constable.

This sudden promotion felt like a windfall falling from the sky.

"Zhao Fang has confessed and committed suicide. Send men to handle his body. Do not bury him for the time being; wait until the people from the Demon Suppression Division or the imperial court arrive before making a final decision."

Shen Changqing thought for a moment, then continued.

"Additionally, take some men and seal off the Zhao family estate. Do not allow a single person to leave, otherwise, all of you will lose your heads!"

His expression turned fierce on the final sentence.

Hong Cheng's heart shuddered, and he nodded hurriedly. "Rest assured, Lord Shen, I will absolutely not let anyone from the Zhao family escape."

"That is best. Go!"

Shen Changqing waved his hand and turned to leave the room.

He did not go anywhere else. After leaving the yamen, he went straight back to the inn where he had been staying.

He had been exhausted all day, having gone through several battles.

Even a Xiantian martial artist had limits; the consumption was not just physical, but mental as well.

***

The next day.

Shen Changqing rose punctually to inhale the first wisp of purple qi from heaven and earth.

His biological clock had become completely fixed; no matter how exhausted he was the previous day, it would not have a significant impact.

As he swallowed the purple qi, there was no change in his Pure Yang True Qi.

In reality, the Pure Yang Art only had nine layers. Reaching the ninth layer meant it was perfected. By forcibly breaking through to the eleventh layer, Shen Changqing had completely shattered the limits of the Pure Yang Art.

The Pure Yang Art he possessed now could no longer be compared to the previous version.

The Pure Yang True Qi cultivated within had undergone a powerful transformation, making it entirely distinct from genuine Pure Yang True Qi.

After all—even at the ninth layer of the Pure Yang Art, it would be impossible to use Pure Yang True Qi to create fire out of thin air.