Chapter 28

Inside the hall.

The lamp flickered.

Zhao Fang sat quietly with his head down, a dagger embedded in his chest, his somewhat aged hand tightly gripping the hilt, fresh red blood flowing down the wound.

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

Shen Changqing's face remained calm, and his heart did not stir much.

In his eyes,

Zhao Fang had been a dead man since the moment he betrayed the human race and colluded with demons.

His suicide was a clear sign that he understood his fate was sealed, and any resistance would be futile.

Taking out the Qingling Jade Pendant,

it still showed only two black lines.

"It seems Zhao Fang indeed did not become a demon." The last bit of doubt in Shen Changqing's heart was finally dispelled.

The Qingling Jade Pendant showed no reaction,

which proved that Zhao Fang, unlike Zhuang Mingyuan, had not abandoned his human form and transformed into a demon.

Glancing at the corpse,

Shen Changqing did not touch it, but instead got up and walked to the study at the back of the hall.

The study was not small.

The interior was quite exquisite, filled with a faint ink fragrance.

Sitting in the usual spot where Zhao Fang often sat, Shen Changqing took a piece of white paper and laid it flat in front of him.

Grinding the ink,

taking the brush,

he recorded everything that had happened today.

Although he had only been in Lin'an City for two days, a lot had happened.

First, the betrayal of Zhang Long and Zhao Fang, then the slaying of the Yin-level monster, and the matters involving Zhuang Mingyuan and the Eternal Alliance, all these mixed together made Shen Changqing feel some pressure.

These matters

all needed to be reported to the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Not reporting them was not an option.

If it were just the killing of a demon and a monster, he could have found an excuse to gloss over it, but the death of a city magistrate was a major event.

If he did not explain everything clearly, even as a member of the Demon Suppression Bureau, he would face significant trouble.

Of course,

while writing,

Shen Changqing also downplayed some aspects.

For example,

the strength of the Yin-level monster was not nearly at the Yu-level, but only slightly stronger than an average Yin-level monster.

There was no choice.

If he did not write it this way, his own strength would be hard to explain.

Now that he had broken through to the Xiantian realm, even among the many geniuses and prodigies of the Demon Suppression Bureau, no one had broken through to the Xiantian realm in just one year.

Therefore,

Shen Changqing needed to slightly conceal himself to avoid too much trouble.

The Xiantian realm,

though seemingly more powerful than the Tongmai realm, was only at the Xuan-level Demon Suppression Officer level in the Demon Suppression Bureau. Above the Xuan-level were the Di-level and Tian-level Demon Suppression Officers.

In addition,

above the Demon Suppression Officers were the Town Guard Officers.

They were the most powerful beings in the entire Demon Suppression Bureau, and the strong foundation that allowed the Great Qin to resist demons for over three hundred years without falling.

Breaking through to the Xiantian realm in one year,

even if he could use his talent as an excuse, if certain people with ulterior motives noticed, trouble was inevitable.

It is worth noting that

the writing tools in this world were not much different from what Shen Changqing knew from his previous life.

It took him about half an hour

to finish writing everything he needed to.

A bit of true qi emerged, drying the ink, and he folded the paper and put it in his pocket before getting up and leaving.

At that moment,

the sound of the night watchman rang out.

"It's the third watch!"

Shen Changqing looked around the darkness and immediately found the few constables left in the yamen.

The yamen was a critical place,

and the constables needed to patrol day and night.

Because one person's energy was limited, they needed to take turns patrolling, so the yamen also had separate rooms for them to rest.

With such a major event happening at night, even the most carefree person could not sleep.

When Shen Changqing arrived, the few of them were just sitting there.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Shen!"

A constable who looked somewhat older stood up trembling, his voice quivering.

Zhao Fang had colluded with demons, and as fellow yamen personnel, they might also be implicated.

They had heard that the people of the Demon Suppression Bureau were ruthless, treating human lives like grass, and if they were angered, they might be doomed.

Shen Changqing did not know their thoughts, and his gaze was calm as he looked at them.

"What is your name?"

"Reporting to Mr. Shen, my name is Hong Cheng!"

"How long have you been serving in Lin'an City, and is there anyone with more seniority than you in the yamen?"

"I have been serving in Lin'an City for about ten years. Apart from Mr. Zhao and Captain Zhang, no one has been here longer than me."

Hong Cheng answered honestly.

Shen Changqing nodded: "Very well, from today on, you will temporarily take over as the captain until the imperial appointment arrives. I need you to do a few things right now."

"Ah, oh, Mr. Shen, please speak!"

Hong Cheng was initially stunned but quickly reacted, his face showing uncontrollable joy.

Being temporarily appointed as the captain meant he would not be implicated.

Moreover,

when the new magistrate arrived, he might really become the captain.

An unexpected promotion felt like a windfall from the sky.

"Zhao Fang has confessed and committed suicide. Send people to handle his body, but do not bury him yet. Wait for the Demon Suppression Bureau or the imperial officials to arrive before making any decisions."

Shen Changqing thought for a moment and continued.

"Also, take some people and seal off the Zhao family's residence. Do not let anyone leave, or you will all lose your heads!"

The last sentence was said with a stern expression.

Hong Cheng's heart trembled, and he hurriedly nodded: "Mr. Shen, rest assured, I will not let anyone from the Zhao family escape."

"That's best. Go ahead!"

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 was staying.

After a tiring day,

and several battles,

even a Xiantian martial artist could feel exhausted. The fatigue was not just physical but also mental.

---

The next day,

Shen Changqing got up on time, swallowing the first purple qi of the day.

His biological clock was already set, and no matter how tired he was the previous day, it did not affect him much.

Swallowing the purple qi,

the Pure Yang True Qi showed no change.

In fact,

the Pure Yang Art only had nine levels, and reaching the ninth level meant it was complete. Shen Changqing had forcefully broken through to the eleventh level, completely breaking the limits of the Pure Yang Art.

The current Pure Yang Art

was no longer comparable to the previous one.

The Pure Yang True Qi cultivated within had undergone a significant transformation, completely different from the true Pure Yang True Qi.

After all,

even at the ninth level of the Pure Yang Art, it was impossible to create fire out of nothing with Pure Yang True Qi.