Chapter 57

Regardless of what my past life was like, now that I am here, I am a Qin person. If the demons grow stronger one day, my fate will not be any better either!

I joined the Demon Suppression Bureau and became a Demon Slayer. Saying that I protect the people of the Great Qin is not as accurate as saying that I am seeking a way to survive for myself.

The raging fire at the Zhang family's residence was reflected in Shen Changqing's pupils.

Without truly confronting the demons,

It is impossible to understand just how severe the disasters they bring.

Perhaps from the demons' perspective, humans are no different from other pigs and sheep, and using humans as food is a natural instinct. But I am not a demon, so I cannot empathize with them.

"I am a human, so I should naturally consider things from a human's standpoint!"

Shen Changqing felt relieved.

He is a human, so he cannot think from the perspective of pigs and sheep, wondering if it is tragic to be used as food.

Similarly,

He is a human, so he cannot think from the perspective of demons, wondering if it is natural for them to use humans as food.

Back at the government office,

Shen Changqing first had Shi Qingsheng tally up today's gains.

The Zhang family, in Lin'an City, was a prominent clan. When their property was seized, it was moved out in large and small boxes, and there was no shortage of items.

For this,

Shi Qingsheng had to work through the night to count everything.

It wasn't until dawn that he finished the tally.

"Sir, all the assets of the Zhang family have been counted. The total value of all the shops, land deeds, and other items is 130,000 taels of silver!"

130,000 taels!

Shen Changqing nodded, which was a bit different from what he had expected, but not by much.

The Zhao family was at the height of their power, and their total assets were worth around 210,000 taels. The Zhang family, compared to the Zhao family, was a bit less, but 130,000 taels was not far off.

"One Zhao family plus one Zhang family, that's already over 300,000 taels. A small city like Lin'an is like this, so how much wealth must the major families in other counties and even the capital have!"

Shen Changqing couldn't help but sigh.

When he was in the Demon Suppression Bureau, his monthly salary was only one tael of silver.

Now, as a Yellow-Rank Demon Slayer, his salary has increased to five taels.

No matter what,

Being a Demon Slayer is a dangerous profession, so a higher salary is normal. Moreover, the real benefits of joining the Demon Suppression Bureau are not just about the salary.

Even so,

The salary of a Demon Slayer is much higher than that of others.

A Yellow-Rank Demon Slayer earns five taels a month, which is 60 taels a year. The assets of the Zhao family in Lin'an City would take a Yellow-Rank Demon Slayer 3,500 years to save up, without eating or drinking.

"3,500 years"

Shen Changqing felt a bit of a toothache.

At this moment,

Shi Qingsheng, standing beside him, saw the change in Shen Changqing's expression and quietly reminded him, "Sir, the assets of the two families are temporarily stored in the government office's treasury and have not been sent to the capital yet.

Sometimes, the recorded accounts and the actual inventory may differ, which is inevitable."

Saying this,

He closed his mouth.

But Shi Qingsheng's words made Shen Changqing suddenly realize.

The meaning behind his words,

Any intelligent person could understand.

"Was it always like this in the past?" Shen Changqing's expression remained unchanged, neither angry nor overly enthusiastic.

"Of course."

Shi Qingsheng nodded and then smiled, "Otherwise, how could the Zhao family have such a large estate in Lin'an City in just a few decades? After all, a county magistrate's monthly salary is only a few taels of silver."

"How much of a discrepancy do you think would not cause trouble?"

"Both families' assets were counted by me. As long as it's not too excessive, the court will not thoroughly investigate. However, it's also not advisable to take too much. For 300,000 taels, it would be best for you to move no more than 30,000 taels."

Shi Qingsheng showed a lot of experience.

Shen Changqing understood this clearly.

Clearly, Shi Qingsheng, who had been with Zhao Fang, had done this kind of thing many times.

However, Shi Qingsheng's words did indeed make him tempted.

30,000 taels of silver.

According to his salary as a Yellow-Rank Demon Slayer, it would take him several hundred years to save up.

Thinking of this,

Shen Changqing's gaze fell on Shi Qingsheng, "What should be said and what should not be said, I believe you know very well. Although I am only temporarily in charge of the county, I am still from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

For the Demon Suppression Bureau, there are many ways to make someone keep quiet.

You don't need me to remind you of this, right?"

"Sir, I know nothing!" Shi Qingsheng hurriedly replied.

"Very good!"

Shen Changqing nodded in satisfaction and then said, "The total value of the assets seized from the Zhao and Zhang families is 310,000 taels. You must ensure that the records are accurate and complete.

The rest, you can handle as you see fit."

"I understand!"

"Also, have someone prepare some tonics to replenish qi and blood, as well as chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and bring them over immediately. If the government subsidy is insufficient, I will cover the rest."

"Yes, I will take care of it right away!"

Shi Qingsheng respectfully withdrew.

In less than an hour,

Shi Qingsheng brought everything over. Along with the tonics, he also brought a thick stack of silver notes.

Shen Changqing counted them, and the silver notes were roughly 30,000 taels, a few taels short.

Looking at the table full of food, he sighed.

"Eating one meal costs a few taels of silver. Such expenses are not trivial. Relying solely on the salary from the Demon Suppression Bureau, it will take a lot of time to improve my realm."

To enhance the panel, slaughter points are necessary, but daily consumption and replenishment are also essential.

In the past,

Shen Changqing did not think this would be a problem, but now, as his realm increases, so does the consumption.

At this point,

Breaking through once requires a lot of preparation to replenish the body's consumption.

Otherwise,

He wouldn't have so easily taken 30,000 taels from the two families.

With the previous experience,

Shen Changqing first ate some of the food to fill his stomach, then focused his mind and entered the panel to enhance his martial arts.

Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Gong, enhance!

Five slaughter points consumed.

A powerful suction force emerged from all parts of his body, and the food he had eaten quickly disappeared, transforming into surging qi and blood.

Soon,

A strong sense of hunger came over him.

Shen Changqing did not hesitate and took the opportunity to eat more.

In the end,

His body trembled.

A faint luster seemed to flow over his normal skin.

At this point,

Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Gong had broken through to the 17th level.

External martial arts enhanced, qi and blood abundant.

Shen Changqing began to make a breakthrough with Heavenly Martial True Qi.

With a thought,

Ten slaughter points were instantly consumed.

Immediately, his physical qi and blood began to deplete, transforming into Heavenly Martial True Qi in his dantian.

Soon, the True Qi in his dantian reached a state of overflow. The excess True Qi, unable to break through the dantian's constraints, began to compress.

One drop!

Two drops!

The gaseous True Qi began to liquefy.

After an unknown amount of time, all the True Qi in his dantian had transformed into a red liquid, like a clear spring, quietly remaining there.

As the True Qi liquefied,

All the meridians in his body, which had been previously connected, linked together instantly. The inner True Qi, which should have existed internally, grew rapidly and became extremely solid.

At the same time,

An overwhelming sense of weakness also surged in his mind.

The feeling of being both full and weak intertwined, making Shen Changqing's mind momentarily dazed.

Regaining his senses,

He hurriedly grabbed the food on the table and stuffed it into his mouth, regardless of what it was.

In just a moment,

The table was a mess, and all the food had entered Shen Changqing's stomach. Even so, it was still not enough to replenish the consumption.

"Someone!"

A loud shout.

Someone immediately pushed the door open.

"Sir, what are your orders?" Shi Qingsheng bowed, and his eyes caught the messy table, which surprised him.

He clearly remembered that the food he had brought was enough for several strong men.

But he didn't expect it to be eaten by one person in such a short time.

However,

Thinking of his superior's identity, Shi Qingsheng did not think much about it.

A strong person who can slay demons eating more is reasonable.

Shen Changqing took out a 10-tael silver note and handed it to Shi Qingsheng, "Prepare another table of food, double the amount of what was just served!"

"Um, I understand!"

Shen Qingsheng did not dare to ask more and took the silver note and left.

Shen Changqing sat still on the stool, closed his eyes, and felt the changes in his body.

Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Gong breaking through to the 17th level had significantly improved his overall physical attributes.

However, there was a noticeable drawback.

This kind of enhancement could not keep up with the consumption of internal martial arts.

Similarly,

Breaking through from the 11th to the 12th level of Heavenly Martial True Qi almost drained his qi and blood.

From this, it can be seen that

If Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Gong only advances one level and then starts enhancing internal martial arts, it will not be enough to support the consumption.

"Breaking through to the 13th level of Heavenly Martial True Qi will definitely consume more. Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Gong may need to reach the 19th level to support the instant consumption.

In short, the level of this martial art is ultimately too low.

Even with slaughter points to break through limits, compared to other martial arts, its cost-effectiveness is already lagging behind."

With lower cost-effectiveness, it means more slaughter points will be consumed to achieve the desired effect.

For this, Shen Changqing also wants to change his martial arts.

Currently, unable to return to the Demon Suppression Bureau, he has ideas but cannot take action.

But to save slaughter points and wait to return to the Demon Suppression Bureau to slowly convert them is also not appropriate.

With the current undercurrents in Lin'an City, after removing a Eternal Life Alliance base, it's uncertain when the Eternal Life Alliance will make another move.

Therefore,

Under limited conditions, he can only try to improve himself as much as possible.