Chapter 62

Shen Changqing's face was calm as he walked alone down the street.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by.

He moved his foot.

The long saber instantly unsheathed, the Heavenly Martial True Qi that had long been condensed burst forth with the blade, and he turned around and slashed down with terrifying force.

Instantly,

a figure in red, whose face could not be seen, was directly split into two halves by the long saber.

"Ah!!"

A sharp, piercing scream echoed, and the body of the red-clad figure, split in two by the long saber, dissipated like smoke.

At the same time,

a familiar aura flowed into Shen Changqing's hands along the blade.

He looked at the panel.

The kill value, which was originally zero, had now changed to seven.

The demon he had just slain was, by far, the weakest he had ever encountered.

It was evident from the mere seven points of kill value contributed by the opponent, how exceedingly weak it was.

With one slash, the demon was slain.

The street before him instantly returned to normal.

Shen Changqing sheathed his saber and quickly walked toward the government office.

Given that the demon had appeared in Lin'an City and dared to ambush him, it was clear that his original conjecture was correct.

The Eternal Alliance not only sent some demons to seize demon blood but also dispatched other demons to attack Lin'an City.

The purpose of the attack on Lin'an City,

Shen Changqing thought, was likely to be two-fold.

First, for the ten thousand civilians in Lin'an City.

Second, for revenge.

After all, two demon humans and several demons had died at his hands; how could the Eternal Alliance swallow this humiliation?

When Shen Changqing arrived at the government office, he found the main gate closed, but the inside was brightly lit.

"Someone, open the gate for this official!"

Shen Changqing called out sternly.

As he spoke,

the tightly closed gate slowly opened.

A constable cautiously poked his head out, and upon seeing Shen Changqing's face, his expression immediately relaxed.

"The大人 has returned!"

The main gate was fully opened.

A group of constables poured out from inside.

Shen Changqing stepped into the government office and, looking at the gathered constables, said calmly, "Have Shi Qingsheng and Zhang Yue come to the inner hall to see me. The rest of you stay in the government office and await my orders."

"Yes!"

The constables nodded in response.

In the inner hall,

Shen Changqing sat at the head of the table, and Shi Qingsheng and Zhang Yue arrived together.

"大人!"

"What has happened in the city?"

Shen Changqing asked, looking at their faces.

Both Shi Qingsheng and Zhang Yue had tense expressions.

Upon hearing this,

Zhang Yue was the first to salute: "Report to the大人, not long after you left, some abnormalities were discovered in the city. Some people found that the road never seemed to end, while others found themselves circling in the same spot.

I suspect that demons are causing mischief, so I arranged for all the constables to stand by in the government office.

We await the大人's return to make further decisions!"

After Zhang Yue finished speaking,

Shi Qingsheng spoke up: "大人, did you encounter any abnormalities on your way back?"

"This time, the upheaval of the earth has attracted many demons. When I returned, I was also confused by a demon, but I have already slain it. From the current situation, it is clear that demons have already infiltrated the city.

Moreover, the demons that have infiltrated the city are certainly not just one or two.

Immediately issue my order to close all four city gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my permission."

Shen Changqing's expression turned cold.

From Zhang Yue's description, it was clear that the number of demons in the city was not just one or two.

However,

these demons could only simply confuse people, and their strength was limited.

But he could not be 100% sure that all the demons that had infiltrated the city were weak.

As Zhang Yue was about to leave to carry out the order, Shen Changqing stopped him.

"There are many demons in the city now. Ordinary constables have no chance of standing up to them. Collect all roosters that have lived for more than three years in the city."

Seeing the confusion on their faces,

Shen Changqing patiently explained: "Roosters are yang creatures. Their blood, while not 100% effective against demons, can still have some effect.

If you encounter any unusual situations, sprinkle some rooster blood to break the illusion and give you a chance to escape.

Of course, you cannot expect to kill demons with rooster blood; it is useless for that."

"Your subordinate will comply!"

Zhang Yue saluted solemnly and turned to leave.

Then,

Shen Changqing's gaze fell on Shi Qingsheng, wanting to say something but shook his head.

"You have nothing more to say, just stay alive!"

What could a scholar, who couldn't even tie a chicken, do?

While some great scholars could use righteous qi to suppress demons, Shi Qingsheng clearly couldn't reach that level.

Last time, he survived the demon attack on the government office by luck.

This time,

it would all depend on Shi Qingsheng's luck.

Hearing this,

Shi Qingsheng smiled bitterly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Excellency. I know what to do!"

He knew his own limitations.

Facing demons, he wouldn't even be a burden.

After a few moments,

Zhang Yue had collected many roosters and, following Shen Changqing's instructions, slaughtered them to collect their blood. The blood was placed in bottles, and each constable carried about ten to eight bottles of rooster blood.

In the outer hall of the government office,

the constables gathered there, each holding a torch. Some showed fear on their faces, while others were resolute.

Last time, the government office was attacked, and many constables died. Shen Changqing had recruited many more constables since then.

Now,

the number of constables in the government office had increased to over forty.

Shen Changqing stood before them all, his expression solemn: "There are some things I won't repeat. I will only say one thing: the food and salary you receive come from the taxes of the people.

On a daily basis, the people support you, which is their duty. But when danger arises, you must stand at the forefront to protect the people, which is also your duty."

In the outer hall, only Shen Changqing's voice echoed.

"Now that demons are attacking Lin'an City, I need you to do several things. First, immediately seal all four city gates and prevent anyone from entering or leaving.

Second, patrol the city and inspect the situation. If you discover any abnormalities, report them immediately, and I will personally deal with the demons.

As for the use of the rooster blood, I have already instructed you. Each of you has limited resources, so use them only in critical situations. The consequences of exhausting them are self-evident."

After speaking,

Zhang Yue saluted and said solemnly: "Your Excellency, rest assured. If demons disrupt Lin'an, I will not retreat even at the cost of my life!"

"Good, let's go!"

Shen Changqing waved his hand, and Zhang Yue led all the constables away.

Instantly,

the government office became much emptier.

"Your Excellency, do you have the confidence to deal with those demons?" Shi Qingsheng, standing beside him, appeared calm but had an uncontrollable fear in his eyes.

He was just an ordinary person.

Facing demons, which were far beyond the realm of ordinary people, he instinctively felt fear.

"Confidence?"

Shen Changqing shook his head and sneered: "Who can claim 100% confidence when facing demons? But rest assured, as the magistrate of Lin'an City, I will not let the city fall into the hands of demons."

Unless it was truly impossible!

He silently added in his mind.

After comforting Shi Qingsheng,

Shen Changqing paused and asked, "Is there any powerful weapon in the government office? My saber, which I used to slay demons, has been corroded by their blood and is not as handy."

"Powerful weapons?"

Shi Qingsheng was taken aback and then fell into deep thought.

After a while,

he recalled something.

"Speaking of which, when the Zhao family was raided last time, some weapons were found. They haven't been sold yet, so they are stored in the government office warehouse. Your Excellency can come with me to take a look."

"Alright, lead the way!"

Following Shi Qingsheng, the two quickly arrived at the government office warehouse.

There were stacks of boxes, all sealed with labels, and several weapon racks were placed there.

Pointing to the weapon racks,

Shi Qingsheng said, "Your Excellency, these are the weapons currently stored in the warehouse. Take a look."

Hearing this,

Shen Changqing approached the racks and picked up a long saber. It was neither too light nor too heavy, and when he drew the blade, the surface looked somewhat white.

He flicked his finger,

and a clear, pleasant sound rang out.

The blade shook violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing could only shake his head helplessly.

He sheathed the long saber and put it back, then looked at other weapons.

After a moment,

the two left the warehouse.

There were many weapons there, but they were all for show, looking good but having no practical use.

Shen Changqing was afraid that a single forceful strike would break them.

Compared to the weapons equipped by the Demon Suppression Bureau, they were several levels lower.

Even though his current saber was corroded by demon blood, it was still much more useful than those weapons.

Back in the inner hall,

Shen Changqing sat alone, with a basin of water beside him. His long saber, which had been unsheathed, was placed on the side.

He held a wet cloth in one hand and the long saber in the other, as if cleaning the corroded blade.

At critical moments,

he always needed to do something to calm his mind.

Cleaning the saber

was one of those methods.

The clear water wiped over the blade, unable to remove the corrosion marks, but it gradually calmed Shen Changqing's mind.

After a long while,

he stopped his actions.

He threw the cloth into the basin, and the pitted blade seemed to shine a bit more.

"Now, only you can help me a little!"

Looking at the long saber, Shen Changqing's face showed a slight smile, which, under the candlelight, seemed somewhat cold and stern.

The long saber was unsheathed.

Blood would surely be shed tonight.

Shi Qingsheng had been sent back to rest, and now, in Lin'an City, the only one who could fight the demons was himself.