Chapter 2

The news that the statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor had its eyeballs fall out and bleed quickly spread throughout the Luocheng Demon-Suppression Bureau.

This was an unprecedented event, and people, shocked, rushed to see for themselves.

Even Zhu Xiuzai and Ma Heshang, among others, went along with the crowd, eager to join in the commotion.

They also invited Qin Shao You, but he didn't dare to go.

"Could the statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor shedding its eyeballs and bleeding be because of me?"

After his subordinates left, Qin Shao You tiptoed to the door, peered cautiously in the direction of the main hall, and felt very conflicted.

Fortunately, although everyone was speculating and discussing the matter, no one suspected Qin Shao You.

The reasoning was simple: if Qin Shao You were truly problematic, the statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor would have shown a warning when he offered incense, and it certainly wouldn't have accepted his offerings.

Moreover, the statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor in the Luocheng Demon-Suppression Bureau was at least a mystic-level supernatural item. For it to shed its eyeballs and bleed, it must have been due to something extremely sinister.

Qin Shao You was merely a ninth-rank blood qi warrior; how could he have such power?

By indirectly probing, Qin Shao You understood everyone's thoughts and felt relieved.

Xue Qingshan immediately dispatched a large number of patrols and scouts to investigate the situation in various counties.

He believed that the statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor shedding its eyeballs and bleeding was definitely a warning of a major event!

And he was right.

Half an hour later, a fast horse galloped into the Luocheng Demon-Suppression Bureau.

The rider was covered in wounds and blood, bringing a shocking message:

"In the Fangting County under Luocheng, Black Lotus Sect demons are causing chaos, burning, killing, and looting villages, and even driving corpses to attack the county town!"

"The statue of the Nine Heavens Demon-Sweeping Ancestor shedding its eyeballs and bleeding must have been a warning about this!"

Everyone made their judgments and immediately requested to join Xue Qingshan in battle.

In his memory, Qin Shao You recalled information about the Black Lotus Sect:

This was an extremely evil cult that advocated chaos and killing as a form of cultivation.

They even claimed that killing enough people could lead to enlightenment, achieving the status of Arhat, Bodhisattva, or even Buddha.

In this era of frequent disasters, corrupt officials, and rampant demons, the Black Lotus Sect attracted many desperate individuals, causing chaos and aiming to turn the world into a Black Lotus Buddhist Kingdom soaked in blood.

The Demon-Suppression Bureau always suppressed such cults with overwhelming force, showing no mercy!

This time was no exception.

Xue Qingshan immediately gathered his forces and personally led them to Fangting County.

He did not take Qin Shao You with him.

Suppressing a cult was a great achievement, but it also carried significant risks. He didn't want Qin Shao You to get into trouble again so soon after returning to the bureau, or his wife would surely kill him.

Qin Shao You was satisfied with this arrangement. Fighting and killing were not suitable for him now; it was better to focus on his development.

While Qin Shao You slacked off at work, he was very dedicated to his cultivation.

He knew that in this world of rampant demons, without sufficient strength, it was hard to survive just by being cautious.

Even if you didn't provoke demons, they might still come after you.

Especially for a handsome man like him, who knew how many female ghosts and demons would be interested in him? He needed to build up his strength to protect himself.

Qin Shao You not only honed his blood qi and practiced his sword techniques but also sought advice from colleagues skilled in light body techniques.

His thinking was simple: if he encountered a demon he couldn't defeat, he needed to ensure he could run away. At least, he needed to run faster than the people around him.

His colleagues were very cooperative with his inquiries.

Who wouldn't be, given that he had a brother-in-law who was a hundred-household official?

Time quickly passed to evening, and Xue Qingshan and his team had not returned.

However, according to the patrols, Xue Qingshan and his team had arrived in Fangting County and defeated the Black Lotus Sect demons attempting to attack the county town. They were now pursuing and expanding their victory, burning the demon-infested corpses.

The smooth progress of the battle relieved everyone who remained behind.

At the end of the workday, after finishing his cultivation, Qin Shao You called Zhu Xiuzai, Ma Heshang, and others to the Chunlan Wine House for a drink to improve their relationship.

Initially, Zhu Xiuzai and Ma Heshang were somewhat reluctant.

It wasn't that they had any issues with Qin Shao You, but such banquets usually followed the unwritten rule that the superior invited the guests, and the subordinates paid the bill.

They thought this would be the case, but to their surprise, Qin Shao You paid the bill himself, without asking them to contribute.

This greatly increased their goodwill towards Qin Shao You, and they all felt that this new leader was quite good.

Qin Shao You aimed for this effect.

He needed to build a good relationship with his subordinates, as he might need their help in the future.

After a pleasant evening, as they left the Chunlan Wine House, Zhu Xiuzai, with a red face, patted his chest and said, "Sir, rest assured, I will bring all my cherished pornographic books to you tomorrow for your critical review!"

A strongman also joined in, burping, "Sir, what's the point of criticizing pornographic books? Next month, when we receive our salaries, I'll take you to Cat Catching Alley to dance the Sand Dance and find real people for a deeper critique. The people in those books, no matter how beautiful, are fake and can't even come out to play with you."

Qin Shao You was about to agree when Ma Heshang recited a Buddhist chant and scolded the strongman, "After drinking a bit of horse urine, you've forgotten your own name? Is Sir the kind of person to go to Cat Catching Alley? Don't forget, in the daytime, Sir said that beauty is like a wolf and should not be touched."

Qin Shao You felt a bit awkward. He wanted to tell Ma Heshang that beauty could be touched occasionally.

He also couldn't help but wonder: why did it seem like Ma Heshang knew a lot about Cat Catching Alley?

Zhu Xiuzai also glared at the strongman, scolding him, "Critiquing pornographic books is a refined interest, and Sir is a refined person. If he goes anywhere, it would be to a brothel, not a place like Cat Catching Alley."

The strongman broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly apologized to Qin Shao You, and muttered, "I'd like to go to a brothel too, but I don't have the money. Just to get in, you have to pay for flower tea and wine. You can't even touch anyone, and you're already out several strings of cash. With that money, I could go to Cat Catching Alley seven times in and out."

Qin Shao You understood that Cat Catching Alley was like a hair salon, while a brothel was a high-end club.

He wondered if Cat Catching Alley also had pink lights hanging around.

He also wondered what the high-end brothels were like, with their beautiful and charming women.

"Maybe one day, when I have the money, I'll go to critique these remnants of the old society! But the expenses at a brothel are quite high. I wonder if my handsome face can get me free services like some time-travelers in stories."

After bidding farewell to his subordinates, Qin Shao You walked home, thinking about these things.

He didn't go to Cat Catching Alley, really, he didn't.

In the morning, Qin Shao You had told his parents that he would be treating his colleagues to dinner, so they didn't wait for him and had already eaten.

Seeing him return, Qin Daoren called him over and asked about the day's events at the Demon-Suppression Bureau, then instructed him, "You must learn well from your third brother-in-law."

Qin Shao You nodded in agreement.

Qin Daoren was about to say more, but Qin Lishi, his wife, interjected, "Little Seven has worked hard all day. Can't you let him rest a bit?"

Reluctantly, Qin Daoren swallowed his words and simply said, "Work hard," before adding, "In a few days, I'll also report to the prefectural office."

Thanks to Xue Qingshan's help, he had secured a position as a criminal clerk in the prefectural office.

Although his body couldn't handle demons and evil spirits, he could still handle ordinary cases.

"Are you not going to rest a few more days?" Qin Shao You asked.

Qin Daoren shook his head, "I can't rest any longer. If I rest too much, my body will rust. And reporting to the prefectural office early means getting paid sooner. These days, the cost of living is getting higher and higher. Relying solely on your salary from the Demon-Suppression Bureau might not be enough."

After chatting with his parents for a while and saying goodnight, Qin Shao You didn't go to his room but went to the kitchen to make a dish of demon wolf blood tofu.

At the wine house, he had deliberately left room in his stomach to 'make up' when he returned.

His parents were already used to this.

At first, they had asked, but Qin Shao You had given an excuse, saying it was a secret recipe from a friend that could help heal and restore blood qi. When they saw it was effective, they no longer questioned it and even reminded him not to reveal the secret.

After eating the demon wolf blood tofu, Qin Shao You practiced his sword techniques and body techniques in the courtyard to help the medicine spread throughout his body and strengthen his blood qi.

After finishing, he washed up and returned to his room.

He closed the door, lit a lamp, and took out a pornographic book from his pocket to start a serious critique.

After reading carefully, he realized that this pornographic book told the story of a clerk named Hao Cheng, who, after accidentally gaining leverage over the female shopkeeper, rose to power and bedded the female shopkeeper, female colleagues, and even the female boss.

The exaggerated chest muscles of the characters in the book made Qin Shao You's critique passionate.

"I can't keep reading this."

After finishing the last page, Qin Shao You exhaled and closed the book.

After some consideration, he hid the book deep in a cabinet by the wall to avoid his parents finding it.

Then he blew out the lamp and went to bed, struggling to fall asleep on a hard object.

Time quickly passed to midnight.

The cabinet by the wall suddenly opened, and a pale hand reached out.