Chapter 8: The Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll
Chapter 8: The Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll
As Shen Yi strolled through the streets of Bo Yun County, he inquired about the addresses of the young girls one by one.
He dismissed the rest of the constables, mainly because he disliked their notoriety, which didn't align with his own reputation.
Even so, the pedestrians on the street avoided him as if he were a plague.
Shen Yi shook his head and knocked on the dilapidated wooden door before him.
An elderly woman with tearful eyes answered the door, and upon seeing the youth with a slung blade, she instinctively tried to shut the door to hide.
Shen Yi reached out to stop her, then stepped aside. A young girl immediately rushed into the woman's embrace, sobbing with a hoarse voice, "Mother!"
The woman stood there in a daze for a long while, her red and swollen eyes blinking in disbelief. Soon, her nose stung, and she hugged the slender figure tightly, "My child! Those despicable officials!"
Her words suddenly stopped as she realized she had said the wrong thing, stealing a glance at the tall figure in front of her.
However, Shen Yi acted as if he hadn't heard and turned to take two bags of rice flour and a piece of pork from Chen Ji, bending down to place them next to the woman's feet.
"The child has been hungry for a long time and has also been frightened. Go and cook her some meat porridge to nourish her."
Chen Ji carried the flour, his somber expression now tinged with surprise.
The usually cold-faced Shen, their superior, was now bowing with his hands together, a rare apologetic smile on his face, as he gently closed the door for the mother and daughter.
This was unbelievable!
Such a scene played out six more times.
Finally, after sending all the girls home, Shen Yi returned to the street, rubbing his stiffened lips, "...'
Watching his actions, Chen Jinyu couldn't help but chuckle, finding the situation oddly amusing.
It was obvious that Shen wasn't skilled in socializing or apologizing, despite his nonchalant appearance. His entire body was stiff with tension.
"Big brother, is this the new superior at your yamen?"
At her words, Chen Ji silently glanced at his sister, "No, he is Shen Yi."
Hearing this name, Chen Jinyu unconsciously covered her red lips. Although she had never met the owner of this name, it was only because her brother had always protected her. She had, of course, heard of his infamous reputation.
"Stay away from him."
Chen Ji's warning was soft but serious. His thoughts were complicated.
Not only was he puzzled by Shen Yi's transformation, but he also had more pressing matters to deal with.
Now that the girls had been sent home, what about those old monkeys? How would they deal with them?
And at the appointed time, what would Shen Yi use to make amends?
"Sir Shen."
Chen Ji slowly approached, and Shen Yi snapped out of his thoughts, glancing at him casually, "The rest is for your sister. Take it all back."
"That's not what I meant!"
Chen Ji grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn't understand why Shen kept diverting the topic.
It was the same with the dog demon earlier. Did he think that by not talking about these issues, they would cease to exist?
Under Chen Ji's gaze, Shen Yi stood with his hands behind his back. After a moment, he replied calmly, "I don't know."
The simple four-word response caused Chen Ji's expression to darken, "Are you joking with me?"
Shen Yi looked at him calmly.
He was telling the truth.
The current Bo Yun County was already fraught with danger, and it was not a problem that could be solved by a single villain's reformation.
There was the black-skinned dog demon who had suddenly attacked him at the Liu family, the couple, Huang Laoliu and his wife, who had taken residence in the village, and the increasingly demanding ape demons.
They were all blatantly disregarding the unspoken rules established with the Bo Yun County government, treating them as if they were worthless.
This indicated that either the officials' weakness had emboldened the demons, or they were aware of the impending arrival of the Demon Suppression Division and, fearing betrayal, wanted to vent their frustration during this final period.
Shen Yi was just a minor official, lacking the qualifications to communicate with the Demon Suppression Division and, consequently, the ability to turn the situation around.
Whether it was through the panel's deduction or searching within the Demon Suppression Division, the path forward lay in slaying demons.
All Shen Yi could rely on was the long sword in his hand.
"Let's go." Taking a stride forward, he set off.
"Where to?" Chen Ji followed closely, matching his pace.
"To your place for a meal. I'm hungry."
"..."
It was clear that Chen Ji was very reluctant to let Shen Yi into his home.
However, after the events of the day, although he disliked the idea, he reluctantly accepted the situation.
The siblings lived in a house allocated by the yamen.
There was only one bedroom, which was given to Chen Jinyu, and a small firewood room at the back that had been turned into Chen Ji's living quarters.
"Brother, please come in and sit down."
"No need. You go cook." Chen Ji kept his head down as he ushered Shen Yi into the firewood room, pulling out two small stools.
"Isn't this a bit much?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, looking at the stools that were only a foot high. What was the difference between this and sitting on the ground? "Your sister's room is quite spacious, and I'm not a thief. Why are you guarding against me?"
"Just make do with this." Chen Ji walked to the bed, lifted the grass mat, and took out a yellowed piece of paper from underneath.
He closed his eyes, hesitating for a long time as the image of Shen Yi casually killing the dog demon by stabbing it in the back flashed through his mind, contrasting sharply with the apologetic smile he had shown when returning the girls.
"I don't know if you truly had no other choice or if you just didn't want to explain it to me, but I really can't be of much help."
Opening his eyes, Chen Ji handed over the paper, "Here, take this."
"What is this?" Shen Yi asked as he took it.
After a quick glance, his expression gradually changed.
Without waiting for Chen Ji to reply, the panel provided the answer.
【Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, Upper Volume (Uninitiated)】
"Back then, a captain of the Demon Suppression Division sought me out and said that I had quite a talent. In addition to the three martial arts techniques, he wrote down these seventy-eight-character mantras specifically for me."
"This is a method of refining the body through medicine, focusing on the four major aspects of tendons, bones, skin, and flesh. Once fully cultivated, one would reach the peak of a mortal body."
Chen Ji's face held a self-deprecating smile as he continued, "The captain had sharp eyes, but he missed you. I don't know if he saw through your character early on. Unfortunately, in three years, I couldn't even break through the first barrier."
"It's probably of little use to give it to you now, but I don't have anything else that can help... Take your time to read it, and I'll go help with cooking."
Hearing Chen Ji's words, Shen Yi forcibly suppressed his excitement and waved his hand, "Go, go."
There was no problem with what Chen Ji said. Even if it was a profound martial art, it would be of little use to temporarily cram it at the last moment.
However, it was completely different for him.
【Remaining Demon Lifespan: One hundred and ninety-nine years】
Fortunately, he had held back this morning.
Regulating his breathing, Shen Yi followed his usual routine and started with ten years.
Ten years of demon lifespan instantly poured into the Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, and several lines of text quietly appeared.
【Year One: You diligently studied the method of refining the body with medicine, nurturing your body's large tendons with the essence of heaven and earth.】
【Year Three: With no medicine available, you can only obtain minuscule amounts of essence from food, resulting in slow progress.】
【Year Seven: You show signs of breaking through, and your body's large tendons are like dragons, but due to a lack of essence, you can only progress step by step, accumulating over time.】
【Year Ten: You break through the tendon barrier and enter the Wind and Thunder Treasure Scroll, Upper Volume.】
...
(End of Chapter)
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