Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Amidst the spirited conversation with Zhang the Butcher,

a rough outline of the vast martial world began to take shape in Shen Yi's mind.

The swordsmen of Qingfeng Mountain, with their chivalrous bones and tender hearts, rode swiftly across mountains and rivers to behead an Ox Demon and rescue their beloved, reuniting a family of twenty-odd, and fought viciously at home for three days and nights without stepping outside, their reputation echoing throughout Qingzhou.

The thief of Flat Sand Valley sneaked into Wang Mansion at night, guzzling down the master's favorite wine, and after processing it in his body, urinated it back, earning himself the humorous nickname "Borrow and Return."

A master from Vajra Gate begged for two Maid's Erotic Paintings and secretly hung them on either side of the statue of Buddha, giving the visiting magistrate quite the eye-opener, only to be chased out of Qingzhou with a monk's staff by the abbot, ending up in Baiyun County…

Shen Yi's face wore a strange expression.

Zhang the Butcher smacked his lips, "Anyway, since I've offended them and they've nicked my Martial Medicinal Treasures, I might as well give them a disgusting farewell."

"Makes sense," Shen Yi agreed.

He looked towards the courtyard gate.

All morning, not a single outsider had visited the office.

Although he was not afraid of being held accountable, the fact that the incident with Liu Dianli, the Eunuch Clerk, had passed so lightly, still felt unfamiliar to him.

It was a relief to be free of troubles.

Occasionally, he would engage in idle chatter with Zhang the Butcher or spar for a bit when they had spare time.

His partner was also a martial fanatic. Even knowing full well that Shen Yi was far stronger than himself, the butcher remained brimming with fighting spirit.

Shen Yi limited himself to Cloud-Dispersing Long Fist and Serpentine Eight Steps when sparring, and he had to admit, he learned a great deal.

Proficiency in martial arts and actual combat experience couldn't be discussed in the same breath.

One needed to not only know how to launch one's moves but also to anticipate the opponent's reactions.

While the progress wasn't as quick as extending life by slaying Demonic Beasts, considering that the surroundings of Baiyun County had become too dangerous for demons to venture near, Shen Yi only knew of two demon lairs left: the aged mother of the Green Qilin and the Fox Demon of the North Cliff.

The former was a well-known demon of the Jade Liquid Realm. Setting out alone might mean going to collect life force or to lose one's own life.

He also inquired with Zhang the Butcher about any minor scattered demons.

His question was met with the butcher's puzzled gaze, "Even the street ruffians in the city know to form gangs and carve out territories; otherwise, they won't be able to snatch any riches. If you were a demon, would you let a strange demonic beast hunt on your land? They'd either be taken under control or crushed on the spot."

"Under these circumstances, if a demon were to indeed survive on its own, how could it be an insignificant, unknown small demon?"

"…" Shen Yi dropped the idea for the time being.

Whenever he had a flash of insight, he would return to his room and, under the pretext of drinking water, push forward his understanding of martial arts using the wooden tablet.

At the end of the workday, he would pick up the vegetables and raw meat that Chen Ji had bought for him and head home.

Just like that, five days went by in the blink of an eye.

During this time, the station remained as deserted as if it had been forgotten by everyone, which made Chen Ji somewhat uneasy.

Butcher Zhang, on the other hand, was quite happy. No visitors meant no one was afflicted by demons, so he had the constables patrol the streets more diligently and occasionally check the countryside to prevent any oversights.

"Today we've got water bamboo and lettuce. I took the liberty of having the meat vendor set aside two pounds of lamb ribs for you. This is the change," Chen Ji said, returning from his patrol and placing the items on the table.

"Okay, go on, I'll lock up today," Shen Yi said as he collected the coins and glanced at the reminders on the wooden tablet, feeling a slight sense of joy.

Although the gains of these past few days couldn't compare to those of Four Harmonies True Gang, at least he hadn't spent much life force.

He first merged Serpentine Eight Steps with the mental agility of the Playful Monkey to create a new stepping technique, and after refining it to perfection, he only spent a total of thirty-seven years.

[Initial Realm. Playful Monkey Teases Python (Perfected)]

Compared to Serpentine Eight Steps, this new martial skill was not only faster but also enhanced proficiency with shorter weapons, making it an Initial Realm martial art quite suitable for himself.

Of course, what Shen Yi was most looking forward to was the Blood Fiend Blade Technique, which, after investing more than fifty years, had finally shown some response.

[In the fifty-fourth year, you attempted to refine the Blood Fiend into True Gang, a step extremely perilous, but fortunately, you had perfectly mastered a True Gang technique. Using that as a reference, you vaguely touched upon that threshold.]

If the extrapolation were successful, then you would have "personally" created a Jade Liquid Realm Martial Art, tailored specifically for you after many years of honing.

It's just a pity that the lifespan of the demon wasn't much anymore.

Shen Yi sighed and looked at the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution.

The problem likely lay with the Wind-Thunder Precious Scroll; you had only obtained the upper volume and had used your own crude method of self-mutilation to forcibly deduce a divergent path, using it to break through the Initial Realm. Then, you kept treading further and further down this wrong path.

You stupidly imbued it with the flavor of over a hundred years of lifespan, and still, all you got in return were the words "demanded from heaven and earth."

Not even afraid of tiring out heaven and earth.

[Remaining lifespan of the demon: One hundred eighty-five years.]

"I'll try again tonight, leaving a hundred years as a contingency."

Shen Yi dispersed the panel and left the office with a rack of lamb ribs in hand.

These days, he had tasted various meats that went well with rice, gradually becoming pickier; his opinion of Lin Baiwei's culinary skills had grown higher and higher, which made him willing to spend money on good meat.

Even the salted meat sandwich Chen Ji brought back at noon had become less appealing.

In contrast to the hot soup and rice he enjoyed at home each day, the bland pancakes were a bit hard to swallow, and the meat was too salty.

"It's hard to shift from luxury to frugality."

As he thought about this, Shen Yi felt a slight self-reproach and consequently quickened his pace a bit.

When he arrived in front of his home, he casually pushed open the door.

He didn't see the familiar figure at the back door.

Shen Yi stepped forward with a puzzled look.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around his waist from behind, clasping tight around his abdomen with intertwining fingers.

Familiar white sleeves, delicate wrists, and a faint body scent wafted from behind.

"Why are you only back now?"

A delicate face rested lazily against Shen Yi's arm, misty eyes filled with a hint of reproach. Her lips parted slightly, breath fragrant as orchids, voice soft and coaxing like a whisper, "I missed you."

Shen Yi silently looked down, slightly lifting the rack of lamb in his hand.

Lin Baiwei pressed her heart firmly against his straight back, not even glancing at the lamb ribs, just staring intently at his eyes, "Why aren't you talking? What are you thinking?"

Shen Yi casually let go of the lamb ribs, allowing them to fall to the ground. His voice carried a trace of irritation, "I actually wouldn't mind playing along with you, but your acting is so bad. If you keep pretending you don't know, it makes me look really stupid."

"Also..."

"What else?"

Lin Baiwei's eyes widened as she looked up at him with a radiant smile.

Shen Yi's brows furrowed slightly, disdain in his voice, "The scent of your fox charms has reached me."

As he spoke, his fingers touched the pitch-black handle at his waist, and the dark blade, shining with black luster, unsheathed in an instant. The thick Blood Fiend force accompanied the blade as it poured out.

The blade's wail seemed to be the lament of wronged souls, captivating the mind.

The woman's pupils contracted slightly as she quickly withdrew her arms.

But no matter how fast her response, she couldn't compete with the speed of that Black Blade. In an instant, the sharp Blade Qi tore through her sleeve, cutting open her fair skin.

This heavy and powerful strike aimed to cleave her delicate body in two!

Not until a crisp sound of a bell echoed in the room.

In Shen Yi's vision, two elusive bronze bells appeared, and as they tinkled, the Black Blade seemed to be trapped in a quagmire, stagnating in mid-air.