Lying in bed, Shen Yi tried to channel his internal energy along the mysterious trajectory.
Soon after, a dense sensation of being drained engulfed him as if he were trying to swallow the ocean, while he had only a small pond... no, just a cup of water.
This sensation was too frightening, and Shen Yi quickly ceased the circulation of his energy.
He finally experienced the helplessness he had suffered during the martial arts extrapolation.
An Initial Realm Warrior's speed in absorbing the energy of heaven and earth was very slow.
The internal energy in the Twelve Major Orifices was more like principal savings, with only the interest needed for sustaining the use of basic martial arts on a daily basis.
Even the Blood Fiend Blade Technique, an extraordinary Initial Realm martial art, consumed very little internal energy.
But once the consumption was too great, equivalent to damaging the foundation, it required a long time to recover.
In this extrapolation, each use of the Four Harmonies True Gang would waste several years of accumulation, a torture beyond human endurance for an ordinary warrior.
Shen Yi remembered the previous conversion of internal energy into Jade Dew.
No wonder it was necessary to condense the energy of heaven and earth into liquid; otherwise, how could one bear it.
"Could it be that after training it, I dare not use it, only to treat it as a desperate killing move, and then wait for death upon using it?"
Shen Yi's eyebrows knit together slightly, then he seemed to remember something.
He looked at the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution on the panel.
This thing had never yielded any results in the extrapolations, and no matter how much demon lifespan was poured into it, there was no reaction, just like a bottomless pit swallowing gold.
Only knowing how to dumbly demand the energy from heaven and earth.
At this thought, Shen Yi's brows unfurled, finding this quite convenient; he could not only cover his own consumption but also attempt to deduce something new, getting two goods for the price of one.
Based on previous experience, refilling the Twelve Major Orifices once would take about five years' time.
If it were his own life, it definitely wouldn't be worth it, especially since after breaking through the Initial Realm, he had only forty-six years of lifespan left. However, using the lifespan of demons to address the urgent need and then searching for a way to advance was still feasible.
[Remaining demon lifespan: Three hundred and ninety-one years]
Shen Yi suppressed the urge to go out and try it right away, forcing himself to close his eyes.
Knowing the full extent of a move's power was important, but there was no need to disrupt people's peaceful dreams in the middle of the night. That would be rather unscrupulous.
Perhaps because he hadn't slept the night before, he fell asleep very quickly today.
The flatbreads here were warm, the salty meat had texture, the bed was hard, the woman was soft; everything felt so real.
Images of mutilated corpses and demons devouring flesh and blood flashed through his mind.
Shen Yi unconsciously clenched his fingers; surrounded by various martial arts, he no longer had to numb his thoughts with the notion that "this life is picked up," and likewise, he found the courage to draw his blade against demons.
Relying on the excuse of being on the brink of death to act recklessly and fiercely was indeed useful, but it didn't last long.
Living a second life, it feels like waking up from a big dream.
When the roosters crowed, Shen Yi opened his eyes punctually, stepped outside to breathe in the morning dew, feeling refreshed, clear-headed, and relaxed.
"You're up so early today?"
Lin Baiwei stretched out her body, walking into the house from the backyard, curiously looking outside.
Shen Yi turned his head, his eyes unusually filled with a trace of smile.
"Did you find money, or what?" Lin Baiwei shook her head in suspicion.
Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and went back to the room to change into clean clothes.
Counting the days, there are still more than twenty days until the Demon-suppression Bureau's inspection.
Using this time to review and address any shortcomings, securing a good position shouldn't be a problem.
With my current strength, I have more than enough to protect myself in Baiyun County, but there's always the fear of the unexpected.
Take Lin Baiwei, for example, who could easily copy out Jade Liquid Realm Martial Arts. This is different from simply possessing a martial arts manual; the former indicates that the person has personally practiced it.
Before her acupoints were sealed, she must have been much stronger than my current self.
Bad luck, it seems, is something one can't escape.
With such a lesson constantly before my eyes, Shen Yi couldn't afford not to be cautious.
To survive in this chaotic world, joining a respectable force is unquestionably the best choice, ensuring security in both martial arts and resources.
Even if one day you were captured by demons, they might hesitate because of your background, giving you a chance to turn things around.
Shen Yi went out to buy two servings of breakfast and brought them back.
After finishing them in just a few bites, he headed toward the office.
Walking on the road, Shen Yi suddenly slowed his pace and glanced to the side.
The young man holding the sugar figure pole smiled and said humbly, "Sir, do you also have a taste for sweets? Why not try a couple of skewers?"
Shen Yi shook his head and resumed walking, "Sorry, I didn't bring any silver with me."
A martial master selling sugar figures is not something I dare to consume.
As for why he appeared in Baiyun County, Shen Yi didn't want to ask too much. He was just an official dealing with demons, not city management.
There were plenty of people coming and going; maybe every day there were several odd encounters.
It was just that, previously, his eyesight wasn't enough to discern them.
Shen Yi stepped into the office compound on time and saw Zhang the Butcher training a few people early in the morning. Zhang Dahua rubbed his waist and ran off in a flurry, picking up a blade, "I... I... I'm going on patrol..."
Zhang the Butcher didn't bother to hassle the slacker, "He's older and his prospects aren't great. The rest of you, don't be lazy... You dare glare at me! Ungrateful thing, if you get into the Demon-suppression Bureau, your parents will bring cured meat to thank me."
As he spoke, he kicked twice at the waist of the Niu brothers, "Raise your hands higher, a fine Demon-subduing Sword Technique is being performed by you two like it's some grand opera."
"I'm happy with my job as an official; I have no desire to climb the ladder. Dealing with demons means risking your life," Niu Er complained, gritting his teeth.
"You two have been comfortable for too long," Zhang the Butcher scoffed. "Just five months ago, Sanshui County was taken over by the Demon-suppression Bureau. Over a dozen Colonels were sent to oversee the place, and in three days, they swept through the demon mountain, over two hundred soldiers died, and more than eighty demons were slain. You think it's like here, where the commoners die in front of officials?"
"The compensation given for death was merely forty taels of silver, but if you're associated with the Demon-suppression Bureau's name, even as just a reserve, that amount of silver is nothing but two months' subsidy for you."
Hearing this, the Niu brothers silently did their calculations and the hands that wielded their blades grew stronger.
"They're recruiting ordinary officials too?" Shen Yi entered the yard, curious.
"If not, why would I pass down three styles of Demon-subduing martial arts?" Zhang the Butcher saw him and smiled, "As long as within the stipulated time, if you attain minor achievement in all three or major achievement in one, you have a chance to be selected. At most, it'll take twenty years for them to soak these people into the Initial Realm using medicinal baths."
"Do you know how terrifying it is to continuously produce Initial Realm Martial Masters like harvesting rice?"
Zhang the Butcher spoke more and more enviously, as if he resented the Demon-suppression Bureau's extravagance.
"If there are really so many people, why do they still look short-handed?" Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"You've never harvested rice? It grows in batches and falls in batches," Zhang the Butcher rolled his eyes and made a cutting gesture on his neck with his palm, then continued,
"If someone has even better aptitude, like the demon catcher who was accepted as a disciple by the Demon-suppression Bureau Qingzhou Zongbing ten years ago—ten years! While I was still standing post, practicing punches, and carrying water, she was eating Precious Medicines like meals. She reached the complete stage of Jade Liquid Realm and wielded qi as her sword, slaughtering demons as if they were pigs and dogs."
"Sss, a bastard?" Even the composed Shen Yi couldn't help but be astonished.
"If only it were a bastard," Zhang the Butcher suddenly looked much more downcast and waved his hand, "You don't understand about catching demons. Those who eat the fullest meals also receive the harshest beatings. It requires not only exceptional talent but also a steady mind and the endurance for loneliness and hardships."
"Traveling thousands of miles alone to hunt for demons and investigate secrets, acting as eyes and ears for the Demon-suppression Bureau–half of the Suspended Demon Orders in the Great Qian Dynasty were taken down by them."