Human Clan Defender

"There was indeed a trace of Demon Evil near the well."

Shen Changqing nodded slightly.

Just from that faint and indistinct Yin Evil Aura, it was certain that Demon Evil had appeared.

However—

Whether the Demon Evil remained, that was unknown.

At this moment,

Shen Changqing looked at Liu Jian: "Constable Liu, what Realm are you at now?"

Realm?

Liu Jian was stunned for a moment, but quickly recovered, a bit embarrassed on his face.

"Your subordinate is just barely at the Body Tempering Peak now, not yet reaching the stage of True Qi Generation. I make myself a joke before Lord Shen!"

Body Tempering Peak!

Within the Jianghu, it was not exactly that of a powerhouse, yet still much stronger than ordinary people.

To be a constable in Jincheng, that was more than sufficient.

And with Liu Jian's current age, there was a high probability he could achieve True Qi Generation in the future, ascending to the Pulse Condensation Realm.

Such an accomplishment, truthfully, was not poor.

In the past—

Liu Jian would not have felt inferior about his own strength.

But before a mighty figure like Shen Changqing, Body Tempering Peak was somewhat difficult to speak of.

Upon hearing this—

Shen Changqing did not reveal any unusual reaction, only smiled faintly: "Constable Liu, do not belittle yourself. In my opinion, there should be no problem for you to attain Pulse Condensation in the future.

There are many experts in the Jianghu, but to reach Pulse Condensation is to be already most formidable.

Since you have not yet broken through to Pulse Condensation, best to remain here for now. Should Demon Evil truly be hiding in the well, it would not be easy to handle—"

Those words—

Shen Changqing phrased it very tactfully.

On the other hand, Liu Jian understood the meaning between the lines.

It was nothing more than his strength being too low; if Demon Evil did attack, he would be the one sacrificed as cannon fodder.

At this,

He did not feel insulted, but instead understood the kindness in Shen Changqing's words, showing gratitude on his face.

"Please rest assured, Lord Shen, your subordinate knows what to do."

"Good."

Shen Changqing nodded, saying nothing more.

Looking at the well before him, he walked forward.

The closer he drew,

that faint Yin Evil Aura became steadily more apparent.

When he had drawn right to the edge, the Yin Aura was already most intense, lowering the surrounding temperature considerably.

Yet the drop in temperature hardly affected Shen Changqing.

Relying only on the surging Essence Blood of his flesh, he was entirely unafraid of the cold.

"Such dense Yin Aura!"

Shen Changqing's expression grew solemn.

The density of this Yin Aura made it highly likely Demon Evil still lurked within the well.

He lowered his head to peer down, the depths were bottomless, from which flowed a cooling breath.

For quite some time—

The well gave not the slightest stir.

Shen Changqing withdrew his gaze and left the well's perimeter.

"What did you find?"

"Though the Yin Evil Aura is heavy, I detected no trace of Demon Evil—it is highly probable it no longer exists here. Let us look elsewhere."

Shen Changqing shook his head.

At this,

Liu Jian clearly looked relieved, yet also somewhat disappointed.

"That Demon Evil having escaped, one wonders where else it will now plague the people."

"No need to worry—should the Demon Evil dare cause havoc elsewhere, it will inevitably face retribution by others."

Shen Changqing offered a word of comfort.

Seeing this,

Liu Jian no longer dwelled on it.

At that, the two departed the well and made their way elsewhere.

After half a day—

Liu Jian escorted Shen Changqing almost around the entirety of Jincheng.

Regrettably—

They did not find a single Demon Evil.

Leaving another incident site, Liu Jian halted.

"Lord Shen, by night there are only a few locations where Demon Evil is suspected to have killed—they are just these. I must now return to the Yamen to make my report. Does Lord Shen wish to accompany me, or do you have other plans?"

"Constable Liu, you go ahead. I have also walked for quite some time and feel a bit tired—I'll take the chance to rest."

"Very well, your subordinate will take his leave then!"

Constable Liu cupped his fists and left.

On the other side,

Shen Changqing glanced at the sky and went toward Tianyi Tower.

Returning to Tianyi Tower,

He had someone draw him a basin of hot water and immediately had the store waiter in disguise as a Heavenly Inspection Guard inform that he wished an audience with Zhong Chi.

Soon after—

Zhong Chi entered, pushing open the door.

"Lord Shen."

"Lord Zhong, you have come."

Upon seeing Zhong Chi, Shen Changqing wrung out his towel, wiped the water from his face, and then tossed the towel into the basin.

He sat down at the table.

Poured himself a cup of tea.

"Has word reached the Demon-Subduing Division?"

"The report has already been made, but the Capital City is far from the Great Wilderness Prefecture, there is no way for news to reach them in the short term."

Zhong Chi was momentarily taken aback; he thought Shen Changqing summoned him for other matters.

Upon hearing this,

Shen Changqing shook his head: "I am not speaking of the Capital Demon Suppression Division, but of the Demon-Subduing Division within the Great Wilderness Prefecture."

"The Demon-Subduing Division in the Great Wilderness Prefecture?"

Zhong Chi's expression changed subtly but after a brief hesitation, he answered,

"If Lord Shen were not in Jincheng, the Demon-Subduing Division in the Great Wilderness Prefecture would surely dispatch experts to deal with this Demon Evil incident.

But since you are present, unless the situation goes utterly out of control, I don't imagine the Great Wilderness Prefecture's Demon-Subduing Division will take further action.

After all, every year the Great Wilderness Prefecture Demon-Subduing Division endures heavy attrition—the number of experts it can send is extremely limited."

"Endures heavy attrition?"

Shen Changqing's face showed a trace of surprise.

"How many Demon-Subduing Divisions are in the Great Wilderness Prefecture?"

"At present, there are three Demon-Subduing Divisions in the Great Wilderness Prefecture, but the experts within cannot compare to those of the Capital City.

The Great Wilderness Prefecture is vast, but true talent is rare.

For many years the Demon-Subduing Division here has always tried to recruit local talents, but those actually cultivated to high achievement are few indeed.

Further, constant local war and unrest only worsens their losses. To date, even adding together all three of our Demon-Subduing Divisions, they fall short of even half the strength of the Capital's Division."

Zhong Chi gave a sigh.

Though all Demon-Subduing Divisions, that in the Capital was without doubt the strongest.

By comparison,

The Great Wilderness Prefecture's Divisions were pitifully lacking.

But it could not be helped.

After all, the Capital's Division was the fountainhead of all such offices in Great Qin; many local Division experts hailed from the Capital—their foundation was naturally unmatched elsewhere.

Beyond this,

Constant warfare in the Great Wilderness Prefecture was itself a grave problem.

Having said this,

Zhong Chi paused, then continued, "And by reports from the Heavenly Inspection Guard within the Great Wilderness Prefecture, the chaos is not unique to Jincheng—other cities too face Demon Evil unrest to greater or lesser degree.

Almost as if by prior arrangement, the outbreaks erupted at nearly the same time.

Some cities' defenses were weak, causing many casualties.

Compared to Jincheng, their losses are already considered light.

For these reasons, the Demon-Subduing Divisions of the Great Wilderness Prefecture have almost all dispatched their experts elsewhere—they have no manpower left to spare for Jincheng's situation."

Upon hearing this—

Shen Changqing finally understood why, after two days, there had been no move from the Great Wilderness Prefecture's Divisions.

Though the Capital City was far away,

Surely the local Divisions of the Prefecture would not be distant from Jincheng.

Yet even now,

No experts from the Great Wilderness had arrived—it was plain they had other priorities.

Combining this with Zhong Chi's words, Shen Changqing realized the situation of the Prefecture Divisions was not so optimistic.

"Does Lord Zhong know how many Defender Envoys remain now in the Great Wilderness Prefecture's Demon-Subduing Divisions?"

Defender Envoy—

It was the Defender Envoy that anchored each Demon-Subduing Division's power.

At this,

Zhong Chi shook his head: "Matters at the Defender Envoy level are beyond my rank to know. All I am certain of is each Division has its own Envoy, stationed in important regions of the Prefecture.

As for their precise numbers, I cannot say."

"Thank you, Lord Zhong, for clarifying my doubts."

Shen Changqing nodded, ceasing his inquiry on the subject, and changed the topic.

"Regarding the Demon Evil in Jincheng, has the Heavenly Inspection Guard any new information?"

"We have only confirmed that two Demon Evil factions operate in Jincheng. One comes from the Eternal Alliance—which needs no elaboration. The other, for now, we have not discovered its origin. More time is still needed.

Last night, your duel with the demonfolk of the Eternal Alliance inflicted a painful setback on them.

So long as Lord Shen stays in Jincheng, unless they are completely confident, the Eternal Alliance is unlikely to act rashly."

Zhong Chi offered a calm analysis.

Even as he spoke, he could not hide his genuine admiration for Shen Changqing's strength.

To cow the demonfolk of Eternal Alliance by his own power—such things were beyond most men.

After this,

Zhong Chi paused, then added,

"Furthermore, Xu Yi and several other Probationary Demon Hunters were found about a hundred li toward the Capital from Jincheng—their Essence Blood completely drained, confirmed as Demon Evil's work.

For several Pulse Condensation Warriors to be unable to escape and end up drained dry, it is highly possible the culprit is a Resentment Level Monster."

Shen Changqing's expression remained calm.

From the moment Xu Yi and the others went missing, their fate was virtually sealed.

Now that their deaths were confirmed, it was but as expected.

"I understand."

Shen Changqing answered flatly.

At this, Zhong Chi said nothing more, rose, and excused himself.

Soon.

Night fell.

Shen Changqing remained in his room, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Bong!

Bong!!

The sound of the watchman on the streets drifted in, and Shen Changqing opened his tightly closed eyes.

Though last night, all the watchmen had died to Demon Evil,

The city could not do without them—no matter how many perished, replacements were always found.

As long as the pay was sufficient,

Some townsfolk could suppress their fear of Demon Evil for money.

Opening the window,

by the moonlight, he saw the departing figure of the watchman. Shen Changqing jumped out the window, landing in the street.

After orienting himself, he set off toward the well visited by day.

At this moment,

inside the empty well, a black shadow with long tangled hair—its features indistinct—was drawing water, clutching a rope and pulling it up inch by inch from the darkness below.

No matter how the shadow pulled, the rope seemed endless; no water ever came up.

Time,

seemed trapped in a perpetual loop like this.