The old brother thought he was doomed, but just as the claw dripping with green murky substance was about to reach his chest, someone leaped from behind him and severed the female demon’s hand with one sword strike.

Only then did he wail loudly: “Save me! Save me!”

Shen Qiyuan grabbed him by the collar, stepped forward with one palm strike, and the demon called Wuyou instantly dissolved into a pool of green water.

He dragged the man and turned around, continuing to chase after the laborers who had run elsewhere.

Two hundred people were quite a lot—when they scattered, it was like spilled mung beans. Shen Qiyuan was clever; instead of catching them one by one, he released his divine consciousness to search for demonic energy, then conjured countless snow-white vines from the air to entangle those demons intent on killing.

The surroundings were illuminated by this snow-white light, the leaves returned to green, and the golden crow broke through the clouds above.

Shen Qiyuan took the opportunity to leap into the air, pricked his fingertip, and offered a drop of his blood.

Divine blood was incomparably sweet—obtaining it would grant longevity equal to the Azure God.

All the Wuyou female demons around stopped their hunting, slowly gathering in one place. Their tattered, shapeless bodies gradually melted and merged, finally transforming into a ten-zhang-tall great demon. Its hollow eyes stared at Shen Qiyuan as its tongue licked its lips.

The two hundred laborers had already fled far away. Shen Qiyuan no longer held back, drew his demon-slaying sword, and with darkened eyes, met the challenge head-on.

Ruyi was strolling through the streets with a newly favored young man.

The young man had red lips and white teeth, with graceful and magnificent features, but his spending was rather ruthless. All along the way, he bought either furniture from Zhonghe District or decorations from Ningxiang Garden. He Tinglan, who accompanied them, frowned continuously: “He’s too greedy. Won’t the shopkeeper manage this?”

Ruyi played with the jade piece in her hand, saying carelessly: “This small amount doesn’t matter.”

“But he’s not worth so much silver,” Tinglan shook her head.

“He’s not worth it,” Ruyi blinked, “but he pleased me today, and my pleasure is worth this much silver.”

Could it be calculated this way? Tinglan was dumbstruck.

The young man selected another treasure and turned back to smile at her.

Ruyi raised her chin and smiled back at him. Just as she was about to throw money around, she heard a strange whistling sound from the sky.

She suddenly turned around.

Black birds flew up in flocks from outside the city’s suburbs. On what should have been a clear day, light rain began falling only over that area outside the city.

Something seemed wrong.

She casually stuffed the banknotes out and immediately ran toward the city outskirts.

Wuyou were demons that had cultivated for over a hundred years. As long as they didn’t encounter very powerful Taoists, they could preserve their lives. Even if they did encounter very powerful Taoists, a dozen Wuyou combining into one great demon could still put up a fight.

What had caused them to be defeated so thoroughly?

Holding up her silk gauze skirt with one hand, Ruyi ran straight toward the city gate. She ran very fast, but at the moment she passed through the gate, someone crossed paths with her path.

Wearing coarse gray cloth with something foul-smelling splattered on the hem, that person walked unhurriedly. His nose bridge was straight and elegant, and the light-colored teardrop mole on his fair skin appeared particularly gentle.

His beautiful profile crossed paths with hers. Ruyi stopped in her tracks: “Stop!”

Shen Qiyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard, continuing to walk into the city.

But the next instant, she caught up and grabbed his wrist.

“You killed Wuyou?” Ruyi’s expression was rarely serious. “Such small demons—was it worth your intervention?”

He glanced sideways, looking calmly into her eyes: “Should demon-slaying be divided by size?”

Ruyi laughed in anger.

With people coming and going at the city gate, she pulled him closer and said through gritted teeth in a low voice: “Very well, then I shouldn’t divide Taoists by strength when killing them either.”

Shen Qiyuan glanced at her fingers pressed against his wrist and slightly pursed his lips: “If you don’t want your household registration anymore, go ahead and kill. But I must remind the shopkeeper—once you lose your registration, you’re no longer a good citizen, and I can kill you without following Great Qian’s laws.”

As long as she acted personally, he would find evidence. If she still used others’ hands, the Taoists in this city weren’t so easy to deal with either.

Ruyi suddenly pushed him away, flipped out a handkerchief, and carefully wiped her fingers: “Then let’s each rely on our abilities.”

“Rather than discussing how to rely on abilities, the shopkeeper’s actions are suspicious. Please come with me to the Ministry of Justice first,” he said with lowered eyes in a calm voice. “I suspect you’re in collusion with those demons outside the city.”

“Suspect?” Ruyi laughed strangely. “Where’s the evidence?”

“Based on what you just said,” Shen Qiyuan replied. “Why would an ordinary woman be concerned about demons?”

As he spoke, silver chains flew out from his sleeves and locked around her wrist.

There were people all around, and seeing the strange behavior between these two, they all looked over. Ruyi saw the chains and knew trouble was brewing. As he locked her up, she immediately moved closer to him and used her long sleeves to hide the chains.

“Lord Shen,” she smiled through gritted teeth, “my restaurant’s business has only been good for two days, and you’re locking me up and taking me to the yamen based on one sentence in broad daylight?”

“I found some human belongings on Wuyou’s body,” Shen Qiyuan looked back at her calmly. “If even one of these items is related to you, then the shopkeeper shouldn’t worry about the restaurant—worry about yourself first.”

“What if none of them are related to me?” she asked.

How could they not be related to her? This time, Wuyou’s killing was obviously at her instigation—that’s what Shen Qiyuan thought.

However, the light in this person’s eyes was too frank, so frank that it made him somewhat doubtful.

Liu Ruyi wasn’t someone who would deny responsibility for the death. Things she had done, she would always admit generously. Could he have been wrong? Was Wuyou not something she had placed in the city outskirts to kill people?

This thought only flashed briefly before Shen Qiyuan found it amusing. How had he started making excuses for a demon? The Liu Ruyi he knew was only the former Liu Ruyi who was still cultivating to become a god. How could he predict what this person might do now?

He tightened the chains and led her into the city.

The two walked very close together. To outsiders, they looked like an affectionate, handsome man and beautiful woman, but anyone who got close could feel that in the tiny gap between them blew the icy, bone-chilling wind from a winter mountaintop blew with water mist.

The two continued their “intimate” walk to Taiping District.

“Shopkeeper?” Tinglan had been searching for a long time and finally found her. Running up breathlessly, she said, “Why did you suddenly run off? You scared me into thinking something had happened.”

The newly favored young man also followed. Upon seeing Shen Qiyuan beside her, his brow immediately furrowed as he looked him up and down defensively. Seeing he wore only coarse hemp clothing, the young man snorted lightly and raised his chin: “When did the shopkeeper start liking men this old?”

Before Shen Qiyuan could even see his appearance, he heard these words, and his expression immediately darkened.

Ruyi was greatly amused: “Is he old?”

“He must be at least a full cycle older than me,” the young man said with pursed lips.

Shen Qiyuan couldn’t be bothered to respond to him, but Tinglan beside them pulled the young man back and whispered: “Lord Shen is only twenty years old. Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Twenty years old?” The young man glanced again, his mouth corners tightly pressed: “A twenty-foot bamboo cannot pass as a bamboo shoot—even chewing it would hurt your teeth.”