The night was like a curtain.
The wild boar demon tossed aside the leg bone, its eyes glowing red.
The three pig demons turned towards Qin An, letting out low growls.
The evil aura from the demons shrouded the street, carrying a stench of pig.
The wild boar demon lightly lifted its fan-like hand, calming the pig demons, and teased, "Waited long? Just right, my underlings are hungry, let's have a bite, you don't mind, right?"
Qin An moved two zhang away, shifting his gaze from the floral cloth clothes, and stared at the wild boar demon, saying, "How did you find me?"
No need to say more, they specifically came looking for him, there must be a reason.
The wild boar demon sneered, "I went to the yamen for an explanation, and you are the answer. Though my brother was dull, he was still my brother. Be obedient, and I won't let you suffer."
Qin An understood, the yamen had sold him out.
The wild boar demon wanted the pig killer, and he just happened to have the pig demon aura, wasn't that exactly what the yamen wanted?
As for how to explain that it was the constable who killed the pig demon but blamed it on him...
Explain?
Explain my ass.
About to be eaten, still explaining, pretentious!
"Come on." Qin An slowly raised the sharp knife.
The wild boar demon reached inside its bloody mouth with its fan-like hand.
Gripped in its hand was a pitch-black wolf fang club, with crimson bits of flesh on it.
"Lads, prepare, today slaughter this man," it commanded.
The three pig demons raised their arms in chorus, "Long live grandfather!"
"Sss!"
The sound of penetrating flesh echoed, and a bright knife blade protruded from the mouth of the pig demon.
Qin An slowly withdrew the bloodied knife, wiped the blood on the pig demon's back: "I'm not your grandfather."
The remaining two pig demons felt their hair stand on end, their gaze at Qin An filled with fear.
The wild boar demon was momentarily stunned, each black hair stood on end: "Beast seeking death!"
The wolf fang club, whistling with a fierce wind, carrying a stench, came swooping towards Qin An's head.
It wanted to smash Qin An to bits with a single swing!
Just a mere butcher, dared to kill its offspring, it wanted to flay Qin An alive.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal clashing rang out, the sharp knife violently collided with the wolf fang club, sparks flying.
The wild boar demon froze.
This butcher actually caught its wolf fang club.
Its strength was exceptionally powerful, even a Qi Storage Realm cultivator wouldn't dare to parry it.
Yet the other had caught it.
A cold sensation spread through the wolf fang club, coursing through the entire body of the wild boar demon, causing it to feel its movements becoming sluggish.
"This cold, you've actually practiced a Heart Method?" The wild boar demon's huge eyes widened.
Qin An exerted strength, flicked away the wild boar demon's wolf fang club, then thrust downward, stabbing into the wild boar demon's heart.
Blood flowed down the sharp knife, dripping line by line.
The cold froze the heart, the wild boar demon seemed to see Qin An's mouth move slightly.
"Killing pigs, I'm quite skilled at it."
The heart fell to the ground.
Qin An kicked away the heart, stepping in front of the other two pig demons.
"Grandpa, don't kill me..."
The two pig demons clung to each other, trembling like husks.
"Have you eaten people?" Qin An asked.
Just as the pig demon was about to answer, the sharp knife immediately pierced its chest, spilling a trace of blood.
"Doesn't matter anymore."
Qin An calmly stabbed again, piercing the other pig demon.
After accomplishing all this, Qin An looked at the four pig demon corpses, dragging them into the house, calmly beginning to butcher.
...
After half an hour.
Qin An held a Blood Crystal in his hand, placing it in a prepared wooden box.
The three pig demons had no Blood Crystals, Qin An guessed it was due to their low strength.
The wild boar demon had a Blood Crystal, larger than the previous one.
Qin An pondered for a moment, then activated the Cold Source Heart Skill inside him to refine the Blood Crystal.
The Blood Crystal disappeared, like water encountering fire.
Qi and blood surged, but stayed within, stored for later use.
Qin An frowned, muttered to himself: "Without the next phase of the Heart Method, I can't digest the Blood Crystal, only store it for now."
Heart Method is always a problem.
He figured only by obtaining the next level Heart Method could he refine and store the Blood Crystal.
Qin An knew full well, that he was just a lone wanderer without a sect, nor a master, finding a Heart Method was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
"Joining a sect requires time, joining the Evil Extermination Bureau only needs a willingness to risk everything."
A thought flashed in his mind, and Qin An unconsciously recalled Chen Chun's words, shaking his head vigorously.
"The pressing matter isn't the subsequent Heart Method, but the yamen."
Tonight's incident, the yamen wanted to use his life to douse the burning issue.
Since that's the case, Qin An couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Directly going with a knife to chop the yamen wouldn't work, the Evil Extermination Bureau needed evidence from spies to take down the yamen, how could a mere commoner act?
"Ultimately, it's still about strength. With power to stand in Ding County, not just demons, even the yamen would have to look at my face."
"Power reigns supreme, with immense strength, there's nothing to fear from any demon or ghost."
"Currently without a Heart Method, my only reliance is the Golden Finger, I can't run the butcher's anymore, I must focus on training as a Blacksmith to level three."
Qin An made up his mind.
It was already deep into the night, Qin An hung up the bell, and slept fully clothed.
...
The next day.
Mr. Zheng yawned, instructing a few constables: "You all come with me to collect the bodies."
Mr. Wang had ordered him yesterday to go to the butcher's house at night to collect bodies, but he had spent the night at the tavern, rushing over only today.
Collecting bodies wasn't as important as the tavern.
Ever since he absorbed the pig demon's Blood Crystal, he had become a confidant to Mr. Wang, with his strength improved, naturally he wanted to indulge.
Unfortunately, a widow had jumped into a well, so he couldn't savor it further.
"Boss, this is what we collected from the vendors yesterday." A constable handed over a bag of silver coins.
Mr. Zheng took the silver coins, the scar on his face twitching: "Smart, let's go."
Together with a few constables, Mr. Zheng led his bulging belly out the door.
The commoners avoided the patrol as if they were pests.
Passing by a food stall, Mr. Zheng and the others had a meal, ending with a note to the account, the vendor dared not speak up.
On their way to Qin An's house, the constables carried various things, having scoured benefits along the way.
Mr. Zheng, walking and murmuring, thought Mr. Wang was quite competent.
He used to think of bringing five hundred cellmates to fight the pig demons, but now it seemed, the cellmates didn't have to die to the demons.
For merely plundering together, he couldn't manage it alone.
"The girl selling crispy cakes next street, Mr. Huang, isn't bad. Tomorrow, have a word," Mr. Zheng instructed.
The confidant constable quickly responded: "Don't worry boss, I'll fetch her tomorrow."
Mr. Zheng glared, "What fetch? Remember to leave some silver coins, that's what you call consensual."
The constable nodded profusely: "Don't worry boss, we're very familiar with this, we'll definitely do it well."
Mr. Zheng chuckled: "I'm guarding Ding County for them, it's only what I deserve."
While chatting, they reached the door.
At this point, Mr. Zheng stopped, frowning.
He sensed something was amiss.
The area was filled with a bloody smell, with a pig stench in it.
The pig stench proved the pig demons had been here.
But then... where were the bodies?
"Open the door." Mr. Zheng drew out the long knife at his waist.