If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

On the official road, a group of more than ten people rode swiftly.

Zhou Yang rode a tall horse, closely following Qin Shuang's white horse. His brocade robe fluttered in the wind, making him look like a wealthy young master.

He suddenly remembered that the original owner of this body had a lover in his memories, but half a year ago, seeing that Zhou Yang had no hope of promotion, she switched to a rich young master.

He turned his head to look at Qin Shuang's cold and beautiful profile.

"grown ups."

"Speak," Qin Shuang said, her eyes fixed straight ahead.

"You said I'm your personal bodyguard, so does that mean I have to sleep next door tonight?"

Qin Shuang slowed her horse down a fraction and glanced at him sideways.

"If you want to sleep outside my door and feed the mosquitoes, I won't stop you."

"That won't do!" Zhou Yang said with a serious expression.

"What if there's an assassin, and I'm too far away to rescue them in time?"

"Besides, what if you talk in your sleep at night and I overhear some secrets I shouldn't hear? That would be terrible."

"So I think it's safer to sleep in the same room, and it's easier to take care of each other."

"roll!"

Qin Shuang spurred the horse's flanks, and the white horse instantly accelerated, leaving him behind.

Zhou Yang chuckled, not caring, and urged his horse to follow.

"Sir, you must be joking."

"Let's talk about something serious."

"Who exactly is this Li Wei? Did you dig up his ancestral graves?"

Qin Shuang slowed down and kept pace with him.

"Li Wei is ruthless and has a complicated background."

"Standing behind him is Commander Chen of the County Thousand-Household Office."

Zhou Yang smacked his lips.

"A commander of a thousand households? That's a high-ranking official."

"No wonder you wanted to have him assassinated; if you had done it openly, it wouldn't have ended well."

Where is he now?

Qin Shuang uttered a few words calmly.

"Haicheng".

"He's going to the auction too?" Zhou Yang was somewhat surprised.

"Not only." Qin Shuang's expression was somewhat complicated.

"Just a few days ago, he made a meritorious contribution and was promoted from a general to a probationary centurion."

Zhou Yang's horse almost stumbled.

"What the hell?"

"Try it with 100 households?"

He immediately reined in his horse, moved closer to Qin Shuang, and lowered his voice.

"Sir, we need to renegotiate the price!"

"Previously, the target was to kill a squad leader, but now the goal has been upgraded to a trial centurion. The difficulty and risk have doubled!"

"Do you think we need to pay more?"

Qin Shuang was so angry at his snobbish attitude that she laughed.

All you care about is money!

"Don't worry, you'll get your share."

"However, this trip to Haicheng wasn't intended for you to kill Li Wei."

"So what is the primary task?" Zhou Yang asked curiously.

"Don't pry into my affairs," Qin Shuang said, regaining her cool demeanor.

"You just need to remember that in Haicheng, you are my bodyguard and you cannot leave my side for even a moment."

"Okay!" Zhou Yang readily agreed.

As long as the money is right, he'll not only stay by your side every step of the way, but he'll even guard the door when you go to the toilet.

He knew exactly what was going on.

This rich woman must have offended someone in the county, or been harassed by someone, and brought me along just to be used as a shield.

However, it's good to use them as a shield.

This demonstrates that one has value to others.

If something has value, you can reap benefits from it.

The group traveled day and night, and after two days, they finally arrived at a post station before nightfall.

"We'll rest here tonight and head to Haicheng tomorrow."

Qin Shuang gave the order and then went into the largest room in the post station.

Zhou Yang was also assigned a separate room.

He closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and took out the rusty, broken knife from his pocket.

A message suddenly appeared in my mind:

[Fragment of a Divine Weapon: Dragon's Spine]

[Would you like to sacrifice ten years of your lifespan to repair the divine weapon and learn the matching martial art: Torrent Dragon Slash?]

ten years!

Zhou Yang looked at the prompt in his mind, his heart bleeding.

He has a total of thirteen years left to live, and with this cut, he'll only have three years left.

This guy is really treating him like a lamb to the slaughter.

But this is a divine weapon!

It's accompanied by divine weapons and martial arts!

Its power far surpasses all the martial arts he currently possesses.

The trip to Haicheng meant facing a newly promoted trial centurion, with a chiliarch standing behind him.

Dangerous.

He felt uneasy without a trump card to save his life.

If I die in Haicheng, there's no point in keeping my lifespan.

Fortune favors the bold!

Zhou Yang gritted his teeth.

"Done!" "Fixed!"

He was silent.

[Sacrificing ten years of lifespan, beginning the repair of the divine weapon fragment: Dragon Spine.]

[Under repair...]

[Repair successful. The Divine Weapon Dragon Spine has regained 30% of its power.]

[You have mastered the matching low-grade Xuan-rank martial art: Torrent Dragon Slash.]

[Lifespan required for next repair: 800 years]

800 years? Was it really used by a god? Before he could finish his rant, the broken sword in Zhou Yang's hand began to vibrate violently.

The rust on the surface crumbled away, revealing the dark gold blade underneath.

On the blade, fine dragon scale patterns are faintly visible, as if they were alive.

An incomparably sharp aura emanated from the blade.

Zhou Yang felt a stinging sensation on his arm just from holding it.

At the same time, countless images and insights about the "Turbulent Dragon Slash" flooded into his mind.

This swordsmanship is characterized by its sweeping and powerful strokes, emphasizing brute force overcoming all techniques.

With a single slash, it was like a dragon emerging from the sea, its momentum overwhelming, its inner force surging like a torrent, continuous and unending.

This knife skill is ingrained in his very bones.

A feeling arose spontaneously; he had been practicing for thousands of years.

"Excellent knife! Excellent knife skills!"

Zhou Yang was overjoyed.

Although it is only a low-grade Xuan-rank martial art, it is a martial art that comes with a divine weapon, and its actual power is probably no less than that of a mid-grade Xuan-rank martial art.

More importantly, this swordsmanship perfectly matches his fierce and powerful style.

Name: Zhou Yang

Current remaining lifespan: three years

[Cultivation Level: Hundred Battles (Early Stage)]

[Technique: Innate Yang Clay Technique (Seventh Grade)]

Martial Arts: Mighty Bull Demon Fist (Rank 6), Chaotic Void Step (Rank 6), Soul-Severing Finger (Rank 5), Grass Silk Horse-Bewitching Palm (Rank 4), Torrent Dragon Slash (Low-Rank Profound)

[Weapon: Dragon Spine (Fragment of a Divine Weapon)]

Seeing that he only had three years left to live, Zhou Yang felt a pang of heartache.

"Looks like once we get to Haicheng, we'll have to find a way to get some rare and precious herbs to replenish our strength."

He carefully wrapped the dragon's spine with strips of cloth and hid it under the bed.

This is his biggest trump card right now, and he can't easily show it to anyone.

"Knock knock knock".

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

Zhou Yang asked warily.

"I."

Qin Shuang's cold voice came from outside the door.

Zhou Yang was stunned. What was this rich woman doing here so late?

He went over and opened the door.

Qin Shuang was still dressed casually, standing prettily at the door. The moonlight shone on her, softening her cold face.

"My lord, a visit so late at night, could it be that you've come to a change of heart?"

Zhou Yang leaned against the door frame and chuckled.

"Do you think it's safer to sleep in the same room?"

Qin Shuang rolled her eyes at him.

You can't expect something ivory from a dog's mouth.

She walked straight into the room and looked around.

"Get ready and come with me."

"Where to?"

Zhou Yang followed behind her.

"My room."

Qin Shuang said without turning her head.

Zhou Yang's heart skipped a beat.

Is it that exciting?

He quickly followed, making sure to close the door behind him.

Qin Shuang's room was the best room in the inn, more than twice the size of his.

The room was filled with incense, and it smelled wonderful.

"My lord, did you summon me here to give me some personal mission?"

Zhou Yang rubbed his hands together, looking expectant.

Qin Shuang ignored him and took out a stack of silver notes and a token from a wooden box on the table.

"Here is five thousand taels of silver, take it."

"This token is a VIP token for the 'Rare Treasures Pavilion' in Haicheng. You'll need it to get into tomorrow's auction."

Zhou Yang took the silver note and token, his eyes lighting up.

As expected of a rich woman, she's very generous.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Rest assured, sir, I will certainly get you what you desire!"

"Who said you were allowed to take pictures of me?"

Qin Shuang sat down in a chair and poured herself a cup of tea.

"This money is for you."

"what?"

Zhou Yang was stunned.

"For me?"

"At tomorrow's auction, bid on whatever catches your eye."

Qin Shuang took a sip of tea.

Consider this an advance reward for you.

Zhou Yang began to have doubts.

When did this rich woman become so kind?

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

"Sir, is there... any additional condition?"

"For example, do you want me to go against Li Wei at the auction and deliberately drive up the price to annoy him?"

Qin Shuang put down her teacup and glanced at him.

"You're not too stupid."

"Li Wei is a greedy, lustful man who is very concerned about his image."

"See what he bids tomorrow, and just raise your bid accordingly. Don't be afraid of offending him, I've got you covered."

"If you run out of money, just contact me anytime."

Zhou Yang understood.

This is to make him a troublemaker and stir up hatred.

However, he likes this job.

It's a win-win situation: you can disgust your enemies and get things for free.

"no problem!"

Zhou Yang patted his chest and assured him.

"Mission accomplished!"

"But sir, isn't it a bit too lenient of him to just disgust him?"

"Do you think there's a chance, after the auction, to find a secluded place..."

Zhou Yang made a throat-slitting gesture.

Qin Shuang shook her head.

"Private fights are prohibited within Haicheng, especially among members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"There are skilled officers from the county's thousand-household garrison stationed in the city, so we cannot act rashly."

"What if we leave the city?"

"Once we're out of the city, his life or death will depend on your abilities."

Qin Shuang's words carried a murderous intent.

Zhou Yang chuckled.

"Understood."

"Sir, if there's nothing else, I'll head back to my room now?"

He held the silver notes, eager to return home.

"etc."

Qin Shuang called out to him.

She took out a small jade box from her bosom and handed it over.

"What is this?"

Zhou Yang took it, and its skin felt warm and smooth to the touch.

"For you."

Qin Shuang's expression was somewhat unnatural.

"There will be many people and distractions at the auction tomorrow, so your identity must not be exposed."

"From now until you leave Haicheng, you will sleep here."

"Sleep... here?"

Zhou Yang pointed to the room.

"right."

Qin Shuang stood up and walked behind the screen in the inner room.

"The soft couch outside is yours."

Zhou Yang looked at the soft couch that looked very comfortable, and then at the jade box in his hand, and his heart was filled with joy.

These bodyguards are really that close!

The warmth of a rich woman comes so suddenly!

However, he was only talking and didn't dare to have any improper thoughts. Qin Shuang's strength was estimated to be at the peak of the late True Yuan Realm. She could casually give away a fourth-grade cultivation technique. He estimated that he was using a second-grade cultivation technique. If they really made a move, he would probably be kicked away.