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

The mountain breeze, carrying a coolness, whistled through the treetops.

The air was thick with the metallic smell of blood and the earthy stench of soil. Zhou Yang and Qin Shuang walked out of the oppressive mountain area, one after the other. Darkness had completely fallen, with only a few scattered stars hanging in the sky, emitting negligible light.

Qin Shuang's left arm was still bandaged, and her steps were somewhat unsteady, but her back was ramrod straight. Zhou Yang followed behind her, but his mood was not bad. He would occasionally touch the thick stack of gold notes in his pocket, which exuded a reassuring quality. There were also several demon beast inner cores, warm and translucent, all of which were hard currency.

This deal was incredibly profitable.

Just as the two reached the foot of the mountain and were about to step onto the dirt road leading to the official road, a series of hurried footsteps came from the woods ahead.

"Snap, snap, snap..."

The footsteps were chaotic; it was more than one person.

Qin Shuang immediately stopped, her right hand resting on the embroidered spring knife at her waist. Her eyes instantly sharpened, like those of a startled female leopard.

Zhou Yang didn't even lift his eyelids; he was just feeling annoyed. He had just finished a big deal and wanted some peace and quiet, but there were always flies buzzing around.

Under the moonlight, more than twenty dark figures emerged from the woods, blocking the two men from both sides. These people were dressed in various styles; some wore the flying fish robes of the Imperial Guards, while others were dressed in black with expressionless faces. They all exuded a murderous aura, clearly indicating that they were people with blood on their hands.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a square face and a mustache. He had a long sword with a sharkskin sheath hanging at his waist. His temples were bulging, and his breathing was steady and long, indicating that he was a master of the True Yuan Realm.

He stared intently at Qin Shuang, his eyes filled with a mixture of greed and regret.

"Commander Qin, Commander Chen has treated you well. Why would you collude with outsiders to commit such a heinous act of regicide?" the man said, his voice booming as he tried to occupy the moral high ground with his words.

Qin Shuang sneered, "Commander Chen? He's dead. Now, I'm acting under orders."

The leading man's eyes narrowed, then he turned to Zhou Yang, sizing him up from head to toe. "Who are you, sir? The waters of Anyang Prefecture are not to be stirred up by just anyone."

Zhou Yang finally raised his head. He glanced at the man, then at the group of nervous lackeys behind him, and a purely businesslike smile appeared on his face.

"Brother, I see your forehead is dark; you might be in for a bloody disaster." Zhou Yang's tone was relaxed, as if he were chatting with a neighbor.

"You're asking for death!" The leader was enraged by his attitude, and a surge of true energy suddenly spread out, pressing down on Zhou Yang.

Zhou Yang's smile remained unchanged; he simply shook his head slightly.

"When I try to do business with you, you insist on talking about fighting and killing."

Before he finished speaking, he moved.

No one saw how he drew his sword. To the crowd, all they saw was a flash of light colder than moonlight, gone in an instant.

The light was like lightning in the night, or like a painter's stroke of white on rice paper, moving with incredible speed.

"laugh."

A soft sound, like the sound of cloth being torn.

The leader's sinister grin was still frozen on his face, and he subconsciously touched his neck.

There are no wounds.

He was stunned.

His henchmen were also stunned.

One breath, two breaths.

The leader's head slid off without warning, like tofu being precisely sliced ​​from his neck. The incredulous expression on his face remained unchanged until he hit the ground.

"Thump."

The body fell to the ground, hot blood gushing from the severed neck, staining the soil beneath its feet red.

The entire room fell silent.

You could hear a pin drop.

What happened in that instant was beyond everyone's comprehension. A True Yuan Realm expert died without even seeing the opponent's sword strike?

Zhou Yang held the simple, unadorned longsword in his hand, a drop of blood clinging to its blade, slowly dripping from the tip. He flicked the sword, shaking off the blood.

Then, he looked around at the group of people who were terrified, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"Those who block the way, pay the toll."

He paused, then added.

No money? Pay with your life.

This simple, blunt, and even somewhat roguish statement struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

This was not the boastful words of a martial arts master, nor the authoritative declaration of a court official. It was the words of a debt collector—cold, direct, and brooking no argument.

"thump!"

The closest Imperial Guard's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his knife clattering to the floor.

"Sir, spare us! Sir, spare us! We...we were just following orders!"

This kneeling was like toppling the first domino.

The remaining twenty-odd people, no matter how fierce they had been before, all knelt down, their bodies trembling like leaves. They looked at Zhou Yang as if he were a demon crawling out of hell.

"The money...the money's all here!" A man in black from the Heavenly Principle Sect frantically pulled a cloth bag from his robes and offered it with both hands. "This is all our travel money. Please, sir, spare our lives!"

Once someone started, the others immediately followed suit. Gold leaves, silver ingots, loose silver, and even a few small-denomination silver notes were piled up in front of the two men.

Zhou Yang glanced at Qin Shuang.

Qin Shuang remained expressionless, but nodded slightly. She knew that showing any mercy at this moment would be foolish. Only utter fear could guarantee their safety on the rest of their journey.

Zhou Yang nodded in satisfaction. He stepped forward, swept the pile of valuables to his feet with the scabbard, squatted down, slowly picked them up, and put them in his pocket.

"Very well, business is business, harmony brings wealth." He stood up, clapped his hands, and said, "Seeing how sincere you are, I'll let you off easy today. Get lost, and don't let me see you again."

The group of people, as if granted a pardon, scrambled to their feet and fled into the dark woods without looking back, as if a tiger were chasing them.

After Zhou Yang finished all this, it was as if he had solved a trivial matter. He sheathed his sword and said to Qin Shuang, "Let's go, let's leave the city tonight, lest things get complicated."

Qin Shuang did not move immediately.

She looked at Zhou Yang.

Under the moonlight, the man's silhouette appeared unusually broad. The way he had killed someone and the way he had amassed wealth exuded a sense of self-righteous ruthlessness and mercenary savagery.

He was less like a member of the Imperial Guard and more like a lone bandit, a lawless outlaw who set his own rules.

But for some reason, looking at him, Qin Shuang felt a strange sense of peace.

She suddenly realized that this man was no longer the pawn who needed to depend on her and seek protection under her wing. He was a ferocious beast that had grown fangs and claws, a monster that was stirring up the world in its own way.

He not only uses the rules, he creates the rules.

"Mm," Qin Shuang responded, looked away, and followed.

The news spread faster than they had imagined.

The next morning, when the two arrived at the gate of Anyang County, the guards not only did not question them, but also bowed and scraped as they opened the gate themselves.

As soon as we entered the city, people came up to greet us.

The guests were stewards from several prominent families in the city, each with a fawning smile on their face and carrying heavy gift boxes in their hands.

"Master Zhou! Lord Qin! You must be tired from your journey!" a plump butler said first. "This is a small token of our master's appreciation; he bought you both some tea for the trip. It's nothing but a small token!"

Zhou Yang glanced at it; the gold bars inside the box were gleaming.

He accepted it with a smile, "Please thank your husband for me. I appreciate it."

"Oh, it's only right, it's only right!"

As soon as one wave left, another wave came rushing in.

"Master Zhou, this is a small token of appreciation from the Wang family in the west of the city. Knowing you are about to embark on a long journey, they specially prepared some fine horses and dry rations, and this is..."

"Master Zhou, our Boss Li heard you were leaving and specially prepared five hundred taels of silver, as... as 'protection money' for Anyang County. We beg you to be lenient and consider future arrangements..."

Qin Shuang watched in stunned silence.

These people, who were all obsequious to Commander Chen yesterday, are now like sharks smelling blood, flocking to Zhou Yang's side. They're offering not only money, but also all sorts of intelligence.

"Master Zhou, the wealthy Zhang from the east of the city used to be Commander Chen's lackey. Last night he heard that Commander Chen was dead, and he's packing up his property to run away!"

"Master Zhou, the gambling dens and brothels in the south of the city are all owned by Commander Chen, and now nobody's managing them!"

Zhou Yang accepted all orders without hesitation. While collecting money, he noted it down, muttering to himself, "This is called reasonable allocation and resource integration. Don't worry, with Zhou Yang protecting Anyang County from now on, I guarantee... uh, I guarantee your business will get better and better."

He almost said, "I guarantee your taxes will be more reasonable."

Qin Shuang watched as he skillfully fraternized with local tyrants, accepting money without batting an eye, and her lips twitched involuntarily.

This man has truly integrated himself into this dark world and become one of its best.

Half an hour later, the two managed to slip away from the crowd "seeing them off" at the city gate. Zhou Yang now carried a large bag of gold and silver notes, along with a list filled with densely packed names and addresses.

He mounted the fine horse he had "borrowed" from the Wang family and said to Qin Shuang in a cheerful mood, "Lord Qin, you see, I've said it before, there's no problem in this world that money can't solve. If there is, it just means there's not enough money."

Qin Shuang looked at him and suddenly asked, "How much of your lifespan did you burn when you killed that True Essence Realm expert?"

Zhou Yang was taken aback for a moment, then grinned: "Trade secret. But don't worry, this deal is a sure thing. After all, we'll be collecting interest for a long time to come."

After he finished speaking, he spurred his horse, and the steed neighed loudly before galloping off toward the official road.

Qin Shuang watched his receding figure, his silhouette stretched straight in the morning light. She remained silent for a moment, then spurred her horse to follow.

This time, she didn't walk in front.