At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

"Lord Zhou, please speak frankly," Mu Yang said slowly.

Zhou Heng held his wine cup, sighed, and slowly explained, "My recommendation for you to join the Demon Slaying Division wasn't entirely for your own good."

"The three powerful families of Qingxi County have colluded with demons to wreak havoc on the local area. I am powerless to resist them. That is why I am hoping to use your talent to attract the attention of the Demon Slayer Bureau and eliminate this scourge of the three families with the help of the Demon Slayer Bureau."

"I have taken advantage of you, and I hope the shepherd will forgive me."

After saying this, Zhou Heng drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, and then bowed deeply to Mu Yang.

Looking at Zhou Heng's guilty expression, Mu Yang slowly said, "Lord Zhou, there's no need for this. Writing a letter to the Demon Slaying Division was exactly what I wanted."

"Moreover, in this matter, we both got what we needed and gained something, so how can there be any talk of exploitation?"

Mu Yang was telling the truth.

The old constable once told him that there is no hatred without a cause, nor is there love without a cause.

Zhou Heng must have wanted something from him to help him.

He already knew this.

But he did not resist.

If you take someone's money, you're obligated to solve their problems.

It's not a conspiracy or trickery, so there's no question of whether it's beneficial or not.

Furthermore, with Zhou Heng's recommendation, he can more quickly establish connections with the Demon Slayer Bureau, making it easier for him to acquire martial arts skills and become stronger by slaying demons.

By any measure, he's making a profit on this deal.

Zhou Heng was taken aback by Mu Yang's insightful understanding, then his face showed gratitude: "Chief Mu is very righteous, I admire him."

Xue She, who was standing to the side, did not expect that Mu Yang would neither be angry nor indifferent after hearing Zhou Heng's confession. Instead, he remained calm and composed.

This kind of mentality alone is something that most twenty-year-old young men cannot achieve.

"However, on another note, does Lord Zhou have any concrete evidence to support his claim that the three families colluded with demons?"

Mu Yang first learned about the Wang family's collusion with the rat demon from Huang Changgui, the village chief of Huangjia Village.

Later, Li Shoucai, the village chief of Lijia Village, once again confirmed that the Wang family colluded with the rat demon.

However, both of them are dead, and their statements are only one side of the story, so they cannot be considered evidence.

"Colluding with demons is a serious crime, and given the secretive nature of the three families, I only have some clues, but no concrete evidence whatsoever," Zhou Heng sighed.

If he had evidence, why would he bother trying to find a way to get in touch with the Demon Slayer Bureau? He could simply file a lawsuit and send it to the county town.

"If we have evidence, could we take action against them directly in the city?" Mu Yang asked again.

Zhou Heng was taken aback, but quickly replied, "If the evidence is conclusive, then of course it is possible."

The Great Jing Dynasty has always had zero tolerance for people and forces that collude with demons; otherwise, it would not have established the Demon Slaying Division.

That's good.

Mu Yang had a plan in mind.

Zhou Heng didn't know what Mu Yang was thinking, but out of good intentions, he still advised, "The three families have been operating in Qingxi County for many years and their influence is deeply rooted. If we take action rashly without solid evidence, not only will it be difficult to completely eliminate them, but it will also alert them and give them a pretext to cause unnecessary trouble."

"After all, they are a large family, and they all have some connection with the county town."

Mu Yang nodded and raised his wine cup: "Lord Zhou, rest assured, I will not act rashly."

"That's good, that's good!"

Zhou Heng smiled and raised his glass.

..................

After leaving the Zhou family mansion, Mu Yang circulated his qi and blood to clear the alcohol from his body as he walked towards his own courtyard.

"Foreman!"

As soon as Mu Yang entered the courtyard, he heard someone calling him.

"Li Chuang?"

That's right, the person sitting in the courtyard was none other than Li Chuang, one of his men.

After following Lao Fang and the others to transport the demon corpse to Mu Yang's house, he volunteered to stay and guard the courtyard, saying that he was preventing thieves from stealing Mu Yang's spoils of war.

Although Lao Fang and the others didn't think there would be any foolish thieves in Qingxi County who would steal Mu Yang's things, Li Chuang insisted on staying, so they didn't try to persuade him any further.

"Why didn't you go to rest?"

Mu Yang walked to the well, scooped up a ladle of water, and prepared to wash his face with the well water.

"thump!!"

Just then, Li Chuang suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Mu Yang, whose expression had remained calm throughout, was immediately surprised.

No, what's going on here?

"Thank you so much, foreman, for avenging my whole family, and thank you for avenging my Li Family Village!" Li Chuang said in a firm voice.

Mu Yang remained silent.

After a moment, he said, "You're not angry with me? Officer Chen said that the rat demon was trying to lure me there."

"Li Chuang is not an unreasonable person. Monsters eat people, so how can it be strange for people to be like this? You could have chosen not to go, but you risked your life to go alone for the sake of Li Family Village. You are a true hero in my heart, and I am extremely grateful!" Li Chuang's words were sincere and heartfelt.

He didn't know if Mu Yang would feel guilty about the massacre of Li Family Village, but he didn't want the young and talented leader, who was also chivalrous, to have his moral compass clouded because of these things.

A person like Mu Yang should be like a true dragon, roaming the heavens and earth, slaying all demons, and bringing blessings to all living beings.

Mu Yang didn't know what kind of image he had in Li Chuang's heart, but seeing how rational and reasonable Li Chuang was, he couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.

In his past life, he had seen all sorts of monsters and treacherous people on the internet, including countless ungrateful wretches who would bite back on their own.

I never imagined that I would meet someone with such a pure heart in this lifetime.

"No need for thanks, I can't accept that title, and I'm even less suited to being called a hero. I've always acted only for myself," Mu Yang waved his hand.

Li Chuang was confused and took it as Mu Yang being modest.

After all, if it were truly for his own sake, why risk slaying demons? With Ban Tou's talent, wouldn't it be better to cultivate peacefully and steadily?

"Well then, squad leader, you should get some rest. I'll be going now!" Li Chuang said.

"etc."

Mu Yang suddenly spoke, and then, under Li Chuang's puzzled gaze, he walked into the room. A moment later, a brand-new thread-bound book appeared in his hands.

Several large characters were prominently displayed above --

Dragon Subduing Saber Technique

These are martial arts techniques that Mu Yang copied by hand when he was testing the equipment slots. He kept them unused because he couldn't use duplicate equipment.

"Foreman, this..."

Li Chuang immediately recognized that this was a mid-grade martial art, and an advanced version of the "Tiger Subduing Saber Technique" he had learned.

The government has regulations that martial arts skills obtained through the government cannot be taught privately.

Those who violate this rule will have three times the merit points equivalent to the price of the martial arts skill exchanged, or the equivalent of their monthly salary, deducted.

The penalty doesn't seem severe.

In reality, those who are wealthy don't need to learn the martial arts taught by the government, and those who do need to learn them don't have that much money.

So this punishment is quite painful.

"It's alright, I have plenty of merit points."

Mu Yang pointed to the demon corpse in the courtyard.

"Thank you so much, foreman!!"

Li Chuang didn't say anything more, but simply put the book close to his body and nodded emphatically.

"Go on, it's late, get some rest."

This time, Mu Yang did not keep Li Chuang.

After Li Chuang left, Mu Yang, just like the night before, sat by the well in the gentle breeze, looking up at the bright moon in the sky.

The courtyard was filthy, but the moonlight was as white as snow.