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

The next day, early in the morning.

Early in the morning, before the thin mist had completely dissipated, the alleyway was already filled with the aroma of fireworks.

As usual, Mu Yang changed into a black outfit and strode out the door.

On the way, he casually bought a stack of freshly baked sesame cakes, and ate them while listening to the gossip of the street vendors.

"Have you heard? The Wang family's house was ransacked last night, and even that old bastard, the Wang family patriarch, is dead!"

"Really? That's the Wang family, one of the three great families! Gone just like that?"

"Of course it's true! My cousin works in the yamen, and he saw it with his own eyes last night. It's said that the Wang family patriarch transformed into a gigantic demon in the street, exuding terrifying demonic aura. Fortunately, our shepherd captain is incredibly brave. I heard that with a single swing of his sword, the light was as bright as a galaxy, even dimming the moon by a third. He killed that old demon in no time!"

"As expected of the shepherd chief, he's so capable at such a young age. Our Qingxi County will be peaceful from now on!"

Discussions rose and fell, with most people applauding the downfall of the Wang family and praising Mu Yang even more.

As for why Mu Yang took action against the Wang family?

They didn't care; the Wang family wasn't exactly a good family anyway.

Listening to the idle chatter on the street, Mu Yang kept walking and arrived at the county government office right on time after finishing the sesame seed cake in his hand.

As soon as he entered the police station, a burly figure came to greet him.

"Good morning, Brother Mu!"

Wu Cai walked over laughing and patted Mu Yang on the shoulder: "You were really awesome last night! You single-handedly stormed the Wang family's house and killed that old bastard Wang Rudong with one stroke. Now the whole of Qingxi County is talking about it. You're the guardian of our county!"

"Angkor, you flatter me. The peace and stability of Qingxi County is not due to my efforts alone."

Mu Yang smiled faintly.

"As expected of Brother Mu, so calm and composed, his demeanor is truly remarkable!"

Wu Cai sighed and said, "By the way, County Commandant Zhou asked me to tell you to go see him this morning if you have time. He needs to see you."

"Um."

Mu Yang nodded and soon arrived at Zhou Heng's office.

At this moment, Zhou Heng was standing by the window, gazing at the sycamore tree in the courtyard in the morning sun, lost in thought, until he heard footsteps and came back to his senses.

Upon seeing that it was Mu Yang, a warm smile immediately spread across his face: "Chief Mu is here, please have a seat!"

As he spoke, he took out a heavy cloth bag from under the table and placed it on the table in front of Mu Yang with a dull thud.

The bag made a rustling sound, like gold and silver clinking together.

"Lord Zhou, what is this?" Mu Yang asked.

"This is the reward given to all the squad leaders and constables after we finished confiscating the Wang family's property yesterday. Everyone else has received theirs, and this is yours," Zhou Heng explained.

Upon hearing this, Mu Yang accepted the cloth bag: "Thank you, Lord Zhou."

"No need to be polite, you deserve it." Zhou Heng smiled, then continued, "By the way, do you remember what I told you about the Demon Slaying Division?"

"I remember, but what went wrong?" Mu Yang asked.

Zhou Heng shook his head: "It's not that there's any major problem, it's just that the county seat seems to be busy with something recently, so they may not be able to spare any manpower to come to Qingxi County in the short term. We can only go to the county seat ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yang understood.

As Zhou Heng had mentioned before, when recruiting new members in a small place like Qingxi County, people would usually write a letter recommending them to the Demon Slaying Division in the county seat, and then the Demon Slaying Division would send someone to check.

On the one hand, they came to recruit new members, and on the other hand, they could also take the opportunity to check if there were any demonic disturbances in the county.

Since the Demon Slayer Bureau was unavailable, he would simply go there. In any case, there were neither many martial arts techniques to learn nor many demons for him to slay in the county.

If he goes to the county town sooner, he will not only be able to learn more advanced martial arts, but he may also encounter more demons that can help him cultivate.

"When do we set off?" Mu Yang asked.

Zhou Heng: "Officer Xue will go to the county government office in three days to report on the Wang family case. If you are free then, you can go with him."

As he spoke, Zhou Heng took out another letter and handed it to Mu Yang: "This is a letter of recommendation I wrote for you. If the Demon Slaying Division is too busy to accept you for the job, you can take this letter and work at the county police station first. That way, you'll have a place to stay."

"Thank you, Lord Zhou."

Mu Yang accepted the letter and expressed his gratitude.

"You're too kind. These are just small favors for me. It's actually Mu Bantou's annihilation of the Wang family that I should thank you for," Zhou Heng said with a smile.

"Three days from now, Squad Leader Xue will be waiting for you at the East Gate of the city. You can set off directly then. I will arrange your fifth squad for you."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Zhou."

After the conversation, Mu Yang carried the bag full of gold and silver, along with the envelope, back to the police station.

He had just reached the police station and put the bag down when he saw Lin Xiaoqi running over.

"Boss, there's someone outside who claims to be the Hu family's steward looking for you. He says he has important business to discuss," Lin Xiaoqi said.

"The Hu family?"

Mu Yang raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had little interaction with the Hu family; their only contact was a few days ago when he killed a fox demon at the Qingxiang Restaurant, which was owned by the Hu family.

So, what did the Hu family want with him?

Mu Yang was unsure and decided to observe first: "Let him in."

"Yes, foreman!"

A short while later, a slightly overweight middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe followed Lin Xiaoqi in. He was Hu Lu, the steward of the Hu family.

"This humble man, Hu Lu, greets the Head Shepherd!"

With a smile plastered on his face, he bowed politely, his tone full of respect: "I have come on the orders of my master, Hu Wanshan, to thank Head Shepherd for slaying the demon fox at Qingxiang Tower some time ago, thus ridding the Hu family of a scourge!"

As he spoke, he reached into his sleeve with one hand, took out an exquisite wooden box inlaid with red jade, and handed it to Mu Yang.

Inside were neatly stacked gold bars and several pieces of exquisite, warm-toned jade.

"This is a small token of my husband's appreciation; I hope the shepherd will accept it!"

Hu Lu said with a smile, "In addition, my master has prepared a small feast and would like to invite Chief Shepherd to the manor at dusk today for a chat, so that he can thank Chief Shepherd in person!"

Mu Yang glanced at the gold bars and jade in the wooden box, then at Hu Lu's overly enthusiastic attitude.

They sent him gifts to express their gratitude and even invited him to their home for a banquet.

Does this seem right?

How could the Hu family not know that Hu Mei works at Qingxianglou?

Whether others believe it or not, Mu Yang doesn't know, but he certainly doesn't.

He had reason to suspect that this banquet was not a good one, but rather a trap called "Hongmen"!

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the Hu family came to seek peace early this morning because he destroyed the Wang family last night.

Mu Yang didn't care whichever it was.

If it's the former, he'd be more than happy and would start killing immediately.

Even if it's the latter, he will still kill directly.

Why, you ask?

If the Hu family did not collude with demons, why did they seek peace?

Since they're seeking peace, they must be colluding with demons, so they deserve to be killed!

Furthermore, if he didn't kill the Hu family, where would he get his martial arts skills from?

Where did his precious medicine come from?

Where did his monster corpse come from?

For the sake of his martial arts path, the Hu family has no choice but to suffer first!

"Okay, I understand."

Mu Yang grinned and said.

Although he was smiling, Hu Lu felt a slight chill in his heart, just like when he was facing Hu Xin, which was a little scary.

But having held the position of steward for the Hu family, he naturally wouldn't rashly show any impropriety. He maintained his smile and said:

"Thank you for the honor of serving me, Chief Shepherd! I will not disturb your work any longer and will take my leave now. I will be waiting for you in front of your residence at dusk!"

After speaking, Hu Lu bowed deeply to Mu Yang before slowly retreating.

"The Hu family, I hope you won't let me down..."

Mu Yang gripped the hilt of his sword lightly, muttering to himself.