I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

But Guan Buping is still the chief constable of the Jingye Division in Xingsha County, because there is no one else available.

Naturally, the Jingye Division of Xingsha County could not rely on any support when it encountered problems, which was a source of helplessness for Guan Buping.

As someone in the public service, I fear righteous sects, demonic people, and court officials, but I have nothing to fear from demons. It is truly ironic.

But if he doesn't give in and acts recklessly, the outcome for those who follow him might not be better than if they act impulsively in a fit of rage.

Over the years, quite a few Jingyesi (Night Watch) offices have been destroyed in various places.

Three years ago, the chief constable of Baling County was killed by demons, and all those of the ninth rank and above in the Jingye Division died in the line of duty. For the next six months, the scourge of demons and ghosts in Baling County worsened day by day. It was not until the Lianyun Temple in Lianyun Mountain sent Taoist priests down the mountain to guard the area that peace was restored.

A year ago, the Jingtian Sect launched a surprise attack on Jiujiang County, and no one in the Jingye Division of Jiujiang County was spared. Because of the strategic importance of Jiujiang County, the headquarters of the Jingye Division sent the famous constable Duanhun to Jiujiang to rebuild the Jingye Division.

In just a few years, two Jingye Divisions near Guangxingsha County were completely wiped out, and several others were attacked by demons and suffered heavy losses.

Everyone is waiting for the commander to rescue them, but the commander simply cannot save them all.

Of course, Xingsha County is also an important location. If Guan Buping asked for help, experts should come. However, Guan Buping was also worried that there might be a bigger scheme behind it, so he did not make any moves to contact the Jingye Division.

Once my junior sister arrives, there will naturally be a solution.

Unexpectedly, the Jingtian Sect members were all gone overnight.

Regardless of who makes the move, it's a good thing for them.

Guan Buping, disregarding the fact that Lin Yi might have just finished a long night of hard work, said something apologetic to He Dong and then led him to see the body.

The bodies of all sixteen Jingtian Sect disciples were displayed in the Jingye Division's morgue, where Niu Er was guarding them. Guan Buping led Lin Yi over to see them while explaining, "You killed these three people over here, didn't you?"

Lin Yi examined the wounds on the woman and two men and confirmed that they were indeed the marks of his attack.

The other thirteen people had burns and sword wounds, but Guan Buping still concluded that it was all done by one person.

“When I went to the scene to investigate, I could still sense residual spiritual energy. The one who did it must have been a talisman cultivator, and moreover, it is very likely a Six-Talisman Celestial Master.”

A Six-Rank Celestial Master, or a fourth-rank official, is already a very powerful expert, qualified to become the governor of the Jingye Division, overseeing the entire Jingye Division of a prefecture.

"Since he is a talisman cultivator, why does he have a sword wound?"

Lin Yi asked curiously, and Guan Buping explained, "This is not just an ordinary Six-Rank Celestial Master. She used a sword talisman, and she should possess a sword talisman that is no weaker than a low-rank Earth-grade one. Such experts are few and far between in each sect. Cultivation sects rarely interfere in mortal affairs, and every time they do, there must be a reason."

Niu Er had been listening for quite a while, and finally couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Maybe they just couldn't stand it anymore?"

Guan Buping chuckled and said seriously, "Don't trust any sect, whether it's righteous or evil."

Guan Buping didn't say the reason, but Lin Yi knew there was a story behind it.

Because Guan Buping's face was full of stories.

"The woman who chased me last night was not among them."

Lin Yi examined all sixteen corpses and checked them again. Many of the corpses were unrecognizable, but the woman's features were still quite distinctive, and Lin Yi was not mistaken.

Perhaps the woman wasn't part of the Jingtian Sect, or perhaps she separated from the group at the time of the incident and escaped this calamity.

Guan Buping understood and said, "The matter of the Pure Heaven Sect may have come to a temporary end, but you still shouldn't let your guard down. Starting today, you don't need to go out on night patrols anymore. Just leave the rest to your subordinates. Lin Yi, you should rest well today. Tiger penis is good, but cutting costs is the key."

Lin Yi: "..."

Brother, you know everything!

However, giving him a day off today is just right, as He Dong's tribulation is approaching and Lin Yi needs to make preparations as soon as possible.

After thanking Guan Buping, Lin Yi left the Jingye Division and went to the outskirts of the city.

Salt and iron were both state-run enterprises. When it came to blacksmithing, the government's technology was naturally superior. However, Lin Yi knew that the government's work efficiency was extremely slow. By the time they finished making the Faraday cage and lightning rod, He Dong would probably be dead.

Lin Yi, a police officer, had become very familiar with Xingsha County after several months of observation. He knew little about the higher-ups, but he knew how the common people made a living.

There was a blacksmith shop on the outskirts of the city. It was nominally private, but in reality, it had its own powerful backers.

Without powerful connections, this shop, along with its inhabitants and equipment, would be confiscated.

As a privately owned blacksmith shop, they can naturally take on jobs faster, but the prices are slightly higher, which is unavoidable.

Otherwise, if you wait for the authorities to make it for you, it can take three months to make a hoe. By then, the grass in the field will have gone through a year of growth and decay before the hoe is even finished.

Lin Yi had no interest in investigating the power and money transactions behind it. He took the money and went to the Xie family's blacksmith shop.

It's called a shop, but it's practically no different from a workshop.

There are eight blacksmiths in total, not counting apprentices.

The shopkeeper was a short, thin, and cunning-looking middle-aged man with a small mustache that resembled a rat's. If the sides of his mustache were a little shorter, he would look exactly like a "Japanese officer".

Seeing Lin Yi in his official uniform, he immediately put on a fawning smile.

"Sir, what brings you to our humble shop? What kind of utensils would you like to purchase?"

Lin Yi took out a cloth bag from his pocket, put it on the counter, and said loudly, "I want to smelt copper."

Shopkeeper: "..."

Chapter 32 Is this a lawless madman?

Xie Changgui was terrified by the man in front of him who was shouting loudly that he wanted to smelt copper.

Even though she was wearing official uniform, wasn't that a bit too daring?

"Sir, copper cannot be smelted! We are a legitimate blacksmith shop, we do not smelt copper."

Xie Changgui couldn't help but be fearless. If he was caught smelting copper on his own, he would lose his head. So even though Lin Yi threw out a bag of gold ingots, which made a dull sound when they hit the table, he didn't dare to take on the job without permission.

Lin Yi didn't care about his rejection and said calmly, "The shopkeeper is too modest. I believe you have the ability, right?"

As he spoke, Lin Yi took out a gold ingot from the bag, ran his fingernail across the middle, and split the gold ingot into two pieces.

Xie Changgui was dumbfounded. Was this gold or yellow mud?

Lin Yi tossed him one of the pieces and said slowly, "This half is the deposit. After it's done, I'll give you the other half. Any problems?"

Lin Yi knew that casting copper was more difficult than casting iron, and that privately smelting copper was definitely illegal. But the blacksmith shop was so successful that it was illegal in itself. As long as he paid more, what couldn't he do?

Of course, demonstrating one's military strength is also very necessary.

Xie Changgui was stunned by this gold-splitting technique. He put the gold in his mouth and bit it. It was indeed soft, but this official could break gold with a single finger. He must be a formidable person.

He could only force a smile and say, "Sir, you misunderstand. It's not about the money. The main problem is that casting bronze is a taboo, and the raw materials are very rare. It's not easy for us to smooth things over."

"Tell me, how much more money do you want?"

"One thousand catties of copper can be exchanged for three hundred gold coins."

Lin Yi silently calculated in his mind that the copper coins of this era weighed about three grams, of which only one-third were copper. According to this ratio, one tael of gold was equal to ten thousand coins. Without considering losses, it would still require twenty catties of copper.

One hundred taels of gold can be exchanged for two thousand catties of copper. This unscrupulous merchant has made a six-fold profit!

Even after deducting production costs and labor fees, he would make a huge profit if he tripled the price, and a sixfold profit would be a win-win situation.

They won twice.

Lin Yi looked at Xie Changgui with an unfriendly expression, and smiled slightly, "Can this price be negotiated?"

"Sir, we have no choice. Smelting copper is a serious crime that can lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of one's entire family. Who would be willing to risk their life if they weren't paid enough?"

“What you said makes a lot of sense. I need to see what’s on these two blueprints in three days. Remember, don’t cheat me, or the money I’m paying to save my life could really cost me my life.”

After saying this, Lin Yi handed the shopkeeper the drawings of the Faraday cage and lightning rod, took out half a gold ingot from his money bag, placed it on the counter, and calmly turned and left.

Xie Changgui looked at Lin Yi's blueprints with a puzzled expression.

Lightning rods are manageable; they may look a bit strange, but they're not impossible to make.

But this cage...

Alright, let the artisans work overtime!

He summoned a servant and instructed him, "Have the craftsmen temporarily stop their other work and work in two shifts day and night to finish these two items. Also, send someone to find out who the person from earlier was."

"Yes."

The servants quickly got to work. Anyone who could run such a large blacksmith shop must have considerable influence behind them. Before long, information about Lin Yi was delivered to Xie Changgui.

"A constable from the Jingye Division, so rich? There must be something fishy going on."

Xie Changgui knew this was no simple matter. He instructed his craftsmen to work through the night to finish the work, while he himself went to the prefect's residence.

This blacksmith shop was nominally Xie Changgui's property, but in reality, 40% of the shop's profits went to the prefect, 30% to the prefectural assistant in charge of the prefectural troops, and the remaining 30% to the local gentry.

Therefore, in Xingsha County, unless the county magistrate, the county seat, and the local gentry all fall together, no one can touch this blacksmith shop.

Nevertheless, Xie Changgui did not directly embezzle Lin Yi's money. He first arranged for people to do the work and then immediately reported to the prefectural governor's office.

A transaction of three hundred gold coins is no small amount; the big boss needs to know about it.

Upon arriving at the prefect's residence, the steward led him through a side door to the prefect's study. Xie Changgui maintained a slight bow throughout, displaying utmost respect.

After entering the house, he bowed deeply again: "This humble subject, Xie Changgui, pays respects to my elderly parents."

"Changgui, there's no need for such formalities."

Prefect Wang An was a rather refined middle-aged man with a square face, handsome features, and piercing eyes. He exuded a dignified and reserved air, appearing both gentle and approachable, yet commanding respect.

"What brings you here, Changgui?"

"My lord, there is indeed a small matter that I cannot make up my mind about, and I would like to ask you for your guidance."

Xie Changgui didn't waste any time and recounted the events of the day in a clear and organized manner. After he finished speaking, he presented the copied blueprints and the gold he had collected.

Wang An glanced at the blueprints briefly but couldn't figure out what it was for.

This certainly couldn't be a weapon; it might be some strange magical artifact. But having a blacksmith forge a magical artifact is not something a cultivator in the mortal realm would do.

Wang An simply stopped thinking about it; other information was more important.

Lin Yi of the Jingye Division, isn't he the one who saved Wang Liang?

Wang An still remembered this. He picked up the gold ingot and played with it for a moment, then couldn't help but sneer.

"These gold ingots all came from the prefect's office."

He figured it out as soon as he touched it.

Gold ingots are regulated, but when Wang Liang was kidnapped, Wang An had to consider multiple factors, including the gold itself, so he tampered with them.

This was specially made by the Prefectural Governor's Office. It looks no different from ordinary gold ingots. In fact, the notch in the middle of the horseshoe-shaped gold ingots specially made by the Prefectural Governor's Office is not in the very center.