I Possess a Scroll of Demon-Subduing Records

With this thought in mind, Qu Jing jumped into the water...

Xingsha City, Jingye Division.

When Lin Yi returned, he was quite surprised to find that even Grandpa Qin was no longer at the gatehouse. This was a rare occurrence, since the Jingye Division would always have a gatekeeper there, rain or shine.

Upon entering, Lin Yi saw no one, but a great commotion came from the direction of the training ground. Following the sound, he found a group of people gathered around the arena. On the arena, Niu Er was fighting with a burly man who was also wearing the official uniform of the Jingye Division, but Lin Yi had never seen him before.

In the stands, Bao Sanniang and a middle-aged man each occupied a seat, whom Lin Yi had never seen before. There were also several strangers among the spectators below the stage, which gave Lin Yi a headache.

He walked to the spectator seats, looked at Bao Sanniang and said, "This humble servant greets Steward Bao."

Upon seeing Lin Yi, Bao Sanniang immediately said, "I heard from Chief Constable Guan that the Jingye Division is currently suffering from a shortage of talent. Therefore, when the Jingye Divisions in various places introduced disciples from sects, they took good care of you. Why is it that there are still so few people from your Xingsha County? Only two of you can make it to the arena, and the other one is a fortune teller. What is the reason for this?"

Judging from her unfriendly expression, she had clearly come to confront him.

Lin Yi thought that she must have gotten the short end of the stick with Guan Buping, otherwise she wouldn't be so fierce.

"It's a bit of a coincidence. Originally, there were eight disciples in the sect. Among them, several talented individuals from Chongxu Temple, Danxia Temple, Fuhu Temple, and Lushan Temple, considering that Xingsha was peaceful and they had no place to use their skills, and also caring about the people, volunteered to go to several remote counties under the jurisdiction of Xingsha County. They only set off this morning."

The middle-aged man beside him sneered, "I heard that it was because Chief Constable Lin was unhappy with their gossip about you fighting for power and causing the deaths of two brothers, that he banished them?"

As expected, the visitors were up to no good.

Lin Yi smiled kindly and said, "May I ask who told you this? I know that as the acting chief constable, I am an enemy of demons and monsters, which will inevitably attract the resentment of some petty people. You must not fall into their trap!"

Bao Sanniang came to confront us, but considering she's Guan Ge's partner, we'll just let it go. Who do you think you are?

Bao Sanniang also spoke up: "Pei Qian, don't make things up without evidence. Lin Yi must have extraordinary abilities to be able to gain the approval of Chief Constable Guan and take charge of things on his behalf. Although we are the chief constables, we shouldn't interfere in everything."

"Yes, I have learned a lot."

Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that this man named Pei Qian held a lower position than Bao Sanniang and should be the deputy chief steward.

When he heard the words "Chief Constable Guan," his eyes changed noticeably. Could it be an enemy?

Could it be a love rival?

Lin Yi's eyes gleamed with the anticipation of watching a spectacle unfold, when suddenly a gasp came from the other side of the arena.

It turned out that Niu Er had been fighting with someone, and his knife had been knocked away. However, his opponent continued his attack, slashing at Niu Er's face with his knife...

Chapter 118 The Birth of a Celestial Artifact

Lin Yi thought it was just a friendly sparring match, but he didn't expect Niu Er's opponent to be so ruthless. In desperation, Lin Yi focused his energy on his fingers, and the sword energy arrived in an instant, cutting the big knife in the man's hand in half. The next second, Lin Yi appeared in front of the man and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying about twenty meters away.

The changing situation on the field left the onlookers dumbfounded.

Lin Yi said coldly, "A friendly spar is supposed to end when the point is reached. Who gave you permission to kill? Could it be that you are actually a spy for the demon race?"

Pei Qian was about to reprimand Lin Yi for going too far, but before he could even speak, he was immediately flustered when he saw Lin Yi slapping such a huge accusation on him.

The man who was knocked away was Jiang Siyuan, his confidant. He had secretly taken heavy blows against the Jingye Division of Xingsha County on his orders. He never expected that this simpleton would actually use a knife to cut someone. Is that considered heavy blows? That's murder!

Despite his concern about his subordinate's intelligence, Pei Qian couldn't simply abandon him. He forcefully argued, "Chief Constable Lin, how do you know he won't stop short of defeat? Besides, on the arena, swords are silent, and life and death are left to fate. As the chief constable, if you personally go into the arena, wouldn't that be bullying the weak?"

"I don't know if he can stop when he's done his job, but I don't dare gamble with the lives of my men. Anyway, I've already hit him. If Deputy Chief Steward Pei thinks I'm bullying the weak, then come down and fight me, how about it?"

Lin Yi's domineering response left Pei Qian in a difficult position.

As the deputy chief steward, it wouldn't be honorable for him to go up to the ring and fight Lin Yi. If he won, it would be dishonorable, and if he lost, it would be even more shameful.

But if he doesn't respond to provocations, how can he gain the respect of the people in the future?

"Enough, this matter ends here. The purpose of the arena competition was to allow you to exchange skills, but things have escalated to this point and lost their original meaning. There's no need to continue. Disperse!"

Bao Sanniang glanced at Pei Qian, and although she had helped him clean up the mess, the glance also carried a warning meaning.

Pei Qian felt a chill run down his spine and quickly ordered his men to check on the injured Jiang Siyuan. Lin Yi comforted Niu Er for a few moments, then told him to gather the troops while he went to find Bao Sanniang.

"I thought Chief Steward Bao was just visiting a friend, but now it seems he has official business to attend to. As the Chief Constable of the Jingye Division of Xingsha County, how can I help you?"

Previously, in Guan Buping's residence, Lin Yi faced Bao Sanniang as a junior facing an elder, but now, as a subordinate facing a superior, Lin Yi's attitude is naturally different.

Bao Sanniang felt angry when the topic of visiting friends came up.

She desperately wanted to never have to deal with that jerk again, but she couldn't bear to part with him, leaving her feeling angry, annoyed, and helpless.

“Even if you hadn’t asked me, I would have told you. Guan Buping had written to me asking for help before, saying that there were Jingtian Sect activities in Xingsha, but I was too busy at the time. Later, I heard that the Jingtian Sect was preparing a blood sacrifice in Xingsha, so I brought people over.”

Speaking of this, Lin Yi also felt a little guilty. The strict security was all his doing. He had exaggerated the facts and explained the advantages and disadvantages, which made Wang An order the mobilization of the county troops to impose martial law.

It's unclear whether Wang An realized it or not, but this matter only benefited Wang An. Although he had worked for nothing, he won people's hearts and made the people of Xingsha City clearly see that when danger comes, their prefect will take action and do practical things.

In this way, Lin Yi gained safe time to develop, while the prefect won the hearts of the people, which can be said to be a win-win situation.

Unexpectedly, someone took the blood sacrifice seriously. Bao Sanniang brought a deputy steward and ten constables, all of whom were rank-3 cultivators.

“In recent days, Xingsha has become much more peaceful, and the Jingtian Sect has disappeared without a trace. Perhaps the blood sacrifice is just a rumor.”

Lin Yi was implying to Bao Sanniang that she could return to where she came from. Otherwise, Lin Yi felt it would be quite troublesome for them to stay in Xingsha City, after all, they were his superiors.

Lin Yi did not want to challenge the rules of this era unless necessary, and he did not like having someone above him who was in charge, unless it was a leader like Guan Buping who always considered the needs of his subordinates.

“What you say makes sense. However, there must be a reason behind every rumor. I will send the others back, and only Vice Steward Pei and I will stay.”

Lin Yi: "..."

What I least want to see is you all stay.

But since things had come to this point, Lin Yi had no other reason to send them away, so he had no choice but to give up.

Pei Qian was clearly not someone to be trifled with, but Bao Sanniang still had the potential to win him over. As long as she could build a good relationship with Bao Sanniang, she wouldn't have to worry about offending Pei Qian.

“What Steward Bao says is true, but I have another request.”

"what's up?"

"It's a private matter. I have a close personal relationship with Chief Constable Guan, and it was thanks to his introduction that I was able to become a disciple of my master. In public, he is a superior who has taken great care of me. In private, he is both my senior brother and my good friend. Now that he is seriously injured, I should be by his side to take care of him."

Unfortunately, the Jingye Division is very busy, and Chief Constable Guan is seriously injured. If someone could use their true energy to nourish him, his injuries would heal faster. Unfortunately, my cultivation is insufficient, so I can't help much.

Seeing that Steward Bao and Chief Constable Guan have a prior relationship, I have dared to make this request, hoping that you can take care of them. I would be extremely grateful.

When Bao Sanniang heard these words, her first thought was that they were outrageous.

You, a junior disciple, don't take care of your elders, yet you dare to come to me, an official, for help? Aren't you a tiger?

But upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that Lin Yi is far too clever.

This is clearly using his own words to create opportunities for her and Guan Buping!

But Bao Sanniang also had her own pride, and coldly snorted, "Since it's your private matter, why are you asking me for help?"

"This is also my master's idea. She said that Steward Bao is rough but meticulous. He may seem as fierce as fire, but he is as gentle as water. If you take charge, you will definitely be able to take good care of Uncle-Master Guan."

"Ha, she wants me to take care of her, so why should I listen to her?"

Despite saying that, Bao Sanniang's hostility towards Qu Jing decreased considerably.

This junior sister is quite sensible!

"Please, Steward Bao, lend me your help."

Lin Yi said with a sincere expression. Bao Sanniang felt that she had pretended enough and was afraid that if she continued to pretend, Lin Yi would not ask her for help. So she reluctantly replied, "Alright, I'm just a soft-hearted person. Don't worry, I will take good care of him."

"Thank you very much. Then I will take my leave."

Lin Yi bowed and thanked her, then was about to leave when Bao Sanniang tossed out a book and said, "I saw your swordsmanship today. It has the form but lacks agility, and some of your moves look strange. I guess you used to use a knife. Here is a knife manual. Practice it well. A sword is good for one-on-one combat, but it is far less useful than a knife for fighting enemies on the battlefield."

"Thank you, Steward Bao."

Lin Yi accepted the sword manual, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking how strong the observation skills of these masters were.

He did have a few moves that he was used to using with a knife, but they weren't obvious. I didn't expect Bao Sanniang to still notice them.

Now that I have the sword manual, why don't I go and get a good sword?

Lin Yi was making plans when someone rushed in to report.

"Strange phenomena have appeared on the Xiang River, seemingly indicating the birth of a celestial artifact..."

Chapter 119 Fiery Clouds

When Lin Yi heard the report from the police, he was also full of questions. Good heavens, Wu De and Mr. Liu surrendered while still carrying out their plan.

But didn't they say they were going to claim the immortal artifact was on him? How come it's now on the Xiang River? Do they think this is more convincing?

Lin Yi pondered for a moment, but still couldn't figure out what the other party's trick was. At this moment, Bao Sanniang and Pei Qian also rushed over after hearing the commotion, and asked the patrolman who delivered the message, "Is this true?"

If a celestial artifact were to appear, that would not be a good thing.

Immortal artifacts are something that even first-rank experts would covet. Even if those first-rank experts dare not act rashly for various reasons, they will still send a large number of their subordinates. At that time, third-rank experts can only cheer and shout, while second-rank experts are the real main force in the competition.

Bao Sanniang's first reaction was disbelief.

The constable, of course, couldn't be sure either, but said, "Many people say that such a huge phenomenon must be a celestial artifact."

Bao Sanniang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and said, "Don't believe everything you hear. Even the biggest phenomenon doesn't necessarily mean it's a celestial artifact. It might just be a more powerful spiritual artifact. Seeing is believing, so let's go take a look."

"it is good."

Lin Yi and Pei Qian agreed at the same time, and the three of them quickly ran towards the Xiang River. Soon they were out of the city gate, and when they arrived at the city gate, they saw the breathtaking scene.

"What a strange phenomenon..."

Bao Sanniang was dumbfounded.

Looking out, the Xiang River seemed to have transformed into a sea of ​​fire, burning fiercely. The fire spread to an unknown distance, the flames soaring into the sky, and even the clouds were dyed red.

It was already evening, and when they saw the fiery clouds in the city, they thought it was just ordinary weather. Little did they know that it was also part of an unusual phenomenon.

But the river wasn't actually burning; all the flames seemed to be illusions, because all the water was flowing, not truly burning. However, Bao Sanniang, whose element was fire, could sense the abundant fire elemental power here, without a trace of falsehood.

"It's likely that a celestial artifact has indeed been created, and it's a fire-attribute celestial artifact."

Looking at the Xiang River, Bao Sanniang felt a surge of excitement. Who doesn't love treasures, especially those with compatible attributes?

However, she knew in her heart that this level of treasure was not something she could covet.

She felt that Xingsha City was about to become the epicenter of the storm, and not only Xingsha, but also several county towns along the Xiang River would be in danger.

We must now petition the commander-in-chief for support.

At the same time, manpower should be mobilized to safeguard the safety of the people along the river and prevent demons, monsters, and evil cultists from taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble.