Chapter 128: Chapter 52: The Courteous Government Officers
He actually did murder it!
Wang Yanjun's mind suddenly went blank.
It seemed she couldn't believe it as she turned to look at Lian Bing beside her.
As a member of the Guardian Martial Department, Lian Bing, sensing Wang Yanjun's gaze, glanced at Shen Qing again.
The latter's eyes were filled with a sharpness, unintentionally sweeping over him.
Lian Bing steeled himself and nodded, "Boss, it was Lord Shen who labored to slay the demon tiger, removing a menace from Taiping County. This matter was handled by Lord Shen from start to finish, his contribution is immense."
Wang Yanjun fell silent.
After observing for so many days, the tiger demon's strength had ranged higher than the Qi Cultivation Realm but no lower.
If she remembered correctly, none of the officers stationed in Shiqiao Village were of the Qi Cultivation Realm; they couldn't possibly be a match for the tiger demon.
Now that the tiger demon was dead, it was very likely slain by this young man whose name hadn't been known before.
Wang Yanjun stared at Shen Qing's face, her elegant brows slightly furrowing, feeling that his face seemed somewhat familiar.
She calmed the surprise in her heart and asked, "Lord Shen, have we met before?"
Shen Qing remembered two things very clearly about Wang Yanjun.
That day, it was she who had executed the Yellow Angel in front of the government office gate on his behalf.
If she had not intervened at that time, he would definitely have suffered.
After thinking it over, Shen Qing smiled wryly at Wang Yanjun and said, "No, we haven't met."
Wang Yanjun paused, a hint of suspicion flashing across her beautiful face.
But upon reflection, she had only seen that person three or four months ago.
At that time, the aura the other possessed was distinctly different from what this person exhibited.
It must have been her mistake.
Wang Yanjun clasped her hands in a salute and asked briskly, "How should I address this hero?"
"Shen Qing!"
"Since you have slain the demon tiger, the Lord County Magistrate will naturally keep his promise, and the martial arts register will surely be assigned to you without fail," Wang Yanjun's attitude became respectful, speaking gently and humbly.
Truthfully, Wang Yanjun was well aware of her own limits.
She asked herself, if it were her, she wouldn't be capable of slaying the tiger demon alone; even with several people, it would require significant effort.
This Shen Qing, alone and with a single weapon, had slain the tiger demon, his combat power undoubtedly superior to theirs, leaving no room for their arrogance.
Wang Yanjun's purpose here was to eliminate the tiger demon.
Although the tiger demon hadn't died by their hands, it was still dead, merely requiring the County Magistrate to pay a bit more, which made no difference to them. Thus, there was no need to conflict with this man and make things uncomfortable for herself.
Being abroad, it wasn't necessary to make more friends, but at the very least, making more enemies should be avoided.
Being a bit courteous didn't mean losing face.
Seeing the confident manner of Wang Yanjun, Shen Qing's last bit of worry was also dispelled.
He looked at the corpse of the tiger demon, as if thinking of something, then asked, "How will you deal with this tiger's corpse?"
"This tiger demon was slain by Hero Shen, naturally, it's for you to handle as you see fit," Wang Yanjun truthfully replied. "If Hero Shen wishes, you can certainly sell this tiger demon corpse to the Lord County Magistrate, he will surely buy it at a high price."
"Good, the Lord County Magistrate is straightforward." Shen Qing patted the body of the tiger demon and stood up.
This tiger demon sounded intimidating, but it was essentially no different from them, martial masters, all made of flesh and blood.
If the strength is sufficient and sufficiently fast, even an arrow can kill it.
The only major difference is that this tiger demon possessed a dark crimson murderous aura on its body, deadly upon contact with ordinary flesh and blood, and its thick skin and flesh were somewhat troublesome.
But before strength, everything could be resolved smoothly, posing no problems.
In other words, even in killing the tiger demon, his strength was not exaggerated to the point that anything needed to be hidden or masked.
Shen Qing looked up and said generously, "Let's pack up; the tiger demon has been dealt with. Let's prepare to head back."
Wang Yanjun glanced at the sky and said, "It's already past noon. If we go back now, we might find the city gates already closed. It might be better to rest here for the night. I'll gather some people, and we can head back early tomorrow."
Shen Qing thought about it for a moment. The city was indeed around seventy li away, which was not close.
Returning from here would certainly take some time, and carrying the tiger demon would take even more time.
Therefore, he nodded and agreed to Wang Yanjun's suggestion.
Wang Yanjun looked at Lian Bing and the flat-faced senior brother and asked, "Can you both still walk?"
Lian Bing quickly replied, "Chief, they're just minor injuries, walking won't be a problem."
"Then let's not delay anymore; let's hurry down the mountain."
It was clear that Wang Yanjun had a decisive and fiery disposition. He immediately made a decision and started implementing it.
The flat-faced senior brother from Linfeng Hall, after hesitating upon seeing the bodies scattered around, asked, "Guardian Martial Departmental Head, what should we do with these bodies?"
Wang Yanjun glanced at him, speaking in an indifferent tone, "They died here due to their lack of strength; no one else is to blame. We don't have the leisure to pick a geomantic spot for them, nor to build their graves. The mountains are not lacking in beasts; nature will take its course here. If you want to bury them, then go dig the graves yourself."
The senior brother from Linfeng Hall flinched, his face falling as he said, "I was just saying."
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"Let's go!" Shen Qing did not meddle further and yelled, "Someone, lend a hand to carry this tiger demon down."
The martial masters who had come with Wang Yanjun exchanged glances, improvised with resources at hand, and snapped some arm-thick tree trunks to use as poles.
Four of them carried the corpse of the tiger demon up and down.
The flat-faced brother looked around at the scattered corpses with a deep sigh and hurriedly followed the group.
They walked along the road they had come on for a good while.
In a patch of woods, the group noticed a figure hiding.
Shen Qing, with sharp eyes, immediately recognized him as Xiao Zhi, who had walked away earlier.
"Brother Xiao!" Shen Qing called out loudly.
Xiao Zhi shivered all over, carefully poking his head out and looking forward.
He saw Shen Qing and the others carrying the splendidly patterned large tiger, slowly making their way through the woods, which startled him: "My goodness!"
After quite some time, as the group got closer, and he could see clearly, he finally calmed down and boldly stepped out of the bushes.
He rushed up to Shen Qing excitedly, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
Shen Qing had others take over the burden for him while he walked up to Xiao Zhi and took back his Heavy Bow and Arrow Quiver.
Xiao Zhi kept his eyes fixed on the carried tiger demon, swallowing his saliva uncontrollably.
When he had left, the tiger demon was almost about to pounce, leaving only Shen Qing intact and capable of moving in the woods.
Now the tiger demon was dead, and Shen Qing was still unharmed.
Either someone else had helped, or Shen Qing alone had fought and slain it.
The latter, however, sounded unlikely no matter how you looked at it, with a very slim possibility.
But recalling the invincible aura Shen Qing had when he killed the Ghost, he found himself oddly inclined to believe the latter possibility.
Xiao Zhi cautiously confirmed in a low voice to Shen Qing, "You killed this tiger demon, right?"
"Yes."
Boom!
In an instant, Xiao Zhi felt a rush of blood to his head. Looking at Shen Qing, it seemed as if he was glowing.
After a long while, he seemed to return to his senses, slowly raised a thumb, and said, "You, are truly amazing!"