"Push the door open."
In the eerie street, Mr. Zheng drew his long knife, fully prepared.
The constable swallowed hard, shakily reaching out to press his hand against the old wooden door.
They were Mr. Zheng's trusted subordinates, and they knew that when the boss showed this expression, it meant there was danger inside.
Now, being asked to push the door open, he would be the first to encounter the danger behind it.
But could he refuse?
No, he couldn't.
If he wanted to survive in Ding County and continue to oppress the common people, he couldn't refuse.
"Creak!"
The old wooden door emitted a harsh sound.
After the constable pushed the door open, he immediately retreated several meters, his hand holding the knife trembling slightly.
Mr. Zheng spat, slapped the constable on the head, and cursed, "Useless!"
Under the moonlight, the room was clearly visible.
It was empty inside, nothing but furniture.
"Where has the butcher gone?"
Mr. Zheng was puzzled and ordered two constables to enter the house and search.
Moments later, the constables exited, shaking their heads to indicate that there was nothing unusual inside.
"It's just a bit cold."
One constable hugged himself, constantly feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the darkness.
Mr. Zheng furrowed his brow even tighter, looked around, and said, "Let's head back to the yamen and report this to Mr. Wang."
He had a suspicion; could the wild boar demon have been struck down here?
But he knew better than anyone about the experts in Ding County.
This was the butcher's home; could the butcher be an expert?
The constables followed Mr. Zheng out the door.
It was late, and the night was like a curtain.
Slight footsteps sounded, particularly clear in the darkness.
When Mr. Zheng heard the footsteps, he drew his long knife with a clang, his gaze becoming extremely fierce, and the hand holding the knife started sweating.
"Who's there!"
The wild boar demon had been hit; the alley was filled with the scent of danger.
He had been through the streets and the world, and even though he gained some weight in Ding County, his instincts made him subconsciously vigilant.
The constables drew their long knives, disorderly, like a buzzing swarm of hornets.
Not far from the alley, a black-haired young man with a sharp knife at his waist slowly walked out.
"Qin An?" Mr. Zheng shouted sternly, "Stand against the wall, don't move."
He still remembered Qin An's name.
When numerous butchers couldn't handle the boar demon's corpse, only Qin An could butcher the demon, which made a deep impression on Mr. Zheng.
Qin An's expression was calm as he rested his hand on the sharp knife at his waist and said, "You all saw it?"
With these words, the scene fell silent, and even a pin drop could be heard.
Mr. Zheng swallowed hard, "Did you kill the boar demon?"
He was still a bit incredulous, but Qin An's calm expression made him have to believe.
Qin An nodded, "It came to trouble me, so I slaughtered it on a whim."
He had just returned from the blacksmith's shop and encountered Mr. Zheng's group when he reached the alley.
Faced with Mr. Zheng's question, Qin An chose to admit it.
Things had already developed to this point, and denial was useless.
Besides, Qin An had his own thoughts.
His current situation was very dangerous, with threats not only from demons but also from the yamen.
As Chen Chun said, the yamen colluded with demons and wouldn't allow instability in Ding County.
He was an unstable element.
The exposure of today's incident was within his expectations.
In this world, there are no walls without chinks; since it was exposed, only two paths lay ahead.
The first was denial, but even a fool could see Qin An would be lying, and given Mr. Wang's character, there would surely be numerous probes.
The second was to admit it and display his own strength.
Daqian respected power.
He was slaying demons, not humans; as long as he had strength to rely on, so what if it was Mr. Wang?
Of course, this was not a long-term solution; after all, Mr. Wang wouldn't let him continue being unstable.
But buying time was the best option.
If he stalled long enough, Qin An, with the boost from his Golden Finger, would already stand above Ding County, making Mr. Wang even less daring to act.
Perhaps only a few days were needed until he mastered the blacksmith's profession talent.
Mr. Zheng raised his long knife, "Even if so, the truth is unknown. Cooperate with us and come to the yamen."
There was something suspicious here, and he dared not make decisions on his own, wanting Mr. Wang to make the call.
Qin An glanced at Mr. Zheng, "Haven't you grasped the situation?"
Mr. Zheng stood there, dumbfounded.
A bright flash of the knife swept past, with a soul-stirring whoosh.
Mr. Zheng watched as the sharp knife swept past his eyes, unable to even react, cold sweat covering his forehead.
If that knife had slashed across his neck, he would have been decapitated immediately.
Too powerful, Qin An was just a butcher; why was he so strong?
"Are you resisting arrest?" Mr. Zheng retreated several steps, his voice trembling slightly.
Qin An shook his head, "What's wrong with killing a demon?"
A simple answer, and Mr. Zheng's face turned dark.
As Qin An said, killing demons wasn't a crime.
Dare he say it was wrong?
In Daqian Kingdom, even wiping out a demon nest was fine; perhaps the Evil Extermination Bureau would even commend such a deed.
Mr. Zheng took a deep breath, "Let's return."
He didn't continue speaking.
First, Qin An's words were flawless, and second, he dreaded Qin An's strength.
He was old, lacking the ambition he once had, only wanting to play the role of a bully in Ding County.
How much money was it per month to risk his life?
Let Mr. Wang decide back at the yamen.
Seeing this, the constables showed strange expressions, their eyes filled with fear when they looked at Qin An.
If even the boss conceded, how could they not?
Qin An glanced at a constable, "After I butchered the boar demon, you told me to scram?"
With his face covered in sweat, the constable kept flattering, "Couldn't recognize the greatness right in front..."
Qin An said flatly, "Scram."
The constable dared not say a word, quickly following Mr. Zheng out of the alley.
...
After watching Mr. Zheng and his group leave, Qin An returned to the house.
The oil lamp flickered, casting fluctuations over Qin An's face.
"Raise the blacksmith profession to level three quickly."
Qin An had a plan in mind.
Tonight, his mentality had shifted.
Strength was the foundation of standing in the world.
If he didn't have strength, he couldn't have avoided being taken away tonight.
But with strength, even the haughty Mr. Zheng could only leave in defeat.
Qin An planned to quickly advance to level three as a blacksmith, while also considering the paths of Heart Method and Cultivation Technique.
After a simple wash, Qin An hung up a bell and gripped his sharp knife before going to sleep.
...
Mr. Zheng returned to the yamen with his constables.
Upon entering, he wiped away the cold sweat from his forehead, "He didn't follow, right?"
The constable's mouth twitched, "Boss, he didn't follow."
Along the way, the boss asked over ten times.
Mr. Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked to Mr. Wang's room, knocking on the door.
"Enter."
Mr. Wang breathed heavily.
Mr. Zheng pushed the door open and was momentarily stunned by the scene inside the room.