Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 195 - 21: Demon Traces, Secret Martial Training

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"Did you hear? There's been a demon sighting in the Inner City too?"

"I just came back from there, how come I didn't know?"

"Huh? What happened?"

"A family was devoured in their sleep by a cat demon, I heard it even started eating from the heart outward... The scene was really... Ah, let's not talk about it anymore, it's enough to lose your appetite."

...

Shen Qing walked into the courtyard of the Guardian Martial Department and found that the usually bustling yard had taken on a different appearance today, filled with an unusual aura of seriousness.

Officers who were usually scattered about doing various chores were surprisingly not out today, instead gathering in small groups for intense discussions.

Shen Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Officer Shen, you're here. Have some tea to refresh yourself," Liu Sangui's voice called from inside the courtyard.

He was all smiles, discarding the melon seed shells in his hands, and poured a bowl of bitter tea, greeting Shen Qing with a grin.

The gathered crowd consisted mostly of officers from the second and third groups, while those like Liu Sangui who were not part of these groups formed a large circle around them, straining their necks to listen, looking rather unsightly.

Shen Qing walked over calmly and sat down in front of Liu Sangui, his eyes scanning the cluster of people.

Then he took a small sip of the bitter tea and lifted his chin, asking, "What's going on? What is everyone talking about?"

Liu Sangui, seeing this, said seriously, "The city is in an uproar! There's news of a cat demon entering the city and eating an entire family, and that's what everyone is talking about."

Hearing this news, Shen Qing was surprised.

The county town had both the Guardian Martial Department and the Military Department offices, which were powerful enough to control demons, traitors, gangs, and various underground activities.

Even for small things like brawls between gangs or petty thefts, the Military Department could rush to the scene quickly and resolve them, incomparable to a place like Taiping County.

If it were said that the forces outside the city were weak, leading to rampant demons, that would be one thing, but how could there be one inside the city too? Where did this cat demon come from?

Shen Qing pondered privately, unable to figure it out.

He asked, "What did the Chief Officer say?"

"The usual, sent the fourth group to handle the patrol where the incident happened," Liu Sangui said mysteriously, "Officer Shen, you might not know this. Because of this incident, many of the high-ranking officials who kept cats are trying to kill or abandon them. I saw lots of cats on the streets today, and the fourth group is really having a headache over this, making the city's people all the more anxious."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qing reminded, "Then you need to be more careful when you go out."

After staying for a while in the Guardian Martial Department, Shen Qing noticed that besides Jiang Dacong, Guan Yunjian, and Uncle Shu were still nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu?"

Liu Sangui said, "Maybe they had something at home, so they were late today?"

Seeing Shen Qing's displeased expression, Liu Sangui and Jiang Dacong kept silent.

After a long wait, Shen Qing looked at the sky, finished his bowl of bitter tea, and said, "Let's go for the patrol, no need to wait for them."

Just as Shen Qing was about to step out, Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu emerged from outside the Guardian Martial Department gate, smiling apologetically, "Officer Shen, we just got a message from below, spotting traces of a wolf demon in our patrol area, so we were delayed a bit."

Below?

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow.

He glanced at the two and said, "What happened?"

Uncle Shu stepped forward, cupping his fists, and explained, "It's like this. Early morning today, a woodcutter from Changqiao Town went missing and reported it to the county office. The locals say it's a wolf demon. The Military Department sent people to investigate, but there are no conclusions yet."

"Then let's wait for news from the Military Department before making any decisions. Anything else?"

"No."

"If there's nothing else, don't just stand around idly."

Shen Qing did not give the two a friendly glance, striding out.

Uncle Shu and Guan Yunjian exchanged a helpless look with each other.

They could tell Shen Qing was increasingly dissatisfied with them.

But they truly were being wronged; they had indeed received some news about the wolf demon, which delayed them today.

Walking at the rear, Uncle Shu and Guan Yunjian exchanged a low conversation,

"What should we do?"

"This might be an opportunity."

"You mean..."

Guan Yunjian nodded, saying, "Prepare. His impression of us is worsening. The longer we wait, the more likely he'll turn against us first. Maybe it's best to deal with him during the wolf demon incident, lest we have prolonged troubles."

Uncle Shu said, "You're right; then let's prepare."

"Hmm."

The two fell silent, following quietly.

During the following period, no more cat demon incidents occurred in the county town, but Shen Qing dared not take it lightly.

Come evening, after Shen Xiaoshan and Tian Xiaohu finished their work in the restaurant, he called the three into the living room.

"Bang!"

Just as Xiao Zhi was the last to enter, Shen Qing quietly stepped forward and closed the door.

Only the three of them remained in the living room.

Tian Xiaohu, puzzled, asked, "Boss, what's so urgent to gather us so late?"

Nowadays, Tian Xiaohu and the others no longer dared call Shen Qing by his childhood nickname from Hongjiazhai, addressing him as Boss to show respect.

Shen Qing said, "The county town is not as peaceful as we think; relying solely on the Martial Arts Hall teachings from Taiping County is insufficient."

"So... I've decided to teach you new martial arts."

Hearing this, Tian Xiaohu and the others couldn't help but feel invigorated.

They weren't fools. They knew that not long ago, Shen Qing had gone to the Martial Arts Hall to learn Imperial Martial Arts, and now saying he'd teach meant he'd teach them those.

This was entirely different from the two or three skills they learned outside.

Xiao Zhi, having spent much of his life around taverns, had some insight.

He knew that teaching Imperial Martial Arts outside was forbidden, and according to the laws of Great Zhou, breaking this rule could lead to banishment or even death.

Xiao Zhi voiced, "Isn't this inappropriate? What if someone finds out..."

Shen Qing firmly stated, "So do not tell anyone about this tonight."

"But if someone accidentally finds out or discovers some clue?"

Shen Qing replied without hesitation, "Just say you bought it from Wu Sheng of the Wu Family."

Tian Xiaohu and the others exchanged looks of confusion.

"Didn't you hear clearly?" Shen Qing said, "A man does what needs to be done without fussing over trifles; why hesitate about such a great opportunity right before you?"

"Yes, we've struggled for a chance like this; we should seize it. If the government discovers and targets me, Boss, rest assured I won't breathe a word involving you," Tian Xiaohu vowed firmly.

"Same here."

"Me too."

"Just be cautious usually, maintain discretion, and if you slip up, just say it was bought from Wu Sheng. They'll surely understand," Shen Qing continued. "Once we are strong enough, it won't matter even if the government finds out. Ultimately, skills in your hands provide true security."

Shen Qing knew all too well that the county's Thirteen Lines nearly treated the county office like their own home.

He didn't believe that those high-ranking families didn't secretly learn the Imperial Martial Arts.

It was just that the Prefectural Governor turned a blind eye to it.

Even Wu Sheng's dealings would likely involve a lot of people.

His private teaching of martial arts could either be a small or a big issue, depending on how shrewdly the people involved handled it.

Teaching his family members posed little risk and was manageable.

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