Human Clan Defender
Chapter 54 Crazy Promotion

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Crazy Promotion

"No matter what my past life was like, now that I’ve come here, I am one of the Qin People. Demon Evil regards the Human Clan as its food supply, and if one day Demon Evil grows stronger, my end will not be good either!"

Joining the Demon-Subduing Division, becoming a Demon Hunter, is said to be for protecting the civilians of Great Qin, but it’s more like securing a way of survival for myself—

The raging fire at the Zhang Family’s residence was reflected in Shen Changqing’s pupils.

Without truly coming into contact with Demon Evil, one can never understand how severe the calamities Demon Evil brings actually are.

Perhaps in the eyes of Demon Evil, the Human Clan is no different from other pigs and sheep, and preying on humans is just a natural instinct; but I am not Demon Evil, so naturally, I cannot put myself in its shoes.

I am of the Human Clan, and naturally, I should consider things from the standpoint of the Human Clan!

Shen Changqing came to a realization.

He belonged to the Human Clan; naturally, he could not consider things from the perspective of pigs and sheep, nor ponder whether those destined to become food were pitiful.

Similarly, he was of the Human Clan; he could not consider things from the perspective of Demon Evil, nor ponder whether Demon Evil’s preying on the Human Clan aligned with the natural ways of Heaven and Earth.

—

Upon returning to the Yamen, Shen Changqing first had Shi Qingsheng tally up the day’s gains.

The Zhang Family in Lin’an City was, at any rate, considered a major clan. Thus, when their house was raided, large and small boxes were moved out, and their possessions were plentiful.

Regarding this, Shi Qingsheng could only spend the night counting them.

Only when the eastern sky began to show the fish-belly white of dawn was the tally finally complete.

"Sir, all the assets of the Zhang Family have been tallied. All their shops, land deeds, and other items combined amount to a total of 130,000 taels of silver!"

130,000 taels!

Shen Changqing nodded; the amount differed slightly from his expectation, but not by much.

The Zhao Family, in their prime, had assets worth about 210,000 taels when converted. Compared to them, the Zhang Family’s were slightly less, but 130,000 taels was not far off either.

One Zhao Family plus one Zhang Family, and it’s already over 300,000 taels. If a small city like Lin’an City is so wealthy, then how vast must the assets of the major clans in other county cities, or even those in the Capital City, be!

Shen Changqing could not help but sigh.

During his time at the Demon-Subduing Division, his monthly salary had been merely one tael of silver. Now that he had become a Yellow Rank Demon Hunter, the salary had increased to five taels.

Being a Demon Hunter is a life-risking career, so it’s normal for the salary to be a bit higher. Furthermore, the real benefits of joining the Demon-Subduing Division have never been just about the salary.

Even so, the salary of a Demon Hunter was already much higher compared to that of other people.

A Yellow Rank Demon Hunter received five taels a month; in a year, that was only sixty taels of silver. The assets of the Zhao Family in Lin’an City would require a Yellow Rank Demon Hunter to save up for 3,500 years without eating or drinking.

3,500 years—

Shen Changqing felt a bit of a toothache.

At this moment, Shi Qingsheng, who was standing at his side, saw the change in Shen Changqing’s expression and couldn’t help but remind him in a low voice, "Sir, the assets of both families have only temporarily been put into the Yamen treasury and have not yet been transported to the Capital City. Sometimes, there’s a discrepancy between the figures on the books and the actual stock in the treasury—it’s inevitable—"

He stopped talking there.

But Shi Qingsheng’s words suddenly made Shen Changqing realize the implication. The meaning behind his words would be clear to anyone who was not a fool.

"Was this how the previous County Magistrates handled it?" Shen Changqing’s expression remained unchanged, showing neither anger nor eagerness.

"Naturally," Shi Qingsheng nodded, and then smiled, "Otherwise, how could the Zhao Family, in just a short span of one or two decades, possess such a vast estate in Lin’an City? Keep in mind that a County Magistrate’s monthly salary is only a few measly taels of silver after all."

"How much discrepancy do you think there can be without causing trouble?"

"All the assets of both families were tallied by me. As long as it’s not too outrageous, the Imperial Court won’t conduct a thorough investigation. However, it’s not appropriate to use too much. With over 300,000 taels, Sir, it’s best if you divert no more than 30,000 taels," Shi Qingsheng said with an air of experience.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing was clear in his heart.

Obviously, Shi Qingsheng, having been by Zhao Fang’s side, had done this sort of thing frequently.

Nevertheless, Shi Qingsheng’s words were indeed tempting to him.

30,000 taels of silver. Based on my own Yellow Rank Demon Hunter salary, it would take hundreds of years to save up that much.

With this thought, Shen Changqing’s gaze fell on Shi Qingsheng. "You’re very clear on what should be said and what should not be said. Although I am only acting as the County Magistrate for now, I am ultimately a man of the Demon-Subduing Division. For the Demon-Subduing Division, silencing someone is no difficult task. You don’t need me to remind you of that, do you?"

"Sir, rest assured, I know nothing!" Shi Qingsheng replied hastily.

"Very well!" Shen Changqing nodded in satisfaction, then said, "The total assets from the confiscation of both the Zhao and Zhang families amount to 310,000 taels of silver. Make sure you register everything properly, and don’t miss anything. As for the rest, you handle it however is convenient for you."

"I understand!"

"Also, have someone prepare some nourishment for replenishing qi and blood, as well as chicken, duck, fish, and meat to be sent over immediately. If the Yamen’s subsidies are insufficient, I will cover the remainder."

"Yes, I’ll see to it right away!" Shi Qingsheng respectfully took his leave.

—

In less than two hours, Shi Qingsheng had all the items delivered. Accompanying the nourishments was also a thick stack of silver notes.

Shen Changqing counted them; the silver notes amounted to roughly 30,000 taels, a few taels short to be precise.

Looking at the table full of food, he also felt contemplative.

A meal costs several taels of silver; such expenses are no small matter. Depending solely on the salary from the Demon-Subduing Division, if I want to advance my Realm, it will undoubtedly waste a lot of time.

The panel upgrade requires Slaughter Value, but daily consumption and replenishment are also indispensable.

In the past, Shen Changqing didn’t think this would be a problem, but now, as his Realm was getting higher, the consumption was also gradually increasing.

At this point, just one breakthrough required the preparation of many items to fill the body’s expenditure. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so decisively extracted thirty thousand taels of silver from the two families.

With previous experience, Shen Changqing first ate some food to fill his stomach, then began to settle his mind and proceed with Martial Arts enhancement through the panel.

Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Technique, upgrade!

Five points of Slaughter Value consumed.

A powerful Suction Power emerged from all over his body, and the food that had been eaten rapidly vanished, transforming into surging qi and blood.

Soon, a strong sense of hunger hit him.

Shen Changqing did not dare to hesitate and took the opportunity to eat a lot more.

Finally—his body shook.

On his normal skin, it seemed as if a faint glow was moving.

By now, the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Technique had broken through to the seventeenth layer.

With the enhancement of Outer Techniques, his qi and blood were abundant.

Shen Changqing began to aim for a breakthrough with the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi.

With a thought, ten points of Slaughter Value were instantly consumed.

Subsequently, the qi and blood of his flesh were depleted, transforming into Heavenly Centipede True Qi within his Dantian.

Before long, the True Qi in his Dantian reached an overflowing state. When that overflowing True Qi could no longer break through the constraints of the Dantian, it began to compress inwards—

One drop!

Two drops!

The True Qi, which had been in a gaseous state, began to transform into a liquid.

An unknown amount of time passed, and all the True Qi in his Dantian transformed into a red liquid, resting there quietly like a clear spring.

Simultaneously with the liquefaction of True Qi, all the meridians throughout his body that had been opened were suddenly linked together. The filmy Inner Gang Qi, which should have resided inside his body, grew wildly and became extremely solid.

At the same time, an indescribable sense of weakness surged through him.

This feeling of both fullness and weakness intermingling made Shen Changqing feel momentarily disoriented.

After snapping back to reality, he hurriedly grabbed the things on the table, without caring what they were, and stuffed them all into his mouth.

In just a moment, the table was in a mess. All the food had entered Shen Changqing’s stomach, but even so, it still wasn’t enough to cover the expenditure.

"Someone, come here!" he shouted loudly.

Immediately, someone pushed the door and entered.

"My lord, what can I do for you?" As Shi Qingsheng bowed, his peripheral vision caught the messy table, and he was secretly shocked.

He clearly remembered that the food he had brought was enough for several burly men, yet he hadn’t expected it to be devoured so quickly by one person.

However, thinking of his lord’s identity, Shi Qingsheng didn’t dwell on it. It was only natural for a powerful expert capable of slaying demon evils to eat more.

Shen Changqing took out a silver note with a face value of ten taels and handed it directly to Shi Qingsheng. "Immediately prepare another table of food for me, at twice the previous amount!"

"Er, this servant obeys!" Shi Qingsheng, not daring to ask more, took the silver note and withdrew.

Shen Changqing sat motionless on the stool, closing his eyes to perceive the changes in his body.

With the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Technique breaking through to the seventeenth layer, various aspects of his physical condition had greatly improved. But there was also a clear downside: this enhancement could not keep pace with the consumption required for advancing his Inner Strength.

The same was true for advancing a level. Advancing the Heavenly Martial Gang Qi from the eleventh to the twelfth layer had nearly drained all his qi and blood.

This meant that if he only advanced the Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Technique by one layer before enhancing his Inner Strength, it would no longer be sufficient to support the consumption.

The thirteenth layer of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi will definitely consume more. The Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training Technique will probably need to reach the nineteenth layer to support that momentary consumption. To put it simply, the rank of this Martial Art is ultimately too low. Even if Slaughter Value could break the limit, compared to other Martial Arts, its cost-effectiveness is already starting to lag behind.

If the cost-effectiveness is lacking, then it’s destined to consume more Slaughter Value to achieve the desired effect.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing also wanted to switch Martial Arts.

Currently unable to return to the Demon-Subduing Division, he had ideas in his mind but couldn’t take any practical action.

But to save up Slaughter Value and not use it, waiting to return to the Demon-Subduing Division to slowly convert it—that also wouldn’t be appropriate.

With undercurrents surging in Lin’an City, and having just eradicated an Eternal Alliance stronghold, who knew when the Eternal Alliance might make another move.

Therefore, he could only enhance himself as much as possible under the limited conditions.