Human Clan Defender
Chapter 63: Not Worth Further Investment

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Not Worth Further Investment

Last night’s disturbance was so significant, it’s impossible to say there were no losses.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yue clasped his fists and replied, "Reporting to Your Honor, there were twenty-three fires last night, and nearly a hundred commoners died as a result. Additionally, the number of people who died due to Demon Evil is still being tallied."

"As for the Government Officials, we lost eight last night."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the inner hall turned solemn.

Shi Qingsheng sighed. "With this, counting the deaths caused by the Demon Evil, I’m afraid the number of fatalities in the city will reach several hundred. If this matter isn’t handled properly, it will surely lead to widespread panic."

"What does Principal Clerk Shi believe the Yamen should do now?"

Shen Changqing’s gaze fell on Shi Qingsheng. It was a rare occasion for him to seek advice.

After all, he was only an acting County Magistrate, with no real experience in governance.

If it were about dealing with Demon Evil, that would be much simpler—just killing them all would suffice.

But reassuring the populace could not be resolved with mere slaughter.

In comparison, the other man had years of experience as a Principal Clerk and was the most experienced in this area.

After a moment of contemplation, Shi Qingsheng looked up, clasped his fists, and said, "Reporting to Your Honor, what the Yamen should do now is post notices as usual, declaring that all the Demon Evil have been slain. At the same time, we must have other Government Officials increase their patrol intensity."

"Over time, the fear in people’s hearts will naturally fade."

"If anyone takes advantage of this situation to cause chaos, they must be severely punished. We cannot let others think the Yamen is weak and easily bullied."

"As for the commoners who died or were injured in last night’s fires and by the Demon Evil, any survivors can be given some form of compensation."

Punishing troublemakers strictly while offering compensation was a two-pronged approach.

After brief consideration, Shen Changqing nodded. "Very well, let’s proceed as you’ve suggested."

After a pause, he added, "Besides, the Yamen has had some extra income recently, so providing compensation shouldn’t be a problem."

Once the decision was made, Shi Qingsheng immediately rose and left, leaving Zhang Yue sitting motionless.

"Your Honor, after last night’s events, some Government Officials wish to leave. What should we do now?"

Not everyone is unafraid of death.

Last night, they had no alternative, so those Government Officials dared not desert their posts.

But now, things were different.

Once the commotion settled, some Government Officials began to consider resigning and leaving.

Shen Changqing said, "Let anyone who wants to leave, go. However, they will not be rehired in the future. Simultaneously, we will recruit a new batch of Government Officials. This is merely a minor issue."

Great Qin lacked many things, but people were not one of them.

Even a small place like Lin’an City had a population of one hundred thousand; large cities had even more.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure exactly how large the population of Great Qin was.

But one thing he was sure of was that Great Qin’s population was significantly larger than that of Earth in his previous life.

Upon receiving the order, Zhang Yue also stood up and took his leave.

In the inner hall, only Shen Changqing remained.

With the situation outside the city calming down, the Demon’s Essence Blood has found its owner, and now that all the Demon Evil have retreated, Lin’an City should be safe for a while.

This incident was significant, but since the Heavenly Inspection Guard of Lin’an City was wiped out, the news cannot immediately reach the Demon-Subduing Division.

However, given the reach of the Heavenly Inspection Guard, I believe it won’t be long before someone new comes to take charge.

Sitting in the seat of honor in the inner hall, he reflected on the events of the past two days.

Although only two days had passed, a great deal had occurred.

Only now did he have the time to sort everything out properly.

Subsequently, Shen Changqing calmed his mind and began to check his panel.

Name: Shen Changqing

Faction: Great Qin’s Demon Suppression Division

Identity: Yellow Rank Demon Hunter

Martial Arts: Thirteen Taibao Heng Practice (Level 20, upgradable), Heavenly Martial Gang Qi (Level 13, upgradable), Seven Kills Blade Technique (Level 3), Iron Sand Palm (Level 2)

Slaughter Value: 53

Fifty-three Slaughter Value points!

Shen Changqing let out a breath.

He had slain quite a few Demon Evil last night: one Resentment Level Monster and several Ghostly Level Fiends.

The Resentment Level Monster alone contributed over twenty Slaughter Value points. The remaining Ghostly Level Fiends, being generally weaker, each contributed only seven or eight points.

But every little bit counts.

All told, his Slaughter Value had reached over fifty points.

However—while fifty-three Slaughter Value points might seem like a lot, the amount required for each subsequent level-up was considerable.

For the Thirteen Taibao Heng Practice, beyond the twentieth level, each advancement consumes at least ten Slaughter Value points, and that doesn’t account for potential incremental increases.

As for Heavenly Martial Gang Qi, it currently costs eight Slaughter Value points per level. However, based on past incremental increases, I estimate this cost won’t hold for long.

Moreover, since this martial art is of a higher tier, if the cost increases incrementally, the required Slaughter Value will undoubtedly be far more daunting than for the Thirteen Taibao Heng Practice—

He hadn’t realized it before, but after doing the math, Shen Changqing suddenly understood that over fifty Slaughter Value points wasn’t actually that much.

He now somewhat missed the old days, when a single Slaughter Value point could raise a martial art by one level.

With over fifty points, if there were no incremental cost increases, he could probably reach a rather formidable realm.

Shaking his head, Shen Changqing drove the distracting thoughts from his mind.

Even if I use these fifty-odd points wisely, the improvement to my strength will be limited. Whether I can break through to the Grandmaster Realm is still uncertain.

Level thirteen Heavenly Martial Gang Qi made him somewhat stronger than an ordinary Innate Outer Gang expert.

But to date, Shen Changqing still hadn’t touched the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm.

What exactly is a Grandmaster? He wasn’t very clear on that either. However, he was certain that if his Heavenly Martial Gang Qi could be directly raised by several levels, he would have a high chance of advancing directly to the Grandmaster Realm.

However, improving Heavenly Martial Gang Qi required a vast amount of qi and blood for support.

The Thirteen Taibao Heng Practice consumed too much. Although each level significantly boosted his Flesh, it seemed insufficient compared to the demands of Heavenly Martial Gang Qi.

Slaughter Value isn’t easy to obtain. Continuing to invest in the Thirteen Taibao Heng Practice is no longer worthwhile.

The best course of action now is to return to the Demon-Subduing Division and find a more powerful Outer Technique to cultivate.

Having made his decision, Shen Changqing withdrew his consciousness from the panel.

Without the support of qi and blood, there was no way to improve Heavenly Martial Gang Qi at the moment.

Everything would have to wait until he returned to the Demon-Subduing Division.

It’s about time for the new County Magistrate to arrive, isn’t it?

Shen Changqing estimated that nearly half a month had passed since Zhao Fang’s death.

Even if the official procedures took time, half a month should have been sufficient.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the new County Magistrate should have arrived by now.

Standing up, Shen Changqing returned to his bedroom to rest.

He had barely slept for nearly two days. Moreover, last night, he had been extremely focused while slaughtering Demon Evil throughout the city, which had been exceptionally draining.

Now that most matters were resolved, an overwhelming weariness washed over him.

Lying down fully clothed, Shen Changqing slept until noon the next day.

He only awakened from his slumber when Shi Qingsheng came knocking on his door.

Opening the door, he saw the other man already standing there.

"Sir!"

"What’s happened?" Shen Changqing yawned. He felt much more refreshed after sleeping for nearly a full day.

"I saw that you had been sleeping since last night and was worried something might have happened, Sir, so I came to check on you," Shi Qingsheng replied truthfully.

"Lunch has been prepared. Would you care to eat, Sir?"

"You’re very thoughtful."

After lunch, Shen Changqing left the Yamen and headed straight out of the city.

Lin’an City felt different today.

The atmosphere in the city was notably somber.

The usual hustle and bustle were now considerably diminished.

This showed that the previous day’s events had significantly impacted the city’s populace.

Shen Changqing had no solution for this.

Eliminating fear from people’s hearts could only be achieved with time.

After leaving Lin’an City, it didn’t take him long to reach the former site of the Mass Burial Mound.

Trees were toppled, and the dense forest was gone.

The entire Mass Burial Mound seemed to have been razed by a terrifying force, no longer resembling its former state.

The clash that night caused quite an upheaval!

Shen Changqing’s expression was solemn.

The Mass Burial Mound covered a vast area. To flatten it completely, as had been done, was not something one or two Innates could achieve.

Even for him, flattening the Mass Burial Mound would not have been an easy task.

The scene before him clearly indicated just how fierce that battle had been.

Stepping onto the soil of the Mass Burial Mound, he noted that the dense Yin Evil Aura had still not completely dissipated.

Most of the coffins originally buried in the Mass Burial Mound were now exposed, their contents shattered by the force—a true testament to being ’smashed to smithereens.’

He arrived at the site where the Demon’s Essence Blood had appeared. The chasm was still there, but the ground was stained with numerous bloodstains.

Extending his senses, Shen Changqing found that although some Yin Evil Aura lingered, no Demon Evil remained.

A moment later, he left the Mass Burial Mound.

His purpose in coming here was simply to ensure no hidden dangers remained.

But now that the Mass Burial Mound had been razed, even though some Yin Evil Aura lingered, the actual Demon Evil had either been slain or had all fled, leaving nothing behind.

As for the chasm formed by the emergence of the Demon’s Essence Blood, Shen Changqing merely glanced at it a couple of times before abandoning any thought of exploring it.

The chasm was unfathomably deep.

He couldn’t be sure if anything lay within, and entering rashly posed too great a risk.

Returning to the Yamen, Shen Changqing adopted a secluded lifestyle.

Several days passed, and the turmoil caused by the Demon Evil gradually subsided.

Thanks to the Yamen’s vigorous patrols and the reassuring public notices, the citizens had begun to overcome some of their fear.

Although the city hadn’t fully returned to its former liveliness, it was a significant improvement compared to the immediate aftermath.

Shen Changqing was pleased with these changes in the city.

This peace lasted until someone came looking for him five days later, slightly disturbing the calm.