Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

"Convert it to cash for me?"

Shen Qing was genuinely surprised, having not expected County Magistrate Du Yuntong to be free of corrupt intentions.

However, he quickly thought that this might just be Du Yuntong's way of winning people over.

Looking at Wang Sanbao and Li Heqing with their beaming smiles, Shen Qing grew even more certain of his thought.

Although Du Yuntong had said that he would let Wang Sanbao and Li Heqing purchase the tiger demon and convert it to cash for him, with the cunning minds of these two old foxes, they definitely would not foolishly buy it and bring trouble upon Du Yuntong.

After all, a tiger demon was a rare sight, and every bit of it was considered valuable treasure, enough to make anyone drool.

Both were posing as bosses, yet in Great Zhou, they were merely minor merchants without much status; to survive in Taiping County, they definitely knew the importance of backing powerful allies.

The most likely scenario was that they would buy it and then gift it back to County Magistrate Du Yuntong under various pretexts.

At this moment, Wang Sanbao looked at Shen Qing and asked, "Does Shen Shaohua have a residence in the Inner City?"

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"I am temporarily stationed in the Outer City and do not have a residence inside the city," Shen Qing said truthfully, with a smile on his face.

Wang Sanbao smiled and said, "My family has an idle small courtyard in the Inner City; if Shen Shaohua doesn't mind, I would offer 300 taels in addition to a residence in exchange for the tiger bones from this tiger demon."

The tiger bones are generally known for their efficacy in expelling wind and promoting blood circulation, as well as strengthening sinews and bones, and are considered rare delicacies which significantly boost a martial master's cultivation.

This tiger demon's effects are likely even greater.

Wang Sanbao knew his goods well. A property in the Inner City was worth roughly 300-400 taels, so together it was about 600-700 taels; it wasn't a large amount to spend.

Shen Qing knew that today he appeared to be the main character, but in reality, he was just supporting cast, so he didn't haggle further and said, "Then I shall follow the boss's arrangement."

"Good," responded Wang Sanbao, as he immediately took out a property deed that had been prepared in advance and placed it on the table. "Shen Shaohua, you just need to sign your name and press your hand seal here, and this eastern city property is yours."

Shen Qing, maintaining his composure, glanced at the property deed. Tactfully, he did not ask why Wang Sanbao brought the deed to the banquet or why even government seals were already arrayed...

Seeing no issues, he directly signed his name and placed his hand seal, then tucked it into his chest before bowing and saying, "Thank you, Boss Wang."

After Wang Sanbao finished his arrangements, Li Heqing came forward and said, "Since Brother Wang has taken the tiger bones, I will take the tiger skin and tiger penis. Seeing that Shen Shaohua doesn't have a good horse, how about I give Shen Shaohua a precious steed, plus three hundred taels?"

As his words fell, he clapped his hands.

Immediately, a servant led a magnificent horse forward from outside.

Shen Qing looked over and saw a black horse standing in the courtyard.

It had a jet-black coat as smooth as a mirror, and its mane fluttered while its limbs were muscular and strong.

Even someone like Shen Qing who didn't know much about horses could tell this black horse was extraordinary, a true steed.

Since a fine horse was precisely what he needed, Shen Qing's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Then I shall not refuse."

"Hahaha, Shen Shaohua is young and promising; it's this horse's honor to become your mount," Li Heqing laughed and said.

In a trice, the group had finished dividing up the entire tiger demon.

County Magistrate Du Yuntong said, "Zhang Zao Yi, call a few people to skin and bone this tiger demon and pack it up properly for our two bosses."

"Yes, Lord County Magistrate."

Outside, officials came forward to carry all the pieces of the tiger demon to the side chambers for slaughter.

After the tiger demon was carried away, the scent of blood in the hall slowly dissipated until it completely vanished.

County Magistrate Du Yuntong motioned to everyone and said, "Alright, the chores are all done, everyone come and have a drink, Team Leader Wang, join us as well."

Wang Yanjun's face remained calm, without much to say. After clasping her hands and bowing, she sat next to Shen Qing.

Being a female martial artist, and with a good foundation, Wang Yanjun had an excellent physique.

She straightened her back and sat on the chair, appearing somewhat graceful, and dressed in a martial outfit, which unavoidably drew several extra glances.

"Come, everyone raise your glasses. Eliminating a demon from Taiping County is indeed a joyous occasion," County Magistrate Du Yuntong said loudly, holding up his wine glass.

The rest of the people respectfully picked up their glasses with both hands and happily said, "Cheers to that!"

Putting down his glass, Du Yuntong began to pick up dishes with his chopsticks.

As the parental official of Taiping County, he was akin to a powerful lord with the authority over life and death, and he had numerous talented subordinates.

In this Taiping County, he could determine life and death with just a word.

Therefore, even though he appeared approachable and casual, the others only dared to start eating after he made his first move, careful not to overstep.

After three rounds of drinks, Du Yuntong sighed and said, "It's a bit of a pity. This tiger demon was just a bit off in maturity; otherwise, if it had condensed an inner core, it would have been a top-notch treasure for us cultivators."

An inner core?

A light flickered in Shen Qing's eyes.

Pretending to be confused, he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Looking at Shen Qing, Du Yuntong said, "To tell you the truth, Taiping County is not the first place where demons have appeared."

"What?"

Continuing, Du Yuntong said, "About thirty years ago, a comet fell from the sky, and records of demons began to appear across Great Zhou. However, they were relatively weak and were subdued and executed locally without causing much trouble."

"In this process, the court discovered that some of the demons with significant cultivation harbored inner cores. These cores could be boiled with medicinal soups and consumed, enhancing one's Qi, consolidating one's Qi Sea, and their effects were comparable to, if not better than, the spiritual elixirs refined in the court. Many people of power have already known about this and have been buying demon cores in secret. No matter the quality, the starting price for a single demon core is thousands of taels."

"Starting at thousands of taels?" Shen Qing's heart skipped a beat, feeling the red hot core in his pocket becoming slightly warmer.

This price was far more valuable than rare mountain delicacies.

Wang Sanbao and the others were also hearing this for the first time and couldn't help but be astonished internally.

A moment later, Li Heqing followed up with a question, "Lord County Magistrate, do you know why such strange creatures are appearing in today's world?"

"I am not completely sure, as this matter is being investigated by the Tian Ji Shu within the court. It's said to be caused by celestial events, with our world potentially being tainted by demons from beyond our domain, though the truth of this is unknown. All I can say is that we should devote ourselves to cultivating, lest calamities descend and we find ourselves powerless," smiled County Magistrate Du Yuntong with a meaningful look at everyone.

"Come, the sky won't fall as long as the tall ones stand, let's drink," he said.

"As you wish, my lord, we'll drink to that," they responded.

After a few more drinks, the atmosphere heated up a bit.

Just then, an officer from the officers' squad had already dissected the tiger demon and came in to say, "Gentlemen, your items have been taken care of."

Wang Sanbao stepped forward, took a wooden box, opened it to glance inside, then walked over to County Magistrate Du Yuntong with a smile, saying, "Lord County Magistrate, there are many tiger bones, why not take some for yourself?"