NOVEL WEB Chapter 36: The Hope of Life
The head of the Mother of Wolf Demon rolled down, landing in front of Shen Qing.
Shen Qing skillfully turned his wrist and slit open the Wolf Demon's belly, extracting yet another Demon Core from within.
This core was much smaller than the previous one and of lesser quality, but it was better than nothing.
Shen Qing tucked the core into his bosom and slowly walked deeper into the house.
He looked around, and his gaze involuntarily froze for a moment.
In front, amidst the scattered bones, a bone bed had formed, on which a pack of young wolf cubs gathered, seven or eight of them in total.
They either curled up or cautiously surveyed their surroundings.
Upon sensing his movement, they started to bare their teeth and emit low growls.
And in a corner of the pack of Wolf Demon pups, three people huddled together.
Two adults and one child, a family of three.
The three were in tattered clothing, their backs pressed tightly against the corner wall.
The frail child in the middle bit his cracked lips hard, trying hard to suppress the fear and unease within, his small body trembling silently, snuggling close to his parents' embrace.
Their faces appeared exceptionally pale in the faint light, eyes hollow and apathetic, as if they had experienced all the suffering and despair in the world, losing their expected reaction to everything around them.
The air was permeated with an oppressive, suffocating atmosphere.
These people were most likely sent here by Zhou Baoyin, only to accidentally encounter the matter with Liu Sangui.
The Wolf Demon was attracted by the martial master's essence Qi, which allowed them to narrowly escape being eaten by the demons.
Shen Qing looked at this family and asked his servant behind him in a deep voice, "What's their story?"
The servant behind him spoke fearfully, "They… They are the landlord's tenants and, unable to pay the rent, were… were sent here by the master."
Shen Qing's already somber face grew even grimmer.
He took a few steps forward and stopped.
Looking at the blackened family, the image of the old man he had seen in the village involuntarily surfaced in Shen Qing's mind, a mix of emotions swirling within.
Seeing that Shen Qing had not moved for some time, the child cautiously asked, held by two adults, "Officer, are you here to save us?"
Her eyes were bright like the stars in the sky, shimmering with lively light in the dim room.
Shen Qing bent down, reached out to touch her head, and his brows showed more softness, "Yes, I've killed the Wolf Demon, and now you are safe."
A trace of joy suddenly appeared on Little Ni'er's face, and she continuously shook the two adults, exclaiming with delight, "Dad, Mom, we're okay now, we're safe, and the officer has come to save us."
The eyes of the two in the corner, that had been apathetic and unfocused, suddenly showed some emotion, gradually focusing as they stared at Shen Qing.
When they saw Shen Qing in his blood-stained Guardian Martial Department uniform, a hint of suspicion appeared on their faces.
"Awwooo!"
A small wolf cub bared its ferocity, biting at Shen Qing's pant leg.
Shen Qing glanced down, waved his long knife, and swept it over the cub.
A flash of cold light erupted.
The cub's body was split in two.
Shen Qing wielded the knife and said, "How long do you plan to stay in here? Don't you want to leave?"
Only then did the family truly realize they had been saved, and a glimmer of hope for life appeared on their faces.
They seemed to be filled with energy, slowly supporting themselves against the wall as they stood up.
Then, under Shen Qing's gaze, with reddened eyes, they stooped, bowed repeatedly in thanks, and limped out of the dim room.
Shen Qing turned his gaze to the wolf den beside him, his expression growing colder.
These wolf pups were clearly newborns, lacking much intelligence and differing little from ordinary wild wolves.
But now, having eaten human flesh and tasted human scent, and since they were born of a demon, one of them might very well become a new demon in the future.
Shen Qing had no intention of sparing these wolves.
He carried his knife and slowly walked to the wolf den, slashing without hesitation.
After a while, Shen Qing wiped the blood off his blade, grabbed the Mother of Wolf Demon's corpse with one hand as he passed by the body, and walked to the door, telling his servant, "Bring all the cubs in the den."
Leaving these words, Shen Qing dragged the huge wolf demon corpse and headed toward Changqiao Town.
The filthy blood from the demon's body continued to drip, leaving a long bloodstain on the trail as Shen Qing dragged it along.
…
In Changqiao Town, within the Zhou Family Mansion.
The death of Zhou Baoyin inevitably aroused the suspicion of many Zhou Family members.
Especially Zhou Baoyin's three sons, they were aware of what their father did behind closed doors, knowing that at least for now, the Wolf Demon wouldn't harm their father.
Plus the bloody wound on his neck.
It's obvious; this was the doing of that Guardian Martial Department officer.
"Outrageous, an officer dares to defy the law, he must not be spared," as Zhou Baoyin's eldest legitimate son, Zhou Dazhi stood up indignantly, declaring loudly.
His voice was resounding, reverberating in the disorderly main hall.
After Zhou Baoyin's death, Zhou Dazhi became the nominal head of the family, obliged to bear household responsibilities.
Looking at the crying family members, he quickly regained his composure.
Zhou Dazhi instructed his family seriously, "Second brother, you must go to the Jun City Zhou Family, and inform the Family Head there of what happened. Even as collateral, we are still Zhou Family."
"For an officer from the Guardian Martial Department to do such a thing, it's clearly putting Zhou Family to shame, the Family Head will not tolerate this. We should inform them, not asking for their direct intervention, but ensuring if we face trouble because of this, they won't stand by."
"All right. Brother, I'll go now."
Zhou Dazhi nodded, "The rest of the family, come with me to confront the officer directly, demand justice, and make him understand that Changqiao Town is not a place where he can act recklessly. Let's go!"
After speaking, Zhou Dazhi led many Zhou Family members to the door. Experience new stories with empire
He saw the family's second son standing stupidly at the door and asked, "What's wrong, why are you standing at the door?"
The Zhou Family's second son swallowed and said, "Brother, that officer has returned."
"Hmm?"
Zhou Dazhi looked forward upon hearing the words and saw a figure slowly walking into his view.
A man dressed in a blood-stained Guardian Martial Department uniform.
In his hand, he dragged a headless Wolf Demon, approaching them step by step, treading steadily.
When Zhou Dazhi met the beast-like gaze of the man, he couldn't help but shiver, his mind going blank as if forgetting the next move.
It wasn't until Shen Qing threw the Wolf Demon's body before them that he regained consciousness.