After beheading them, his small dagger was already blunted, and Xue Ling's eyes were dark from exhaustion.
The wound on his waist and abdomen was burning with pain; he had to stop the bleeding quickly.
He carefully gathered the scattered bones on the ground, put them on his back, piled the Rabbit Demon corpses onto the cart, and Xue Ling stumbled back the way he came.
If he collapsed in this Rabbit Demon's cave, no one would come to save him.
Xue Ling's vision blurred, but he forced himself to stay alert, talking to himself, "Bah, spitting blood is really foul. These Rabbit Demons are even more vicious than Fox Demons."
Perhaps Rabbit Demons have many offspring, so their children are less valued, and eating them is just eating them.
"Heh, two large and several small Rabbit Demons add up to exactly twenty-two. The characters are all round—reunion!"
"Old Taoist Priest, I'm accomplished now. Not only do I slay demons and monsters, but I even remember the Rebirth Mantra..."
Each step was a struggle, a mere few hundred meters felt like walking through an entire winter.
He finally reached the cave entrance with great difficulty. The sunlight was dazzling, making him feel warm and sleepy.
"Gentlemen, the light is good today. I will bring you to rest in peace..."
Specks of light shimmered in the warm sun, like the Fanxing in the sky.
"How strange, where are these stars coming from in broad daylight..."
Before Xue Ling could finish muttering, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, unconscious.
"Lord!"
Xiao Liu and Lao Jiu scrambled over, wanting to help him up, but didn't know where to start.
"So much blood!"
"Help!"
All was silent, no one responded.
"Everyone says the Demon Suppression Division slays demons and monsters and saves people. Why aren't they saving the Lord?"
With a sword at his throat, Xiao Liu only dared to complain in a whisper.
Xue Ling had misjudged; those specks of light were not Fanxing, but the glint of swords and arrows.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter..." A light, quick sound of hooves approached. "Go scout."
"Yes!" Three men in black flashed into the Rabbit Demon's cave.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the three returned to report: "Commander, a total of seventeen male and female Rabbit Demons and young Rabbit Demons were slain and beheaded. There are no survivors."
The old wooden cart was also dragged out, its fragmented remains completely exposed to everyone.
Only then did Xiao Liu and Lao Jiu see the Rabbit Demon heads, and they were so terrified their eyes bulged, and they fainted.
They fell onto Xue Ling, who was like a blood-soaked gourd.
"..."
The gazes of the Demon Suppression Division members fell upon Xue Ling.
"This man is truly valiant!"
"He actually dared to venture alone into a Yao Beast's lair!"
"This kid just called him 'Lord'? What Lord?"
Hei Da, who had met Xue Ling once before, was the first to recognize him: "Commander, it's Xue Ling, the body collector from the Qingyang County Yamen!"
"His name is Xue Ling?" The Commander noticed the wound on his waist and abdomen and commanded, "Take him away!"
"Yes!"
The Demon Suppression Division members, taking Xue Ling and the other two, galloped away, like a black storm sweeping through, heading straight for the Qingyang County Yamen.
Xue Ling slowly awoke. A dim oil lamp cast a faint light, and darkness surrounded him.
His wounds were tightly bandaged, and even the one on his head had been treated.
"Where is this now?"
Uncle Fu was overjoyed, wiping away tears as he called out, "Oh, the Lord is awake! Quick, inform the County Magistrate that Lord Xue is awake!"
In the blink of an eye, the inside and outside were brightly lit.
This was his own territory, but now it was thoroughly decorated inside and out with curtains, drapes, and soft bedding... Compared to the empty table and bed from the morning, it looked much cozier.
"No rush, don't disturb anyone this late at night."
Uncle Fu held a bowl, "Quick, have some soup. The Lord is seriously injured and has been sleeping for most of the day..."
The soup was savory and salty, and the old man's incessant chatter reminded Xue Ling of the Old Taoist Priest who had raised him, another garrulous old man who taught his half-baked apprentice how to read, write, judge people, and make a living... but never lived two good days before he died... Xue Ling deliberately tried to shake off the distracting thoughts in his mind. "Uncle Fu, where are Xiao Liu and the others?"
"They're back, they're back! They're in the front bragging to people! Saying the Lord was incredibly brave and they helped him kill many Rabbit Demons!"
Those two fellows, who had shrunk back far away without even seeing a single rabbit fur, were now claiming they had jointly killed Rabbit Demons.
But that was good too; this way, the Demon Suppression Division wouldn't only focus on him.
Uncle Fu collected the bowls and dishes, then offered clear tea, attentive and thoughtful.
His words and actions showed less fear and more respect: "Lord, rinse your mouth. Don't mention them; the entire Qingyang County is in an uproar!"
At noon, when there were many people, the Demon Suppression Division members brought Xue Ling and the two others, along with two carts of corpses, into the city.
The whole group combined couldn't attract as much attention as the single enormous Rabbit Demon head.
"Everyone on the street is saying that this Rabbit Demon became a spirit by eating people, and its two front teeth are bigger than the city gate bricks!"
With the Rabbit Demon incident taking precedence and the Demon Suppression Division members drawing attention, Xue Gou's misdeeds no longer seemed like a big deal.
Xue Ling breathed a sigh of relief. There were still people in the dungeon; he had to deal with them quickly.
"Uncle Fu, help me find some clothes. I need to go to the dungeon."
"Aye, alright, alright," Uncle Fu's smile faded a little. "Lord, life will only get better from now on. Such matters..."
The fine pain of his wounds flared, and Xue Ling's face turned pale: "Go, and bring some more silver."
Uncle Fu immediately fell silent.
Xue Ling, fully dressed, went to the County Yamen's prison, with Uncle Fu accompanying him, half-supporting, half-assisting him.
The dungeon was dark, with more rats than insects, and it was even more eerie late at night.
Xue Ling's footsteps startled the people in the cells.
"Oh! Lord Xue, why have you come so late at night?" The Warden was very fawning; after all, Xue Ling was his big benefactor.
The Warden and his subordinates, who faced prisoners daily, were all martial constables who had seen blood, a hundred times fiercer than the yamen runners in the front yamen, making them perfectly suited for arresting people and putting them in jail.
The original owner and the Warden were birds of a feather, hitting it off immediately.
The County Magistrate had heard about the practice of arresting people and extorting money, but since the silver he received was clean, he simply turned a blind eye to the rest.
"Come and see. This is last month's dividend, Warden. Keep it well. The Demon Suppression Division has entered the city recently."
The Warden weighed the silver, then smiled and tucked it into his embrace. "Profits have been thin recently, yet the Lord has added so much. This old man understands the gravity of the situation, Lord, rest assured."
Seeing this, the people in the cages became even more furious!
"Xue Gou! You disregard the law, wrong good people, I curse you to an ill death!"
"One day, you will die by my hand!"
...These people cursed incessantly, most of them having had their money bags drained, unable to pay for their release, and left here by the original owner as 'reserve food.'
The Fox Demon specifically asked for young children, so they hadn't been put to use.
A quick glance showed no women, children, or elderly; most were street ruffians, and only these types would have some dirty money.
This made things easier.
To deal with these people, reasoning was useless; one only needed to be more rogue and ruthless than them.
"Oh, still haven't learned your lesson!"
Xue Ling pulled the large saber from the Warden's waist and clanged it against the chains on the door!
"If anyone dares to spew any more nonsense, I'll chop off their head and feed it to the dogs!"
Uncle Fu and the Warden trembled in fear, and silence fell.
"The world is vast, and the yamen's gates are even vaster. For you street hooligans to fall into my hands is your just deserts. Still haven't learned your lesson?"
"With inspectors coming soon, wouldn't it be disgraceful for you vermin to be loitering on the streets!"
"The County Magistrate is busy with official duties, so naturally, it falls to someone like me to deal with you."
The smarter ones had already caught Xue Ling's drift and slowly quieted down.
"Pah! Easy for you to say! Without a trial, your forced detention and extortion of ransom money is illegal!"
Listening to the voice, it belonged to a loafer with a scar at the corner of his eye.
Flipping through his memories, the loafer's name was Feng Mang, the leader among these ruffians, quarrelsome and fierce, nicknamed Scarface, considered the most stubborn of the stubborn.
He had a younger sister, Feng Duo'er, who had been sickly since childhood, a born invalid. The siblings had relied on each other since they were young, and the scar on his face was left from protecting his sister.
The group of loafers who followed him all felt deeply for this sister, so even though the original owner was lustful, he never harbored any intentions towards this girl.
Xue Ling, slinging the large saber casually, said, "What a joke! You, a street thug, talking about breaking the law with an official? Say one more word, and I'll keep you locked up for another day. I wonder how many days your sickly sister... can last?"
Xue Ling's gaze was frivolous, easily leading to speculation.
Scarface's eyes changed. If it weren't for the cage blocking him, he would have rushed out and bitten through Xue Ling's throat.
"If you have the guts, let me out! I..."
Xue Ling's eyes narrowed into a smile: "Warden, add another day!"
"Understood!" The longer they were locked up, the more profit the Warden made, so he was naturally happy.
These vermin wandered the streets, doing no good deeds, but never missing a protection fee. Locking them up could also quell the resentment from the shops and vendors on the street.
Feng Mang stared intently at Xue Ling, like a lone wolf. His forehead veins bulged, and he ground his back teeth, not daring to act rashly.
Xue Ling flicked his fingernails: "Tell me, isn't it pitiful for a sick beauty to be bullied, cut off from medicine and food, alone and helpless?"
The Warden was very perceptive: "I heard that Young Master Lin's preference for frail beauties is even stronger than before..."
Young Master Lin was a notorious scoundrel in Qingyang County. Someone in his clan held an official position in the capital, and he often used his influence to bully people and forcibly seize women.
The scar on Feng Mang's face was from years ago when he fought to get Feng Duo'er back from Young Master Lin.
Xue Ling rubbed his nose, not expecting the Warden to be even more ruthless than him.
Feng Mang's eyes were bloodshot, wishing he could devour Xue Ling and the Warden alive.
Xue Ling could only play along: "Oh dear, oh dear, if good citizens are in danger, should an official like me intervene or not..."
A delicate girl falling into the hands of Young Master Lin or Xue Ling—anyone could tell with their toes that she wouldn't have a good end.
Xue Ling held his weak spot, unafraid that he wouldn't back down.
After a long standoff, Feng Mang knelt down, not daring to say another word.
"Alright, deal."
Xue Ling returned the saber, clapped his hands, and left briskly, no longer making things difficult for them.
By the time he left the dungeon, it was past the third watch.
"Uncle Fu, go check on Feng Duo'er at dawn."
Uncle Fu's expression was complex; he feared that Xue Ling truly intended to harm the poor Feng family girl.
"Prepare food, drink, and supplies. Don't let the young girl truly run out of medicine. Just let that kind-faced Old Mamas go; I won't go."
"Aye! Good!" Uncle Fu's old face broke into a wide smile, and his steps became lighter.
There were two fewer Yao Beasts, and his superior had also reined in his behavior.
It seemed that life was looking up.
Xue Ling, however, was not as optimistic as him.
The original owner had sown the seeds of resentment, and the bitter fruit had all fallen on his head. At this critical juncture, the Demon Suppression Division had arrived too quickly.
If anything went wrong, he needed to be prepared in advance.
"Uncle Fu, do we have any good wound medicine or weapons?"
"Wound medicine is always on hand, but weapons are only available at the front yamen and the West City Barracks. Ordinary people like us wouldn't dare to secretly possess them."
"Go find some effective wound medicine, as much as possible, and do it quietly."
Having sent Uncle Fu away, Xue Ling quietly returned to his private residence. Running away required silver to pave the way.
The original owner had a knack for accumulating wealth; while white silver flowed through his hands, he also skimmed off a good amount.
However, before he reached his destination, he heard strange noises, interspersed with a woman's sobs!