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

"Have you heard, there are demons appearing in the Inner City now?"

"I just came back from there, how could I not know?"

"What? What happened?"

"A whole family was devoured by a Cat Demon in their sleep. I heard it even started by carving out the heart from the inside... The scene was really... ah, no more, no more, I'll lose my appetite if we keep talking about it."

...

Shen Qing walked into the courtyard of the Guardian Martial Department and found that the usually bustling yard had taken on a different appearance today, filled with an unusual air of seriousness.

The officers, who were typically scattered about doing menial tasks, were now huddled in groups, discussing in hushed tones.

Shen Qing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Shen Chasi, you're here. Have some tea to moisten your throat and relieve your fatigue," Liu Sangui's voice came from the middle of the yard.

He was all smiles, tossing aside the shell of the seeds he was eating and refilling a bowl of bitter tea, waiting for Shen Qing with a welcoming grin.

The gathered crowd consisted mostly of officers from the second and third groups, while those like Liu Sangui, who were not from these groups, naturally formed a large circle around the outside, stretching their necks to listen, without proper form.

Shen Qing, expression unchanged, walked over and leisurely took a seat in front of Liu Sangui, his gaze sweeping over the crowd clustered together.

Then, he lightly sipped the bitter tea from the bowl and lifted his chin to ask, "What's going on, what is everyone talking about?"

Seeing this, Liu Sangui spoke seriously, "The city is in chaos! There's talk of a Cat Demon entering the city, it even devoured a whole family, young and old alike, and everyone's discussing this matter."

Hearing this news, Shen Qing was somewhat surprised.

In the county town, there were both the Guardian Martial Department and Military Department at the county office, which had sufficient power to handle demons, traitors, gangs, and all sorts of characters.

Even minor incidents such as gang fights or theft were quickly handled by the Military Department, a capability far beyond what Taiping County could compare with.

To say that the strength of these two departments was weak outside the city and thus overrun by demons was one thing, but how could it be the same within the city? From where had this Cat Demon emerged?

Shen Qing pondered secretly, unable to figure it out.

He asked, "What does the Lord Chief Officer say?"

"Same as usual, he sent the fourth group to handle the scene," Liu Sangui said mysteriously. "Shen Chasi, you might not know this. Because of this incident, many high-ranking officials who own cats are finding ways to kill or abandon their cats. Today, when I stepped outside, I could see heaps of cats in the alleys. The fourth group is quite troubled by this, and it has made the citizens extremely anxious."

After remaining silent for a moment, Shen Qing cautioned, "We'll need to be more careful when going out in the future."

After spending a while at the Guardian Martial Department, he noticed that, apart from Jiang Dacong who had already arrived, Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu were still nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu?"

Liu Sangui replied, "Perhaps they have family matters, so they arrived late today?"

Noticing the displeasure in Shen Qing's face, both Liu Sangui and Jiang Dacong remained silent.

After waiting for a long time, Shen Qing looked at the sky, finished his bowl of bitter tea, placed it on the table, and said, "Let's go, we'll patrol without waiting for them."

Just as Shen Qing was about to step out, Guan Yunjian and Uncle Shu emerged from the entrance of the Guardian Martial Department, hurriedly offering apologetic smiles, "Shen Chasi, we just received a message from our subordinates that traces of a Wolf Demon were found in our patrol area, so we were delayed a bit."

Subordinates?

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow.

He glanced at the two men and said, "Explain what happened."

Uncle Shu stepped forward, cupped his hands together, and began explaining, "Here's what happened, early this morning, a woodcutter from Changqiao Town was reported missing to the county office. The locals said it was a Wolf Demon. The Military Department sent people to investigate, but there's no conclusion yet."

"Let's wait for news from the Military Department then. Anything else?"

"That's all."

"If there's nothing else, don't just stand around foolishly here."

Shen Qing did not hide his displeasure as he strode off.

Uncle Shu and Guan Yunjian exchanged a glance, feeling quite helpless.

They sensed that Shen Qing was increasingly unsatisfied with them, having developed some grievances.

But in all fairness, they indeed had received some news about the Wolf Demon today, which caused their delay.

Walking behind everyone, Uncle Shu and Guan Yunjian exchanged glances and whispered to each other.

"What should we do?"

"This might be an opportunity."

"You mean..."

Guan Yunjian nodded and said, "Get ready. His impression of us has worsened. If we delay further, I fear he will strike at us first. It would be better to deal with him using the Wolf Demon incident as a pretext, to avoid complications later."

Uncle Shu replied, "You make sense, let's prepare then."

"Mm."

The two of them quieted down and silently followed.

...

In the ensuing days, no Cat Demon incidents were discovered in the county town, but Shen Qing remained vigilant.

When night fell, Shen Xiaoshan and Tian Xiaohu, among others, finished their tasks in the restaurant, and he called the three of them to the main hall.

"Slam!"

Just after Xiao Zhi was the last to enter, Shen Qing silently stepped forward and shut the door.

Only the three of them were left in the living room.

Tian Xiaohu asked in confusion, "Boss, what do you need us for so late?"

By now Tian Xiaohu and others no longer dared to call Shen Qing by his nickname in Hongjiazhai, but addressed him as 'Boss' to show respect.

Shen Qing said, "The situation in the county town is not as peaceful as we thought. The knowledge from the Taiping County Martial Arts Hall is no longer sufficient."

"So... I plan to teach you new martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiaohu and the others were visibly excited.

They were not fools and knew that not long ago Shen Qing had learned the Imperial Martial Arts Skills from the Martial Arts Hall. Now that he mentioned teaching, it was clear he intended to teach them those.

This was not at all the same as the few moves they had learned outside.

Xiao Zhi, who had spent years mingling in the restaurant, had some insight.

He knew well that those from the court were forbidden to teach Imperial Martial Arts outside, and if caught, according to the laws of Great Zhou, the punishment could range from exile to the borderlands to threats to their lives.

Xiao Zhi spoke up, "This might not be a good idea, what if someone finds out..."

Shen Qing sternly said, "That's why you shouldn't tell anyone about today's matter."

"But what if someone accidentally discovers something?"

Shen Qing replied without hesitation, "Just say you bought it from Wu Sheng of the Wu Family."

Tian Xiaohu and the others looked at each other, bewildered.

"Didn't you hear me clearly?" Shen Qing stated, "A true man does not fret over minor details. Why worry so much? With such an opportunity before you, would you let it pass by?"

"Right, we finally have such an opportunity, we must seize it. Even if the government office suspects and watches me, Boss, rest assured, I will not reveal anything about you," Tian Xiaohu said with determination.

"Same here."

"Me too."

"Just be more cautious in your daily activities. If something eventually gets out, just say it was bought from Wu Sheng. They'll understand," Shen Qing continued. "Eventually, when we are strong enough, even if the government office knows, it won't matter. Ultimately, the skills you hold in your own hands are what provide true security."

Shen Qing was well aware that the Thirteen Lines virtually treated the county office as their own home.

He did not believe that these high-ranking families didn't learn Imperial Martial Arts.

It was probably just the Prefectural Governor turning a blind eye.

Even Wu Sheng's networks likely implicated many people.

This matter of teaching martial arts privately could be blown out of proportion, depending on how craftily the individuals involved handled it.

If only family members learned, the risk was controllable, and it wouldn't be a significant issue.