Chapter 11 Rest and Recuperation

Chen Biao made a decisive decision.

Several demon-suppressing envoys quickly took off the specially made iron hooks from their waists, swung them in a circle, and threw them at the same time, sending seven or eight chains flying toward the "corpse-eating hag".

The "Corpse Eater" was entangled in the iron hooks. It struggled desperately, but no matter how strong it was, it was difficult to break free when restrained by the combined efforts of seven or eight demon-suppressing envoys.

Chen Biao stared at the "corpse-eating hag," took a deep breath, felt his blood and qi surge, and the martial arts mark between his eyebrows glowed slightly.

He took a step forward, shattering the bluestone slab beneath his feet, and then unleashed a powerful strike, the "Mountain Splitting Style," aiming for the "Corpse Eater"'s neck.

That strike was swift, precise, and ruthless!

A flash of light, and a hideous head shot into the sky, foul-smelling black blood gushing from its neck. The headless corpse twitched a few times before collapsing to the ground.

Chen Biao sheathed his sword, glanced at the demon's corpse on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Send the wounded brothers back to the Demon Suppression Division for treatment. The rest of you, clean up the scene and search the old house to see if there are any other victims."

Several demon-suppressing envoys entered the old house.

A moment later, a demon-suppressing officer came out to report: "Chen Xiaoqi, three sets of remains have been found inside the house. Judging from their clothing, the victims are likely a night watchman and a beggar from the neighborhood, and they have been dead for no more than two days."

Chen Biao frowned and nodded: "Confirm the identities of the deceased, record their information, and properly prepare their remains for burial."

"yes!"

The demon-suppressing envoys immediately followed Chen Biao's instructions.

Chen Biao walked to Shen Lian's side, squatted down to examine his injuries: "Two ribs are broken, but your qi and blood foundation are not damaged. It was your first time encountering a demon, yet you were able to remain calm and hold out until reinforcements arrived. You... are very good."

Despite the excruciating pain, Shen Lian asked, "Li Hu, he..."

"He's been sent back to the Demon Suppression Division. He has a fractured sternum and lost too much blood, but his life isn't in danger." Chen Biao patted Shen Lian's shoulder. "You guys did a great job tonight. Although the 'Corpse Eater' isn't a powerful demon, it's still very dangerous to lurk in the city. If you hadn't discovered it in time and warned us, who knows how many more people would have died."

Shen Lian breathed a sigh of relief, his vision blurring.

"Take him back to the Demon Suppression Division," Chen Biao ordered the Demon Suppression Envoy beside him.

Two demon-suppressing envoys carried Shen Lian onto a stretcher.

……

When Shen Lian woke up, it was already the afternoon of the following day.

The strong smell of herbs filled the office.

He opened his eyes and saw Zhao Shan, the flag bearer, standing in front of Li Hu's bed.

Zhao Shan, dressed in a flying fish robe and with a long sword at his waist, was talking quietly with the physician.

Seemingly noticing that Shen Lian had woken up, Zhao Shan turned around and walked over.

"Commander Zhao!"

Shen Lian tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his chest.

"Lie down." Zhao Shan pressed him down. "I heard everything from Chen Biao. On your first night patrol, you encountered the 'Ghoul Eater,' yet you were able to calmly assess the situation, issue timely warnings, and even dare to draw your swords to buy time for reinforcements to arrive, ultimately killing the 'Ghoul Eater.' This courage and resourcefulness are worthy of the title of Demon Suppressor."

"I was just doing my duty as a demon-suppressing envoy," Shen Lian said. "Commander Zhao, how is Li Hu's injury?"

Zhao Shan said, "That kid's sternum is shattered, but his foundation hasn't been damaged. The physician has already set his bones and is using internal pills to regulate his internal energy. He has good physique, and with another half month of recuperation, he should be able to recover about 70-80%."

Shen Lian was relieved; as long as everyone was alright, that was good.

Zhao Shan continued, "You broke two ribs. The physician has already set your bones and applied medicine. The Demon Suppression Division will allocate a batch of nourishing substances. After a period of rest, you will be able to recover completely. Just focus on healing your injuries."

"Thank you, Commander!" Shen Lian felt a warmth in his heart. Although the Demon Suppression Division was disciplined and trained hard, the superiors also took good care of their subordinates.

Zhao Shan stood up: "For the next two weeks, you and Li Hu should rest and recuperate. You don't need to participate in the stance training and swordsmanship training for the time being."

Shen Lian nodded. Given their current situation, it was indeed impossible for him and Li Hu to participate in stance training and swordsmanship training.

Forcing oneself to participate in stance training and sword techniques before fully recovering can be counterproductive and may even damage one's foundation.

Zhao Shan said no more, glanced at Shen Lian and the unconscious Li Hu, and turned to leave the office.

Shen Lian lay on the bed, slowly circulating his internal energy.

After becoming a Body Tempering Realm martial artist, his Qi and blood were able to nourish his injuries on their own, and he could clearly feel that the pain in his chest was lessening.

After last night's battle, Shen Lian truly felt the gap between actual combat and training, and also realized that his own strength was not strong enough.

"When facing demons, strength and techniques alone are not enough; one must be calmer..." Shen Lian silently reviewed every detail of last night.

Shen Lian followed the physician's instructions and rested quietly to recover.

He did not participate in the daily stance training and swordsmanship training, but he never missed a single class of Mr. Zhou's demon identification lessons.

"Demons are cunning and often disguise themselves as humans, hiding in the streets. The 'corpse-eating woman' that Shen Lian and his companions encountered earlier used the appearance of an old woman to lower people's guard."

After learning that they had encountered danger during their night patrol, Mr. Zhou, while explaining the knowledge of demons, specifically dissected the habits and weaknesses of the "corpse-eating hag" in more detail.

He also used the incident involving Shen Lian and his group as an example to emphasize the importance of meticulous observation, teamwork, and timely information transmission during night patrols.

The many trainee demon slayers nodded, understanding Mr. Zhou's meaning.

Two days later, Li Hu woke up from his coma. His injuries were more serious than Shen Lian's, and he needed a longer period of rest.

Shen Lian and Li Hu rested quietly in the office for several days.

With the excellent medicine provided by the Demon Suppression Division, the two recovered from their injuries much faster than expected.

Shen Lian can now walk normally, and the pain in his chest has mostly subsided. Only when he exerts force does he experience intermittent dull pain, which is a sign that he has not yet fully recovered.

Li Hu, on the other hand, needed to use a cane, but his complexion had improved considerably, and he insisted on exercising in the courtyard of the government office every day.

"Brother Lian, look at my steps now, aren't they much more steady?" Li Hu leaned on his cane and carefully took a few steps on the stone path.

Shen Lian glanced at Li Hu and said, "Your lower body is much more solid than it was a few days ago, but the physician said that your sternum has not fully healed and you should not move around too much. You need to rest for at least another five days before you can try standing meditation."

Li Hu sighed and plopped down on a nearby stone bench: "I know, but I'm just anxious. Wang Lin and the others are practicing stances in the morning and 'Mountain Splitting Stance' in the afternoon. I heard they've already started sparring. If we delay like this, we're afraid we'll really fall far behind the others."

Shen Lian walked over to him and sat down.

Shouts came from the direction of the training ground, indicating that the other trainee demon envoys were training.

Shen Lian calmly said, "The path of martial arts is long, and we shouldn't rush things. Our most important thing now is to heal our injuries so that we can catch up in the future."

Li Hu thought for a moment and nodded emphatically: "Brother Lian, you're right. I was too impatient. Once we recover, we'll definitely be able to catch up."