Tianmen Village Murder Case (Extra Chapter, Please Support with Bookmarks and Monthly Tickets!)

The blazing sun hung high, and the blue sky was as clear as if washed.

By the time Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu reached Tianmen Village, it was already noon.

Before they even drew near, Chen Yan spotted Zhao Gang at the village entrance, leading two constables in welcome. Beside Zhao Gang stood a plump old man, drenched in sweat.

When Old Daoist Liu and Chen Yan approached, Zhao Gang stepped forward and cupped his fists in salute. "Lord Liu."

After speaking, Zhao Gang cast a puzzled glance at Chen Yan behind the old daoist, seemingly wondering why Chen Yan was here.

"He will be my assistant from now on." Old Daoist Liu waved a hand in explanation, then asked, "How is Tianmen Village's situation now?"

Since Old Daoist Liu had said so, Zhao Gang could not press further. He reported what he had learned about Tianmen Village. "According to this subordinate's investigation, Tianmen Village has more than one hundred and thirty households. Over the past three months, there have been six cases of entire families being massacred."

"Six cases? How could there be so many?" Old Daoist Liu frowned at this, while Chen Yan beside him was equally startled.

After all, the entire Shanxi Town had only suffered five such cases. Yet this tiny Tianmen Village alone had already seen six. By calculation, at least twenty or thirty people had died miserable deaths. How could the two not be shocked?

Zhao Gang shot a sidelong look at the sweat-soaked old man and said coldly, "It is all because Tian Gui, the village head of Tianmen Village, concealed the reports. That is what led to this great disaster."

The old man immediately dropped to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy in a tearful voice. "Mercy, my lords! Please spare my life!"

Yet neither Old Daoist Liu nor Chen Yan showed any expression. They could not summon the slightest pity for this seemingly pitiful old man.

Even without guessing, they knew that Tianmen Village's headman had surely concealed the murder cases for his own selfish gain, fearing that his record would be affected. He had hoped to turn a major matter into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing at all. But he had never expected the murders to be the work of an evil entity, allowing the situation to spiral completely out of control.

"Spare your life? If I were not afraid of dirtying my hands, I would kill you right now!" Old Daoist Liu cast the Tianmen Village headman a cold glance, then ignored him and continued speaking to Zhao Gang. "Where did the latest murder take place? Take me there first."

"Yes! Please follow me, my lord." Zhao Gang accepted the order and led the way with the two constables. Old Daoist Liu and Chen Yan followed closely behind. The group quickly left the village entrance, leaving Tian Gui sprawled on the ground with a pale face and lifeless eyes.

As they walked through Tianmen Village, Chen Yan noticed that although it was broad daylight, every household had its doors tightly shut. Occasionally, someone would peek through a crack in the door, only to slam it shut with a bang the instant Chen Yan and the others approached.

Clearly, the six family massacres had already turned the villagers of Tianmen Village into birds startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. Saying that everyone was on edge would be putting it mildly.

Before long, under Zhao Gang's lead, Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu arrived at a residence. Its outer courtyard wall was built of yellow mud, and constables were already guarding the entrance.

Before he even approached, Chen Yan caught the thick stench of blood from afar, identical to the bloody smell he had encountered in Ping An Fang.

Upon smelling that heavy blood stench, Chen Yan was seventy or eighty percent convinced. Only the Skin-Peeling Puppet, which devoured flesh and blood, could cause so much blood to splatter.

Sure enough, when they entered the courtyard—

Everywhere they looked was a shocking expanse of blood. It had nearly spread across the entire courtyard. Among the filthy blood were even chunks of organs and minced flesh. The pungent smell of blood mixed with rancid rot was enough to make one vomit. Even the two constables following Zhao Gang had gone pale.

"Lord Liu, judging by the bloodstains at the scene, this murder case appears similar to the true culprit behind the five family massacres in Shanxi Town. It likely occurred around midnight last night." Zhao Gang had seen many such scenes and was still able to remain unfazed.

"Midnight last night?" Old Daoist Liu nodded slightly, narrowing his eyes. "Then that beast could not have fled very far."

With that, he took out a Dragon Soaring Jade Divine Talisman and held it between his fingers, chanting, "Disciple Liu Fujing beseeches True Person Chonglong Yudaowei to aid me. Urgent as law decrees!"

After casting the daoist art, Old Daoist Liu's nose swelled to twice its size as he sniffed wildly around the small courtyard.

At last, the old daoist's eyes flew open. A sharp gleam flashed through them, and a trace of ferocity appeared on his face. "What a beast! It is still in the village!"

Before his voice had faded, Old Daoist Liu darted out through the gate like a wisp of wind. The people in the courtyard only had time to catch a fleeting afterimage.

What speed!

Chen Yan was startled as well, utterly taken aback by the speed the old daoist had finally displayed. Still, Chen Yan was a Qi and Blood Martial Artist, and the Blood Fiend Saber Technique had strengthened his eyesight, allowing him to barely make out the old daoist's figure.

Chen Yan moved at once and followed closely after Old Daoist Liu.

The two moved with incredible speed. In only a moment, they had crossed from one end of the village to the other and stopped before a farmhouse courtyard. Its layout was similar to the previous residence, with earthen walls and wooden gates.

"Anyone home?" Old Daoist Liu called out, knocking on the gate with loud bangs. Yet the gate remained shut, and no one came to open it after a long while.

His expression darkening slightly, the old daoist hesitated no longer. He raised his leg, exerted force, and kicked the gate.

Bang!

The gate burst open, revealing a farming family behind it. A husband and wife sheltered their child, staring in terror at Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu as they broke in.

But Old Daoist Liu had no time to spare them a glance. Standing in the courtyard, he sniffed the air with his enormous nose.

"It really is here!" A cold glint flashed through Old Daoist Liu's eyes. He gave a chilling laugh, tapped the ground with his foot, and shot toward the rear courtyard.

Chen Yan gestured for the farming family not to worry, then followed close behind. In an instant, the two arrived before a pigsty in the rear courtyard.

Inside the pigsty, a fat old sow was feeding her piglets. When Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu suddenly appeared, it looked terrified.

On Chen Yan's shoulder, Facai lowered its body and bared its teeth at the old sow, emitting a threatening growl.

Seeing Facai's reaction, Chen Yan warily eyed the old sow. He instinctively took half a step back to open up a safe distance, his right hand gripping the hilt of the Fish Dragon Saber, ready to draw it at any moment.

Old Daoist Liu beside him gave an even colder laugh. His brows sharpened as he shouted sternly, "You audacious demon! Reveal your true form at once!"

As his words fell, the old daoist drew out a bright yellow talisman paper, outlined in cinnabar and edged in gold.

Holding the talisman between his fingers, the old daoist pointed it forward, channeling Magic Power as he chanted, "The heavenly Baleful Intent shines brilliantly, the earthly Baleful Intent stands righteous; evil spirits and a hundred ghosts, how dare you hide!"

Whoosh!

The Evil Banishing Form Revealing Talisman flew from his hand and struck the old sow squarely.

In an instant, thick Black Smoke erupted, accompanied by a shrill howl.

Chen Yan focused his gaze. Where was there any old sow in the pigsty? It was clearly a hideous and savage Skin-Peeling Puppet, its teeth like rasp files!

Roar!

The Skin-Peeling Puppet let out a roar, leaped into the air, and lunged straight at Chen Yan and Old Daoist Liu.

Its fierce speed was actually a third faster than the two Skin-Peeling Puppets Chen Yan had encountered the night before!

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