Poison in the Wine

The next afternoon, the three arrived at Qingxi County, dusty and travel-worn.

The guards at the county gate, seeing the Demon Suppression Division tokens on their waists, dared not show any disrespect and respectfully welcomed them inside.

Within the county office, Prefect Zhang Hao had already been waiting for a long time.

He was a man in his forties, slightly plump, with a warm smile on his face. He wore official robes, but his steps were steady, indicating he had some martial arts foundation.

"Your Excellencies have had a long journey. This subordinate has prepared a humble feast to welcome you," Zhang Hao said, cupping his hands.

Li Zimo returned the gesture. "Prefect Zhang, you are too kind. The food and drink can wait. Please tell us about the Demonic Beasts first."

Zhang Hao's smile faded slightly, replaced by a solemn expression.

He led the three into the main hall, dismissed the attendants, and then lowered his voice.

"This matter began half a month ago."

"In Wang Family Village, thirty li west of the city, strange occurrences have been frequent lately."

"First, villagers would smell a strong scent of blood at night. Later, someone brave enough went to investigate and claimed to have seen a dark shadow, much taller than a normal person, flash by in the village."

"I sent a team of yamen runners to investigate, but... they all disappeared without a trace overnight."

"I am incompetent. I know this is beyond what ordinary people can handle, which is why I dared to report it to the Demon Suppression Division."

After listening, Li Zifeng slammed the table, making the teacups jump.

"Hmph, a thing that plays tricks!"

He picked up a wine bowl from the table and drank it in one gulp. "Don't give me any of that nonsense. We'll go to Wang Family Village tonight. I want to see what kind of Demonic Beast it is and smash its head in with one punch!"

Li Zimo frowned but did not object.

Their mission this time was to slay demons, and the sooner it was resolved, the better.

"Very well. Then we shall trouble the three of you," Zhang Hao said, a grateful expression on his face. "This subordinate will prepare some rations and water for you now."

"No need," Li Zifeng waved his hand. "Killing a small demon won't take that long."

The three reached a consensus and decided to set off for Wang Family Village that very night.

As they were about to depart, Shen Che noticed that Prefect Zhang Hao had also changed into a set of sturdy clothing, followed by three guards carrying sabers.

"Prefect Zhang, what is this?" Li Zimo asked, puzzled.

Zhang Hao sighed. "To be honest, Your Excellencies, I cannot rest easy as long as this demon is not eliminated. I wish to witness its demise with my own eyes, for my own peace of mind."

"As for these three, they are my personal guards. They will protect my safety and will not be a burden to you."

The Li brothers exchanged a look and said no more.

A prefect who couldn't even lift a chicken, bringing three guards, what trouble could they cause?

The seven of them, taking advantage of the night, rode their horses towards Wang Family Village.

When they arrived at the village entrance, the moon was obscured by dark clouds, plunging the surroundings into pitch blackness.

The entire village was deathly silent; not even a dog bark could be heard. A faint smell of decay permeated the air.

They dismounted and walked along the only dirt road in the village.

On the ground, large patches of dried, dark-brown bloodstains were visible.

Li Zifeng kicked aside a pile of weeds by the roadside, and a human skull rolled out.

The skull's eyes were wide open, its mouth agape, its face frozen in an expression of extreme pain and terror.

The atmosphere grew eerie.

Li Zimo's expression turned serious. "Everyone be careful. This demon is probably not simple. We'll stick together and not split up, lest we be picked off one by one."

Everyone nodded and began to search the houses one by one along the main road.

Just as they passed three houses.

"Ugh..."

Li Zifeng, walking at the front, stumbled and swayed.

Immediately after, Li Zimo beside him grunted, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Big brother, my stomach... it hurts so much." Li Zifeng clutched his abdomen, large beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. He felt as if his internal organs were being forcefully pulled, twisted by an invisible hand, and his limbs began to go weak.

"Poison!" Li Zimo gritted his teeth, managing to spit out the three words.

At that very moment, the worried expression on Prefect Zhang Hao's face, who had been following behind them, vanished, replaced by a twisted ferocity.

He drew a poisoned short sword from his waist and, without hesitation, thrust it fiercely towards the back of Li Zifeng, who had his back to him.

The thrust was swift and brutal, aimed at a vital spot.

However, a figure moved faster than him.

Shen Che moved the instant Zhang Hao drew his sword.

He didn't draw his saber. Instead, he formed his fingers into a blade, his arm muscles bulging with immense strength, and slashed down fiercely at Zhang Hao's sword-wielding arm.

Squelch!

A dull thud of flesh tearing.

Zhang Hao's entire right arm was severed from his shoulder, flying away with the short sword before clattering to the ground.

"Ah--!!!"

A piercing scream shattered the deathly silence of Wang Family Village.

Zhang Hao clutched his severed arm, from which a fountain of blood erupted, and rolled wildly on the ground.

Li Zifeng, due to the poison, reacted a beat slower, but it was precisely because of this that he narrowly dodged the fatal blow. The short sword only managed to slash through the back of his clothes.

He turned around and looked at Zhang Hao, who was wailing on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, roaring, "Zhang Hao! Why the hell are you colluding with Demonic Beasts!"

Hearing this, Zhang Hao abruptly turned to the three guards who had been standing by expressionlessly and shouted, "I did as you said! As agreed, let me go! Let me go!"

The three guards heard this, their lips curling into a strange arc, revealing their bone-white teeth.

It was a chilling smile that was not human.

Shen Che's mind became clear, and he instantly connected all the clues.

Zhang Hao was coerced by Demonic Beasts, using his identity as bait to lure people from the Demon Suppression Division.

And these three so-called guards... were not human at all.

The "guard" standing in the middle, a pair of eyes began to glow with an eerie blood-red light. He stared at Zhang Hao, who was rolling on the ground, and sneered, "Prefect Zhang, you did very well. We will honor our promise to you."

"After we kill these three trash from the Demon Suppression Division, we will naturally let you leave."

He extended his scarlet tongue and licked his lips.

"Our target isn't trash like you. After we eat you, we'll be attracted by the stronger Demon Suppression Envoys."

Another "guard" on the left also spoke, his voice sharp and grating, "What a pity. Only three little fellows in the Body Tempering Realm came this time. Not even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth. The flesh of a True Meridian Realm Demon Suppression Envoy is truly nourishing."

Shen Che stood in place.

He felt the surging, boundless Blood Essence within his body, which flowed ceaselessly due to the perfection of both Golden Bell Shield and Iron Shirt.

So that's how it was.