The Well That Ate People

News of Liu Mazi being beheaded in the street swept through all of Qingyang County like a hurricane in less than half a day.

Inside the County Office, the constables' looks toward Lin Feng had completely changed.

If they had previously been envious and jealous, thinking he was merely a rookie who had stepped in dog shit luck.

Then now, those looks had turned into deep wariness and a trace of barely perceptible fear.

At the slightest disagreement, he drew his blade and killed.

And the one he killed had been a hall master of the Black Tiger Gang, a notorious local tyrant.

Such ruthlessness and decisiveness were something even these seasoned old hands, who had muddled through the world for years, knew they could not match—let alone a newly arrived constable.

"Madman. He's truly a madman!"

"Chief Li really kicked an iron plate this time. He wanted to give the kid a show of force, but the kid flipped the whole table over."

"The Black Tiger Gang definitely won't let this go. There'll be a good show to watch."

Inside Constable Chief Li Gang's office, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

His face was ashen as he paced back and forth without saying a word, the rage in his chest nearly bursting forth.

It had spiraled out of control!

The matter had completely exceeded his control!

He had originally intended for Liu Mazi to humiliate Lin Feng, blunt his edge, and let the brat know who the real master of the County Office was—then obediently become a dog in his hand.

Who could have imagined that Lin Feng was not a dog at all, but a lurking ferocious tiger!

The moment he struck, he bit straight through Liu Mazi's throat!

What gave him an even bigger headache was that he could not openly make trouble for Lin Feng.

Liu Mazi was a vicious bandit, while Lin Feng was an officer of the law.

An officer of the law killing a vicious bandit was only right and proper.

If he dared punish Lin Feng over this, he would never get past county magistrate Zhao Dehai.

"Fine, fine, fine... Lin Feng, you're ruthless enough!"

A vicious glint flashed through Li Gang's eyes. "Since you like stealing the limelight and playing the hero, then I'll give you a chance to be one!"

The next day, Lin Feng had barely arrived at the County Office when Li Gang called out to him.

"Lin Feng."

Li Gang acted completely unlike himself, wearing a genial smile as though yesterday's conflict had never happened. "You did well yesterday. You rid the people of a scourge and brought honor to our Qingyang County Office."

Lin Feng sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged. "It was my duty. I dare not accept the constable chief's praise."

"Ah, merit should be rewarded, and faults should be punished."

Li Gang warmly patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and handed him the case file.

"There's a case here. The people in the south of the city have been talking about it constantly lately, and everyone is on edge. Normally, I, as constable chief, should personally handle such a thorny case, or send an experienced veteran constable. But after thinking it over, young people should train more and take on more challenges. I'll leave this case entirely to you. What do you say? Do you have confidence?"

Lin Feng took the case file and opened it.

[Willow Alley, south of the city. An unnamed dry well. Three people have vanished in succession within half a month, all of them fetching water at night. Rumors among the public claim that a Water Ghost is haunting the well.]

The case description was simple, yet every line carried an air of strangeness.

Lin Feng immediately understood Li Gang's sinister intentions.

This case clearly reeked of evil and was very likely another demon-related incident.

Cases like this had always been the hottest potatoes in the County Office; no one was willing to take them.

Winning brought little credit, while losing might cost one's life.

This was Li Gang's open scheme. He wanted to borrow the demons' hands to remove him, a thorn in his eye.

"What? Scared?"

Seeing Lin Feng remain silent, Li Gang deliberately provoked him. "If you feel you aren't up to it, there's no shame in saying so now. I can switch—"

"No need."

Lin Feng closed the case file and said calmly, "Thank you for your cultivation, Constable Chief. I'll take this case."

"Good! You've got guts!"

Li Gang was overjoyed, already beginning to plan how he would collect Lin Feng's corpse.

"Go on. If you need manpower or equipment, claim it directly from the armory."

"No need. I alone am enough."

Lin Feng turned and left, leaving Li Gang with a crisp, decisive back.

Of course he knew this was a trap, but what did he lack most right now?

Crit Points!

Opportunities to increase his strength!

To him, this "Water Ghost" was an experience gift pack that Li Gang had personally wrapped up and delivered to his door.

Why refuse something free?

Upon arriving at Willow Alley in the south of the city, Lin Feng immediately sensed that this place was unusual.

In broad daylight, the entire alley seemed gloomy and sinister. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and not even a ghostly shadow could be seen on the street, forming a stark contrast with the bustle elsewhere in the southern district.

At the end of the alley stood a crooked willow tree, and beneath it was an Ancient Well half-covered by a stone slab.

Before he even approached, Lin Feng could feel a bone-piercing chill seeping out from the well mouth in wisps.

He did not rush forward. Instead, he first made inquiries throughout the alley.

At first, the residents kept their doors shut and were filled with wariness and fear toward him, a constable. But once someone recognized him as the "ruthless man" who had cut down Liu Mazi with a single slash yesterday, their attitudes immediately changed.

A trembling old woman gathered her courage, opened her door, and whispered to Lin Feng.

"Sir, that well... that well isn't clean! Never go near it at night! Butcher Zhang, Tailor Li, and the Wang Family's second son all went there to fetch water at night, and then never came back..."

"Madam, did you see anything unusual?"

Lin Feng asked.

"N-No, I didn't dare look. It's just that in the middle of the night, I always hear a woman crying from inside the well, and... and what sounds like iron chains sloshing around in the water. It chills the soul!"

With a lead in hand, Lin Feng roughly understood the situation.

He came to the Ancient Well and carefully examined it.

Relying on the sharp five senses of the Body Tempering Realm, he immediately discovered several faint, slick drag marks on the stone slab around the well, extending all the way into its mouth.

A faint fishy stench also lingered in the air.

"Looks like there really is something down there."

Lin Feng did not alert the enemy. Demons, ghosts, and monsters were generally most active at night, when yin energy was at its heaviest. It was daytime now, when yang energy was abundant, so the other party was likely hiding deep at the bottom of the well.

He decided to wait by the stump for the "ghost."

Night fell, and a waning moon hung at the edge of the sky, casting a cold, clear glow over Willow Alley.

Lin Feng sat cross-legged alone on a rooftop not far from the Ancient Well, concealing his presence like a rock merged with the night.

Time passed second by second.

Midnight—the time when yin energy was at its strongest.

"Wuu... wuu wuu..."

A woman's sobbing, as mournful as weeping and pleading, suddenly drifted from the Ancient Well. It was especially clear in the silent night, as though it could bore into one's very bones.

Immediately afterward came the sound of splashing water, as if something were slowly rising from the bottom of the well.

It was here!

Lin Feng opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance vanishing in an instant.

He did not move, instead continuing to wait until the other party had fully lowered its guard.

He took out a waterskin, pretending to be a thirsty nighttime passerby. Staggering toward the well, he hummed an off-key tune and made as though he were about to draw water.

The instant he bent down and approached the well mouth!

A sudden change erupted!

Two ghastly pale, swollen hands with black nails shot out from the pitch-black well mouth like venomous snakes, seizing Lin Feng's ankles in one grab!

A bone-deep icy force surged forth, accompanied by an enormous pulling force that sought to drag his entire body into the endless abyss!

Below the well mouth, a woman's face bloated from soaking in water, its features twisted out of shape, stared fixedly at him. Her lips split into a bizarre curve.

It was the Water Ghost that had taken lives!

Yet in the face of this lethal ambush, Lin Feng showed not the slightest panic. Instead, a cold smile appeared on his face.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

His feet seemed to have grown roots in the ground. The power of the third level of the Body Tempering Realm erupted, and no matter how the Water Ghost tugged, he did not budge an inch.

"You want to invite me down for tea? You'll have to see whether you have the ability!"

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