Ghost Infant

Zhou Yi hurried to the yamen before it got dark. Upon arriving, he didn't go to the morgue to guard Liu Xue's body.

Instead, after greeting Li Yuanfang, he went alone to the prison. Seeing Shopkeeper Liu, who had been tortured beyond recognition, Zhou Yi walked up to him.

"Your daughter will likely come looking for you soon," Zhou Yi said calmly to Shopkeeper Liu.

At this, Shopkeeper Liu pushed himself up with his hands, propping himself on the ground, and whispered to Zhou Yi, "I killed her. She should come for me."

"I've learned almost the entire story from Li Ji, but there are still two things I don't understand."

Shopkeeper Liu sat there quietly, his lips tightly shut, as if unwilling to speak further.

Seeing that Shopkeeper Liu wasn't going to talk, Zhou Yi continued as if talking to himself.

"The incident seems to have started with you forcibly taking Jiang Yu'er, which led her to hang herself. You thought you had covered it up well, but you forgot about a person's nature. Would someone like you act on a whim?"

"It was because Jiang Yu'er was too beautiful," Shopkeeper Liu immediately said to Zhou Yi upon hearing this.

"Oh? You answered so eagerly. It seems you really do want to hide something." Zhou Yi looked at Shopkeeper Liu with great interest.

"Let me guess, the things another person might hide are many: money, power, family, people."

"Money, you have it. Power, you have power with money. Family, you could abandon your own daughter, so it must be the last one."

As Zhou Yi analyzed the 'person,' Shopkeeper Liu's pupils suddenly widened, but he still remained silent.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi continued, "A person's actions can deceive, but their eyes cannot. It seems I guessed correctly; it's because of a person, isn't it?"

"You're willing to risk your own life and your daughter's to protect that person."

Shopkeeper Liu, still sitting on the ground, suddenly looked up at Zhou Yi and said, "You're smarter than those constables. If I tell you, can you let him go?"

Zhou Yi nodded.

"He is my son, my only son. After I discovered this, I forged Jiang Yu'er's suicide note, making Scholar Xu believe I was the murderer. But I never expected Scholar Xu would go after my daughter." Shopkeeper Liu's expression suddenly turned angry.

"Then why did you kill your daughter?"

"I had promised her to a powerful figure in Luoshi City. But when they found out she was pregnant, they gave me two choices: either I abandon my daughter, or my entire family pays with their lives, including my useless son."

"In the end, it was all for your son," Zhou Yi said with a sigh.

Shopkeeper Liu nodded.

Neither of them spoke. Zhou Yi quietly waited for the arrival of "Nian," while Shopkeeper Liu sat on the ground, head bowed, as if accepting his fate.

Two hours later, Zhou Yi suddenly felt the indoor lights flicker, and a pool of water appeared on the ground.

"I knew it. She would come for you first." Zhou Yi gripped Han Guang in his hand.

"Nian" appeared, just like in Zhou Yi's dream. However, unlike in the dream, "Nian" was now surrounded by resentment, and her belly was swollen as if she were nine months pregnant.

"Nian" glanced at Zhou Yi before walking towards Shopkeeper Liu. Zhou Yi didn't stop her, instead slowly stepping aside.

Shopkeeper Liu, sitting on the ground, also saw "Nian." Zhou Yi noticed a look of relief on Shopkeeper Liu's face.

Shopkeeper Liu was gradually being consumed. Just as he was about to be completely devoured, Zhou Yi said to him, "I'll send your son down to join you as soon as possible!"

Shopkeeper Liu's face, which had just held a look of relief, suddenly turned to one of terror. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to say something, but "Nian" didn't give him the chance.

Zhou Yi watched as "Nian," having finished consuming Shopkeeper Liu, stood still. The resentment surrounding her seemed to have condensed to its extreme, surging towards the woman's belly.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi no longer hesitated. He channeled his blood energy, raising Han Guang and slashing towards the woman.

The blade flashed, and one of the woman's arms fell, dissipating into specks of red light.

"Nian," no, she had now become "Yuan."

"Yuan" let out a wail, gave Zhou Yi a deep look, and then turned, drifting towards the outside.

Zhou Yi activated the Star Picking Steps, channeling all his blood energy, and rushed out like a leopard.

Outside, Zhou Yi saw a pool of water on the ground. Seeing this, he understood that "Yuan" had gone towards his own body.

Zhou Yi pushed his blood energy to its limit and ran towards the morgue. He punched through the obstructing wall, charging recklessly into the morgue.

The woman's body was still there, but her abdomen had been cut open. Beside it stood a ghost infant.

The ghost infant had a pale complexion, its pupils were white, and its mouth was filled with sharp, beast-like teeth. It opened its mouth and let out a roar at Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi slung Han Guang over his shoulder and said to the ghost infant, "Yo, your mom's gone, huh?"

As if understanding Zhou Yi's taunt, the ghost infant furiously lunged at him.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi didn't dodge. He covered Han Guang with his blood energy and aimed it at the charging ghost infant.

The ghost infant's claw struck out, creating gusts of wind. Zhou Yi met it with Han Guang.

The ghost claw met Han Guang with a clang like metal striking stone.

After the initial clash, Zhou Yi and the ghost infant retreated.

It's much stronger than the scarecrow. If I hadn't practiced the Vajra Skill, I might have had some trouble dealing with it. But I'm so much stronger now, Zhou Yi thought to himself.

With that thought, Zhou Yi stopped holding back. He unleashed his full blood energy, and white smoke began to rise from his body due to the intense heat.

Zhou Yi pushed off with his feet, charging forward like a leopard. He swung Han Guang as if it were a club.

Seeing Zhou Yi charging at it with such ferocity, the ghost infant tried to dodge. However, Zhou Yi's speed was too great. The ghost infant could only brace itself to meet Zhou Yi's attack.

Zhou Yi saw this and slashed his blade down on the ghost infant's arm, which it was using to block his attack. However, the ghost infant seemed to have underestimated Zhou Yi's strength, and was cleaved into the wall by Zhou Yi's blade.

Bricks and stones fell, and as the smoke cleared, the ghost infant shakily stood up from the rubble.

At this moment, the constables who heard the commotion rushed over. But upon seeing the ghost infant in the middle of the scene, their legs trembled with fear, and they could barely hold onto their blades.

"Don't come over!" Zhou Yi shouted loudly at the constables on the other side.

Seeing that Zhou Yi's attention was diverted, the ghost infant beside him immediately swiped a claw at Zhou Yi.

The ghost infant felt a dull ache in its claw. Its tiny mind couldn't comprehend how this person's physical body was harder than a blade.

A ferocious smile spread across Zhou Yi's face as he said to the ghost infant, "I've got you!"

Zhou Yi used the strength of his body to pin the ghost infant to the ground. He didn't even use his blade, but instead punched the ghost infant's body repeatedly.

The ghost infant struggled and attacked Zhou Yi's body, but even with all its might, it only managed to rip Zhou Yi's clothes, leaving white scratches on his body.

As Zhou Yi continued to fight, he noticed the ghost infant gradually stopped struggling. He then stood up, picked up Han Guang from the side, and decapitated the ghost infant with a single strike.

"Yin Energy +150, Qi +3"

"Qi appeared again. What exactly is this Qi used for?"

Zhou Yi stood in place, lost in thought.

Seeing that the ghost infant had been eliminated by Zhou Yi, the constables by his side finally dared to step forward and check the situation.

Upon seeing the destruction Zhou Yi had caused in the battle, the constables present all widened their mouths, thinking to themselves: This is something a human can do.

Zhou Yi also turned his head to look at the scene of destruction he had caused.

He had gone all out for the first time tonight, and even Zhou Yi himself was shocked by the destruction he had wrought.

A normal Strength Channeling Realm cultivator definitely couldn't cause this kind of scene, Zhou Yi thought to himself.

Li Yuanfang, who was standing nearby, was stunned for a while before walking up to Zhou Yi and saying, "Sir, is Shopkeeper Liu's matter resolved?"

Zhou Yi shook his head at Li Yuanfang and then said, "Shopkeeper Liu has another son. You guys go and find him."

After speaking, Zhou Yi patted Li Yuanfang's shoulder and left.

With the matter concluded, Zhou Yi looked at the sky. It was already close to midnight. He could get a good night's sleep tonight, but he had to find his master first.