Deep in the Night, the Hunt for the Murderer Begins, and Disaster Strikes the Manor

Deep into the night, the streets were naturally silent and serene.

Tap—

Yet a slender figure was sprinting through the streets, leaping into the air and landing atop the wall surrounding a residence.

"What incredible footwork!"

Not far behind, Hua Shuya was giving chase at full speed.

Her expression tightened slightly as she watched the shadow decisively dart into a certain household compound, and she clenched her silver teeth.

About half an hour earlier, she had received a secret report from the authorities stating that the vicious bandit who had been committing crimes throughout the area had appeared once more and was about to prey on the women of the county.

Without the slightest delay, she had immediately set off according to the location in the report and pursued him. At last, she had caught sight of the bandit.

She simply had not expected this person to possess such impressive lightness skills. She had failed to catch up in such a short time and could only watch helplessly as the bandit fled into a residence.

Without hesitation, she leaped into the compound after the shadow. She knew full well that if she hesitated any longer, the women inside would likely suffer undeserved calamity.

Sweeping the place with a cold gaze, she saw the shadow crash through a window into one of the rooms!

"Stop!"

Hua Shuya shouted sharply, immediately drawing her sword and giving chase. "If you dare attack civilians again, your crimes will be even worse!"

While threatening him to divert his attention, she shoved the door open with tremendous force and slipped inside. Just as she was about to use all her strength to save the victim, her movements suddenly halted.

The shadow had vanished without a trace. There was not the slightest sound in the room, and the silence was so oppressive that it made one's heart tremble.

"Could he have deliberately concealed his aura and hidden himself?"

Hua Shuya's thoughts stirred.

Since the other party intended to hide, she might as well disperse all the residents of the Household first, lest they be caught in the crossfire once a fight began.

She immediately hurried forward, intending to wake the sleeping woman in the bed.

"Miss, wake up qui—"

But the moment she spoke, her expression changed drastically. She hurried to the bedside and lifted the gauze curtain.

In the next instant, a face already mangled beyond recognition came abruptly into view!

"This... she's already been attacked?!"

Hua Shuya's face paled as she hurriedly checked the woman's breath.

There was not even the slightest sign of breathing. Even her body was icy cold, as though she had been dead for a long time.

"Wait."

Her brows suddenly drew tightly together. "This woman has clearly been dead for some time. And this face... it looks as though the skin was peeled off?"

Faint footsteps came from behind. The young woman hurriedly turned around and saw the shadow flicker past the doorway.

With a grim expression, Hua Shuya rushed out of the room and shouted loudly, "Everyone inside, get up! A bandit has broken into the Household!"

At the same time, she unleashed her footwork with all her strength, abruptly closing the distance between herself and the shadow. She followed it into another side room, only a step behind.

Yet the moment she pushed open the door and charged inside, Hua Shuya was shaken to the core by the sight before her.

A woman in white had been hung from the roof beam by silk. She swayed gently in the breeze, revealing beneath the moonlight another horrifying face mangled beyond recognition. Her neck had been strangled and twisted out of shape, and she had long since breathed her last.

"H-How could this be?!"

Could the tragedy throughout this residence truly be connected to that shadow?

And—

Hua Shuya hurriedly backed out of the room and looked around the entire Household.

Her shout just now had carried wisps of inner force and had been thunderously loud to ordinary people. Even those fast asleep should have been jolted awake immediately.

But now...

Not a single sound came from the entire Household. It was deeply strange!

"Did a shocking murder already occur in this Household, or... is some evil spirit at work?"

In the past, she had never believed in ghosts and gods. But ever since her journey to Taiyi Mountain, she had learned that there truly were demons and specters in this world. The murders in this Household might have been committed by humans, but they could just as easily have been the work of something evil, like the strange disaster that had struck Cheng Manor a few days ago.

Hua Shuya focused and glanced to the side, only to see the shadow suddenly leap along the corridor and into the main hall.

After a moment's thought, she quickly tightened her grip on the sword at her waist and gave chase.

But just as she prepared to face the enemy, she was astonished to discover a woman in black standing inside the main hall. Judging by her plump figure, she seemed to be one of the women of the Household.

Or was this person actually the true identity of the bandit she had been pursuing all along?

"Madam, could you say a few words to me?"

Hua Shuya cautiously opened the conversation while remaining on guard and slowly drawing her long sword.

"Miss, do you know about... the incident at Li Manor?"

The gentle female voice that suddenly rang out made Hua Shuya's eyes widen slightly.

She quickly regained her composure and said in a low voice, "I happened to hear about it. I heard that a concubine in Li Manor died under mysterious circumstances, and that Li Manor even invited many Daoists to perform exorcisms. But in the end, it was confirmed that she had accidentally eaten something poisonous and died from it."

"You know only one part of the story, but not the other." A melodious, low chuckle drifted through the air. "Steward Li took two wives and three concubines. Though the relationships in the Household appeared harmonious on the surface, behind closed doors they schemed against one another, suspicious and jealous at every turn."

Hua Shuya's expression remained solemn. "Do you mean that the concubine was killed by one of the other women?"

"Of course not. Where would they find the courage to commit such a killing?"

The woman in black chuckled softly. "But they truly were despicable. To win Steward Li's favor, they did countless shameless things.

"And their efforts were indeed effective. Steward Li was so bewitched by them that he lost himself completely, spending his days and nights in revelry and lingering among them without end. Meanwhile, that concubine was gradually cast aside and slowly treated like a servant in the Household. She was mocked and ridiculed at every turn, ordered around like a dog."

"Tell me, what right did those vile women have to mock that poor concubine? What status did they have to commit such despicable acts? Was it merely because they had prettier faces? Merely because of those faces that would grow withered and decrepit after a few decades?!"

Hua Shuya's steps slowed slightly, and she narrowed her eyes. "This is a family matter of Li Manor. As an outsider, I naturally have no right to pass judgment."

"...So that concubine finally saw the light."

The woman in black gave a cold laugh. "Since Steward Li was intoxicated by beautiful faces, she might as well take their looks for herself and put them to use.

"No, not merely the few despicable women in this Household. The women in the town and the villages could not be spared either."

"I cannot agree with what you have done."

Sword Intent rose in Hua Shuya's eyes. "Madam, are you... that dead concubine?"

"Miss, you have that wrong."

The woman in black smiled gently. "I am the principal wife of Li Manor. However—"

She suddenly turned her head, revealing a face that had long since rotted away. With a feral grin, she said, "You, Miss, are my next target!"

The young woman said nothing more and abruptly swept her sword horizontally.

The woman in black raised a hand with a sinister grin to block the blade. Her seemingly delicate wrist was as hard as stone, and sparks flew where it scraped against the sword's edge.

"You won't escape from here, Hua Shuya!"

"Hmph!"

Hua Shuya rotated her fair wrist. A fierce gleam suddenly flashed, severing the woman's arm and slicing off her head in the same strike!

"How—"

The severed head rolling across the floor spoke in astonishment. Before it could react, Hua Shuya had already unleashed a profound sword stance. Sword light flashed rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, it pinned the woman's stiff body to the wall of the main hall.

With a twist of the blade, wisps of sinister energy immediately drifted out of the woman's body. The body that had still been struggling quickly went limp and fell utterly silent.

Only then did Hua Shuya pull out her long sword and silently exhale a breath of stale air.

After several days of cultivation, both her swordsmanship and her realm had improved. Her inner breath had nearly transformed into Azure Spirit inner force, and she could now inflict lethal wounds upon these demonic and evil things.

But—

A chill welled up in her heart as she looked back.

An exceedingly bewitching and seductive woman had silently appeared behind her. Her ample body was covered only by a thin gauze of golden silk, leaving her skin almost entirely exposed. With a smile that was not quite a smile, she licked her finger. "Interesting. I never expected that even a mortal martial artist could wear down our sinister energy. It seems I did not waste my effort setting up layer upon layer of traps to lure you here."

This woman was undoubtedly a ghost.

Hua Shuya's pretty face was cold, and her expression resolute. She cast aside every distracting thought and silently assumed her sword stance once more.

She believed in the results of her cultivation, and she was even less willing to disappoint Lin Tianlu after all his painstaking guidance and instruction during this time.

Now that this evil entity had revealed itself, she had nowhere left to retreat, and she was even less willing to do so.

"There's nothing left to fear."

In this battle, she would surely cut down this ghostly scourge!