A Game of Chess

Upon hearing this, Feng Yang cast a surprised glance at Kong Wu.

Although Evil God Cultists didn't have proper cultivation methods and couldn't compare to legitimate cultivators like them, they were still not to be trifled with by ordinary people.

Since this Constable Kong could deal with an Evil God Cultist, it meant that even though he hadn't cultivated and had no true qi in his body, his combat power was not inferior to some low-level cultivators.

No wonder he felt a subtle pressure emanating from him.

Feng Yang thought this, but he truly couldn't understand how an ordinary person who hadn't cultivated could achieve this.

Kong Wu paid no mind to Feng Yang's strange look. He walked out of the house and surveyed the surroundings, discovering a winding path that seemed to lead to the back mountain of the Taoist temple.

In the darkness of night, some buildings could be vaguely seen on the mountain.

Seeing Kong Wu walk straight up, Skinny Monkey quickly followed and whispered, "Constable Kong, don't you think there's something off about this Taoist?"

Feng Yang also followed. The acute hearing of a cultivator allowed him to overhear Skinny Monkey's hushed words, but he didn't pay it any mind.

Given his status, Qingfeng Mountain was a top sect even in the prefectural capital. If it weren't for Kong Wu's exceptionally strong physique and yang energy, as an inner disciple of Qingfeng Mountain, he wouldn't have even glanced at this ordinary county constable.

The moonlight was blocked by the dense mountain forest, leaving the path ahead completely dark.

Kong Wu and Feng Yang relied on their own powerful senses and paid no attention to the dim mountain path.

Meanwhile, the candle Skinny Monkey had been carrying was extinguished by the cold mountain wind, forcing him to follow closely behind Kong Wu, nervously staring into the dark woods as if demons and monsters might leap out at any moment.

Not long after starting up the mountain path, the three arrived at a slightly more open area.

Scattered gravestones around indicated this was a graveyard.

Kong Wu, walking along the path, casually glanced sideways and suddenly stopped.

Skinny Monkey, shivering from the mountain wind, saw Kong Wu stop and pick something up from the side of the path.

"Isn't this..."

Under the moonlight, Skinny Monkey saw the broken half of a saber in Kong Wu's hand, which looked more and more like the Wild Goose Feather Sabers issued to their county constables.

"Something's wrong!"

Feng Yang, who had been walking leisurely at the very back, suddenly looked solemn and vigilantly at the graveyard.

"What's wrong?"

Skinny Monkey subconsciously turned his head at the question, but stopped midway.

He slowly opened his mouth, his teeth chattering, and pointed at a dark figure that had appeared in the center of the graveyard at some unknown time. Trembling, he stammered, "Wh-what... what is that?"

The dark figure swayed towards them, becoming clearer under the moonlight.

"Niu Dazhuang?"

Skinny Monkey recognized the familiar face and was stunned.

It was a constable who had gone out with Captain Li before.

However, Niu Dazhuang could probably no longer hear Skinny Monkey's greeting.

This was because half of his head was gone, and the remaining half was covered in bite marks.

It was remarkable that Skinny Monkey could still recognize his original identity.

In a pavilion on the mountain, a white-robed Taoist sat before a chessboard, contemplating his black pieces.

Opposite him, an old man dressed as a traveling physician reclined, casually swinging his feet.

"Still haven't decided? You're too indecisive."

The white-robed Taoist sighed and, after much hesitation, placed his piece where he had long intended.

"That's more like it. Back in the day, when your father was a bandit, he was decisive and resolute. How did it come to you being so hesitant?"

The old man picked up a white piece and casually placed it.

"Senior Zhu Yin Sheng, times have changed, and I can only act with caution. The court is unstable now, and there are strongmen everywhere. Who knows when one might appear."

The white-robed Taoist picked up a black piece and began to ponder again.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Yin Sheng scratched his foot and said helplessly, "So you still don't want to come to our village? You've seen it before, the great benefits I gained after sacrificing that constable."

The white-robed Taoist shook his head. "My father obtained a secret technique in his early years, but unfortunately, he had no spiritual roots and couldn't cultivate. Now, by heaven's grace, I have spiritual roots, so naturally, I must follow the proper path of cultivation."

"The proper path of cultivation?" Zhu Yin Sheng scoffed. "You mean this method of yours for refining corpses? Do you have a misunderstanding of the word 'proper'?"

The white-robed Taoist didn't reply, still deep in thought.

Seeing this, Zhu Yin Sheng sighed, "Bai Shen, Bai Shen, your father really gave you a fitting name, but don't you think you're being overly cautious?"

Irritatedly scratching his foot, he continued, "For over ten years, you've been holed up here, focusing solely on cultivation, and you've actually succeeded. You're already at Qi Cultivation Level 5, and no one in Qingshan County is your match, yet you still hide away here."

Bai Shen placed the chess piece in his hand, nodding with satisfaction, and then said, "We demonic cultivators operate in the shadows, fearing that those lunatics from the Demon Suppression Division will come rushing over if they catch our scent. The matter with those constables a few days ago won't be kept secret for long. I'll have to move elsewhere in the next day or two."

Zhu Yin Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, speechless. "Taoist, Taoist, you and your father are the same. You've been pretending to be a Taoist for so long that you've almost forgotten you're a bandit."

After a brief complaint, he casually placed a piece.

Bai Shen's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "This move is brilliant... Hmm?"

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly looking outside and frowning.

"What's up?"

Zhu Yin Sheng asked, seeing this.

"One of the new creations I made a few days ago has awakened," Bai Shen said, sounding a bit strange. "Did an outsider get in?"

"This rundown place, White Cloud Temple, who would come here in the middle of the night? It's probably those old constable colleagues of yours investigating,"

Zhu Yin Sheng said casually, then lay down on the ground and lazily added, "I wonder if Old Man Fang has found any suitable offerings in the county. He's been gone for two days, I hope he didn't kick the bucket."

Bai Shen chuckled. "In this county, only the Qian Family has a Qi Cultivation Level 2 cultivator. Even if Elder Fang couldn't win, he could escape. He should be fine."

"That's true," Zhu Yin Sheng nodded. "This guy probably just got the urge to gamble again."

Bai Shen shook his head and continued studying the chessboard.

However, it wasn't long before the chess piece in his hand suddenly dropped. The crisp sound made Zhu Yin Sheng, who had been squinting, open his eyes and sit up.

He saw Bai Shen looking outside with a grim expression and saying, "My creation has lost contact."