Wendeng County

Marquis Wuyi's manor was sealed off by the Demon Subduing Bureau, and no one, inside or out, was allowed to enter or leave without permission.

Meanwhile, the Demon Subduing Bureau also mobilized a significant number of personnel to search the entire Chaotian Capital, looking for any remaining fugitives or other Malevolent Spirits in hiding.

For a time, Chaotian Capital was engulfed in an anti-evil storm due to the Spring Full Pavilion incident, the scale of which was unprecedented.

However, none of this concerned Ning Xiu. The letter Su Qianqian had given him indicated that the mission location was a county town not far north of Chaotian Capital, Wendeng County.

Since joining the Champion Camp, Ning Xiu had never left Chaotian Capital. This assignment to Wendeng County to investigate the situation was a chance to broaden his horizons and gain some experience.

In the Champion Camp, besides martial arts and cultivation techniques, horsemanship was also a mandatory skill for apprentices. They had collective training once every seven days, so Ning Xiu was somewhat proficient at riding.

He might not be able to perform advanced techniques of man and horse becoming one, but basic commands like moving forward and stopping were no problem.

After borrowing a fine horse from the Demon Subduing Bureau's stables, Ning Xiu rode out of Chaotian Capital.

Wendeng County was located forty li north of Chaotian Capital. The county town sat at the intersection of four north-south postal routes and was adjacent to Changxia River, a tributary of the Chaotian Canal. The great flow of merchants, ships, and caravans from south to north greatly boosted the county's economy.

Consequently, while other industries in Wendeng County were unremarkable, inns, brothels, and wineries had thrived for decades, eventually becoming the town's three major characteristics.

Recently, a series of strange incidents had occurred in Wendeng County, with the origins tracing back to half a month ago.

A waiter from an inn in the county had unfortunately fallen into the Changxia River while heading home at night. By the time he was rescued by others, the waiter had already lost his life.

This would have just been an accident; people had drowned in the river before. However, the subsequent bizarre events that followed caused widespread panic in Wendeng County.

It turned out that after the waiter's family came to collect the body, they temporarily placed it in their courtyard. But unexpectedly, the corpse vanished one night.

The family searched the entire Wendeng County without any success and eventually had to let it go.

In the following period, more people in the county drowned in the Changxia River at night. By now, the number of victims had reached seventeen.

After the county constables intervened and investigated, there were no leads or discoveries. To prevent further deaths in the Changxia River, the county magistrate of Wendeng County, Dong Fu, submitted a memorial reporting the matter to the Demon Subduing Bureau.

He hoped the Demon Subduing Bureau would send a Demon Subduing Captain to investigate the situation.

If Malevolent Spirits were indeed harming people in secret, they needed to be eradicated as soon as possible to prevent future trouble.

After galloping on the postal route for over an hour, the outline of Wendeng County's city walls finally appeared in Ning Xiu's vision.

It was a county town that didn't appear large but was quite exquisite in every aspect. Dozens of large red lanterns hung at the city gates, adorned with wind chimes and colorful banners. Whenever someone passed by, the tinkling sound of the bells could be heard.

For this investigation mission, Ning Xiu had not chosen to wear the Mysterious Silver Lock Armor he had received from the Demon Subduing Bureau, as he felt that attire was too eye-catching when out in the field.

Let alone the common folk, even Malevolent Spirits would know you were a Demon Subduing Captain upon seeing you. This feeling of the enemy being hidden while he was exposed was not what Ning Xiu desired.

The choice proved to be quite correct. As Ning Xiu rode into the city, apart from a few passing girls and women who looked at him with admiring glances, no one else paid him any attention.

Upon arriving in Wendeng County, the first thing to do was naturally to go to the yamen and meet with the local county magistrate. This way, he could obtain more information not mentioned in the letter, making the investigation easier.

At the entrance of the county yamen, he saw two constables preparing to go out. Ning Xiu immediately took out his Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain token and said, "I am a Demon Subduing Captain sent by the Demon Subduing Bureau to investigate the more than ten drowning cases in your county. Please take me to see the county magistrate."

The Demon Subduing Bureau was an organization independent of the imperial court. Even an Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain held a much higher official rank than a county magistrate. The constables dared not delay and immediately led Ning Xiu inside the yamen.

Soon, in the study room within the county yamen, Ning Xiu finally met the county magistrate of Wendeng County, Dong Fu.

He was a plump man, his facial fat squeezing his eyes into mere slits, indicating he indulged in delicacies and overeating.

"Who are you?" Dong Fu asked, lowering the Golden Bottle Amorous Women he was holding, looking at the unfamiliar young man entering from outside the study.

The constable quickly went to his side and whispered an explanation. Dong Fu then stood up and said with a simple and honest smile, "I was unaware of your arrival, my lord. Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly."

"No need for formalities. Please bring me all the case files you have regarding the drowning incidents immediately. We should resolve this as soon as possible to prevent further innocent citizens from being harmed." Ning Xiu sat down in a redwood chair in front of the desk and said calmly.

"Yes, yes." Dong Fu immediately walked to the bookshelf behind him and began selecting some of the relevant case files.

While Dong Fu was doing so, Ning Xiu couldn't help but glance at the Golden Bottle Amorous Women placed on the table.

The book was about two fingers thick, with a yellowish cover, and depicted a vivid illustration of one man and two women in a room.

The clothing of the three individuals was only about 5% intact. The general pose was of the man sitting on the edge of the bed, with one woman behind him acting as a pillow and another in front of him performing oral sex. It was hard not to suspect it was an erotic novel.

When Dong Fu approached with a stack of case files, he happened to see Ning Xiu's curious gaze and immediately smiled, "If you like it, my lord, you can take it to read. This book is quite good, considered a masterpiece in the novel industry this year."

"I never read such books. I read the Spring and Autumn Annals," Ning Xiu politely declined.

In his previous life, he hadn't even bothered to search for Bai, Shao, or Men online. To read a Great Shang erotic novel today? That would ruin his image as a Demon Subduing Captain.

Taking the case files Dong Fu had arranged, Ning Xiu began to read them carefully.

Including the first waiter who drowned in the Changxia River, eighteen people had drowned in Wendeng County over the past half-month.

These case files recorded the specific identities, family backgrounds, and social activities of these eighteen individuals.

The duty of an Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain was to investigate the truth behind villages and towns where strange events occurred. If Malevolent Spirits or demons were causing trouble, depending on their strength, they would report it to the Demon Subduing Bureau, which would then dispatch a demon-subduing team led by a Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain to eradicate them.

However, uncovering the truth was not an easy task, and the difficulty might not be much less than that of eliminating the Malevolent Spirits.

After finishing all the case files, Ning Xiu asked Dong Fu, "Wendeng County is not large. With the news of people frequently drowning in the Changxia River spreading, why would people still approach the Changxia River at night, leading to accidents? Have you inquired with the victims' families about the reasons?"

"My lord, I had the constables ask about that, but the strange thing is that while the first five or six people didn't believe the rumors and took a shortcut home along the Changxia River, the subsequent victims all disappeared inexplicably from their homes in the middle of the night. Their bodies were only found floating by the Changxia River bank the next day by boatmen."

"In that case, it's really hard to know where to start," Ning Xiu mused. "How about this: have a constable take me to the homes of those who drowned first."

"Alright." Dong Fu called out to the constable standing outside the study who had brought Ning Xiu in, "Fang Ping, take this lord to the homes of those drowned individuals. Follow the lord's instructions in everything."

"Yes." The constable immediately responded, feeling a surge of excitement in his heart.

Being able to work with the Demon Subduing Bureau was the wish of many constables, and he had finally achieved it.

After Ning Xiu left the study and disappeared from his sight, Dong Fu sat back down in his chair, picked up "Golden Bottle Amorous Women" from the table, and muttered, "Spring and Autumn? What kind of book is that? Is it more exciting than this one?"

Ever since the successive accidental drownings in the Changxia River, apart from the laborers at the ferry responsible for transporting goods, ordinary people have rarely dared to approach the Changxia River, fearing that they might be the next to die in it. As a result, the banks of the Changxia River appear exceptionally desolate now.

Most of the eighteen victims who drowned in the Changxia River lived near the river. It was only a few hundred steps from their homes to see the riverside scenery.

Following the constable Fang Ping, Ning Xiu quickly arrived at the first victim's residence. White banners and black cloth hung at the entrance of the house, clearly indicating that someone had recently died inside.

As Ning Xiu and Fang Ping reached the doorway, they happened to see a child dressed in white mourning clothes running out with a brazier. Upon seeing the two, the child was startled, quickly put down the brazier, and ran away.

"Mom! Someone's outside." The child's voice was clear. Within a few breaths, an old woman and a young woman ran out from the house. Their attire was the same as the child's.

"Gentlemen, I am Fang Ping, a constable of this county. I have been specially ordered by the county magistrate to investigate. There's no need to be alarmed," Fang Ping said to explain.

Given the special identity of the Demon Subduing Bureau, Ning Xiu had specifically instructed Fang Ping on the way not to reveal his identity to others to avoid any unnecessary incidents. Fang Ping naturally complied.

Seeing Fang Ping in his constable uniform and a handsome young man beside him giving off an inexplicable sense of familiarity, the people finally relaxed.

"Please, honored officers, come in quickly," the old woman said hurriedly.

There was a strange chill in the courtyard. The moment Ning Xiu stepped into the courtyard, he clearly felt a chill emanating from all around him, its source unknown.

Ning Xiu followed Fang Ping, silently casting the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

As Ning Xiu had elevated the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique to the fifth level, its effects had changed significantly.

In addition to the usual Evil Qi, Ning Xiu could now perceive things he couldn't detect before.

He saw that while the Evil Qi in the courtyard was weak, one particular room was enveloped by a large amount of black mist.

If ordinary people were to live in it, they would at best fall gravely ill, and at worst, their lives would be in danger.