Wendeng County

The Demon Subduing Bureau had sealed off Marquis Wuyi's estate. No one, inside or out, was allowed to come and go without permission.

At the same time, the Demon Subduing Bureau dispatched a good number of people to search the entire Chaotian Capital, looking for any stragglers or other Evil Spirits in hiding.

For a time, the Spring Full Pavilion incident ignited an anti-evil storm in Chaotian Capital, larger than any in history.

But none of that had anything to do with Ning Xiu anymore. The letter Su Qianqian had given him stated that his assignment was in Wendeng County, a county town not far to the north of Chaotian Capital.

Since joining Champion Camp, Ning Xiu had never left Chaotian Capital. Now that he had been ordered to investigate a case in Wendeng County, it was a chance to broaden his horizons and see the world.

In Champion Camp, the instructors taught not only martial arts but also horsemanship, a required skill for all trainees. They trained together once every seven days, so Ning Xiu knew his way around a horse well enough.

He might not have been able to pull off advanced maneuvers that required horse and rider to move as one, but everyday commands like moving forward and stopping posed no problem.

He borrowed a fine steed from the stables inside the Demon Subduing Bureau and rode out of Chaotian Capital.

Wendeng County lay forty li north of Chaotian Capital. The county sat at the junction of four north-south postal roads and beside the Changxia River, a tributary of the Chaotian Canal. The merchants, boatmen, and escort caravans traveling between north and south had greatly boosted the county's economy.

Most of Wendeng County's industries were unremarkable, but its inns, brothels, and taverns had thrived for decades. Over time, they had become the county's three great specialties.

Not long ago, a string of strange events had taken place in Wendeng County. It all began half a month earlier.

One night, a waiter from an inn in the county was walking home when he lost his footing and fell into the Changxia River. By the time someone found him and pulled him out, he was already dead.

It had seemed like a simple accident. People had drowned in the river before. But the bizarre events that followed soon left Wendeng County gripped by panic.

After hearing the news, the waiter's family came to claim his body and set it down in their courtyard for the time being. But one night, the corpse vanished without a trace.

The family searched all over Wendeng County and found nothing. In the end, they had no choice but to let the matter drop.

Then, over the following days, people kept falling into the river and drowning while passing by at night. By now, the death toll had reached seventeen.

The county yamen's constables had investigated, but made no progress whatsoever. To prevent more people from dying in the Changxia River, Dong Fu, the county magistrate of Wendeng County, sent a report to the Demon Subduing Bureau.

He hoped the Demon Subduing Bureau would send a Demon Subduing Captain to investigate what was going on.

If an Evil Spirit was secretly harming people, it had to be eliminated as soon as possible to prevent further trouble.

After more than an hour galloping along the postal road, the outline of Wendeng County's city walls finally appeared in Ning Xiu's view.

It was a small county town, but every corner of it looked exquisitely crafted. Dozens of bright red lanterns hung at the city gate, adorned with wind chimes and colorful streamers. Whenever anyone passed by, the chimes rang out.

For this investigation, Ning Xiu had chosen not to wear the Mysterious Silver Lock Armor issued by the Demon Subduing Bureau. He felt that wearing it out in public would draw far too much attention.

Not only would the common folk know he was a Demon Subduing Captain, even the Evil Spirits would know. Ning Xiu didn't want to be the one in the open while his enemy lurked in the dark.

As it turned out, he had made the right choice. When Ning Xiu rode into town, only a few passing girls and women gazed at him in admiration. No one else paid him any attention.

Naturally, his first stop in Wendeng County was the yamen, where he could meet the county magistrate and learn more than what the letter had revealed. That would make the investigation easier to begin.

When he reached the yamen entrance, he saw two constables about to head out. Ning Xiu immediately produced his Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain badge and said, "I'm the Demon Subduing Captain the Bureau sent to investigate the series of drownings in your county. Please take me to see your magistrate."

The Demon Subduing Bureau was an independent organization, separate from the imperial court. Even an Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain held a much higher rank than a county magistrate. The constables didn't dare delay and immediately led Ning Xiu inside.

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

He was a fat man with an obese build. The flesh on his face squeezed his eyes into narrow slits. At a glance, it was clear he was used to gorging himself on delicacies.

"Who are you?" Dong Fu asked in puzzlement, setting down the Golden Bottle Amorous Women in his hands as he looked at the unfamiliar young man who had entered the study.

A constable hurried over and whispered an explanation in his ear. Only then did Dong Fu rise, smiling with simple warmth. "I didn't know you were coming, my lord, so I wasn't able to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."

"No need for formalities. Bring me all the case files you have on the drownings. Let's try to resolve this as soon as possible, before any more innocent people come to harm." Ning Xiu sat down in the redwood chair by the desk and spoke calmly.

"Yes, yes." Dong Fu went to the bookcase behind him and began selecting files related to the case.

While he was occupied, Ning Xiu couldn't help glancing at the copy of Golden Bottle Amorous Women on Dong Fu's desk.

The book was two fingers thick, with an apricot-yellow cover. On the front was a vivid illustration of one man and two women in a room.

The three figures were barely clothed, and their poses were roughly as follows: the man sat on the edge of a bed, one woman behind him with her head on his chest, and the other in front of him, washing his face with her breasts. It was hard not to suspect it was a dirty book.

When Dong Fu came over with a stack of files, he caught Ning Xiu looking at the book. Smiling, he said, "If you like it, my lord, you can take it. It's a pretty good book, one of the finest novels published this year."

"I, Ning, never read that sort of book. I read the Spring and Autumn Annals," Ning Xiu declined outright.

In his previous life, he hadn't even bothered looking up "Bai," "Shao," or "Men" online. Did Dong Fu really think he'd read Great Shang's dirty books? That would ruin the lofty image of a Demon Subduing Captain.

Ning Xiu took the files Dong Fu had set out and began reading them carefully.

Including the waiter who had been the first to drown in the Changxia River, a total of eighteen people had drowned in Wendeng County over the past half month.

The files recorded the identities, family backgrounds, and usual social circles of all eighteen victims.

An Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captain's duty was to investigate strange occurrences in villages, counties, and cities and uncover the truth. If the culprit was an Evil Spirit or cultivator, the Captain would report its strength to the Demon Subduing Bureau, which would send a team led by a Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain to eliminate it.

But uncovering the truth was no easy task. It could be every bit as difficult as dealing with the Evil Spirit itself.

After reading all the files, Ning Xiu asked Dong Fu, "Wendeng County isn't very large. Word spread that people kept losing their footing and drowning in the Changxia River, so why did anyone still go near it at night? Did you ask the victims' families about that?"

"My lord, I sent constables to ask, but the strange thing is this: the first five or six victims had ignored the warnings and taken a shortcut home along the Changxia River. But all the later victims had mysteriously vanished from their own homes in the middle of the night. The next day, boatmen found their bodies floating by the riverbank."

"In that case, it really is hard to know where to start." Ning Xiu thought for a moment. "How about this: send a constable to take me to the victims' homes."

"All right." Dong Fu looked toward the constable outside the study who had brought Ning Xiu in and called, "Fang Ping, take this lord to the homes of those who drowned. Follow his orders in everything."

"Yes, sir," the constable replied, unable to keep a hint of excitement from his voice.

Working alongside the Demon Subduing Bureau was the dream of countless constables. At last, Fang Ping had the chance.

After Ning Xiu left the study and disappeared from view, Dong Fu sat back down, picked up Golden Bottle Amorous Women, and muttered, "Spring and Autumn? What kind of book is that? Could it be even more exciting than mine?"

Ever since a string of accidental drownings had occurred in the Changxia River, ordinary people had rarely dared approach it, apart from the laborers who hauled cargo at the ferry crossing. Everyone feared they might be the next to die in its waters. The riverbank was now unusually deserted.

Most of the eighteen people who had drowned in the Changxia River lived nearby. They could step outside and see the riverside scenery after walking just a few hundred paces.

Following constable Fang Ping, Ning Xiu soon arrived at the first victim's home. White mourning streamers and black cloth hung all over the entrance. It was obvious that someone in the household had died recently.

As Ning Xiu and Fang Ping reached the gate, a child dressed in white mourning clothes came running out with a brazier. The moment he saw them, he hurriedly put it down and bolted.

"Mother! There are people outside!" The child's voice rang out. A few breaths later, an old woman and a young woman came hurrying out of the house. They were dressed just like the child.

"Don't be alarmed. I'm Fang Ping, a constable of this county. I'm here on the county magistrate's orders to look into the matter," Fang Ping explained.

The Demon Subduing Bureau had a special status. On the way here, Ning Xiu had specifically told Fang Ping not to reveal who he was, to avoid causing any unnecessary trouble. Fang Ping had followed his instructions.

Seeing Fang Ping in his constable's uniform and the handsome young man beside him, who somehow put them at ease, the women finally relaxed.

"Please, officers, come right in," the old woman said hastily.

The courtyard was strangely cool. The moment Ning Xiu stepped inside, he clearly felt a chill of unknown origin spreading around him.

Following behind Fang Ping, Ning Xiu silently activated the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

After Ning Xiu had raised the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique to the fifth layer, its effects had changed considerably.

Now, in addition to the Evil Qi he could already see, he could detect many other things that had escaped him before.

In the courtyard, the Evil Qi was faint. Only one room was shrouded in thick black mist.

If an ordinary person lived inside, they would either fall gravely ill or soon be on death's door.