The Demon Person Appears

Late at night, in the inner courtyard of the county yamen.

Dong Fu, who had gone to bed and fallen asleep long ago, was suddenly jolted awake by a shout from outside.

Before he could berate the person for disturbing his sweet dreams, the man outside immediately said, "My lord, Lord Ning has arrived at the yamen. He brought a corpse with him and specifically asked for you to come take a look."

The moment he heard that Ning Xiu had come, all the anger in Dong Fu's chest instantly vanished.

With Ning Xiu's status as a Demon Subduing Captain, Dong Fu couldn't complain even if he was made to get up in the middle of the night, let alone if someone set the yamen on fire.

He quickly changed into his clothes, then hurriedly stumbled after the messenger to meet Ning Xiu.

Ning Xiu was standing in the county yamen's courtroom. On the ground beside him lay a dripping-wet corpse, its hair hanging loose so that it was impossible to tell who it was.

"Greetings, Lord Ning." Dong Fu entered the courtroom and immediately saluted Ning Xiu.

"Don't mention it. Lord Dong, come take a look. Do you recognize this person?"

"This is..." Dong Fu walked over to the corpse, thoroughly confused. A constable used the scabbard of his sword to push aside the hair covering the corpse's face, making it easier for Dong Fu to examine.

Yet, faced with a corpse whose entire face had swollen from being soaked, Dong Fu couldn't tell what in the world he was looking at. He could only shake his head and say, "This subordinate doesn't recognize him."

Just then, a nearby constable muttered in surprise, "Huh? This looks like the waiter whose corpse disappeared back then."

Ning Xiu asked, "You recognize him?"

"My lord, I was the one who handled the recovery of this waiter's corpse from the Changxia River. He had a birthmark on his chest and another on his neck. I remember them clearly. Even if his face has turned into this ghastly mess, I can still recognize him."

At the constable's words, Ning Xiu recalled that before the multiple drowning cases occurred in Wendeng County, everything had begun with a waiter at an inn falling into the water and drowning.

After his family had retrieved the body and laid it in their courtyard, the corpse vanished during the night. The waiter's family searched all of Wendeng County but couldn't find a single trace. In the end, they had no choice but to let the matter drop.

That was what had set off the chain of events that followed. Ning Xiu hadn't expected the missing corpse to reappear as a Drowned Ghost in the Changxia River.

Ning Xiu had also found traces of a Runic Diagram on the Drowned Ghost's body.

"Lord Dong, I need you to help me with something."

"Please tell me what you need, Lord Ning. If it can be of any help to you, this subordinate will do everything in his power."

"Investigate the people who have stayed in Wendeng County over the past half month. Anyone who isn't local, anyone with an unfamiliar face—record all their names and give the list to me."

"This subordinate understands."

Ning Xiu pointed at the Drowned Ghost on the ground and said, "Also, have someone hang this fellow at the county yamen gate first thing tomorrow morning. Tell the people that the Evil Spirit was responsible for all the drownings, and that you secretly organized the constables to patrol the Changxia River at night and successfully killed it. Reassure the people that they no longer need to live in fear."

Dong Fu was delighted. This was a meritorious deed! Where else could he find such a good opportunity, with the Demon Subduing Captain before him handing over the credit?

Still, he put on a show of modesty and asked, "My lord, why not tell the people of Wendeng that you were the one who eliminated the Evil Spirit? They would surely be grateful to you and remember your great name forever."

Ning Xiu glanced at him and said sternly, "I have my reasons for asking you to do this. Remember, you must not reveal my presence to anyone. If something goes wrong, neither of us will be able to answer for it."

"Yes, yes, this subordinate understands."

With the Drowned Ghost gone, the Demon Person hiding in the shadows would surely become alert.

If the yamen announced that the constables had eliminated the cause of the drownings in Dong Fu's name, the Demon Person wouldn't be inclined to leave Wendeng County.

If Ning Xiu revealed his identity, the Demon Person would probably flee Wendeng County the very day the news reached him.

The next day.

"So this is the Evil Spirit that was hiding in the Changxia River and harming people? It looks terrifying!"

"If I ran into this thing by the river in the middle of the night, I'd probably faint on the spot. Forget about running away!"

"It killed seventeen innocent people. To let this Evil Spirit die so easily—it got off far too lightly."

"County Magistrate Dong's usually muddled along without a single achievement. I never thought he'd do something so satisfying this time!"

The Drowned Ghost's corpse was bound tightly with hemp rope and hung from a tall pole outside the county yamen.

It was clearly visible to all the Wendeng County residents gathered below, who cheered in satisfaction.

For half a month, the matter of the Changxia River had weighed on everyone's hearts like a stone, casting a shadow over every person in Wendeng County.

Now that the truth was clear and the cause of the calamity had been dealt with, everyone could finally breathe a little easier.

Amid the crowd, a man with an expressionless face kept staring at the Drowned Ghost's corpse. His mood stood in stark contrast to the joy on the faces of those around him.

Before long, he pushed his way out of the crowd and quickly left the yamen.

No one noticed the young man at a tea stall on a nearby street, quietly holding his teacup as he observed everyone gathered outside the yamen.

The young man's pupils were faintly white. It was Ning Xiu, using the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

When the strange-looking man left, Ning Xiu watched him the entire time. Among the many people present, this man alone had traces of Evil Qi about him. He was highly suspicious.

Ning Xiu had been keeping an eye on him from the start. Now that the Drowned Ghost had been hung up for all to see, if the Demon Person intended to remain in Wendeng County, he would surely come to check things out himself or send someone else.

All Ning Xiu had to do was follow the man to find the Demon Person's hideout.

He set down his teacup and immediately followed without making a sound.

The man passed through several streets and alleys before finally entering through the back gate of a large estate. The place looked expensive, and its owner was surely wealthy.

Ning Xiu looked around, then leaped up and climbed over the estate's high wall.

Faint traces of Evil Qi lingered in the courtyard, probably left behind when the man had passed through just now.

But for some unknown reason, the Evil Qi quickly began to fade before his eyes, until it vanished completely.

If Ning Xiu had arrived a little later, he might not have seen even these traces of Evil Qi.

Ning Xiu had never encountered such a method of concealing Evil Qi before. If the Demon Person could hide himself this way, then Ning Xiu's Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique would be of no use at all.

He saw the man's back pass around a corridor corner in the distance and disappear from view. Ning Xiu immediately hurried after him.

Lu Chuan had been in a foul mood lately. Ever since his father had been transferred to Wendeng County to serve as a county deputy, he had begun acting strangely.

Whenever Lu Chuan tried to talk to him, his father either stayed in his room and refused to come out, or hurried off after only a few words. He had become so unfamiliar that Lu Chuan felt as if his father had turned into another person.

Two days ago, he had sent his men to forcibly seize Huang You's treasure. But his men reported that the other side had a powerful master who wielded a hammer and had frightened them off with a single move. They had returned empty-handed.

With one thing after another going wrong, even though his father had become the local county deputy, Lu Chuan couldn't help finding his time in Wendeng County terribly dull.

"Young master, the master has spent another whole day shut up in his study. Apart from going to the county yamen to report on his first day, he hasn't left the residence once in the days since. The yamen has already sent people over several times to urge him."

The old steward of the Lu Family came over and said, unable to hold back.

He had served the Lu Family faithfully for fifteen years. This time, Master Lu had pulled strings and spent a great deal of silver to secure a transfer to Wendeng County as county deputy.

But for some reason, as soon as they arrived in Wendeng County, Master Lu seemed to become a different person. He no longer seemed to care about his position as county deputy.

They had been in Wendeng County for nearly half a month, yet Master Lu had gone to the yamen only once. The rest of the time, he had stayed inside the residence.

He was as elusive as a dragon, and even the maids and servants in the residence rarely caught a glimpse of their master.

"Young master, although the master has become a county deputy, if things go on like this, the people at the county yamen will surely grow dissatisfied. He won't be able to hold on to the position for long," the steward reminded him.

Lu Chuan took a sip of tea and nodded. "All right, I know. I'll go see my father now and ask what troubles he's run into."

He left the pavilion and headed straight for his father's quarters.

He made his way to his father's room and knocked on the door. "Father, are you inside? I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

A hoarse, icy voice soon came from within the room.

"Your father is busy. We'll talk another time."

Lu Chuan grew anxious. "Father, even if you're busy, you can't keep yourself shut in your room all day. Our whole family moved to Wendeng County because you were going to become county deputy, but you've only gone to the yamen once in half a month. How can this possibly work?"

There was no reply from inside.

Lu Chuan pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Strangely, although it was broad daylight, Master Lu's room was pitch-black and bitterly cold.

Lu Chuan looked around but didn't see his father. He assumed the other man was deeper inside the room, so he lit the candle on the table, picked it up, and walked toward the back.

"Father, if you've run into trouble or something's bothering you, you can tell me. How can you keep yourself cooped up in your room day after day?"

Seeing a figure lying on the bed, Lu Chuan walked straight over and yanked the covers away.

In the candlelight, he immediately saw what the person on the bed looked like.

The dry, wrinkled skin clung tightly to the bones beneath. The entire skin of the face had been torn away, leaving it a blood-red mess.

Maggots writhed frantically in the eye sockets, nostrils, and lips, devouring every edible morsel of flesh on the corpse.

Even though the person had become a horrifying sight, Lu Chuan recognized his father at a glance.

"Ah!!!!"

The candle fell to the floor. The last glimmer of light in the room faded, and darkness returned.

Hssss!

In the darkness, the sound of flesh being torn apart rang out. Soon, silence fell once more.

Watching the man with Evil Qi enter a room, Ning Xiu bent low and crept beneath the windowsill.

He stopped once he reached the window of that room and listened carefully to the sounds inside.

"The Drowned Ghost has already been killed by the yamen constables. Now we need a new target to help us drain the vital essence of ordinary people."

"Your method was no good to begin with. It was slow and likely to arouse suspicion. If you attract a Demon Subduing Captain again, how will we meet the target set by those above?"

"Then let's try your method. What are you planning to do next?"

"I have a plan of my own. Don't ask so many questions. I'll let you know once I've reached the target."

From the conversation inside, the situation was already crystal clear. These two were the real culprits behind the series of more than ten drownings in Wendeng County.

What Ning Xiu hadn't expected was that there wasn't just one Demon Person hiding in Wendeng County, but two.

Fortunately, he had discovered one of the Demon People today and followed him to his hiding place. Otherwise, Ning Xiu might never have uncovered this secret.

Now that he had caught them red-handed, he would strike at once and wipe them out. That would bring the mission Su Qianqian had sent him to Wendeng County to carry out to a perfect close.

Bang!

Ning Xiu burst through the window and immediately saw two people standing inside the room.

One was the man he had followed all this way. The other looked utterly bizarre and grotesque.

Half of his body was covered in dark-green scales. His head was completely hairless, covered instead by a layer of milky-white, translucent flesh.

Ning Xiu could even see the folds of his brain beneath the membrane.

The two Demon People in the room were clearly stunned when Ning Xiu charged in. They obviously hadn't expected someone to be hiding outside.

"Did you lead him here?!" the Scaled Demon roared.

"Forget about that for now. Kill him, quickly!"

The two Demon People rushed at Ning Xiu. The Scaled Demon's claws were as sharp as a beast's. If they landed, anyone who couldn't withstand them would surely be left with several holes in an instant.

The other Demon Person looked ordinary enough. He simply drew a short sword from his robes and lunged to stab Ning Xiu.

With the ninth layer of the Golden Bell Shield, Ning Xiu didn't panic in the slightest. His fists shot up as he met both Demon People head-on, and the deep Internal Energy of the ninth layer of the Great Sun Profound Scripture erupted in an instant.

Bang!

The Scaled Demon's whole body shuddered, and Ning Xiu knocked him back with a single punch. The short sword in the other Demon Person's hand flew from his grasp and clattered to the ground.

Several clearly visible notches had appeared along the sword's edge, shattered by the force of Ning Xiu's Golden Bell Shield.

"Martial Dao Eighth Rank!"

Both Demon People cried out at the same time.

Ning Xiu moved with lightning speed, seizing the unarmed Demon Person by the arm. He poured Internal Energy into his palm and violently threw the man over his shoulder.

Smack!

The Demon Person was utterly helpless against him. His strength was far weaker than Ning Xiu had imagined.

But then something strange happened.

The instant Ning Xiu slammed the Demon Person onto the ground, his body cracked all over like shattered porcelain.

With a final smack, he broke apart into a heap of fragments.

There were no internal organs or blood inside the man's body. It was completely hollow.

He was just like a clay figure.