Puppet Incarnation

"Huh?!"

Seeing this bizarre situation, Ning Xiu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

As it shattered like a clay figure, the demon completely lost all signs of life and movement. Those unaware would never guess that this person had been talking at the exit just moments ago.

For a moment, Ning Xiu couldn't worry about much else and could only walk towards the scaled demon.

They were a group, and he figured they must know the details of the other demon.

However, the scaled demon wouldn't just wait to die. When its body shattered, the one Ning Xiu had knocked to the ground scrambled to its feet.

A large amount of purple smoke immediately erupted from the gaps between its scales, beginning to fill the entire room.

Ning Xiu quickly held his breath, just in case the purple smoke was poisonous.

The appearance of the purple smoke not only forced Ning Xiu to divide his attention to defend himself but also impaired his vision.

Before long, the scaled demon disappeared from Ning Xiu's sight.

"I don't know where you, a Martial Dao Eighth Rank, came from. Since you dare to meddle, be prepared to die here."

From within the smoke, the scaled demon's voice slowly sounded.

Its voice shifted between left, right, front, and back, sometimes near, sometimes far, extremely elusive.

This made it impossible for Ning Xiu to pinpoint the other's exact location by sound alone.

Ning Xiu could only cross his arms in front of his face to prevent the demon from attacking his head.

At the same time, he secretly activated the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique, and a figure immediately appeared in his vision.

Whoosh!

A dark shadow lunged forward rapidly, striking Ning Xiu's abdomen. It was the scaled demon's palm.

If it were an ordinary person, this blow would have likely pierced their body, but Ning Xiu's Golden Bell Shield had reached the ninth level. He took the demon's attack head-on with no effect whatsoever.

"Huh?" The demon exclaimed in surprise, then quickly disappeared from its spot.

Facing the scaled demon's elusive movements, Ning Xiu remained completely unfazed. He stood his ground like an immovable mountain, silently waiting for an opportunity.

With the help of the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique, a blurry human silhouette could be clearly seen within the purple smoke – it was the demon hiding amidst the purple haze.

It thought its hiding place within the purple smoke was perfectly concealed, but it didn't realize it had already been exposed in Ning Xiu's eyes.

One strike!

As long as Ning Xiu could grab the scaled demon's body, the situation would be instantly decided.

"Your Hardening Skill is quite good, but unfortunately, you can only take hits passively now. I want to see how many attacks your body can withstand," the demon said sinisterly from within the purple smoke.

Ning Xiu didn't respond. His entire body tensed, he was prepared for the quickest reaction.

Suddenly, a whistling sound of wind reached his ears. It was the demon moving, its leg flying towards his left cheek.

Ning Xiu's eyes lit up, and he sharply thrust both hands towards his left.

Bang!

The demon's ankle was firmly grasped in his hand, unmoving.

"What?!" The scaled demon was greatly alarmed. It simply couldn't fathom how Ning Xiu could accurately grab its leg.

Logically, Ning Xiu shouldn't be able to see anything within the purple smoke.

However, it no longer had the chance to ponder such matters. With a move to capture the enemy, Ning Xiu did not hesitate. He poured his internal energy into his arms and violently swung the scaled demon, smashing it fiercely onto the ground.

Boom!

The entire room instantly let out a deafening roar, and the ground trembled, showing just how ferocious Ning Xiu's strike was.

"Pfft!" The scaled demon couldn't withstand such an assault and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. In an instant, it was on the verge of death.

Dragging the demon's body out of the room, Ning Xiu finally saw how tragic the scaled demon looked.

Its body was severely twisted in several places, and its face was a bloody, unrecognizable mess. It was barely clinging to life.

Ning Xiu could easily wield the 320-jin Drum Beating Golden Hammer with his internal energy.

Under a full burst of power, his strength could nearly triple, reaching close to a thousand jin. If the scaled demon could still remain unfazed under such force, then Ning Xiu truly deserved to be sent back to the Champion Camp for a rebuild.

"Speak, what's the deal with your accomplice?" Ning Xiu dropped the demon's body and immediately grabbed its neck, demanding an answer.

"You, you must be a Demon Subduing Captain..." The scaled demon glanced at Ning Xiu. "I thought I had hidden well enough in Wendeng County, but I didn't expect you to find me, cough!"

The demon coughed up large amounts of blood, its speech becoming intermittent.

Even so, Ning Xiu could still detect a hint of a strange smile on its face.

"It's useless that you found us today. The moment you chose to act, you exposed yourself. That guy will be on guard and will definitely not be caught by you again, and you can only watch as more people die in Wendeng County."

Ning Xiu frowned. "Wendeng County is so close to Chaotian Capital. How dare you demons cause trouble in Wendeng County? Is there someone else giving orders from behind?"

"You won't know," the scaled demon uttered this last sentence before completely ceasing to breathe.

[Killed Demon, Universal Proficiency +800]

These demons who had fallen midway were the most tight-lipped. Ning Xiu had already prepared himself for the possibility of not getting any clues from him, but he still had to try.

One demon has already been killed by him. From the conversation of the two demons inside earlier, it's known that the drowned ghosts causing trouble were their doing.

If Ning Xiu's guess is correct, the other demon is definitely still alive and is currently somewhere in Wendeng County.

The man who spoke with the scaled demon earlier was merely a puppet avatar of that demon.

Ning Xiu had heard of similar techniques when he was in the Champion Camp.

For example, those from the Puppet Path could transform their created puppets into external avatars through secret arts, and then control the puppets to investigate dangerous places.

They could see what the puppets saw and hear what they heard, a truly profound ability.

There are three thousand Great Daos, each with its unique characteristics, often catching the unsuspecting off guard.

The remaining demon had already discovered his presence, and the situation had instantly become one where the enemy was hidden and he was exposed. This left Ning Xiu feeling quite helpless, and he could only make long-term plans.

Returning to the house, Ning Xiu casually grabbed a tablecloth to wrap the scaled demon's corpse. He then carried the body away from the demon's residence and quickly returned to the county yamen.

Dong Fu's efficiency was commendable. In less than half a day, he had already ordered people to investigate the matters Ning Xiu had entrusted to him last night.

When Ning Xiu returned to the yamen carrying the demon's corpse, Dong Fu immediately handed him a thick list.

"Lord Ning, all the information you requested is on this list," Dong Fu said.

Wendeng County is located at the intersection of four post roads, with a massive flow of travelers and merchants coming and going.

Investigating these people would naturally be difficult, but by focusing on outsiders who had been staying in Wendeng County for more than half a month, the scope was greatly narrowed, making the investigation much simpler.

The list Dong Fu gave Ning Xiu recorded all the outsiders who had been staying in Wendeng County for the past half month.

Yesterday, Ning Xiu would have thought this method was effective, but ever since he discovered that the mysterious demon could use puppet avatars, he felt the hope of success was slim.

Who could say that the demon hadn't killed a local and then used a puppet avatar to disguise themselves as that local?

Despite the slim chances, Ning Xiu still placed the demon's corpse on the ground and began to carefully examine the list page by page.

Just then, Ning Xiu noticed a name among the many.

Wendeng County's Assistant Magistrate, Lu Dengke.

Because of Huang You, Ning Xiu had some impression of this new Assistant Magistrate.

According to records, this Assistant Magistrate was transferred to Wendeng County from another prefecture half a month ago, and in doing so, he had displaced the county's old Assistant Magistrate, who was Huang You's father.

This had caused Huang You to harbor significant resentment.

"By the way, Lord Dong, this new Assistant Magistrate has been in Wendeng County for half a month, why haven't I seen him at the yamen?" Ning Xiu asked, puzzled.

Dong Fu immediately shook his head. "Speaking of this new Assistant Magistrate, he's quite an oddity. After reporting to the yamen on the first day, I haven't seen him since. I truly can't understand why the higher-ups would transfer someone like him to Wendeng County. In terms of diligence and responsibility, Assistant Magistrate Huang is far better."

"Half a month without appearing..." Ning Xiu mused. It seemed this person was highly suspicious.

"Lord Dong, I plan to visit this new Assistant Magistrate's residence. Please have a constable guide me there."

Dong Fu nodded. "It's a small matter. Let Constable Fang, who accompanied you last time, go with you."

"This is a demon I captured outside earlier. Please handle it, Lord Dong. Cremate it directly," Ning Xiu said, pointing to the body wrapped in the tablecloth on the ground.

Dong Fu couldn't help but be secretly astonished. How long had this person been out? He had already killed a demon?

Was this the efficiency of a Demon Subduing Captain? He was truly gaining knowledge.

"Lord Ning's methods are extraordinary. This subordinate is impressed," Dong Fu said sincerely.

Fang Ping was one of the few acquaintances Ning Xiu had at the yamen. Led by him, Ning Xiu soon arrived at the county's Lu Estate.

This was the residence of the Assistant Magistrate Lu.

"Lord Ning, why is your clothes torn?" Fang Ping couldn't help but ask, looking at the damage on Ning Xiu's abdomen.

Ning Xiu looked down. It was the tear left by the scaled demon's attack on his abdomen earlier.

Although he had the Golden Bell Shield and his body wouldn't be harmed, his clothes weren't as resistant to scratches, and they had suffered battle damage again.

This made Ning Xiu very frustrated. In less than half a month, he had already changed more than five sets of clothes, a quantity greater than the clothes he had changed in a year when he was in the Champion Camp.

"It's nothing, just a little tear," Ning Xiu replied.

Upon Fang Ping's notification, the guards at the Lu Estate quickly found the old steward of the Lu Estate to receive Ning Xiu and Fang Ping.

"Please come in. My master has been feeling unwell recently and may not be able to meet you. If it's something from the yamen, you can tell me, and I will relay it to my master later."

Fang Ping said, "What kind of illness takes half a month to not be cured?"

"My master has always been frail and prone to illness, alas," the old steward sighed.

Ning Xiu spoke, "Take me to see Assistant Magistrate Lu."

"This..." The old steward's expression immediately became hesitant.

Fang Ping immediately reprimanded, "The County Magistrate has given instructions that this Lord's orders are equivalent to his own. Hurry up and lead the way."

"If that's the case, then please come this way." Hearing Fang Ping say that, the old steward had no choice but to agree.

He believed that even if his master was angry, he wouldn't blame him.

The three walked through corridors and pavilions, quickly approaching the backyard. The place was eerily silent, and Ning Xiu quietly activated the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique.

But everything appeared normal, with no trace of any Evil Qi.

Soon, the three arrived outside the door of a side room.