There Are No Children Here

Chen Chong nodded and turned to beckon a county yamen officer. "You, come here."

Chen Bin immediately interrupted.

"You go yourself. That way, you can explain things clearly. Make sure you arrive before dark. As for the situation, just say that I and you together killed the ghouls."

"This... will that be alright?" Chen Chong felt a bit embarrassed. After all, the credit for this seemed to be going to the county yamen.

"You're my uncle, and there's a lot of credit to be had here," Chen Bin said seriously. "You don't want these subordinates to come all this way and get nothing, do you?"

Chen Chong nodded again. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he remembered something and looked back. "My horse can't run anymore. I probably won't get back to the county until dark."

"Ride my horse," Chen Bin waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Chen Chong left. Before he departed, he specifically instructed his subordinate, "You listen to everything Lord Chen says."

"Yes!" Those officers dared not disobey.

The battle they had just witnessed had already shown them how formidable Chen Bin was. They knew who the true strong individual capable of leading them was.

"You all stay here and guard," Chen Bin instructed the officers. "I'm going to check the village. If anything happens, shout loudly. Preferably loud enough for me to hear."

"Yes, my lord." Chen Bin turned and walked towards the houses in the village.

He was surprised to find that as his realm improved, the range of his perception of the map seemed to have increased.

He walked past the houses, carefully observing every corner. He entered a house to search only after confirming there were no Red Name markers.

However, every house was empty, with no sign of anyone.

Where had the children gone?

Wanbao County City.

A fast horse galloped into the city amidst flying dust, heading straight for the Demon Suppression Division.

The rider was stopped by a White Officer at the entrance of the Demon Suppression Division.

Chen Chong was a well-known figure in the county. He was always involved whenever the county yamen requested the Demon Suppression Division's assistance.

The White Officer at the gate naturally recognized him and was about to greet him, "Officer Chen..."

Chen Chong was frantic and had no time for pleasantries. He immediately said loudly, "Major case! Nanxi Village has been massacred! I need to see General Banner Wang."

Upon hearing the words "massacred," the guard froze. A moment later, he immediately turned. "Follow me!"

The two men hurried towards the interior of the Demon Suppression Division.

Wanbao County was a large county, but the highest commander of the Demon Suppression Division was only General Banner Wang Sheng, who was in the Meridian Opening Realm.

In the General Banner's office.

Chen Chong recounted the general situation, embellishing it slightly.

"Ghouls possessing the entire village and they've all been killed? Only the children weren't found?"

The more Wang Sheng listened, the tighter his brow furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

"Yes." Chen Chong didn't dare to breathe heavily, stiffening his neck and nodding forcefully.

Wang Sheng suddenly stood up and waved his hand. "Have Kang Ronghao bring people to see me."

The scorching sun slowly set in the west.

The horizon was dyed a brilliant orange-red, with the afterglow casting upon the land.

Dusk descended.

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author. Perhaps the name was just changed!

Chen Bin searched every house in the village meticulously, but he couldn't find any trace of the children.

He knew in his heart that the most likely place now was the lair of the Mountain Lord of the Southern Mountains.

Speaking of the Mountain Lord of the Southern Mountains, Chen Bin felt a sense of dread. That was a great demon in the Aperture Opening Realm. With his current strength, he was no match for it.

He naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to charge in and seek death.

Helpless, he decided to return to the threshing ground first.

Before that, he went to the stream. The water was clear to the bottom.

He slowly walked into the water and washed away the residual blood mist on his body with the stream water.

After bathing, he changed his clothes and walked towards the threshing ground of Nanxi Village.

When he returned to the threshing ground, he saw that the officers had already set up a bonfire.

It wasn't completely dark yet, but the bonfire illuminated the threshing ground brightly.

The officers saw Chen Bin approaching and quickly got up, greeting him with respectful expressions.

Chen Bin nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

At this moment.

Chen Bin only then noticed that the officers were holding wooden sticks, with steamed buns, chicken, or pork skewered on the other end. Clearly, they had been grilling around a campfire.

He asked, "Where did you get your dried rations and roasted chicken?"

The officers exchanged glances. Then, an older officer stepped forward, looking somewhat nervous, and explained with his head slightly bowed, "These people are all dead, so the things in the house naturally became ownerless. We... we just took some to fill our stomachs."

Chen Bin followed his gaze and saw rows of tattered skins. These officers were truly bold to have collected all those skins. They were laid out on the open ground of the threshing floor, neatly arranged like dried radishes. In the firelight, their faces, with features collapsed into a mess, looked especially grim and terrifying.

Chen Bin then looked at the bonfire's fuel on the ground, which consisted of things like door panels and fences. It was clear that to start a fire, these officers had dismantled the villagers' houses.

He mused inwardly, Indeed, if those children can't be found, these things might truly be considered ownerless.

Seeing Chen Bin lost in thought, the county yamen officers grew nervous, not daring to breathe, afraid that this adult from the Demon Suppression Division might suddenly draw his sword.

Just then, Chen Bin snatched the roasted chicken from the old officer's hand, a smile appearing on his face. "Perfect, I'm hungry! But, is this food alright!"

"Rest assured, sir, we've tested for poison. We've eaten some of the food ourselves, and there's no poison at all," the old officer replied.

This put Chen Bin at ease. He tore off a leg of the roasted chicken and bit into it. Seeing this, the county yamen officers immediately relaxed, smiles spreading across their faces. The tense atmosphere instantly became warm and harmonious.

Chen Bin ate the roasted chicken while asking, "Aren't you afraid?"

The old officer quickly answered, "Sir is so powerful, we are not afraid."

"Da da da!" A rapid sound of horse hooves approached from the distance, accompanied by the afterglow of the setting sun.

Chen Bin and the county yamen officers all stood up. They saw hundreds of fierce horses encircling the entire threshing floor with imposing momentum, trapping them all.

The horses slowly parted, and a figure in the official uniform of a Small Banner from the Demon Suppression Division rode out from the crowd. Chen Bin recognized him at a glance. This person was the Red Name Small Banner Officer Kang Ronghao.

Chen Bin quickly stepped forward and performed the fist-and-palm salute of a subordinate meeting a superior, respectfully saying, "Captain Tian Jie's subordinate officer Chen Bin greets Small Banner Officer Kang."

Seeing this, the county yamen officers quickly followed Chen Bin in performing the grand salute.

Kang Ronghao, however, ignored the county yamen officers. His gaze went straight to Chen Bin, who was dressed in the uniform of a Demon Suppression Division officer, and he called out, "Chen Bin."

"Yes!" Chen Bin immediately responded.