Chen Chong

Ghost Servants?

Chen Bin's heart jolted, and information about Ghost Servants flashed through his mind.

In the mountains south of Wanbao County, there was a Mountain Lord with an extraordinary bloodline.

Though only at the Aperture Opening Realm (for demons, Aperture Opening was equivalent to humans' Pulse Opening), he had awakened a divine ability that let him devour souls and create Ghost Servants.

He sent Ghost Servants to possess people and devour the life force of the living.

When the Ghost Servants returned to the Mountain Lord, that life force became nourishment, helping him cultivate and break through.

Judging by the Merit reward for this Ghost Servant in front of him, it had probably eaten quite a few people!

Its strength was likely on par with an expert at the Organ Tempering Realm.

Chen Bin silently withdrew his gaze. A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes. He paid no attention at all to the two burly young Ghost Servants standing beside the village head and asked bluntly, "I heard seven people died in your village yesterday?"

The village head leaned on his cane and nodded faintly, his expression grief-stricken. "Sir, I'll take you to see the bodies right away."

Chen Bin waved a hand and said coldly, "No need to trouble yourself. Bring all the bodies here."

At that, the village head's face changed dramatically. He said in alarm, "Sir, the bodies have already been placed in coffins. Doing that would be deeply disrespectful to the dead!"

Chen Bin snorted, his gaze radiating unquestionable authority. "In my eyes, only the imperial court deserves respect.

"What, are you more esteemed than the imperial court?"

The village head trembled all over, breaking out in a cold sweat. He hurriedly turned and ordered, "Quick, bring the bodies here!"

"Yes!" The villagers hurried off to carry out his order.

Though Ghost Servants possessed people and devoured their life force, until they broke free of their hosts, they acted according to the hosts' thoughts.

A short while later, a crowd of villagers carried several coffins to the Threshing Ground.

They set the coffins down and opened them one by one, arranging them in a neat row.

Chen Bin stepped forward to examine them carefully. The bodies were completely intact, without a single wound. At first glance, even their complexions looked unchanged; they seemed no different from the living.

Yet on the mysterious map in his mind, this entire area glowed bloodred, warning him of danger.

He looked again at the seven bodies lying on the ground.

Chen Bin marveled inwardly:

[Zhang Jingwei: Ghost Servant, Merit +10]

[Zhang San: Ghost Servant, Merit +10]

Ten Merit points were probably the limit for these seven Ghost Servants. They were full.

He had heard that a full Ghost Servant was about as strong as a Martial Artist at the Jade Marrow Stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

Seven Ghost Servants, all at a higher realm than him.

Chen Bin knew that after possessing someone, a Ghost Servant would gradually devour their vitality, essence, and spirit until it had drained them dry and left behind an empty shell. Only then would it leave and seek another target.

Until then, everything about them seemed ordinary.

Judging by appearances alone, an ordinary Martial Artist could never detect these possessing Ghost Servants.

That explained why the village head had been so afraid of Chen Bin.

Besides, he had never heard of Ghost Servants being able to create split souls!

Chen Bin pondered in silence. The Ghost Servants had probably devoured the entire village by now.

The Ghost Servants ate people, then the Mountain Lord ate the Ghost Servants to increase his cultivation.

This South Mountain Lord was truly ruthless!

Chen Bin narrowed his eyes. A sharp killing intent flashed through them, and his right hand unconsciously settled on the hilt of his saber.

"Sir, all the bodies are here," the village head said cautiously.

Without turning around, Chen Bin asked, "How many people are there in your village?"

The village head answered at once, "To answer you, sir, there are eighty-six households in the village, nearly four hundred people in all."

Chen Bin nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I've more or less figured out what killed these people.

"They have no wounds on them, so they must have fallen victim to sorcery.

"I suspect plenty of others in the village have also been targeted by the culprit.

"Go and gather everyone here at once. I'll examine them one by one."

The village head looked troubled. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Sir, many of the villagers have gone out to work in the fields. Others have gone hunting or gathering firewood in the mountains. I'm afraid it'll take a while to get them all here."

Chen Bin's gaze sharpened like a cold star. He abruptly drew the long saber at his waist. Its blade was black, yet radiated a bone-chilling cold, as he pointed it at the village head and said icily:

"Find a way to get them here! If these evil spirits come back tonight and infect the others, not one of you will survive!"

The village head's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed. He hurriedly turned and staggered off to arrange for people to be sent out.

Chen Bin turned and sat down in the grand armchair the two Ghost Servants had brought over.

His gaze burned as he watched the Ghost Servants gathering one after another, silently calculating his next move.

By now, the sun blazed ever more fiercely, and the yang energy between heaven and earth was at its peak.

As he circulated the breathing method of the Golden Sun Body Tempering Technique, Chen Bin slowly drew the abundant yang energy into his body. With every breath, he felt his Qi and Blood surge within him. At the same time, he kept a close eye on the activity around the Threshing Ground, waiting for the right moment.

At the village entrance, the constables led by Chen Chong finally arrived.

They were all panting. Some looked utterly disheveled, their hair in complete disarray.

Mounted on his horse, Chen Chong gazed toward the village, his heart a tangle of emotions.

He glanced at the horse at the village entrance, hoping nothing had happened to it.

He took a deep breath, got his men back in order, then led them toward the village.

"Into the village."

Chen Chong pointed straight ahead, his arm stiff as a rod.

In an instant, more than a dozen constables surged toward the village.

They hurried along and soon reached the village's Threshing Ground, where they lined up right beside Chen Bin.

"Uncle Chong?"

Chen Chong's eyes filled with astonishment. He had never imagined that the person in front of him would be his own nephew.

The surprise on his face vanished in a flash, replaced by a warm, familiar smile. He immediately struck up a friendly conversation.

At the sound of his voice, Chen Bin looked up and saw who had arrived.

To be fair, when you traced it back through the family tree, he really was the other man's nephew.

The Chen family was a prominent clan in Wanbao County. Their ancestors had once left the same ancestral hall, and both men made their living in the County Office. Naturally, they had stayed in touch over the years.

Take the hundred taels of silver Chen Bin had needed earlier to secure a promotion and make his fortune—he had borrowed twenty of them from Chen Chong.

Chen Bin quickly stood and called out heartily, "Uncle Chong!"

Chen Bin was tall, a full half-head taller than Chen Chong. At just over six feet three, he stood there like a small mountain.

The constables had been harboring some resentment toward Chen Bin and were about to show it.

But when they saw how familiar their superior was with him, they immediately put on grinning faces despite their ragged panting and hurried over to greet him.

"What brings you here?"

Chen Chong raised a hand and lightly patted Chen Bin's arm. In that instant, he felt a powerful force rebound against his palm, and he couldn't help but start in surprise. The words escaped him: "Have you broken through?"

"I had a bit of a realization!"

Chen Bin replied casually, his expression calm.

"What's the situation?"

Chen Chong hadn't forgotten why he had come, so he quickly changed the subject.

"These people died without a single wound on the surface of their bodies. I suspect someone used sorcery on them. I've asked the village head to gather all the villagers here."

Chen Bin pointed toward the coffins in front of them. Looking at the Ghost Servants inside, he spoke in a steady voice, sounding certain.

"Do you have any leads?" Chen Chong pressed.

Chen Bin gave a slight shake of his head, his voice low. "No."

"In that case..." Chen Chong knitted his brows tightly, as if lost in thought. After a moment, he said, "We'll have to leave before nightfall."