Mysterious Discovery

Lu Chen swept his gaze across the surroundings and silently commanded the system in his mind: "Activate Trace Source, enhance perception of residual aura at the scene."

[Command confirmed, consuming 1 year of Demon Devil Lifespan, beginning analysis...]

A faint, barely perceptible warmth spread from within his mind, instantly merging into his senses.

In that moment, the entire world looked different to his eyes.

The chaotic and complex energy signatures in the air were peeled apart layer by layer.

With the keen intuition for demonic auras granted by the Great Completion Demon Suppressing Saber Technique and the dual assistance of the system, countless overlooked details were laid clearly before him.

Beneath a thick layer of dust, a few nearly indistinguishable footprints pointed toward the deep mountains northwest of the village. The prints were so shallow that without deliberate searching, they would never have been found.

In the shadow of a long-collapsed wall corner, he spotted several patches of dark green moss stubbornly growing.

This moss emitted an extremely faint trace of Corpse Qi, typically found only in ancient tombs or mass graves that were deeply yin, damp, and nourished by Corpse Qi over the years—absolutely not something that should belong in this village.

In the air, besides the thick Black Claw Heart Rot Sha, he also detected an extremely subtle, sweetish stench reminiscent of aged burial soil from deep within a tomb.

Finally, his gaze landed on the splattered bloodstains.

The trajectory was abnormal. Most of the blood sprayed out in a fan shape, but at the starting point, there was a faint trailing mark.

This indicated that the victim had made an extremely fast dodging motion the moment the heart was struck, but ultimately failed to evade completely.

Having uncovered so many clues, Lu Chen's heart was ice-cold.

He knew very well that he could not reveal all of this.

Lu Chen bent down, casually picked up an ordinary piece of gravel stained with dark brown blood, then turned and walked back to Foreman Wang, respectfully handing him the stone.

"Foreman Wang, the Sha Qi at the scene is too heavy; most of the traces have been destroyed." His voice carried a perfectly measured tone of exhaustion and helplessness. "This subordinate only found that this stone seems to have an unusual stench on it, different from ordinary blood. I don't know... I don't know if it's of any use."

Lu Chen cleverly attributed the tomb soil stench he had detected to this unremarkable stone.

As for the footprints leading into the deep mountains and the eerie moss, he said nothing at all.

"Useless! Searched for half the day and all you found was a broken rock!" Foreman Wang grumbled as he took the stone, sniffed it, found it foul, and immediately tossed it to the ground, his face full of disappointment.

But just as he was about to order the team to withdraw, a sudden change occurred!

A strange, eerie wind rose without warning from the center of the village, blowing dust and grass clippings into the air!

The residual Sha Qi energy field, which had already settled, was violently stirred by this wind and abruptly intensified!

"Ahhh—!"

One of the youngest Imperial Guards in the squad suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. He clutched his head, his eyes instantly bloodshot, pupils unfocused.

Clearly, his mind had been breached by the rampaging Sha Qi, plunging him into horrific hallucinations.

"Stay back! Monster! It's a monster!" He yanked out his standard-issue saber, swinging wildly like a mad tiger, and slashed viciously at the comrade nearest to him!

"Watch out!"

The squad instantly fell into chaos! Everyone shouted and scattered to dodge, both avoiding the reckless, lethal swings and reluctant to seriously injure their fellow.

In the confusion, the crazed Imperial Guard roared and swung his saber at Lu Chen, who was nearby.

The strike was fast and fierce, carrying a frantic gust of wind!

Lu Chen's pupils sharply contracted.

The moment the blade edge approached, his minor success Body Evasion Steps technique activated almost instinctively.

With a slight misstep of his feet, his body moved like a boneless willow catkin, evading the strike with exquisite, almost unbelievable ease.

Yet, in the final instant before the perfect dodge was completed, a flash of determination crossed Lu Chen's eyes.

He forcibly twisted his muscles, breaking the fluid footwork, making it look as though he had been so terrified by the sight that his legs gave way and he slipped!

"Aiya!"

With a pitiful cry, Lu Chen fell flat on his back in an extremely clumsy, awkward posture.

The sharp blade, whistling through the air, passed perilously close to the tip of his nose, slicing off a lock of hair from his forehead.

He rolled on the ground, covering himself with dirt and dust, looking utterly pathetic.

"Useless! Absolutely useless! Scared stiff just standing there!"

Foreman Wang's angry shouts mixed with the clang of blades colliding.

Several experienced Imperial Guards had already moved in together. One parried the madman's weapon with his scabbard.

The other two seized the opportunity to rush forward, firmly grabbing his arms and legs, and finally delivered a precise chop to the back of his neck, knocking him out cleanly.

The chaos quickly subsided.

Only then did Lu Chen, still shaken, pick himself up from the ground, brushing off the dust while panting heavily, his face perfectly displaying a mix of lingering fear and shame.

Foreman Wang shot him a fierce glare. Seeing him so utterly spineless, the last shred of doubt from the autopsy report vanished completely.

That kid—being able to find clues last time was nothing but a goddamn stroke of luck!

After the chaos settled, Foreman Wang irritably ordered the squad to rest in place.

Several Imperial Guards hastily stuffed a Calming Pill into the mouth of their unconscious comrade and took out wound medicine to bandage the scrapes he had inflicted on himself during his frenzied struggle.

Foreman Wang paced anxiously nearby, cursing this godforsaken place under his breath with a string of foul words.

Lu Chen watched it all unfold, his mind racing with calculations.

That patch of eerie moss, and the faint, lingering scent of tomb earth—both pointed in one direction. He had to go see for himself.

He walked over to Foreman Wang, head bowed, and spoke in a tone laced with timidity: "F-Foreman Wang, this subordinate... this subordinate would like to check the surroundings a bit, see if there are any other... anomalies."

This request was, in truth, a bid to temporarily distance himself from the crowd, to loosen the taut nerves for a moment, and to seize the chance to verify his discovery.

Foreman Wang, already vexed and irritated by his cowering demeanor, waved a hand impatiently: "Get the hell out and look around! Don't you dare stir up any more trouble for me!"