That Murderous Intent Is Anything but Ordinary

Wang Wende paused with his chopsticks, then hurriedly set them down.

"In reply to Lord Lu, White Moon Villa is the head of the four major powers within Linchuan County. Its master, Liao Shanhai, is a veteran Initial Realm martial artist; it is rumored he is only a single step away from the Mystic Realm."

"White Moon Villa has been rooted in Linchuan County for over sixty years. They have four Initial Realm martial artists alone, giving them considerable weight in these parts."

He pondered for a moment, weighing his words.

"In daily life, White Moon Villa does cooperate with the Garrison Station, taking on tasks to slay demons and eliminate monsters in exchange for rewards from the Prefecture Bureau, but..."

"But what?"

Wang Wende gave a dry laugh. "It's just that Liao Shanhai is a bit arrogant. Perhaps it's because he is about to break through the Initial Realm, or because he sits atop the largest power in the area, but he has never really held the County Office's mandates in high regard."

"Even when the disciples of White Moon Villa accept tasks, they specifically cherry-pick the ones with the most generous rewards."

"As for the ones with meager rewards and major trouble, they ignore them entirely."

"The County Office has no say in the matter, and the Garrison Station is short-handed, effectively begging for their help, so we have no choice but to indulge them."

Lu Yuan nodded, recording the name Liao Shanhai in his mind.

He picked up another mouthful of greens. "How is the Shen Family faring at the moment?"

"As for the Shen Family..."

Wang Wende's expression grew more solemn. "I have already followed Lord Zhao's previous instructions, sending men to stand guard in shifts and forbidding any commoners from approaching within a hundred paces."

"But the demon inside that residence is too sinister. We dared not act rashly, but now that Lord Lu has arrived, I can finally rest easy."

He wore a fawning smile as he spoke, but a hidden trace of anxiety flickered deep in his eyes.

The demon at the Shen Family was something even Zhao Heng couldn't withstand; could this Lord Lu before him really handle it?

Lu Yuan did not respond, taking a small sip of wine.

Footsteps sounded from the side, and Su Ding'an ducked in through the side door, clutching a stack of case files.

"My Lord! A new discovery!"

As he spoke, he dropped the files onto a chair and, ignoring the table full of food and wine, leaned over to spread one out beside Lu Yuan.

He pointed to a column of handwriting and said, "Look here, my Lord. This is what Zhao Heng witnessed when he led the Demon-Suppressing Guard into the Shen Family residence."

"The Sword Hall was filled with demonic aura. No maidservants were to be seen, only an ancient painting hanging upon the wall."

"Shen Yulou stood before the painting, his form gradually turning translucent. In an instant, his figure vanished entirely, as if he had been sucked into the painting."

"We were terrified and dared not approach, so we retreated."

Seeing that Lu Yuan had finished reading, Su Ding'an flipped to another file and pointed to a specific entry.

"My Lord, look here."

"Shen Yulou walked out from the painting, and human voices could be heard from within the ancient painting, suggesting there is more than meets the eye."

Closing the file, a flash of excitement crossed Su Ding'an's face.

"My Lord, don't you think this is suspicious?"

"It makes sense that Shen Yulou might have had his mind clouded by a sentient painting of a lady, leading him to slaughter his entire family."

"But the problem is, where did his skyrocketing cultivation come from? It's not unheard of for ancient paintings to gain sentience, but at most, they can only bewitch the mind; it is impossible for them to make a person's cultivation surge out of thin air."

Having said this, he changed his tone.

"But if that painting is some kind of seal, then it's a different story."

"Something broke through the seal, took over Shen Yulou's consciousness, slaughtered the entire Shen Family, and claimed the Sword Hall as its own. As for why it wanted to occupy the Sword Hall, that remains unknown."

Lu Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this.

A seal?

That would explain everything!

Those Ink Spirits were not bloodthirsty killers like other demons; they only attacked living beings within a hundred paces of the Shen residence. This didn't look like demonic slaughter, but rather a form of restrictive barrier.

"The reason there are so many Ink Spirits is that they aren't living creatures at all, but a manifestation of the seal's restrictions. As long as the seal remains, these things will continue to emerge endlessly."

Excitement bloomed on Su Ding'an's face. "So, as long as we break the seal, those Ink Spirits will naturally dissipate!"

Lu Yuan looked at Su Ding'an with an approving gaze. The latter felt a bit sheepish under the look and laughed awkwardly.

"My Lord, this is just my guess. What if I'm wrong..."

Lu Yuan set down the file, stood up straight, and looked toward the main entrance.

"Whether I'm right or wrong, we'll know once we go inside and see."

Sitting to the side, Wang Wende was shocked by Lu Yuan's posture and exclaimed, "Leaving now? But it's already dark!"

"It doesn't matter. As long as the demon lives, I cannot sleep."

Lu Yuan waved his hand. With his [Truth-Breaking] trait, he could walk through the darkness as if it were flat ground.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure darted out of the Garrison Station's gate, and Su Ding'an followed closely behind without a word.

Wang Wende was left sitting at the dining table in a state of utter disarray.

Sure enough, there are only wrongly given names, never wrongly given nicknames.

"Blood-Clad Yama, this murderous nature is truly extraordinary!"

Within a hundred-zhang radius of the Shen Family, not a single household light remained, and even the barking of dogs had ceased.

The air was permeated with a damp scent of ink, faintly laced with a trace of blood.

Su Ding'an hunched his neck, his Horizontal Saber gripped tightly in his hand.

"My lord, we have now entered within a hundred zhang of the Shen Family. Those Ink Spirits are elusive; there is no telling if they might strike from behind..."

Before he could finish, the air to the left suddenly twisted.

A phantom of ink suddenly appeared, pitch-black all over and resembling a beast, pouncing silently to kill.

The hair on Su Ding'an's body stood on end, and just as he was about to dodge—

A crystalline glint flashed.

Lu Yuan did not even turn around, backhanding a crystal thorn.

The tip pierced the ink shadow, and the thing burst into a puddle of ink amidst a series of crackling sounds.

"Many thanks, my lord!" Su Ding'an let out a long sigh of relief.

Lu Yuan walked beside that puddle of ink, his eyes narrowing slightly.

No entry dropped; as expected, this Ink Spirit was not a demon.

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from the darkness behind them.

"Might that be Lord Lu up ahead?"

Lu Yuan turned to look, and a woman dressed in a moon-white long dress stepped out from the darkness.

The woman's appearance was not stunning, but her hair was coiled high, pinned with a jade hairpin, and her brows and eyes revealed a touch of gentleness.

The moonlight reflected off her face, her expression entirely composed.

The woman stepped forward with a faint smile and offered a graceful bow to Lu Yuan.

"Xu Fengqing, Mistress of the Brocade Workshop, greets Lord Lu!"

Su Ding'an leaned in at the right moment, lowering his voice to say:

"My lord, the Brocade Workshop is the second most powerful force in Linchuan County after White Moon Villa, primarily dealing in the trade of intelligence."

"Half of the martial arts world's news in Linchuan, Cangyun, and Chixia counties flows out from the Brocade Workshop."

Lu Yuan nodded and looked at the woman, "You have business with me?"

Xu Fengqing stood up, took a Hidden Ink Jade Token from her sleeve, and held it out to Lu Yuan with both hands.

"Lord Lu, there are hundreds of Ink Spirits in this residence. If you force your way in, I fear your spiritual energy will be exhausted before you get very far."

"With this Hidden Ink Jade Token, you can bypass the perception of the Ink Spirits and enter the Sword Hall directly, which will save quite a bit of effort."

Lu Yuan did not reach out, instead looking into those beautiful eyes.

"And the conditions?"