"Elder Huang likes his liquor. He's especially fond of the Pear Blossom Brew from the Yellow Flower Pavilion."
Li Qing smiled. "All right, I'll remember that."
The Water Transport Councilor Mansion—the Li Family—stood on Eight Treasures Street in Jade City. Most of the residents along that street were officials and their families.
In broad daylight, Li Qing slipped onto the street without a sound.
The tall gates on either side stood tightly shut. There was hardly anyone out and about.
Li Qing arrived at the Water Transport Councilor Mansion. Its main gate was badly damaged, and the interior beyond it was pitch-black.
Everything bore traces of scorching.
Li Qing stepped inside and silently took in his surroundings.
He possessed the minor art Clear Six Senses, a passive physical ability.
Within a radius of three zhang, he could easily sense the slightest stir of wind or grass.
"According to the case files, the crying mostly happens at night."
"It's usually safe during the day."
"Then I'll take a look around first."
Li Qing proceeded carefully. This was his very first assignment, and he didn't want to stumble into disaster through carelessness.
His left hand gripped the Spirit Summoning Tablet. He already suspected it was a magical artifact.
An artifact capable of directly attacking the spirit and soul was considered top-grade even among magical artifacts.
"I wonder what that old man I met last time really was." Thinking of the mysterious old man vanishing—
and the fleeting sight of a Flood Dragon battling in the sky, Li Qing couldn't help but feel there was more to it.
Monsters existed in this world. They cultivated by absorbing vital essence, just like humans, and had their own lineages as well.
Li Qing cautiously circled the ruined mansion, taking about half an hour.
The residence was divided into a front courtyard and a rear courtyard.
The front courtyard was mainly for receiving guests, while the rear courtyard was where the women of the household and the master lived.
There were at least seven or eight rooms between the two courtyards. The rear courtyard also had a small building and a pond.
Most of the buildings had been reduced to rubble, and nearly all the wooden structures had burned away.
After examining the general layout, Li Qing shook his head slightly.
"These people really lived in luxury. A sixth-rank counselor had such an extravagant life."
Thinking of the refugees he had seen outside the city, Li Qing shook his head again.
He took a deep breath and turned to leave.
He had more or less finished surveying the grounds. Now all that remained was to see what happened at night.
Dong, dong, dong.
The night watchman's clapper rang out.
It was already the Hour of the Rat, and nearly everyone had gone to bed.
Dressed in dark clothes, Li Qing stood alone. A waist token hung on his left hip, and a Hundred-Forged Steel Blade on his right.
Like a ghost cloaked in darkness, he silently reached the gate of the Water Transport Councilor Mansion.
A thoughtful look crossed his face. He stood outside, not going in.
He had dispelled the Shadow Art and was standing in the darkness outside the mansion opposite the gate.
He was like a frigid door guardian, waiting in silence.
Minute by minute, time passed. The ghostly crying didn't happen every night.
Sometimes it appeared; sometimes it left no trace. One had to rely on luck.
A little under half an hour later, eerie sobbing suddenly rose from the mansion across the street.
"Wuu wuu wuu..."
"Wuu wuu... wuu..."
The sound was faint and low. It was a woman's voice.
Li Qing gripped the hilt of his Hundred-Segment Steel Blade, his expression growing slightly grave.
"Already?"
The Shadow Art activated soundlessly, cloaking his entire body in darkness.
He stepped toward the mansion and soon reached its gate.
The interior was pitch-black. Moonlight fell across the ground, revealing only a few vague outlines.
The moment he stepped inside, the ghostly cries grew clearer, circling endlessly in his ears.
His expression tightened, and Li Qing headed for the inner courtyard. That was where the fire had been worst and where the bodies had been found.
The bodies of all thirty-two members of the household had been burned together in a single room.
Halfway there, an eerie breeze suddenly stirred through the mansion.
The next instant, a burst of chatter broke out.
"Young miss, that gentleman who came to visit the master today was so handsome."
"He was quite handsome."
"Do you like him, young miss?"
"You cheeky thing. You deserve a scolding."
The women's lilting voices rang out.
Li Qing glanced toward the sound.
A group of people appeared in his line of sight.
He was standing on a narrow path leading to the inner courtyard.
At the end of the path was an open door. Several elaborately dressed figures stood within.
Two maids in green robes stood around a woman dressed in white.
Li Qing walked over silently. The woman in white was beautiful, with fair skin and delicate features. She carried herself with the refined air of a well-read and well-mannered lady.
A faint smile touched her lips, and there seemed to be a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed as she laughingly chided the two maids, a trace of expectation lingering in her expression.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
"Help! Ah..."
The lovely, peaceful scene in the courtyard was suddenly shattered by a piercing scream.
The young woman and the maids were instantly thrown into disarray.
The scream rang out so sharply that it could be heard clearly across the courtyard.
Crash!
With a heavy bang, the gate connecting the courtyard to the front yard was kicked open.
Several figures flew out.
When they hit the ground, they were nothing but bloodied corpses.
A young man with red-glowing eyes and an evil aura strode inside.
He held a heart in each hand and lifted them to his mouth, licking them with a grotesque relish.
The three women in the courtyard collapsed to the ground in terror.
The horrifying sight left their skirts soaked.
Fear sank deep into their bones, and all three women trembled from head to toe.
The corpses had been hollowed out, their opened torsos on full display.
They were shriveled and withered, as if all their blood had been drained.
The strange young man looked at the three women with a crooked smile.
"Heh heh heh, three more beauties."
Despair filled the woman in white's eyes as she recognized one of the figures.
It was her father, Li Guangliang, the Water Transport Counselor.
"Father, no—" Dujuan cried out in anguish, her voice ragged with grief.
The sinister man's face twisted with impatience. "How noisy."
He flashed forward, appearing before Dujuan in an instant.
Bloodlight shrouded his palm as it soundlessly settled on top of her head.
Dujuan's eyes bulged. Her eyes rolled back as her whole body convulsed. Red streams of blood and vital essence rose from her body and were drawn into the man's hand.
Her body visibly shriveled, until at last she became a dried corpse and silently collapsed to the ground.
The other women in the courtyard heard the commotion. One by one, they opened their doors and stepped outside, puzzled.
What they saw was a scene straight out of hell.
A crazed smile spread across the sinister man's face. "Die, you two-legged lambs!"