Longhe County has essentially become He Ping's territory. His large number of subordinates, like parasites, live off the roots of the big tree that is Longhe County, infiltrating into the various gangs rooted at the grassroots level, and growing stronger by encroaching on their territory.
As time went on, this hidden force gradually grew in power, eventually turning the tables and secretly taking control of the situation.
By now, He Ping's forces have long since become the new, unsung masters of Longhe County. He has numerous informants and a vast network of people throughout the county. Whether it's a major thoroughfare or a bustling area, he controls at least half of the county's shops, docks, teahouses, restaurants, brothels, and other businesses.
He Ping had essentially come to regard Longhe County as his own territory, treating it as his private domain. Naturally, upon hearing about the "serial murder case," his first thought was that someone was causing trouble on his turf!
How can this be tolerated?!
"No, this case seems a bit strange. At least, the murderer came all the way from Lotus Offering Prefecture," He Fusheng said calmly. "This man is named Sa Shili, and he is known as the 'Hell Painter.' It is said that thirty years ago, he committed a heinous crime in Chao Sea Prefecture, killing seventy-two members of the Guan Family in one night. The Guan Family was a famous local clan, and they were wiped out of Chao Sea Prefecture overnight."
" Sa Shili, the 'Hell Painter'?"
He Ping hummed in response. He didn't pay much attention at first, but suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his brows furrowed.
"... But why is this person called the 'Hell Painter'?"
Butler He Fusheng said loudly.
"It is said that this Sa Shili was originally a painter with exceptional skills. Later, he became obsessed with painting, kidnapping and killing people to create his paintings... Every time Sa Shili killed someone, he would depict their death in a 'Eighteen Hells Picture,' which includes the following eighteen hells: Tongue Pulling, Scissors, Iron Tree, Mirror of Retribution, Steamer, Copper Pillar, Mountain of Knives, Ice Mountain, Oil Cauldron, Cattle Pit, Stone Pressing..."
About thirty years ago, "Hell Painter" Sa Shili committed a major crime in Chao Sea Prefecture and went into hiding. Five years later, he went to other places and committed a series of murders, killing countless people and doing all sorts of evil.
Every time Sa Shili kidnapped and killed someone, he would imitate the hellish guards, using various methods of torture and punishment for the dead to kill them.
At the same time, when the body is discovered, a picture of the deceased being tortured in hell is left at the scene.
The concept of the eighteen levels of hell originates from the Buddhist concept of the six realms of hell, which differs from the folk concept of the Ninth netherworlds in the Great You Netherworld. In Buddhism, hell is a place where sinners are imprisoned. Those ghosts with heavy karma who have fallen into hell will suffer various punishments in hell to atone for their sins in their previous lives.
Those who died at Sa Shili's hands had their tongues pulled out, were boiled in oil, or were cut into a thousand pieces. The corpses of those who died at his hands were extremely cruel.
The authorities sent people everywhere to search for him, but the case dragged on for a long time, and Sa Shili eventually disappeared without a trace...
"So, this Sa Shili committed a crime thirty years ago, and then, thirty years later, he's committed another crime?"
Upon hearing this, He Ping asked suspiciously, "What evidence is there? This was done by that Hell Painter from back then. If he was the murderer from thirty years ago, he should be quite old now. He escaped the law back then, so why would he come out and kill again? There's something fishy about this, isn't there?"
"Perhaps that's the case?"
Upon hearing his words, the butler gave a wry smile.
"I heard that the reason for this assumption is that the painting Sa Shili left behind after the murder is exactly the same as the one he painted thirty years ago. The government hasn't reached a clear conclusion yet and is still investigating the case, but the rumors circulating among the people are quite detailed..."
"Has the government not reached a conclusion either?"
At the same time, a hint of doubt welled up in He Ping's heart.
"This 'Hell Painter' Sa Shili, could he be a cultivator of the Painting Immortal Path? Killing people to paint pictures, that kind of wicked thing is very much in the style of the Painting Immortal Path!"
The Painting Immortal Path, together with the Nine Evils of Longevity, is known as the "Tenth Evil in the World." This sect's style of doing things is ethereal and bizarre, and it has been missing for hundreds of years, leading the cultivation world to believe that its lineage has been severed.
"Speaking of which, I also obtained a Black Sandalwood Box from the attic of that ' Gaotang Dream Pavilion.' Inside were sealed ' Painting Gu Spirit Insect ' used by the Painting Immortal Path for Painting Immortal Path. Besides that, there was also a scroll. The ' Banana Deer Dream Brush ' wasn't a lineage of the Painting Immortal Path; it merely taught people how to learn to paint."
He Ping also obtained a map from " The Banana Deer Dream Brush," which pointed to a remote and desolate location.
Moreover, he also learned that the remote locations recorded in the " Banana Deer Dream Brush " were related to the inheritance of the Painting Immortal Path... It was just a pity that, considering that the Immortal Painting Immortal Path had no way of entering the path, he had little interest in this inheritance and did not continue to investigate.
"In that case, let Qi Baiyi, Liu Bai, and the others investigate as well. Also, let's mobilize our manpower from the city. Longhe County is practically our base; if anything goes wrong, it could cause unnecessary trouble..."
He Ping wasn't worried about how capable this so-called "Hell Painter" Sa Shili was. Even if this person had obtained the inheritance of the Painting Immortal Path and cultivated powerful Law Technique, as long as the other party hadn't entered the Dao, he wouldn't be able to bounce around in his palm for long. He just felt that if this matter got too big, it would inevitably attract the " Ghost Bat " of the Evil-Slaying Bureau.
The people from the Evil-Slaying Bureau might not pose a serious threat to He Ping, but the Evil-Slaying Bureau does have experts at the Dao Entry level, He Ping doesn't want to encounter them and expose his identity.
"If this 'Hell Painter' continues to cause trouble and attracts the Evil-Slaying Bureau's forces to investigate in Longhe County, it will clearly be disadvantageous for me..."
He Ping thought about it and felt that this matter couldn't be left unresolved.
"Send more people to investigate this matter. Have He Zhongheng also put up a reward, saying that a local wealthy businessman is offering a reward for all clues about 'Hell Painter' Sa Shili. Whoever provides important information will be rewarded handsomely."
He Fusheng nodded and quickly agreed.
"Alright, you can go now..." He Ping waved his hand, and He Fusheng lowered his head and slowly left the room.
After the steward He Fusheng left, he took out the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant from his pocket.
This Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant has caused quite a stir in recent days, but He Ping was overseas at the time and naturally paid no attention to it.
In addition, he had previously informed Indaluo that he was going into seclusion for spiritual practice, which was considered a leave of absence, so he wasn't worried that Indaluo might need him to do something at the last minute.
"It must be Indaluo looking for me. He seems a bit anxious. Let's see what's going on."
He connected the Coiled Dragon Jade Pendant and heard a strange woman's voice coming from it.
" Moxiuluo, why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Do you know you almost made things difficult?"
"Who are you?"
He Ping frowned slightly. In Moxiuluo's memory, he should not recognize this person.
"Of course you don't recognize me. My code name in the Eastern Esoteric School is ' Golden Luminary Peacock,' and I'm one of the leaders of the Twelve Golden Generals. What exactly is going on with you? Why haven't you responded for so many days?"
The woman's voice was not impatient; her tone was gentle, yet it also carried a hint of sternness.
"So it's Lord Golden Luminary Peacock. Lord Indaluo has mentioned you before."
Upon hearing this, He Ping quickly softened his tone and calmly said, "Could it be that Lord Indaluo has something on his side and hasn't informed you, Lord Golden Luminary Peacock? I've been in seclusion for some time and only just emerged today, which is why I was so careless and didn't receive the message."
"Hmm..."
Upon hearing this, the Golden Luminary Peacock seemed to sigh, and its tone softened considerably.
"Then I misunderstood you! There were some mishaps during the handover between Indaluo and me, and he forgot to inform me of these details... Enough of the small talk, let me get to the important matter. There's an important mission this time that requires the Twelve Golden Generals to participate. Also, Indaluo and Miqiluo have already set off ahead of time. You and the other five will be responsible for another aspect of this mission."
What kind of mission is it?
He Ping asked calmly.
"Kill."
Golden Luminary Peacock said calmly, "This man is named Xiao Si'an, an imperial censor. He recently had a family bereavement and asked for leave to go home to observe mourning... The order from above is to eliminate Xiao Si'an while he is away, and preferably be ruthless enough to wipe out the entire Xiao Clan to prevent future troubles."
Kill a Censor-in-Chief?
Thoughts raced through He Ping's mind. Most of the civil officials selected by the imperial court had no connection with the cultivation world. If that was the case, then Xiao Si'an was just an ordinary person. Did killing such an ordinary person really require the intervention of the Thirteen Golden Generals?
"Could it be related to the power struggles within the imperial court? I suspect that the high-ranking member of ' Eastern Esoteric School ' is a member of the royal family of the Great You Dynasty with a very high status. I wonder why this Imperial Envoy Xiao has become involved in the political turmoil, which has led to his death!"
Golden Luminary Peacock explained the plan in detail and then hung up the phone.
"To kill a mere civil official in the imperial court, this kind of task requires the deployment of our Thirteen Golden Generals. It seems the inside story is not simple..."
He Ping was quite interested in the Eastern Esoteric School organization. He had also profited a lot from Eastern Esoteric School through the pseudonym Moxiuluo, so in his opinion, there was no need to turn against Eastern Esoteric School at this time.
Since we're not going to turn against each other, then we can only complete the task...
"Murder and arson, eliminating every last vestige! I've truly become a member of an evil organization..."
He Ping shook his head and slowly stood up.
"This is the Xiao Clan's residence?"
A tall figure wearing a golden mask stood on a protruding cliff face, looking down at an ancient town with blue stone walls in the far distance. In the town stood a luxurious mansion. The mansion was brightly lit, but white cloths were hung everywhere, clearly indicating that a funeral was being held.
"Hehehe, holding a funeral... that's great! Anyway, a lot of people are going to die, so this saves us from having to hold another one."
The tall figure was a man, draped in a yellow robe, his stature imposing and imposing. The mask he wore only covered the area above his nose. Beneath the golden mask, his eyes emitted a faint purple light.
" Bazheluo, you've got it wrong. We've been ordered to eliminate them completely. The Xiao Clan family has offended Eastern Esoteric School, so there's no need for any funerals anymore..."
Standing beside him was a woman dressed in green. Her voice was very hoarse, and she also wore a golden mask.
Her skin was extremely pale, and the green dress she wore made it appear even paler, with a shimmering emerald glow that set her apart from the ordinary.
The woman glanced at the man in the yellow robe beside her.
"However, we still need to be careful. There are several powerful figures hiding around Xiao Si'an. Killing him won't be easy!"
Hahahahaha...
The man in the yellow robe grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth, as the face beneath the mask parted. "The thirteen Golden Generals have come out in full force to take this Xiao's head. How many in the world can protect him? Let's do it!"
"You don't need to tell me this..."
The woman in green snorted coldly, and with a wave of her hand, large swathes of gray mist transformed into dense walls of fog, sealing off the entire town from all sides.
What followed was a brutal massacre within the fog.