Uncanny Things

Being called out meant something had happened.

Under normal circumstances, if something happened during the day, the patrolling constables would handle it.

Public or private, they just had to follow procedure.

But if something major happened, all the constables had to mobilize.

Zhou An and the others had nothing to do, drinking tea and chatting here every day, precisely so they could respond to emergencies.

The yamen paid to keep them around for a thousand days, only to use them for a single moment.

Master Zhang, who had followed the County Magistrate for many years, was a seasoned man. After giving the notice, he hurried out.

The constables in the room immediately stopped chatting, set down their teacups, strapped on the blades at their waists, and filed out of the room.

Zhou An and Yu Hang followed behind them.

The courtyard was packed with people.

Leading them was the yamen's Constable Captain, surnamed Xie, a burly man.

It was said that in his younger days, he had been a formidable figure in the martial world, his swift blade dazzling to the eye.

"Head Constable Xie, hurry it up." Master Zhang stroked his beard and offered a reminder.

A scar ran across Head Constable Xie's face, stretching from his brow bone to his chin.

It was said to have been left behind when he had fought several river bandits in his early years, killing every last one of them alone.

Once everyone had arrived, Head Constable Xie rested a hand on the long blade at his waist and stepped forward until he stood before the crowd.

"Hu Yang Alley. Move out!"

With that, Head Constable Xie took the lead.

The constables were all puzzled, not knowing what had happened. But since Head Constable Xie had not said anything, no one foolishly asked.

These days, the gun always struck the bird that stuck its head out first. Whoever asked would be the unlucky one.

Hu Yang Alley was not particularly bustling in An Ding County, but neither was it remote. At the very least, it was far livelier than where Zhou An lived.

When Zhou An followed the crowd to Hu Yang Alley, he saw that the alley was already crammed full of people inside and out.

There were three layers within and three layers without, packed together like filling in a meat sandwich.

These days were unlike his previous life, with Wi-Fi and mobile phones.

There were only two ways to pass the time.

Making little people, or watching the excitement.

Little people could only be made at night, so during the day, people sought excitement.

A scene packed three layers within and three layers without was perfectly normal.

"The yamen is conducting official business. Clear the way at once!"

Head Constable Xie was experienced. Standing outside, he shouted.

The noisy crowd instantly fell silent.

The silence spread from Head Constable Xie's side all the way to the last commoner, until no one in the entire alley was speaking.

Constables were highly intimidating, especially in those uniforms. The common folk had no desire whatsoever to deal with them.

With a rush, the crowd scattered like birds and beasts, and the cramped alley became open.

The sight ahead entered Zhou An's eyes.

Several constables stood in the middle of the alley, long blades in hand.

On the ground knelt a poorly dressed male corpse.

The corpse knelt there with its hands pressed together, kowtowing toward a certain direction.

The manner of death was extraordinarily bizarre, enough to raise goosebumps.

Head Constable Xie led his men over.

Only after drawing closer did Zhou An see that the corpse's chest had been cut wide open, leaving nothing inside.

Its internal organs had been hollowed out.

An ordinary person might have immediately rushed to a wall and vomited at such a sight.

Zhou An had mentally prepared himself, even thinking up an excuse for when he threw up.

But now, it seemed to be nothing much.

Last night, while grinding Knife Skills, he had not stopped all night.

He had sliced the meat into pieces, strips, and mince, then finally chopped it into paste.

Even after it had become paste, he had still gone chop chop chop with the cleaver.

By the end, he had become somewhat numb to it.

Now, looking at the male corpse with its organs hollowed out, Zhou An only felt a little nauseated.

"Chief, this is what happened..."

The constable keeping watch here carefully recounted the entire incident, making Head Constable Xie's brow furrow deeply.

This morning, patrolling constables had received a report from a commoner. When they rushed over, they found this male corpse, dead in an extremely bizarre manner.

After examining it, they discovered that the corpse bore no signs of struggle. Judging from the degree of stiffness in its body, it had maintained this posture even before death.

There was not even any blood on the ground, yet its internal organs had been cleanly removed.

Logically, having one's organs hollowed out should have left traces of struggle, but there were none here.

It was as though... it had been eaten clean, even its blood sucked dry.

The constables felt that they might be unable to handle such a bizarre death, so they reported it to the County Magistrate.

After hearing this, Head Constable Xie's brow furrowed even more deeply.

"Move the corpse back first. Have the coroner examine the cause of death. If that still doesn't work, report it to the Demon Suppression Division."

The Demon Suppression Division had been established by the Xingwu Emperor. It specialized in dealing with uncanny and demonic things, while also overseeing the martial world across the realm.

It possessed imperial authority. Within the scope of dealing with uncanny and demonic things and overseeing the martial world, no department dared obstruct it.

The constables nodded.

Head Constable Xie assigned several men to transport the corpse.

Zhou An and Yu Hang stood in the back and did not take on that unlucky task. They followed the crowd back to the yamen.

After returning, there was nothing to do again.

There were coroners to handle autopsies. If this truly was an uncanny matter, it would be reported to the Demon Suppression Division in the county, and then it would have nothing to do with the yamen.

Zhou An resumed drinking tea.

During that time, Yu Hang kept complaining about the Gray Rat Worshipers, saying that he could not even eat dinner now and had to run to the Private Tutor's place to study.

Zhou An chatted with him half-heartedly, but his mind remained fixed on the male corpse they had encountered today.

The Gray Rat Worshipers, the male corpse with its organs hollowed out, also posed in kowtow... could there be some connection between them?

Zhou An did not know, nor did he have the ability to concern himself with it.

How much did he earn in a month, anyway?

Was it worth risking his life like this?

The Demon Suppression Division was above them to hold the line. There was no need to throw his life away.

Developing cautiously was the royal road; grinding skills was the ultimate truth.

"Lie flat."

Once a person became idle, time passed very quickly.

It was time to clock out. Amid laughter and cheerful voices, everyone greeted one another and left the yamen.

Yu Hang ran off at top speed. He did not even eat dinner; after saying goodbye to Zhou An, he hurried toward the Private Tutor's home.

Zhou An followed his usual routine. He went to the street to buy meat, vegetables, and rice, then prepared to return home and grind Knife Skills again.

To grind Knife Skills, he had to cut something. Otherwise, his proficiency would not increase even a bit—that was how Zhou An had set it up in the first place.

If he did not cut meat, vegetables, and rice, was he supposed to cut up his house? Or carry a blade into the street and cut people?

If he dared to cut them, prison meals would be guaranteed.

This time, Zhou An had learned to be smarter. He first made himself some food and ate until he was full, then carried his kitchen cleaver to the chopping block and placed the meat on it.

"I'll grind for two hours first."

Grinding all night would not do. A person still needed to sleep.

Although reaching lv.2 in Knife Skills had given him a current of energy within his body, going without sleep for too long would make that current useless.

With that in mind, Zhou An began finely slicing the meat.

At lv.2, Knife Skills gave him Speed +1. Zhou An's left arm swayed slightly, and the kitchen cleaver became a blur of afterimages.

Knife Skills +1+1+1+1...

The words before his eyes kept flashing, and his proficiency was rising rapidly.

Just then, Zhou An suddenly felt a chill wind brush past his ear.