A Master Lurked in An Ding County

A dozen or more gashes lined the black shadow's chest, each one connected to the next in a dense web like spider silk.

The black shadow's upper body tilted, fell to the ground, and shattered into more than a dozen pieces with a sharp crack.

The remaining parts fell one after another like toppled dominoes, littering the ground.

The room fell silent, and the black shadow vanished completely.

The sense of danger winding around his heart vanished without a trace. Zhou An sheathed his knife, and the state of enlightenment in his mind had already faded.

Knife Skills +2

A line of text appeared before his eyes. Those dozen or so slashes had been unleashed while in that state of enlightenment, earning him an increase in proficiency.

The shadow beneath his feet also disappeared, and the feeling of restraint gradually dissipated.

Zhou An looked at the gray rat by the door and walked over.

He prodded it twice with his long knife, confirming that it was merely an ordinary gray rat.

"First, I'll return to the yamen and report this."

Having made up his mind, Zhou An searched the room. Only after confirming that he had left no traces behind did he quietly depart, taking the man lying on the ground with him.

After leaving the alley, he first asked a merchant on the street to watch over the man. Only then did he head to the yamen and recount the incident to Head Constable Xie.

Head Constable Xie was drinking tea.

Even ordinary constables slacked off, let alone a constable captain.

As the only constable captain in all of An Ding County, Head Constable Xie had always lived quite comfortably.

"What? Someone died again, and in the same way?"

Upon hearing Zhou An's report, Head Constable Xie did not even finish his tea. He set down the cup and hurried out of the room.

Before leaving, he told Zhou An not to wander around and not to get involved in this matter.

Zhou An understood clearly. Head Constable Xie was going to find the County Magistrate, who would then have the Demon Suppression Division handle it.

Not long afterward, Head Constable Xie returned, gathered all the constables, and headed for the alley.

Once there, Head Constable Xie did only one thing: he cordoned off the alley and barred ordinary people from entering.

Zhou An was among them. He and Yu Hang were guarding one of the entrances.

"You didn't run into any danger, did you?" Yu Hang knew Zhou An had discovered it and asked with concern.

Zhou An shook his head, indicating that he had encountered no danger. "Nothing major. I just found a corpse. By the look of it, the Demon Suppression Division should be coming, right?"

Yu Hang nodded. "When something like this happens, we can only leave it to the Demon Suppression Division. They're the professionals. We just need to maintain order."

The constables maintained public security in An Ding County, but whenever anything strange was involved, it naturally fell to the Demon Suppression Division to resolve it.

"The County Magistrate seems to have vanished these past few days," Zhou An said casually.

A matter involving human lives had arisen, yet the County Magistrate had not shown himself. Moreover, lately, most messages had been conveyed by the adviser, and even meetings with the County Magistrate were limited to Head Constable Xie.

Yu Hang gave a dismissive chuckle. "I heard he's burying his head in writing essays for the selection."

The selection was also held once a year, but it did not concern ordinary people. It was for those already serving as officials, who could earn higher positions through the annual examination.

This was much stricter. First, one had to write an essay for the Emperor to read personally.

Those who passed would then undergo a second assessment, examining every aspect of governance in the place where they held office.

All of this had its standards. The selection was drawing near, and the County Magistrate wanted to climb higher as well.

"He's truly tarnished the name of Scholars." Yu Hang sneered. "If studying is only for the sake of becoming an official, then what's the point of him?"

Zhou An frowned. "Be careful. Some things shouldn't be said carelessly."

These matters could not be overheard by others. If they were, Yu Hang would have a hard time getting by in An Ding County.

"There are only the two of us here. What's the harm in chatting?" Yu Hang said. "I'm just angry about it."

Zhou An knew his childhood friend's temperament well. Though Yu Hang usually acted as if nothing concerned him, he could be especially fierce and unyielding at certain times.

As the two spoke, movement finally arose within the alley. A group of people clad in black uniforms entered from outside.

There were around ten of them. Every face was stern, and their presence far surpassed that of the surrounding constables.

At their head walked a middle-aged man with a long knife hanging at his waist.

What drew the eye most was his right hand. The hand resting on the long knife was thicker and larger than his left.

Zhou An glanced at it, and an idea had already formed in his mind.

This was a master, and a master of the knife.

The man's features were ordinary, but his square face carried an air of sternness and earnestness.

Head Constable Xie hurried over to greet him. "Division Magistrate Zhang, you've finally arrived. This way, please."

From bottom to top, Great Chu was divided into counties, prefectures, provinces, and the capital.

The Demon Suppression Division used different titles for its leaders at each level: Division Magistrate, Division Prefect, Division Governor, and Division Capital.

This Division Magistrate Zhang was the head of the An Ding County Spirit Suppression Division.

In terms of official rank, he was on the same level as the County Magistrate, so Head Constable Xie was exceedingly respectful.

Division Magistrate Zhang carried an inherent air of authority and righteousness. He nodded. "Take me to have a look."

Head Constable Xie did not dare delay. He quickly led the members of the Demon Suppression Division into the room at the end of the alley.

Division Magistrate Zhang entered. Not long afterward, he came back out and said a few words to Head Constable Xie.

Head Constable Xie promptly acknowledged him, then hurried toward Zhou An.

Zhou An was still chatting with Yu Hang while thinking about how he would grind proficiency after returning home.

Hearing footsteps, he instinctively looked up and saw Head Constable Xie already before him.

"Zhou An, come with me," Head Constable Xie said.

Zhou An did not know why he had been summoned, but he nodded and followed Head Constable Xie into the room at the end of the alley.

Inside, the room remained pitch-black. Several members of the Demon Suppression Division were examining the little girl's corpse.

A few others were examining the gray rat's corpse by the door.

"Lord Zhang, Zhou An is here," Head Constable Xie said with cupped hands.

"Greetings, Lord Zhang," Zhou An said.

Division Magistrate Zhang stared at Zhou An and spoke in a deep voice. "Before you arrived, was the gray rat by the door?"

Zhou An shook his head. "It wasn't by the door. A black shadow suddenly appeared and attacked me, but before it could strike, a flash of knife light swept past, and the black shadow disappeared."

Zhou An had long prepared this explanation. Only a mixture of truth and falsehood could fool people.

He did not want to expose himself. For no other reason than that this world was too dangerous. After gaining a Golden Finger, the best course was to lie low and keep lying low until he became invincible beneath the heavens.

Division Magistrate Zhang fell silent.

The surroundings became utterly quiet.

Head Constable Xie asked, "Lord Zhang, have you discovered something?"

Division Magistrate Zhang shook his head. "We still haven't found the source of the Gray Rat Worshipers, but it seems that a knife master has come to the county."

"Knife Light Forms a Line. This person's knife technique is exceptional. He must have struck with all his strength, sending out a streak of knife light."

Zhou An lowered his head, not letting anyone see his expression at that moment.