Daoheart Demon Seed

Su Qingyang raised an eyebrow slightly, his interested gaze sweeping across the panicked people in the hall.

Although Su Huai's death had not been caused by his own hand, it was indeed inseparable from him.

After investigating yesterday, he had secretly planted a wisp of blood-qi fire within Su Huai's body,

Originally, it had been meant as a contingency, making it easier for him to remotely observe the other party's movements and trace clues regarding the evil entities of Barbarian Prefecture.

But he had not expected...

That wisp of blood-qi fire had inexplicably ignited last night. Immediately afterward, Su Huai's entire body had begun to mutate. The curse desperately drained his vitality, only for it to be consumed by the bloodflame.

The two powers went back and forth.

In the end, Su Huai's vitality had run dry, and he died an unnatural death.

"Interesting. It had lurked without the slightest movement for so long, yet the curse suddenly erupted right after I investigated."

"Could it be that wisp of blood-qi fire disrupted the balance that had originally existed inside him..."

Su Qingyang pondered silently.

The blood-qi fire he had planted was pure yang, fierce and forceful, while the curse belonged to a kind of yin, wicked, baleful energy. The two were like fire and water, which was why it had suddenly erupted?!

If so, perhaps pure yang blood-qi could restrain that kind of curse!

Just as he was thinking,

The chamberlain had already brought the group from Six Doors into the hall.

One of them stood tall and straight, with sharp eyes and star-like brows. He was none other than Lan Kaishan, the famed constable who had fought Xia Konghan at the tavern yesterday.

Also with him was Zhu Xiu, an older veteran constable. Not only was he highly skilled in martial arts, but he had also read extensively through records of poisons from across the realm. In identifying murderers and investigating cases, he was one of Six Doors' finest.

"In these troubled times, villains have grown so brazen and reckless. It seems some thieves still refuse to abandon their criminal hearts!"

After listening to the chamberlain explain what had happened, Lan Kaishan frowned and turned his gaze toward the young men in the hall.

However, when his gaze fell upon Su Qingyang, his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

Compared to the others, this man was far too calm and composed.

And!

Looking closer, he vaguely felt that this face looked familiar.

He seemed to have seen him at yesterday's tavern. He had never imagined that this man was also a prospective prince.

Lan Kaishan's thoughts flashed like lightning, but he swiftly forced his attention away and focused on those who had been severely poisoned.

"Senior Zhu, have you seen this kind of deadly poison before?"

After examining them for a while without result, Lan Kaishan turned to Zhu Xiu and asked.

He was young, after all. Though extraordinarily gifted and formidable in martial prowess, his experience in identifying poisons and handling old cases was far inferior to Zhu Xiu's, who had devoted decades to Six Doors.

"By my judgment, the poison these men have suffered is Red Dust Smoke."

Zhu Xiu recognized the deadly poison and spoke its name, though his gaze flickered faintly.

The poison's name sounded beautiful, but its effects were terrifying. Once it entered the body, it would day by day dissolve a martial artist's inner breath and gnaw away at their blood-qi.

Those afflicted would not even realize it themselves. They would only feel exhausted, as if they had not slept well.

Completely unaware that their vitality was steadily declining, until their flesh, blood, and essence all dissipated into nothing, becoming a wisp of Red Dust Smoke in the mortal world.

That was how Red Dust Smoke got its name.

"What a vicious method." Lan Kaishan's brows knitted tightly as he let out an angry shout.

The old eunuch at the side glanced at Zhu Xiu, a flash of sharp light passing through his aged eyes.

Zhu Xiu continued:

"Red Dust Smoke is exceedingly secretive. It enters the body soundlessly and without trace. Since the culprit was able to poison all four young masters at once, this was certainly not a spur-of-the-moment act."

Lan Kaishan pressed on:

"Senior Zhu, how does this poison enter the human body? Does it require contact, food, or contamination through the breath to take effect?"

Zhu Xiu paced slowly, looking at each of the four poisoned youths in turn before replying gravely:

"Red Dust Smoke does not dissolve in water or mingle with other substances. Judging by the severity of the young masters' poisoning, I suspect it came from something like incense, gradually invading their bodies day and night."

Lan Kaishan's eyes sharpened as he pursued the matter:

"Recently, who has been able to freely enter and leave Purple Pavilion Manor's inner court to replace the incense burners in each residence?"

The chief eunuch on duty hurried forward to answer:

"In reply to my lord, Purple Pavilion Manor's defenses are strict. Outside servants are forbidden from entering. Only several designated personal chamberlains responsible for cleaning, changing incense, and delivering items may enter and leave the various residences each day."

Lan Kaishan looked to Eunuch Huang, seeking his opinion.

Ever since hearing the name Red Dust Smoke, Eunuch Huang had seemed somewhat distracted.

Now returning to his senses, he nodded lightly.

Lan Kaishan immediately ordered that the five young eunuchs who had recently been on duty in the inner court and responsible for changing the incense all be brought into the hall. They were questioned one by one, their shifts, times, and records of entering and leaving the residences checked.

After a round of interrogation, one young eunuch suffered a mental collapse, flaws appearing everywhere in his answers.

Zhu Xiu's gaze turned cold. He stepped forward, releasing a trace of his aura that made the young eunuch's legs go weak and his voice tremble without cease.

"Who sent you? Was Su Huai's sudden death last night also connected to you? Why did you suddenly kill him?"

The young eunuch shook violently, trembling for a long while without being able to utter a word.

Impatience appeared on Zhu Xiu's face as he moved to grab him.

But in that instant, a nauseating stench of blood rushed straight at him.

The young eunuch had somehow raised his head. Scarlet, razor-sharp nails like blades had grown from his hands, and they stabbed viciously toward Zhu Xiu's heart.

"Insolence!" An aged voice boomed like thunder.

Terrifying ripples swept through the entire hall.

Eunuch Huang, who had originally appeared thin and withered, as though a gust of wind could knock him over, seemed at that moment to transform into a terrifying demon lord.

Whoosh!

A gale tore through the hall. Eunuch Huang had somehow appeared before the young eunuch, gripping his throat with one hand and lifting his entire body into the air.

Even Lan Kaishan was startled. Just now, he had not even seen Eunuch Huang move.

He had long known that these eunuchs concealed their true strength, but he had never expected them to be this powerful.

Zhu Xiu hurriedly stumbled several steps back.

Then, looking at the young eunuch before him—his face savage, his eyes blood-red—he finally realized that he had wandered through the gates of hell.

He drew a deep breath and clasped his fists toward Eunuch Huang in salute.

"Thank you, Eunuch, for saving my life. This junior is endlessly grateful!"

"Constable Zhu, there is no need for such ceremony. Six Doors has helped this humble one uncover the culprit; this humble one ought to be thanking all of you. Such a disaster occurring within the manor ultimately stems from this humble one's poor supervision."

Eunuch Huang shook his head and spoke kindly, returning to his original frail appearance.

Of course,

The sole exception was the young eunuch still dangling from his hand, struggling ceaselessly in a frenzy, which made for a rather discordant sight.

Eunuch Huang glanced at the still impassive Su Qingyang, then shifted his gaze to the young eunuch and examined him carefully.

"If this humble one has not guessed wrongly, he has been afflicted by the Daoheart Demon Seed!!"

"Daoheart Demon Seed!" Zhu Xiu frowned.

"It is said to be the supreme demonic martial art of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Once this demonic art is cultivated to completion, it uses the seven emotions and six desires to stir another's desires, planting within their heart a seed known as a demon seed."

"Those planted with demon seeds are generally called human vessels. Such people are no different from ordinary people in normal times, but once activated by the demon behind the scenes, they will use the demon seed's power to devour blood-qi and inner force."

"Furthermore, the demon who plants the seed may not only control human vessels, but can also devour them after they mature, thereby increasing their own demonic strength."

Hearing this, Lan Kaishan stepped forward, stared at the young eunuch for a while, and said:

"So he was planted with a demon seed and then controlled by someone, which is why he became so deranged?"

Zhu Xiu nodded.

"That is likely the case. It is only that this demon seed was planted not long ago and cannot yet fully control his mind. It can only guide him. From this, we can infer that the demon is likely near Purple Pavilion Manor."