Clues!!

Patrolman Li's expression was grave as he pointed to the wounds.

"Young Master Wang, please look at these bite marks. They weren't made by ordinary wild beasts, which is why I suspect a Yao was responsible.

However, no one has actually seen what this Yao looks like. The victims were all killed silently at night."

Wang Lang crouched down, carefully examining the edges of the wounds and the residual traces. His brow furrowed.

He noticed some details, such as a peculiar scent lingering around the wounds. Could this be Yao energy?

Wang Lang stood up and looked at the experienced Patrolman Li. "It's certainly not the work of ordinary wild beasts. Patrolman Li, what do you think we should do next?"

Patrolman Li immediately replied, "Since we've already examined the bodies, the next step is to interview the villagers and see if we can find more clues."

"Shi Meng, take us to the neighbors of the most recent victims to ask around."

"Alright!" Shi Meng quickly led the way.

Seeing the officials arrive, the villagers were both frightened and hopeful.

A woman, pale with fear, clutched her child and stammered, "Officer, it was white... My dog was barking fiercely last night, and I glimpsed a white shadow through a crack in the window. It just zipped past..."

An old woman who had lost her son grabbed Patrolman Li's sleeve and sobbed, "Patrolman, my son said that night he was going to the back mountain to get some game meat... He never came back... He must have disturbed something in the mountains!"

There was also a rambling old man, his face full of dread, who said, "The Mountain God is angry! It must be because those few people never did anything good, and they angered the Mountain God! Don't investigate any further, or the whole village will suffer!"

Patrolman Li comforted the villagers while recording key information.

Wang Lang stood silently to the side, observing and committing these fragmented pieces of information to memory.

Just then, a clear voice sounded from behind him:

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerate! Such pure Righteous Qi! Little friend, are you cultivating the Confucian Orthodox Method, the Song of Righteous Qi?"

Wang Lang's heart stirred. He stood up and turned to look.

Not far away stood a Daoist priest, about forty years old, with a lean face and a three-strand long beard.

Wang Lang cupped his hands and said, "Daoist priest, you have sharp eyes. What I cultivate is indeed the Song of Righteous Qi. Do you recognize this method?"

The blue-robed Daoist priest stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Naturally, I recognize it. This is the orthodox Qi-refining method of Confucianism, upright and peaceful. Legend has it that if one can obtain the complete text, they might even glimpse the Harmony Realm. It is truly profound and mysterious.

Young friend, to cultivate such pure Righteous Qi at such a young age, may I ask which great scholar is your master?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Lang inwardly thought that the Song of Righteous Qi he cultivated was indeed an incomplete version.

It was only due to great fortune that the old man had obtained this method back then, but it was limited to that.

He remained outwardly composed and replied, "You flatter me, Daoist priest. I am not a disciple of any great scholar. This method was obtained by my grandfather by chance and passed down to me. He was just an ordinary wealthy man."

The Daoist priest nodded and didn't probe further. He introduced himself, "This humble Daoist is Xuan Cheng, a cultivator of the Qinghe Sect. I was traveling here and heard that there were Yao causing trouble, so I came to investigate."

"From what the residents just said, Fellow Daoist Wang must have some leads already?"

Wang Lang shared the clues he had gathered and his doubts:

"...The Yao harms people, but it seems to be selective, targeting those villagers who have a poor reputation. Moreover, its aura is gentle, not violent."

Xuan Chengzi nodded, walked over to examine the bodies, and then performed a divination. After a moment, he said, "I know a little about physiognomy. Observing the residual aura of these victims, they are surrounded by malevolent energy, and dark lines are faintly visible on their foreheads. They were likely not good people in life."

Shi Meng, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, "Daoist priest, you're amazing! These people were indeed known troublemakers and scoundrels in our village!

They were lazy and good-for-nothing, often stealing small things, and frequently bullied honest folk, taking small advantages.

I disciplined them many times, but they were thick-skinned and would commit offenses again after a few days..."

His tone carried a hint of helplessness and disgust.

Wang Lang understood and asked, "Daoist priest, are you suspecting..."

Xuan Chengzi stroked his beard. "Precisely, it's as you suspect. This matter is very likely a Yao seeking revenge. Know that all things have spirits, and Yao are no different."

"The reason for their killings could be for blood food to cultivate, or for revenge, or they could be driven by someone."

"Looking at these wounds, the Yao did not consume all the flesh and blood, so it clearly wasn't for sustenance.

If they were driven by someone, why would they specifically target these wicked villagers? Then there's only one possibility..."

Wang Lang: "..."

Well, he hadn't even stated what he suspected, and this Daoist priest had already answered his own question and completed the entire deduction process.

Alright, regardless of whether his previous thoughts were the same, this was it now.

Wang Lang pondered, "If that's the case... Brother Shi Meng, before these people were killed, were there any other homicides in the village or nearby?

Or, did any outsiders pass through this area and then disappear, meeting an unfortunate end?"

Shi Meng frowned, thinking hard. After a while, he said with some uncertainty, "There definitely haven't been any in the village."

"As for outsiders... about a month ago, there was a woman visiting relatives. It's said she disappeared after passing through the woods behind our village."

"Her family came looking, but they didn't find her. They just assumed she was attacked by wild beasts or got lost..."