Shi Jun!!

Wang Lang couldn't help but inwardly scoff after hearing Shi Meng's account:

This plot has such a third-rate script vibe.

A woman went missing a month ago, and now there's a demon eating people these past few days?

He kept his expression neutral and turned to Patrolman Li.

"Patrolman Li, what should we do next? You're experienced, so you decide."

Patrolman Li's brow furrowed. He wasn't blind to the possibility of hidden circumstances.

However, the victim was nowhere to be seen, dead or alive, and over ten ruffians had their insides ripped out.

Regardless, apprehending the rampaging demon and preventing the situation from escalating was his duty as a patrolman of the Demon Subduing Division.

He said gravely, "Young Master Wang, we can't rush this. That demon is quite cunning and its tracks are hard to find. We need to make a plan."

Wang Lang nodded in agreement, but his gaze involuntarily flickered towards Xuan Chengzi beside them.

This old Daoist's appearance was too coincidental. He had just arrived at Creek Stone Village to examine the bodies, and Xuan Chengzi happened to be passing by, even offering an analysis of the demon's motives for the killings.

Things like cultivating with blood food, seeking revenge, or being controlled by someone...

His analysis was thorough, and in the end, he subtly steered the clues towards revenge.

Wang Lang glanced at him secretly. He hadn't expected Xuan Chengzi to be so perceptive; the old Daoist immediately returned a benevolent smile.

Wang Lang's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he had already labeled the old Daoist as a suspicious individual who needed to be treated with caution.

If Xuan Chengzi knew Wang Lang's thoughts, he would surely jump up and curse, "My Daoist name is Xuan Chengzi! Cheng meaning sincerity! Boy, how can you slander me out of thin air!"

He had truly just happened to pass by this place.

At this moment, Xuan Chengzi proposed, "Why don't we split up and search for more clues?"

Patrolman Li, who was already worried about insufficient manpower, was overjoyed. "That would be excellent! Thank you for your trouble, Senior Xuan Chengzi!

I will continue to thoroughly search around the village for any overlooked traces and simultaneously pacify the villagers' emotions."

Wang Lang also nodded in agreement. "Then I'll go check out the Back Mountain. There's a significant possibility the demon is hiding there."

Shi Meng immediately stepped forward and pointed out the specific direction leading to the village's Back Mountain.

With the plan settled, they parted ways.

Wang Lang glanced at the sky. The sun was already climbing higher, and he inwardly calculated that it would be best to resolve this matter today.

However, things rarely went as planned.

The Back Mountain of Creek Stone Village was less of a mountain and more of a hilly area.

The trees weren't particularly dense, but it was crisscrossed with ravines and overgrown with weeds, making it easy for ordinary people to get lost.

Wang Lang moved swiftly through the woods.

He searched from morning until the sun began to set in the west, having investigated almost every place on the Back Mountain where a demon might hide.

The results were disappointing.

Other than discovering a few ordinary traces of wild animal activity and some ancient, neglected graves, he found no effective clues related to a demon, nor did he sense any significant concentrations of demonic energy or signs of a struggle.

"It seems this demon is either extremely skilled at hiding, or... its lair isn't on the Back Mountain at all."

Night fell as expected, and the coolness of the autumn night spread with the mountain breeze.

Creek Stone Village was shrouded in an atmosphere of tension and silence.

To prevent unnecessary casualties and also to lure the snake out of its hole, under the organization of Patrolman Li and Xuan Chengzi, all the young and strong men in the village were mobilized.

Sixty young men were divided into six teams, ten per team, led by those with some prestige or robust physique in the village.

They were responsible for patrolling and guarding the main intersections around the village outskirts and the directions from which the demon might infiltrate.

The remaining women, children, the elderly, and the weak were all gathered in the open space in front of the village's central ancestral hall.

Watched over by a few brave women and elders, several bonfires were lit, serving to ward off the cold and provide light, while also offering a degree of courage and mutual support.

Daoist Master Xuan Chengzi had asserted during the day that since the demon targeted villains and acted mostly at night, it was either its habit or it had some scruples.

Now that the villains in the village were almost completely eliminated, if it hadn't left, it might strike again.

With this arrangement, as long as the demon dared to show itself, the patrol teams would immediately fire signal flares upon discovering any unusual activity, allowing everyone to quickly surround it and ensure it had no escape.

As for the origin of these signal flares, they were standard equipment carried by Patrolman Li from the Demon Subduing Division.

Pulling the fuse would send it soaring into the sky, emitting a conspicuous red light and a sharp whistle, enough for people within several miles to clearly see and hear.

The team Shi Meng belonged to was led by Wang Lang, and their patrol area included several intersections on the east side of the village, near the Back Mountain.

Wang Lang's strength far surpassed everyone else's, so he naturally took the lead.

The night dew gradually grew heavier, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and vegetation, mixed with… a buzzing sound.

Autumn was the time when mosquitoes were most rampant.

A crisp slapping sound was exceptionally abrupt in the silent night.

Shi Meng expressionlessly moved his hand away from his cheek.

In the faint twilight, a small pool of blood and the remains of a mosquito could be seen on his palm.

He silently recited, "You wicked beast, you've sucked my Blood Essence and disturbed my mind. You've brought about your own demise!"

Then, Shi Meng secretly glanced at Wang Lang, who was walking at the front, his eyes revealing unconcealed envy.

It was as if Wang Lang was enveloped by an invisible aura, and not a single one of those annoying mosquitoes dared to approach within three feet of him.

"Sigh, as expected of a Qi Induction Realm cultivator, even mosquitoes dare not provoke him.

I'm only at Body Tempering first level, tough and thick-skinned, true, but I can't withstand these insidious little things."

Shi Meng thought enviously.

They continued to patrol several predetermined intersections. Apart from the occasional barks of dogs and chirps of insects, there was no other anomaly.

The night deepened, the temperature dropped, and a thin layer of mist began to permeate the air, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Wang Lang looked up at the ink-black night sky, devoid of stars or moon. He stopped and turned to Shi Meng beside him, asking, "Shi Meng, the dozen or so people who were killed before, according to you, were all idle ruffians from the village.

Besides them, are there any others in the village with similar character who haven't been harmed yet?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Meng's thick, dark eyebrows knitted together as he thought carefully:

"Young Master Wang, now that you mention it, there is one! It's the Village Chief's son, Shi Jun!

That brat is usually lazy and good for nothing. Relying on his father being the Village Chief, he's done a lot of petty thievery, like stealing chickens and dogs, and harassing young ladies and married women!

I've disciplined him a few times before, but I always held back out of respect for the Village Chief.

Recently, with the consecutive incidents in the village, the kid has been scared out of his wits and has become much more honest, staying at home and not daring to go out."

Wang Lang's eyes flashed with insight upon hearing this. He nodded, "Let's go, let's check near the Village Chief's house."

By the process of elimination, if the Yao were indeed targeting wicked individuals, then the only one left in the village who qualified to be targeted was likely this Village Chief's son.