The Pigsty

Pigpen "There's Demonic Qi..."

Under the enhancement of the Spiritual Olfaction entry, Yang Xiao's sense of smell was incomparably sharp.

That strand of demonic qi was very faint, but he was certain it was right within Li Family Hamlet.

He stood in place, his brow furrowed.

The demon traces were practically right beneath their noses, yet Li Tie patrolled every day—did he really not discover a single trace of demons?

Or... was he hiding something?

He looked toward Li Tie without changing expression, attempting to discern a clue from the second constable's face.

Li Tie maintained his smile and made a gesture of invitation.

"The food and lodging have already been prepared, Head Constable Yang, please."

"Constable Li." Yang Xiao spoke suddenly, raising his head to look at Li Tie. "Since they were abducted by the monsters in the back mountain, why is the demonic qi heavier in the village?"

Li Tie's smile faltered for a moment. "What does Head Constable Yang mean by this?"

Yang Xiao closed the roster and stood up to walk out of the courtyard.

"Just asking casually."

Li Tie's gaze grew slightly dark, and he quickly followed. "Where is Head Constable Yang going?"

Yang Xiao did not look back, walking east along the village path.

"Just looking around."

Zhao Tieniu and the others followed behind, watching their surroundings with guarded expressions, their hands already pressed against their saber hilts, ready to draw their long sabers at any moment.

Along the way, some Li Family Hamlet villagers saw Yang Xiao approaching and hurriedly avoided him from afar.

Yet seeing a group of yamen runners gathered together in the middle of the night, there were also bold ones following distantly behind, wanting to see what was going on.

According to his usual habits, Li Tie would certainly have chased them away, but right now he could no longer afford to care.

At this moment his eyes were full of questions, but seeing Yang Xiao's calm expression, he also felt somewhat uncertain in his heart.

Yang Xiao followed that strand of demonic qi all the way toward the easternmost side of the village.

Along the way, they passed a dozen or so uninhabited courtyards; some were dilapidated and covered in dust with collapsed courtyard walls, while a few others had wide-open gates and cooking smoke rising from the hearths, only there were no signs of anyone moving about inside.

Standing before the empty courtyard gate and feeling the scent and traces lingering in the air, Yang Xiao's expression darkened.

He did not say much, walking straight toward the place sixty feet away where the demonic qi was thickest.

That was a pigpen constructed from thatch and tattered tarps.

Three black pigs were penned inside the enclosure, their waste mixed with mud on the ground, and a stench assaulted the nose the moment one drew near.

When the group approached, they were dozing in the mud, making grunting sounds from their mouths.

They looked completely normal.

"Head Constable Yang, this is just a pigpen." Li Tie poked his head in and looked around with a smile. "It couldn't possibly be that a demon is hiding in a pigpen, could it?"

He spoke in a somewhat bantering tone.

Yang Xiao stopped in his tracks, his gaze landing on the largest black pig furthest inside.

That black pig was a size larger than the others, lying in the corner with its belly rising and falling slightly.

Ordinary people could not spot the problem, but Yang Xiao could smell it very clearly.

Demonic qi, along with the fishy, foul stench of a human body chewed to pieces and mixed with wild boar waste.

He slowly drew the Spring Embroidery Saber at his waist.

Li Tie's expression abruptly changed. "Head Constable Yang, what are you doing?"

Yang Xiao stared at the black pig in the pigpen.

"Investigating a case."

As his words fell, that black pig suddenly opened its eyes, looking at the surrounding crowd with greed and mockery.

It stared at Yang Xiao, the corners of its mouth slowly stretching apart into an exaggerated width capable of swallowing an adult's head, its full mouth of sharp teeth stained with blood filaments releasing an irresistible, foul stench.

"Oink!"

Several villagers outside the pigpen turned pale as paper and bolted away.

"A demon!" Zhao Tieniu's scalp went numb.

That black pig stood up from the mud.

The layers of fat on its body trembled, and its originally roly-poly torso suddenly elongated, its limbs sprawling out and its spine arching.

Crack.

The sound of bones shifting came from within the pigpen.

The black pig bared a full mouth of dense, sharp teeth, and foul-smelling saliva dripped onto the ground, emitting a faint white smoke.

"Human..."

It stared at Yang Xiao, a muffled voice squeezing out from its throat.

"So fragrant..."

Sun Ming's scalp tingled, his entire body trembling with nausea. "What kind of monster is this?"

Li Tie's expression sank.

"Head Constable Yang, be careful. This demon hid itself extremely deeply; I actually failed to discover it beforehand."

He spoke very quickly, as if eager to clear himself of blame.

The black pig demon abruptly crashed through the wooden railing, its massive body lunging forward amid a foul gust of wind.

Several villagers outside the pigpen were frightened into a clumsy scramble.

Zhao Tieniu drew his saber wishing to step forward, but was blocked by Yang Xiao raising a hand.

When everyone encounters advertisements like "Are you a real person?", there is no need to pay attention to them. Just close them and make sure not to scan codes or send text messages!

"Fall back."

As the words fell, the black pig demon had already rushed before him.

Its build was massive, yet its speed was not slow, its tusks thrusting straight at Yang Xiao's chest and abdomen.

Yang Xiao's Astonishing Swan Steps shifted underfoot, his figure gliding past the tusks skin-close.

The long saber slashed down in a smooth motion.

Splatter!

The blade edge swept across the black pig demon's shoulder and back, tearing open thick skin as fresh blood instantly gushed forth.

The black pig demon let out a miserable screech, turning to ram him again.

Yang Xiao's gaze turned slightly cold.

This beast's hide and flesh were very thick; if it were an ordinary yamen runner, a strike with the saber would likely only leave a white mark.

Yet before the Hundred-Refined Edge and the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique, a thick hide merely meant wasting one more strike.

The black pig demon opened its mouth to bite, but Yang Xiao advanced instead of retreating, his left palm slamming out fiercely.

Monument Splitting Palm!

The palm force landed on the black pig demon's lower jaw, and the sound of cracking bones rang out on the spot.

The black pig demon's massive body was knocked listing to one side, its tusks grazing past the edge of Yang Xiao's lapel.

Yang Xiao seized the momentum to step forward, his long saber slicing from bottom to top, precisely cutting into the soft flesh of its neck.

The Demon-Slaying Entry activated.

This cut was extremely deep; blood poured like a waterfall from the black pig demon's neck as the wound continually widened, looking as though it were being ripped apart by some object.

It thrashed madly in pain, its four hooves kicking in disorder and smashing the pigpen into disarray.

"Kill... eat..."

The black pig demon roared in anger, demonic qi surging across its body.

Yet Yang Xiao gave it no opportunity.

Unfurling the Astonishing Swan Steps, a flash of his figure brought him to its side-rear.

The long saber slashed again.

A tendon in its hind leg was severed, and the black pig demon heavily collapsed to its knees.

Yang Xiao gripped the saber with both hands, delivering a final strike that cut in from the neck, nearly severing the entire pig head.

The black pig demon convulsed a few times, its whole body spurting fresh blood for a moment before going completely still.

Outside the pigpen, there was a deathly silence.

Several yamen runners looked at the blood-stained ground, then turned their gaze to Yang Xiao, their eyes filled with awe.

Sun Ming could not help muttering under his breath, "Head Constable Yang is far too fast."

From the black pig demon's violent rampage to its execution, merely a dozen breaths had passed.

If it were them, let alone slaying a demon, simply blocking that first charge would have been a difficult feat.

Li Tie stood nearby, his expression quickly returning to calm.

He clapped his hands and smiled. "Head Constable Yang has superb saber techniques."

"This demon hid inside the pigpen, and I guarded the Li Family Hamlet for many days without discovering it; I am ashamed."

Yang Xiao finally looked over at him.

"Constable Li guarded for many days, and really didn't notice?"

Li Tie's smile remained unchanged.

"Naturally."

"If I had known earlier that a demon was hiding here, how could I have allowed it to harm people?"

Yang Xiao said nothing, turning to walk toward the black pig demon's carcass and raising a hand to slice open its belly.

A foul stench instantly surged out.

Several yamen runners nearly vomited on the spot.

Yet Yang Xiao's expression did not change, picking out several pieces of bone and flesh that had yet to be fully digested from within.

Among them was a piece smaller than a palm, obviously a human skull.

Nearby, a woman saw that skull, and her complexion instantly turned pale as she collapsed to her knees with a thud.

"Yingying's..."

She covered her mouth, tears suddenly welling up and streaming down.

"That's my child!"

An uproar broke out in the courtyard; the missing persons had actually been eaten by a demon hidden right in the village, and what was more, right beneath their very noses!

"Beast." Li Tie's expression turned gloomy. "To dare eat people right under my nose."

He spoke through gnashed teeth.

Yang Xiao wiped the blood from his saber and said indifferently, "Constable Li guarded Li Family Hamlet for many days, while a demon hid in the pigpen eating people."

Li Tie's eyes narrowed slightly. "What does Head Constable Yang mean by those words?"

"It means nothing."

Yang Xiao looked at him.

"I simply feel that this case in Li Family Hamlet is much more interesting than what was written in the dossier."

"Then I'll have to trouble Head Constable Yang to investigate thoroughly." Li Tie smiled, speaking with pointed intent. "Demon calamities are perilous, so Head Constable Yang must be sure to look after your safety."

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