The waiter was just an ordinary person and probably didn't know that 99% of missing persons cases were caused by demons and evil spirits, and that the government was powerless to do anything about it.
Not only did they fail to resolve the issue, but they also beat up the person who inquired, which shows what kind of people the officials in Pingshan County are.
Treat headaches by treating the mouth, foot aches by treating the mouth, treat aches anywhere by treating the mouth.
In their view, as long as they can't speak, they won't feel pain.
Not only do they fail to protect their own people, but they also subject them to all sorts of bullying and oppression, which is truly disgusting.
Xu Long sighed and gestured for the waiter to leave.
The sun sets in the west, and the moon rises in the east.
Xu Long sat at the table, a flickering oil lamp casting a faint light that dispelled the surrounding darkness.
Several books were laid out in front of Xu Long; these were the county annals of Pingshan County, recording the major and minor events that had occurred in Pingshan County in recent years.
The amount of information recorded in county annals is related to factors such as the length of time the county existed, the competence of officials, geographical location, and local customs.
Generally, the longer a town has existed, the more records it will have in the county annals.
The more capable the official, the better the geographical location, and the more simple the local customs, the fewer records there will be.
vice versa.
For certain reasons, the county annals of Pingshan County only contain the last ten years, but the records are still quite comprehensive.
"In the seventh month of the Dingmao year, the sound of a woman crying was heard in the eastern suburbs. Three yamen runners went to investigate, but all of them disappeared. The crying then disappeared, only to reappear seven days later."
In the tenth month of the Dingmao year, a beggar was wandering in the western suburbs when the night watchman disappeared.
"In the twelfth month of the Dingmao year, a weight was floating in the river outside the city; two fishermen..."
"..."
The year Dingmao alone has over twenty records; what about the unrecorded ones? What about the other counties? What about the entire prefecture?
Ten years? One hundred years?
Humanity's survival to this day has truly been a struggle.
Xu Long sighed, feeling that the situation was worse than he had imagined.
He closed the county gazetteer and reached out to open another book.
It was midnight, and the scholar was reading by candlelight when he suddenly heard a woman murmuring softly, her voice lingering and lewd, arousing his desires. Hearing this, the scholar angrily shouted, and the woman, frightened, fled.
"The bronze hammer pierced through the clouds and fell upon the head of King of Zhao. Afterwards, his blood and qi soared into the sky, blood light filled the heavens, tigers and wolves were terrified, ghosts and gods fled in panic, insects and ants fell silent, and no one dared to speak."
"..."
"His qi and blood surged to the sky, and blood light filled the air; he must have reached the level of 'Blood-Changing Realm- Organ-Replacing Realm- repairing.' His abundant qi and blood power caused immense damage to evil spirits."
Xu Long murmured, "As for the scholar, it must be the power of the soul."
Ancient scholars read the books of sages and practiced the ways of Saint, cultivating a noble and righteous spirit within their hearts.
Evil spirits dare not approach, and ghosts and gods cannot invade.
A good-for-nothing like Ning Caichen is a pure insult to scholars.
Of course, this only refers to ancient times, and only a part of ancient times.
Many modern readers have lost their integrity and read purely for the sake of reading.
This is not a problem with intellectuals, but rather that society no longer needs intellectuals who have courage, integrity, and a sense of responsibility.
The donkeys in the production team don't need to think; they just need to work.
"The old man named Lan Shou whom I met in Yin Nest Qianlie County, had a very strange soul."
Xu Long pondered to himself, his eyes fixed on the flickering flame of the oil lamp, but his mind was already wandering far away.
He seemed unaware that a blood-red shadow had silently appeared outside the window and then quickly disappeared.
The oil lamp's flame flickered, and Xu Long's shadow pressed against the wall behind him.
With bared fangs and claws, it resembled a demon howling, appearing extremely mournful.
A streak of blood squeezed in from the wall behind them, cautiously and clumsily, as if with great effort.
The night was dark and the wind was high; dawn was silent.
Xu Long was lost in thought, staring blankly ahead as the oil lamp slowly burned, its flame flickering gently.
The crimson hue behind them had completely squeezed in, slowly approaching in the silent darkness.
"You've come."
Just as the crimson shadow was about to pounce, a voice suddenly rang out.
Xu Long turned around at some point, his bright eyes scrutinizing it from head to toe.
It was a demon-like creature, its muscles bulging, its gaping maw filled with sharp teeth, and its claws as sharp as daggers.
bite!
The sound was crisp and clear, quite distinct in the pitch-black night.
Without hesitation, the evil spirit attacked, but was easily repelled by Xu Long.
Its sharp claws were all broken off, and its hand, larger than a human face, hung limply, with black bones even visible as they tore through the flesh.
"He's clearly a muscular hunk, yet he can walk through walls. That's interesting."
Xu Long flicked his finger, sending a gust of wind flying, intending to destroy the thing.
But the demon's body was like a phantom, and it was directly pierced through.
puff!
A large hole appeared in the wall behind them, and the evil spirit vanished without a trace.
The next second, a gentle voice suddenly rang out, full of allure and charm.
"Young master... come and play..."
"Fuck your mother!"
Xu Long chuckled, but showed no impatience. Instead, he drew his World-Breaking Blade and slashed backward.
Sizzle!
The body, as muscular as a muscular physique, was torn in half, yet it suffered no damage whatsoever.
The crimson figure swayed for a moment, then vanished without a trace, reappearing fully recovered.
"Young master... come and play..."
A seductive, alluring voice emanated from the demon's mouth, carrying a strange power that could bewitch anyone.
Unfortunately, this was precisely what Xu Long feared least; even if it shouted itself hoarse, it wouldn't have the slightest effect on Xu Long.
The demon swayed its body; it was hard to imagine that something stronger than an ox could be so flamboyant.
"Do you really think you've got me cornered?"
Xu Long chuckled and ignored the evil spirit, instead reaching out to pinch the oil lamp on the table.
"You..."
Upon seeing Xu Long's actions, the evil spirit was immediately alarmed.
It wanted to stop it, but the difference in strength was too great, and it had no chance of succeeding.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice you hiding inside the oil lamp?"
Xu Long gently flicked the flame, and the flickering flame transformed into a miniature woman.
Dressed in red, holding a toy horse-drawn carriage, her face was filled with fear.
"Don't kill me... I am..."
The woman screamed and instinctively tried to run, but Xu Long didn't give her a chance and simply opened his mouth and threw her in.
The firelight flickered, and the dark shadows clung to the wall, appearing even more ferocious than demons.
This thing is not a living being, but a soul mixed with filthy forces such as yin energy, blood energy, evil energy, and malevolent energy.
It has little memory and no reason; it acts primarily on instinct.
As for why it can talk, it's simply because so many people eat it, and it naturally learns to do so.
" The Marquis of Youzhou? Ha, the first big fish has appeared so quickly."
After sorting through the demon's memories, Xu Long smiled slightly.
The existence of kings, nobles, and powerful families is one of the root causes of the chaos in this world.
Xu Long has found clues in less than half a month since his arrival.
One is the Tushan Clan, a demon family that is relatively close to humans.
A Marquis of Youzhou, the backer of that evil spirit just now.
Although the Tushan Clan are also demons, they have intermarried with humans since ancient times and have been of great help to humanity.
Purebred Tushan demons are now extremely rare, while their hybrid offspring are gaining increasing power.
The mixed-race fox demons all changed their surname to Su. Apart from possessing demonic powers, they were not much different from humans, except that they were more handsome.
Pure-blooded Tushan fox demons will not eat people unless absolutely necessary.
The reason Xu Long didn't kill Ruyue but instead helped her purify her bloodline and increase her strength was this.
Leave a hidden plan; it might come in handy later.
As for the other demons, they were all killed.
Evil spirits are different from demons; they are born with a hatred for all living things and, apart from the strongest kings and nobles, they have little intelligence.
Xu Long planned to talk to the Marquis of Youzhou; what kind of deal they could reach depended on their respective strengths.
That muscular thug was just a minor incident. Xu Long sat back down at the table and continued reading the county annals.
If such a small Pingshan County had so many demons and evil spirits, imagine how many people would have died every day in the vast Great Tang.
As the main force in the Great Tang to deal with demons and evil spirits, the Good People Bureau was probably already exhausted.
As a human being, Xu Long naturally stands on the side of humanity.
He will leave here in a few days.
While it can't solve the treacherous Yin Nest, dealing with a few kings and nobles shouldn't be a problem.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was midnight.
The surroundings were deathly silent; even the sound of the wind outside the window gradually quieted down.
Looking out the window, though it was pitch black, it was as bright as day in Xu Long's eyes.
"That old fortune teller said I would die within three days, and today is the last day. It seems he's just spouting nonsense."
Xu Long shook his head. He always felt that the old guy was unusual, but now it seemed that he was just an old swindler who roamed the world.
rustle!
rustle!
A faint sound suddenly arose, rustling and barely perceptible.
If Xu Long hadn't been so sharp-eyed and perceptive, he really wouldn't have noticed.
Looking up, I saw a producer, about the size of my palm, crawl in through the crack on the windowsill.
It is pure white, holds a paper spear, and has obvious folding marks on the edges of its body.
This is a paper figure, a paper figure created using magic.
Upon entering the room, the paper figure rapidly grew larger, becoming the size of a normal person in the blink of an eye.
Xu Long didn't rush to make a move, but instead used his mental power to analyze the situation.
"It's just ordinary paper, but it's imbued with a peculiar power that gives it the ability to move. This power isn't manipulated; rather, it's like a program—once it's injected, the connection is severed."
A smile crept onto Xu Long's lips. His feeling was right; that old swindler really did have some skill.
Although the connection was severed, with Xu Long's strength and methods, it wouldn't be difficult to find him by following the cause and effect.
They don't even need to meet in person; a single talisman can make the other person wish they were dead, and even bring misfortune to all their blood relatives.
Therefore, Xu Long didn't rush to take action, but first observed what the paper figure intended to do.
Upon seeing Xu Long, the paper figure did not hesitate and thrust the spear fiercely at him.
If it were an ordinary person, being stabbed like that would instantly result in serious injury.
However, Xu Long's strength far exceeded the old swindler's imagination. The spear was directly blocked by the Soul Crystal Wall and instantly twisted into a piece of waste paper.
Upon seeing the weapon destroyed, the paper figure was immediately alarmed.
He casually tossed the spear to the ground, his body rapidly shrank, and he darted out the window.
However, as soon as he lifted his leg, a huge suction force came from behind.
"Possessing only basic intelligence, knowing fear, and knowing how to run away. That old swindler isn't very strong, but his methods are quite clever."
Xu Long nodded, his expression quite appreciative.
This thing looks impressive, but in the eyes of an expert like him, it's just trash.
Xu Long casually crushed the paper figure and waited while reading his book.
The fact that this old swindler would attempt to kill someone just because he wouldn't pay shows he must be a mean-spirited, despicable, and shameless person.
If one strike misses, another will surely follow.
Sure enough, less than half an hour later, something else arrived.
This time it's not a paper figure, but an iron man.
It has a copper skin and an iron body, making it extremely hard.
Of course, this only applies to ordinary people.
Clad in iron armor, wielding a steel fork, with a blue face and fangs, it is clearly the image of a yaksha from some cults.
Having no interest in wasting time on this thing, I flicked my finger and shattered it.
Snap!
It was like porcelain shattering and iron figures scattered all over the ground.
However, Xu Long was stunned the next moment.
This isn't an iron man, it's a clay man.
"Interesting, very interesting, it actually fooled my eyes."
A quick scan with his mental power confirmed that the thing was indeed a clay figure.
But when he's not using telekinesis, he's an iron man simply by observing with his eyes.
It can only be said that although the old swindler wasn't very capable, his methods were still quite clever.
"First paper figures, then clay figures, what's next?"
Xu Long shook his head and continued reading.
The plan has been set and will not be easily changed.
He will go to find the Marquis of Youzhou after dawn tomorrow, and will arrive at dusk.
The villain didn't have many memories of the previous incident; they were mostly fragmented accounts of cannibalism, and his arrival at the door was purely coincidental.
Evil spirits have virtually no intelligence or reason; they simply choose their targets randomly.
If you can beat them, eat them; if you can't, run away.
Of course, there are also unlucky times, like today, when I ran into Xu Long and got ripped off.
The wait was rather long, a full half hour, but the attacking creatures were far more powerful than the paper figures and the natives.
Rumble!
The mountains shook and the earth trembled; even the three-story inn shook.
Xu Long looked out the window and a surge of anger welled up inside him.
Then they saw a minotaur, about ten meters tall, walking towards them!
His muscles bulged, and he gripped a giant axe.
One swing of the axe and the entire inn would be smashed to pieces.
"That old swindler... I was originally going to spare your life..."
Xu Long snorted coldly, flicked his finger and shot out a wisp of energy, killing the giant minotaur.
Xu Long wouldn't be angry if it were just about dealing with him.
There are many mean-spirited and petty people who can be easily killed, but the old swindler's actions crossed Xu Long's bottom line, and he couldn't just let it go.
Because of his own selfishness, he implicated all the strangers in the inn.
If you're so powerful, why don't you go kill the demons of the noble families? Why don't you deal with the evil spirits under the command of kings and nobles?
To put it bluntly, he's nothing but a useless coward who only knows how to bully his own kind.
When they needed you, you not only didn't help, but you also sided with other races against your own people.
Yellow skin, Blackheart, servile nature deeply ingrained.
A bunch of good-for-nothings whose entire families are dead!