The puppet that killed the Laoshi'er was quickly smashed to pieces by the Ghost Child. After all, it was just a magic puppet that could launch a surprise attack on the Laoshi'er, but its ability in a direct confrontation was definitely no match for the Ghost Child.
After the puppet was destroyed, no one immediately tracked down Shen Laoliu's location because the test was not yet over!
No one knew if there were others like that around them, and because of Shen Shi'er's tragic death, everyone became more wary of those around them.
Looking at the blood, flesh, and entrails of the Laoshi'er scattered on the ground, Chen Qing sighed and shook his head, "It's a pity about what happened to the Twelfth Master, but now is not the time to be sad. We need to find all the monsters as soon as possible. Which master would like to go first?"
"I'll do it!" Shen Laosi said in a low voice. Everyone's eyes lit up. Since Laosi had volunteered, he was probably fine with it. So, could the last one be one of those two juniors?
With these questions in mind, Chen Qing began to investigate one by one, but the result was quite unexpected!
There were no problems at all!!!
After the Laoshiyi, Shen Yisen, also confirmed that everything was correct, the atmosphere in the Shen Family relaxed considerably, but Chen Qing's heart grew heavy!
According to intelligence, there's one more!
Of the four escaped insects, one parasitized the body of the Laoda of the Shen Family, one is now confirmed to be Sixth Master Shen, and since Sixth Master Shen has a problem, Fifth Master Shen is also highly likely to have a problem. But there are only three? Where did the other one go?
Surely it wasn't killed before it even had a chance to parasitize?
Chen Qing felt a slight sense of relief at this thought. If that were the case, it would be somewhat better, because even if the worst-case scenario of Sixth Master Shen being a parasite occurred, it would be out in the open, at least there would be some preparation. What he disliked most was an existence hidden in the shadows, one that he was unaware of.
" Lord Chen?"
After examining him, everyone silently picked up the flesh and blood of the Laoshi'er. Looking at Chen Qing, who seemed to be still deep in thought, Shen Laoqi hesitated for a moment and asked in a relatively gentle tone, "Is there anything else you can't figure out?"
Although Chen Qing's arrival indirectly led to Laoliu's premature attack and the tragic death of Twelve, everyone was reasonable and knew that without Chen Qing, Laoliu might have done even worse in secret. Moreover, thanks to this mysterious little guy, the dark clouds that had been hanging over the Shen Family for many years were lifted!
Ever since everyone suspected that a monster had infiltrated the Shen Family, they have all been wary of each other, and no one can truly trust each other, especially Shen Laoqi. Because his skills are so formidable, he can clearly feel the suspicion that everyone has towards him over the years.
Now that the dark clouds have cleared, in just a short while, he could feel the closeness between the Laosi and Laoshiyi, which he had to admit was all thanks to this stranger.
Chen Qing smiled upon hearing this, "It's nothing, I just didn't expect it."
Chen Qing felt it wasn't appropriate to mention the hidden insect now, as it would dampen morale.
"Our most urgent task now is to find Sixth Master Shen and prevent him from escaping the city. Otherwise, once Sixth Master Shen escapes outside the city, we can be trapped indefinitely by the magical array Nanyang City."
"He can't escape!" the Laoqi sneered.
At this moment, a giant eye opened in the sky above Nanyang City, causing the people of Nanyang City to be terrified. A giant eye also opened above each of the four city gates of Nanyang City.
Correspondingly, several crystal ball-like objects floated up in the room. Inside the crystal balls was the entire viewpoint of the Sky Thousand Eyes. Everyone in the room, including Chen Qing, could see the entire Nanyang City clearly through the crystal balls. It was truly a 360-degree, ultra-clear view with no blind spots. Chen Qing felt that it was even more amazing than the Sky Eye system in modern Central China!
"It's not just Laoliu who wants to blockade Nanyang!" Shen Laoqi said coldly. "If he dares to show his face in the city, I'll catch him immediately, tear him from Laoliu's body, soak him in poison, and subject him to unimaginable torture!"
Everyone was immediately relieved. With Seventh Master Shen's Thousand Eyes Spell fully activated, it was impossible for Sixth Master Shen to escape Nanyang City silently.
But just as I was thinking this, an unexpected scene unfolded.
"Huh? That's Sixth Brother. Oh no, it's that monster!" Laoshi said, pointing to one of the mirrors.
The Laoqi and the others frowned and looked over, immediately puzzled. Laoliu just walked out so casually?
"No, that's not right." Chen Qing suddenly realized what Sixth Master Shen was trying to do. "Sixth Master wants to use all the ordinary people in Nanyang City as hostages!"
Everyone was stunned and their hearts skipped a beat. Sure enough, in the next instant, the figure of Sixth Master Shen appeared in every street. Their clothes and appearance were almost identical, making it impossible to tell the real one from the fake one. The key thing was that these suddenly appearing Sixth Master Shen did not hesitate to start a massacre in the bustling streets!
All the crystal balls displayed incredibly bloody scenes of massacre, indiscriminate killing of men, women, and children, without any pattern or pattern, covering a large area and almost instantly staining the entire streets of Nanyang red!
"Damn it!!"
Shen Laosi's eyes widened in fury!
The Laoqi, however, remained relatively calm. "The master is right, that guy... he's trying to use mortals as a threat."
Nearly nine hundred puppets appeared simultaneously, all of them high-level mechanical puppets, indistinguishable from real ones, and possessing considerable destructive power. They also appeared in extremely scattered locations, spread throughout various parts of Nanyang.
Hundreds of the puppets seized the opportunity to escape towards different city gates, while the remaining eight hundred puppets engaged in a chaotic and bloody massacre within the city.
At this point, a difficult problem was presented to everyone present.
Should we stop Laoliu from escaping, or rush to rescue the people of Nanyang City?
It's impossible to have both sides. The Laoqi knows very well what kind of strength the Laoliu has. If they want to stop him from escaping, there would need to be at least two Shen Family at each city gate. Apart from the Laosi, the rest of them could be killed by the Laoliu alone!
In the current situation, the combination that can hold off the Laoliu is Laosi fourth brother leading the Laoshiyi, himself leading the Laoshi, and the mysterious prefect in front of us with that doll-like demon. They can guard three city gates. The fourth city gate was sealed a long time ago, and if the Laoliu tries to take that route, he won't be able to get through immediately. They can barely manage to block the Laoliu for a short time.
But the key point is that in this way, Laoliu could probably slaughter more than 100,000 people in Nanyang City in less than an hour!
However, if we choose to stop the puppets in the city, even sending just one Shen Family to support the city would not guarantee the defense of the city gates!
" Seventh Brother, what should we do?" The Laoshi looked at the massacre in the room, his brows furrowed, appearing somewhat anxious.
Nanyang is the Shen Family's stronghold. There are many wealthy merchant families in Nanyang City who have cooperated with the Shen Family for hundreds of years. They have become rich by relying on the Shen Family's protection, but they have also made many contributions. In addition to trade and mutual benefit, the scholars among the sons of these families occupy most of the official positions in Jiangnan, which is the foundation for the Shen Family to maintain its status in Jiangnan.
These people cannot die; without them, rebuilding will be incredibly difficult!
Chen Qing also secretly and quickly observed the residents, feeling extremely nervous.
Such indiscriminate slaughter could potentially harm his own family members, and he could see through the crystal ball that his mother and sister-in-law were also among the chaotic crowd in the city!
"Help!"
Without hesitation, Chen Qing spoke up.
The Laoshi frowned and looked at Chen Qing. Although he had been a great help, it wasn't his place to give orders yet, was it?
"Could we reorganize things a bit?" the Laosi frowned. "Let the fastest one, the Laoshi, go into the city to provide reinforcements, and I'll guard one of the city gates by myself!"
The Laoqi's eyes lit up upon hearing this; that was indeed a good idea.
"That's inappropriate." Chen Qing shook his head directly.
The Laoshi frowned, but the Laoqi looked at Chen Qing with respect. "Why do you say that, Lord Chen?"
"Because it's possible that the monster never intended to escape in the first place, but instead stayed in the city to hunt down any isolated Shen Family."
Have you ever considered that the reason he chose to kill Shen Shi'er first is because Twelfth Master's techniques are best suited for breaking formations? After Twelfth Master, the most threatening ones are Seventh Master and Tenth Master. If the two of you are killed alone, even if he stays in Liuzhou City, we will have almost no way to deal with him!
Upon hearing this, the Laoqi immediately nodded. " Lord Chen is right, we didn't consider things thoroughly!"
"What should we do then?" the Laoshi asked anxiously.
"Work in groups of three, prioritizing your own safety. Rescue people first. Even if the monster escapes, I have other plans."
Upon hearing this, the Laoqi and the Laosi exchanged a glance, and then the seventh brother asked, "What do you think is the best way to divide them into groups, sir?"
"How about the three of you, Tenth Master and I together?" Chen Qing asked, squinting.
"Huh?" Laoshi looked at Chen Qing in astonishment. He had the worst attitude towards this guy, so why was he chosen? Was he trying to mess with him?
"Alright!" The Laoqi smiled, a hint of something deeper in his eyes. "I'll leave the Laoshi!"
"Who needs him to take care of them?" Shen Laoshi said angrily.
"Don't worry, Seventh Master!" Chen Qing solemnly promised.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yifeng bowed and then quickly led the other two out of the restaurant.
--
" Seventh Brother, is it appropriate to hand Tenth Brother over to him like this?" The Laoshiyi, who seemed noticeably more mature than the Laoshi, only asked this question once they were outside.
"If he chose me or you, I would still have some doubts, but I'm relieved that he chose Laoshi."
"Why is that?" Shiyi asked in astonishment.
"I've observed carefully just now, and it seems this Lord Chen has relatives in Nanyang City!"
"Ah??"
This surprised not only Shiyi, but even Laosi: "Really?"
"He hid it well, but he couldn't hide it from me. Because as soon as he looked at my crystal ball, my crystal ball could also notice his gaze. In those seventeen brief glances just now, he kept glancing at the fourth ball, which is the location on Nanyang North Street."
"What if he's really interested in that position?" Shen Laosi frowned. "How can you be sure he has relatives there?"
"You may have all forgotten that when General Hong Rui returned to Nanyang a month ago, he brought a group of strangers back to his residence, claiming that he was helping a certain official pick up a relative. With the drastic changes in the situation these past few days, no one has paid attention to this useless general's affairs. But now, thinking about it, is it possible that the relative of the certain official that the good-for-nothing general mentioned is this Lord Chen?"
"I see!" The Laosi stamped his foot in surprise. "So he sought out the Laoshi to try and rescue his relatives faster?"
"Hmm," Shen Laoqi said quietly, "This kid is indeed very composed. He didn't show the slightest panic even after Laoliu's massacre. His composure is truly remarkable. But unfortunately, Laoliu is an even more meticulous person than me, and he probably guessed it too!"