’A Fox Demon?’
Shen Bai frowned as he watched Zhang Chaofeng cry, snot and tears streaming down his face.
’I just dealt with a group of Fox Demons, and now another one shows up,’ Shen Bai thought. ’The mastermind behind this is getting interesting.’
"Old Zhang, calm yourself. Sit down and tell what happened, slowly," Shen Bai soothed.
Reassured by Shen Bai, Zhang Chaofeng found a seat and recounted what had happened.
"I took my wife back to her family’s ho. We’d only had a few peaceful days when a fox suddenly appeared in the village."
"Every day, this fox would bring gifts to the village. The villagers all said it was a Fox Girl repaying a debt of gratitude, that it was an Auspicious Beast."
"But after a few days, the villagers started dying one by one. Every single one of them was found completely withered and emaciated."
"My wife... my child... neither of them escaped. I only survived because I’m not originally from the village."
The more he spoke, the more grief-stricken Zhang Chaofeng beca, until he broke down crying again, tears streaming endlessly down his cheeks.
Shen Bai stroked his chin. "Have you reported this to the authorities since you returned?"
Zhang Chaofeng shook his head. "Not yet. You’re the only person I know in this county town, Shopkeeper, so I ca here first."
Shen Bai thought for a mont. "Co with . We’ll report it to the Governnt Office first."
He knew of Zhang Chaofeng’s village. It was quite a distance from Shengyun County, a journey of several hours round trip.
Now that there were murders, Shen Bai felt the first step was to report it to the Governnt Office.
"It seems there’s more than one Fox Demon involved," Qin Shuang said.
Zhang Chaofeng seed to notice Qin Shuang’s presence for the first ti. As he registered her, his sobs quieted. "This young lady is...?"
"We can talk about that later," Shen Bai said. "Reporting this is the priority."
’Just as Qin Shuang said,’ Shen Bai mused, ’our opponent produced two Fox Demons by the river. It’s not surprising for another to show up now.’
’When it cos to Information, the Governnt Office has far more than I do. Reporting to them first to see what they know is the best course of action.’
With that thought, Shen Bai led Zhang Chaofeng and Qin Shuang toward the Governnt Office.
...
「County Magistrate’s Office.」
"What? An entire village is dead?"
Chief Zheng’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
They had just dealt with the Fox Demon by the river, and now an entire village had been wiped out. The case was escalating.
And with the Observatory’s inspection currently underway, Chief Zheng couldn’t help but worry for the County Magistrate.
He had a feeling that the County Magistrate’s chances for promotion were completely shot. At this point, he’d be lucky just to keep his current position.
Of course, worrying was one thing, but the matter had to be resolved.
"Zhou Qing! Gather the n! We’re moving out!"
At his side, Zhou Qing nodded and imdiately went to summon the constables.
Before long, the constables had assembled in the front courtyard of the County Magistrate’s Office.
Since Shen Bai had brought Zhang Chaofeng, he too waited in the courtyard.
At this mont, Shen Bai noticed sothing was off and frowned.
"Sothing this major has happened, and the County Magistrate hasn’t even made an appearance?"
Logically, the County Magistrate should have been present for a murder case of this magnitude. Yet now he was letting Chief Zheng handle everything, which was rather improper.
Hearing his question, Chief Zheng explained, "The Observatory’s visit is a major event. The County Magistrate is still preparing various materials for their inspection, so it isn’t convenient for him to co out."
"Besides, even if he did co out, he’d just order us to go and conduct the Investigation anyway."
Shen Bai nodded. "I heard the County Magistrate has a nephew working at the Governnt Office. Why haven’t I seen him?"
A trace of contempt entered Chief Zheng’s voice. "Heh. He’s busy trying to improve his strength. Why would he have ti for drudgery like this? The man’s waiting to get into the Observatory."
In the entire Governnt Office, only Chief Zheng would dare to speak so bluntly.
The reason was simple: Chief Zheng himself ca from the Jianghu, and with his strength at the Three Treasures Realm, he could afford to be this outspoken in the County Magistrate’s Office.
"Let’s go. Shopkeeper Shen, are you coming with us?" Chief Zheng asked.
Shen Bai nodded. "The trouble involves an appraiser from my pawnshop. Of course I’m going."
’Fox Demons are anomalies,’ Shen Bai thought. ’I might have two strands of Evil Qi now, but you can never have too much Evil Qi.’
’I need it for appraisal, and I need it for transformation. I should collect as much as I can.’
’If I get the chance, I wouldn’t mind picking up another strand of Evil Qi.’
Chief Zheng heard his reasoning and agreed it made sense. He then turned his gaze to Qin Shuang. "And this young lady...?"
"A distant relative," Qin Shuang stated confidently. "I’m going too."
Chief Zheng took her at her word. After all, Shen Bai and Zhou Qing were close, so he didn’t press the issue.
Once all the constables had gathered, the group set out for the village where Zhang Chaofeng’s wife’s family lived.
...
Huayun Village was extrely remote, even by the standards of Shengyun County.
By the ti the group arrived, it was the dead of night.
Standing at the entrance to the village, Shen Bai caught the faint sll of blood.
The scent was especially nauseating in the dead of night.
Chief Zheng was a veteran of the Jianghu. He imdiately waved his hand. "Let’s go in and see."
Without hesitation, the group entered the village.
The village was pitch-black.
In the dead of night, it emanated a heart-stopping, deathly stillness.
As Shen Bai stepped inside, he took in the horrific sight.
Corpses were everywhere.
Every corpse was withered like dry firewood, as if their Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been completely drained.
’Fox Demon anomalies have two ways of harming people.’
’One is to harm them under the guise of repaying a kindness, gradually whittling away their Essence, Qi, and Spirit.’
’This is clearly a case of that thod.’
The grueso sight seed to reawaken Zhang Chaofeng’s painful mories. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with grief.
Chief Zheng drew the long saber from his waist. "Search the entire village," he said slowly.
Zhou Qing and the other constables nodded, then broke off into pairs and threes to search the village.
After a mont’s thought, Shen Bai decided to stick with Zhou Qing, and they ford a small group.
Before long, the constables had searched the village from top to bottom.
Shen Bai and Zhou Qing found nothing. However, another constable ca rushing up to Chief Zheng, holding a letter.
"I found this letter in the village’s ancestral hall," the constable reported.
Shen Bai observed from a distance. He could see that the ink on the letter was still fresh, and it showed no signs of having been opened.
Chief Zheng opened the letter and read it carefully. A mont later, his fist clenched, crumpling the page in his hand.
His knuckles turned white as a wave of fury visibly rose within him.
"Beast! What a vile beast!"
Hearing this, Shen Bai stepped forward. "Chief Zheng, this matter concerns my pawnshop’s appraiser. May I see the letter?"
Chief Zheng took a breath to compose himself and handed the crumpled letter to Shen Bai.
Shen Bai took the letter, smoothed out the crumpled paper, and read it from beginning to end. When he finished, his eyes narrowed.
’This guy... He’s actually from Shengyun County?’
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