"Let’s go~!"
The others nearby all joined in, pushing past the few constables blocking their way and heading up the mountain.
"Lunatics, all of them!"
Sun Zhenyao cursed in exasperation, but he was powerless to stop them.
CLIP-CLOP-CLOP~
Gu Zheng and his two companions rode over at that mont, pulling their three horses to a stop by the side of the road.
"Are you the Chief Constable of Daping County?"
"I am."
Sun Zhenyao answered casually, turning to look at Gu Zheng’s trio.
The next mont, his eyes widened. He hurried down a few steps, bowed, and called out, "Sun Zhenyao greets you, my lords!"
"Greetings, my lords!"
Hearing this, the other constables nearby imdiately followed suit, bowing and calling out as well.
Demon-Suppressing Armor!
All three of them wore armor that radiated an intimidating presence.
Gu Zheng’s Starry Sky Cloak was especially eye-catching.
Only the Demon Suppression Guards of the Demon Slayer Bureau dressed like this.
Upon seeing Gu Zheng and his companions, the anxiety, frustration, helplessness, frenzy, and fear that had plagued Sun Zhenyao for the past half-month were instantly swept away.
Soone had finally arrived from above. He was no longer helpless and powerless.
"There’s no need for such formalities."
Gu Zheng raised a hand and said calmly, "Tell what was just happening. Digging up graves? Why are they digging up graves?"
"They... they want to resurrect their dead parents and children."
Sun Zhenyao straightened up and said with a helpless tone, "You may not be aware, my lord, but for the last half-month, Daping County has been experiencing a series of bizarre incidents where the dead are returning to life."
"These people had been dead for days—so from illness, so from drowning themselves in the river, so murdered... But after just one night, they all ca back to life the next day!"
Gu Zheng was silent.
Zhang Boshong and Yan Hongxue were also quiet, though a flash of astonishnt crossed their eyes.
"Continue," Gu Zheng said with a lift of his chin.
"Yes, my lord." Sun Zhenyao took a deep breath and continued his story. "At first, everyone was terrified of these resurrected people. But soon, they discovered that aside from being a little pale and cold to the touch, the risen dead were no different from ordinary people. They could eat, drink, sleep, and run. Excitent replaced fear, and everyone was overjoyed."
"Initially, I didn’t think much of it either. But after a few days, I noticed that the resurrected people were behaving strangely. As soon as night fell, they would beco completely motionless. It looked like they were asleep—their chests would rise and fall, and you could feel their breath."
"But anyone who got close to them would also start to turn pale and cold."
"Sothing is clearly wrong with them!"
Sun Zhenyao trembled slightly, his voice shaking. "I’ve realized that these risen dead are slowly changing Daping County. It’s like they want to turn everyone in the entire county into so half-dead version of themselves."
"But no one else sees it! They’re not scared at all. In fact, they think this resurrection is a wonderful thing. Just like those people, like Hu Mazi, who want to dig up parents who have been dead for a month."
"Because ten days ago, soone dug up his wife who’d been dead for three months, and the very next day, she ca back to life..."
"Wait!"
Yan Hongxue couldn’t help but interrupt. "How long did you say they were dead before being dug up? Three months? Buried for three months, and the body hadn’t decomposed to bones?"
"N-No, it hadn’t."
Sun Zhenyao stamred, "That’s exactly why I’m so scared! A body not decomposing after three months—that’s just impossible under normal circumstances. And it’s even more impossible for it to be dug up, left out for a night, and then resurrect the next day. There’s definitely sothing wrong here!"
"There is indeed a problem."
Gu Zheng spoke calmly. "Set everything else aside for now. Take us to the ho of one of these resurrected people. We want to see one with our own eyes."
"Alright."
Sun Zhenyao nodded firmly and gestured. "This way, my lord. There’s a village nearby with three families who have had soone co back to life."
With that, he signaled to a few of his constables, who then led the way.
Gu Zheng and his two companions followed behind on horseback.
They followed the main road for about a hundred ters, then turned onto a small path that led through a grove and into a village.
In the village, elderly people were nding clothes in their doorways, children were playing, and able-bodied n were chopping wood.
The arrival of Sun Zhenyao and his n, especially with Gu Zheng’s group on their tall horses, imdiately drew stares from all around.
However, no one dared to approach, let alone ask any questions.
Finally, Sun Zhenyao led Gu Zheng’s trio to a stop in front of a house.
"My lord, this is the place. One of the three households with a resurrected person."
After reporting to Gu Zheng, Sun Zhenyao stood at the door and shouted inside, "Old Zhang, co on out! An official wants to see your Tiezhu."
"Coming, coming."
From the dim, thatched-roof house erged a white-haired old man. His back was hunched, his face deathly pale, and his body swayed. He looked terribly frail.
"Old Zhang, what’s happened to you?"
Sun Zhenyao was startled by the old man’s appearance. He turned to Gu Zheng and said, "My lord, when I saw Old Zhang three days ago, he wasn’t like this. He could still walk without swaying."
Gu Zheng remained silent.
Zhang Boshong and Yan Hongxue, however, furrowed their brows.
"Such pure Yin Qi."
Yan Hongxue stared intently at Old Zhang and said in a low voice, "If my cultivation hadn’t improved recently, I wouldn’t have been able to detect the Demon Qi hidden within this Yin Qi!"
That’s right, Demon Qi!
While Yan Hongxue could only sense it, Gu Zheng, using his Dark Vision, could actually see wisps of Demon Qi mixed in with the streams of Yin Qi.
And this Yin Qi and Demon Qi were weaving through the old man’s body, bizarrely and almost magically infecting, rging with, and assimilating his life force!
"Wh-What Demon Qi? Yin Qi?"
Stared at so intensely by the group, Old Zhang jumped in fright and asked timidly, "Chief Sun, do... do these three lords have so business with my son?"
"We’ll see if there’s any business after you call your Tiezhu out."
Suppressing his fear, Sun Zhenyao shouted into the house, "Zhang Tiezhu, get out here! Weren’t you going to help your father with his chores? Why are you hiding in the house all day?"
Silence.
Not a single sound ca from the dim house.
"W-Well, my lords, my Tiezhu caught a cold. He can’t see any visitors these past few days."
Old Zhang stamred, explaining in a quavering voice, "W-When his cold gets better, I’ll definitely have him..."
"That won’t be necessary."
Gu Zheng raised a hand, gesturing to Zhang Boshong. "Zhang," he said calmly, "I’ll trouble you to go in and bring him out."
"Understood."
Zhang Boshong swung himself off his horse and strode into the house, brushing past Old Zhang’s panicked attempt to block him.
A mont later, a pale man of about thirty, who exuded an icy aura, was dragged out single-handedly by Zhang Boshong and thrown to the ground, roaring and struggling all the while.
"My son!"
Old Zhang cried out in anguish and lunged forward to embrace the man.
SWISH~
Gu Zheng’s Dark Vision locked onto the man, his Spirit focused.
Sure enough, he could clearly see a translucent, illusory figure inside the man’s body.
Spirit Capturing!
WHOOSH~
The man on the ground was seized by an invisible force, his entire body floating up and toward Gu Zheng.
But Gu Zheng imdiately released his grip, stopping the Spirit Capturing technique with a look of astonishnt.
’Spirit Capturing actually failed...’
’No, to be precise, the illusory figure inside the man has completely fused with his physical body!’
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