Ping'an Town belonged within Ping'an County, the most basic unit of administration, ranked alongside villages and hamlets, but its chief official did not possess an official rank and was not included in the bureaucratic grading system.
Moreover, in such an ancient world, transportation was inconvenient; unless there was a significant incident to report, the local villages and hamlets would only report to the County Governnt twice a year.
Chen Yuan had only heard of Ping'an Town, but had never visited it.
However, the na gave him an inexplicably familiar feeling.
"Zhao Brother, have you ever been to Ping'an Town?"
From horseback, Chen Yuan turned his head and asked.
"I visited a few years ago, when Ping'an Town experienced a very bizarre incident. Arrest Officer Huang personally led the team to investigate, but unfortunately, they ended up finding nothing."
"Bizarre?"
Chen Yuan's interest was piqued.
"Yes, in a rather remote village in Ping'an Town, twenty-three households disappeared without a trace. It was a big case a few years ago."
"No traces were found at all?"
"None, that village was too remote, seldom interacting with outsiders..."
"Was it the work of Demon Dao evildoers?"
"Uncertain, there were no clues. In the end, the matter just fizzled out." Zhao Ning shook his head slightly.
After two hours, nearing midday, Chen Yuan, Zhao Ning, and a few White Servants finally arrived at Ping'an Town, where Zhao Ning led the way to the residence of Chief Officer Liu Laotie with familiar ease.
Although he did not hold an official rank, Liu Laotie wielded significant power in Ping'an Town and was quite affluent. The clothes he wore were of fine fabric, starkly different from the coarse clothes of the common folk.
"Who might this be?" Liu Laotie cupped his hands towards Zhao Ning, smiling as he looked at Chen Yuan.
"This is a constable who joined last year, Chen Yuan... This gentleman is Elder Liu..." Zhao Ning introduced with a chuckle.
"What Elder Liu? Constable Chen can just call Old Liu," Liu Laotie waved his hand.
Chen Yuan nodded with a smile.
"What brings the two constables to Ping'an Town today? Has the County Magistrate given you any instructions?" Liu Laotie asked tentatively.
Chen Yuan and Zhao Ning exchanged a glance, then spoke in a low voice:
"We are here to search for so fugitives. The County Magistrate is furious, and is thoroughly investigating all villages and hamlets within the County... That is why... we were assigned to Ping'an Town."
"I see..." Liu Laotie appeared relieved.
As long as they weren't after him.
"You constables must be weary from your journey, why not rest here a bit?"
"Then we'll impose upon your hospitality..."
...
After so rry drinking, Liu Laotie's cheeks began to redden, and his voice grew tipsy and slurred. Lurching about, he grabbed Chen Yuan and said:
"Chen Brother, you...."
"Old Liu, has there been any unusual happenings in Ping'an Town recently?" Chen Yuan asked softly, while Zhao Ning had already collapsed unconscious on the table.
"Unusual happenings... Let think, it seems like nothing... Ah, that's right, three days ago Old Chen and his wife died... quite... quite eerily..."
Liu Laotie, burping, spoke haltingly.
"What was eerie about it?" Chen Yuan grew more interested.
"The two of them..."
With a furrowed brow, Chen Yuan left Liu Laotie's ho alone, intending to check out Old Chen's house.
According to Liu Laotie, Old Chen and his wife were hardworking and had not provoked anyone, but they died mysteriously one night three days ago.
They looked as if they had been buried underground for a long ti, turned to mummies. One person who saw them was so scared that they didn't dare to close their eyes for a whole day and night. To this day, their corpses are still in their ho, with few daring to approach.
After asking around in the town, Chen Yuan weaved his way to Old Chen's house.
It was a very dilapidated courtyard, with the door tightly closed. Upon the door were New Year's couplets from years past, now completely faded, threatening to fall off at the slightest breeze.
"Knock knock knock..."
Chen Yuan held the long sword at his waist with one hand and gently knocked on the door with the other.
Old Chen had died, but from Liu Lao San's words, Chen Yuan learned that they had a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old son who had not left ho these past few days.
When Chen Yuan wanted to ask more, Liu Lao San had already stopped moving.
No one dared to go to his house to help, the townspeople all said that his family had provoked so kind of evil spirit, which had sucked them dry of their essence blood, and now the demon worship still lingered in their ho.
Even if soone, out of neighborly kindness, wanted to help, they didn't have the courage.
"Rustle rustle..."
A faint sound of friction ca from the small courtyard.
"Creak..."
The door was pulled open from the inside, and a young boy appeared before Chen Yuan.
The boy was not very old, his head wrapped in a white cap, wearing a linen robe with several noticeable patches on it.
The boy's face was calm, with clear eyes beneath dense eyebrows, looking rather resolute, holding in his hand a cut-out paper figure.
"Is there sothing you need?" the boy asked calmly.
Chen Yuan's brow furrowed, with such a drastic change at ho, a boy of his age should not be this composed, as if what had happened in his house was not a funeral.
"I am Constable Chen Yuan, here to investigate the death of your parents," Chen Yuan said in a low voice.
The boy was startled for a mont, looked up at Chen Yuan, and said softly,
"Lord, please co in."
With an impassive face, Chen Yuan walked into the courtyard, his gaze carefully surveying the small courtyard, which was very simple and nothing out of the ordinary, except for so wood shavings piled up.
"What is this for?"
"Making coffins for my parents."
"At such a young age, you're already capable of this?" Chen Yuan asked in surprise.
"I learned it before..."
"What is your na?" Chen Yuan inquired.
The boy was silent for a long while before he said in a low voice,
"My parents always called Ping'an..."
"Ping'an, Chen Ping'an!!!"
Chen Yuan muttered to himself, why are they all nad Chen Ping'an now?
Huh?
Why use the word 'all'?
"It seems your parents wished for you to be safe and well."
Chen Ping'an did not answer, returning to the small hut to continue shaving wood with his tools, intending to complete the last plank.
Chen Yuan stepped inside the small hut, what appeared before his eyes was a very large coffin, with many imperfections and missing the most important part, the coffin lid, a faint stench of decay wafting out.
Chen Ping'an, expressionless, sanded the plank, unmoved by Chen Yuan's thorough scrutiny, and he didn't cry out for the truth behind his parents' death to be uncovered.
Chen Yuan covered his nose and leaned forward, two withered corpses, their faces twisted in horror as if they had encountered great fear just before death.
Lightly lifting the coarse cloth covering them with a knife, Chen Yuan examined them carefully, but there were no obvious wounds on their bodies, just a red spot at the back of their necks.
"Why didn't you report it to the authorities?" Chen Yuan asked while he observed.
"Would reporting it have been of any use?" Chen Ping'an didn't look up.
"Were you at ho the night your parents died?"
"Yes."
"Did you feel that sothing was not right?"
"Yes."
Chen Ping'an looked up, locking eyes with Chen Yuan.
"Where?"
"I didn't die..."
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