Heavenly Yang Mountain, Li Family Camp.
Li Kefa's face was dark as he looked over the camp. The officials from Water Buffalo County were busy, and the coroner was examining the bones on the ground.
He was the father of Li Xiaoding, the county magistrate of Water Buffalo County. The Li family held great power, and matters in the county were all decided by him; the county official was just a figurehead.
He had three daughters and only one son, and now his son was dead!
He received news from the Ding family and rushed over, only to find his son had been devoured by something evil, leaving only bones behind!
Along with the seven Imperial Guards who followed Li Xiaoding, all were also devoured by the evil!
"Sir, I questioned the people from the Ding family, and they seem to have no issues."
A young man in his thirties approached quickly. He had sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a tall and strong build, and wore red clothes with an official hat. On his back, he carried a strange weapon that looked like a spear but wasn't exactly one. One end had a spearhead, and the other end had three tubes welded together, resembling a hammer.
This weapon was called the Three-Eyed Fire Gun, and it was very powerful, even more so than ordinary spells. The black iron tubes were filled with gunpowder and thunderbolt pellets. Once ignited, it unleashed a thunderous force, shooting the pellets like arrows a hundred steps away, injuring people from a distance!
The thunderbolt pellet was a type of lead bullet, round and weighing about one-tenth of a pound each, hollow and filled with gunpowder. When it hit a target, it exploded with great power.
This man was Zhuge Jian, a capable official of Water Buffalo County, though his family background wasn't good enough, so he could only be an official in the county office.
Zhuge Jian bowed and said, "Yesterday afternoon, the fourth young lady of the Ding family sent a maid named Zi'e to visit, intending to strengthen ties between the two families. However, as evening fell, Zi'e hadn't returned. Worried about her safety, they sent someone to check, and that's when they discovered the incident at the camp. By then, it was already dark, so they retreated to the Ding family camp, which led to the young master's body being desecrated by the evil and wild beasts."
Li Kefa said coldly, "Are you saying my son wasn't killed by the evil?"
"The young master was killed by someone."
Zhuge Jian continued, "I examined the scene closely. The attacker didn't use spells or talismans but relied on a small knife and hand-to-hand combat to kill nine people in just one breath. In that short moment, he struck thirteen times, and the most injured person was only hit twice."
His observations were meticulous, and although Li Xiaoding and the others were reduced to bones, Zhuge Jian could deduce the number of times Chen Shi had struck from the traces on the bones and footprints on the ground.
Li Kefa's face was as dark as water as he asked, "What else?"
"He struck thirteen times, and during the killing of nine people, no one had time to cast a spell. They couldn't even prepare a spell before he killed them."
Zhuge Jian continued, "This person is not tall, only about five or six feet, but his body is extremely strong and powerful. Within ten feet, his fists and feet can reach instantly and take lives! His fists can directly shatter bones!"
Li Kefa frowned. Not many cultivators focused on body refinement.
"Using the Strength Talisman can achieve such a strong body."
Zhuge Jian said, "By using the Strength Talisman, one can instantly gain the power of a Yellow Turban Warrior, killing with thunderous force in an instant! However, this person didn't use the Strength Talisman."
He changed his tone and said, "I checked the ashes left by burnt talismans. In the camp, only two talisman ashes were found, and both were Golden Bell Protection Talismans. The users should both be the young master. So the killer must be a short cultivator who refines the body! Or a master who has achieved the Golden Core stage, trying to hide their spellcasting skills by using fists and knives to kill."
Li Kefa frowned and asked, "After killing my son, this person immediately fled. With so many people around, how can we find this murderer?"
Zhuge Jian replied seriously, "This person left a clue because he brought a dog."
Li Kefa was stunned; he hadn't seen any dog paw prints on the ground.
Dozens of officials from Water Buffalo County hadn't noticed any dog paw prints either.
"There are bones on the ground that have been gnawed by a dog."
Zhuge Jian held a bone in his palm and said, "These bite marks were made by canine teeth. Also, there's some cinnabar dust on the table. This reveals the person's identity; they must be a talisman master with a black dog. The young master invited them to draw talismans! Black dog blood is rich in Yang energy and is a good material for grinding cinnabar. So this dog must be a black dog! This person is short, a talisman master, and has a black dog. It won't be difficult to find out who they are."
Li Kefa felt relieved upon hearing this, as there were very few people who fit this description.
"There's another way, which is to summon my son's soul and ask for the real culprit."
Li Kefa said, "Prepare some Soul-Summoning Talismans and get ready to summon the soul. I want to see my son..." As he spoke, his eyes turned red.
Zhuge Jian hesitated and said, "Sir, I took the liberty to try summoning the soul once. I couldn't summon the young master's soul..."
Li Kefa was stunned and looked at him, puzzled.
Zhuge Jian cautiously said, "Not only could I not summon the young master's soul, but the other souls couldn't be summoned either. The people who died at the hands of this talisman master had their souls disappear."
Li Kefa stood there, looking very sad: "My son's soul disappeared? Could this person have eaten my son's soul while killing him?"
Zhuge Jian thought for a moment and said, "I have a guess that this person must have an evil spirit with them. Only an evil spirit or curse can devour souls. This talisman master might have raised an evil spirit or been possessed by one."
Such things had happened before, where an evil spirit possessed someone and mingled in towns, eating people. In just a few days, they could consume everyone in a town!
Li Kefa exhaled heavily and said, "Zhuge Jian, capturing this short talisman master with a black dog is up to you. Don't kill him; I must personally interrogate him, open his chest, and take out his heart to honor my son's spirit in heaven!"
Zhuge Jian bowed and agreed, passing the order to the officials to search for the talisman master with a black dog at every road, station, and village.
The grandfather and grandson returned to Yellow Slope Village. As usual, the grandfather went to prepare medicine, and Chen Shi took his medicine bath. Late at night, in his sleep, Chen Shi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, waking him up with excruciating pain!
His heart problem flared up again!
Since he started practicing the Three Lights True Qi Technique, he hadn't had this problem for some time, but now it came back with a vengeance!
The green ghost hand on his chest gripped his heart tightly, causing his chest muscles to contract, and his heart felt like it was going to explode!
Chen Shi's body trembled, convulsed, and stiffened. His veins bulged, and he couldn't breathe, his face quickly turning red!
The red gradually turned to purple.
He couldn't open his mouth, couldn't make any sound, couldn't call for his grandfather to save him!
After a long time, Chen Shi was drenched in sweat, almost soaking the bedding, and finally took his first breath.
With that breath, he felt a glimmer of hope and quickly activated the Three Lights True Qi Technique, using all his strength to fight against the green ghost hand gripping his heart!
By the middle of the night, he managed to suppress the green ghost hand.
The green ghost hand's fingers slowly released from his chest, and the pain gradually subsided.
Chen Shi was still in shock. This time, the green ghost hand gripped his heart harder and longer than ever before. If he hadn't taken that first breath, he might have died from the pain right there!
"Could it be that when I killed Li Xiaoding during the day, I used too much energy, and my body couldn't suppress the ghost hand mark, causing this problem to flare up?"
Chen Shi thought carefully. When he killed Li Xiaoding and the others, he indeed felt a strong hunger, probably from overexertion.
"Grandfather's medicine can suppress the green ghost hand, but it seems to be losing its effectiveness. Only the Three Lights True Qi Technique still works. I must go to the True King's Tomb again as soon as possible to get the complete Three Lights True Qi Technique!"
The Three Lights True Qi Technique was the only method he had to suppress the green ghost hand, his only lifeline.
"But getting the Three Lights True Qi Technique will surely alert the Spirit Realm." Chen Shi frowned.
Last time, he managed to go so far with the spiritual power from the spirit-infused meat given by Zhao Erni. Now, without the spirit-infused meat, he could only rely on his own strength. With his current strength, he probably couldn't reach the stele before the Spirit Realm of the True King's Tomb activated.
"I must first go to the Desolate Mountain Temple to train for a while, strengthen my body, and then attempt the True King's Tomb again!" He made up his mind and went back to sleep.
Chen Shi's life returned to its usual routine: waking up early for breakfast, fighting with the village dogs, stealing watermelons, honoring his godmother, listening to Scholar Zhu's teachings, then going to the Desolate Mountain Temple to practice the Three Lights True Qi Technique, and returning home at night for medicine baths.
One day, after paying respects to his godmother outside the village, Chen Shi was listening to Scholar Zhu's lecture when the sound of horse hooves approached. A group of more than ten officials galloped down the road, raising dust like clouds, heading towards Yellow Earth Slope.
"Six Doors again!"
Chen Shi curiously looked over and wondered, "Weren't the Six Doors of New Township County wiped out by the ghost bride in Fragrant Field Village? Even the bodies were taken away by the ghost bride."
Strangely, the ghost bride had vanished since that night, and no one inquired about the sudden appearance of the Desolate Mountain Temple. Even the deaths of over thirty people from the Six Doors didn't seem to raise any news, which was very odd.
Chen Shi had been anxious about killing Li Xiaoding, fearing it would be traced back to him, but the matter seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
Scholar Zhu sneered, "What's so strange about that? The so-called Six Doors are like toilet paper used in the outhouse, just consumables. These poor scholars, every year in Western New Bull Continent, there are millions more. Losing a few dozen doesn't matter. As long as the county official posts a notice, countless scholars will scramble to join."
Chen Shi knew he was right. After passing the scholar exam, if a cultivator couldn't pass the provincial exam, they had to find a way to make a living. At least being an official in the county office was a government job in the Great Ming, and scholars eagerly sought any vacancy.
"Whoa—"
The group of officials suddenly halted their horses. The leader dismounted and quickly approached Yellow Slope, smiling, "Young man, I am Zhuge Jian, an official of Water Buffalo County. What's your name?"
"Honest."
"Honest young man, I want to ask if there's a talisman master named Chen Yindu in Yellow Slope Village?"
Chen Shi blinked and said, "There is someone named Chen Yindu. Why are you looking for him?"
Zhuge Jian smiled broadly, "How tall is this Chen Yindu?"
Chen Shi replied, "About as tall as you."
Zhuge Jian frowned slightly, and the officials behind him said, "Boss, it seems the case wasn't done by Chen Yindu. What should we do now? We've searched all the nearby villages and towns, and the killer talisman master can't just fly away, can he?"
Zhuge Jian was also troubled. He had been investigating everywhere, and none of the counties or towns had any suspicious people. He thought there might be someone in the countryside, but after searching all the villages, he couldn't find a short talisman master with a black dog.
"Could my direction be wrong?"
He was about to return when he suddenly saw a big black dog trotting up Yellow Earth Slope, wagging its tail at the little boy under the tree.
The black dog looked kind and seemed to be smiling.
The little boy under the tree looked up and smiled, "Sir, my grandpa called me home for dinner."
Zhuge Jian nodded, watching the little boy and black dog leave, and suddenly his mind was struck like thunder.
"What if the killer wasn't a short adult but a child? A talisman master child with a strong body!"