Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1315 The Demon Cult Returns

Lu Ning instinctively wanted to avoid these brothels that made her feel strange.

Even though the behavior of the dignitaries disgusted her, the threat posed by those weirdness far outweighed the disgust and suppressed her urge to act.

"Find Lin Xiyin first."

Lu Ning left here quietly.

At this time, at the City God Temple, Ning Ke and Lin Xiyin caught an old beggar.

It is not accurate to say "caught", it should be said that the old beggar bumped into them on his own initiative.

"Gentlemen, judging from their clothes, you should be officials from the Demon Suppression Bureau, right?" The old beggar looked panicked. Ning Ke and Lin Xiyin looked at each other, quite surprised.

After all, the old beggar was wearing tattered clothes, which were not warm at all except that he was wrapped a little too much. But it was very surprising that he had not frozen to death after all these days.

Not to mention that he could recognize the Demon Suppression Officer at a glance.

"Oh? How do you know we are demon-suppressing officials?" Lin Xiyin asked with a smile.

"Hey... can you two please have a word with me for a moment?"

The old beggar was a little timid. He secretly looked at the two people's expressions and estimated how big the risk was this time. He didn't dare to provoke the demon-suppressing official, who was very mysterious. However, Wen Rong, who gave him the wind-hearing hearing, disappeared overnight, which made him feel very panicked.

He was able to survive in Xingyin City because he was well-informed, and now he was strengthened. Now that his previous master was gone, he had to quickly plan to find the next one. Ning Ke and Lin Xiyin were his targets. He overheard their conversation and thought it would be okay for him to go up and talk to them.

After entering the City God Temple, the old beggar knelt down in front of the two of them, which surprised Lin Xiyin.

"My Lords, help me, something is not right in this Xingyin City."

"Get up for now." Ning Ke said.

The old beggar quickly stood up by supporting himself on the floor and stamped his feet. The ground was indeed cold.

"What's wrong with Xingyin City? Tell us. If it is true, we will protect you." Ning Ke asked.

"I am a beggar in this city. As time goes by, I have become well-informed. I can hear about all the happenings in the city and know things that others don't know. I make a living from this." The old beggar omitted the part about his acquaintance with Wen Rong and explained, "But in recent days, the atmosphere in the city has changed. Some small beggars have disappeared, and some people I usually go to see are nowhere to be found. I feel like something is wrong."

"It's been cold these days..." Lin Xiyin said hesitantly, "Maybe he stayed indoors, or..."

"No, no, no, sir, I know what you said. But what I said about being well-informed is not false. If they are unlucky enough not to survive this winter, it is their own bad luck, but I can also get news. But it makes me quite uneasy that there is not even such news. How could so many people disappear in the city for no reason? Even the beggars were only looking for children, and the people I know are all much older people!" said the old beggar hurriedly.

Lin Xiyin was a little hesitant for a moment. She was very good at slaying demons and eliminating evil, but this kind of thing was not her strong point. She couldn't tell whether what the old beggar was talking about was just a problem between people, or was related to demons.

"Tell me the names and addresses of the people you mentioned missing, and we will investigate. I assume that since you are an intelligence agent, you probably know more than just beggars, right?"

"Of course, I can tell you, but can you two protect me for a while? Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll be like those people and disappear overnight!"

"Take you to the Demon Suppression Division... No." Lin Xiyin thought for a moment, "I'll take you to a safe place. As long as you don't leave there, no one should be able to harm you."

The old beggar knelt down and kowtowed several times, then he told Lin Xiyin the names and addresses of several people. Ning Ke wrote them down and said to Lin Xiyin, "I will go investigate first. You take this person and protect him first, then come back to me. You can send a message when necessary."

"I know. Be careful. If it is really the work of a demon, don't act rashly."

After the two men had agreed, they went their separate ways.

  =

It was almost evening when Chen Yusheng was finally able to enter the city. He was in a bad mood. The guards at the door conducted a detailed body search on him and only let him in after confirming that he had no hidden weapons or gunpowder. This was all thanks to the reputation of the Kunwu Chen family.

After finally entering the city, he had to find an inn to stay in order to avoid the curfew. For some reason, even though the emperor was coming and a large number of government troops were stationed, there were still not many rooms available in the inns near the city gate. Even though he had money, he could only find a room with a "Di" number. If he had to go to a "Ren" number and share a bed with some coolies, he would definitely not be willing.

However, when Chen Yusheng moved in, he always felt that someone was paying attention to him.

He didn't know what it was specifically, but this reward from the distribution center probably wouldn't deceive him - "the attention of others" would allow him to have a unique sense of gazes with special intentions. Unfortunately, because the mission was not completed very well, the effect of this reward was only this.

"It seems that there are indeed some problems in the entire Xingyin City... Why are you paying attention to me?"

After he settled down in his room, it was almost curfew time. Although he could rely on his martial arts to explore Xingyin at night, Chen Yusheng also knew that Xingyin City was now full of spies from the imperial palace, and the number of patrolling soldiers had increased greatly. Without extraordinary strength, it was best not to challenge the authority of the royal family.

He grabbed some food to fill his stomach and then went to sleep. Of course, he was just pretending to sleep, because he wanted to see who was watching him.

In the middle of the night, Chen Yusheng suddenly smelled a faint scent of burning incense, which seemed to penetrate into the house from the window crack. He had seen many methods of incense, and there were many ways to prevent it. Since he was going to fish, he used the turtle breathing technique, pretending to be knocked out by the incense, and deliberately made his breathing heavier.

However, after about a moment, no one came in to check. Instead, Chen Yusheng felt that his senses were becoming numb and his body was gradually losing consciousness.

  No, this is not the effect of the knockout incense commonly used in the underworld!

Chen Yusheng suddenly jumped up from the bed, and the Qi circulated through his body, alleviating some of the numbness. He then grabbed a few darts from his pocket and threw them out the window. However, there was no one outside the window, and the darts fell into the air. Chen Yusheng rushed to the window and checked outside the window slit, but did not see any traces of burning residue.

"He is a vigilant boy. If he were an ordinary thief, he would have been caught by you."

A voice suddenly sounded behind him, in his room. Chen Yusheng turned around abruptly and saw a man wrapped in a black robe sitting on a stool in his room, leaning on the table with one hand, looking at him as if he were his prey.

"who!"

"If you shout this out now, no one will notice you... Chen Yusheng, Master Chen." The black-robed man shook his finger. "You are indeed a good person with enough experience in the martial arts world. It's a pity that it is the experience of the martial arts world today. The terror that was left to you people back then, the current generation no longer has the vigilance."

As he spoke, the man in black grabbed the black cloth covering his face and pulled it off. Chen Yusheng saw his own face.

The face of the man in black robe was exactly the same as his. He intuitively felt that this was not some kind of disguise, but...

He touched his face hastily.

  Seems... normal?

"It's just a little bit off. You're still a little bit off. But it's a good thing that it is like this. I don't need to spend any more effort." The man in black robe stood up and walked in front of Chen Yusheng. He reached out and touched the face that looked exactly like Chen Yusheng. He pushed it gently, and like a puzzle being taken apart, half of the face was removed, and underneath the face was a piece of snow-white.

"Okay, another one."

Before Chen Yusheng fell unconscious, he could only feel the other person's hand touching his cheek.

When the man in black robe came out of Chen Yusheng's room, four people were already waiting for him outside.

"What's the idea?" asked a dark and strong man with a beard.

"I'll say it again, we are not those bandits who roam the green forests. Don't bring your incisions into our communication." A middle-aged scholar next to him said softly, "Since he has come out, it means that the problem has been solved. Otherwise, we have to go in and rescue him."

"Chen Yusheng is a very interesting person. The young master will like him." The man in black robe tossed the half mask in his hand, "Everyone, I'm afraid I have to take the credit this time."

"Everything is for the restoration of the Holy Church." The young woman responded enthusiastically, "Those traitors should be punished as they should be. Only those who repent can wear the shackles and return to the Young Master's command!"

"You'd better not do anything beyond the rules." The scholar warned, "The mission given to us by the young master cannot fail. If you attract unnecessary prying eyes because of your crazy behavior, I will have to get rid of you first."

"Ha, when that day comes, I will naturally get rid of myself first!" the woman laughed.

At this time, the last old woman with a hunched figure slowly spoke: "Stop arguing. How many people are entering the city today? The young master will give you two more treasures tomorrow. We need to select the right people tonight and arrange their identities."

The man in black robe walked downstairs, looked at the scattered customers eating around, then looked at the boss and waiter standing at the counter, and said, "I'm afraid there is nothing suitable here."

"Sir, we still need..." the boss asked.

"Run the business here normally, don't do anything unnecessary. You don't need to act rashly and attempt to establish any meritorious deeds. The young master is a man with his own ideas, and what he hates most is someone sabotaging his plans - especially his own people being clever. Believe me, those people will die silently."

The boss nodded quickly.

Then, the man in black robe turned around and looked at the diners, who were also looking up at him.

"Keep the number of people here close to full. As for Chen Yusheng's identity, the young master will make his own arrangements. He will not become a member of this inn. You continue to bring in new guests to stay."

"Yes." The diners nodded in unison.

"Okay, stop pretending. Normal people should be asleep at this time. What should you do?"

The diners stood up together, walked upstairs in an orderly manner and entered their respective rooms. The proprietor blew out the candles in the hotel and returned to the back room, chatting and laughing with the waiter.

"The treasures you got are so disgusting no matter how I look at them." The dark and strong man rubbed his arms, "Young Master, these things... Ouch!"

"As a disciple of the Holy Church, how dare you disrespect the young master?" The woman's somewhat crazy voice sounded, "The young master is better than the master. Whether it is vision or the ability to refine weapons, it is far superior to the master of the past. This is worthy of the price our Holy Church has paid for its long-term dormancy! How dare you say..."

"What the hell, you probably weren't even born when Qiu Weishuang was killed..."

"How disrespectful!"

Following the woman's roar, the dark and sturdy man's body suddenly sank. Thanks to his great strength, he did not kneel on the ground immediately, but he could vaguely feel the pressure on his shoulders, wrists and feet.

"Are you going to use the 'guilty body' on me?" Da Han's tone became sinister, "Little girl, do you think that I am a rough man and it is easy for me to eat your shit? I recognize the ability of the young master, but your words——"

He punched out suddenly and hit his shoulder. The woman screamed and flew backwards.

Everyone knew that the reason the woman screamed was not because of the pain, but because of the treasure that the strong man had been given - "loyalty".

As a fanatical admirer of Qiu Suying, even if she got another treasure, the woman still wanted the treasure named "loyalty" just because of the name. She was still jealous of the Han Dynasty, and she would probably be jealous forever.

However... the other three didn't care. After all, Qiu Suying could completely handle this kind of thing.

"Mother-in-law, I still feel that the young master only arranged seven treasure bearers, which may not be enough." The black-robed man said, "You should know that those gathered in Xingyin City at this time are just outposts, and the masters of the palace and the demon-suppressing officials around the emperor are not easy to deal with. Even if the treasure is magical, I am afraid we are not strong enough to deal with it."

"The young master has not arranged only seven people, but the seven of us know each other. The young master may have other arrangements, which is not for you and me to ask. Since the Holy Church has abolished the organization of Dharma protectors and demon armies, it means that the young master has other ideas. If you have any objections to this, you can raise it with the young master in person." said the old woman.

"Of course not." The black-robed man bowed slightly, "Then the two people selected tomorrow still need to be reviewed by Grandmother-in-law."

"It is my responsibility. If the young master succeeds in his plan this time, it will also help the Holy Church regain its prestige. Back then, it was the imperial court that took the lead in destroying the Holy Church headquarters. Now that we want revenge, we should do the same."

"In Xingyin City, the demon-suppressing officials Qin Chen and Lin Huaiyong need to be dealt with." The scholar said, "Qin Chen is no better than the others. We don't have a sure-fire way to win."

"The young master will send someone else to handle this matter, so you and I don't need to worry. Our mission is only among the ordinary people in Xingyin City." The old woman tapped the ground lightly with her cane, "Today, that's all."

With the sound of a cane hitting the ground, the eyes of the woman and the big man who were arguing with each other suddenly became confused, and it took a while for them to return to normal. The two immediately stopped fighting and followed the others out of the back door of the hotel.