Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1316 Silent Dark Snow

There are quite a few people in Xingyin who cannot sleep all night.

Lin Xiyin was one of them. The reason was that Lu Ning came to her, not because she wanted to become a demon-suppressing officer, but because she brought her a shocking surprise.

Tianwai Tian - Unfortunately, the Demon Suppression Bureau has very little information about this place.

On the one hand, it was hidden in the form of rumors. On the other hand, the Great Wei did not pay special attention to the monsters outside its own territory. The Demon Suppression Bureau would focus on the location of some well-known monsters in the territory, but it was not clear about the situation outside the territory. This was true for the northern border and the southern border as well.

Lin Xiyin now needs to sort out the things Lu Ning gave her before she can hand them in. The Demon Suppression Division has strict requirements for official documents regarding demon threats, and Lin Xiyin must sort out the situation now.

However, the difficulty lies here. The demons in the Southern Border Heaven are also organized, and they have replaced their original demon names with code names. It is impossible to distinguish the true form of the demons just by the way they do evil. This practice is similar to the five demon dens in the Great Wei. The Demon Suppression Division maintains a delicate balance with them, and it is difficult to determine the winner in a short period of time.

This feature has a high probability of being another monster star, but the problem is that Lin Xiyin cannot determine that a monster star has been born in such a simple way.

"Ms. Lin, Lin Siyi."

Someone pushed open the door. It turned out to be a middle-aged man with a square face. He was Lin Xiyin's direct superior. Dian Zhenggu sighed, he was a rare good man in the Demon Suppression Bureau.

"You didn't sleep tonight. If you have to report to work tomorrow, will you be absent again?"

"Dian Zheng, this is a big deal. Even if I am absent, it is because I have something important to do. I believe you will not blame me." Lin Xiyin rubbed his eyes. "There are nine demon stars, and there are five in the territory of Wei. If the ones in the northern frontier and the southern border are all demon stars, then there are only two in the world that have not been confirmed."

"The Demon Suppression Department will not list this as a great achievement." Gu Zhong sighed, "Today, the one who manages our Quexie has arrived in Xingyin. It's Qin Chuanyu."

Lin Xiyin's tired look suddenly turned into dissatisfaction: "Why is it him?"

"The Demon Suppression Division urgently called for help, and there are only so many people who can respond at any time." Gu Zhong sighed and shrugged, "Qin Chuanyu is narrow-minded. If you are absent and lose face for him, he doesn't care whether you are Lin Qinchen's daughter or not. He can still be known as an iron-faced and impartial person."

"You are just seeking fame and reputation." Lin Xiyin pinched her brows, "Thank you, Uncle Gu. I will be more careful."

"Where did Ning Ke go?" Gu Zhong asked with a sigh, "I didn't see her tonight."

"She went to investigate a report. If she hasn't come back yet, she must have found some clues." Lin Xiyin yawned. "I'm going to take a nap in the back hall. Uncle Gu, if that guy surnamed Qin wants to take advantage of this again, please cover for me."

"I know. Go ahead. If there's something important, I'll ask the flying insect to call you. But if Ning Ke doesn't come back after 9:00 p.m., I won't be able to report to you."

"Okay, I'll ask Jinghong to look for her."

Lin Xiyin yawned and went back to the back hall, ready to take a short nap to regain her energy.

When she went to sleep, Lu Ning had already woken up. It was a late winter day, and Lu Ning got up on time. After practicing the exercises, it was still pitch black outside.

Now that she had entered the fifth level of cultivation in the Senluo Jiuzhuan, she could no longer feel the cold or heat in the outside world. However, after opening the window, Lu Ning saw that the bluestone road outside the inn window was already stained with a thin layer of white.

The first snow of this year has arrived quietly. Although it is not heavy, it is enough to show how cold the weather is now.

There was already a long queue at the porridge place at the city gate, just because there was still a little warmth from the burning firewood nearby. But this little warmth could not dispel the coldness in people's hearts. After all, winter was so early, most families did not prepare enough firewood for the winter, and they were afraid that they would soon face a similar situation.

Some people suddenly fell down while standing in line. People did not scream, but just made way for them. A few soldiers came over and dragged the bodies away.

Lu Ning didn’t have the ability to save people. She just took a look and passed by.

She could sense some changes in the atmosphere in the city. Someone was planning something that even her demon eyes could not see through. In this case, it was probably not a demon disaster like the one at Zhenjian Villa, but a man-made disaster.

This is not something she can find easily. Yaomu is not good at this, and the enemy has hidden himself first and is not targeting her. It is difficult for her to find clues through traces.

But... Ning Ke is here.

The strange purple color on the demon-suppressing officers was quite obvious. She could recognize a few of them just by looking at the street. However, most of these demon-suppressing officers were dressed no differently from ordinary people. If there were no ordinary people on the street, they would not be so conspicuous.

Lu Ning was just strolling in the city when she found Ning Ke's trace.

"Speaking of which, why are you the only one with purple?"

When she appeared in front of Ning Ke, Ning Ke was in a place that was originally a market. At this moment, no shops were open here. Ning Ke just found a place here to sit down and eat some dry food.

"What did your demon eyes see?" Ning Ke asked.

"Yes, so I feel strange - what do purple-black and purple-red mean? The demon eyes can let me see demons and you, but I can't tell the difference between ordinary people. Ning Siyi, can you help me solve my doubts again like you did before?" Lu Ning asked.

"I can only guess that the demon eye is not in me." Ning Ke touched the mask on his face, "The demon-suppressing officials were able to hold their own against the demons because they borrowed the power of the demons. If you want to obtain power that can be used at any time, there are only two ways, either wearing the tools made by the demons like I did, or taking the substitute body refined by the demons into your body."

"Are they all taking demons into their bodies?" Lu Ning asked, "It sounds very dangerous."

"Most people who can become demon-suppressing officers have encountered demon incidents and survived, so they have the willpower to suppress at least one demon. After the demon is refined, its mind is dormant, so it is not a problem to control it with the ability of the demon-suppressing officer." Ning Ke said, "As for those who have been specially trained, it is also possible to take in multiple demons at the same time. However, taking in demons as substitute bodies means that they feed these demons with their own blood and essence, while people like me can directly feed them with blood and flesh pills containing demonic energy. Except when it is necessary, there is no need to pay something of my own as a price."

"No matter which one, it doesn't sound worth it. Besides, even you have lost your original human breath." Lu Ning said.

"Of course, when I use the ghost mask, I have to feed it flesh and blood, and then regenerate it with secret methods. This is beyond human ability. Many demon-suppressing officials choose to use a body because it does not cost so much. After all, the ability to regenerate is not something that ordinary demon-suppressing officials possess. If it were someone else, I'm afraid they would not be able to afford this ghost mask."

"Hahaha, but you are a delicate girl, but you are also - Ning Ke! You even control me when I say a few words!"

Before Guimian opened his mouth to say anything, Ning Ke pinched his face and he screamed in pain.

"I asked you to smell the surroundings, but you haven't reported yet." Ning Ke was not polite to Guimian at all.

"Damn it, there's no smell around here. Didn't the little girl say that the eyes in her head can't see anything? She can't see anything, so how can I be stronger with just half a nose?" Ghost Face yelled in dissatisfaction. "Useless."

"Why are you still scolding me? You didn't see anything with that broken compass!"

"It's not something that is primarily used to find demons, but I chose it because the people from the Demon Suppression Bureau said it was useful." Ning Ke took off the ghost mask with a cold face and turned it around to face himself.

Ghost Face was really panicking now: "Ning Ke! Don't be so impulsive, I'm not kidding you! I really can't find anything, and other demons may not be stronger than me! I'm afraid this is not the work of demons, but something you humans did! Think about it, the desolate city of Xingyin is like this now, isn't it your fault?"

Ning Ke stared at the ghost mask for a while until red hair began to grow on it, then he put it back on his face.

Lu Ning had never seen a demon being so cowardly towards humans.

"Why does it... obey you so much?"

"Nu Mu is a demon that almost became a demon king. Demons at this stage are basically intelligent and have the ability to seek benefits and avoid harm. It was unlucky and was beaten by a demon king until it was left with only this much, and then the demon-suppressing officer picked it up and made it into a prop."

"Hey, the demon king was killed by your demon suppression department a long time ago, but I'm still alive. I'm very lucky."

"Because it still needs to eat human flesh to exert its power, only a few demon-suppressing officials who can regenerate can use it. However, there are also records of some demon-suppressing officials who were eaten by it when they had to exert their full power. Now it is probably coveting me, but it has never been able to fulfill its wish."

"Hehe, even so, I don't have to worry about food during this time with Ning Ke. Although this guy has always refused to feed me, it's better to get out than to starve in the Demon Prison of the Demon Suppression Officer." He laughed angrily, "I abide by the agreement, Ning Ke, if one day you really encounter something you can't handle, let me eat you. As we know each other, I will definitely help you fulfill your last wish."

"With your strength?" Ning Ke's tone revealed a trace of contempt, "If I can't do it, you will just die."

Numu didn't refute.

Ning Ke looked at Lu Ning again: "See? The demons are all ordinary looking guys, no need to be polite. This guy is the property of the Demon Suppression Bureau. Normally I will protect him a little, but if it is an emergency, I will use him when necessary and discard him when necessary. This is the way humans and demons get along."

"Thanks for clearing up the confusion."

Ning Ke finished the last bit of dry food in two or three bites: "I still need to patrol and look for clues. If you are okay, you can go."

"As for clues, I have encountered something that seemed a little strange before," said Lu Ning.

"Oh?"

  =

The old beggar hurried back to his old nest - a dilapidated house with drafts on all sides, carrying a large bag of food he had obtained from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

The rooms in this house are basically uninhabitable in winter, and the old beggar still has a few little beggars under his command. Although he has found the shelter of the Demon Suppression Bureau, he cannot take all these little beggars with him, so he can only ask for food. Later, he will try to earn some firewood and wallpaper with his ability to hear the wind, so that these little guys can survive this winter.

Before he left, he left some things for the little beggars. It was just one night, so probably nothing would happen, right?

The thought immediately disappeared when he heard the crying.

The old beggar hurriedly kicked open the dilapidated courtyard door, picked up a blackened brick from under the wall, put down the food, and walked into the house.

The group of little beggars under his command were all crying quietly, but at least no one had died. A taller young beggar was sitting in the house. He gathered all the straw under himself and ate a piece of sweet potato, which was the food left by the old beggar.

"Oh, there's an old man?" The young man finished eating the sweet potato and was about to take another piece when he immediately grinned. There were spots of black dust on his teeth, making him look quite dirty.

"who are you?"

"My name is Erlong. I opened the door and came into the city this morning." The beggar named Erlong wiped his mouth with his dirty sleeves. The old beggar saw that his pockets were still bulging.

"You took their food."

"Old man, this is how beggars live. You've lived to such an old age, don't you even understand this? I'm strong, so I can get other people's food. If I don't snatch the six or seven little radishes here, they will definitely be snatched away by others. At least I haven't let them freeze to death outside." Erlong crossed his legs and said with a smile, "Look at your old arms and legs, it must be difficult to raise a bunch of little guys, right? You happened to meet me. If you are willing to follow me, at least I can make sure you have enough to eat."

"I don't believe it." The old beggar walked forward with a brick in his hand, "I still believe in my fist."

"What a disgusting old man..." Erlong stood up and picked up a stick. "Old guys like you——"

  Snapped!

The old beggar was not the one who would say anything harsh. He just threw a brick at Erlong's head, knocking him over backwards. Then he rushed forward, grabbed the stick, and hit him on the head.

——In terms of fighting experience, the old beggar was much more experienced than Erlong. After this beating, Erlong immediately started screaming and begging for mercy, not even close to his previous ferocious look.

"Stop hitting me, spare my life, spare my life!"

Erlong rolled to the corner and saw the old beggar approaching him again. He knelt down hurriedly and kowtowed to the ground despite his dizzy head.

Bang, bang, bang.

The old beggar was also stunned for a moment, but he still pointed at him with his stick: "Get lost! Don't let me see you again!"

Unexpectedly, Erlong raised his head with blood on his face and grinned, "Old man! You dare to hit me?"

As soon as the old beggar saw his expression, he immediately swung his stick and hit him again, but Erlong was possessed again and fell headfirst to the ground.

boom.

After a brief silence, Erlong heard the sound of the old beggar falling to the ground.

"Ha...hahaha! Old man, this is my 'Fourth Kowtow'! You dare to mess with me, huh? You dare to mess with me!!"