Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 422 Xiang Liang's Goal, the Grim Situation at Hongmen, the Decapitation Scheme and the Big Hit
On the sixteenth day of the first month of the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, at the break of dawn...
Inner city, Xiang Mansion

"Liang'er, Hongmen is not like our Xia City. I heard from your father that the people there come from all over the country, all kinds of people. You must be careful when you go there, and don't risk your life!"

As soon as Xiang Liang finished packing his bags, he heard his mother Zhou Ying's words of advice and immediately smiled and said, "Mother, when have I ever made you worry? Don't worry! This appointment at Hongmen might just be the second chance for our Xiang family to defy fate. When I go to Hongmen and make a name for myself, I'll come back and make you and Father happy again!"

Upon hearing Xiang Liang's words, Zhou Ying appeared slightly dazed.

The eldest son has been a man of his own mind since childhood, and he is also very promising. Eight years ago, when the Shanbei incident happened, if he hadn't risked his life to find the Great Xia with the Cold Marrow Iron and presented it to them, it would be hard to say whether his family of five would have survived to this day. Not to mention that they were later exempted from corvée labor and became the first of the more than 5,000 people from the four families in Shanbei to obtain Xia citizenship.

Last year, the Xiang clan was able to establish its own lineage and successfully join the ranks of minor lineages in Xiacheng, thanks to Xiang Liang's two years of risking his life to infiltrate Dajue Temple.

It can be said that the contributions of the husband, Xiang Ping, to the Xiang family's current status are far less than those of the eldest son.

Zhou Ying looked at her eldest son with pride in her eyes, but when she thought about how he had earned his achievements with his life, her heart ached. She reached out and smoothed Xiang Liang's clothes, saying kindly, "I'm already very content to have such a good life today. I don't want you to strive for any great future. I just want you to come back safe and sound..."

At this point, Zhou Ying still felt a little uneasy, so she turned around and pulled her eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Yuxiu, to her side, and continued, "Things are different now than before. Even for the sake of the child in Yuxiu's belly, you have to promise your mother that you will never take any more reckless risks in the future. No matter how much wealth and glory you earn, you have to be alive to enjoy it, otherwise it will all be for nothing."

Hearing his mother's words of advice, Xiang Liang felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He was about to agree, but when he looked up and saw the white hair at his mother's temples, he swallowed his words and said in a deep voice, "Mother, don't worry, I won't do anything I'm not sure I can do!"

The desperate act at Dajue Temple two years ago was partly for Xiang Liang's own future and for the Xiang family's resurgence; but on the other hand, it was also for his mother.

My mother, Zhou Ying, is forty-seven years old this year, but she is still only at the Earth-Digging Realm, with a basic strength of just over 27,000 jin.

In fact, if they hadn't merged into the Great Xia eight years ago and had continued living in the Hefeng Camp in the north of the mountain, given the average lifespan of 40 years for Ice Abyss humans, my mother certainly wouldn't have lived to this age.

The Civil Affairs Department of the Great Xia Dynasty has a large amount of age data to prove that people who live in Xia City for a long time, as long as they have a normal diet and consume a certain amount of salt, can live to around sixty years old, even if they do not break through to the cold resistance level.

Xiang Liang's gratitude to the Great Xia goes without saying, but human nature is ultimately greedy; once something is obtained, one will want more.

Extending his mother's life is the thing Xiang Liang wants to do most right now.

When it was merged into Daxia eight years ago, my mother was already thirty-nine years old.

As she gets older, her body undergoes slower transformation. Although my mother has enjoyed many benefits from the Great Xia and her lifespan has increased to some extent, to be honest, the hope of her living smoothly to the age of sixty is very slim.

The only way to extend my mother's life is to help her break through to the cold resistance level.

This involves the issue of financial resources!

In fact, he and his father have been working hard. They have been exchanging for high-grade beast meat, beast essence pills, and beast spirit pills—these are cultivation resources for the Earth-Digging Realm—almost at the maximum limit, all so that their mother can complete her Earth-Digging Realm cultivation as soon as possible, begin to reshape her skin membrane, and break through to the Cold Resistance level.

The problem is that the higher the level of cultivation resources in the Supply Department, the more expensive they become. Moreover, due to the large population of Xia City, there is a limit to the number of precious cultivation resources such as pills, salt, and spirit wine that individuals can exchange. Once the limit is exceeded, whether you apply for a higher quota from the Supply Department or buy them privately, you will have to spend more contribution points.

He and his father, Xiang Ping, could easily afford the cultivation resources for their mother's Earth-Digging Realm stage, but they would inevitably run into difficulties when they reached the limit of the Earth-Digging Realm.

Moreover, both of them are at the Cold Resistance level, and their cultivation consumes a lot of energy. Not to mention they have a younger brother and sister at home. Xiang Yan is now able to go out hunting and can basically support himself, but his sister Xiang Rong cannot, and she also needs his and his father's help.

If you include his wife Wang Yuxiu and their unborn child, there are a total of seven people in the family. The expenses are quite considerable. It is no easy task to purchase sufficient additional cultivation resources for his mother's breakthrough without affecting his and his father's cultivation or the quality of life in the family.

In short, you must find ways to earn contribution points!
This time, he was personally appointed by the Chief Justice as the Deputy Chief of the Hongmen Palace. Before even taking office, he spent more than two months cultivating in the Martial Arts Pavilion, which shows how important this position is. As long as he makes good use of it, the future will be bright...

"Xiang Liang, it's time to set off."

"Okay, come right away!"

Just as he was comforting his mother, Xiang Liang, he was interrupted by a shout from outside. He replied first, then turned to his mother and wife and said, "Mother, Yuxiu, I have to go now. I'll leave first. If I can find the time before Yuxiu gives birth in May, I will definitely come back."

After saying that, he didn't dare to look at his mother and wife's expressions anymore. He picked up his weapon, slung his bag over his shoulder, turned around, and walked quickly towards the door.

It was already dawn. Zhou Ying and Wang Yuxiu, who were only at the Earth-Digging Realm, did not dare to go out. They watched Xiang Liang's departing figure with reluctance and couldn't help but shout out another word of advice.

"My son, be careful out there!"

"My husband, Yuxiu is waiting for you to come back."

………………

"Your hairs have grown by 5 centimeters in just over two months, you're amazing!"

Xiang Liang closed the door, and hearing the surprised voice behind him, he turned around and exclaimed with delight, "Uncle Bai? I knew it! I thought the voice sounded familiar. It really was you who came to Hongmen with me!"

The person standing at the door was none other than Bai Shanning, the Silver Order Warden who had escorted Mu Longhe back from Hongmen City with him last September.

Speaking of Bai Shanning, we must mention another person, Bai Shanqiu.

Two years ago, there were five people who infiltrated Hexia Village with Xu Ning. Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu were among them. Later, the lord ordered all six of them to withdraw from Hexia Village. However, Xu Ning was unwilling to leave just like that. In the end, he and Bai Shanqiu volunteered to stay in Hexia Village to continue their infiltration.

Looking back now, Xiang Liang is naturally filled with gratitude. If he hadn't chosen to take the risk back then, how could he have infiltrated the army of Dajue Temple, made so many contributions, and the subsequent titles, honors, and massive rewards of contribution points would probably have been none of his business.

These are secondary. The key is that, thanks to the merits of Dajue Temple, he has successfully entered the sights of the Minister and even the Lord. For him, this is the most useful and meaningful thing.

Xiang Liang knew very well that his appointment as the deputy head of the Hongmen Criminal Investigation Department, including his ability to train in the Martial Arts Pavilion for two consecutive months, was because Xia Chuan remembered him. If he were still the nobody from Wuyuan, these opportunities would never have come his way.

Of course, Xiang Liang wasn't the only one to reap so many benefits; Bai Shanqiu, who had also chosen to take the risk and continue his undercover work, was in the same boat.

The two men infiltrated the army of Dajue Temple around the same time, did similar things, and even cooperated in many tasks, so their achievements were naturally the same.

Like him, Bai Shanqiu was also granted the title of Ninth-Rank Xuanling Viscount last year. In addition to the title and contribution points, the camp also gave the two of them an opportunity to work in the prison department.

Xiang Liang agreed to take a position in one of the eight ministries without even thinking about it.
Bai Shanqiu, however, was different. He was almost seventy years old. At such an advanced age, having finally been granted a title, he had little ambition left and no desire to fight for his life again. Upon learning that the reward was transferable, he immediately gave the opportunity to his cousin.

At this very moment, Bai Shanning stood before Xiang Liang.

Bai Shanning is 48 years old this year, in his prime, with peak cold resistance cultivation. Although he only has low-grade battle body aptitude, he already has 17 manes of strength. Just from this point, you can see that his fighting spirit is much higher than his cousin Bai Shanqiu's.

As expected, Xiang Liang entered the prison department and was promoted to Silver Order Prison Warden in just over half a year, which was already quite fast. However, Bai Shanning's speed was even faster.

Because of their shared history with Bai Shanqiu, Xiang Liang and Bai Shanning, despite being more than 20 years apart in age, have a very good relationship. In addition, they worked together last year on the mission of escorting Mu Longhe, so they are extremely familiar with each other.

“I received the notification from Chief Justice Li late last night, saying that Hongmen City is currently in dire need of manpower and needs to add two more deputy chief criminal officers. It seems that it will be the two of us!”

Xiang Liang was taken aback. He thought he was the only one who was the deputy chief of justice at Hongmen, but he didn't expect Bai Shanning to be one as well. This meant that Hongmen City was breaking with convention by having two deputy chiefs of justice at the same time.

But when he thought of the thick blue dossier from last night, he immediately understood.

"They've actually appointed two deputy chiefs of justice; it seems the pressure on maintaining order in Hongmen City is indeed immense!"

"two?"

The two were already heading towards the city gate. Hearing Xiang Liang's sigh, Bai Shanning raised an eyebrow and continued to laugh, "It seems you haven't been paying much attention to Hongmen City lately. They've now set up three deputy chief executioners there, making a total of five with the two of us."

Five!

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang's expression froze, and he exclaimed in surprise, "I reviewed the files in the main hall of the prison last night. As of now, Hongmen City has accumulated 239 unsolved cases. The head of the prison is Lord Zhao Bao, who has three Silver Order Prison Wardens under his command, and his three deputy heads must also have three Silver Order Prison Wardens, making a total of six Silver Order Prison Wardens. If you do the math, he must have at least 90 Iron Order Prison Wardens under him. How can so many people accumulate so many unsolved cases?"

The Chief Prisoner is responsible for maintaining order and handling criminal cases within his assigned area. Following the normal logic of specialization, this position should ideally be filled by a professional trained by the Ministry of Prisons, namely, a Prison Warden.

The problem is that the current strength of these prison guards has not caught up.

The fundamental principle of valuing strength above all else in Bingyuan will never change. Naturally, the appointment of various positions in Daxia must strictly adhere to this rule, while taking into account both professional competence and personal ability is of course the best approach.

But if I had to choose between the two, I would have to choose strength!
Even the most skilled investigator, if lacking in ability, cannot command respect, and is instead killed by the criminals, would be a disgrace to the Great Xia Dynasty.

Putting aside the special nature of the position of Chief Punisher, according to Xia Chuan's requirements for the eight departments, the minimum strength must be above 20. The principle is that it is better to leave the position vacant than to let someone with a lower strength take up the post.

Let's not even talk about Xiang Liang. The fact that he was able to rise to the Silver Order level of the prison warden in just half a year shows that his ability to investigate cases is definitely not low. The problem is that his strength of 6 manes is indeed too weak.

This level of strength isn't even enough to be a deputy head of the criminal investigation department, which is why Xia Chuan gave him the green light of the Martial Arts Pavilion for more than two months, allowing him to quickly improve his strength.

With Bai Shanning's strength at level 17, he would be qualified to be a deputy warden, and his strength is already among the top of the Silver Order level prison wardens.

Currently, there is only one Gold Order level Warden in the entire Warden system, and that is Hou Ming. Hou Ming has 25 strength, which is definitely enough to be the head of the executioners.

But the problem is, there's only one Hou Ming!
Therefore, this leads to a problem: it is currently impossible to appoint professional prison guards to serve as the regional prison commanders.

Then we can only settle for second best and appoint the most capable person as the chief jailer, and then assign him a group of prison wardens as subordinates to assist him in handling cases; as for the deputy chief jailer, some silver-level prison wardens have already caught up in strength, so they can be appointed normally.

The fact that Hongmen has now appointed Zhao Bao as the chief executioner clearly falls into this category.

According to the regulations of the Prison Department, a Chief Prisoner can normally be equipped with 3 Silver Order Prisoners and 30 Iron Order Prisoners; while the Deputy Chief Prisoner is usually a Silver Order Prisoner himself, and they can be equipped with 10 Iron Order Prisoners.

This means that Hongmen currently has 6 Silver Order Wardens and 90 Iron Order Wardens, bringing the total to nearly 100.

What is this concept?
Prison wardens are not commonplace; they are specially trained by the prison department to investigate and handle cases. Small stations typically have a maximum of 3 Iron Order level prison wardens, while large stations, according to the standard system, have 3 Silver Order level and 30 Iron Order level wardens, for a total of 33.

Some time ago, Hou Ming was able to transfer 20 more Silver Order-level prison wardens to help in the fifth district of the outer city. That was because he took advantage of his proximity to the authorities. Most of those 20 people were originally in charge of various districts in the outer city, so helping in the fifth district was just a matter of walking around.

Under such circumstances, the number of unsolved cases at each outpost is basically fixed. Small outposts have a maximum of 20 or so cases, while large outposts have slightly more, generally between 50 and 80. Even in the five northern districts, where the security pressure has been extremely high recently, there are only 78 unsolved cases.

Hongmen City, with so many prison wardens, still has a total of 239 unsolved cases!
When Xiang Liang saw the Hongmen case files in the main hall of the prison department last night, he thought that there were so many unsolved cases because of a shortage of manpower. That's why he was so surprised when Bai Shanning said that there were hundreds of prison wardens in Hongmen City.

"You've been in seclusion at the Martial Arts Pavilion for over two months, it's normal that you wouldn't know..."

Bai Shanning already knew how Xiang Liang had increased his strength by 5. Considering that he hadn't inquired much about Hongmen City, and that the two of them had just left Xia City and entered the straight road, heading south towards the north bank of the Xinghe River, Bai Shanning patiently explained the situation to him, thinking that the journey was long.

As Bai Shanning recounted the situation at Hongmen City, Xiang Liang's expression grew increasingly solemn.

Since the port opened last July, people from the Great Xia, including the eight towns, have been flocking to Hongmen City. By September 18th of last year, when the lords of the six towns joined forces to deal with the Great Xia, the permanent population of Hongmen City had surged to over 150,000.

At that time, Hongmen City was already under great pressure to maintain order.

Unexpectedly, on September 18th last year, after Xia Hong defeated Yang Zun and forcefully subdued the Six Towns, the popularity of Hongmen City reached a new level once again.

Almost every day thereafter, large numbers of people came from all directions, and the permanent population of Hongmen City increased day by day. By the beginning of the year, the permanent population had reached 20, and when the floating population was included, it was almost 30.

What is this concept?
The fifth district of the outer city of Daxia was specifically for settling outsiders, with a total population of just over 63,000, yet it kept Hou Ming extremely busy. In contrast, the population of Hongmen City was more than three times that of the fifth district.

The key point is that the people who come to Xia City are only there to visit and explore.
But everyone who comes to Hongmen City is there to buy and sell.

These people, whether entering or leaving the city, are either carrying money or goods, which makes them extremely easy to tempt others to commit crimes. In addition, since they come from all over the country and don't know each other, it really comes down to each person relying on their own abilities.

Murder, robbery, highway robbery, revenge killings, double-crossing, business disputes... and all sorts of other things happen one after another.

At first, these things were concentrated outside the city, but as many people figured out the situation of Hongmen City, the Great Xia government office, and the garrison, and as the strength of the people who came to Hongmen to stay became stronger, these things gradually began to emerge inside the city.

Before September 18th last year, there were about 2 to 3 murders per day on average in Hongmen City; after September 18th, everyone knew that even the lords of the six towns dared not cause trouble in Hongmen City, and the murder rate soared instantly, increasing to 5 to 8 per day.

This happens every single day!

Today is January 16th. 117 days have passed since September 18th. If we assume a minimum of 5 cases per day, that means that nearly 600 murders have occurred in the entire Hongmen area in the past 117 days alone.

Including the two months following the opening of the port in July, the number of murders that occurred in Hongmen is conservatively estimated to be over 1500.

Thinking about it this way, 239 unsolved cases are actually not that many.

"In the eight towns, there are fugitives and criminals from all directions who have ulterior motives, and some who dream of getting rich overnight and are unwilling to spend money to buy from Wanbaolou through normal channels. They only want to rely on their strength to rob it... This group of people is as numerous as hairs on a cow, and they are all outsiders who are lurking in the crowd. You won't notice them at all, which makes it even more difficult to solve the case."

Hearing Bai Shanning's words, Xiang Liang recalled the case file he had seen yesterday and said in a deep voice, "Not only humans, but also seemingly supernatural methods have appeared. For example, the series of decapitation cases, the deadly silence case, and the cat demon theft case that occurred last month—none of these three cases seem like something a normal human could do."

Bai Shanning immediately nodded and said seriously, "I have also read the Hongmen files. These three cases do seem to involve strange methods. Hongmen City recently transferred so much fire-condensing oil from Xia City, which should be for dealing with strange methods. I just don't know if they have any clues now."

"There are more than just these three unsolved cases that are suspected to involve strange methods. Hongmen has a large population now, and unlike Xia City, it does not have the protection of a lord's divine power. It would be easy for strange creatures to sneak into the city without anyone noticing. But it would be too difficult for us to accurately find it among two or three hundred thousand people."

After Xiang Liang finished speaking, he raised his head slightly. Although the road was brightly lit with coal stoves hanging on both sides, he pondered for a moment and then took out a piece of fire-condensing oil from his bundle and held it in his hand, just in case.

Seeing this, Bai Shanning immediately took out a piece of fire-condensing oil from his pocket and said in a deep voice, "In order not to cause panic, the Hongmen Prison Administration has been trying its best to block the news of the case. At first, it did have some effect, but as the situation continued to change and the number of murders increased, the truth could not be hidden forever. The people of Hongmen City were in a panic, and the business of Wanbaolou and the shops in the South City was affected. If this continues, I am afraid that there will be a mass exodus from the city soon."

"The reason they're transferring us here at this time is probably to put us in charge of troubleshooting, to solve a few major cases as quickly as possible, and to calm the people in the city down."

Xiang Liang immediately nodded and said, "A hundred prison clerks are not enough, we need to add more. The situation is so serious, we really need to solve some cases and catch a few real culprits to punish them as soon as possible."

A hint of determination flashed in their eyes. Investigating and handling cases was their primary task, and it also concerned whether they could be promoted to Golden Order Prison Warden and whether they could advance further in the future. Naturally, they had to take it seriously.

"Hurry up! I can't wait to investigate the case!"

As soon as Xiang Liang finished speaking, he immediately took a step forward and rushed forward;
Bai Shanning smiled and quickly followed him.

………………

February 20th, the ninth year of the Great Xia Dynasty, late at night

Hongmen, Nancheng Subdistrict

Pedestrians came and went, and the street was bustling with vendors' cries.

Because of the numerous coal stoves along the street, coupled with the light emanating from the houses on both sides, the entire main street of the southern city was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Merchants, peddlers, travelers, residents, children wandering through the streets and alleys, armored soldiers patrolling the streets... Under the firelight, the mottled shadows of people with their own unique characteristics on the ground seem to form a lively scene full of life.

"Brother Zhu, Brother Li, another day... another day... I, Zheng, will treat you again, and the three of us... will definitely... drink to our hearts' content, okay?"

"Of course, of course, Brother Zheng, you should go back and rest first!"

"I didn't drink too much, I didn't drink too much... It was only a pound, too much... what?"

"Brother Zheng, things haven't been peaceful in the city lately. Let us take you back!"

"No...no...no need. You two have only been in Hongmen for five days. You are guests. How can I let guests see me off? Go back, go back. You go back to the inn first. I will come to find you again tomorrow night."

"Well... alright! Anyway, Brother Chen's place isn't far away."

"Alright, alright, don't worry about me, you guys go back now."

At the entrance of an alley next to a restaurant in the southern part of the city, three middle-aged men were pushing and shoving each other. One of them was speaking incoherently, clearly drunk.

But he refused to admit it, insisting on not being seen off. He called the other two middle-aged men away, looked at the bustling street, then made his way home and drunkenly walked into the alley behind him.

Hongmen South City has only one main road, which is 2 kilometers long and 15 meters wide. All the shops and vendors in the city, including Wanbaolou, are gathered on both sides of this street.

The areas to the east and west of this street are considered residential areas.

Because the population that had gathered in Hongmen in such a short period of time was so large, the Civil Affairs Department strictly divided the residential areas in the city:
In the northern part of the city, the only people allowed to live in the Great Xia city were the shop owners and the staff of Wanbaolou; no one else was allowed to be an exception.
The South City is for outsiders. The houses in those residential areas can be rented on a monthly basis or bought. Of course, the rental procedures are simpler and the price is cheaper; if you want to buy, you must first apply to the Civil Affairs Department for permanent residency in Hongmen City, or apply to join the Great Xia directly, and then you will be eligible to buy.

The middle-aged man surnamed Zheng walked towards the residential area, clearly a resident of the southern part of the city.

The alley was initially illuminated by the lights from the shops, so it was about as bright as the main road. But as the middle-aged man walked deeper and deeper, the light sources gradually decreased, and eventually only the firelight from the houses on both sides remained, so the visibility was naturally not as good.

However, in the dim light of the fire, the drunken shadow of the middle-aged man still staggered forward on the ground.

"Ee..." With no one around, the middle-aged man suddenly noticed his own shadow, a smile appearing on his face. He pointed at the shadow and laughed, "You're drunk too?"

Although he was drunk, he was still somewhat conscious. He stared at the shadow for a few seconds, realized he was talking nonsense, and immediately burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Jie Jie Jie Jie Jie!"

However, the next second, he instantly regained his senses!
Because on the ground, his shadow's head suddenly split open with a curved crack, emitting an unusually twisted and sinister laugh.

"who!"

The middle-aged man's pupils dilated violently. With a roar, he circulated his qi and blood to dispel the drunkenness and quickly drew the long sword from his waist.

His cultivation level was clearly not low. When the blade was drawn, it created a gust of wind, causing the flames in the houses on both sides to flicker.

As the light source shifted, his shadow on the ground began to sway from side to side, appearing precarious and about to disappear at any moment.

"Jie Jie Jie Jie..."

However, the shadowy head continued to grin cruelly, the laughter growing smaller and smaller until it was barely audible, but the middle-aged man's forehead was drenched in sweat, and his expression became increasingly panicked.

laugh……

Suddenly, a soft sound rang out, and the middle-aged man abruptly looked down at his shadow, his pupils contracting sharply.

On the ground, behind his shadow, another identical shadow had appeared out of nowhere, holding a horizontal sword and silently pressing it against his neck.

Visually, it looks as if someone is pressed against his back and holding a knife to his neck.

call…………

There was no one behind him at all, so how could the middle-aged man not sense it? But filled with fear, he still subconsciously turned around and swung his knife, trying to dispel the shadows on the ground.

puff……

Unfortunately, just as the broadsword was raised, the blade on the ground suddenly slashed violently, instantly severing the middle-aged man's head, and a jet of blood from his neck shot two or three meters into the air.

boom……

"Jie Jie Jie Jie..."

The middle-aged man collapsed to the ground with a thud. The dark figure on the ground who had been wielding the knife first let out a few cruel laughs, then, realizing that some residents had been alerted and were starting to come this way, quietly disappeared into the darkness.

"Head, head, head is gone! The decapitator has reappeared!"

"Quickly, go and report this to the city guards on night patrol! Hurry!"

"Is this the sixth case?"

"What sixth case? I heard there are already nine."

"What do you mean nine? I heard it's 16."

"Could it be that some strange creature has actually infiltrated Hongmen City?"

"We can't stay here any longer. We need to buy what we need and leave as soon as possible."

…………

As several residents gathered around, they saw the horrific scene of a severed human head on the ground and screamed in terror. However, some quick-thinking individuals immediately went to report the incident to the city guards on night patrol.

"Everyone, disperse! Don't gather here!"

As a group of about twenty city guards clad in golden armor arrived, the scene was quickly cordoned off. Fortunately, the area was some distance from the main street, so there were only about ten onlookers. After speaking with each person individually, the city guards immediately sent them back.

Soon, two people dressed in black and red summer clothes, each with a silver warden's token hanging from their waist, strode in from outside the alley.

The man in front looked middle-aged, while the man behind him looked no more than twenty-five or twenty-six. Both of them looked unusually somber when they saw the decapitated corpse on the ground.

The city guards who were sealing off the scene bowed and saluted when they saw them.

"Lord Xiang."

"Master Bai."

…………

"Please, sirs, there's no need for such formalities. Let's examine the body first!"

The visitors were none other than Bai Shanning and Xiang Liang, who had just taken up their posts at Hongmen a month ago.

After Bai Shanning cupped his hands to signal the city guards to disperse, he immediately walked to the body with Xiang Liang. Bai Shanning took out a piece of fire-condensing oil, scooped out a small piece, and placed it directly on the broken neck of the body.

sizzle...

The moment the fire-condensing oil touched the corpse's neck, it immediately sizzled and burst into flames.

Upon seeing this, Bai Shanning's expression instantly became much more serious.

Of course, it wasn't just him. On the other side, Xiang Liang, who was identifying the deceased by examining the head's appearance and various features of the body, along with more than twenty city guards around him, all had their pupils slightly constricted when they discovered that the wounds on the body were emitting flames.

"It's a monster!"

"This decapitator should be the monster, as has already been confirmed."

"I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems it's true!"

"You can tell by looking at the body of the dead man on the ground. His strength was at least 10 or above. He was killed silently in the alley. It would be difficult for a normal person to do that. It's really strange."

………………

Hearing the surrounding city guards' discussions, Bai Shanning sighed slightly, quickly walked to Xiang Liang's side, and seeing that Xiang Liang's expression was unusually solemn, he thought that he had failed to identify the deceased, and asked softly, "How is it, can you recognize him? If not, go to the Civil Affairs Department to check."

Xiang Liang raised his head and said in a deep voice, "This man is called Zheng Xianglong. He is quite famous. I recognized him as soon as I saw him. He is in the business of blood spirit mushrooms. He has a shop in the South City and lives at No. 85 in the East District."

Originally from Jinshan Town, he came to Hongmen for the first time last August, bringing a batch of blood lingzhi mushrooms to sell to Wanbaolou, making a considerable profit.

He must have had a stable source of blood spirit mushrooms, because he came several times over the next month and I heard he made a lot of money.

He probably felt that developing his career in Hongmen was better than in Jinshan Town, so last October he rented a shop and bought house number 85 in the East District. At the beginning of this year, he brought his entire family of 12 to Hongmen to settle down.

After hearing Zheng Xianglong's information, Bai Shanning was slightly surprised. There were actually quite a few people in Hongmen who had made their fortunes like him, but very few who could buy a house, rent a shop, and settle down here with their whole family. There were probably only a little over two hundred people in the whole city.

No wonder Xiang Liang said that this person is somewhat famous.

wrong!

Bai Shanning immediately realized something and asked, "What is this person's strength?"

"18 manes..."

Upon hearing this answer, Bai Shanning instantly understood why Xiang Liang's expression had been so solemn after recognizing the deceased.

18-mane, their strength is comparable to mine. No wonder they can make so much money, renting shops and bringing their families to buy property and settle down.

Of course, the real problem at this moment is not that.

"Even the 18-mane level experts were killed without a trace. This head-cutting monster is getting stronger and stronger, and it's now almost certain that it's specifically targeting those at the Cold-resistant level!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang recalled the 32 murders committed by the Head-Cutting Ghost and nodded, saying in a low voice, "The density of torches in the South City is now comparable to that in the North City, yet the Head-Cutting Ghost can still continue to kill. Either it is completely unafraid of torches, or its concealment methods are extremely sophisticated. Either way, it is very difficult to deal with!"

Months ago, as soon as strange things started to appear in the city, Shou Zheng Lin Kai had already transferred a large number of small torches and fire-condensing oil from Xia City to deal with them.

These two supplies are so precious that they cannot be used indiscriminately without limit. Not to mention the Fire-Condensing Oil, unless it is for official business, individuals must spend their contribution points to buy it. The small torches are different. Considering that the Great Xia currently has a large stockpile, and that maintaining the safety of the city is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, Lin Kai allocated a portion of them and set them up in the North City free of charge, specifically to protect the safety of his own people.

As soon as the torches were set up, the murder rate in the North City immediately dropped sharply, which did indeed play a role in preventing ghosts. Seeing this, Lin Kai began to set up torches in the South City, but the density was not as high as in the North City.

But that was at the beginning. As time slowly passed, whether the monsters found the pattern of the little torches, or their strength increased, or for some other reason, people continued to be killed in the city.

Lin Kai had no choice but to increase the density of the small torches in the southern part of the city.

Now, almost every inhabited area of ​​the city has been decorated with small torches.

Even so, some people were still killed!

Not to mention, Zheng Xianglong, who was killed tonight, was at least among the top 500 in strength among the hundreds of thousands of people in the city. If even he was beheaded silently, what would happen to the other weaker people if they were targeted by the Head-Cutting Ghost?
Xiang Liang bent down and searched Zheng Xianglong's body for a while, and soon found a black oily substance. After taking it out, his expression immediately darkened: "Zheng Xianglong had some kind of fire-condensing oil on him, why didn't you take it out?"

Wanbaolou already has fire-condensing oil for sale. Zheng Xianglong is not poor, so it's not surprising that he can afford it. But he clearly had it on him. Why didn't he take it out and use it after just encountering the decapitated monster?
Bai Shanning sniffed slightly, frowning as he said, "He had just finished drinking. Judging from his expression before he died, he was probably terrified. Either he didn't remember to use the Fire Condensing Oil, or that stuff was too strange. He knew that even if he took out the Fire Condensing Oil, it wouldn't do any good..."

Xiang Liang shook his head slightly, his expression extremely grave.

The former is better, but if it's the latter, it proves that this decapitated monster's strength and methods far exceed their imagination.

"The news of the strange creatures is about to be broken. People are already leaving the city one after another. At least three strange creatures are currently causing trouble in the city. If they continue to kill like this, there will really be a mass exodus from the city!"

Upon hearing Xiang Liang's words, Bai Shanning frowned and continued, "We can't do it on our own. Let's report this to Yuwen Sizheng and Lord Lin!"

“Ba Shang is not peaceful either. Yuwen Sizheng went there half a month ago, and Lord Lin went to Muyin on business. Today is the fifth day, and he will not be back until the day after tomorrow.”

Bai Shanning sighed slightly and said, "Zhao Zhangxing has to keep an eye on the North City and can't spare the time, so we can only go to Commander Liu and ask him to send more people to patrol the South City more frequently."

Upon hearing Bai Shanning's suggestion, Xiang Liang frowned, but in the end he could only nod slightly and say helplessly, "There's no other way, this is the only option."

That head-cutting monster only dares to kill in alleys and dark places, and so far, it has only committed crimes against individuals. Therefore, it is useful to send people to patrol the southern part of the city.

The problem is that the population in the south of the city is too large. The two-kilometer-long main road is fine, but the residential areas on the east and west sides have at least 200,000 people.

There are so many people, it's impossible to keep track of them all.

Currently, the Yunjiao Army is stationed at Hongmen. The soldiers patrolling the southern city every night are all sent by Liu Yuan. In the beginning, when there were no monsters causing trouble, Liu Yuan only sent one battalion and five squads, a total of 100 people, every day. Now it has increased to five battalions and 500 people, which is almost half of the entire army.

The soldiers of the Yunjiao Army are also human beings. It is impossible for them to patrol 24 hours a day. They need to take turns to rest. Taking turns to patrol the South City with 500 people every day is almost the limit.

How else can we add more?
We have no choice but to bring in a large army from elsewhere!
Xiang Liang happened to know that his superior, Zhao Bao, seemed to be planning this matter and was just waiting for Lin Kai to return from Muyin so he could bring it up.

"No matter how many troops we send over, it's only a temporary solution. Besides, the fact that we need to send more troops to patrol in order to ensure safety only proves how incompetent we prison wardens are!"

Xiang Liang stared at Zheng Xianglong's corpse on the ground, his expression unusually somber.

………………

Just as Xiang Liang and Bai Shanning were grieving over the decapitation,

At the entrance of house number 492 in the East District, Chu Dongning, wearing a felt hat, looked around to make sure no one was following him before quickly knocking on the door.

dong dong dong...

"Who?"

"it's me!"

The people inside the courtyard obviously recognized who it was just by the voice and immediately rushed over to open the door.

As soon as Chu Dongning entered, the door was immediately closed.

"Lord Chen, I've seen that headless monster clearly!"

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Chu Dongning spoke immediately.

The person who opened the door for him, who was also the owner of the house, was none other than Chen Yiqing.

Upon hearing Chu Dongning's words, Chen Yiqing's eyes immediately lit up, and he asked, "It killed someone in the South City again. Can you determine what kind of monster it is?"

Chu Dongning nodded in response to the first question, then took out a piece of fiery red jade from his person and continued, "Just now in the South City, as soon as the Ghost-Detecting Stone reacted, I immediately followed it. The Head-Cutting Ghost had its eye on a drunken Cold-Resistant level cultivator, hiding in his shadow, and beheaded him with a single strike."

After saying that, he immediately added, "That person's strength is 18, which isn't too strong."

"Hidden in the shadows?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yiqing frowned and slowly shook his head, saying, "That's a non-physical monster. We can't even tell what kind it is. It'll be very, very difficult to deal with. It seems we won't be able to get this bargain!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Dongning immediately nodded and said, "I saw the whole process of that decapitated monster killing people. Judging from the reaction of the monster-detecting stone, the shadow on the ground should not be its true form. Great Xia is really unlucky. Hongmen has only been established for half a year and has already encountered such a difficult monster to deal with..."

He paused slightly before continuing, "It's not just the Head-Cutting Ghost. There are currently five monsters active in the city. The strongest of them is probably the cat-shaped monster, which is even better at hiding than the Head-Cutting Ghost and also likes to eat silver. Since Great Xia doesn't have any monster-detecting stones, I estimate that even if Xia Hong came personally, it would be difficult to deal with it."

"Then you're wrong. In my observation, the Craftsman Ghost that can only unleash a deadly whistle is the strongest. I almost fell victim to it a few days ago!"

Chen Yiqing seemed to have dealt with that craftsman monster before, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes when he mentioned it, but he quickly followed up with a cold laugh: "That's what happens when the population grows. Hongmen's population is almost 30, so monsters from all directions will naturally come smelling the scent. Unlike Xia City, there's nothing here to suppress them. Given enough time, sooner or later, a major disaster will occur..."

He paused slightly, then said with regret, "What a pity! Judging from the abilities these monsters have displayed, the gains from killing them would have been enormous. If we weren't so far away, I would really like to go back to Chencang and call some people over to help!"

Chu Dongning nodded, his face immediately showing interest, and said in a low voice, "My lord, should I go back?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yiqing immediately shook his head and said, "It's too far to go back and forth, and it would trouble the officers of the border army. It's too much trouble, and besides..."

He paused, a cold glint in his eyes, and said, "It seems that the Six Towns are truly terrified of Xia Hong. In the past four months, I have killed more than a hundred of them and framed the Great Xia for it all. Apart from verbal condemnation, the Six Towns have not reacted at all."

"Not surprising..."

Chu Dongning immediately replied, "Last year, Xia Hong's strength—twelve beast kings plus more than 30,000 elite troops—was enough to make the Six Towns tremble with fear."
Furthermore, the opening of Hongmen to trade was a decisive move by the Great Xia against the Six Towns. At the beginning of the year, the Hongmen government issued notices allowing outsiders to settle in Hongmen or join the Great Xia. The population of the Six Towns had already begun to decline, and the longer this continued, the greater the loss would be, until finally the Six Towns were unable to resist the Great Xia, and the southern foothills of Mo'ao would ultimately…”

"Therefore, we can no longer allow the situation on the southern slopes of Mo'ao to continue to deteriorate step by step according to the Great Xia's plan. Since the Six Garrisons are so afraid, then I will find a way to deal with the Great Xia. I refuse to believe that the situation in the Nine Garrisons is so difficult to stir up!"

"My lord, do you already have an idea?"

"The day after tomorrow, I'm going to pull off a big heist. Isn't Xia Hong supposed to be domineering? I'll see just how domineering he really is!"

Upon hearing "the day after tomorrow," Chu Dongning seemed to know something, and his expression slightly brightened.

…………

[PS (Chen Yiqing: Do you guys think I can pull this off? Subscribe and let's get started!)]

　I had an urgent matter yesterday and missed writing. I'm really sorry. I'll make up for it next week. I'll still ask for subscriptions, but I won't ask for monthly tickets. They'll be doubled at the end of the month, so please save some ammunition for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)