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Chapter 531 Jinxiu Bookstore (12,000 words)
The shadow never returned to retrieve its barrel.

A few early birds chirped and sang, waking up the whole city.

With the creaking of the door hinges turning, one household after another opened their doors, and an old man, hunched over, struggled to lift out a chamber pot and empty it of his excrement.

A middle-aged man, without having time for breakfast, hurriedly put on his coat and rushed to the dock to grab work. As he walked, he turned back to his wife in the house and said: "I won't be back for lunch."

An old woman with gray hair, urged by her daughter-in-law, slowly took out a broom from behind the door and swept the fallen leaves and dust in front of the door.

A plump woman entered the kitchen, broke off a handful of straw, and lit the stove...

Smoke and dust mingled with the morning mist, rising from the streets and alleys.

The vast complex of buildings constructed by human hands has returned to their control.

Xu Yuan stood up and shook his body.

After squatting all night, my clothes felt damp and sticky in the morning air, making them uncomfortable to wear.

Carrying the wooden bucket, he didn't return to the office of the Exorcism Bureau, but went straight to the White Moon Pavilion in Xieliu Lane.

Not long after, an embarrassing thing happened.

Xu Yuan came to find Bai Hu, but ended up blocking Zhu Zhanlei in the room!

Xu Yuan frowned and said, "You are still young, you must not be too reckless, lest you damage your health!"

Zhu Zhanlei cursed inwardly.

Early in the morning, I was sleeping soundly with my sweet-smelling beauty in my arms when someone banged on the door and woke me up.

Unfortunately, the person who ruined his plans was someone he couldn't beat...

Not only could they not beat him, they couldn't even beat his geese.

Zhu Zhanlei was still a little ashamed. He lowered his head, put on his clothes, and tried to slip away from Xu Yuan.

Unfortunately, Xu Yuan, in his "old-fashioned" manner, gave him a lecture.

His tone was exactly the same as that of the elders in his family.

Young Master Zhu's rebellious streak surged up instantly, and in a moment of impulsiveness, he retorted, "You're not my third sister's husband yet, you have no right to tell me what to do..."

Then he saw Xu Yuan raise his hand to slap him—

Zhu Zhanlei ran away with his head in his hands!
A good man does not suffer from immediate losses!
This guy hit me, and I didn't dare to fight back. My family, whether it's my parents or my sister, would never help me.

Fighting him will only get me beaten up, so I'll choose to run away as the best of the thirty-six stratagems!
Xu Yuan shook his head. This child has a lot of clever tricks, but not a shred of wisdom.

The white fox, its face still flushed, asked lazily, "My lord, you've come so early in the morning. Is there something important?"

"Come, give the master a pot of tea."

In the past, Xu Yuan, being such a tightwad, would never have been able to get a glass of water at Baiyue Pavilion.

However, yesterday, the white fox, taking advantage of Lord Xu's influence, extorted a piece of territory in the turbid world.

The white fox's attitude towards Lord Xu improved slightly.

The term "light tea" sounds elegant, but it is actually the worst kind of inferior tea with the weakest flavor.

Xu Yuan placed the wooden bucket in front of the white fox. The white fox twitched its nose and its expression changed: "Human blood?"

Xu Yuan sneered, "Since there's no dragon crossing the river, then it must be a local evil spirit!"

Ask those guys in the swamp, who exactly did this?

"Come out yourself, or I'll have to personally go down to the filthy chamber to get it!"

The white fox frowned: "My lord, please tell me the specifics."

Xu Yuan explained briefly, then asked, "Besides those few from the turbid chambers, who else could escape from my grasp so easily?"

The white fox pondered for a moment, then could only slowly shake its head.

Even now, she herself would not be able to easily escape from Xu Yuan's grasp.

The white fox knew the situation was serious; Lord Xu was like a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.

"Please wait in the courtyard, my lord. I will go and find them to get to the bottom of this immediately!"

Then the white fox pounced on the ground, revealing its true form as a giant white fox, which leaped into the turbid realm.

Xu Yuan didn't sit down either, but stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, like an iron tower.

The wooden barrel, emanating a strong stench of blood, still sat at his feet.

……

The fox sisters were unaware that Xu Yuan had arrived.

Although they entered the city, their cultivation levels continued to increase.

But some of the habits from back in Meihuatan have been retained.

Every night they revealed their true forms, huddled together, and slept in a hollow of an old tree in the backyard.

When the two sisters woke up this morning, they tumbled out of the tree hole in a daze. They grabbed each other and tugged at each other as they played and made their way forward. Suddenly, they saw that figure with a menacing aura!
The two sisters rubbed their faces with their little paws and looked again: they weren't seeing things; the big villain really looked angry as he stood there.

“It’s broken, it’s broken!”

"I had a nightmare!"

"How scary, how scary..."

"Ouch—why are you pinching me?"

"Waaaaah, it's not a dream!"

……

The white fox did not summon all the great evil spirits of the turbid realm.

She entered the turbid realm and headed straight for the territory of the Yin-Yang Python.

Nighttime is when evil spirits are active, and they rest during the day.

The Yin-Yang Python had just fallen asleep when the white fox dragged it out of bed.

I'm incredibly grumpy when I wake up.

"You wretch! You've become increasingly outrageous lately!" The two heads of the Yin-Yang Python roared and bared their teeth.

The white fox lashed its tail across the left side of the python's head, enraging it even more. Then the white fox coldly said, "Lord Xu is waiting in my White Moon Pavilion. Why don't I, this lowly woman, invite him in to talk to you personally!"

"Ow!"

The Yin-Yang Python roared angrily to the sky three times before calming down and asking with icy eyes, "What happened now?"

The white fox cursed coldly in her heart, "Despicable."

"An evil spirit has opened a human market in Champa!"

"What did you say?!" The Yin-Yang Python became even more enraged, its massive body swirling around, sending surrounding rocks and wood flying hundreds of feet away.

"Some evil spirit dares to open a human market outside the old market?!"

This has threatened the interests of all the evil forces in the entire Champa region!
If we can't handle Xu Yuan, or the underworld officials, then surely we can handle you, a mere evil spirit?!
"What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

White Fox: "Last night, Lord Xu lay in wait at a crime scene..."

The white fox relayed the story, concluding, "Yesterday you said there was no dragon crossing the river, but now Lord Xu suspects that you are protecting this evil spirit."

"Nonsense!" Both faces of the Yin-Yang Python were anxious: "You know perfectly well what's going on, so why don't you just explain it to Lord Xu for us?"

How could we possibly allow any evil spirits to operate a human market outside the old market town?

The white fox looked at it with a cold smile.

The Yin-Yang Python opened both its mouths at once, and after a long while, it said helplessly, "What benefits do you want?"

That scoundrel is useless; he never does anything right.

This time, the white fox did not ask for its own benefits first, but said: "Think it over carefully. Lord Xu came to my White Moon Pavilion early this morning in a rage. I dared not delay for a moment and came to find you immediately."

I can tell that if we don't get a satisfactory answer from Lord Xu this time, the mortal realm will surely be stained with blood!
Why don't you go and ask the Masked Ghost if he's planning to go to war with Lord Xu?

"What the hell is it doing!" the Yin-Yang Python cursed angrily. "That scoundrel is always a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. He's cunning and treacherous. He just shouts loudly, but he has no guts!"

The white fox nodded: "Then we will give Lord Xu a satisfactory answer."

The two faces of the Yin-Yang Python changed expressions several times before finally saying helplessly, "You wait here."

I tried my best to persuade the others to conduct a city-wide search tonight, and we will definitely help Lord Xu find that evil spirit that has overstepped its bounds!

The white fox nodded: "Hurry up, I'm afraid Lord Xu will get impatient and come in by himself."

"I know!" The Yin-Yang Python impatiently flicked its tail and left.

……

Xu Yuan waited for half an hour, when suddenly a long, narrow arc of dark silver light flashed in the void.

A white fox jumped out from among them.

It turned into human form in front of Xu Yuan.

Knowing that Lord Xu looked down on her, she didn't bother with any fancy tricks and obediently got dressed as soon as she appeared.

"My lord," the white fox said quickly, "those few have promised to mobilize all the evil spirits tonight to search the entire city and find that thing for you!"

Xu Yuan frowned, his tone somewhat unfriendly: "A horde of evil spirits is searching the entire city?"

You guys seem to have a poor understanding of your own position!

"Search the entire city"—that's a term used exclusively by my Exorcism Division!

You bunch of evil spirits, how dare you compare yourselves to the imperial court?
The white fox was helpless; this master was too domineering and difficult to please.

But she didn't dare to criticize Xu Yuan, as he was probably ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

"My lord, those evil spirits are quite ill-mannered and speak rather arrogantly."

It's essentially the same principle as the local secret societies helping the government find unfamiliar faces.

That made Lord Xu feel a little better. He snorted and asked, "Do they know anything about those evil spirits?"

The white fox shook its head: "I specifically asked, and none of those foxes had ever heard of any similar evil spirits."

but……"

The white fox drawled, "They say this habit of trading with ghost silver doesn't seem like evil spirits, but rather like underworld messengers."

"Your Excellency might as well go and ask the City God."

Xu Yuan's heart stirred; he agreed with this statement.

He picked up the wooden bucket and turned to leave.

He left with a single sentence: "Tell those beasts that they are not allowed to disturb any living people tonight, or I'll make them pay!"

"They would never dare."

Seeing that the evil star was gone, the white fox finally breathed a sigh of relief, and then happily took out a piece of leg bone.

This material was a benefit she had demanded from those people in the Tsukishima clan.

It could be used to make a bone flute; it must be a work of high craftsmanship!
……

Xu Yuan carried the wooden bucket straight to the City God Temple.

He exudes a menacing aura!
Xu Yuan deliberately carried the wooden bucket throughout.

This is used to imply one's state of mind: This great one is furious!
There can be no satisfactory outcome, and things cannot be resolved amicably!

Xu Yuan dropped the wooden bucket on the ground with a thud in front of the City God Temple gate.

"Brother Lu!"

Xu Yuan shouted, and the door creaked open a crack.

Xu Yuan picked up the wooden bucket and went inside.

Anyone who saw this would be very surprised.

Because those two real doors remain tightly shut.

The door that opened was just a blurry image!
But Xu Yuan, a living, breathing person, walked right into the phantom.

Crunch—bang!

The "gate" closed again.

The City God Temple was shrouded in deep darkness.

The doors and windows were tightly shut, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering in through some cracks.

Although sharp, it could not cut through the dense darkness.

A phantom figure floated down from the statue.

It was not the City God, but his Right Clerk.

"Lord Xu, my master is not in the temple," the Right Clerk said, bowing.

Xu Yuan frowned: "Brother Lu isn't at the temple? Where did he go?"

"This..." The Right Clerk looked troubled and said, "This humble official does not know."

"Hmph!" Xu Yuan snorted coldly and said, "Fine, it's the same whether I ask you or not."

"Please speak, Lord Xu."

“There is an evil spirit…” Xu Yuan then explained the situation of the shadowy evil spirit, and finally said, “This thing likes to trade with ghost silver, so it must have some connection with your underworld!”

If it were Lu Chenghuang, Xu Yuan wouldn't be so domineering.

However, Xu Yuan felt that this Right Clerk was too scheming and needed to be put under some pressure.

The clerk smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Xu, in the underworld, there are certainly more than a million ghost messengers, if not hundreds of millions."

"Your accusations are like this; anyone who habitually uses ghost money will have the blame pinned on us in the underworld, and all I can do is cry out that I'm innocent."

Xu Yuan pointed to the wooden bucket: "This bucket contains the blood of countless people! In Champa, which is under my jurisdiction, the people have been harmed by evil spirits. This is my dereliction of duty!"
This official will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly!
"If you, sir, refuse to cooperate, don't blame me for turning my back on you!"

The clerk frowned, somewhat displeased: "Lord Xu, our previous cooperation was very pleasant."

My family has never mistreated you; it's inappropriate for you to be so aggressive.

Xu Yuan picked up the wooden bucket and left: "The premise of a pleasant cooperation is that you abide by the law in my city of Champa!"
"Once I capture that evil spirit, and if I find out it has any connection with your underworld, I will certainly expel you from Champa!"

Xu Yuan spoke with great confidence.

In other cities, the Exorcism Bureau and the Mountain and River Bureau will not completely break with the Underworld.

Because they also need the underworld to control the corrupt world.

But Xu Yuan didn't need that; he could take down the entire Champa region on his own.

Xu Yuan strode out.

The clerk behind him changed his expression several times, and finally, just as Xu Yuan was about to step out of the gate, he gracefully blocked Xu Yuan's way: "Sir, please wait."

Xu Yuan placed his hand on the door, glanced at it coldly, and said, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Alas..." The Right Clerk sighed, "It's not that I'm trying to deceive you, sir, but this evil spirit is definitely not one of ours."

"But the underworld is vast, and there are always a few bad apples."

"There are also many people in the underworld who, like the previous City God of Lucheng, harbor evil intentions."

"Please wait a moment, my lord. Let me think about it carefully and provide you with some clues."

Xu Yuan had just removed his hand from the door when he put the wooden bucket down with a thud.

The clerk rubbed his temples, seemingly deep in thought, before suddenly slapping his forehead: "I remember now."

"My lord, in the Knife Mountain Hell of the eighteen levels of hell in the underworld, there are some prison guards who like to accept bribes of ghost silver."

Moreover, they are adept at using various knives, axes, iron hooks, and sickles.

After a pause, it continued, "Moreover, I vaguely remember that the previous City God of Lucheng came from the hell of knives..."

Xu Yuan asked in confusion, "You mean, this evil spirit is a fallen jailer from the hell of knives?"

"I was unaware of this; I was merely providing you with an idea as requested by you, sir."

Xu Yuan then asked, "What kind of trickery did it use to escape from my grasp?"

“This…” The Right Clerk hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth: “It is not a trick, but an official document.”

"The eighteen levels of hell are also a separate realm within the underworld."

Even each level of hell is an independent realm.

But the jailers sometimes need to return to the underworld, or travel between the eighteen levels of hell on official business.

At this time, the superior would issue a red slip, which the underworld messenger could then use to travel smoothly to the realm where the mission was to be carried out.

In the underworld, command slips are divided into white-headed slips, black-headed slips, and red-headed slips.

The clerk, for some unknown reason, suddenly began to explain to Xu in detail: "The red-headed slip is a errand slip; it is used for arrests, customs clearance, and troop movements."

The red label has a white circle inside containing the white character for "bad".

The White-Headed Fortune Stick is a punishment fortune stick; once it's issued, the person will be imprisoned in the underworld and subjected to punishments far more severe than those in the mortal world.

Unlike the red-headed slips, these have white heads with a red circle around the red character for "punishment".

A black-headed slip is a death sentence; issuing it means certain execution!

The sign has a black tip and a red circle around the red character for "death".

The laws of the underworld are strict; even when superiors go out on official business, they must act according to orders and warrants, otherwise it is considered breaking the law.

Xu Yuan frowned deeply upon hearing this: "Doesn't that mean this evil spirit can travel through the eighteen levels of hell and the underworld? How am I supposed to deal with it then?"

The clerk, however, was very cautious and corrected him first, saying, "Sir, I was merely providing you with a clue."

Those evil spirits are most likely not underworld officials; sir, please do not confuse them.

As for the idea that holding a red-headed token allows one to freely traverse the eighteen levels of hell, haha, of course that's impossible.

When the official approval was issued, the location of the task was already designated.

The red slip indicating that you can only go to the Tongue-Pulling Hell means you can only go to the Tongue-Pulling Hell.

Those who want to go to the Iron Tree Hell can only go to the Iron Tree Hell.

Therefore, if a ghost messenger were to betray the underworld by carrying a red-headed token, he could only go to the designated hell.

In addition... there are some problems with the six realms of reincarnation in the underworld. The eighteen levels of hell are closely related to the six realms of reincarnation, so some of the eighteen levels of hell are no longer in the underworld.

Among them... is this hell of knives!

Xu Yuan understood. The Right Clerk meant that the evil spirit, holding the red-headed slip, had escaped to the Mountain of Knives Hell, which was no longer the "Eighteen Levels of Hell".

It can be viewed as an independent boundary.

Xu Yuan wanted to take this opportunity to ask the Right Clerk where the Yellow-bodied Oriole came from.

But since the yellow oriole wasn't around, it was probably impossible to explain clearly, so they decided to leave it at that for now.

Xu Yuan then asked, "Is there any way to counteract this red-headed slip?"

The Right Clerk shook his head: "Only the issuing official can revoke it. But we need to know which official it was."

Xu Yuan glared at the Right Clerk with displeasure; this was clearly an excuse.

The Right Clerk was clearly trying to distance himself from any connection between this matter and the underworld.

If the underworld takes back this red slip, then the responsibility is indeed found to be with the underworld.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and then did not press the Right Clerk any further.

Since they would continue to cooperate in the future, and the other party had already taken a step back and told Xu Yuan this important information, Xu Yuan decided not to really break off relations.

"Alright, I'll come back to thank Brother Lu and the clerk after I've caught that evil spirit."

Xu Yuan picked up the wooden bucket and left.

Inside the City God Temple, the Right Clerk gracefully returned to the statue of the deity.

The statue then came to life, a hint of worry appearing on its face: "It's not about that. Will it affect Lord City God's progress...?"

……

Xu Yuan returned to the government office.

When Old Qin greeted Lord Xu, he also spoke up for Jia Yi: "Sir, Old Jia and that Zhang Meng didn't go home last night; they stayed up all night at the yamen."

"Okay." Xu Yuan nodded to indicate that he understood.

Upon entering his duty room, Jia Yi and his companion rushed over immediately: "Sir, we've found four more cases."

Xu Yuan already knew who the murderer was, but he couldn't dampen his subordinates' enthusiasm.

"You two go and investigate immediately. If you find any new clues, report to me at once."

"Yes!"

After the two left, Xu Yuan returned to his courtyard to rest.

Get plenty of rest and prepare for tonight's big battle.

In the afternoon, Jia Yi and Zhang Meng returned.

But when Lang Xiaoba said that the adults were still asleep, he didn't dare to wake Xu Yuan and waited outside the door.

Around 3:45 PM, Xu Yuan woke up.

Lang Xiaoba immediately brought the two of them in.

Jia Yi reported: "We haven't been able to find anything out in the four cases, but... there's something I don't know if it can be considered a clue."

"Tell me," Xu Yuan said, sitting in a chair and listening to their reports while sipping strong tea.

"The case on Jialiu Road in the east of the city involved a couple who had come from out of town.

According to neighbors, they came to the city because the man was a filial son. His elderly mother was seriously ill, and he sold the only land and house he owned to pay for her medical treatment.

But in the end, all the money was spent, and the elderly mother still couldn't be saved.

The couple had no choice but to come to the city to work, but neither of them had any skills, so the man had to work as a laborer at the canal docks.

He recently had his leg broken when a cargo box fell on him.

Xu Yuan silently sipped his tea.

The rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always seems to find those who are destined for hardship.

"The couple often argued because they were destitute, and it seemed that the man wanted to sell the woman..."

Xu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head.

He was a very filial son, but also cold and ruthless towards his wife.

How should we evaluate this kind of person?
Jia Yi wasn't sure if this counted as a clue, but since he had asked, he told Lord Xu about it.

"Zhang Meng, did you smell something?"

Zhang Meng knew what the adult was asking, and shook his head regretfully: "No, the smell has dissipated."

Xu Yuan nodded and encouraged them, "You did a great job. Go and rest now."

After seeing the two off, Xu Yuan took out the Ten Thousand Souls Handkerchief.

The evil spirits that haunt the human market need a venue.

Moreover, the venue must be fixed.

Otherwise, where would those evil spirits that want to buy blood offerings find it?
But Zhang Meng smelled other places and found no scent of ghost silver, which meant that the market of shadowy evil spirits was in the small courtyard in the south city.

Now that this human market has been destroyed by itself, where will the shadowy evil spirits open the next human market?
Did it inform its regular customers of the alternative location?

Yesterday, Wanhunpa captured all his old customers, and Xu Yuan released these evil spirits to interrogate them one by one.

But the result was nothing.

They knew this human market because they suddenly smelled a sweet, bloody scent in the middle of the night, followed the smell, and eventually arrived at the courtyard.

After buying it once, I knew to go back to that courtyard to wait the next day.

Xu Yuan then put them back.

If the evil spirits of the shadows want to reopen the human market, they will resort to their old tricks tonight.

As the sun began to set, the white fox took the initiative to find Xu Yuan.

"My lord, tonight all the little evil spirits in the city will be out searching for that evil spirit."

If they make a discovery, they will tell my two... nieces.

Actually, she's my grandniece.

"One of them will immediately inform the master."

"Okay, this arrangement is appropriate."

After the white fox left, Xu Yuan waited quietly.

Then he casually flipped through the case files left by Jia Yi.

These cases are highly suspected to be the work of shadowy evil spirits.

Besides the young couple, there was another family living in the southwest corner, a brothel.

The prostitute was over thirty, past her prime, yet she kept five girls as lovers.

They were all bought from human traffickers.

There's also a grocery store.

The family consists of six people, with the father and eldest son running the shop together.

Under Xu Yuan's leadership, the Champa Exorcism Division handled cases with great care.

The case file even recorded some of the victim's daily habits.

For example, the father of this grocery store often liked to tell people that there is nothing in this world that cannot be sold, it just depends on whether the price is high enough.

Xu Yuan tried hard to find the connection between the victims in these cases, but he kept looking until dark and still couldn't find the "thread" that could connect them.

All the cases were the same: the door gods were intact, so evil spirits shouldn't be able to get in.

After dark, Xu Yuan closed the file and went to the back door to wait for news of the two little foxes.

……

Inside the prefectural government office, some people were also waiting. The backyard was originally the prefectural governor's residence.

The family did indeed live there for a year and a half.

But later, when the prefect's wife found out that her husband was keeping a mistress, she didn't know what she was thinking, so she made a scene and refused to live in the yamen anymore. She insisted that her husband pay for a new house and she moved out as well.

The prefect has several advisors, but it's actually quite obvious who he trusts the most: who lives at home with him.

They can advise the master at any time.

It was Mr. Bai at first, but not long ago it was replaced by Mr. Wu.

But after the prefect disappeared, Mr. Wu certainly could not live alone in the prefect's house.

We need to avoid suspicion.

So they moved back to the backyard of the government office, to the small courtyard where they had lived before.

In the morning, Mr. Wu brewed a pot of tea and sat alone by the window, gazing at the front courtyard of the government office.

We eagerly await news of the master's safe return.

His fate had just changed. If he diligently served his master for a few years and found an opportunity to ask his master for a recommendation, he could secure a respectable position in a local government office and return home in glory.

Even if things don't go well, over the years the master's rewards will still be plentiful, and he will eventually be able to enjoy his old age in peace.

I've waited for over a year to finally get this opportunity.

Why did the master disappear without a word?
The tea had been sitting in the pot all morning and was now bland and tasteless.

He intended to change the pot in the afternoon, but after thinking about it, he held back.

Tea is not cheap.

If the master doesn't come back... I have to use the little silver I've saved for his journey home; I can't let it go to waste.

As darkness fell, Mr. Wu got up disappointed, intending to have dinner and then rest.

We can't go out to eat, but there's a small stove under the eaves, so we can cook something simple ourselves.

Mr. Bai appeared outside the courtyard gate, glanced at Mr. Wu's disheveled appearance, and sneered as he walked past.

At this moment, Mr. Wu had no confidence to fight him.

Mr. Bai returned to his courtyard.

It is three times larger than Mr. Wu's.

However, the maids and pageboys who originally served in the courtyard were sent away by him two days ago.

After he returned, he carefully closed the courtyard gate and the house door all the way, and then went straight to the study.

In the study, a middle-aged scholar with a refined and scholarly air was reading a book at his desk.

He held a book in one hand and gently stroked the three strands of long beard under his chin with the other.

"Senior Brother Zhong." Mr. Bai stepped forward and bowed.

Senior Brother Zhong smiled slightly, put down his book, and said, "Junior Brother is back. Is there any news from the Exorcism Division?"

“No.” Mr. Bai shook his head: “Zhang Meng has one of my men by his side. These past few days, Xu Yuan has simply had Zhang Meng, along with an inspector from the Exorcism Division, re-examine the recent missing persons cases in the city.”

Senior Brother Zhong listened attentively with a calm expression on his face.

Mr. Bai: "But in this day and age, which city or outside doesn't have a few people disappear at night?"

Can a prefect be compared to these ordinary people?

"They're forcibly linking them to the prefect's case. My junior brother thinks they've gone astray; Xu Yuan can't solve this case."

"Oh." Senior Brother Zhong sat up straight, seemingly a little disappointed, but didn't say anything more.

Mr. Bai then tentatively asked, "Should we continue to keep an eye on them tomorrow? With your skills, Senior Brother, you're sure to be able to bring the Prefect back once you take action."

Senior Brother Zhong had already picked up his book again and calmly uttered two words: "Keep an eye on it."

Mr. Bai lowered his head guiltily.

He felt that although this senior brother Zhong didn't talk much, his calm eyes always seemed to see into people's hearts:

My senior brother has already seen through my selfish motives.

Mr. Bai wanted to ask his senior brother for help in bringing back the prefect.

If the prefect is still alive, he can use this opportunity to regain the prefect's trust.

If the prefect is already dead...

Mr. Bai can also gain a good reputation for "not failing his benefactor," which will greatly help him find his next job.

"Well... I'll take my leave now, senior brother. Please get some rest."

Mr. Bai bowed and took his leave.

Senior Brother Zhong replied with a "Okay".

Mr. Bai arrived at the door and placed his hand on it, but he still couldn't help turning around and asking, "Senior brother, why did the book club send you all the way to Champa to see this Xu Yuan?"
What secret is he hiding...?

Halfway through his speech, Mr. Bai noticed that Senior Brother Zhong's eyes were crystal clear, yet they were staring straight at him.

Mr. Bai was immediately speechless.

An unsettling silence fell over the study.

After a long silence, Senior Brother Zhong chuckled softly: "Junior Brother, you know you shouldn't have asked, but you still did—you still need to practice your internal energy cultivation."

"I'm ashamed!" Mr. Bai lowered his head, sweating profusely, and turned away in a disheveled state.

But Mr. Bai really didn't understand why the bookstore would do this.

He came from the "Jinxiu Bookstore" in Beijing, but he was not a student of the main bookstore, but rather from the Guangdong branch.

He was of average talent and little known in the book club. He failed the imperial examinations repeatedly, so when he turned thirty, he had to ask the teachers in the club to write a letter of recommendation for him to work as a staff member.

More than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye, and he only exchanges letters occasionally with his teachers and classmates in the book club.

Unexpectedly, half a month ago, this Brother Zhong suddenly came to Champa with a token from one of our senior repairmen.

Mr. Bai was flattered.

The bookstore actually remembered me, a good-for-nothing student.

Senior Brother Zhong didn't need him to do anything; he just asked him to collect information about Xu Yuan.

Until the prefect disappeared.

He investigated for two days without any results, and Senior Brother Zhong told him to hand the case over to the Exorcism Department.

Let's "test" the mettle of that Lord Xu.

Senior Brother Zhong moved directly into his courtyard and waited for news from him every day.

Zhang Meng thought it was only after he had persuaded Mr. Bai that he agreed to report the case to the Exorcism Bureau.

How naive! In Mr. Bai's eyes, Zhang Meng has no weight whatsoever.
Although Mr. Bai himself did not achieve much, the "Jinxiu Book Society" was one of the four major book societies of the Ming Dynasty.

Whether in power or out of power, they wield enormous influence.

It is far superior to ordinary guilds.

How could such a powerful force pay attention to a mere law enforcement officer in the small city of Champa on the southern frontier?
……

After Mr. Bai left, Senior Brother Zhong lit a lamp and continued to read quietly.

It was as if they were truly immersed in it.

Before long, a clear bird song suddenly came from outside the window.

Senior Brother Zhong showed no surprise and got up to open the window.

A thrush flew in.

It twirled around the study and landed nimbly on the desk.

It chirped twice at Senior Brother Zhong.

Senior Brother Zhong took off the embroidered sachet from his waist, and with a flick of his hand, the sachet turned into a fishy-smelling package!

When you open it, there's a lump of meat inside.

The flesh kept wriggling, extending several tendrils, trying to climb onto Senior Brother Zhong's hand.

Senior Brother Zhong then cut off a piece of meat and tossed it to the thrush.

The thrush caught it like an insect and swallowed it whole.

Not satisfied with that, she jumped around on the table, chattering and begging from Senior Brother Zhong.

Senior Brother Zhong said solemnly, "Don't eat too much, beware of unforeseen changes!"

The thrush stopped making a fuss, then opened its beak and spat out a roll of paper.

The paper roll was a foot long.

The thrush is no bigger than the palm of your hand.

I don't know how its tiny belly can hold such a big thing.

Senior Brother Zhong picked up the scroll of paper, waved to the thrush, and said, "Go back."

The thrush flapped its wings, flew out the window, and disappeared from sight.

Keeping birds is also a refined pursuit for scholars.

There are also many scholars in the Department of Purification.

"Jinxiu Academy" is a sacred place in the hearts of all scholars.

Senior Brother Zhong unfolded the scroll, which was covered with tiny characters written in dense, fine script.

The details of Xu Yuan's whereabouts are described in detail.

After reading it, Senior Brother Zhong opened a book bag next to him and put it inside.

There were more than a dozen of the same paper rolls inside.

Mr. Bai's informants could only follow Zhang Meng, and the information they gathered was limited to the area around Zhang Meng.

But the mole within Brother Zhong's organization was a veteran of the Champa government.

There's more information that can be found out.

They even knew that Lao Qin liked to bring the fox sisters to the back door of the government office.

Senior Brother Zhong sat under the lamp, his fingers lightly tapping the table, seemingly deep in thought.

Dude, dunk, dunk.

After the three calls, Senior Brother Zhong stood up and walked outside.

Strangely, there was a "Senior Brother Zhong" sitting under the lamp!
The light shone on the window, and also reflected Brother Zhong's shadow.

Mr. Bai lived next door, and upon seeing the shadow, he assumed that Senior Brother Zhong was still in the room.

Without opening the door, Senior Brother Zhong floated out through the crack, like a drop of water entering the sea, silently merging into the darkness, and then headed towards the Exorcism Department.

Upon reaching the alleyway outside the back gate of the Exorcism Bureau, instead of going in, he pressed himself against the wall and rose up until he reached the highest point of the wall, two zhang above the ground. From this vantage point, he could see the entire situation of the back alley.

But what Brother Zhong saw first was the restlessness of the evil spirits tonight.

Little evil spirits, as if they had taken some kind of wrong medicine, darted quickly across the street.

Under the cover of night, the rustling sounds, though not loud, were unusually frequent.

"Is something going to happen in Champa?"

Senior Brother Zhong pondered to himself, but his face remained calm.

Whether or not trouble occurs in Champa is none of his business.

On the contrary, if something really happens in Champa, it will further test the abilities of this Lord Xu.

Senior Brother Zhong did not interfere at all, but watched coldly from the sidelines.

……

Xu Yuan squatted outside the back door in a shady spot.

He disguised himself as a stone by "spitting out a mirage".

The little evil spirits received their orders tonight and are searching everywhere for the shadowy evil spirit that has overstepped its bounds.

Normally, evil spirits had disappeared from the vicinity of the government office, but tonight, even in the back alley, dozens of small evil spirits repeatedly passed by several times.

Some of the blind ones even bumped into Lord Xu.

They thought Lord Xu was a stone, and Lord Xu, relying on the "Dragon Transformation Technique," did indeed transform his body into something as hard as iron.

The little evil spirits were dizzy and disoriented, seeing stars. They rolled on the ground a few times, got up, and rushed out to continue their search.

The first half of the night passed by unnoticed, but Xu Yuan patiently continued to wait.

That thing was startled last night, and it might hide tonight.

If we can't find it tonight, then tomorrow night.

Xu Yuan is determined to bring this scourge to justice!
Another hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, Senior Brother Zhong saw a figure rushing towards him on the long street in the night.

The figure didn't seem to be running, but rather flickering.

In a flash, the figure appeared as a beautiful woman, but in another flash, it transformed into a four-legged, sharp-nosed fox.

His figure kept changing, each flash covering a distance of more than ten feet.

It arrived at the alley entrance very quickly.

They were completely unaware of Senior Brother Zhong on one side of the wall.

Once there, she composed herself and stabilized her image as a beautiful young woman.

Then he scurried into the alley.

Xu Yuan suddenly appeared, startling the fox sister.

"Found it?" Xu Yuan asked.

"Found it, sir, come with me."

Senior Brother Zhong slid down the wall and followed at a distance.

He was very familiar with Xu Yuan's strength and dared not get too close.

……

In a grand mansion in the north of the city, a plaque hangs above the imposing gate:
Lin House.

The Lin family wielded considerable influence in southern Jiaozhi.

Someone in the family holds an official position in Hue and La Thanh.

In the Champa government office, there was also a magistrate who was the son-in-law of the Lin family.

The Lin family also owns four other businesses, which, relying on the canal, bring in more than 200,000 taels of silver annually.

In a corner of the backyard of the Lin family mansion, there is a dilapidated little courtyard.

Maids and servants who made mistakes in the mansion, as well as concubines who were unfaithful, would have their legs broken and be thrown into this courtyard.

A bucket of swill is delivered every day.

Those who manage to survive will crawl over and take a bite.

Those who can't hold on die, that's all.

Tonight, a sweet, bloody smell suddenly wafted from the dark alley outside the courtyard.

This led to a white skeleton suddenly appearing under a crooked old tree in the courtyard.

Then came the second one, the third one...

Beneath the white skeleton was a thick tree root.

Dozens of tree roots, dozens of white skeletons.

The pungent smell of blood gradually faded away, and the crooked ancient tree trembled incessantly.

Over the past six months, the Lin family has been sending fewer and fewer people into this courtyard. In recent months, there haven't been any at all.

It asked the Lin family, who explained that a vicious person had come to the city's exorcism department, and that it was most important to be careful not to give him any leverage over it.

The crooked, ancient tree, parched with thirst, couldn't resist the allure of the bloody scent.

It lowered its body, and the canopy became the roots, and the roots became the canopy, revealing its true form!
Dozens of thick tree roots were intertwined together like a monstrous python.

At the very top, these tree roots spread out, like a large umbrella.

On each root hangs a hideous skull.

Swaying in the night wind, the white bones clattered together.

But it couldn't keep up; its size was too enormous, and its yin energy was too strong.

Normally, they can only hide underground.

If they went out, I don't know how many houses would collapse from the crowd.

Suddenly, the tangled roots split open, revealing a tree hole shaped like a vertical pupil in the middle.

A human skin-like sac floated out from inside.

Once outside, it swelled up rapidly, becoming as big as a bathtub!
The eyes, nose, ears, and a gaping, blood-red mouth with a grotesque grin were drawn on it in blood.

The human skin headdress fluttered and danced, following the scent.

The twisted ancient tree in the courtyard suddenly became sluggish and stiff.

The skull, which had been swaying in the wind just moments before, was now completely still.

……

The smell wafted along the street, drawing out all sorts of evil spirits lurking in the deep courtyards.

Gradually, more than a dozen high-level evil spirits gathered in one place:
Yao Yuehua's courtyard.

In the courtyard, shadows spread, and the sweet, pungent smell of blood filled the air.

The evil spirits that followed spit out a torrent of saliva.

The cutting board was unfolded, and human heads, legs, and other human remains were hanging from iron hooks.

It's a pity that we lost that bucket of human blood last night.

That thing, though the least valuable, is actually the easiest to sell.

Because it's cheap and has a strong flavor, those who don't have much money like to get a bowl to satisfy their cravings.

It didn't know how that living person found it last night.

It couldn't kill that person, but it wasn't afraid either.

It has the ability to ensure that no one in this mortal world can catch it!
At least in southern Jiaozhi, no one can catch him.

So tonight it had no worries and set up its stall as usual.

Even if that person finds them again, they can simply use the same trick to escape.

It stretched out several strange hands from the shadows, one hand holding a sharp knife and the other a sharpening rod, rubbing them together repeatedly until the knife became even sharper: "Line up, one at a time."

Even after it said this, those evil spirits that were fighting and scrambling... continued to fight and scramble.

Expecting these things to follow "order"? That's wishful thinking.

Finally, a wolf-faced, human-bodied, twelve-foot-tall evil spirit with a hunched back kicked aside another evil spirit and took the first place.

The shadowy evil spirit looked unfamiliar and couldn't recall which mansion it had emerged from to follow them.

But it attracted more than a dozen evil spirits, and I really can't remember exactly how many.

The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit was getting impatient: "Are you selling it or not?"

The shadowy evil spirit stopped thinking and asked, "Which piece do you want?"

……

Opposite Yao Yuehua's courtyard, there is a three-story restaurant.

Senior Brother Zhong was perched on the wall, looking down and taking in everything in the courtyard.

He leaned back, and his entire body passed through the wall and into the room.

Then he took a book from his bosom.

The book cover features three ancient seal characters:

A painting of one hundred ghosts.

He searched quickly.

But after flipping through more than a hundred pages, I couldn't find a single one that matched the evil spirits and shadows in the courtyard outside.

"Not a ghost?" Senior Brother Zhong frowned, wondering, "Then what is it...?"

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes widened: "Could it be..."

He quickly took out another book from his pocket, the cover still bearing three ancient seal characters:

The Art of the Underworld!
His hands moved swiftly, turning the pages of the book silently.

Suddenly, his hand stopped.

On this page, there is a living picture.

The so-called "living painting" is a skill of Wenxiu.

The drawing on the paper constantly changes, showing the various positions of the objects in the picture.

The objects in the painting will also make various poses.

The object in this living painting was a thick, black fog, with two dark red, fierce eyes floating above it, like flames.

Dozens of thin, strange arms grew out of the thick fog.

On each arm, a different knife, axe, halberd, sickle, hook...

This page is marked with:

Blood Slaughtering Ghost Messenger.

They came from the hell of knives.

Most of them are the spirits of butchers who were promoted in life.

If they discover a skilled butcher during the execution, they will take the butcher's most skilled arm and attach it to themselves.

Senior Brother Zhong's body trembled slightly.

It wasn't an evil spirit, but a messenger from the underworld!

To be precise, they are evil spirits that have fallen from grace!
Such things... are the most difficult to deal with!
Senior Brother Zhong couldn't help but glance outside, his gaze turning icy.

That kid is so arrogant, he actually wants to capture this thing all by himself!

Even in the Northern Capital, those renowned constables would need to invite many experts and make various arrangements to capture such a creature before they could succeed.

"The company sent me to check on this kid, but it seems like I made a wasted trip."

"Alright, this place is barbaric and backward, utterly boring. Let's go back soon."

……

Before the chopping board, the wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit was quite picky. It beckoned its long claws toward its nose, took a deep sniff, and frowned, saying, "This meat isn't fresh!"

Shadow was truly honest in his business dealings: "Indeed, something unexpected happened last night, and the meat wasn't sold, but it's definitely not spoiled and is still edible. If you want it, I'll give you a discount."

The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit's two blood-red eyes darted around cunningly: "How much cheaper?"

"How much do you want?"

The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit pointed to a human leg: "I like to chew bones."

A strange hand removed the human leg, weighed it, and threw it in front of him: "Six taels of silver." Then, it chopped off a piece of human flesh and threw it on the leg: "Here, have this."

The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil creature's eyes immediately narrowed to slits: "Boss, you know how to do business. I'll take it."

It immediately took out a silver ingot and handed it over.

The shadowy evil spirit said, "Place it on the chopping board."

The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Just release it when I tell you to!"

"Tch!" The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil spirit slammed the ghost silver heavily onto the chopping board with a bang.

The shadowy evil spirit observed carefully.

Last night's experience has made it more cautious.

It is said that there is a "business law" for living people, so it was extra careful when collecting money today and observed the situation in advance.

"There's no commercial law on it." The shadowy evil spirit was relieved. It grabbed the ingot of ghost silver with one hand and picked up the stamp with the other to weigh it.

Suddenly, he felt something prick him in the silver.

"Ok?"

Before it could react, "Kenmaru's" sword strike had already begun!

It felt something inside its body disappear!

"Oh no!" it roared, "My official seal!"

"Hahaha..." The wolf-faced, human-bodied evil creature let out a long laugh and released the "Ten Thousand Souls Cloth" with a flick of its hand.

It unfolded with a whoosh, filling the air with yin energy and casting shadows, drawing in all the evil spirits.

"Let's see where you can run this time!"

Xu Yuan used the "ox horn lamp" to transform himself into an evil spirit.

The sword pellet transformed into sword threads and burrowed into the demon silver.

Without the "red-headed slip," the Wanhunfa (a type of talisman) was put down, and the shadows and evil spirits were taken away.

(End of this chapter)