Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 136 Kill them all, kill them cleanly (10,000 words, please subscribe)
Before he finished speaking, Chen Ye suddenly exerted force with his feet, and like an arrow released from a bow, he instantly caught up with the enemy!
Although Lü Song was running desperately, his foundation was already weak, and now he was injured, so his speed was nowhere near that of Chen Ye.

Therefore, in just a few breaths, Chen Ye had caught up with him.

Sensing the increasingly approaching deadly aura behind him, Lü Song was terrified.

As he ran, he used his good hand to pull the broken urn from his pocket and, without thinking, gulped it down his throat!

After swallowing a few mouthfuls of ashes, Lü Song instantly felt like he was back to normal.

"Get out of my way!"

As he spoke, he suddenly turned around and grabbed at Chen Ye's face with one claw!

After consuming the ashes, the yin energy on his body surged, and even this claw strike gained some power.

However, in the face of absolute power, this struggle seems so pale and powerless.

Chen Ye didn't even look, and simply held his long sword horizontally.

when!
A sound of gold and iron clashing sounded.

Chen Ye easily blocked Lü Song's seemingly inevitable claw strike.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Ye flipped his wrist, and the blade moved upwards.

puff!

Lu Song's arm that grabbed him was severed at the shoulder!
"what--!"

Another piercing scream echoed through the deathly silent mass grave.

Lu Song clutched his severed arm and fell heavily to the ground, his face filled with pain and despair.

Then, as he watched Chen Ye approach step by step, the resentment in his eyes was finally replaced by endless fear.

"No...don't kill me!" he began to beg frantically.

"I was wrong, I was really wrong, I'll never dare to cause you any more trouble!"

"Please, spare my life! I'll give you everything I have!"

"Moreover, I am an inner disciple of White Bone Mountain. If you kill me, my master will not let you off!"

He was incoherent, mixing pleas for mercy with threats, making him appear both pathetic and ridiculous.

Chen Ye's steps did not falter at all.

Let you go?
Stop it!
You must know that letting a tiger return to the mountains will bring endless trouble.

Chen Ye would never do such a stupid thing.

As for the retaliation from White Bone Mountain?

Since he dared to take action, he must have made the necessary preparations.

Chen Ye walked up to him, and without saying a word, his blade flashed.

A fine head shot into the sky.

The endless fear and resentment in Lü Song's eyes were forever etched on his face.

Chen Ye expressionlessly flicked the blood off his knife, then walked to the corpse and quickly searched it. Apart from some silver coins and the broken urn containing ashes, there was nothing of value.

"Damn it, he looks all glamorous, but he's a penniless wretch!"

As he spoke, Chen Ye picked up the corpse and head from the ground and threw them into the half-dug grave next to him. Then he found a few large stones to weigh them down, and finally carefully filled the grave with soil, tamped it down, and even moved some weeds from elsewhere to disguise it.

After doing all this, he carefully inspected the scene to make sure there were no flaws before turning around and disappearing into the thick of the night.

If you're going to kill someone, you have to kill them cleanly, leaving no trace.

This is Chen Ye's consistent code of conduct.

After returning to Yuhuo County, Chen Ye secretly observed for the next few days and was surprised to find that Lü Song's death did not cause any ripples.

The coffin shop was still open, but the senior brother who stayed behind had also disappeared.

Chen Ye was prepared for the White Bone Mountain to seek revenge in secret. For several days, he was on high alert, his senses heightened to the extreme, vigilant against the slightest disturbance.

However, nothing happened, and everything remained calm.

The people at White Bone Mountain seemed completely unaware that Lü Song was dead, remaining completely silent.

This struck Chen Ye as odd, but he didn't dwell on it.

Perhaps because I cleaned up the mess so thoroughly, the other party didn't notice at all.

Or perhaps Lü Song was just an insignificant nobody at White Bone Mountain, so his death was no big deal, and no one would stand up for him.

Either way, it's a good thing for Chen Ye.

With no worries about the future, Chen Ye once again devoted all his energy to cultivation.

After all, while the Unobstructed Realm is already considered a master level, it is far from enough in this perilous world.

……

On this day, in a remote village about 20 miles away from Yuhuo County, a joyous occasion was taking place.

The village is called Wangjia Village. It is quite large, with high rammed earth walls built around it. Some yellowed talismans are pasted on the walls, and watchtowers are built at the corners of the walls.

In this desolate wilderness, such a building is like a sturdy fortress, designed to defend against wild beasts in the mountains and forests, as well as unseen demons and evil spirits.

Today, the village is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the sound of gongs and drums fills the air, creating a joyous and festive atmosphere.

A wedding procession from Lijia Village, five miles away, was receiving a warm welcome from the villagers at the village's threshing ground.

The banquet was set up with more than a dozen tables, and the villagers sat around them, eating meat and drinking wine heartily, creating a lively atmosphere.

The groom was a young scholar in his early twenties named Li Xiuwen.

He was fair-skinned and handsome, dressed in a bright red wedding robe, surrounded by a group of enthusiastic villagers who were frequently toasting him.

"Come, come, groom, let me toast you! May you and my Xiao Cui have a son soon and live a long and happy life together!" A burly man with a ruddy face shouted, holding a large bowl.

"That's right, that's right! Drink this bowl of wine, and you'll have the energy for your wedding night!"

The surrounding villagers immediately joined in the commotion, bursting into good-natured laughter.

Although Li Xiuwen was not a strong drinker, today was his big day, and he was so happy that he accepted all the drinks offered.

He was going to marry the daughter of the village head of Wangjia Village. The two had been betrothed since childhood, were childhood sweethearts, and had a very good relationship.

Now that he was finally going to win the heart of his beloved, he could not hide his excitement and joy.

Li Xiuwen's gaze kept drifting towards the direction of the village head's house, his mind already wandering to his bride-to-be.

The village head, who was also his father-in-law, was a sprightly old man with gray hair. He was greeting the guests with a smile and would come over from time to time to pat him on the shoulder and tell him to eat more.

Everything seemed so normal, so festive.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

The auspicious time has arrived.

Amidst the matchmaker's shouts, the bride, her head covered by a red veil, slowly emerged from the house, supported by her two bridesmaids.

Upon seeing that slender figure, Li Xiuwen's heart skipped a beat, filled with excitement.

He wanted to go up and say a few words to his bride, but he felt a little embarrassed, so he held back in the end.

After the ceremony, the bride was helped into the large red sedan chair that had been prepared in advance.

The wedding procession, accompanied by music and cheers from the villagers, embarked on its journey back to Lijia Village.

Li Xiuwen rode a tall horse beside the bridal sedan chair, frequently glancing at it with a burning passion in his heart, his mind already filled with fantasies of their wedding night.

The group continued on their way and soon left the area of ​​Wangjia Village.

But just as the group reached a stone bridge spanning a stream, something strange happened.

The bridal sedan chair, which was originally carried by four strong men and moved swiftly, suddenly sank down!
The four sedan bearers felt a tremendous force on their shoulders, almost causing them to kneel down.

"Hey! What's going on?!"

"Why has this sedan chair suddenly become so heavy?"

The sedan bearers strained with all their might, their faces turning red, but the sedan chair remained rooted to the spot on the bridge, completely unmoved.

The group stopped, and everyone looked at each other, wondering what had happened.

Li Xiuwen also sensed something was wrong, quickly dismounted, and walked briskly to the sedan chair, his face showing some worry.

"Xiao Cui, Xiao Cui? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

He called softly into the sedan chair, but received no response.

Li Xiuwen's heart tightened, and he disregarded all rules, immediately lifting the sedan curtain.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly shrank to the size of a pinhead.

A strong, nauseating stench of corpses suddenly wafted out of the sedan chair.

His bride was sitting quietly in the sedan chair, her red veil still covering her head.

However, the feet exposed below, clad in embroidered shoes, had become bluish-purple and swollen, with some dark lividity visible.

His bride... was long dead!
And he's been dead for more than a day!
"what--!"

Li Xiuwen screamed in fright and fell to the ground with a thud, his whole body trembling like a leaf.

The other members of the wedding procession also witnessed this scene, and they were all terrified, their faces pale and trembling.

"Go back...go back to the village! Go back to the village quickly!"

Li Xiuwen scrambled to his feet, his mind blank, with only one thought in mind: to hurry back to Wangjia Village and find out what was going on!
However, when they ran back to Wangjia Village in a panic, the scene before them plunged them into even deeper fear. The village, which had just been bustling with activity and filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, was now deathly silent.

A thick, unbearable stench filled the air.

All the villagers died in their own homes or at banquets.

Their bodies were already highly decomposed, yet their faces still bore the smiles of those they had been drinking and eating.

It was as if... they had no idea they were dead.

But just a short time ago, these people were talking to them and drinking with them.

Li Xiuwen stared in disbelief at the corpses covering the village, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

The rest of the wedding procession screamed in terror and ran away like madmen!
-
As dusk approached, the sunset glow on the horizon was as brilliant as fire.

The soldiers guarding the city yawned, leaned lazily against the city wall, and chatted idly.

Just then, a group of people suddenly appeared on the official road in the distance.

The group of people were disheveled, with their hair in disarray, and their expressions were filled with extreme terror. They ran while letting out shrill screams.

"Ghost! There is a ghost!"

"The village...the village is eating people!"

"Help! Help!"

The young man at the head of the group was wearing a tattered, bright red wedding robe, his face covered in mud and tears. He was none other than the groom, Li Xiuwen.

He rushed to the front, and after reaching the city gate, he knelt down with a thud, hugged the legs of the guards, and trembled like a leaf.

“Everyone is dead, including my wife… I was going to marry her, but she died in the sedan chair and she’s already rotting…”

His speech was incoherent and rambling, clearly indicating that he was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

The soldiers guarding the city were startled by this sudden turn of events.

They looked at each other, initially thinking he was some kind of madman.

But when they saw the genuine, unmasked fear on the faces of these dozen or so people, they began to feel uneasy.

Especially after hearing their fragmented description clearly, I felt a chill run down my spine.

Wangjia Village?
Isn't that the rather large village about twenty miles away?
The entire village is dead? And they've all turned into ghosts?

That would be a huge problem!

Meanwhile, the commotion at the city gate quickly attracted more and more onlookers, sparking much discussion and widespread panic.

The matter was quickly reported to the county government.

Upon hearing that it was a matter of life and death, and that it might involve demons and evil spirits, the county magistrate immediately passed this hot potato to the Demon Slayer Division.

Inside the Demon Slayer Division, Cong Bo slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.

"Damn it, the entire Wangjia Village is wiped out? What's going on lately? Why are these kinds of crazy things happening all the time?"

He glared at his subordinate who came to report, his face full of annoyance. "Where are they? Where are the survivors who ran back?"

"Reporting to...Reporting to Your Excellency, they are all locked up in the front hall. The groom, Li Xiuwen, is already somewhat delirious and keeps talking nonsense."

"Take me to see it!"

Cong Bo, his face dark, strode towards the front hall.

Upon entering, one could see more than a dozen men who had come to greet the bride huddled in a corner, their faces pale and their eyes vacant, clearly terrified.

Li Xiuwen was tied to a pillar alone, muttering things like "ghost...eat people...Xiao Cui..."

Cong Bo stepped forward and examined it carefully.

He found that apart from a faint trace of corpse energy on these people, there were no signs of them being possessed or attacked by demons or ghosts.

They were simply terrified.

"To be able to scare a dozen strong men and a scholar to this extent..."

Cong Bo's expression grew increasingly grave.

"It seems that something really big has happened in Wangjia Village."

He knew very well that if an evil incident of this scale was not handled properly, the entire Yuhuo County would likely suffer.

"Tell the brothers to get ready. We'll go to the scene first thing tomorrow morning to see what's going on."

"Yes!"

"Also, send someone to invite Chen Ye over. Tell him what I said: there's a big case with a hefty reward!"

……

In the inn.

Chen Ye was sitting cross-legged on the bed, silently circulating the Golden Toad Breath-Swallowing Technique to stabilize his Unobstructed Realm cultivation.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by a respectful voice saying, "Master Chen, Lord Cong Bo of the Demon Slayer Division requests your presence."

Chen Ye frowned slightly, then opened his eyes. At this time, Cong Bo was urgently looking for him, so he must have encountered some tricky case again.

"I am not feeling well today and it is inconvenient for me to receive guests," Chen Ye said bluntly, clearly making an excuse.

What a joke! He's not a subordinate of the Demon Slayer Division, so why should he go whenever they call him?

The captain outside the door had clearly received a death order, and he panicked upon hearing this.

"Master Chen, Lord Cong said that this matter is of great importance, and the reward is negotiable."

Upon hearing the words "the reward is negotiable," Chen Ye raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to the profits from these two missions, Chen Ye consumed large amounts of fresh flesh and blood and medicinal herbs every day, resulting in rapid progress in his strength. Therefore, now that he heard there was money to be made, Chen Ye's attitude changed.

It wasn't that he was truly greedy for money; it was mainly that he was genuinely interested in these strange and eerie cases involving evil spirits.

"Hmm, I suddenly feel better again. Let's go."

Chen Ye slowly got out of bed, straightened his clothes, and then pushed open the door to go out.

When he arrived at the Demon Slayer Division, Cong Bo was pacing anxiously back and forth in the courtyard.

Upon seeing Chen Ye, he immediately came to greet him, "Brother, you've finally arrived."

"What's going on this time?" Chen Ye asked directly without wasting any words.

Cong Bo then recounted the events of Wangjia Village in detail.

"That's what happened. An entire village was wiped out just like that, and more than a dozen people from the wedding procession went mad when they returned. This is definitely a bit eerie!"

Cong Bo rubbed his hands together, his face full of worry.

"I think we need you to handle this. After all, the people under me are top-notch when it comes to actually investigating cases, they're just sitting ducks."

After listening, Chen Ye frowned slightly.

How can people from an entire village die silently, yet be pretended to be alive and have a wedding?

This method is indeed bizarre.

"How much is the reward?" Chen Ye asked directly.

"This number!"

Cong Bo held up five fingers. "Fifty taels of gold!"

Chen Ye nodded.

This price is indeed very reasonable.

"Okay, I'll take this job."

"Great!" Cong Bo was overjoyed. "Then don't go back to the inn. Stay at the Demon Slayer Division and we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning!"

"No need, I'll be waiting for you at the city gate in the morning." Chen Ye refused. Today was the night of the full moon, a perfect time for cultivation, how could he possibly give it up?

Helpless, Cong Bo could only agree on a time to meet the next day, and then Chen Ye went back.

The next morning, Chen Ye met up with Cong Bo and the others at the city gate, and then headed straight for Wangjia Village.

Throughout the journey, Cong Bo continued to describe the bizarre aspects of the case to Chen Ye, his words filled with frustration.

Chen Ye listened quietly without offering any opinion.

Before seeing the scene with your own eyes, any speculation is futile.

Finally, around noon, they arrived at the entrance of Wangjia Village.

At this moment, Wangjia Village was deathly silent.

On the tall rammed earth walls, the yellowed talismans fluttered in the wind, but they couldn't stop the strong stench of corpses emanating from the village.

At the village entrance, a dozen or so tables of food and drink were still set up in the threshing ground.

The food on the table was rotten and moldy, crawling with maggots and flies.

Meanwhile, the villagers remained stiffly seated, still clinking glasses, laughing and chatting.

Their skin was an eerie bluish-black, their bodies were highly decomposed, yet their faces still bore frozen, joyful smiles.

Such a bizarre and terrifying scene sent chills down the spines of even seasoned veterans of the Demon Slayer Division.

(End of this chapter)