Chapter Fifteen: A Whole Spring

uly extend.”A high-altitude black dot is descending, while a Mohist master of artifice ascends.The phantom hovered silently above the stage, not participating in this clash.But as the whirring of gear...Tangshe Town was located to the north of Fenglin City. Under Wei Qijie's rule, it was one of the seven towns, and also the smallest and most remote. It was backed by the sprawling Qichang Mountains, and the townspeople, relying on the mountains for their livelihood, were primarily hunters.

Walking through Tangshe Town, the houses were old and dilapidated, and there were few pedestrians. Those who passed by also hurried along with furrowed brows, clearly troubled. To say nothing of comparing it to Fenglin City, even compared to Fengxi Town where Jiang Wang was born, this place was far inferior.

The villages near Tangshe Town are scattered along the Qichang Mountain Range. People here make a living by hunting and usually only gather in town on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. As it is not a market day, there are few pedestrians.

Before coming, Jiang Wang had done a lot of research, so he could explain some things to Zhang Linchuan.

Even though this trip was arranged by the dean as a senior brother looking after his junior brother, Jiang Wang knew that there were things one couldn't rely on others for advice. He didn't dare to slack off.

All along the way, Zhang Linchuan always had a faint smile, neither distant nor intimate, showing not too many emotions.

Upon hearing this, he simply nodded and walked toward the house where the massacre had occurred.

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Although their visit was on behalf of the academy's independent will, it was not appropriate to be unaware of the local government. Tang Dun, a constable from Tangshe Town, was waiting for them at the door of this house.

“Tang Daniu and his wife are both locals from our Tangshe Town. My brother and Daniu used to fight a lot when we were kids…” You could tell this rough-looking man with dark skin and an unrefined appearance was very sad. His bull-like eyes were bloodshot, and he kept muttering to himself, repeating: “Those damn demon humans are too hateful! Damn them! Damn them all!”

Zhang Linchuan glanced at his constable's uniform, "Why are you here alone Where is your captain"

“Our headman is busy with other matters.” Tang Dun didn't notice Zhang Linchuan's displeasure at all, and said to himself: “You guys are all going to be high officials in the future, so you must definitely help us out!”

“Interesting, a small town like Tangshe, what could be more important than this massacre” Zhang Linchuan sneered with a smile, but didn't press further, just waving his hand to cut off Tang Dun’s words. “Get to the point, what clues have you found What did the officers from the Criminal Justice Division say”

Dong A sent someone alone to investigate, clearly not trusting Wei Qiji. Correspondingly, the people from the Criminal Department avoided him, and the local government of Tangshe Town only sent a third-rate constable to greet him, which is also understandable.

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Tang Dun scratched his head, "We... don't have any leads. Those big shots in the Criminal Investigation Department haven't told us anything..."

Zhang Linchuan almost laughed in anger. You're talking nonsense here for so long without any clues!

But after all, he was a man of refinement. He suppressed his displeasure and said, "Alright, let's go in and have a look."

Tang Dun swiftly tore off the door seal and took out his key to unlock the big general lock. He then pushed open the wooden door.

Jiang Wang noticed that this piece of paper wasn't simple, it was drawn with a talisman to ward off evil spirits. It was obvious that the cultivator from the Criminal Justice Division intentionally protected the scene.

And as the seals were broken and the doors swung open, a wave of stench, a mix of decay, filth, and rot, surged forth.

Jiang Wang forcibly endured his discomfort as he surveyed the small courtyard. It was filled with things commonly used by hunters, such as hunting knives, tongs, bows and arrows. There were also animal skins and smoked meat scattered haphazardly throughout the yard.

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A hound was left as a skeleton, scattered by the front door. From its posture, it seemed that it had been the first to notice the intruder, but was dealt with in an instant.

When Jiang Wang turned around, Zhang Linchuan had already covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief embroidered with orchids. His brows were furrowed together in displeasure.

Seeing Jiang Wang's inquiring gaze, Zhang Linchuan slightly raised his chin forward and made a sound from under his handkerchief, "It's fine, come in."

At this moment, Tang Dun stood sideways at the doorway, stammering a little: “I... I won't go in. This place is... eerie..."

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After all, he was just an ordinary person. Of course, Jiang Wang wouldn't force him, so she nodded. "Alright."

And then he led the way, striding into the courtyard.

A thick and intense stench of death enveloped me instantly, filling my olfactory senses. This level of decay was far beyond what could be produced by killing a few people or raising a handful of zombies. It felt as if some malevolent entity had been contacted.

Zhang Linchuan glanced back at Jiang Wang's hand on his sword. His long, pale fingers looked clean and strong.

"Is your swordsmanship renowned, Junior Brother Jiang" he asked.

Jiang Wang glanced around the environment without turning back, and said in his mouth: "It's a joke to call Zhang Shixiong. The younger brother has not yet achieved success in Daoism, and he can only rely on swordsmanship for self-defense."

When the Outer Gate was attacked, it is said that Junior Brother Jiang was also one of the victims, yet he managed to escape calmly. This shows that he is extraordinary.

>

"It was actually quite dangerous, that demon's strength far surpassed mine. I only managed to escape after alarming my fellow disciples."

There was a wooden dog house beside the courtyard, now of course empty. Jiang Wang's gaze swept over it, and throughout the entire courtyard, there wasn't a trace of blood to be seen.

“Things are a bit grim here, junior brother. Be careful.” Zhang Linchuan said.

"Understood, sir."

This small courtyard has three houses. Facing the gate is a hall, with the door open. A skeleton lay sprawled on the threshold, with no flesh and blood left, only bones. Judging from the clothes, it should be the male owner of this place, the hunter Tang Daniu.

Jiang Wang carefully stepped over the skeleton and walked into the hall.

The hall was bare and undecorated. In the center, there was an eight-immortal table with four stools. There were some leftover meals on the table, covered with a bamboo mat.

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Under the stool on the left, lay the mistress of the household. Her coarse cloth dress served as proof.

However... the food remained fresh, but the corpse was reduced to only bones.

A sudden chill ran down his spine, an inexplicable fear gripping him. Jiang Wang almost drew his sword. But he had been through many life-or-death struggles before, and he suppressed his instincts, avoiding embarrassment in front of Zhang Linchuan.

“These flesh and blood were not gnawed, but the result of some kind of evil sorcery.” Zhang Linchuan covered his handkerchief with one hand and casually observed his surroundings. It was clear that he only felt disgust, not fear, "These two people died not long ago, but all their flesh and blood are gone, which also lost many clues. You have fought against the demon who attacked the outer courtyard, is there anything familiar about it”

Jiang Wang shook his head, "I can only see two skeletons now, I can't tell. It's just this pervasive stench of death..."

"How"

“I was being controlled by the enemy to attack with a poisoned corpse, and it was Master Dong who saved me.”

Zhang Linchuan nodded, still not relaxing his hand covering his mouth, and walked towards the room on the right side of the main hall. "Let's search separately," he said, "and notify me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay."

Zhang Linchuan was an adept cultivator, and in the Heavenly Palace, the Wheel of Dao spun continuously, Dao emerging from itself. Jiang Wang wasn't worried about him at all; he immediately sheathed his sword and walked towards the room on the left.

This room...

It is very small.

As soon as you enter, you see a wooden horse standing silently on the ground. This wooden horse is exceptionally delicate and smooth, clearly demonstrating the creator's considerable effort.

Not far from the wooden horse was a small table, upon which lay such things as slingshots and rattles.

And on the wall beside the small table, Jiang Wang saw the only decoration he had seen since entering this courtyard.

It was a small canvas, upon which three little figures were sketched with naive brushstrokes.

Two slightly bigger ones, holding onto a smaller one, run through a field of flowers.

>

Behind the little man, there was also a small dog wagging its head.

This was a complete home, a whole spring once bloomed here.

Jiang Wang struggled to continue walking inward, until he reached the small bed and saw scattered pieces of floral fabric.

Looking up, he naturally saw the last skeleton in this family.

Tiny, slender, fragile, and utterly alone stood the skeletal frame.

>

She was a little girl once cherished by her parents, the only remnant of her existence left in this world.

He felt angry.

Uncontrollable, overwhelmingly violent, anger.thing else!The Sinners standing on the edge of the pit were, at least, composed. "Shh," one hissed. "Keep your voices down.""Who's being petty here!" Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, bringing...