Chapter 60: Master of the Demon‑Slayer Office, what are you doing

Under Lin Chuan's frantic pulling, Si Gong Zhu Zhengzhi finally agreed to the request.

After achieving his goal, Lin Chuan left, satisfied.

As for the Demon‑Slayer Office's task, to him it was merely a trivial matter.

"Finish the task early and go home to sleep."

To avoid falling into a prolonged dream Reincarnation, Lin Chuan didn't sleep at all during the seven‑day journey from Youshui County to Yan Du.

For a cultivator at the Soaring Sky realm, seven days without sleep is no problem.

After leaving the Demon‑Slayer Office, Lin Chuan headed straight for the mission location recorded in the dossier.

On the road, he couldn't help recalling the events of the Fo Zi Jing Shi dream Reincarnation, where his reincarnated self "Jingchen" was a Fozhi bearing the endless Calamities of a past life.

While in the dream, Lin Chuan felt nothing strange.

Upon returning to reality, however, he couldn't help pondering.

Having already borne so many Calamities, shouldn't, according to Buddhist theory, he descend into Di Yu to atone?

Why, after reincarnation, did he become a highly gifted Fozhi?

Moreover, the world of the Fo Zi Jing Shi Reincarnation is so peculiar that a Mortal, after receiving a boost of Qi‑fortune, holds a status even higher than cultivators.

This almost never occurs in other cultivation worlds.

Yet in the Fo Zi Jing Shi Reincarnation, it is a common phenomenon.

The Buddhist notion of karmic Merit, the Daoist talk of blessed fate and Qi‑fortune, and similar sayings are all illusory.

What connection is there among them?

Lost in thought, Lin Chuan arrived at the mission site on the next morning.

It was a small town called Ping An Xiao Zhen.

After some investigation, Lin Chuan learned the concrete facts.

In recent days, Ping An Xiao Zhen had lost three infants, each no older than one year.

The hidden troublemaker was like a phantom, impossible to guard against.

According to the local officers' description, if the troublemaker is given any opening, he will seize the chance and steal the infant.

If they hold a tight guard, the culprit will not appear.

Yet people inevitably slip; as the saying goes, one fears not the thief stealing a child, but the thief's lingering thought, and this incident has left many on the brink of collapse.

"This situation actually resembles the case when the Bi Yin demon stole the treasure."

Lin Chuan recalled the first little demon he encountered, Bi Yin.

For cultivators, the Bi Yin demon belongs to a very weak class, only at the Opening Vessels realm, but for ordinary people it is an unstoppable disaster.

His Si Shu, as the head guard of the Lin family trading firm and one of Youshui County's finest warriors, had no chance to resist the Bi Yin demon and was killed.

So the "stealing children" matter, though odd, does not frighten Lin Chuan.

A truly powerful Demon Cultivator would not merely steal a few infants.

The only problem is how to locate the troublemaker.

The Bi Yin demon is dim‑witted, acting purely on instinct, making it easy to lure out, but a Demon Cultivator is another matter.

The opponent can waste time, whereas Lin Chuan has little time to waste here.

According to the dossier, the Demon‑Slayer Office had already sent a Four‑Mark Demon‑Slayer to investigate, but found nothing; once that Demon‑Slayer left, the Demon Cultivator resumed its mischief.

After a careful analysis of the dossier, Lin Chuan spotted a discrepancy.

The Demon Cultivator hidden in the shadows seemed extremely familiar with the authorities and had a clear grasp of the townsfolk's movements,

otherwise it would not have left no trace.

That Demon Cultivator likely lurked among ordinary households in the town and wielded some influence there.

In this way, the target range can be greatly narrowed.

In Ping An Xiao Zhen, the most respected person is a gentry named Xu Da You, whom the townsfolk address as Xu Bo.

Lin Chuan learned the specific information about the troublemaker from Xu Da You.

"A person can hide, but the soul cannot."

Lin Chuan, unwilling to waste time on this, decided to enlist Tu Shan Jiao Jiao's power to capture the Demon Cultivator quickly and report back.

If it weren't for having Imperial Director help gather the materials to revive Tu Shan Jiao Jiao, he wouldn't have made this trip.

Late at night, Lin Chuan returned to Xu Da You's residence.

Xu Da You greeted him anxiously, "Master, may I ask where you intend to stay tonight? I can arrange it for you."

"Tonight I'll stay at your manor."

Lin Chuan sat on the main seat, expressionless, "Go, summon every person who knows about the case; none may be omitted."

"Yes, Master."

Xu Da You lowered his brows, clasped his hands, and stepped back.

Soon, people began streaming in, filling most of the large hall.

Those who could stand here were essentially the town's powerful figures—big merchants, prominent families' heirs, or local thugs' leaders,

besides whom were the victims' families of this incident.

Lin Chuan gazed at the silent crowd, and with a thought summoned the power of a Nine‑Tailed Fox Soul, his pupils turning into ghostly flames,

the Nine‑Tailed Fox Clan possesses mind‑reading, with extreme sensitivity to emotional fluctuations.

In his perception, a woman's emotional turbulence in the crowd was far more intense than anyone else's.

That woman was the first victim of Ping An Xiao Zhen.

Basically everyone investigating must obtain information from this woman, making them easy to be misled.

Lin Chuan was deep in thought.

Considering the situation in other small towns, if the troublemaker is the same person, then the Demon Cultivator should be using secret techniques to control the victims, confuse the public, thereby achieving the goal.

"He really knows how to pick people."

After the victim lost her child, her emotions were on the brink of collapse, and her mental state became vague Wu Chang; the Demon Cultivator, by selecting such a target, can more easily control her.

After control, it is also not easily detected by outsiders.

If it weren't for Lin Chuan's ability to perceive the souls of the Tribe of the Spirits, he would never have made this connection.

"The Demon Cultivator behind the scenes isn't very powerful; he should be hiding nearby, perhaps even in the victim's house."

Thinking of this, Lin Chuan waved his hand,

"Everyone, disperse. Xu Da You, accompany me to a few victims' homes and see if there are any traces left by demons."

He kept his composure and did not stir the grass to startle the snake.

The Demon Cultivator has caused trouble many times, always succeeding, and certainly would not flee at this moment.

To dispel the opponent's suspicion, Lin Chuan deliberately went first to a victim's house closer to Xu Da You's residence, and performed a mock investigation.

Then he proceeded to investigate the home of a victim controlled by the Demon Cultivator.

"Yu Lian, you have worked hard."

Xu Da You soothed the victim's emotions, "Don't worry, the Demon‑Slayer Master is here; we will definitely help you find the true culprit."

"Thank you, Master."

The widow Yu Lian bowed her head in thanks, then covered her face and wept for a while.

Lin Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, "Xu Da You, you go out first; I have something to discuss privately with Yu Lian."

"Yes, Master."

Although Xu Da You was puzzled, he dared not ask further and respectfully retreated outside.

He had just stepped out and closed the door.

"Ah!!"

From inside the house came the widow Yu Lian's heart‑rending scream.

Xu Da You's heart skipped a beat.

What the hell! What is the Demon‑Slayer Master doing?