Chapter 51

Died?

Lu Gang was stunned and asked: "What conflict do you have with him?"

"You could say that." Liang Qu briefly explained what happened in the martial arts hall, "So I want to go see what's going on."

Lu Gang shook his head and put down the Red Fire Mourning Feather: "Then it's too dangerous for you to go alone, I'll go with you."

Just kidding, a two-pass martial artist Lu Shaohui was killed, and it was a death method where his internal organs were eaten. It was highly likely to be the work of a spirit monster.

God knows if the spirit monster is ambushing nearby; things that have become spirits are all very clever.

Liang Qu felt a bit embarrassed to trouble Lu Gang with such a small matter. The matter was so big that the vicinity must have been checked once. But thinking about it again, being prepared for the unexpected was indeed correct, so he had to trouble his senior brother again.

"Wait for me."

Lu Gang turned and walked out of the quiet room. When he came back, there were a few black stones in his hand.

The black stones were placed next to the red feather. Stimulated by the heat, they changed color rapidly. The surface was gradually covered with dark red patterns like blood vessels, reflecting each other with the red feather, like several beating hearts.

"Fire Red Stone, top-grade charcoal stone. Placed next to it, the energy of the Red Fire Mourning Feather will not only not decrease in a short time, but will also increase. Let's go."

The two set off from the small path next to the Huang Family Cloth Shop. Walking to a certain section of the road, next to it was a flat mud road. Although there was withered grass, because there were no trees, it was out of place with the surroundings, and it was easy to see that this was a road before.

"Fahua Temple has been abandoned for decades. I remember that at the beginning of the founding of the country, the monks inside were all killed. At that time, Pingyang Town was still a small village. I don't even remember the specific location, but it should be here. The footprints on the ground are very fresh, the shoes aren't bad, it should be the government's people." Lu Gang lowered his head and scanned a few times.

The ground is hard in winter, but it rained the night before, so the ground was relatively damp and soft, and the footprints left were very obvious.

Fahua Temple has been abandoned for a very long time and is far from town, and its location is close to the top of the mountain. Even beggars rarely go there. Appearing so many footprints in a short time can only be the police inspectors who are exploring.

Lu Gang took the lead: "Let's go, follow behind me, be careful."

Lu Gang's figure was burly, and walking behind him indeed gave a strong sense of security.

Stepping on the loose yellow soil, Liang Qu looked around. The surrounding forest was very lush. Although there weren't many leaves, one could imagine the depth here in summer.

Walking out for several hundred meters, the view in front of him suddenly opened up. Looking up, he could see Fahua Temple on the top of the mountain.

The vermilion outer wall of the temple had completely peeled off, revealing the gray wall blank. Years of wind and rain had made this gray turn black, and the corners were covered with dark green moss.

Slender and withered tree vines spread out on a corner of the roof, deeply rooted in the gaps between the tiles, like a parasitic tree growing by absorbing the nutrients of the earth wall.

Lu Shaohui died here? Why would it be here, so remote?

Liang Qu couldn't understand.

Could it be that after the monster killed him, it dragged him over? Otherwise, why would Lu Shaohui come to this dilapidated temple?

Walking close, the beam at the door had completely collapsed, revealing the broken bricks inside.

The small official on duty saw that Lu Gang was burly and didn't dare to scold, only saying that idlers were not allowed to enter!

Lu Gang took the waist token from his waist and shook it: "Personal disciple of Yang Dongxiong, Lu Gang, do you recognize me?"

"So it's Master Lu! Please come in."

The small official bent down and invited the two to enter. He didn't recognize Lu Gang, but the waist token was exceptionally exquisite. Whether it was true or false, it was not an ordinary person.

The small officials who entered and exited on both sides bowed and greeted one after another, without any arrogant or domineering aura, as if they were two groups of people from when they saw the autumn tax.

Liang Qu, who followed behind Lu Gang, was eye-opening. He reached for his own waist token and was eager to try. Unfortunately, after entering, the small officials were all very respectful, and he didn't find a place to use it.

Not only the beam, but even the main door inside Fahua Temple had rotted away. Entering the courtyard, Liang Qu saw the corpse in the center at a glance.

Lu Shaohui died at the feet of the Buddha. The corpse leaned on the Sumeru throne carved with patterns. Thick black blood pulled into threads from the ends of his hair. The entire chest was completely opened, like two crumbling doors.

No, it should be said like a cicada slough.

It seemed as if Lu Shaohui's chest, liver, spleen, lungs, and organs all had their own lives, hatching from his body, breaking out of the body, and an astonishing evil spirit rushed toward his face.

Lu Gang frowned.

Liang Qu felt a bit nauseous and asked: "Cao Shixiong Lu, can you tell what kind of monster it is?"

The coroner, who was wearing a small hat in front of the corpse and carrying a rattan wooden box, saw this and hurriedly got up: "Can this master tell? Master Lu, rest assured, from discovery to now, we haven't done any processing on the corpse. What it was like before is what it's like now."

He could perform an autopsy, but the scene in front of him exceeded his range of experience. He hadn't seen this kind of thing. Its internal organs didn't look like they were dug out; they were too clean.

"It's a Mountain Ghost."

A familiar voice came from behind Liang Qu, and the two turned to look.

"Cao Shixiong Hu?"

"Liang Shidi Hu, why are you here?"

"The government office people said the coroner couldn't determine the cause of death, so they sent someone to the martial arts hall to ask me for help. I thought Lu Shaohui was a person from the martial arts hall, so I had to come see. As a result, someone at the door said that the martial arts hall people had already come. I was wondering who it was, it turned out to be Cao Shixiong Lu and Liang Shidi Liang. Oh, let me introduce, the head of the police inspectors, Shi Guangxi."

Hu Qi strode forward, followed by a rough man with a beard.

The rough man Shi Guangxi hurriedly cupped his hands: "Greetings, two masters."

Lu Gang nodded, and Liang Qu followed suit on the side.

After the head Shi Guangxi finished greeting, he looked at Hu Qi again and asked eagerly: "Martial Artist Hu, you just said it was a Mountain Ghost? Is it a monster?"

Hu Qi didn't answer and looked at Lu Gang: "What does Cao Shixiong Lu think?"

"It should be correct."

"What is a Mountain Ghost?" Liang Qu felt that he should find an opportunity to cram some knowledge.

Lu Gang said: "A kind of mountain spirit monster that looks like a human. Its skin is brown like a withered tree, and it's hard for swords and guns to enter. At first, it likes to eat livestock. After growing up, it likes to eat human organs. After adulthood, it will even produce egg sacs in the human body. When the egg sacs hatch, the human's chest will open up like it is now."

"Liang Shidi Liang, don't be in a hurry. Master has already arranged the school. What we learn is different from ordinary scholars. When the time comes, you will understand what you should understand."

Liang Qu felt relieved.

Hu Qi turned around in the vicinity and came back with a serious expression: "If this is the place of death, then this Mountain Ghost is very powerful. Lu Shaohui is a two-pass martial artist, and breaking monuments and splitting stones is not a problem. There are actually not many traces of fighting nearby. It is very likely that he died in one encounter, and the hatching of the Mountain Ghost's egg sacs is extremely fast, but it takes at least two days."

Liang Qu was astonished: "So he really died the day he left the martial arts hall?"

Hu Qi nodded: "Basically, that's the case."

Lu Gang said: "It's better to tell Master first and let Master arrange it. It poses a great threat to ordinary martial artists."

Shi Guangxi listened on the side and was terrified: "Then what about ordinary people? Isn't it even worse?"

Hu Qi shook his head: "That's not necessarily true. Big fish eat small fish, small fish eat shrimp. Mountain Ghosts like food with vigorous blood and energy. A Mountain Ghost with such strength actually poses little threat to ordinary people."

Shi Guangxi breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second he raised it again.

"However, this Mountain Ghost hatched a small Mountain Ghost. The small Mountain Ghost is not necessarily the case. Head Shi, it's better to send more people to patrol these days."

"Yes, yes, yes, but Martial Artist Master, you must help us more. Those mountain spirits and monsters, how can we ordinary people deal with them? When I go back to report to the county magistrate, I will definitely post a reward, and I won't treat you masters badly."

"Rest assured, we will definitely pay attention. If we can solve it, of course it's best. But what about the people in your government office?"

"Alas, don't mention it." Shi Guangxi looked sad, "I don't know why, but recently the martial artists in the government office seem to have tasks, and I can't see any of them."

Hu Qi was thoughtful.

Seeing that someone was handling it, Lu Gang prepared to go back: "Liang Shidi Hu is here, so I'll go back first. Liang Shidi Liang brought back a Red Fire Mourning Feather and needs to refine it quickly, otherwise there will be loss."

Hu Qi was surprised: "Red Fire Mourning Feather? Where did it come from?"

Helplessly, Liang Qu told the whole process of picking up the feather again.

Hu Qi was quite envious: "Liang Shidi Liang's luck is unusual, but with your current strength, refining a weapon by stimulating the Red Fire Mourning Feather all at once is indeed the best choice. After all, spiritual weapons are hard to find. Then you go back first, and I'll go look around with Head Shi."

Lu Gang nodded. He said it in front of Hu Qi because he wanted Liang Qu to know that he didn't suggest it because he wanted to forge a spiritual weapon.