Chapter 124: Feeder of Demons

Qinghe New City.

Morgue.

Wei Ming and Liu Chuan ordered several soldiers to transport the bodies back into the city.

After discussing and deliberating, they decided to withdraw first, leading their troops back into the city—today's events far exceeded their expectations, and they needed to report immediately to their superiors.

The old coroner emerged, his hands covered in blood; Wei Ming and Liu Chuan waited outside the door.

Even though they were accustomed to death.

They still disliked seeing such bloody scenes, so they both silently chose to step outside and wait.

Seeing the old coroner appear, Wei Ming asked: "Old Ma, have you determined these people's identities?"

Every guard battalion in Anning Wei is assigned a coroner.

These coroners are professionally trained, far superior to those in county magistrate's offices, and the cost of training one is even higher than that of training a martial artist.

This old coroner holds considerable status in Anning Wei—even Wei Ming respectfully addresses him as "Old Ma."

The old coroner's expression was calm as he replied: "Based on the fragments' characteristics, these are members of the Zhang family, killed by demonic beasts. Their exact identities can only be confirmed by the Zhang family itself."

A good coroner.

Must not only examine wounds but also possess exceptional analytical ability.

Since arriving in Anning Wei,

He has devoted himself to studying the distinctive traits of all factions around Qinghe.

Each faction possesses its own unique martial art.

Years of martial arts practice leave enduring physical marks, forming distinctive traits commonly seen on the tiger's mouth, wrists, knees, waist, and abdomen.

Through these traits, one can determine their affiliation.

Of course, this identifies only the martial lineage; pinpointing the exact individual still requires eyewitness testimony.

But this is already sufficient.

Wei Ming's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So they're from the Zhang family."

He casually glanced at Liu Chuan beside him.

Noticing the shock on the man's face seemed genuine.

Clearly, Liu Chuan had no idea what had truly occurred.

"Strange."

Who doesn't know the Zhang family serves Cao Wei?

Now they're entangled in the demonic disturbance—and from these clues, it's obvious the disturbance was almost certainly provoked by the Zhang family.

"Looks like the hawk got pecked by its own prey."

Wei Ming sneered at Liu Chuan: "Liu Platoon Leader, I'll report this to Lord Ning and Lord Jiang. I'll take my leave."

Liu Chuan's face darkened.

He genuinely didn't know why the Zhang family had become involved in the demonic disturbance.

Yet recalling Feng Yu's orders this morning,

He vaguely sensed this matter was far from simple.

He sighed softly: "Better inform Lord Feng quickly."

Thinking this,

He hurried toward the Garrison Commander Feng Yu's residence.

"Hiss~"

"Zhang Hao is missing?!"

Li Rui and Ge Hong were both startled upon hearing this news from Wei Ming.

Zhang Hao was the Zhang family's third-ranking figure, a genuine seventh-rank expert—yet he vanished without a trace.

Wei Ming sipped his tea:

"Damn it, the moment I heard, I immediately surrounded the Zhang family."

"At first, those brats were stubborn."

"After I gave them a beating, they admitted Zhang Hao left the city this morning with a few men—the details match the coroner's assessment."

Li Rui and Ge Hong exchanged glances.

Zhang Hao was almost certainly dead, devoured by demonic beasts.

Ge Hong couldn't help pressing: "And then?"

Wei Ming set his teacup down irritably, muttering: "It's definitely Feng Yu's doing. I was about to investigate further, but he shut me down—ordered me to drop it."

Feng Yu is Garrison Commander, sixth-rank.

Wei Ming is only a Platoon Leader, seventh-rank—a single rank above crushes you, let alone a full rank and more.

He could only temporarily abandon the matter.

Since Feng Yu had intervened, all he could do was report it to Ning Zhongtian—that was all.

One cannot fight a superior force, especially if this is likely ordered by Cao Wei himself.

Li Rui's heart sank.

The origin of the demonic disturbance didn't need guessing—it was unmistakably tied to Cao Can.

But even if they knew, what could they do?

In all of Anning Wei, only Jiang Lin could counterbalance Cao Wei.

This matter was beyond their involvement.

Wei Ming continued: "Don't worry—I won't let my brothers work for nothing. Brother Li, Brother Ge, I'll make sure you both get a Mid-merit."

Joy flashed in Li Rui and Ge Hong's eyes.

The affairs of big shots were too distant, but a Mid-merit was a real, tangible benefit.

"Thank you, Commander Wei."

Wei Ming waved his hand: "We're brothers—no need for formalities."

"I told you because you're Lord Ning's trusted men—I'm just warning you, so you don't accidentally offend someone you can't touch."

Saying this,

Wei Ming stood up:

"Alright, I'm leaving."

Before departing, he reminded them: "Don't tell anyone else about this."

"Yes!"

Li Rui and Ge Hong both looked solemn.

Wei Ming nodded in satisfaction.

He had chosen to tell Li Rui and Ge Hong not only because of their ties to Ning Zhongtian, but because they were cautious and discreet.

He intended to groom them as his right-hand men.

As potential right-hand men, he naturally didn't want them swept into the vortex and killed pointlessly.

General's Mansion.

A pleasant fish pond, several koi swimming merrily in the water.

Cao Wei held a handful of fish food.

He absently scattered it, indifferent to the koi fighting fiercely over the scraps.

At this moment,

Feng Yu approached Cao Wei: "General, we've confirmed the demonic beasts were artificially raised—there's likely another ghost demon hiding in the mountains."

Anning Wei is full of capable people.

Among them are experts in demonic beast behavior; Feng Yu led demon-hunters into the mountains, detected the ghost demon's aura right beside the Zhang family corpses—clearly, the Zhangs were killed by the ghost demon.

"Ghost demon."

Cao Wei's eyes narrowed slightly: "Interesting."

He ordered Zhang Hao to capture members of the Ghost Ming Cult.

Did he truly believe a single Zhang family could uncover the Ghost Ming Cult's secrets?

Of course not.

In truth, he had over a dozen other factions like the Zhangs secretly helping him hunt Ghost Ming Cult Yao men.

Just casting a wide net.

That's the allure of power—just a thought, and others will risk everything to fulfill it.

Anyone who knows the Ghost Ming Cult's immortal arts won't be weak.

The louder the disturbance, the more satisfied Cao Wei was.

Only by capturing a major figure from the Ghost Ming Cult could he extract information about their immortal arts.

"Seventh-rank. Go yourself. Bring me that ghost demon."

"Yes!"

Feng Yu accepted the order.

Then he hesitated and asked: "General, Zhang Hao is probably dead—what about the Zhang family?"

Cao Wei casually tossed the entire handful of fish food into the pond and coldly said:

If the people sent by the Zhang family are capable, keep them on.

If they're useless,

then the position in Anning Wei should go to the capable, and some people ought to be cleared out—Anning Wei doesn't feed idlers.

He favored the Zhang family mostly because Zhang Hao was efficient in handling affairs.

Zhang Hao was still alive, so the Zhang family still had some use to him; naturally, he didn't hesitate to reward them.

But now Zhang Hao was dead.

If there was no successor, could a petty Zhang family make a fifth-rank Assistant Regional Commander cling to old sentiments?

Clearly not worthy.

Then certain things ought to be reclaimed.

"Your subordinate understands."

Feng Yu's expression remained unchanged.

He had risen to Garrison Commander after serving under several superiors; he had seen plenty of cold-blooded officials.

Mercy does not command troops.

Isn't that exactly the point?

Zhang Hao was dead.

Feng Yu led his troops to search the mountains for seven days and seven nights, recovering plenty of shredded flesh.

Though coroners in this world lacked the precise instruments of Li Rui's past life, they had their own unique methods.

From just a few fragments of flesh, they deduced it was Zhang Hao.

"Zhang Hao was indeed a Xiaoxiong, but unfortunately, he had terrible luck."

Ge Hong clicked his tongue.

Feng Yu deliberately suppressed news of Zhang Hao's death; few knew of it.

Wei Ming was Ning Zhongtian's trusted confidant.

He and Li Rui were Wei Ming's confidants, which was why they knew these details.

This was the advantage of leaning on a big tree.

The neutral faction was often not deliberately targeted, but simply lacked access to information, making it easy to walk straight into a trap.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

Li Rui nodded.

"I heard several Zhang family members in the guard battalion voluntarily resigned, and Feng Garrison Commander approved them all."

After Zhang Hao's death,

the Zhang family of Qinghe was instantly left without a leader.

When the news reached the Zhang family's patriarch, he ordered all Zhang family members to return home and observe mourning for Zhang Hao.

Anyone with eyes could see.

The Zhang patriarch had clearly lost heart and willingly abandoned Qinghe.

The Zhang family had been busy in Qinghe for several months.

In the end, they lost both their wife and their army.

A miserable end.

Ge Hong, mourning the dead as the fox mourns the rabbit: "Old Brother Li, how fickle fate truly is."

He asked himself:

What made him stronger than Zhang Hao?

At best, he was just luckier—if he faced the same situation, he'd be dead for sure.

"The road ahead is hard."

Li Rui sighed lightly.

He understood the meaning behind Ge Hong's words.

There were countless brilliant prodigies in the world, yet only a few ever reached the summit.

Were these great figures more gifted?

Not necessarily.

Many geniuses who once overshadowed these great figures perished before they could grow.

Surviving was the key.

Moving fast mattered less than moving steadily; though slow, if you reached the end, you won.

A certain Emperor Gaozu of the Sima clan was the best example.

Ge Hong: "It's strange—such a huge commotion, yet Jiang Daoren remains completely silent."

"Jiang Daoren must have his own calculations."

Wei Ming had already reported the matter to Ning Zhongtian.

Ning Zhongtian had, of course, long since reported it to Jiang Lin.

But days passed.

Jiang Lin showed no action whatsoever—something so unusual must hide a trick; Li Rui didn't believe Jiang Lin was foolish.

Subordinates always think their superiors' decisions are foolish.

That's because they lack the authority to know the full picture.

Behind every absurd act, there must be a perfectly rational reason.

"I hope so."

Ge Hong knew he was worrying needlessly; he changed the subject: "That Liang boy—you really won't let him go to me?"

He had heard of Liang He's duel with Zhang Fu.

The weak defeating the strong.

No matter what methods he used, it was something to be proud of.

That's when Ge Hong decided to poach him.

Mainly because Li Rui's Weapons Depot spent all day doing clerical work; placing Liang He, a combat genius, there was a waste.

Li Rui smiled lightly: "It's not that I won't let him go—it's that Little He refuses to leave. Am I supposed to drive him away?"

Ge Hong grew even more frustrated.

He was certain Liang He's future would be brighter under him than in the Weapons Depot.

But the boy was utterly bewitched—he was determined to follow Li Rui.

"Where does Old Li get such charm?"

Eighty li from Qinghe,

a low-lying marsh.

Thick, tangled vines layered over one another like a cage, blocking out all sunlight.

Even at noon,

it was pitch black.

"Ugh—"

"Ah—"

A chorus of pained moans echoed through the marsh.

A massive ghost demon clutched its head, all three eyes filled with struggle.

"Hehehe, interesting."

"Trying to turn the tables, invading the ghost demon's consciousness?"

The black-robed elder let out a series of eerie laughs.

Watching the ghost demon's condition, he displayed a sickening excitement.

"Please, let me go!"

One of the heads pleaded.

Listen closely,

and it sounded exactly like Zhang Hao's voice.

The most crucial step in raising a ghost demon was consuming a living person, letting the victim's resentment merge into the demon's soul.

Zhang Hao's body had been devoured by the ghost demon.

Perhaps his will to survive was too strong—his consciousness ultimately overpowered the demon's original one.

Hence the current scene: two souls battling for control.

The black-robed elder rubbed his hands:

"Good. Very good!"

"I've raised demons for decades, but never once have I met someone who refused to die like this."

He pressed his ten fingers into a seal:

"Since you refuse to die, I'll grant your wish."

"But you'll have to live differently!"

Before he finished speaking, a stream of black mist surged from the Shao Shang point on his right thumb's tip, striking the ghost demon's third eye.

"Ah!"

The agonized screams echoed through the mountains and forests.

For a full half-hour.

The sounds gradually faded.

The black-robed elder hunched over, his eyes weary—he had clearly exerted himself greatly using the Black Mist true qi.

Yet his mood was still dominated by excitement.

He stared fixedly at the ghostly demon, standing like a wooden post in the swamp, utterly motionless.

He muttered like a curse:

"You'd better not wish to die, or I'll obliterate your soul and spirit, condemning you to eternal oblivion."

"Even as a ghost, you'll be my ghost!"

Suddenly!

The ghostly demon's body began to tremble slightly.

A flicker of delight passed through the elder's eyes.

The next instant.

The ghostly demon's eyes slowly opened.

In opening, they no longer held their former dullness and stupidity, but boundless sorrow and defiance.

The black-robed elder snorted coldly:

"I gave you life—do you not thank me?"

"Kneel!"

Struggle flashed in the ghostly demon's eyes.

Yet his body ultimately bent involuntarily, kneeling before the elder.

Seeing the ghostly demon obey his command,

the black-robed elder finally smiled in satisfaction: "Good."

"Rest assured, serving me, you'll never regret it. You've only discarded your flesh—but you may yet achieve immortality."

The ghostly demon, or rather, Zhang Hao as if still bound by his former identity, bowed his ugly head:

"Yes."

The black-robed elder grew even more triumphant.

He extended his withered hand and stroked the ghostly demon's massive head as if caressing his own child.

"Good."

"Good."

"From now on, forget the name Zhang Hao. You shall be called Ghost Three."

(End of Chapter)