Chapter 111: Unfounded Disaster

Chen Shicheng turned around and glanced back, then waved.

Zhao Dongyang had been worrying heavily about how to explain things to the prefect tomorrow, until the escort behind him bumped him, he then came to his senses, quickly composed his expression, and trotted up to Chen Shicheng.

"Senior, do you have any orders?"

"You're Zhao Dongyang, right? What's happened in the city? All along the way, everywhere I see people wearing mourning clothes."

"Senior, you don't know." Zhao Dongyang looked around, then leaned in to whisper to Chen Shicheng, "Recently, the city has been plagued by evil ghosts that specialize in eating human flesh and blood; I don't know if they're related to the starving ghost you killed."

"Aren't the prefect and the cultivators doing anything? I recall there are many Horse Immortals around here; why hasn't anyone dealt with this trouble?" Chen Holy glanced at Hui Siye and asked deliberately.

"Why hasn't the prefect intervened? A few days ago he just executed some bandits to calm the populace, but the man-eating incidents haven't subsided; they've only gotten worse."

Zhao Dongyang scornfully shook his head, then after a moment of recollection said, "As for the Horse Immortals you mentioned, there were many when I was young, but in recent years I haven't heard much about them."

"Is that so."

Chen Holy nodded thoughtfully.

This Zhao Dongyang in front of me often escorts on Wind-Blowing Sun Mountain; his apparent age is much older than his actual age, but even if we estimate him young, his childhood was at least over twenty years ago.

That is to say, while Hui Siye was busy dealing with the Immortal-Slaying Grand Formation, something happened back home.

Thinking optimistically, maybe they moved; if pessimistically, then things are really serious! After bidding farewell to Zhao Dongyang, Chen Holy followed the smell and found an inn in Huanglong Jun City, casually rented an upper room, and moved in.

"Kid, don't move around here; I'll go gather some news and be back soon."

Just as the door was closed, the ever-silent Hui Siye suddenly spoke.

"Do you want my help?" Chen Holy wouldn't pass up this opportunity to earn favor, and immediately eagerly volunteered.

"No need, I'm more familiar with this place, and going alone is more convenient."

Hui Siye finished speaking, then directly activated Five Ghosts Transport and vanished from the room.

Chen Holy didn't mind, after all, no matter what happened here, given Hui Siye's current state he could at most gather some information; if they wanted to resolve it, they'd still have to rely on his own action.

But he didn't expect that Hui Siye's departure would last an entire day.

At night, Huanglong Jun City was noisy and bustling, even more lively than during the day.

Of course, it's not that the nightlife here is rich; as soon as it got dark, the streets became deserted, and with the paper money scattered everywhere, the place looked like a ghost den.

The crowd below was a large group organized by the Prefect's Manor, holding torches and patrolling the main street; the blazing flames connected into a line, resembling a swimming dragon, winding through the streets and alleys.

Chen Holy and La Tiao stood by the window watching for half a day, but they neither waited for Hui Siye nor saw the alleged man-eating demons; by late night, they simply went to sleep.

As for going offline?

Don't joke, the Bigu Pill bought with points is just so we can stay in the game for a long time.

The next morning.

The soundly sleeping Chen Holy was awakened by a noisy commotion; the moment he opened his eyes, he looked around the room for Hui Siye's figure, but found nothing.

After he dressed and walked out the door, the sight before him left him stunned.

He saw Zhao Dongyang kneeling at the inn's doorway, his clothes soaked by morning dew, surrounded by passersby who pointed and whispered with sympathetic faces.

Before him, a white cloth laid flat on the ground held a finger, which appeared to be from a child's hand.

And the moment Chen Holy stepped out the door, the murmuring in the inn's courtyard abruptly stopped.

The kneeling Zhao Dongyang also sensed something and stiffly lifted his head.

The moment their eyes met, Chen Holy's heart also jolted.

Although Zhao Dongyang's strength isn't particularly high, his dark skin and sturdy muscles give an inexplicable sense of security; standing there, anyone would call him an iron-made man.

But now, his lips are pale, his face bloodless, his stare fixed, eyes filled with bloodshot, dazed, looking like a walking corpse.

Only after making eye contact with Chen Holy did he shudder, regain a bit of vitality, and his eyes brightened.

"Senior! My family has suffered a disaster; last night my son was killed by a starving ghost. After rushing in, I could only retrieve one of his fingers. I have spent all my family wealth, and I beg you, senior, to decide for my son and avenge him!"

Zhao Dongyang's voice was sorrowful; he kept kowtowing, visible blood splattered, his forehead becoming a bloody mess.

【Discovered Task: Avenge and Wipe Out Hatred】

【Task Introduction: Zhao Dongyang, the escort chief you once met, lost his son last night; we hope you can slay the murderous attached-soul zombie to avenge him. Accept?】

【Task Reward: 13 gold, 155 silver, 395 copper.】The people in the inn's courtyard hearing this also turned pale with fear, sighing incessantly.

"It really is demon mischief; those few people the prefect executed..."

"We can't stay in this city; I think we should first go stay with relatives for a few days to avoid the disaster."

"It's actually the Zhao family's son who met misfortune; how pitiful."

"I even saw that child before; delicately carved like jade, very cute—how did a demon target him? What a shame."

Chen Holy watched Zhao Dongyang kowtowing nonstop, listened to the surrounding chatter, and for a moment was dumbfounded.

Although the task reward isn't very tempting, a dozen gold is no small sum; it's likely all of Zhao Dongyang's property after selling his family assets.

If it were the same as yesterday and he were present, he wouldn't mind casually killing the starving ghost to help Zhao Dongyang avenge.

The problem is, the murderous starving ghost's whereabouts are unknown now; to find it, one must wait like those who patrolled the streets last night.

But his purpose in coming here is to let Hui Siye return to his roots; there's no time to waste on patrols.

Chen Holy instinctively wanted to refuse, but as his thoughts raced for an excuse, a sudden dense footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard.

He looked up and saw over ten Taoist monks and Buddhist monks, led by bailiffs, filing in.

As soon as they entered, their gazes fell on the severed finger before Zhao Dongyang; their expressions instantly turned grim, and some wanted to step forward for a closer look.

"May I ask, sir, for such a massive mobilization, what is the matter?"

In the crowd, the escort who had accompanied Zhao Dongyang hurried forward to block them, asking respectfully.

"Escort Liu, we've heard that Escort Chief Zhao encountered that man-eating monster last night; is that true?" A head bailiff stepped forward, clasped his hands sympathetically, and asked.

"Ah, it's indeed true, a true calamity from heaven; Escort Chief Zhao's son died last night because of it, and only a severed finger was recovered." Escort Liu said with grief.

At that moment, the Taoist monks and Buddhist monks brought by the bailiffs had already passed the two and arrived before Zhao Dongyang, ignoring the kowtowing victim, their expressions shifting as they examined the severed finger.

"The wound is irregular and still retains ghostly aura; it seems not the work of a monster, but more likely a ghost."

"Hmph, I already said it, this is the work of ghosts and monsters; otherwise, how could we possibly find no trace at all!"

Several Daoists conferred briefly, reached a conclusion, and then one monk asked Zhao Dongyang, "Amitabha, may I ask, Patron Zhao, did you see clearly the appearance of that ghost-monster last night?"

Zhao Dongyang seemed not to have heard, showing no reaction, merely staring at Chen Shicheng with a pleading face.

Although he was extremely grief-stricken, he had not yet reached the point of desperation where he would seek any doctor; the monsters' man-eating had been going on for a long time, and if those "experts" invited by the Prefect truly had the ability to catch the culprit, how could they have allowed his young son to be killed?

But yesterday, he personally witnessed Chen Shicheng slay the helpless ghost that had left them helpless with a single strike, and he was still clear about who was the true deity.

The Liu Biaoshi who was nearby chatting with the yamen runners, seeing this, hurried forward and patted Zhao Dongyang's shoulder, "Escort Head Zhao, the master is asking you; hurry up and explain the situation clearly, several Daoist Masters and the great master will certainly decide for you."

As he spoke, the several Daoists and priests present also nodded secretly, putting on the airs of transcendental experts.

However, Zhao Dongyang acted as if he hadn't seen, giving a bitter smile, "How long have the monsters been eating people in Huanglong Jun City? These so-called experts haven't even seen the monsters' appearance, yet they want to verify with me—how can they subdue demons?"

Just as his words fell, the courtyard erupted in an uproar; everyone present looked at those Daoists and monks with a changed gaze.

Isn't that right?

If those experts really had the ability, they would have eliminated the troublemaking monsters long ago; why wait until now?

Feeling the strange gazes of the people around, one Daoist suddenly flew into a rage, "You scoundrel, how dare you speak such wild words! If it weren't for our day-and-night pursuit, the prefectural city would not have suffered only these few deaths; the ghosts would have long since slaughtered the city. Today, seeing that your young son has just died, I will spare you once, but if you dare speak without restraint again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dongyang showed a self-mocking smile and once again kowtowed to Chen Shicheng, "Senior, I, Zhao, know you have heavenly abilities; I do not ask you to kill the tiger demon, only to help me avenge my young son—I am willing to serve you as an ox or horse."

As soon as he spoke, everyone's gazes simultaneously turned to Chen Shicheng, whose face showed surprise.

But those Daoists and monks changed countenance, looking at Chen Shicheng with hostility, "Junior, some matters are not for you to interfere with; perhaps I have some old ties with your sect—tell me, which school's disciple are you?"

"?"

Chen Shicheng froze.

Speaking of his sect, he could at best be considered an outstanding graduate of C City XX University; although he cannot compare to the true transmission disciples of the master and doctorate levels, he can still be counted as an inner-door disciple.

How?

Are you a professor from another university? Shall I bring out my former instructor to network with you?

(End of chapter)