Chapter 16: One Night of Extermination

After finishing the meat-stuffed pancake, Li Heng packed some up as usual, and without lingering, headed straight for the Inner City.

At the entrance of the Inner City, the sound of weeping and wailing drifted over.

A disheveled beggar was sprawled at the gate, pleading with the Inner City Guard to let him in so he could report to the authorities.

Yet, he was merely a beggar, and having offered no toll, how could he possibly enter the Inner City?

The tall, iron-tower-like Guard spoke in a cold voice.

"Where did this beggar come from? Get lost quickly; if you disturb the mood of the Inner City masters, you know the consequences."

"I beg you kind sirs, have mercy and let me in. My brothers were absolutely not crushed to death; someone must have harmed them. That Earth Temple was originally very sturdy!"

The beggar hurriedly knelt on the ground and pleaded.

This commotion drew the attention of the surrounding crowd, who all gathered into a cluster, but no one was willing to speak up for the beggar; they only gossiped and watched the show.

After all, he was just a beggar, lower even than a peasant.

Li Heng was accustomed to such sights.

Every so often, such a scene would unfold. It was a pity that the Inner City masters were kind-hearted and could not bear to see suffering, so how could they let these people with grievances and complaints inside?

Did they not know that Bei'an City was a place of peace and prosperity?

Li Heng sneered in his heart.

He walked closer, listened for a moment, and had already grasped the gist of the matter.

It turned out there was an abandoned Earth Temple on the outskirts of the city, but this morning, the temple had suddenly collapsed, crushing to death some beggars who lived there.

This beggar had also lived in that Earth Temple, but by luck, he had not returned last night, which was why he had not been crushed to death, and so he had run to the Inner City gate to report it.

He felt surprised in his heart; why was it the Earth Temple again? Had he become so deeply connected to the word "Earth"?

The beggar pleaded bitterly with the Inner City Guard.

Li Heng watched coldly from the sidelines, not saying a word.

It was not that he lacked empathy.

It was just that this beggar was tall and had all his limbs intact, no different from an ordinary person. He could perfectly well sell his labor and work as a coolie in the West City; why did he have to be a beggar?

In the end, even pitiful people have their detestable aspects.

It was just laziness and gluttony.

The Inner City Guard was angry, but because he had attracted the attention of so many people, he could not easily lay a hand on the beggar.

"Alright, alright, don't think I don't know your kind; you're just using this as an excuse to extort people."

The beggar, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, continued to plead.

At this, the surrounding crowd began to gossip, and public opinion started to lean toward the beggar, saying the Guard lacked compassion.

The Guard's expression shifted slightly, and he felt annoyed.

If he had known, he would have just thrown him out earlier.

He thought for a moment, fished out a few copper coins, and tossed them at the beggar's feet. "Take it and get lost!"

This was just to spend money to avert a disaster, the Guard sighed inwardly.

As for letting the beggar into the Inner City? That was absolutely impossible! If he really did that, it wouldn't just be money he'd be losing.

The beggar's eyes lit up; he hurriedly grabbed the few copper coins on the ground, stood up instantly, and scurried away in a flash.

Leaving behind only a crowd of bewildered onlookers.

Li Heng did not stop him, did not speak, and shook his head.

Is this Guard a newcomer? He was actually an honest man. He had seen before that Guards would just throw people out directly, and it wasn't as if they hadn't given them a sound beating while they were at it.

But the Earth Temple...

He pondered slightly in his heart; when he had time, he would go investigate. For now, he should go back to turn in his mission and get some Merit.

Ignoring the chaotic crowd, he walked straight into the Inner City.

The beautiful scenery of the Inner City was not worth his lingering; in any case, he was no master, and he lacked the eye to appreciate it.

Mission returned.

He entered through the main gate of the Demon Suppression Division, then went straight to the Merit Hall, arriving before the clerk who registered missions.

At this moment, there were few people in the Merit Hall.

The clerk was happy to be idle, even sipping tea. He had quite the air of a retired senior official or a noble master.

"Wang Donglai, turning in a mission," Li Heng said indifferently.

Wang Donglai was the name of this clerk.

When he first learned this name, he had wondered if this might be a Great Grandmaster who liked to go into deep seclusion.

Wang Donglai couldn't help but look up; after seeing Li Heng's face, his expression turned to shock, and he nearly spat out the tea in his mouth.

Li Heng raised an eyebrow, surprised in his heart.

"What is it? Is it strange to see me?"

Wang Donglai did not answer immediately; instead, he looked at the pillars in the Merit Hall, and only after seeing that the Runes on the pillars did not light up did he heave a sigh of relief.

"Li Heng, you actually didn't die?"

Facing Wang Donglai's shocked question, Li Heng was even more puzzled. "I only took a mission; why must I die? Or did some change occur that I don't know about?"

Wang Donglai was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Did you go to the Giant Wave Gang to look for clues earlier?"

"That's right. Relying on that clue, I successfully found the culprit and killed them. I have already recorded the aura on my Jade Tablet; you can verify it."

Li Heng took out the Jade Tablet from his waist.

Wang Donglai ignored the Jade Tablet and hurriedly asked, "How long did you stay at the Giant Wave Gang? Did you stay overnight?"

"Naturally not; I only stopped for a short while before leaving. Speak the truth quickly; don't be a riddle-monger."

Li Heng frowned; he hated riddle-mongers the most.

"The main hall of the Giant Wave Gang was emptied overnight. Whether it was the Gang Leader or the various hall masters, they have all vanished without a trace."

Wang Donglai said with a grave expression.

Li Heng felt a slight shock in his heart; they all went missing?

He knew that this kind of disappearance was almost equivalent to death. But what kind of event, what kind of existence could make so many people disappear overnight?

That Cao Hong had very strong combat power; he belonged to the Bone Changing Realm with extremely deep foundations and could even briefly contend against the Blood Exchange Realm.

This matter was undoubtedly very Weird.

Or rather, it was done by a Weird!

"Li Heng, you are truly lucky to have brushed past such a Great Terror," Wang Donglai said with lingering fear; his many years of experience had already given him some guesses in his heart.

"I think, perhaps it was the luck of that Weird?"

Li Heng chuckled lightly.

Wang Donglai's expression froze, and he was speechless. It seemed that this mission hadn't been a setback at all; it had been smooth sailing, and he had become even more arrogant.

He even dared to say such things.

Do you even know what level of Weird that is?

That is something even the Division Chief couldn't stop, and might not even be able to contend with! Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger.

"Forget it, forget it, as long as you are safe."

"Right, the Division Chief asked me to tell you that if you return successfully this time, remember to go see him."

Li Heng nodded; he had exactly that intention.

Following procedure, Wang Donglai recorded the aura in the Token and then returned the Jade Tablet to Li Heng.

Leaving the Merit Virtue Hall.

Li Heng walked straight to the courtyard where Meng Lingyun resided. At this moment, the room's door opened, and a person walked out.

It was Meng Lingyun's adopted son, Meng Hao.