Chapter 520: Parasitism

"What a bunch of petty people!"

Even after returning to his own territory, Shen Yu still felt somewhat displeased.

Even though he warned himself that it wasn't worth getting angry over such people, the moment he thought of their shameless faces, a nameless fire inevitably rose in his heart.

However, before leaving, he had left a mark on these people so that he could find their location at any time.

As long as he saw these people do anything else inhumane besides being hypocritical, he would finish them off directly.

He had long found them unpleasant; if it weren't for the fear that the system might have some penalty for accidentally killing the innocent, he would have already finished all of them off.

Although these people had extremely ugly faces and clearly weren't good things at a glance, what if they were just of poor character but hadn't actually done many bad things?

What if they often did good deeds to maintain their reputation? Isn't that exactly the routine of hypocrites?

Although this possibility was pitifully low, it wasn't impossible, so he didn't kill them immediately, but he did leave a contingency.

Hmph, it's best they don't let him catch an opportunity; otherwise, heh heh, there are at least eighty, if not a hundred, so-called martial arts seniors who have died by his hand!

Returning to the ancestral grounds of Qiaoshan Village, Shen Yu spent several days reinforcing the Seal Array, and only after everything was perfect did he feel at ease.

Afterward, he continued to wander around a large circle of Xiaozhou, and only after confirming that officials everywhere were performing their duties and that all parts of Xiaozhou were developing vigorously did he return to the State Yamen.

But just as Shen Yu had returned, Liang Ruyue rushed over in a hurry.

"My Lord, you've returned! There is a matter I am not quite sure about, and I was just preparing to report it!"

"What is it?" Looking at Liang Ruyue's expression, Shen Yu knew the matter was likely not small.

Liang Ruyue was now, at any rate, in command of the Black-Clad Guard for the entire Xiaozhou, even if only acting. Of course, it was also because he was acting that it was the time he wanted to achieve some results.

Precisely because of this, Liang Ruyue wouldn't be like this for ordinary small matters.

"My Lord, some time ago, the Black-Clad Guard stationed in Mohua City reported that commoners had suddenly disappeared there, but after a period of time, these commoners returned!"

"It's just that the temperaments of the returned commoners seemed to have changed a lot from before, and some even didn't recognize their own spouses."

"The Black-Clad Guard stationed there sensed something was wrong and immediately reported the matter."

"You mean, you suspect they were replaced?"

"No, I suspect they encountered something and had their memories wiped. After all, they are just ordinary commoners with nothing special about them; even if someone wanted to replace them, there would be no need to replace them!"

Shaking his head, Liang Ruyue was full of caution; in fact, the situation in Mohua City had reached a point where he had to be cautious.

"My Lord, the Black-Clad Guard stationed there later investigated and found that these commoners had all been to Mo Shan, and not long after returning, they became the way they are now."

"After receiving the news, I immediately sent people to investigate Mo Shan. I thought everything would go smoothly, but I didn't expect that even the elite Black-Clad Guard troops I sent would stumble and all disappear."

"All of them disappeared?"

"Yes, not only did they all disappear, but they later appeared again just like those commoners. And these Black-Clad Guards, like those commoners, also underwent earth-shaking changes in their temperaments!"

Speaking of this, Liang Ruyue's expression was slightly bitter. He had thought it was a small matter, but he never expected it to spiral out of control.

They had not seen such bizarre matters in the Black-Clad Guard before. Martial arts secret techniques are strange and varied, so it wouldn't be strange for there to be something special.

Therefore, after first encountering such a matter, Liang Ruyue was only a bit surprised, but he was not panicked.

However, he instinctively felt that the matter at Mo Shan was unusual, which is why he dispatched elite troops to Mo Shan to investigate, but he never expected this result.

The three groups of people he sent—one in the open and two in secret—were all elites, and all of them met their doom at Mo Shan, without even a single piece of news coming out.

Everyone seemed to have evaporated from the world; they could not be found no matter what, and they didn't even leave a single trace, as if they had never existed at all.

These were the elites among elites; even if they had encountered a stronger expert, they shouldn't have been unable to leave even a trace.

It was also at this time that he realized something was wrong. But just as he wanted to report it, Shen Yu had already left the State Yamen.

Moreover, Shen Yu's speed was too fast; often, before the Black-Clad Guard's news could arrive, his location would have changed again, making it impossible for him to find anyone to report to.

Therefore, Liang Ruyue could only wait anxiously at the State Yamen. But during the wait, those missing Black-Clad Guards returned.

Upon receiving the news, Liang Ruyue immediately took these people into custody and began to observe whether they had changed.

At first, they were quite normal. But in the following period, their memories began to decline. In the end, even their personalities and such changed.

If he hadn't confirmed from the start that they were his own men, and if the place where they were detained hadn't been completely sealed with guards who were all elites, he would have truly thought his subordinates had been secretly replaced.

It was precisely because of this that Liang Ruyue took this matter more seriously and felt it was more troublesome.

After all, wiping memories is not difficult; he had seen psychedelic Cultivation Methods before. But to be able to twist a person's temperament was somewhat shocking.

"My Lord, I later sent another team to investigate Mo Shan, but now they have also disappeared!"

"Mo Shan is as if shrouded in a layer of mist, swallowing everyone who goes there!"

"I have also investigated; the previous Mo Shan had nothing peculiar. Many mountain folk relied on the mountain for their livelihood, hunting and gathering herbs in the mountain, and there were no changes."

"These sudden changes should have only appeared recently. I am afraid there might be some conspiracy in this?"

"Changes that only appeared recently?" Brows furrowed slightly, his fingers tapped on the table one after another, while Liang Ruyue on the side waited cautiously.

He didn't know why, but he always felt that the current Lord Shen had changed again compared to before; instinct made his attitude become more respectful.

"What about those who returned?"

"I have already brought them back. I am ashamed; I cannot see a single difference!"

"Bring them up!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

Soon, under Liang Ruyue's order, the Black-Clad Guards who had returned after disappearing were brought up. Dozens of Black-Clad Guards, all elites among the Black-Clad Guard, exuded a fierce aura.

However, upon seeing these people, Shen Yu couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

"These people are already dead!"

"What? My Lord, you didn't see wrong, did you? They are clearly still alive, how could they..."

"Their souls are extinguished; although their bodies are still alive, they are actually dead beyond death!"

As he spoke, Shen Yu reached out, and a black insect broke through the skin of one person's head, flying out with blood and brain matter, landing in his hand.

And that person instantly collapsed to the ground; the aura on their body, including pulse, heartbeat, and so on, stopped instantly, completely losing any sign of life.

"Good technique, to be able to parasitize completely; no wonder it makes people unable to see a single difference!"