Chapter 40: 40 Intrusion

The Steward, the head accountant, the "High-level Guard," and the "High-level Maid" failed to reach a conclusion, but they all agreed not to send anyone else to investigate, choosing instead to report it to the authorities.

But they discovered the government office was very busy; it seemed some major event had occurred.

The Steward asked out of curiosity and learned that a very heinous murder case had occurred outside the city.

Based on his awareness of his surroundings, the Steward led two guards out together.

Ling'er hurriedly sought out Song Cheng, saying that something had happened outside the city.

Song Cheng thought for a moment, then went with Ling'er.

This was the county town where they lived, this was the human gathering point isolated from the wilderness, and Song Cheng had to care about what was happening outside. At this moment, it was just past noon.

The bright sun was high, and clouds drifted leisurely. New, tender green grass sprouts swayed in the breeze.

When the Steward arrived at the murder scene outside the city and saw the scene before him, he was stunned on the spot, then immediately hunched over, gasping for air, though he ultimately did not vomit.

Those were people who had been skinned, leaving only dripping flesh. They had been arranged into the shape of flowers, placed among the green grass, their instinctive writhing looking like fresh flowers swaying in the wind.

And soon, Song Cheng and Ling'er also arrived at the scene.

From far away, Ling'er vomited immediately; the lettuce and meat she had eaten at noon mixed with gastric juices and fell onto the grass.

Song Cheng was fine, his abdomen only churning slightly. At this moment, he bent down and gently patted Ling'er's back, then looked at the "Living Corpses" writhing like meat worms.

The data appearing on those "Living Corpses" indicated that they were actually not dead yet, but they had been skinned and were still writhing on the ground. What was this? Suddenly, Song Cheng's pupils constricted, and a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to his forehead.

He saw favorability. There was quite a bit of favorability.

And it was even relatively high.

Especially for one of them, the favorability was still 80.

He only felt a chill rise in his heart.

"Oh my, what happened?" Suddenly, a woman's curious voice came from not far away.

Song Cheng turned his head and saw a group of gaudily dressed women walking over; these women were from the Biliu Courtyard.

A yamen runner quickly went over and said to one he was familiar with: "Take your sisters back; a murder case happened here, this is not a place you should come to."

"Alright, alright." The woman didn't say much, waved her round fan, and turned to lead the others away.

One of them, whom Song Cheng recognized, was the prostitute Hua Zhi who had sat on his lap that day and wanted to give him a red envelope.

Song Cheng stared at their backs, those swaying waists, that fair, greasy skin, those shaking buttocks... and also, the slightly blood-red strength data, as well as the complete absence of favorability above their heads.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the "Living Corpse" with 80 favorability.

Suddenly, his pupils constricted.

He knew who this living corpse was.

A thick chill, a cold gloom, descended.

Song Cheng walked down the street, looking dejected.

He knew what that thing was.

That thing, he did not want to provoke.

Therefore, he wanted to pack his luggage and leave the county town immediately.

As for connections?

Ling'er.

He had to drag Ling'er along to run; once they reached the Prefecture City, he would let Ling'er handle the operations, and they would surely find a place to stay, right? As the personal maid of a merchant guild's Young Miss, Ling'er always knew people and had a clean background. As for why they were suddenly leaving the county town, he would think of a reason on the road.

This thought strongly urged him, but it still required conditions.

Don't be hasty! Song Cheng's thoughts were like lightning; he suddenly raised his eyes and said urgently to Ling'er: "You go back to the manor first to pack, then go to my room and tell my wife to pack her things too; we might have to run. Don't let anyone see."

Ling'er:??? Song Cheng said sternly: "If you want to live, go quickly."

Ling'er took off running.

In her eyes, Song Cheng was a mysterious, powerful, and uniquely charming youth; naturally, she obeyed.

Ling'er ran, and Song Cheng also started running.

He flew toward the West City Gate; in about the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, he reached the gate.

At this time, the city gate was open, but there were County Soldiers on duty on the city wall, so he couldn't get up there.

And since one could not project their Soul during the day, the idea of using his Soul to go into the sky to observe was also not feasible.

Song Cheng had no choice but to run outside the city to scout.

If you want to run, at least look at the situation outside first, and decide after you've seen it clearly, right?

It would have been better not to look; once he did, Song Cheng was dumbfounded.

Mountains stretched continuously, the bright sun entered the hills, but in the azure sky, there were wisps of imperceptible gray mist.

Song Cheng stared at the gray mist and continued to wait patiently. Time passed, and by evening... that wisp of gray mist had not dissipated; on the contrary, it was becoming thicker and thicker.

Rolling gray mist emerged from every nook and cranny of the mountain forest, swirling and gathering into a vast, sky-covering hand that embraced the blue mountains, appearing to ripple like waves, but when it reached the county town, it seemed to be blocked by some force and could not invade, so it only circled outside the city.

Song Cheng's face turned ashen; only two words remained in his mind: Siege! He couldn't get out.

The county town had many people and was a place where Yang energy gathered, which also filled the Yin.

Yin energy could not get close.

So, that was why there were those Ghost things? If a Taboo was a fierce Ghost, were those things Ghost servants? The Taboo couldn't enter the city, so it sent Ghost servants to attack the city? Song Cheng turned around and walked back into the city gate.

Inside the city, the atmosphere of daily life was still thick, the shouting of buying and selling was everywhere, and the air was filled with the scent of wine and smoke... Song Cheng had no money in his pocket and couldn't afford wine.

He swallowed his saliva and walked back on the road, feeling very depressed.

When he reached a small alley, someone suddenly walked out from in front.

A woman.

A beautiful woman.

Song Cheng recognized this woman.

This was precisely the courtesan of Biliu Courtyard—Hua Zhi.

Or rather, just a Ghost servant wearing the skin of Hua Zhi.

He saw that a favorability rating had actually appeared beneath that Ghost servant.

【Strength: 10~10】

【Favorability: 80】

The color was somewhat blood-tinged.

Song Cheng remembered that Hua Zhi's strength had always been "1~1"; had it turned into a Ghost servant and simply added a zero? "Yo, Master Song, what a coincidence." Hua Zhi flirtatiously toyed with her hair, "I wasn't able to give you that red envelope last time; why don't you let big sister give it to you today?"

Having said that, she raised a hand to cover her lips and giggled "hee hee hee," her eyes hooking onto Song Cheng across the alleyway.

Song Cheng watched her vigilantly.

Hua Zhi laughed and pulled open her clothes, revealing a milky-white chest, and smiled: "Then big sister will do it with you right here. Big sister will press against the wall, and you come from behind, how about that?"

Song Cheng turned and walked away.

Hua Zhi was stunned for a moment, and while shouting "Don't go, Master Song," she ran after him from behind, her eyes flashing with strange greed.

Song Cheng stopped his footsteps, his five fingers climbing onto the hilt of the Fine Blade at his waist; long winds lingered, and force existed of its own accord.

"Why force me?" He questioned angrily, but without waiting for an answer, he immediately drew his blade; the blade was like a venomous snake hunting at night, treacherous and agile.

He swung the blade, the venomous snake bared its fangs, and the hissing sound suddenly turned into a sharp wail.

Where was there still a snake? It was clearly a flood dragon!

Blade Style—Transforming into a Flood Dragon! He retracted the blade, the blade spinning through a brilliant, large crescent arc, striking Hua Zhi's skin, as if cutting into hard steel.

Boom! Hua Zhi's expression was one of astonishment, her body slashed open with irresistible force, the upper and lower halves separating to reveal an empty, hollow center.

A sinister, shrill screech lunged out from that hollow torso, but it had only lunged out a tiny distance before it was like snow touching fire, rapidly melting away, and by the time it reached Song Cheng, it had already vanished into ashes.

The human skin, severed into two halves, landed eerily on the ground, and the hairpins, head ornaments, and clothes scattered along with it.

That pretty face folded into several layers, revealing a terrifying scene that would not even appear in a Dream.

Song Cheng sheathed his blade and turned to leave.

Since he couldn't run, he would just guard his home.

The county town was at least considered a "Filling Yin Land," where Taboo could not enter, which was why they had created this kind of Ghost servant wearing human skin.

Song Cheng returned to the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce, worried, and just as he reached the door, he saw a caravan coming from the north.

It was his own chamber of commerce.

The caravan arrived in front of the mansion, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a cold, elegant, and dignified woman stepped off the carriage, looking at Song Cheng who was coming from afar.

Song Cheng also looked at her.

【Strength: 8~8】

【Favorability: 80】

There was no blood color.

"Young Miss has returned early?"

An Chenyu looked at Song Cheng, then swept her gaze toward the direction he had come from, and said indifferently: "Follow me."

(End of this chapter)