Beside him, a woman was sobbing softly, her hair mostly white. This was Mrs. Zhang, the birth mother of the Zhang family's Young Master, Zhang Yuhai. For a parent to see their child die before them, no one's pain could compare to that of a birth mother. The sorrow on her face was even more profound than Zhang Shiping's. If the County Magistrate hadn't been present, she likely wouldn't have been weeping softly, but wailing loudly.
“Mount Buzhou, you’ve arrived.”
Li Xian's eyes lit up when he saw Zhuang Buzhou arrive, and he nodded in greeting.
“County Magistrate.”
Zhuang Buzhou also cupped his hands in salute.
“Hmm, Mount Buzhou, go inside and take a look before we discuss further.”
Li Xian gestured.
Zhuang Buzhou didn't hesitate. With a murder case at hand, the priority was naturally the case itself. After nodding to the head of the Zhang family, he walked directly into the room.
Inside the room, a capable middle-aged man, Wu the Coroner, was examining the corpse.
“Captain Zhuang, you’re here. Come quickly and see, this Young Master Zhang’s death is far from ordinary.”
Wu the Coroner sighed upon seeing Zhuang Buzhou and spoke, a deep look of apprehension on his face.
“How could this be?”
Zhuang Buzhou fixed his gaze on the bed. At that sight, even with his Heart-Nature, he couldn’t help but be secretly startled. It wasn't that the death was too gruesome, but too bizarre. According to the reports, Young Master Zhang died in the early hours of the morning, only a few hours ago. Under normal circumstances, it should still be a well-preserved corpse, but what lay before him was a shriveled, dried corpse—even more so than a typical dried corpse. The entire body was completely desiccated, without a drop of moisture, as if it had died countless years ago and been air-dried in the desert.
In such a situation, anyone could tell that this was definitely not a normal death.
“There are no wounds on Young Master Zhang’s body. The time of death cannot be determined. In my experience, his vital essence was completely drained from his body in an instant, causing him to become this dried corpse. This method of death is likely not the work of ordinary people.”
Wu the Coroner took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression.
“Old Wu, you mean…?”
Zhuang Buzhou frowned slightly and spoke slowly.
“It’s an evil spirit.”
Wu the Coroner stated definitively.
Wu the Coroner was well-traveled and had seen countless bizarre incidents in his life. Ordinary homicides wouldn't result in this. This corpse was more terrifying than a thousand-year-old dried corpse; not a trace of vital essence remained. Under normal circumstances, even Cultivating a Demonic Technique wouldn't cause this. Only an evil spirit could instantly absorb Yang Qi and vital essence, turning a body into this state.
“In our Qingyun City, we’ve never heard of evil spirits before. Their sudden appearance now is probably not a good sign. To openly commit such a heinous crime, I wonder what its true nature is—is it a ghost, a demon, a strange and eerie creature, or a demonic entity? This situation likely exceeds my capabilities.”
Zhuang Buzhou shook his head and said upon hearing this.
He was eighty percent certain that this was the work of an evil spirit.
He wasn't unfamiliar with evil spirits. This world itself harbored various bizarre evil spirits, and the existence of the extraordinary was not a myth.
In the government office's archives, not only were case files stored, but also some basic martial Cultivation Techniques issued by the imperial court. For example, the “Zhou Tian Cultivation Technique” that Zhuang Buzhou Cultivated was obtained from there. Any constable could choose a Cultivation Technique to Cultivate from it. Besides Cultivation Techniques, there were also some special books, one of which was called “Records of Strange and Unusual Tales.”
This record of strange tales documented all sorts of oddities, bizarre occurrences, and demonic entities.
There were over a hundred types of bizarre entities. It was said that many more were not recorded.
It was from this record of strange tales that Zhuang Buzhou learned a hint of the truth of this world.
That truth was terrifying. Once a bizarre entity appeared, it would inevitably cause a bloodbath, with countless deaths. Even an entire city could be annihilated.
He wanted to become a Cultivator not only because of his abnormal lifespan but also because he wanted to survive, to live better. Only by becoming a Cultivator, by becoming strong, would he have that qualification.
“Notify the County Magistrate. This matter is beyond our scope. We need to report it to the Demon Suppression Division and dispatch Demon Suppression Guards.”
Wu the Coroner shook his head and said.
This situation was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.
Moreover, bizarre incidents couldn't be delayed. Once one appeared, it had to be reported immediately, and specialized strong individuals had to be dispatched to suppress it. Ordinary people who went would only die.
“Hmm, let’s go out.”
Zhuang Buzhou also nodded in agreement.
Leaving the room, he came outside and, upon seeing Li Xian, said, “County Magistrate, I fear this matter is beyond my abilities. Without a doubt, it is the work of an evil spirit and needs to be reported to the Demon Suppression Division. However, your subordinate suggests posting a notice in the city to recruit extraordinary individuals to investigate the evil spirit. This way, we can be prepared for any eventuality.”
By now, very few people in the city were likely unaware of the Zhang family's incident. Concealment was useless. Bizarre occurrences were not secrets in this world. There was no need for secrecy; the most important thing was to find a solution as quickly as possible.
Of course, Zhuang Buzhou also had other intentions.
He was pursuing the Dao of Cultivation. This search for extraordinary individuals, if he could find truly capable ones, might present an opportunity to enter that extraordinary world.
The market in three days was one opportunity, and this might also be one.
“The Demon Suppression Division may not send anyone. The notice must be posted. This matter must be resolved quickly. Once bizarre evil spirits appear, they cause countless deaths.”
Li Xian shook his head and sighed.
Demons were easy to kill, ghosts were easy to eliminate, and demonic entities could be destroyed, but bizarre and strange creatures were the most difficult to eradicate. Now, they didn’t fear ghosts, but rather bizarre and strange creatures. That would be troublesome, a truly big problem.
Moreover, according to what he understood, the Demon Suppression Division was understaffed, and bizarre incidents had recently appeared in many places. Even if reported, it was uncertain when personnel would be dispatched. The world was not peaceful these days, and the imperial court was reportedly unstable as well.
“County Magistrate, the body must be immediately cremated. Otherwise, it might transform into a zombie.”
Wu the Coroner also suggested.
“Hmm, I will discuss these matters with the head of the Zhang family.”
Li Xian nodded and said, “According to the young servant who accompanied Young Master Zhang, that night, he went to a brothel pleasure boat to seek pleasure. After entering South Street, he saw a newly opened brothel called the Red Chamber. Zhang Yuhai was curious and entered the Red Chamber. No one knows what happened inside. The young servant didn't go in because he had to return home to retrieve the money pouch Zhang Yuhai had left behind. He watched Zhang Yuhai enter the Red Chamber. When he returned with the money pouch, he found that he could no longer find that Red Chamber. It wasn't until dawn that he saw Zhang Yuhai return home, and then he became as he is now.”
Before this, the inquiry into the Zhang family had already yielded results.
The young servant, named Li Ergou, was standing nearby.
“Li Ergou, are you sure you entered a place called the Red Chamber? What were its characteristics? Did you notice anything unusual before that?”
Zhuang Buzhou found Li Ergou and asked.
“Officer Zhuang, I haven’t told a single lie. I only remember that the Red Chamber’s main entrance had a pair of red lanterns hanging, and those lanterns were truly red. The Red Chamber was very large and luxurious. There was no one greeting guests at the entrance, but upon seeing the Red Chamber, I instinctively wanted to go in. If Young Master hadn’t told me to go home and get the money pouch, I would have gone in with him. Later, when I looked for it again, I couldn’t find it. It’s a bizarre entity; it must be an evil spirit.”
Li Ergou’s face was pale, and he was trembling all over. He still hadn't recovered.
“Did you see anyone else enter the Red Chamber?”
Zhuang Buzhou frowned slightly and asked.
“Yes, I saw several people enter the Red Chamber, but I didn’t see anyone come out.”
Li Ergou continued.
“County Magistrate, your subordinate requests an immediate city-wide investigation to determine if there are other cases of people dying and turning into dried corpses like Zhang Yuhai. According to the nature of bizarre entities, this time, Zhang Yuhai is definitely not the only one who died.”
Zhuang Buzhou said in a deep voice.
At night in this era, there wasn't much entertainment. It was common for young men to visit brothels and pleasure boats, especially for wealthy Young Master. Zhang Yuhai was certainly not the only one who entered and exited the Red Chamber.
“Reporting, County Magistrate. The yamen has been receiving continuous reports of deaths in homes, with very strange conditions. Their entire bodies are without a drop of moisture, completely turned into dried corpses. There are now no less than twenty bodies.”
Just then, a constable quickly rushed over and reported.
“Big trouble.”
Zhuang Buzhou and Li Xian exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of solemnity in each other's eyes.
This matter had too great an impact.
It was already out of control.
“According to the brothers’ investigation, in South Street, and even in the entire Qingyun City, there is no Red Chamber as they described. It is a bizarre demon; there can be no mistake.”
A brother who had gone to investigate in the city returned and reported the findings of his investigation.
With over twenty people dying so bizarrely, the city would inevitably fall into panic, and people's hearts would be filled with fear.
“Post a notice, implement a city-wide curfew, no one is allowed out at night, all brothels and pleasure boats on South Street are to cease operations, and absolutely no one is allowed to enter the Red Chamber if encountered.” Li Xian immediately issued the order upon returning to the yamen.
The announcement quickly covered the entire city.
Large crowds of people flocked to see it.
Upon seeing the notice, they immediately began to discuss animatedly.
“My heavens, something really happened, something big happened.”
“I heard about it too. Young Master Zhang from the Zhang family also died. His death was terrifying; his whole body turned into a dried corpse, all his vital essence sucked dry. Just thinking about it is horrifying.”
“It's not just Young Master Zhang; Young Master Liu from the Liu family, and Young Master Hu from the Hu family also died, all in the same way. This definitely isn't the work of ordinary people; it’s an evil spirit, a demon! It’s said that these people all entered the Red Chamber and came out looking like that.”
“That Red Chamber must be an evil spirit. I think everyone, during this time, must not come out at night. Even if it’s an evil spirit, if we don’t go in, it can’t kill people.”