Li Miao used his movement technique to chase after the person in the night-walking clothes.
From what he had heard the few tavern helpers describe during the day, he already knew what was going on.
There are no ghosts or gods in this world.
If dying tragically and with hatred could turn one into a ghost, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)'s prison would have long become the underworld.
In all his years serving in the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), he had only seen jailers gradually get fat and torturers rise through the ranks; he had never seen anyone die at the hands of a ghost.
In this world, the only thing that could achieve this was the Witchcraft from Miao Jiang.
Witchcraft has a long history, having been documented as early as the Warring States period, and later frequently appearing in power struggles, regarded by successive emperors as a major hidden danger.
After all, elite soldiers and strong generals could block swords, but they couldn't defend against curses and potent poisons.
This thing had been purged multiple times by various dynasties; the "Sequel to Zizhi Tongjian" records: In the second year of Gandeng of Emperor Taizu of Song, "326 families of people who kept Witchcraft in the counties of Yongzhou were relocated to remote areas of the county, not to mix with the villagers again." It is now rarely seen in the Central Plains, with only a few villages in Miao Jiang still preserving its traditions.
If such a thing appeared within the Great Shuo territory, as long as it was reported, Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) would arrive within half a month.
He hadn't expected to encounter one in this Qi-Lu Region.
People who typically cultivate Witchcraft also know they cannot be exposed to light, so they secretly buy livestock and feed them with the blood and flesh of animals.
Humans are the spirits of all things, so using humans as live sacrifices for Witchcraft would naturally be more effective. However, human lives are at stake, and if someone reported it to the authorities, and it was reported up through the ranks, it would inevitably invite a deadly disaster.
This was also why Li Miao told Wang Hai, "It's possible someone cultivated it here, but then died outside before they could retrieve it."
Within a few days, the old guard, the coroner, and the master, a total of three lives, plus a pile of livestock, caused a stir throughout Pingshan Garrison, acting completely without restraint.
Moreover, such continuous consumption of blood and flesh would indeed make the Witchcraft grow rapidly, but it would also stimulate its ferocity, making it difficult for the Witchcraft cultivator to control.
If a Witchcraft with an owner did such a thing, it could only mean that person was tired of living. They either wanted to be swallowed alive by the rampaging Witchcraft or were craving the torture instruments in the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards)'s prison.
He had once met a Witchcraft cultivator; according to the Miao Jiang saying, that person was also a "Great Shaman."
Xiao Si was exactly whom he rescued from that person's hands.
At that time, he killed that Great Shaman and the Witchcraft on him with a single palm strike, intending to report his mission complete, but a casual glance around the room revealed a hidden secret chamber.
He entered the secret chamber and saw more than a dozen large vats arranged side by side, each covered with a lid that had a hole, from which more than a dozen children's heads protruded.
Some children were already dead, their bodies shriveled, eye sockets sunken, heads tilted on the lids, with various insects crawling out of their seven orifices.
Some children were still alive, but their eyes were vacant, saliva drooling from their mouths and noses; they had been tormented into losing their minds, becoming breathing corpses.
Only one little girl, seeing the light, barely managed to open her parched lips and utter a sound.
"Save... save... me..."
This little girl was Xiao Si.
Later, Li Miao reviewed the notes found at the Great Shaman's residence and learned that he was using children to refine "Human Witchcraft."
There are many methods for refining Witchcraft, the most common being to keep poisonous insects in a sealed container without food, letting them kill each other, and the one that survives is the Witchcraft.
However, in the concept of those who practice Witchcraft, humans are the spirits of all things, and Witchcraft is the true essence of heaven and earth, so refining Witchcraft with humans yields the best results. Thus, that Great Shaman took a different approach: if a human could be refined into Witchcraft, wouldn't that be the most powerful Witchcraft in the world?
It can only be said that although that Great Shaman lacked humanity, he was indeed a figure capable of founding a school in the path of Witchcraft.
His crazy idea succeeded.
Xiao Si was the only "Human Witchcraft" he successfully refined.
However, he didn't get to see it, as he was killed by Li Miao's palm strike, dying so quickly, which was quite a bargain for him.
This is Xiao Si's background, and also why Li Miao took her out of the capital.
Firstly, although Xiao Si doesn't know martial arts, she can protect herself against an ordinary Jianghu master. If she unexpectedly encounters someone ignorant, even a peerless master might fall into her hands.
Secondly, Xiao Si was one step away from becoming a true "Human Witchcraft" when Li Miao rescued her, and the Witchcraft poison within her body was unstable, requiring Li Miao to clear it with internal energy every half month to keep her alive.
No matter how good one's martial arts are, one cannot draw a circle on the ground to protect someone. Moreover, open attacks are easy to block, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Li Miao would not be so arrogant as to truly take a defenseless young girl with him into the Jianghu.
Back to the present, after Li Miao inspected the small courtyard, he was convinced that it was a Witchcraft disturbance. Wang Hai's martial arts were perfectly suited to deal with Witchcraft, and with Xiao Si present, there was no need to fear any real accidents.
So Li Miao did not bother with the Witchcraft itself, but instead waited on the highest roof of the Wu Mansion for the person disguised as a ghost to appear.
Once he figured out the person's location, he would act to cut off the mechanism controlling the "ghost."
After inspecting the mechanism and satisfying his curiosity, he then began to pursue the person.
Although he was not known for his movement technique, his cultivation level was high enough that when he used it, he moved like a sharp arrow released from a bowstring, leaving a blurred silhouette across the rooftops.
He continuously narrowed the distance between himself and the fleeing person.
The person's movement technique ahead was quite superb, not like an ordinary thief; it took Li Miao a while to catch up even with his speed.
However, the more he observed that person's movement technique, the more familiar it felt, as if he had seen someone use it before.
Li Miao frowned: "Such a coincidence? Another one?"
"When I let him escape back then, how many disciples did he teach before he died?"
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Seeing that the distance between them was enough for him to act, Li Miao casually picked up a piece of broken tile from the rooftop, crushed it in his hand, and with a surge of internal energy, flung the fragments around the person.
He thought that with the person's movement technique, their martial arts must be good, so these shattered tiles wouldn't harm him.
But as long as he reached out to block, his movement would pause for a moment, allowing Li Miao to reach him.
"Ah!!"
However, the shattered tiles solidly struck the person, who cried out in agony and instantly fell onto the roof of a civilian house.
When he tried to get up and escape again, Li Miao was already standing in front of him.
Li Miao sized the person up and down, asking strangely, "How did you practice your martial arts?"
"Only internal energy and movement technique. There's not even a hint of strength in your arms; you don't even know when a hidden weapon reaches you. You don't learn fighting techniques, nor do you learn listening skills."
"No wonder you can only pretend to be a ghost to scare people. Even encountering a good dog would be a disaster for you."
Seeing Li Miao suddenly appear before him, the person didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately knelt on the ground with a thud.
He took out the silver stolen from the Wu Mansion from his satchel with both hands and respectfully held it above his head.
"Senior! Spare my dog's life!"
Li Miao was momentarily stunned by his overly sensible action.
He had seen spineless people, but someone as utterly yielding as this was truly a first.
He stepped forward, took the silver, put it into his bosom, and walked two circles around the person.
The person knelt on the ground, his face covered in cold sweat.
He indeed only knew movement technique, but he was exceptionally gifted, and his movement technique had reached a profound level. Since mastering it, he had never truly encountered a situation where he couldn't escape.
At this moment, he could only pray that Li Miao was soft-hearted and would let him off the hook for being so sensible.
Just as he was feeling anxious, he heard Li Miao speak.
"Sparing your life... it's not impossible."
"But you have to tell me, where did you learn this movement technique?"
"Did the person who taught you movement technique call himself the Plum Blossom Bandit?"