BARK! BARK!
The fine dog sniffed at the fishing net for a while and immediately started barking, pulling the garrison soldiers toward the east.
Cheng Juxiu left twenty soldiers in Sha Tao Village. He, along with Niu Wenshu, led the remaining men and brought Wang Liubao as a guide, following the fine dog.
Li Ang stayed in the village to take care of the wounded.
The midday sun gradually grew intense. Village Chief Zhou Pingchun seemed to have heard about his identity and obsequiously invited Li Ang to rest at his house.
Li Ang did not refuse. He took the seven wounded to Zhou Pingchun's relatively spacious home to observe them together.
As for the remaining villagers, they each returned to their own homes to light fires and cook.
An hour and a half later, Cheng Juxiu led his team back to Sha Tao Village, a puzzled expression on his face.
"No trace found."
Cheng Juxiu shook his head and said to Li Ang, "The scent on the fishing net disappeared where the mountain stream flows into the hollow. We suspect it dove into the water and swam a great distance."
"What should we do then?"
Li Ang furrowed his brow. "Should we stay in Sha Tao Village, or follow the river downstream and continue searching?"
"Let's stay in Sha Tao Village for another night," Cheng Juxiu said. "Whether it's a Sha Hai'er, Racoon Dog, or Rhino Dog, none of them possess much intelligence. Once they've tasted the flesh of livestock and the blood of humans, they can never forsake that flavor. They won't run too far before returning."
"Village Chief Zhou." Cheng Juxiu looked toward Zhou Pingchun. "Do you have any pigs, sheep, or cattle ready for slaughter in your home?"
"Yes, I do." Zhou Pingchun smiled ingratiatingly. "Inspector, would you like meat for lunch?"
"No, it's for luring a demon," Cheng Juxiu stated indifferently. "This evening, slaughter two large livestock. Collect their blood and entrails in buckets. Leave them uncovered at the village entrance. The garrison and I will stay in a house near the entrance with the lights extinguished, waiting for the demon to walk into our trap. As for the cost of the livestock, report it to Judge Niu later. You can get reimbursed by the Yizhou Garrison Commander."
"There's no need, no need! How could this lowly one trouble a Shangguan?" Zhou Pingchun nodded obsequiously, then turned to leave, calling out to his steward, "Housekeeper Gan..."
After he left, Li Ang picked up a teacup from the table and took a sip, raising an eyebrow in slight surprise. "I wouldn't have thought a wealthy rustic like him would have such good tea."
"It's all ill-gotten gains from the common folk," Cheng Juxiu said dispassionately. "The oil mill, grain mill, flour mill, and dye workshop in the village all belong to him. Most of the village land and the surrounding mountains are also registered under his name. Half the villagers are his tenant farmers. If not for all this, he couldn't afford such a fine house, keep so many servants, or raise so many hunting dogs and pet dogs in his courtyard—he even has Fulin Dogs and Ba'er Dogs from Gaochang. Those are pets that only the nobles in Chang'an have the leisure and money to keep. That's a landed gentleman for you. Don't be fooled by his rustic appearance; he might be wealthier than the great households in Chang'an or Luoyang.
"By the way, speaking of tea," Cheng Juxiu smiled, "Risheng, you must have drunk quite a bit these past two days, haven't you?"
"Hah." Li Ang spread his hands helplessly. "Those river merchants and sea merchants are too 'enthusiastic.' They bring things over by the crate. If I refuse precious jewels and coral, they send pots, pans, ladles, soy sauce, vinegar, tea—you name it, they send it."
Cheng Juxiu pursed his lips. "Merchants. Always looking to curry favor and climb the social ladder."
Li Ang rolled his eyes. "They're certainly generous. Not even worried I might fail the exams."
"With your intelligence and astuteness, Risheng, how could you possibly fail?" Cheng Juxiu chuckled. "Even if you didn't pass, to those merchants, it's just a few crates of goods. But if you do pass, and they've established a good connection with you, the returns could be a hundred or a thousand times their initial investment. There's no better investment in the world. Sponsor enough candidates, and one is bound to succeed."
Venture capital, huh? Are there any angel investors? Li Ang shook his head with a wry smile.
The group from Yizhou City had a hasty dinner and settled into a modest house at the village entrance.
Zhou Pingchun had initially intended for his five daughters-in-law and household servants to prepare a lavish feast for everyone. However, the garrison had a strict rule: when pursuing demons in the field, they were to prioritize eating their own dry rations and not accept food provided by villagers.
This wasn't out of a sense of propriety or restraint, but due to countless bloody lessons proving that one must maintain a million-fold vigilance when dealing with demons. A bowl of rice, a piece of meat, a piece of fruit, or even a cup of water could be a Mutated Object, influenced by a demon.
In the small room, Cheng Juxiu, Li Ang, and Niu Wenshu chatted idly. Niu Wenshu took a sip from his wineskin and began, his voice even, "I have an old friend in Hedong. He's a veteran of the garrison, an Innate Martial Artist comparable to a Cloud Patrol Realm cultivator. He was brave and skilled in battle, remaining in his armor for thirty years, and had slain over a hundred demons. Even at night, he would sleep still clad in armor. Each time he bathed, he would only hastily wipe himself down with a wet towel. Due to his outstanding achievements, he had even received a reward from His Majesty.
"The Deputy Commander, pitying his old age and frail body, allowed him to return to his hometown in glory. The journey was smooth, and the caravan reached his hometown, Fen State, without incident. While traveling on a mountain path, the weather grew hot, so he ordered the caravan to rest in a riverside forest to escape the heat. He removed his brocade robe and went to bathe in the river.
"Suddenly, just a few steps into the water, his head burst open. From the severed neck, countless blood-red centipedes, thick as fingers, crawled out. They instantly darted into the river and disappeared from sight.
"Only afterward did we receive news that thirty years prior, when he first joined the garrison, he had been infested by the demon designated Two-Ten-Five, the Scorpion-tailed Centipede. That type of Evil will continuously lay eggs inside its host. Once the host's body immerses in water, thousands of eggs will immediately hatch, bursting out of the body. The garrison had no choice but to block off the entire river, then capture and burn all its fish to prevent anyone from mistakenly consuming the water and causing another outbreak of Scorpion-tailed Centipedes."
Niu Wenshu took another sip from his wineskin, his honest, square face showing little emotion. "Since then," he concluded, his voice flat, "no one in the garrison has dared to casually consume food or water provided by outsiders."
Cheng Juxiu sighed. "...The Mountain Master once said that we have never fully understood the Alien, and we need to always remain reverent and vigilant."
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
The knocking interrupted their conversation. Li Ang called out towards the door, "Who is it?"
"It is I, the hunter Wang Liubao, the one who met you Shangguans during the day."
"Wang Liubao? What does he want?" Li Ang frowned, pulling open the wooden door. He saw Wang Liubao cradling his right wrist, his face pale.
Li Ang glanced at Wang Liubao's right hand and asked casually, "Twisted your finger?"
"Yes. It was dark, and I didn't want to waste a candle. I was closing the donkey shed door in the dark and jammed it." Wang Liubao stuttered, "I heard that you, Mr. Li... you can set bones..."
"Let me see." Li Ang sighed lightly, took Wang Liubao's right hand, and with a pull and a twist, set the finger straight.
"HISS. Thank you, young master, thank you, young master." Wang Liubao winced in pain, sucking in a sharp breath. He kept thanking Li Ang but didn't leave.
"Why are you still standing there?" Li Ang asked casually. "Is there something else?"
"Uh, this humble one wanted to ask, the demon on the mountain... does it come from wild beasts?" Wang Liubao stammered. "This humble one is a hunter and has hunted many wild beasts... I'm afraid of retribution..."
"There's a certain possibility," Cheng Juxiu mused, then said, "Alien creatures don't arise from nothing; everything has its origin. It's like dye dropped into water: one becomes two, two become three. Anything that comes into contact with an Alien might mutate. For example, the Sha Hai'er are wild beasts that came into contact with a demonized locust tree. The Rhino Dog comes from a dog's corpse buried underground and contaminated by Yin energy. Werewolves are a result of absorbing too much demonic moonlight..."
"What about people?" Wang Liubao asked nervously. "Can people turn into demons too?"
"Transformations originating from humans should be classified as Demons," Cheng Juxiu stated casually. "For example, corpses that transform into Corpse Ghosts or zombies due to intense resentment. However, the conditions for a Demon's emergence are much stricter than for demons, and sightings are relatively rarer..."
"Wang Liubao!" Zhou Pingchun rushed over, leading a dozen or so of his household servants who were carrying bedding, mattresses, candles, oil lamps, and other miscellaneous items. He shouted angrily at Wang Liubao, "Didn't you see the Shangguans are about to rest? Get out of the way!"
Zhou Pingchun had the servants carry the bedding and mattresses into the house, then smiled fawningly at Li Ang and the others. "The conditions in our mountain village are poor. Please excuse our humble village's poor conditions, Shangguans. If you Shangguans need anything, please just tell this lowly one."
"That won't be necessary. Village Chief Zhou, just tell the villagers to stay in their homes tonight, lock their doors and windows, and not wander about," Cheng Juxiu said, rubbing his temples. He had seen many fawning local gentry in his travels, but Zhou Pingchun's brand of over-eager opportunism was a first, and frankly, a headache.
"Yes, yes, this lowly one will see to it right away." Zhou Pingchun smiled obsequiously, then turned and snorted coldly at Wang Liubao. The hunter immediately bowed his head, apologized profusely, and scurried away.
Only after he had left the courtyard did Wang Liubao silently reach into his tunic.
Tucked inside his clothes was a tuft of pure, flawless white fur.
Dog fur.