"It's starting again! It's starting again!"
"Quick, hide!"
Hearing the screams, the three soldiers trembled, turned, and ran back into the gatehouse.
Gu Zheng, however, pushed off with his toes and shot forward, heading straight for South City.
TAP~
He floated down from the city wall, landing on a rooftop and sprinting across it.
As he reached the area where the screams came from, he sensed a gloomy, icy, and deathly still aura, different from that of other Demon Fiends.
SWISH!
Gu Zheng leaped down from the roof into a small alley, following the gloomy aura and quickly drawing near.
With a flick of his hand, the Celestial Frost Blade appeared. His Divine Power surged, flowing out to coat the blade.
"WHOOSH~"
Gu Zheng vaulted into a small courtyard. The first thing he saw was a shriveled corpse, dry as kindling, lying in an open doorway.
Inside the house, the gloomy, frigid aura was quite dense.
Activating his Dark Vision, Gu Zheng stood outside the door and scanned the room.
Aside from another equally desiccated corpse, there were no Demon Fiends.
'It's already gone?'
Gu Zheng glanced around, turned, and took a few steps back, preparing to jump back onto the roof.
"AHH!"
A scream suddenly rang out again.
SWISH~
Gu Zheng's figure flashed as he followed the sound, leaping out of the courtyard and rushing over at top speed.
It was less than thirty meters away, and he arrived in an instant.
This was another residence. A shriveled corpse lay on the ground, and in the corner, a woman with disheveled hair was rolling and struggling.
Inside the half-open room, two children, one older and one younger, stood frozen in terror, their faces blank and drool trickling from their mouths.
Gu Zheng's gaze fell upon the woman. Under his Dark Vision, a shadow was superimposed on her body, draining her essence, lifeblood, and Vitality.
Draining her Essence, Qi, and Spirit was expected, but what was startling was that the shadow was humanoid!
'An Evil Spirit?'
Realizing his opponent was not a Demon Fiend, Gu Zheng decisively used Spirit Capturing.
SKREEE!!
A sharp, ear-piercing cry instantly erupted from the woman's mouth, carrying a strange power that corroded one's mind.
"Get... out of her!"
Gu Zheng growled, pushing his Spirit Capturing to its maximum power.
With a shriek, the black shadow clinging to the woman was forcibly torn away and lunged at Gu Zheng.
Invisible to the naked eye, under his Dark Vision, the black shadow had two arms, two legs, and a human torso, but its face was as ferocious as a vengeful ghost's. Its eyes were jade green, gleaming with malice, and its claws were as sharp as daggers.
WHOOSH~
"SCHLICK!"
A sinister wind billowed up, enveloping Gu Zheng. The Celestial Frost Blade left its sheath, wrapped in a cold light, and sliced through the torso of the lunging Evil Spirit.
SWISH SWISH SWISH~!
He unleashed ten slashes in an instant, every single one hitting its mark.
Infused with his Divine Power, the Evil Spirit was chopped into dozens of pieces. It dissipated into nothing before it could even let out a final shriek.
There was no Bloodshed, and certainly no Spirit Essence.
'A pure menace!'
'I wonder how many of these sinister things there are?'
Sheathing his blade, Gu Zheng went to check on the woman. Seeing that she wasn't dead, he channeled a wisp of his Divine Power into her body to nourish it.
Then, he vaulted out of the courtyard and headed for the County Magistrate's Office.
Arriving at the Government Office, he raised an eyebrow when he saw a crowd of constables and government constables hiding in a room, along with Tong Yuanshan, Zhang Hucheng, and others.
"Chief! You're back!?"
"Mr. Gu is back."
"..."
Constables like Han Ming, Wang Meng, and Tao Qi crowded around him, their faces filled with excitement.
"Gu Zheng, you've finally returned."
Tong Yuanshan, with a cucumber in his mouth, looked just as excited. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back," he said, his spirits lifted.
"Gu Zheng, what happened at Great Dragon Mountain?" Zhang Hucheng asked urgently. "I see it's not snowing anymore. Does that mean the Demon Fiends are all gone?"
"Great Dragon Mountain is fine now."
Gu Zheng looked at the crowd and said, "However, the Demon Fiends that escaped earlier are still outside the city. There are some inside as well, but I don't know how many."
"Then..."
"After entering the city, I didn't find any Demon Fiends on my way here. I only encountered one Evil Spirit attacking someone," Gu Zheng continued.
"An Evil Spirit? A ghost?" Tong Yuanshan shuddered.
"Not the kind of ghosts from storybooks," Gu Zheng shook his head. "It's a unique type of sinister, ethereal life form. It doesn't seem to fear sunlight much, but the Demon Fiends apparently do. Or perhaps they're repelled by it? They've gone into hiding."
"So..."
"So, I need you all to get moving and find these Demon Fiends." Gu Zheng swept his gaze across the crowd. "From what I understand, not many Demon Fiends could have gotten into the city. Only those capable of Flying were able to enter."
"Right, right! Last night, we kept hearing the strange sound of flapping wings in the sky above the city, and there were strong winds kicked up by them," Tong Yuanshan nodded hastily.
"But we can't see them!" Zhang Hucheng said, his face a mask of lingering fear.
He and Tong Yuanshan used to be constantly at odds, but now he stood behind Tong Yuanshan, ready to follow his lead.
"They're invisible to the naked eye."
Gu Zheng said calmly, "But these Demon Fiends aren't Evil Spirits. They have physical bodies; they're just using Invisibility. If you spray them with dye from the dyeing mills, you can make them visible."
"Han Ming, Wang Meng... go get the dye immediately. Each of you carry a large pack. Form groups of five and search the city."
"If you find an Evil Spirit causing people to tremble and scream in agony, fire a Whistling Arrow. I'll get there as fast as I can."
Gu Zheng looked at Han Ming and the others, who were wearing Iron Armor, carrying longbows, and holding crossbows.
This was part of the arrangements he made before leaving for Great Dragon Mountain; Tong Yuanshan had acquired the equipment from the City Defense Bureau.
Some Demon Fiends aren't fast, just hard to kill.
If you're wearing Iron Armor and keep your distance, attacking with bows and crossbows might not kill them, but it can severely injure them.
"Yes, sir!"
Han Ming, Tao Qi, and the rest of the group responded in unison, then ran outside.
"My lords, please wait here at the Government Office."
Gu Zheng cupped his fist in a salute and turned to walk out the door.
"Uh, Gu Zheng, can you take... take me up to the roof first?" Zhang Hucheng called out awkwardly. "Since the Demon Fiends are repelled by sunlight, I should be safest on the roof, right?"
"...That does make sense." Tong Yuanshan first gave Zhang Hucheng an odd look, then chimed in, "Ahem, Gu Zheng, could you take me up to the roof as well?"
"Alright."
Gu Zheng glanced at the two of them and grabbed one by the shoulder with each hand.
SWISH!
He leaped straight up from a standstill, landing directly on the roof of the County Magistrate's Office.
"Whoa~"
Tong Yuanshan yelped in fright and quickly sat down.
Zhang Hucheng was also pale-faced. He swayed for a moment before sitting down on the rooftop as well.
The others on the ground saw this, exchanged glances, and hurried off to find a ladder.
Gu Zheng paid them no mind. He ran across the rooftops towards the City Defense Bureau's in-city garrison, seeking out Pang Qian Ding, who was hiding in the middle of a circle of soldiers clad in Iron Armor.
In front of everyone, Gu Zheng recounted the situation regarding the Demon Fiends and Evil Spirits.
Finally, he said gravely, "Captain Pang, this is an emergency. I must ask you to dispatch your men immediately to cooperate with our people and draw out the Demon Fiends."
"Ahem~"
Pang Qian Ding, with his large potbelly and full beard, gave a slight cough. His eyes darted about as he began to speak. "Chief Gu, I understand your urgency. But as a military commander, I am responsible for the lives of my soldiers. They have families, parents, wives, and children. If something were to happen..."
"Pang! Qian! Ding!"