Chapter 91: Nighttime Raid, Cheng Mansion Under Attack
Several days passed quietly.
Inside Changling County.
A handsome middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, silently perched on a rooftop, his face somber as he gazed at a mansion in the distance.
“Is that your target for these past few days?”
“Yes!”
A young man knelt on one knee behind him, cupping his hands and saying in a deep voice, “After thorough investigation, the number of ghosts inside and outside Changling County has decreased significantly, and even ghost practitioners are few and far between. All of this is related to a young scholar named Lin Tianlu, who many townspeople call a master.”
“Lin Tianlu?”
“Yes. There have been strange celestial phenomena in Changling County, earth-shattering thunder, and several evil spirits have perished here. There have even been rumors of a terrifying beast roar by the river, a sword splitting the clouds, and so on.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Where is Lin Tianlu now?”
“He… left Changling with his female companion half a month ago and hasn’t returned yet.”
The young man continued, “We wanted to search his residence, but there is a mysterious barrier protecting it, impenetrable. We suspect that there might be some kind of treasure inside.”
“Even after three days, you still haven’t found a way to break through the barrier?”
The middle-aged man’s voice was emotionless, but there was a hint of anger in it.
“Please forgive me, Master Chen!”
The young man immediately lowered his head, his face covered in cold sweat. “You have just arrived in Changling and may not know, but that Lin residence is truly strange. We have sent many ghosts to probe it these past few days, but no matter where they approach from, a strange sword energy emanates from the courtyard, easily killing them.
Even sneaking in from the backyard, ambushing from the roof, or digging tunnels has been ineffective.”
“Not even Specters can get through?”
“No.”
“Then what about you, Xu Zhen?”
The young man named Xu Zhen immediately turned pale. “I-I also tried to approach, but I quickly felt a terrifying aura rushing towards me and had to retreat. Although I was lucky enough to escape with my life, all my followers were wiped out. I dare not act rashly again.”
“So, you’ve been doing nothing in Changling County for three days?”
“Master Chen, that’s not true!” Xu Zhen hurriedly explained. “Since a direct attack didn’t work, I started gathering information in the county, trying to find out anything related to Lin Tianlu and his companion. After a thorough search, I found that the Cheng family has the closest connection to him. The others are just passersby who have had occasional contact with him.”
“The Cheng family…”
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. “I remember that’s one of the main branches of Luo Xing in this area.”
“Y-Yes!”
Xu Zhen nodded vigorously. “I heard that something happened at the Cheng residence a few days ago, someone died. But I didn’t dare to make a decision on my own, so I waited for Master Chen to arrive…”
“No need to hesitate, just take action.” The middle-aged man waved his hand dismissively. “Luo Xing is in chaos right now, with internal strife and power struggles. There’s no harm in dismantling a small branch in a county town. But you have to be discreet and prevent the news from leaking out too soon.”
“Yes!”
“What about the situation inside the Lin residence?”
“We only know that a female relative of his is living there, but she seems to have noticed our probing and hasn’t stepped out of the residence for several days.”
The middle-aged man said indifferently, “It seems that the woman in the residence is quite sharp.”
Quietly, a glimmer of light appeared behind them.
Xu Zhen subconsciously looked back, his eyes filled with a hint of amazement.
The newcomer had flowing black hair, a flawless face, and deep crimson eyes, ethereal and otherworldly. She wore a loose black dress embroidered with silver clouds, a starry veil draped over her body, reaching the ground, as if bathed in moonlight. Her exposed fair legs were perfectly proportioned, her skin as smooth as jade.
When did Changling County have such a mysterious and alluring woman?
Her figure was captivating, but her expression was cold and frosty. Just a glance made Xu Zhen subconsciously lower his head, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
“Chen Zixiao, you Crimson Feathers are just so-so. You’re so timid and hesitant in your actions.”
The woman’s voice was cold and calm, without a hint of emotion.
“I’d like to ask, what have you done?”
Chen Zixiao stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at her coldly. “You arrived in Changling a day earlier than me, but you’ve been watching from the sidelines. Are you planning to wait for us to exhaust ourselves and then reap the benefits?”
“I’m not interested in so-called ‘benefits,’ but I do want to see a good show.”
The woman in the black dress smiled faintly, her smile mocking. “But I didn’t expect you to be so incompetent. You’ve been struggling with the gate of a residence for three days and haven’t even touched the clothes of the two women inside.”
After a few more taunts, the smile on her face disappeared, and she said coldly, “Rumors say that Lin Tianlu is some kind of master, easily killing evil spirits. How dare you act recklessly?”
Chen Zixiao said calmly, “I haven’t witnessed Lin Tianlu’s true strength with my own eyes, but from what I’ve heard, he does have extraordinary abilities that cannot be ignored. But this vast Changling County is without a ghost in charge, allowing countless human souls to roam freely. It’s a pity, someone needs to step up and take control.
This is a deadly crisis, but also a great opportunity. I’m willing to gamble and fight for it. Only by facing danger in life and death can I have the chance to advance further on the path of the underworld!”
The woman in the black dress’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t mock him again.
Chen Zixiao flicked his sleeves. “Xu Zhen, send your men to take action. Wipe out everyone in the Cheng family first. It would be even better if you can capture a few hostages who are close to Lin Tianlu.”
“Yes!” Xu Zhen bowed respectfully and disappeared into the night.
Seeing the ghost quickly leaving, the woman in the black dress withdrew her gaze. “Are you finally ready to attack their families?”
“I didn’t want to do such a despicable thing.”
Chen Zixiao shook his head. “But further delay will only increase the variables. If we can capture a few hostages, even if Lin Tianlu returns, we’ll at least have some bargaining chips.”
“False compassion.”
The woman in the black dress sneered.
But Chen Zixiao quickly spoke again. “What is Miss Bai Xin’s purpose here? You keep saying that you’re not interested in Changling County, so why did you come here?”
“I came here for one person.”
The woman in the black dress waved her hand slightly. “I wanted to see if you could break through the Lin residence’s barrier, but it seems that I can’t count on you. I’ll have to think of a way myself.”
Chen Zixiao didn’t say anything more and silently watched her turn into a shadow and disappear.
…
The night deepened, and a chill filled the air in the courtyard, quiet and desolate.
“It’s strange, the atmosphere in this Cheng residence is so eerie.”
Xu Zhen rubbed his arms and let out a breath.
But he didn’t think too much about it. He quickly pushed open the door in front of him, gripping his blade tightly as he stepped into the woman’s bedroom.
Following his master’s orders, he had brought three other ghosts and ghost practitioners whose strength was close to the Evil Spirit level, as well as two ruthless bandits with exceptional martial arts skills, to quickly kill everyone in the Cheng residence.
A cruel smile appeared on his lips as he strode forward and grabbed the bedsheets, ripping them off forcefully.
But as he stabbed his blade into the bed, his expression froze.
The bed was empty.
“No one?!”
Xu Zhen was shocked.
Before taking action, they had carefully investigated the layout of the Cheng residence. This room was where the Cheng family’s eldest daughter’s personal maid lived. It was impossible for it to be empty.
Could it be…
Creak!
The sound of a door opening came from behind him.
Had she gone to the toilet?
Xu Zhen grinned again, turning around and pointing his blade. “Since you’re awake, kneel down obediently—”
“Heh!”
A cold laugh rang out, like a ghost’s whisper.
Xu Zhen’s face froze, and a bone-chilling coldness washed over him. He couldn’t help but take a step back.
This person was not the maid!
Screech!
The sharp sound of metal scraping against the ground came at the same time. A slender woman, dragging a heavy axe, slowly walked into the room under the moonlight. Although her face was hidden in the shadows, her blood-red eyes gleamed, and a crazed smile appeared on her lips. “Trespassing in the Cheng residence… how do you want to die?”
Her voice was seductive, yet chillingly cold.
Xu Zhen was terrified and quickly formed hand seals, preparing to cast a spell.
But in the next moment, a cold light flashed in the dim moonlight, sweeping past his waist with incredible speed and power, cutting through the bed and wall behind him.
“…”
Xu Zhen’s movements stopped abruptly, his eyes filled with fear. A crack slowly appeared on his waist.
Before his consciousness was engulfed by the terrifying Yin energy, he only vaguely saw a cascade of white hair fluttering in the wind as the strange woman turned and walked away without looking back.
She dragged her axe out of the room, her head tilted slightly, a strange and eerie laughter escaping her lips.
“There’s one more human and two ghosts. Now… where are they hiding~~”
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