Chapter 196 - 10: If You Kill, Leave No Trace

Chapter 196: Chapter 10: If You Kill, Leave No Trace

They stared at each other in confusion, at first thinking they were just some lunatics.

But when they saw the genuine, undisguisable terror on the faces of the dozen or so people, a chill ran down their spines.

And after hearing their fragmented descriptions, their hair stood on end.

Wang Family Village?

Isn’t that the large village about twenty li away?

The whole village is dead? And they turned into ghosts?

If that’s true, this is a massive problem!

At the same time, the commotion at the city gate quickly drew a large crowd. The onlookers buzzed with discussion, and a sense of panic began to spread.

Soon, the matter was reported to the County Yamen.

When the County Magistrate heard it was a matter of life and death, possibly involving Demons, Ghosts, and Evil Spirits, he immediately passed the hot potato to the Demon Slayer Department.

Inside the Demon Slayer Department, Cong Bo slammed his palm on the table, making the teacup jump.

"Damn it! The entire Wang Family Village wiped out? What the hell has been going on lately? It’s just one damn thing after another!"

He glared at the subordinate before him, his expression one of pure irritation. "The people? What about the survivors who made it back?"

"M-My Lord... they’re all being held in the front hall. The groom, Li Xiuwen, has lost his mind. He just keeps spouting nonsense."

"Take me to them!"

With a dark expression, Cong Bo strode purposefully toward the front hall.

The moment he walked through the door, he saw a dozen men from the wedding procession huddled in a corner. Every one of them was ashen-faced with vacant eyes, clearly scared out of their wits.

Li Xiuwen, meanwhile, was tied to a pillar by himself, endlessly muttering things like "Ghosts... eating people... Xiaocui..."

Cong Bo stepped forward to examine them carefully.

He found that aside from a faint trace of corpse qi clinging to them, they showed no signs of being possessed or having been attacked by Demon Ghosts.

They had simply been scared witless.

’To scare a dozen burly men and a scholar half to death like this...’

Cong Bo’s expression grew even more solemn.

’It seems something truly terrible has happened in Wang Family Village.’

He knew full well that if an incident of this magnitude was mishandled, all of Yu Huo County could be in peril.

"Tell the men to get ready. We’re heading to the scene first thing tomorrow morning to see what’s really going on."

"Yes, sir!"

"And one more thing. Send someone to fetch Chen Ye. Tell him it’s from me—there’s a major case, and the reward is handsome!"

...

「In the inn.」

Chen Ye sat cross-legged on his bed, silently circulating the Golden Toad Qi Swallowing Technique to stabilize his Cultivation at the Unobstructed Realm.

Just then, a knock came from outside, followed by a respectful voice. "Master Chen, Lord Cong Bo from the Demon Slayer Department requests your presence."

Chen Ye’s brow furrowed slightly before he opened his eyes. ’For Cong Bo to be looking for me this urgently,’ he thought, ’chances are he’s run into another tricky case.’

"I’m not feeling well today. It’s not a good time for visitors," Chen Ye said bluntly, clearly trying to brush him off.

’What a joke,’ he thought. ’I’m not a subordinate of the Demon Slayer Department. Why should I come running just because they call?’

The Captain outside the door had clearly been given strict orders, and he grew anxious at Chen Ye’s refusal.

"Master Chen, Lord Cong said the matter is of great importance, and the fee is negotiable."

At the words "the fee is negotiable," Chen Ye raised an eyebrow.

Thanks to the income from his last two missions, Chen Ye had been consuming large quantities of fresh meat and blood, as well as medicinal herbs, every day. As a result, his power had been advancing at an astonishing rate. Hearing there was money to be made, his attitude instantly changed.

It wasn’t that his eyes lit up at the mere mention of money; it was mainly that he genuinely had some interest in these strange and bizarre supernatural cases.

"Hm. I suddenly feel much better. Let’s go."

Chen Ye leisurely climbed off the bed, straightened his clothes, and pushed the door open.

When he arrived at the Demon Slayer Department, Cong Bo was already pacing anxiously in the courtyard.

The moment he saw Chen Ye, he rushed over. "Brother, you’re finally here."

"What is it this time?" Chen Ye asked, getting straight to the point.

Cong Bo then recounted the entire story of what had happened at Wang Family Village.

"So that’s the long and short of it. An entire village of people, just gone. A dozen members of the wedding party came back completely insane. The whole thing is just... unnatural."

Cong Bo wrung his hands, his face etched with worry.

"I figured this was a job for you. After all, my men are first-rate when it comes to eating, but when it’s time to actually investigate, they’re completely useless."

After hearing the full account, Chen Ye’s brow furrowed as well.

’An entire village dies without a sound, yet they can still pretend to be alive and host a wedding feast?’

’These methods... they’re truly bizarre.’

"What’s the pay?" Chen Ye asked bluntly.

"This much!"

Cong Bo held up five fingers. "Fifty taels of Gold!"

Chen Ye nodded.

’That’s a very sincere offer.’

"Alright, I’ll take the job."

"Excellent!" Cong Bo was overjoyed. "In that case, don’t even bother going back to the inn. Just stay here at the Demon Slayer Department, and we’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning!"

"No need. I’ll be waiting for you at the city gate in the morning," Chen Ye refused. Tonight was the full moon—a perfect time for Cultivation. There was no way he would pass that up.

Left with no choice, Cong Bo could only agree on a time to meet the next day, and Chen Ye departed.

Early the next morning, Chen Ye met Cong Bo and his men at the city gate, and they set off directly for Wang Family Village.

Along the way, Cong Bo chattered incessantly, describing the bizarre details of the case to Chen Ye, his voice thick with frustration.

Chen Ye simply listened in silence, offering no opinion.

’Until I see the scene for myself, any speculation is pointless.’

Finally, as noon approached, they arrived at the entrance of Wang Family Village.

Wang Family Village was deathly still.

On the high, rammed-earth walls, yellowed talismans fluttered in the wind, but they were powerless against the thick stench of death that emanated from within the village.

On the village threshing ground, more than a dozen banquet tables were still laid out.

The food on the tables had rotted and grown moldy, and was now crawling with maggots and flies.

But the villagers themselves remained seated, frozen stiff in the middle of toasting, laughing, and chatting.

Their skin had taken on a ghastly bluish-black hue and their bodies were severely decomposed, yet their faces were still frozen in joyous smiles.

It was such a bizarre and horrifying spectacle that even the hardened veterans of the Demon Slayer Department, men accustomed to life and death, felt their scalps crawl at the sight.