Chapter 24 Corpse

Qinghe County spent several days in peace and tranquility.

However, the hidden dangers of the "Blood Worship Cult" have not been completely eliminated.

Zhao Shan ordered a citywide curfew, doubling the number of nighttime patrols, and even during the day, demon-suppressing envoys patrolled the streets and alleys.

The streets were buzzing with gossip, and whispers filled the teahouses and taverns.

Besides participating in night patrols, many newly appointed Demon Suppressors also practiced stance training and swordsmanship in the training ground to improve their strength.

During this period, Shen Lian focused on cultivation, and his stance training and swordsmanship improved. His "Demon Subduing Sword Technique" successfully broke through to the Great Perfection stage.

Li Hu chased after Shen Lian and practiced swordsmanship with him.

After a period of sparring, Li Hu's swordsmanship improved to the minor mastery level.

[Combat Strength]: 10~18

Shen Lian checked Li Hu's combat strength, which was 10-18, making him a mid-level candidate among the many newly appointed Demon Suppressors.

Shen Lian smiled and said, "The 'Demon-Subduing Blade Technique' has achieved a minor success, which is not bad."

Li Hu looked at Shen Lian and said with a simple smile, "This is all thanks to your guidance, Brother Lian. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to cultivate the 'Demon Subduing Blade Technique' to a minor level so quickly."

Shen Lian said, "I'm just offering some insights into the 'Demon-Subduing Blade Technique.' How much it helps you depends entirely on your comprehension."

Li Hu changed the subject, saying, "Brother Lian, Qinghe County has been too quiet lately, almost unnaturally so. What do you think?"

Shen Lian pondered, "This shows that the other side doesn't dare to act rashly either. The Demon Suppression Division is keeping a close eye on them. Once they make a move, the Demon Suppression Division will immediately entangle them and destroy them."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu nodded emphatically, his expression becoming more serious.

Soon, the day's training came to an end.

Many newly appointed Demon Suppressors went to the dining hall for a meal. During this time, everyone was on edge and dared not relax in the slightest.

The atmosphere in the dining hall was very oppressive.

During this period, the matter of the remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult" has exhausted everyone both physically and mentally, and many people want to bring them to justice.

Night falls.

The daily night patrol begins, with veteran demon envoys leading newly recruited demon envoys in groups to patrol various locations within Qinghe County.

Since the series of disappearances, every household keeps their doors tightly shut at night, and there are no pedestrians to be seen on the streets.

Shen Lian, Li Hu, Chen Yun, and three other newly appointed Demon Suppressors followed Zhou Wu on a patrol in the southern part of the city. Each of them gripped their sword hilts tightly, ready to strike at any moment.

The group patrolled all the way to the lower reaches of the moat.

Zhou Wu suddenly raised his hand, his expression grave, and said, "There's a smell of blood!"

Shen Lian and the others immediately became alert, formed a defensive formation, and followed Zhou Wu as he rushed in the direction from which the qi and blood were emanating.

Then we arrived at the reed beds on the upstream riverbank.

After parting the layers of reeds, the sight before them made everyone gasp in shock.

A body lay face up in the mud on the riverbank. The deceased was wearing a coarse cloth short jacket and appeared to be a fisherman from the neighborhood.

The deceased's eyes were wide open, and his face was filled with fear.

All eyes were fixed on the deceased's chest, where a bloody hole had been opened, his heart was missing, and blood was still flowing out.

It stained the surrounding soil red, creating a horrific scene.

His heart was removed!

The people present were deeply shocked by what they saw.

Zhou Wu squatted down beside the corpse and began to examine it carefully.

Shen Lian and the others held knives and kept watch around. The heavy smell of blood mixed with the fishy smell of the river made Li Hu's stomach churn.

"The time of death is no more than an hour." Zhou Wu said in a deep voice after examining the rigor mortis of the body, "The heart was removed, and the cut was clean, so it must have been caused by a sharp weapon."

Upon hearing Zhou Wu's analysis, Shen Lian and the others became serious.

Removing the heart after killing someone is an extremely cruel method.

Shen Lian crouched down, his gaze sweeping over the area around the corpse: "The footsteps were chaotic, but one set was deeper, likely left by the murderer. Judging from the stride and the points of leverage, the murderer was about seven feet tall, probably a strong middle-aged man."

He pointed to several shallower marks nearby: "There are drag marks here, which should have been caused by the murderer dragging the victim."

Zhou Wu stood up, his brow furrowed, and said, "The time since the death was not long ago, the murderer is likely not far away. Shen Lian and Chen Yun, you two stay here and protect the crime scene; Li Hu, you go and inform Commander Zhao immediately, the rest of you come with me."

"yes!"

Li Hu took a light step and rushed out, heading straight for the Demon Suppression Division.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun stood on either side of the corpse, their long swords gripped tightly in their hands, looking around warily.

Zhou Wu led the remaining two newly appointed Demon Suppressors, following the footprints on the ground.

The night wind rustled through the reeds.

"Be careful!" Shen Lian whispered a reminder.

Chen Yun nodded slightly, the pale purple martial arts mark between her brows flashing. She said in a low voice, "Senior Brother Shen, I don't think this is the method of the 'Blood Worship Cult'."

Shen Lian nodded and analyzed, "You're right. The Blood Worship Cult uses the life essence of living people as sacrifices, and the method is mostly to drain the life essence. But the life essence of this corpse was not drained, but the heart was removed, which is obviously not the work of the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult."

Chen Yun instinctively gripped the knife handle tighter. The fact that the deceased wasn't killed by remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult" was something to ponder.

Almost all the disappearances during this period were the work of the "Blood Worship Cult".

Since the Demon Suppression Division began investigating the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult, no deaths have occurred for a long time.

Today's murder appears to be unrelated to the remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult".

Chen Yun frowned slightly: "Senior Brother Shen, what do you think the murderer wanted to do by removing the victim's heart?"

"The murderer removed the heart either to eat it or for some kind of evil magic," Shen Lian continued. "Senior Zhou Wu followed the footprints, but if the murderer is familiar with the terrain, they could easily escape by water."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from afar.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun immediately became alert, gripping the hilts of their knives tightly with their right hands.

Zhao Shan and Chen Biao, among others, arrived.

After Li Hu relayed the message back, Zhao Shan immediately led his men to the scene.

The crowd held torches, illuminating the riverbank.

Zhao Shan's face was grim. He asked, "Where is Zhou Wu?"

Shen Lian pointed into the depths of the reeds: "Senior Zhou followed the footprints and chased after the culprit; it's been almost an incense stick's time."

"Chen Biao, you take two men and follow Zhou Wu's direction. The rest of you, carefully examine the scene, don't overlook any clues," Zhao Shan said.

Chen Biao immediately selected two experienced demon-suppressing envoys, who quickly disappeared into the depths of the reeds to investigate in the direction Zhou Wu was chasing.

Zhao Shan squatted down and examined the corpse on the ground. He used his hand to pull aside the clothes on the deceased's chest, and the cut was very clean.

"It's a sharp blade, and it's very fast," Zhao Shan analyzed. "It seems the other party is very skilled; this is probably not the first time they've done something like this. It's not demonic, nor is it the 'Blood Worship Cult' we're investigating. It seems to be another uninvited guest."

The reeds all around rustled rapidly, even without wind.

About an incense stick's time later, Zhou Wu returned with two newly appointed Demon Suppression Envoys.

His expression turned slightly grave: "Commander, the footprints stopped at the riverbank. I suspect the murderer waded across and erased the traces on the path."

Chen Biao returned from another direction, shaking his head: "I found an abandoned fisherman's shack with bloodstains inside, but no one was there. I only found this."

He handed Zhao Shan a blood-stained piece of cloth.

Zhao Shan took the rag and compared it with the rag on the deceased's body. After confirmation, the rag was indeed the rag from the deceased's clothing.

"It seems that shack was the scene of the murder," Zhao Shan said, clenching his fist.