Chapter 77 Fishing Village

All the demon stones found in the cave were brought back to the Demon Suppression Bureau. There were thirteen pieces in total, and they were all handed over to the Authentication Office for examination by Elder Xu.

Shi Yong committed suicide before being captured. The remaining Zhang Laosan, the carpenter's apprentice, and the scholar were all rescued. All three were covered in bluish-black scales, which was obviously due to the influence of the Xiaoshi.

The three men had varying degrees of coverage of bluish-black scales, and were affected to different degrees. Zhang Laosan had the most scales and was affected for the longest time.

Zhang Laosan and his two companions were imprisoned and placed with Li Wenguan. All of them were affected by the Xiaoshi, and had grown bluish-black scales on their bodies.

After Xu Lao examined the brought-back ape stones, they were all sealed up. Zhao Shan even ordered notices to be posted throughout the county to search for the ape stones.

A large crowd had gathered outside the Demon Suppression Bureau. In front of the notice board, several literate elderly men loudly read the notice issued by Zhao Shan: "Anyone who discovers a dark blue strange stone must immediately hand it over to the Demon Suppression Bureau. It is forbidden to keep it for oneself. Violators will be severely punished..."

"I heard that if you touch that stone, you'll turn into a monster."

"That's right. Li Wen, the son of Widow Li in the west of the city, came into contact with that stone and his whole body is covered in scales. He's still locked up in the Demon Suppression Division."

"My son found a glowing stone by the river the other day, I need to go back and check it out..."

Some of the locals who knew the situation began to whisper among themselves.

This matter has caused quite a stir in Qinghe County. After the Demon Suppression Division issued an announcement, no one dared to touch those strange stones anymore, for fear of ending up like Li Wen and Zhang Laosan, covered in bluish-black scales.

Inside the Demon Suppression Division.

Shen Lian, Wang Lin, and other Demon Suppression Envoys were busy. During this period, the Demon Suppression Division received a lot of stones that had been handed over, many of which were demon stones.

After moving a batch of demon stones, Li Hu plopped down on the ground: "We've received way too many demon stones lately! Where did all these things come from?"

Chen Yun handed the kettle to Li Hu: "The origin of these demon stones is unknown, but with so many of them, it's likely that someone did this on purpose."

Shen Lian said, "Someone must be plotting something. We don't know what their purpose is yet. What we can do now is to collect these demon stones to prevent anyone else in Qinghe County from coming into contact with them and causing any mutations."

In the past few days, the Demon Suppression Division has received a lot of demon stones, and all the Demon Suppression Envoys are busy dealing with these demon stones.

Zhao Shan was also very troubled by this. There were quite a few of these demon stones, and now that they had been collected, how to deal with them was also a problem.

Therefore, Zhao Shan specifically asked Old Xu to find a way to deal with the Xiaoshi as soon as possible.

Authentication Center.

Old Xu sat in front of a mountain of ancient books, flipping through the yellowed pages in his hand, with piles of secret files transferred from the city government next to him.

Zhao Shan pushed open the door and entered, followed by Shen Lian and others.

"Old Xu, is there any progress?" Zhao Shan asked bluntly.

Old Xu took off his reading glasses and pointed to a blurry illustration on the page, saying, "Look, this is the Water Demon. Ancient records state that this alien race lived in the wild waters of southern Kyushu, were skilled in water manipulation, and had scales as hard as refined iron. Adults were as strong as a sixth-level martial artist. They used their blood essence to refine 'Demonic Stones' to transform lower creatures into servants, but this race was wiped out by the Demon Suppression Division of the Great Xia Dynasty three hundred years ago."

Chen Biao asked, "Then where did these demon stones come from?"

Old Xu took out a dark blue stone from under the table. Its surface had naturally formed patterns, and it was a collection of xiao stones.

He explained, "I have examined them carefully, and these ape stones are not made from water apes. Although the refining method is similar to that of water apes, there are subtle differences."

Zhao Shan frowned and said, "So, someone imitated the methods used to create water demons, refined these demon stones, and deliberately released them in Qinghe County?"

"Indeed," Elder Xu said gravely. "This person must be well-versed in the secret arts of ancient alien races, and he can refine demonic stones without arousing demonic energy. His methods are superb. I suspect there may be a larger scheme behind this."

Zhao Shan said with a grim expression, "Elder Xu, is it possible to find out exactly how long ago these demon stones were released?"

"Based on the timeline of those mutants, the earliest piece of Xiao Stone appeared three months ago, which should have been when it was released," Old Xu analyzed.

really!

Everyone present turned cold. These demon stones had been released into Qinghe County three months ago, and their sheer number suggested a grand scheme.

Fortunately, the situation is now under control. Otherwise, if more people came into contact with the Xiao Stone, it would have created a batch of monsters like Shi Yong, plunging Qinghe County into chaos and disrupting its peace.

Zhao Shan decisively said, "We must find the source as soon as possible."

Next, Zhao Shan ordered his men to continue collecting Xiao stones within Qinghe County, absolutely forbidding any Xiao stones from existing in the county.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun went to Shi Yong's house to investigate the situation and find out about Shi Yong's whereabouts three months ago.

Shi Yong's home is in a fishing village south of the city.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun rode their horses out of the city and headed straight for the fishing village in the south of the city.

Chen Yun gripped the reins and frowned, saying, "Shi Yong has already committed suicide. It won't be easy for us to get any clues."

Shen Lian looked ahead and said, "Old Xu said that Xiao is a counterfeit, and there must be a mastermind behind it. Shi Yong is just a pawn. There might be clues in the fishing village."

The two arrived at the fishing village when the sun was high in the sky.

The fishing village is a small village built along the water, with only thirty or forty households. Most of them make a living by fishing. The young and middle-aged people in the village are busy at the dock, while a few old people sit under the eaves mending nets. When they see strangers coming, they all become vigilant.

"Are you officials from the Demon Suppression Division?"

An elderly man with gray hair recognized the flying fish robes worn by Shen Lian and Chen Yun and guessed their identities.

Shen Lian dismounted and looked at an old man: "Sir, we're here to investigate a case. Could you tell us how to get to Shi Yong's house?"

The old man quickly replied, "His house is at the west end of the village, and there's an old locust tree in front of it. His father passed away three months ago, and he's been acting strangely ever since..."

Shen Lian and Chen Yun exchanged a glance and walked towards the west end of the village.

"Has Shi Yong really turned into a monster?"

"I heard they ate several people!"

"What a tragedy, such a fine young man..."

Several elderly people gathered around and started discussing it amongst themselves.

Soon, Shen Lian and Chen Yun arrived at the west end of the village. With directions from the villagers, they went to Shi Yong's house.

The old locust tree in Shi Yong's yard had long since died, the wooden house was somewhat dilapidated, and the window paper was tattered, showing that he was very poor.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun pushed open the door and entered. The room was simply furnished with a wooden bed, a table with a broken leg, and fishing nets and fish baskets piled up in the corner.

The two began searching the house.

Shen Lian lifted the straw mat on the bed, revealing an iron box hidden under the wooden board. The iron box was rusty. He opened it and found only a dark blue-green stone inside.

"This looks like a fragment of a demon stone," Chen Yun said, leaning closer to take a look.

Shen Lian put it away: "Take it back and let Elder Xu take a look."

"Someone's coming."

Chen Yun suddenly became alert and reached for the long sword at her waist with her right hand.

Footsteps sounded outside, and a man dressed in coarse cloth peeked in. Seeing the two men inside, he smiled obsequiously and said, "You two must be officials from the Demon Suppression Division? I am Shi Laowu, the village chief of the fishing village. May I ask what brings you here?"

Shen Lian clasped his hands and said, "Village Chief Shi, we are investigating Shi Yong's matter."

Old Shi sighed, "Shi Yong, his father passed away three months ago, and he became withdrawn, never going out. Later, someone said they saw him go to the moat at night, and he would stay there all night. We don't know what happened."

"Has he said anything strange? Or seen any strangers?" Chen Yun asked.

Shi Laowu recalled: "About two months ago, a traveling doctor came to the village and set up a stall at the village entrance to treat patients. Shi Yong went to see him, and the doctor said that he was 'possessed by yin energy' and gave him a packet of medicine powder. After that, the doctor never came back."

"A traveling doctor?" Shen Lian's eyes narrowed. "What does he look like?"

"Around forty years old, tall and thin, with a scar on his left cheek, and he spoke with a southern accent." Old Shi paused, then said, "Oh, right, he had a gourd hanging from his waist, and on the gourd was carved...it looked like a snake?"

Shen Lian noted down these characteristics and then asked, "Has anyone else in the village had contact with that doctor?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Old Shi nodded hurriedly. "Little Cui, the daughter of blacksmith Shi Dachui, and Shi Ergou, a dockworker, both saw that doctor. But they're both fine. Little Cui even got married a couple of days ago."

Afterwards, Shen Lian and Chen Yun went to ask Xiao Cui and Shi Er Gou, who both said that the doctor had prescribed some common herbs, and there were no adverse reactions after taking them.

The trail went cold.

It was already afternoon when Shen Lian and Chen Yun left the fishing village.

The two rode away on horseback when Shen Lian suddenly realized something: "Something's not right!"

"Senior Brother Shen, what's wrong?" Chen Yun asked.

Shen Lian said, "Old Shi said that the doctor came two months ago, but Old Xu deduced that the Xiao Stone was released three months ago, so the timing doesn't match. That doctor might be the one who started it all, and he came to check on the 'results'."

Chen Yun suddenly realized, "You mean, Shi Yong contacted Xiao Shi three months ago, and the doctor came to confirm the mutation?"

Shen Lian nodded slightly: "Let's go back to the Demon Suppression Division first and report the situation."

……

The Demon Suppression Division, Council Hall.

After listening to Shen Lian and Chen Yun's report, Zhao Shan frowned.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "A traveling doctor, a scar on his left cheek, a southern accent, and a snake carved from a gourd. This man appeared two months ago, just when Shi Yong started going out at night more frequently. It's too much of a coincidence."

Shen Lian said, "When we were investigating in the fishing village, the villagers said that the doctor called himself 'Mr. Liao' and was good at treating difficult and complicated diseases."

Chen Yun added, "Although Xiao Cui and Shi Er Gou also consulted doctors, they hadn't come into contact with the Xiao Stone, so they didn't mutate. We suspect that the doctor specifically sought out people who had already come into contact with the Xiao Stone to 'follow up' and check their condition."

Zhao Shan nodded slightly: "Things are becoming clearer and clearer."

The information that Shen Lian and Chen Yun obtained during their investigation of the fishing village was extremely useful.

That itinerant doctor is very likely the murderer in the disappearance case.

The other party placed the demon stone in Qinghe County. Once someone obtains it and holds it for a long time, their body will change and grow bluish-black scales.

Zhao Shan believed that as long as they followed the clues from the fishing village, they would definitely be able to find the culprit in the disappearance case.

Zhao Shan looked at Shen Lian and said, "Shen Lian, you continue your investigation along the fishing village to see if you can find any trace of that itinerant doctor. Remember, do not alert him. Report any clues immediately."

"yes!"

The next day, Shen Lian, Chen Yun, and others went to the fishing village in the south of the city again, and they found the village chief, Shi Laowu, as soon as possible.

Shi Laowu was quite surprised by their arrival.

"May I ask what brings you gentlemen here?" Shi Laowu asked cautiously.

Chen Yun got straight to the point: "It's still about Shi Yong."

The old village chief said helplessly, "My lords, I have told you everything I know. That doctor stayed in the village for three days, living in the abandoned Dragon King Temple. He treated a few people during the day, and then disappeared at night."

Shen Lian frowned: "Where is the Dragon King Temple?"

Shi Laowu pointed in a direction and said, "It's in the old woods at the west end of the village, near the river. It's been dilapidated for a long time, and nobody goes there usually."

Shen Lian and his companions did not linger and immediately headed to the Dragon King Temple.

Half an incense stick later, Shen Lian and the others arrived outside the Dragon King Temple.

The so-called Dragon King Temple was nothing more than a small temple with three rooms, the roof tiles were broken, the doors and windows were damaged, and the incense burner was lying on the ground covered in dust.

Li Hu curled his lip and said, "This is the Dragon King Temple? It's far too dilapidated!"

"Don't let your guard down. Everyone, split up and search," Shen Lian said. "Junior Sister Chen, come in with me to search. Hu Zi and Wang Lin, check outside. Everyone be careful. If you find anything unusual, signal immediately."

The group split up and acted separately.

Shen Lian pushed open the temple door, and dust fell in a flurry.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun stepped into the temple. The temple was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the cracks in the roof. Half of the clay sculpture of the Dragon King in the center had collapsed, the offering table was overturned on the ground, and weeds grew everywhere.

Shen Lian's gaze swept over the offering table and the corner of the wall, and he saw signs of burning on the ground to the side. He walked over, squatted down and examined it.

"It's been a long time. It seems that the itinerant doctor did indeed stay here for a while," Shen Lian said, picking up a speck of dust.

Looking at the burn marks on the ground, Chen Yun said, "It seems the other party is very cautious and wants to erase these traces."

Shen Lian smiled and said, "But even he made a mistake."

As he spoke, Shen Lian took out a half-burnt wooden plaque from the ashes. The edges of the plaque were blackened by the fire, and something was engraved on its surface.

Chen Yun raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is this?"

Shen Lian said, "I didn't see it either, but this thing must be related to that itinerant doctor. Let's take it back and let Elder Xu take a look."

Shen Lian and Chen Yun left the Dragon King Temple and happened to run into Li Hu and Wang Lin who were on their way.

"Have you found anything?" Shen Lian asked.

Li Hu and Wang Lin both shook their heads. They searched the area around the Dragon King Temple but found no clues.

"The other party is very cautious. It will probably take us a lot of effort to catch him," Wang Lin said.

Li Hu said, "Brother Lian, should we go back to the fishing village and ask again?"

Shen Lian shook his head: "There's no need for that. The fishing village is full of ordinary people. Even if we ask more, we won't get anything out of them. Let's go back to the Demon Suppression Division first."

Chen Yun, Li Hu, and Wang Lin all nodded.

The group then left the fishing village and returned to the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Upon returning to the Demon Suppression Division, Shen Lian immediately handed over the wooden plaque he had found to the Appraisal Workshop, asking Elder Xu to examine what it was.

Inside the government office.

Shen Lian put his hands behind his head and began to ponder.

The disappearance case has caused quite a stir recently, and the people of Qinghe County are terrified. The longer this matter drags on, the more detrimental it will be to the Demon Suppression Division.

[Host]: Shen Lian

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm (5/10)

[Combat Strength]: 54~70

[Martial Arts]: Tiger-Taming Stance (Perfect) (6/10), Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Perfect) (5/10)

Skill Points: 0

Although he had been checking things out during this time, he had not stopped cultivating, and his "Tiger Subduing Stance" and "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" had both improved to some extent.

Their combat strength has thus been greatly enhanced.

However, Shen Lian did not relax. Something like the "Xiao Stone" is not something an ordinary person can possess. The murderer in the missing person case is obviously not simple and is very likely to have extremely strong strength. Once they face him, they cannot be careless.