Regarding the death of the former prefect, it was publicly stated that he was killed by wandering bandits. However, everyone knew that the Ghost Shaman Sect was responsible.
As for who specifically carried out the deed, within Xiling Commandery, the Qin family was the most suspicious.
However, all members of the Qin family had been made into a mountain of heads by this formidable figure. The household servants were either dead or sold off. Her current pronouncement of reopening the case was merely a formality, intended to absolve the previous group of their guilt.
Since her return to Xiling Commandery from Medicine King Valley, several guards had accompanied her. Their wanted posters were still displayed at the city gates. They were essentially hiding in plain sight as they returned openly. Yesterday, Commander Cao had invited Captain Zhang into his residence to discuss the safety of Feng Luan and the citizens, and also to deliberate on how to deal with these wanted fugitives. Now, it seemed, they no longer had to worry about either matter.
"Your subordinate understands!"
"I have a few individuals by my side who are quite skilled in investigation. While it might not be advisable for them to participate too heavily in the case before their own suspicions are cleared, given the urgency of the situation, perhaps we don't need to be overly rigid about it. What do you think, Commander Cao?"
What was the point of asking my opinion?
Commander Cao muttered internally, but outwardly he said, "Your subordinate believes Divine Doctor Feng speaks wisely. I only heard about the events at the time. If I can have the assistance of your skilled individuals, your subordinate couldn't be happier."
Zhang Congshan: "..."
Bah, hypocrisy!
"It is rare for a leader to know how to utilize talent and not be confined by rigid frameworks. You are truly a capable ruler." m..oΓg
"Divine Doctor Feng flatters me, flatters me."
Commander Cao tried to control the upward curve of his lips, but failed. From Zhang Congshan's perspective, he could even see his back molars stained with tea.
Commander Cao didn't mean to, but the other party was praising him as a capable ruler!
After entrusting the matters to Commander Cao, Nan Shiying returned to the inn. Luan Wencheng and the others, having polished the Dali Temple tokens hidden in their bosoms until they gleamed, hung them at their waists. No longer needing to hide in shame, they walked with their heads held high towards the prefect's residence.
The inn had been cleaned, but the pile of heads at the entrance had already reached the height of two stories. The smell of blood had spread onto the street, mixing with the distant smoke, carrying a faint hint of crimson.
The mountain fire had raged for three full days, reducing everything on the mountain to ashes.
Three days later, after the mountain fire subsided, the Demon Hunter Army began their search of the mountain.
...
The boat traveled upstream. A man resembling a skull squatted at the bow, dipping his hand into the water.
Shadows moved beneath the water, approaching his fingers, opening their mouths to bite. The man flicked his finger, and a fish weighing at least five pounds leaped out of the water. Its sharp teeth flashed a cold light in the air, and then the entire fish landed on the deck with a "thump~".
It struggled and flopped.
A woman, dressed in coarse linen but still unable to conceal her elegance, parted the curtain of the cabin and stepped on the fish. The chopsticks in her hand pierced through its gills, skewering it.
"Oh, a big fish~"
She grinned, letting the blood flow down her fair, slender hand. The skull-like man looked at the blood on her hand, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips.
"Raw?"
The woman raised her eyebrows and asked with a smile.
"Sure!"
The man swallowed, greatly agreeing with the woman's suggestion.
"Where are you taking me?"
A roar came from the cabin. The woman turned and chided, "This fiend is truly something. Can't even keep a person in check. How did his mouth come loose?"
Saying that, she shouted into the cabin, "Keep yelling, and I'll cut out your tongue!"
"Kidnapping an imperial official, you..."
The rest of his words turned into a whimper. The fiend parted the curtain and also emerged from the cabin.
"Muzzled!"
He remained as concise as ever.
Mei Sha sat down on the ground, took out a dagger from her embrace, gutted the fish, removed its scales, and sliced the fish into thin pieces. She placed the slices in her palm, fanning them out for the other two.
Yao Sha leaned closer, using his tongue to flick up a slice of raw fish from Mei Sha's palm. The tip of his tongue tickled the woman, causing her to tremble with delight.
Xie Sha picked up a slice of raw fish, not caring if it was smeared with Yao Sha's saliva, and directly threw it into his mouth.
Hong Gu was dead, and the two fools Luo Sha and Mo Sha were also dead. Including Chi Sha, who had died eight hundred years earlier, only seven of the ten Marshals of the Ghost Shaman Sect remained.
That night, Yao Sha discovered Luo Sha's movements and secretly followed him. Just as they were about to enter the city, they encountered the Demon Hunter Army charging on horseback. Turning back to the mountain, the three of them quietly descended with Feng Quan. They had intended to lie low, but they hadn't expected that lunatic Feng Luan to have the Demon Hunter Army set fire to the mountain.
When the mountain fire started, they had already boarded a boat and were heading towards Da Li.
They traveled by water, passing through Yuzhen Commandery and Japan.
They still had half a month to drift on the water before entering Yuzhen Commandery.
After eating a large fish weighing at least five pounds, Mei Sha remembered Feng Quan in the cabin. Xie Sha used his sword to skewer a fish. Mei Sha, after cleaning its insides and scales, threw the fish onto Feng Quan.
...
The Ghost Shaman Sect was difficult to attack. There was only one path up and down the mountain. When the mountain fire started, the Demon Hunter Army guarded only the entrance and exit of this path, cutting down the Ghost Shaman Sect disciples who fled down.
At the foot of the mountain, blood flowed like a river. On the mountain, corpses lay everywhere.
The Demon Hunter Army tallied the numbers. In this engagement, a total of seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-three members of the Ghost Shaman Sect died. While Jin Zhong was reporting to Nan Shiying, a snake with a bright blue body slithered in, climbed up the table leg, and extended its tail into the teacup.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss~"
It hissed unhappily at the person behind the teacup, flicking its tongue.
Nan Shiying fished its tail out of the teacup. The skin and flesh at the tip of its tail were slightly charred, as if seared by fire. Nan Shiying took out some wound healing ointment and applied it to the tip of its tail.
Jin Zhong glanced at the blue snake in her hand.
Inside the Ghost Shaman Sect, besides the hundreds who fled down, thousands were burned to death. Logically, when cornered, these people should have fought back. If thousands of them had charged down the mountain, even for their Demon Hunter Army, it would have been a fierce battle. Jin Zhong had prepared for a desperate fight, but he hadn't expected only a scattered hundred people to escape.
So, had this person poisoned them in advance?
The blue snake continued to hiss. It opened its mouth, revealing its fangs, its tongue repeatedly touching its fangs. If anyone could understand snake language at this moment, they would certainly hear its indignant curses.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss..."
That mountain was so high, and I climbed for ten days! I finally reached the mountain, spat the venom from my fangs into the water, and before I could even descend, you motherf***ers ordered the mountain to be set on fire? If I hadn't hidden quickly, I would be a dried-up snake now!
I'll curse you to the tenth generation! Don't think that just because you treated my tail and smeared some ointment, I'll...
Nan Shiying took out a bottle of poison, grabbed the blue snake by its seven inches, and shoved the blue snake's head into the药瓶. The hissing curses abruptly stopped.
The blue snake wagged its tail comfortably.
Mmm~
Comfortable~
Great~