Chapter 22: Suspicion is a Delusion

  Qinglong Town is located in the southeast and borders the sea, making it a hub for ships. Its name originated from the Three Kingdoms period, when the ruler of Eastern Wu built many green dragon warships here to defend against Cao Wei, hence the name "Qinglong". Probably due to this reason, Qinglong Town has numerous shipyards and skilled shipbuilders, with countless merchant ships coming and going, and those anchored offshore, making it a bustling and prosperous place.

  Xuan Zhen brought the sword and flew to San Yi Road, arriving at the west entrance of the town on the second evening. Qing Long Town is a rich place, with white walls and black tiles on the houses, and the roads are paved with green bricks. A river runs through the center of the town, dividing it into two halves. There is no bridge on the river, and people rely on small boats at the dock to ferry back and forth.

  It was still early, yet the pedestrians on the street were extremely scarce, and the two of them had entered the town with only a handful of people in sight. Qinglong Town was a large coastal town with a population of thousands, and it shouldn't be so desolate no matter what. Xuan Zhen walked along the way, secretly puzzled in his heart.

  Xiang San also furrowed his brow, saying in a puzzled tone: "Those shops usually wouldn't close so early, and families with people out at sea would lock their gates even later at night. Who would have thought that after being away for over half a year, this place has changed so much?"

  At that time, Xuán Zhen was about to go to the inn to stay overnight, but didn't expect that San would insist on taking him to his own home to stay after hearing this. He said: "Immortals come from afar to our town, how can we let you live outside? Although my family is not rich, there are a few empty rooms, and at home, I have only one wife with two children. With the immortal's presence, it will be good for my elder son and younger daughter to gain some experience!"

  Xuan Zhen had no choice but to follow him. Xiang San was a craftsman at a shipyard in the town, and his home was located inside the shipyard. The two of them took a ferry from the dock to the south side of the town, outside the shipyard. Xiang San had been away from home for a long time and was eager to return, so as soon as he got off the boat, he quickly walked towards the main gate of the shipyard without stopping.

  Before entering the shipyard, a noisy sound was heard from afar, as if many people were arguing, and among them was the cry of a woman. Xuan Zhen and Xiang San exchanged a glance, and immediately walked in the direction where the sound came from.

  The area inside the shipyard is very large, with a lot of wood piled up on the southeast side and an unfinished boat, while on the northwest side there are several rows of low wooden houses, which appear to be the residences of the shipworkers. The crying sound came from behind one of the houses.

  Xuan Zhen had just walked around to the back when he saw a group of big men surrounding the outside of a wooden hut's fence. The woman was blocked from view, but her hoarse voice could be heard as she wailed: "Little Treasure... my son! Look at your mother for once, open your eyes and take a look... my son..."

  Xiang San's whole body shook, and he couldn't help but shout: "Yu Saozi, is that you? What are you crying about?" As he spoke, he rushed over.

  Those big men heard his shout, and hastily turned their heads around, with surprised expressions on their faces. One of them stepped forward, grabbed Zhang San's arm, and exclaimed: "Third Brother, you're back!"

  He hastily grabbed his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong with you, Yu?"

  That person's face suddenly turned gloomy upon hearing the question, and with a sorrowful expression, he let out a sigh and lowered his head in silence. Xiang San shook him vigorously and asked urgently: "Why is she crying... Is it... Is it..."

  That man sighed again and then said in a low voice: "Yu's sister... Yu's family's little treasure is gone!"

  He heard San Yi and immediately froze on the spot.

  Just now, the big men saw San return and made way for him. Xuan Zhen walked over and just saw the scene in front of the house. He saw a small wooden coffin parked by the fence wall, and beside it, a woman with disheveled hair knelt down. Although her face was covered, the layer of grief surrounding her was clearly visible. She held a bundle of red and white cloth in her arms, which seemed to be wrapped around someone. Xuan Zhen heard her words and guessed that it might be the woman's deceased child.

  At this time, San had come to his senses and angrily said: "You damned monster, what grudge do you have against Yu's wife that you must bully the widow and orphan?"

  The man standing next to him sighed and said, "Yes, Widow Yu has been struggling to make ends meet since her husband passed away, and she was counting on Little Treasure... But then, in a moment of carelessness, the child was stolen by that monster. They searched for several nights but couldn't find him, until this morning when some fishermen found him on the beach and rushed to tell her... Later, we all chipped in to buy a coffin, but Widow Yu refused to let go of Little Treasure's body, even after several people tried to pry it from her arms. This love for her child is truly..."

  The big men beside him also nodded slightly, with a look of both sympathy and unbearable pain on their faces.

  Xuan Zhen carefully observed the corpse of the child in the woman's arms, seeing that the shroud covering it was stained with a lot of blood. A small white hand hung out from under the cloth, its fingers curled, and a streak of red showed between them. He wanted to take a closer look at the body to see if he could find any clues, but the woman's expression was crazed, and when the big men approached her, she struggled fiercely before they even touched the white cloth, even opening her mouth to bite people. Those big men were familiar with her, so they didn't dare use heavy hands to snatch the child away, and had to retreat.

  He slightly changed his mind, put his fingers in his sleeve, quietly pinched the handprint, and muttered: "Taishangtai Star, respond to changes without stopping. Drive out evil spirits, protect life and body. Wisdom is clear and clean, heart and spirit are peaceful. Three souls forever, no loss of dignity." The wide sleeves fluttered, and the index finger slightly pointed out, pointing directly at Yu Shi.

  After reciting this calming mantra, Madame Yu's frantic expression gradually dissipated, and she looked down at her child with tears still welling up in her eyes. Xuan Zhen took advantage of the opportunity to step forward and asked gently, "May I take a look at the child, madam?"

  Yu slowly raised his head and stared blankly at him, saying: "It's no use, can't be saved."

  He hurried over to the three of them and said to Yu, "This immortal is someone I invited down from Mount Kunlun. His magical powers are truly remarkable! Let him take a look at Xiaobao, perhaps he can come up with a way for Xiaobao to exact his revenge!"

  Yu's mind had cleared up a lot by then, so she put the child into the coffin and pushed it aside, only to wipe away tears with her sleeve.

  Xuan Zhen lifted the hem of his long robe, knelt down beside the coffin, and gently lifted the cloth covering the corpse. The crowd around him also gathered closer to see what he would do next.

  That child had been dead for some time, and his face and body were covered with sand. Xuan Zhen saw that the child's face was pale and there was no wound, but on the white cloth, there were obvious large bloodstains. He carefully lifted the white cloth to one side, and indeed saw that the child's belly was torn and stained with deep brown blood. As he gently pulled open the torn clothes, a few gasps came from beside him.

  Only to see that the small child's body was cut open by some sharp object, from chest to abdomen, a narrow and long opening was made, inside which the five organs and six entrails could be seen clearly. When Yu Shi saw the child's death was so tragic, she let out a shrill cry and suddenly fainted.

  Xuan Zhen hastily let San lead her into the house, then turned back to carefully examine the child's injuries. After a long while, he discovered that the child's chest and abdomen had been cut open, perhaps not by accident, but because the murderer had actually dug out the child's liver! He suddenly felt suspicious, and quickly recalled some records he had seen in his sect's hidden books. In a flurry, he gently turned the child's head over, and after searching through their hair, he made a discovery.

  That child had a wound at the back of his head, a hole the size of a fingertip made by a sharp object, which was not noticed at first because it was covered by hair. The round wound penetrated deep into the skull, but not even half a drop of white liquid flowed out, it seemed that the brain pulp had also been taken away by the murderer, the method was extremely vicious and cruel to the extreme.

  At this time, Xiang San had already settled Yu Shi and rushed back. Xuán Zhèn immediately told him everything he had seen, and Xiang San was furious, scolding the evil spirit that harmed people. After a moment of contemplation, Xuán Zhèn said: "Xiang San, I have some understanding about what kind of evil spirit killed the child, but..."

  "Come on, come on!" Turning to San Yi, he hastily pulled him and asked, "What is it after all?"

  Xuan Zhen nodded slightly and said, "I once read some ancient books in the Qinghua Sect, which described many shapes and behaviors of monsters. A book called 'Dong Ming Guang Ji' mentioned a kind of monster that is very similar to what killed these children."

  "Is it really a monster's doing?" The big men beside them had not left either, and upon hearing the two's conversation, they exclaimed in surprise.

  The man who had just spoken to Xiang San was even more admiring, repeatedly saying: "You're indeed a divine being! We've been investigating for so long and still don't know what it is. You took one glance and knew right away - truly impressive, impressive!"

  Xuan Zhen shook his head slightly: "This is nothing, listen to me. The 'Dong Ming Guang Ji' mentions a demon called Wang Xiang, which is said to be born in the water, shaped like a small child, all over red and black, with a pair of sharp red claws, extremely fond of eating human liver and brain. I see that this child's corpse has no liver in his abdomen, and there is no liquid left in his brain, it seems to have been harmed by Wang Xiang."

  "Right, right! Our Qinglong Town is by the sea, and there's a river running through it. Isn't that just inviting water demons?" someone else said.

  Xuan Zhen shook his head slightly, puzzled and said: "But the Wangxiang likes to eat human liver and brain, but it never actively attacks living people. It is usually seen in ancient tombs near water, why did it run into the town to steal children and kill them?"

  He was at a loss, and the three burly men were even more bewildered. Xuán Zhèn lowered his head to look at the child again, and his heart couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He took out a white cloth and gently wrapped it around the child, putting the exposed small hand back in, just as he felt something fluffy in the child's palm. He hurriedly pulled out the small hand and opened its fingers, only to find several feathers in the child's hand. The feathers were long and narrow, with purple roots and bright red color, looking like they had been plucked from a large bird.

  Xuan Zhen's heart sank, and his doubts grew even more. This child was stolen away by the monster in the middle of the night, where did he find the time to catch birds? Moreover, it was impossible for the monster to have such beautiful feathers on its body. Could it be... that there were other monsters that kidnapped children and killed them?

  Insert Bookmark