Chapter 15: An Entire Spring

Tangshe Town lay to the north of Fenglin City. It was one of the seven towns under the administration of Wei Quji, and the smallest and most remote among them. Backed by the Qichang Mountain Range, which stretched for dozens of miles, the townspeople lived off the mountains, most of whom were hunters.

Walking through Tangshe Town, one saw only aged buildings and sparse pedestrians. Those who did pass by moved in a hurry, their brows furrowed with melancholy. Not to mention compared to Fenglin City, even compared to Fengxi Town where Jiang Wang was born, this place was far inferior.

"The villages near Tangshe Town are scattered along the Qichang Mountains. The people here make a living through hunting, and they generally only gather in town on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month. It is not market day, which is why there are so few people around."

Having done considerable homework before arriving, Jiang Wang was able to offer this explanation to Zhang Linchuan.

Even though this trip was an arrangement by the Dean for a senior brother to look after a junior brother, Jiang Wang knew well that one should not rely on others to point out every single thing, and he did not dare to be negligent.

Throughout the journey, Zhang Linchuan had maintained a faint smile—neither distant nor familiar—making it difficult to discern much emotion.

Hearing the explanation, he merely nodded and continued walking toward the house where the massacre had occurred.

Although they were here representing the independent will of the Dao Academy, it would be unwise not to inform the local authorities. Tang Dun, a constable of Tangshe Town, was waiting for them in front of the residence.

"Tang Daniu and his wife were both locals of Tangshe Town. Big Daniu and I used to fight all the time when we were kids..." It was evident that this dark-skinned, blunt-looking man was deeply distressed. His bull-like eyes were bloodshot, and he stood there incessantly rambling, repeating, "That dog-like demon is too hateful! Damn them! Damn them to hell!"

Zhang Linchuan glanced at the constable's uniform. "Why are you the only one here? Where is your head constable?"

"Our head constable is busy with other matters." Tang Dun, completely oblivious to Zhang Linchuan's dissatisfaction, continued on his own, "You all are going to be great officials in the future, so you must seek justice for us!"

"Interesting. In a tiny place like Tangshe Town, is there something more important than a massacre?" Zhang Linchuan gave a contemptuous smile, but he did not press the issue. He simply waved a hand to interrupt Tang Dun. "Get to the point. What clues have you found? And what did the people from the Criminal Investigation Bureau say when they arrived?"

Dong A had sent people separately to investigate, clearly indicating a lack of trust in Wei Quji. Correspondingly, the investigators had avoided meeting them, and the local government had only sent an insignificant constable to receive them—a predictable turn of events.

Tang Dun scratched his head. "We... we don't have any clues. Those officials from the Criminal Investigation Bureau didn't tell us anything they found..."

Zhang Linchuan was nearly driven to laughter by anger. If you have no clues, what have you been rambling about all this time!

However, possessing considerable cultivation of character, he suppressed his displeasure and said, "Fine, let's go inside and take a look."

Tang Dun briskly tore off the seal on the main gate, took out a key, and unlocked the heavy iron padlock. Only then did he push open the wooden door.

Jiang Wang noticed that the seal was not simple; it was inscribed with warding talismans. Clearly, the practitioners from the Criminal Investigation Bureau had made a deliberate effort to protect the scene.

As the seal was removed and the doors swung open, a wave of scent—a mixture of decay, filth, and stench—surged outward.

Jiang Wang endured his discomfort as he surveyed the small courtyard. It was filled with items commonly used by hunters: hunting knives, traps, bows, and arrows, as well as some animal skins and smoked meat, all scattered haphazardly throughout the yard.

A hunting dog, reduced to nothing but a skeleton, lay by the main entrance. Judging by its posture, it had likely been the first to discover the intruder, only to be dealt with in an instant.

Jiang Wang turned back to see that Zhang Linchuan had already covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief embroidered with orchids, his brow furrowed.

Seeing Jiang Wang's inquiring gaze, Zhang Linchuan tilted his chin slightly forward and spoke from beneath the handkerchief, "It is fine. Let us go in."

At this moment, Tang Dun stood to the side of the doorway, muttering, "I... I won't go in. This place... it's eerie..."

He was, after all, only a mortal. Jiang Wang naturally would not force him and simply nodded. "Very well."

He then took the lead and stepped into the courtyard.

A thick, intense corpse qi instantly enveloped them, saturating their senses. This level of corpse qi could not have been produced merely by killing a few people or summoning a few living corpses; it felt more like a connection to some kind of evil existence.

From behind, Zhang Linchuan glanced at Jiang Wang's hand resting on his sword. Those long, pale fingers looked clean and powerful.

"Is Junior Brother Jiang skilled in swordsmanship?" he asked.

Jiang Wang observed his surroundings without turning around, replying, "I am embarrassed to admit it to Senior Brother Zhang, but I have not yet achieved the Dao Rotation and cannot yet practice Dao arts. I can only rely on swordsmanship for self-defense."

"I heard that when the outer gate was attacked, you were one of the victims, yet you were able to escape calmly. You are indeed extraordinary."

"It was actually quite perilous. That demon's strength was far greater than mine. I only managed to escape because I alerted my fellow disciples."

"In truth, it was a close call. That demon was much stronger than I. I only escaped by calling for help."

There was a doghouse made of wooden planks by the side of the yard, which was now, of course, empty. Jiang Wang's gaze swept across the area, but he could see no traces of blood in the entire courtyard.

"The situation here is somewhat unsettling. Be careful, Junior Brother," Zhang Linchuan said.

"I understand."

The small residence consisted of three rooms. Directly facing the courtyard gate was the main hall, its doors wide open. A skeleton lay sprawled across the threshold, stripped of all flesh, leaving only bones. Judging by the clothing, it was likely the master of the house, the hunter Tang Daniu.

Jiang Wang carefully stepped over the skeleton and entered the hall.

The four walls of the hall were bare and undecorated, but in the center stood an eight-immortals table with four benches. On the table were some leftovers, covered by a bamboo woven cover.

Beneath a bench on the left lay the mistress of the house, evidenced by her coarse cloth dress.

However... the food had not even spoiled, yet the bodies were nothing but white bones.

An inexplicable chill pricked his spine, and a vague sense of dread arose from an unknown source. Jiang Wang felt an urge to draw his sword. But having experienced many life-and-death struggles, he suppressed his instinct to avoid losing composure in front of Zhang Linchuan.

"This flesh was certainly not gnawed away; it is the effect of some evil method." Zhang Linchuan held the handkerchief to his face, observing his surroundings with an air of casual scrutiny that showed only disgust rather than fear. "These two did not die long ago, but since all the flesh is gone, many clues have been lost. You fought the demon that attacked the outer courtyard; did you notice anything familiar?"

Jiang Wang shook his head. "I only see two skeletons now, so I cannot judge. It is just this pervasive corpse qi..."

"What about it?"

"At the time, I was attacked by corpses manipulated by the opponent and was struck by corpse poison. It was Master Dong who neutralized it."

Zhang Linchuan nodded, never loosening the handkerchief covering his mouth, and walked toward the room on the right side of the hall. "Let us split up and look. Notify me immediately if you find anything."

"Understood."

Zhang Linchuan was an accomplished cultivator; in the Heavenly Palace, his Dao Rotation turned and his Dao Origin grew naturally. Jiang Wang had no reason to worry about him, so he pressed his hand against his sword and walked toward the room on the left.

...

This room...

Was very small.

Upon entering, one could see a wooden horse standing silently on the floor. The horse was exceptionally exquisite and smooth, clearly the product of much care from its maker.

Not far from the wooden horse was a low table, scattered with small toys like slingshots and rattles.

On the wall beside the low table, Jiang Wang saw the only decoration in the entire courtyard.

It was a small canvas, upon which three small figures were drawn with childish, clumsy strokes.

Two slightly larger figures were leading a smaller one, running through a sea of flowers.

Behind the figures, a small dog followed, its head bobbing.

This had once been a complete family; for an entire spring, they had bloomed here.

Jiang Wang forced himself to continue walking inward, until he reached a small bed and saw scraps of floral cloth.

Looking up, he naturally saw the final set of white bones in this family.

A small, slender, fragile, and lonely skeleton.

It was a little girl who had once been the treasure of her parents, the only thing left of her in this world.

He felt rage.

An uncontrollable, incredibly violent rage.