Succubus Chapter 1

The others felt their hair stand on end.

Just hearing about the victim's tragic condition makes one imagine the inhuman torture the deceased endured before their death.

This succubus's methods are extremely cruel.

None of them dared to imagine how many nightmares they would have if they witnessed such a bloody scene.

"Wait, the case files of Weiwei County? Anyone can see them?" Wen Ze was the first to react.

Although the files in the county government office are not classified, they are not something that just any ordinary citizen can open and read, especially since Kong Jiang is from out of town and only arrived in Weiwei County yesterday.

"uh-huh!"

Chen Hansi jumped out with a proud look, changed the subject, and seemingly put the terrifying incident about the succubus behind him. He pointed at Kong Jiang with both hands and said smugly, "Your Majesty appointed you the Master Kong. Didn't expect that, did you!"

Wen Ze was indeed surprised, but he was mostly happy. Working with his good brother was incredibly joyful.

"They have a county magistrate and a secretary, and what about you?" Wen Wan looked at Chen Hansi with a teasing expression.

"Me?" Chen Hansi didn't feel ashamed at all for not getting an official position. He was arrogant, as if he were the upright magistrate under the bright mirror of Gaotang: "With my imposing stature, the county government must be lacking in talent like me. What position? That's just a matter of a word from our Lord Wen."

Wen Wan: Living off my brother isn't necessarily a bad thing...

Wen Ze was not modest either, and readily accepted his praise, calmly agreeing: "Hmm, Han Si is right, the position of head of the county government office will be handed over to you."

"Pfft"

The head of the latrine, or "Jianzi" for short, is in charge of managing toilets and cesspools.

“It’s really suitable. He’s so tall and strong, he must be very capable of carrying manure.” Wen Wan agreed earnestly.

Kong Jiang suppressed a laugh.

Chen Hansi, standing to the side, was furious: "Fine, fine, you two siblings bullied me, and Kong Jiang, you didn't even help me, you just laughed at me!!"

"I'll leave, I'll leave, okay? Waaaaah..."

After saying that, she pretended to cover her tears and was about to "run away from home".

"Alright, alright, that's enough, it'll be too much if you keep going."

Wen Ze helplessly stopped him from continuing his performance. Wen Wan's mood improved as she looked at these few clowns.

"Getting back to the main topic, I'm going to investigate everything related to succubi. Let me know if you have any news."

Wen Wan gave each of them a talisman: "This is a protective talisman. It is used passively and can save your life in critical moments. Each of you should have one, just in case."

The group had never seen talismans before, and they accepted them with curiosity, thanking the talismans in return.

Wen Wan took out another one and handed it to Kong Jiang, who seemed the most reliable among them, and instructed her, "This is a sound transmission talisman. You are all ordinary people, so chanting incantations won't work for you. I won't teach you. Just burn it when you need to use it. Kong Jiang, you take it."

Ordinary people can also use talismans, but the effect is not as good as when they are combined with incantations and spiritual power.

The reason why Wen Wan's talisman was so effective was because she silently recited the incantation and also had the support of her own spiritual power; it's just that she couldn't mobilize it for cultivation.

This is why other cultivators would think she was weak and had no spiritual power.

It's just a sound transmission talisman, so the difference in effect shouldn't be a big problem.

Wen Ze stared wide-eyed, his face showing a look of utter disbelief, as if to say, "Why did you give it to him but not to me? I'm your own brother!" But in the end, he hesitated and said nothing.

"By the way, Mother said she has an appointment with a close friend. Do you know which elder it is?" Wen Wan asked the group.

This place is not peaceful; better safe than sorry.

“She is a woman from Jiangnan, and it is said that she was an old acquaintance of Lady Wen,” Kong Jiang replied.

He and Chen Hansi arrived a day earlier than the two of them. The concubine happened to be visiting Madam Wen yesterday, and the two of them were very impressed with her.

It's said that Jiangnan has always been famous for its beautiful women, and that's absolutely true. That concubine, like Madam Wen, was already over forty, but she didn't look over forty-five at all.

If Madam Wen is old but still charming, then that concubine is a delicate beauty, with no trace of age on her face. Such a description is not an exaggeration at all.

If they hadn't met Wen Wan beforehand, they would have thought it was a mother and daughter, which shows how well the concubine had taken care of herself.

Wen Wan nodded, indicating that she understood.

"I'm going out for a walk, just to see if I can find any clues. You can do whatever you want." With that, Wen Wan ignored the few lively girls and left on her own.

"Quick, quick, let me see what a sound transmission talisman looks like?"

No sooner had Wen Wan left than Chen Hansi approached Kong Jiang, snatched the communication talisman, and began to examine it closely.

Each person has one amulet, which can be viewed at any time, so it's not unusual at all. However, there's only one communication talisman, and Wen Wan only gave it to Kong Jiang. Naturally, the young men who had never seen the world were quite curious.

Wen Wan, who had already left the house, looked around. The market was bustling and full of human warmth, but there was not a trace of demonic energy, or even any evil spirits.

On the surface, it appears to be a very peaceful county town.

The last time the succubus caused trouble was ten years ago, and everything has long since returned to normal.

As time went on, the succubus's antics became less and less frequent.

It was like a thorn hanging in the hearts of cultivators. They considered themselves superior and could not tolerate the actions of such evil spirits. They claimed to be eliminating harm for the people, yet they had allowed the succubus to run rampant for more than three hundred years without any solution. These prestigious sects had investigated many times, but made little progress and even lost the lives of several cultivators, clearly demonstrating their incompetence.

Succubi are adept at hiding and have sophisticated methods. Over time, cultivators without clues will naturally give up, while those who do not give up are manipulated at will, and some even lose their lives.

Most residents of Weiwei County believe that the place has good feng shui and spiritual energy, so cultivators like to stay in their county. A small number of people in the know are aware that the place is not peaceful, but when the news gets out, it is mistakenly thought to be alarmist.

After all, the most recent case involving the succubus was ten years ago, and the only remaining records are the government files and a handful of eyewitness accounts passed down orally. Naturally, the government is keeping the case tightly under wraps to avoid causing public panic.

Since ancient times, people have naturally enjoyed listening to stories and chatting during their leisure time after meals.

Wen Wan found out the largest teahouse in the county town, found an excellent spot with a clear purpose, gave the waiter two taels of silver for a pot of good tea, and quietly sipped her tea while keeping an eye on the surrounding movements and the storyteller's content, not missing a single possible clue.

However, the afternoon passed without any results. The storytellers either told love stories of couples who were separated by force but eventually achieved a happy ending, or heroic tales of generals who fought bravely and brought peace to the world. Neither of these stories were relevant to her purpose. Rather than waiting here, she decided to check the files at the yamen (government office) and perhaps find something useful.

Just as Wen Wan was about to leave, a silver ingot flew directly to the storyteller's table.

"I am new here and am very curious about the rumors of 'succubus chaos' circulating in this county. Could you please tell me about it?"

Although the inquiry was polite, the person was certain that the storyteller wouldn't refuse, so he walked straight to the person opposite Wen Wan and raised an eyebrow: "We meet again, want to share a seat?"

"It's you!" Wen Wan was surprised, not expecting to run into Lin Zhu here. "Please, go ahead."

As expected, the storyteller calmly put the silver into his pocket and continued the story without any haste: "On that dark and windy night, General Jin went alone deep into the enemy camp. Just as he was about to reach the granary, two soldiers carrying torches bumped into him!"

"Smack!"

The storyteller slammed his gavel heavily on the table, piquing the curiosity of the audience. With a profound and enigmatic expression, he stroked his beard and calmly said, "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next installment."

Everyone: That's it?

"I take money and do things for people." The storyteller said frankly, "Then what I'm going to talk about next is 'Charm and Demon,' so please look forward to it."

The crowd groaned, but also offered their reproaches. They were used to the storyteller's style, which was to wait for the next installment to be analyzed at crucial moments.

"Succubus and Demon? It's been a long time since I've heard this one."

"Yes, the last time I heard it was seven or eight years ago. The county magistrate explicitly forbade storytellers from telling this story, saying that he was afraid it would cause unrest among the people."

There was a murmur of discussion among the people in the teahouse.

"Since the magistrate has explicitly prohibited it, why does the storyteller dare to discuss this book in public today?"

The person who asked the question was also a cultivator named Fang Ruo. He had already used this trick three days ago, but the storyteller had rejected it outright, looking down on money like dirt. This was a stark contrast to his unwavering acceptance today.

He originally wanted to start from other places, but the government office was heavily guarded, and he didn't want to break in illegally. In addition, too much time had passed and he had no clue. After going around in circles, he could only return to the teahouse. He originally planned to give up if he didn't get anything today.

"Hey, young man, you're from out of town, aren't you? You wouldn't know that, would you?"

The local man who had just said the magistrate was worried about unrest answered him. He continued, "The old magistrate has just retired, and today is the day a new magistrate takes office. The prohibitions issued by the old magistrate are naturally invalid, unless the new magistrate requests that the old prohibitions not be repealed."

"However, the new magistrate's inauguration ceremony hasn't been completed yet, so there's no time to worry about these things. It would be foolish not to make money when it's available."

Fang Ruo looked at Lin Zhu with a look of sudden realization and envy, thinking to herself that the other party was too lucky. Moreover, it seemed that he was also here for the succubus mission. She wondered if there would be a chance to cooperate.

"Ahem." The storyteller cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention and interrupting the two's conversation.

"The story of the demon and the enchantress has been passed down for eight years, but it was banned by the magistrate. Recently, some young men have wanted to hear it. Taking advantage of the new magistrate's appointment, and to satisfy that young man's curiosity, I will give you all a proper explanation today."

"It's just that it's been a long time, and in order to bring everyone a better audiobook experience, please allow me to take some time to rethink it."

The following sentence was naturally directed at Lin Zhu, since he was the one who paid the money.

After receiving permission, the storyteller closed his eyes and began to immerse himself in his story, occasionally tapping the table lightly with his gavel.

The storyteller didn't keep everyone waiting long; a quarter of an hour later, he began to speak:

"More than three hundred years ago..."