Return to the Mountains
Ding Can looked around and saw the sword at Qin Ran's waist. He pulled it out while talking and said, "Borrow it."
She swung the sword towards the nearest pillar. The movement seemed very light, but most of the sword went straight in. The moment it pierced the pillar, a sharp and shrill wail was heard in her ears.
After a few seconds, it disappeared silently.
The temperature around me suddenly warmed up, and the sunlight shone through the eaves again, and the courtyard finally regained its glory.
"It's okay now..." Ding Can rubbed her ears that had been damaged just now. She still felt some tinnitus. She stepped forward and pulled out the sword, looking at the sharp patterns on it.
It was a fine sword, undamaged. It was likely forged by a renowned craftsman. But when he was about to return it to Qin Ran, he suddenly realized something. "Deputy Envoy Qin, was this just a test from the City Lord's Mansion?"
From the moment I entered the City Lord's Mansion, I saw many guards and servants patrolling the courtyard along the way, but after entering the corridor, it was only here that was eerily quiet. Otherwise, no matter what, there must be someone passing by on an errand.
Qin Ran took it with both hands, his face showing no sign of panic at being exposed. Instead, he admitted it very frankly, "I hope Miss Ding, please don't mind. After all, this is a matter of great importance that concerns the safety of the people in the city. Of course, the city lord wants to be cautious. There have been many people who have been passing themselves off as genuine in recent days, so he came up with this method of screening them out."
In addition to requesting talented people to come to Lancheng to eliminate the monster, the notice also offered a considerable reward, so some people wanted to take advantage of the situation and get involved.
But getting rid of demons is a big deal and must be treated with caution. Although this method is not particularly upright, it is the most effective.
Forget it, Ding Can waved his hand: "I can understand that. Now you can finally take me to where I should go."
"We were originally going in this direction, please, Miss Ding."
Passing through the reception hall, there is a courtyard on the side for guests to live in. Although it was built only for visiting guests, it is still beautifully maintained.
After entering the courtyard, several spacious houses are lined up on the left and right, which are clearly visible at a glance.
"It just so happens that the City Lord will be in the hall to discuss something with you guys later, so he asked everyone to wait there. If you go there now, you can meet everyone. The three rooms in the southeast of the courtyard are still empty. You can choose one to live in later."
Some of those who came with the notice during this period were not qualified, and some left without finding any trace of the monster. Therefore, there are not many people left in the City Lord's Mansion, waiting for the monster to appear and then seize the opportunity to eliminate it.
When Ding Can arrived at the door of the conference room, he saw several people standing or sitting inside.
Near the door, there was a slovenly woman with one leg raised and resting on a chair. When she heard the noise, she turned her head, and the silver ornaments between her head and ears made a crisp sound of collision.
She was dressed in Miao costume and had a lot of silver products of various sizes on her body. I think when she was walking, even if the distance was far, someone would be able to detect approaching traces very early.
As the woman spoke, a pair of affectionate eyes looked over. Her eyes were long and narrow, but her dark pupils were very obvious, like a whirlpool, trying to attract people to jump in.
This man doesn't actually look young, but his actions don't make people feel that he is pretentious.
"I finally have a sister here. I'm so bored here."
Her voice was so sweet that even Ding Can could feel his heart pounding when he heard it. Just as Ding Can gave her a kind smile, he heard the young man in a green robe next to him sneer, and his dissatisfaction was obvious in his expression.
Also, near the main seat, there was an old monk with a white beard. He had his eyes closed and his lips moving without making any sound. He was chanting scriptures.
Knowing that the voice was directed at her, the woman did not get angry. Instead, she laughed even more cheerfully, "Come and sit down. Where are you from?"
Ding Can saw that she had already pulled her hand over, and because of this action, half of her white arm was exposed, he sat down next to her and said, "I came from Fukong Mountain. What should I call you, sister?"
"Just call me A-Lian, but don't call me sister. That makes me sound old."
It was autumn now, with clear skies and a suitable temperature, but A-Lian's palms were obviously colder than those of ordinary people, which reminded her of some animals hiding in the dark.
A-Lian had a lot of purses of different sizes hanging around her waist, as well as some bottles and jars, which seemed to contain insects and medicinal powders. This person should be from southern Xinjiang, and she had been practicing the skill of controlling insects since she was a child.
Ding Can readily complied, calling her A-Lian and his own name. He then looked towards the other two. The old monk slowly opened his eyes, put on his cassock, stood up, and nodded slightly, holding his Buddhist beads. "I am Yuanshe, a poor monk. I just happened to pass by here during my travels."
"Hello, Master Yuanshe." The elder greeted her first, and she also stood up and put her hands together in greeting.
"I'm different from them, but City Lord Zhu personally sent someone to the sect to invite Yu Beining, a disciple of the Changfeng Sect."
The man in green standing in the corner holding a sword waited until everyone else had finished speaking before speaking, his tone full of arrogance.
"Changfeng Sect?" Ding Can had just repeated it subconsciously because the other party had introduced it when he was speaking, but he didn't expect that the other party would be interested in starting a conversation.
Yu Beining stepped forward and said, "It's not unusual for Miss Ding to be shocked after hearing this. After all, our sect is quite famous in the world of immortal cultivation. The elders have captured many demons and helped tens of thousands of townspeople. We..."
"Huh?" Ding Can interrupted her and said innocently, "I've never heard of it before, so I'm just curious."
Yu Beining was about to speak when his speech was interrupted. He didn't know what to say next. Instead, he received a few laughs from A-Lian. The other two people in the room didn't seem to want to speak up for him either. After a while, he thought of trying to redeem himself: "It must be because you grew up in a remote place that you haven't heard of it."
Ding Can just smiled, not wanting to argue with him any further: "I came from the mountains and haven't seen any big scenes before. Don't be offended."
Yu Beining gave an expression that said, "I knew it." He finally looked relieved and stopped showing off. He looked at Qin Ran and said, "We've been waiting here for a few days. In your recent investigation, have you found any pattern in the monster's attacks?"
"I'm truly ashamed. There's no connection between the deceased, and investigations haven't yielded any clues. But at least we know for sure the attack was committed at night. The number of guards in the city has increased several times recently, and some have been transferred from neighboring cities. If anything unusual happens, they'll immediately send out signal fireworks."
Qin Ran continued, "Please wait patiently for a few more days. The City Lord's Mansion will treat you with courtesy."
"Are these the only ones here?" Ding Can looked around the yard a few more times.
"There's also Zhu Nanjing, the second son of the City Lord's Mansion. He grew up at his maternal grandparents' home. Because of his exceptional aptitude, he was taken in as a closed disciple by a master there. He just recently came out of seclusion and returned to Lancheng upon hearing about this. You'll see him soon."
After a while, he finally saw the figure of the city lord. Zhu Mingshan was majestic, but there was a trace of lingering sadness between his brows. He must have been under a lot of pressure recently because of the monsters causing trouble in the city.
However, since the notice was posted, the monster has not appeared and is hiding in the dark, so no matter how anxious we are, there is nothing we can do.
The young man who came in half a body length behind him was the Zhu Nanjing mentioned earlier.
He looks somewhat like his father, and you can tell at first glance that they are from the same family. After entering the hall, he just stood there, and seemed to have an unusually calm temperament.
There is a flame mark on Zhu Nanjing's forehead, with traces of magic left on it. It should be related to the magic he practiced, but no one knows who his master is. His skin color is also slightly dark, as if he has been exposed to wind and sun all day long.
But from what Qin Ran said, his master must be a very prestigious person, so that the lord of a city would be able to safely hand the child over to someone else.
"The reason why we all gathered here today is because Jing'er found some traces of a monster on the body of the deceased in the previous place. Maybe it can help you find the monster's trace."
Before he finished speaking, Zhu Nanjing bent a few fingers and made a complicated gesture in the air, and orange-red flames rose from his fingertips.
Looking closely, there was a black drop of water dancing in the center of the flame, trapped inside and unable to escape.
"With the permission of the deceased's family, I used fire control to burn several bodies and found this. It contains some demonic energy, but it is extremely weak. I brought it here specifically to see if there is any tracking technique that can find the trace of the monster."
Yu Beining stepped forward and took out a small compass from his sleeve: "Brother Zhu, let me try."
Zhu Nanjing flicked his fingertips, and the flame flew forward as if it had wings, and stopped steadily just above the compass.
The outer ring of the compass is inlaid with a circle of dark brown jade, which contrasts with the color of the pointer inside. The moment it is covered, the pointer begins to spin wildly.
"There is indeed a demonic aura." Yu Beining widened his eyes. Only after the compass adapted to the demonic aura did the speed of rotation gradually slow down and finally stop in one direction.
Qin Ran stared at the direction indicated by the compass. "Northwest, there are mostly residential areas there, and the environment is complex. It's not easy to thoroughly explore it during daily patrols. If you hide in there, it will be very difficult to find you."
Lancheng is rich in resources. In recent years, many people have come here to seek a living, so the city naturally accommodates a large number of people.
Moreover, most of the outsiders gathered in the northwest of the city, where there were more courtyards rented out. However, because the previous cases of monsters injuring people did not occur there, the focus of the investigation was not there.
Yu Beining asked, "Are we leaving immediately?"
Zhu Nanjing pursed his lips and said, "We still don't know the details of the monster, and there should be many people traveling at this time. It would be safer to wait until dusk and approach quietly. Otherwise, if there is a commotion, we will be the ones to lose our composure."
After discussion, everyone decided to go back to their rooms to rest and wait until the sun sets before going out. Due to the appearance of monsters recently, every household has locked their doors very early, which has given them more time to act.
Ding Can walked out of the front hall, thinking of picking a room to put down his luggage first, when A-Lian took his arm and approached him affectionately: "Let's stay in the same room. We can talk together."
"Okay." I'm not familiar with this place, so it would be nice to have someone to keep me company.
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