"That day and night, nothing seemed different from usual. It all started when a family’s daughter went missing. The parents assumed she was unhappy with her marriage and had run away in anger. But she didn’t return all night, and they didn’t see her during the day either. That’s when they panicked and reported it to the authorities."
The prefect and his men searched all day but found no trace of her. Unexpectedly, the next night, the woman inexplicably appeared in her own room late at night without causing a commotion. When her parents asked about her disappearance the previous night, the woman seemed to have lost her memory, unable to recall what had happened that day or night, and insisted that she had never left her room.
The man, Lord Ma, spoke with an astonished tone, his eyes unusually bright.
"This is the first strange thing."
"After the missing woman returned, she was visibly thinner, but her personality changed drastically. She often muttered words that no one could understand, and had a silly, dazed smile on her face. The family called a doctor, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. This is the second strange thing."
"Then the third strange thing is that ten days later, the woman mysteriously drowned in the river?"
Luo Jiu couldn't help but interrupt.
“Ah, this immortal is right. That morning, a woman was washing clothes by the river when she suddenly pulled up a corpse. The corpse was so swollen from being filled with river water that it was unrecognizable.”
"The prefect ordered the coroner to examine the body, but there were no results."
"After that, many more such cases occurred in the city, and people were in a state of panic, with no one daring to go out on the streets."
Luo Jiu nodded knowingly, but still didn't understand why there were no elderly people or children on the street. Could it be that this evil spirit not only liked young women, but also didn't spare children and the elderly?
That's incredibly desperate.
Luo Jiu's lips twitched involuntarily, and Yan Ze caught her in the act.
The man lightly flicked Luo Jiu's forehead with two fingers, instantly clearing Luo Jiu's mind.
"Then why can't the elderly, women and children in this city see anything? Even the peddlers and laborers who come out to make a living wear white veils?"
Yan Ze's gaze swept lightly over Lord Ma, making him instantly alert.
Those dark pupils seemed to see through everything; no matter how small his thoughts were, they had nowhere to hide from this man.
"Haha, this immortal is unaware of something..."
Lord Ma bypassed the crowd and approached Yan Ze with an awkward smile.
"Given this situation, the prefect was at a loss, and being a superstitious man, he found a Taoist priest somewhere. The priest calculated with his index finger and said that there was an evil creature in the city that lived by sucking people's life essence. It especially liked yin places, and once the life essence of the women in the city was completely drained, the next victim would be the children."
"Moreover, the Taoist priest also said that this evil creature finds its food by following the scent of people..."
"Upon hearing this, the prefect looked alarmed and repeatedly asked if there was any solution."
"We learned that as long as we cover our faces with white gauze and soak them in herbs for several days, we can be protected. So, everyone is wearing masks now, for fear that evil spirit will come after them."
"You, hurry up and bring up all the veils for the immortals."
The young maidservant, upon receiving the order, hurried off to prepare, fearing she might anger her master.
"Although you immortals possess magical powers, please keep these veils on your faces. It's better to be safe than sorry. Especially this immortal who looks like a celestial being, you should be careful."
Luo Jiu was given a pink veil with a faint scent of perfume. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either.
Yan Ze had never believed in such superstitious nonsense. After saying so much, he figured the Taoist priest was probably just using some pretext to swindle people again.
"That Taoist priest is clearly a charlatan."
One of the senior students who came along couldn't help but voice his indignant thoughts.
"Xu Feng, you mustn't be rude."
"Immortal Master, please don't say that. I think that Taoist priest is quite skilled."
"Oh, what do you mean by that?"
Luo Jiu was suddenly intrigued, and a wicked smile flashed in her bright eyes.
"My beloved concubine was unfortunately targeted by that demon. Fortunately, she was rescued by that Taoist priest. Although she is mentally exhausted, she has not lost her mind. She is just getting weaker day by day."
"Fortunately, the immortals have arrived today. Please save my beloved concubine. I am truly afraid that in a few days she will also be drained of her life force by the evil spirit and drown!"
Why didn't you say so sooner that you had a sick person in your family?
The group walked quickly and soon arrived at the bedroom of Lord Ma's concubine.
Regardless of where they heard about these strange symptoms, they had never actually seen them. This sick woman was probably the key to their breakthrough in the case.
"My dear, the immortals have come to see you."
Lord Ma called softly from outside the bed curtains, his eyes filled with a tenderness rarely seen before.
Luo Jiu looked up and found that the room was strange in every way.
The room was filled with a strong scent of perfume and cosmetics, and the windows were tightly closed. The intense floral fragrance was almost suffocating. Why would someone who wasn't seriously ill use such strong perfume?
And... according to Lord Ma, this woman is his beloved concubine, so why is there not a single man's item in this pink-themed bedroom...?
Luo Jiu felt an itch on her wrist, and the spiritual energy within her body seemed restless and unable to be contained.
The smell of blood seemed even stronger...
A moment later, a soft cough came from the bed, and a fair, delicate arm came into view through the pink bed curtains.
Yan Ze gave a signal, and immediately a disciple skilled in medicine stepped forward to take his pulse.
"Brother Pastor, how is it?"
The disciple from the Xiuyun Immortal Sect simply shook his head.
"I can't detect anything wrong with Madam's body. I wonder... if Lord Ma could lift the bed curtains so I can see Madam's complexion?"
This request was perfectly reasonable, but it was rejected.
"The immortals must be tired from their journey. Why don't you rest well for the night, and tomorrow morning I will take you to the prefect's office to continue your investigation?"
Luo Jiu and her group were invited back to their guest rooms.
As night fell, Luo Jiu felt increasingly uneasy.
He kept referring to her as his beloved concubine, yet his eyes remained devoid of emotion; this was likely just an act. This Lord Ma must be hiding some secret. This luxurious and imposing mansion was strangely unsettling.
Luo Jiu couldn't sit still; her restless heart was urging her to find out more.
Luo Jiu has already entered the Golden Core stage, and under Yan Ze's pressure, her foundation is extremely solid. Even if there were twice as many guards, let alone these few scattered ones, they still wouldn't be able to stop her.
After several twists and turns, Luo Jiu finally found her way to Lord Ma's concubine's room in the dark.
The fact that they're protecting her so much, not even letting her see her face, suggests there must be a hidden reason.
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