novelapdf Chapter 196 Grilled Beauty
Chapter 196 Grilled Beauty
"Something happened?"
Jiang Mu's face darkened. "What's wrong with her?"
Lan Rou'er said, panting heavily:
"At noon today, Lingzhu said she was going to Shuer Village outside the city to see a patient who frequently visits our pharmacy."
But she never came back after she left.
Normally, when she went out to make house calls, she should have returned to the city by late afternoon at the latest. Uncle Chu and I rushed to that house to look for her, but the family said that Lingzhu had left after treating her.
We searched along the road back to the city again and again, and searched all the nearby mountains and forests, but we couldn't find any trace of Lingzhu..."
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.
Although Shuer Village is not too far from Huzhou City, it is separated by several remote sections of official road.
The world is not peaceful these days.
There are quite a few wandering demons and cultivators, and even some notorious bandits, roaming the desolate wilderness.
Chu Lingzhu is a pretty girl, so she's easy to target.
"Why are you only coming to see me now?!"
Jiang Mu's face turned ashen.
Lan Rou'er shrank back in fright, and choked back tears, saying:
"I...I thought she was just playing around on the way and got delayed, or maybe she went to pick some herbs. Uncle Chu also said to look for her himself first..." Jiang Mu cursed inwardly, and hurriedly said without thinking of blaming her:
"The family that took me to see the doctor."
Guided by Lan Rou'er, Jiang Mu quickly arrived at Shuer Village.
The village is small and nestled beside a mountain.
Jiang Mu found the family where Chu Lingzhu had sought medical treatment and discovered that the patient was an ordinary peasant woman.
His face was sallow and his body was thin.
Because of years of hard work and malnutrition, he looks much older than his actual age.
Her husband had been killed by wild animals while hunting in the mountains years ago, and now she was raising her two young children alone, living a rather impoverished life. According to Lan Rou'er on the road, this woman had helped Chu Lingzhu when she was gathering herbs in the mountains.
Seeing the widow's pitiful state, Lingzhu not only frequently provided her with free acupuncture to treat her chronic diarrhea caused by years of overwork, but sometimes even gave her herbal medicine. Jiang Mu inquired about the widow in detail.
After learning that Chu Lingzhu had indeed left after seeing a doctor, they learned that she had indeed left.
Jiang Mu began to carefully survey the farmhouse, its interior and exterior, and the surrounding area of the village.
There was no blood.
There were no signs of fighting or struggle.
No demonic energy or residual Yin energy fluctuations left by demonic cultivators could be detected in the air.
Jiang Mu's face was gloomy.
This girl, she has to go to such a remote place outside the city just to see a doctor, she must have nothing better to do.
Jiang Mu secretly complained.
Just as he was preparing to immediately go to the Ministry to find Ran Qingshan and mobilize all the demon slayers and patrol teams in Huzhou City to conduct a thorough search.
The widow's ten-year-old son provided the clue.
He said that when he went to collect firewood in the woods at the east end of the village a couple of days ago, he saw a strange man wearing a black cloak with his face completely covered, wandering around there.
When Chu Lingzhu arrived today, that strange man pulled her aside and said something to her.
Later, the strange man went to Black Soil Village.
Black Soil Village?
Jiang Mu's heart skipped a beat.
He was still familiar with that village.
That place used to be the lair of a snake demon, and the villagers' minds had long been corrupted by the so-called "King Yama's food" due to long-term consumption, making them like walking corpses.
Could Chu Lingzhu's disappearance be related to that place?
Jiang Mu didn't know.
But this is the only clue we can investigate right now.
So Jiang Mu asked Lan Rou'er to go to the Demon Slayer Division in the city to find Yan Fenghuo and the others, while he went to Black Soil Village.
By the time Jiang Mu arrived at Black Soil Village, it was already dark.
The dilapidated houses, like crouching wild beasts, made the village feel even more oppressive.
On the village road,
Occasionally, you can see a few emaciated, deformed villagers wandering around.
Jiang Mu conducted a cursory search but did not find the strange person the little boy had described.
But he believed the child wouldn't lie.
Jiang Mu simply began a crude and straightforward search, going door to door.
"Bang!"
He kicked open a rickety wooden door.
Inside the house, several villagers, their eyes glazed over, were gnawing on lumps of dark, gritty "soil" when they were startled by the sudden loud noise. They slowly turned their heads.
Upon seeing Jiang Muhou, a bloodthirsty hostility surged in the villagers' numb eyes.
If Jiang Mu hadn't been carrying a knife and exuding a powerful aura, these villagers would probably have pounced on him like a pack of wolves and torn him to pieces. Jiang Mu coldly glanced at them, didn't see the strange man, and left the house, continuing towards the next one.
One, two, three...
Half an hour has passed.
Jiang Mu searched the small village almost from top to bottom, but still found nothing.
He even activated his supernatural power, the "Spiritual Light Divination."
A deep scan of the area within a radius of 100 feet was conducted.
No red "凶" (ominous) character indicating danger or clues has been found yet.
"Does this have nothing to do with Heitu Village?"
Jiang Mu looked around at the hostile villagers who were watching him like ghosts in the shadows, and a sense of irritation rose in his heart.
Just as he was about to leave.
A faint voice echoed from the shadows behind him:
"Who...are you looking for?"
Jiang Mu felt a chill and turned to look.
A woman, dressed in rags and so thin she was just skin and bones, stood by a dry well not far away.
The woman's hair was disheveled, half-covering her withered, sallow face.
Although those eyes also showed numbness, they seemed to have a fainter light than those of the other villagers.
Jiang Mu was stunned for a moment.
He never expected that in this village, which was full of hostility and rejection towards him, there would actually be someone willing to take the initiative to talk to him.
Although Jiang Mu was puzzled, she quickly described the characteristics of the "cloaked monster".
The woman listened quietly until the end.
His chapped lips moved, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"I'll take you to him."
Jiang Mu gripped the hilt of the knife with one hand and asked疑惑地问道, "Why are you helping me?"
The woman said blankly:
"You used to give me food. Food for... the doll."
After saying that, he walked out of the village.
Jiang Mu was taken aback, then looked the woman over again, and suddenly realized.
He remembered that when he first came to Black Soil Village with Ling Ye on a mission, he saw a woman holding a baby and eating mud under the eaves of a house at the village entrance. At that time, Ling Ye gave her a sheepskin bag to hold water.
As she left, she placed a piece of osmanthus cake made of cypress wood on the baby's swaddling clothes.
So it was this woman.
Jiang Mu's guard eased slightly, and he followed the woman out of the village.
The two walked one after the other through the desolate village.
We entered the barren mountains behind the village.
The night wind howled through the valley, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.
I don't know how long it took.
The woman's steps finally stopped in front of a cave hidden behind vines and rocks.
The entrance was pitch black.
It resembles a gaping maw of an abyss capable of swallowing everything.
The woman did not go any further.
She turned around and pointed to the dark cave entrance:
"He...is inside."
Jiang Mu glanced at the emaciated woman, said nothing, and stepped into the cave.
Upon entering, he habitually left the "Teleportation Shadow" outside the cave.
Inside the dimly lit cave.
A small campfire was burning weakly in front of the stone wall, making a crackling sound.
The flickering orange-red flames illuminated the cave interior in an alternating light and shadow.
On the other side of the campfire.
A figure draped in a wide black cloak sat quietly cross-legged on the ground, with his back to the cave entrance.
The man remained motionless, like a stone sculpture.
Only the shadows, distorted and deformed by the firelight, groveled on the uneven cave walls, exuding an eeriness and sinister atmosphere.
Jiang Mu quickly scanned the cave.
Apart from the campfire and the strange man with his back to him, the cave was empty, and the Little Doctor was nowhere to be seen.
Jiang Mu stared at the cloaked figure and said calmly:
"I'm looking for someone; have you seen them?"
"Is it that little girl?"
The cloaked figure did not turn around, and his voice was filled with weariness.
It was clearly an old man's voice.
Jiang Mu's pupils contracted, and he said coldly, "It seems you know where that girl is?"
The Blood Frenzy Blade was drawn half an inch from its sheath.
A dark red aura of bloodlust subtly flowed along the blade.
Cloaked Man:
"If I said I didn't know, would you believe me?"
If you don't believe me, will you use other forms of torture to interrogate me?
Jiang Mu frowned.
He walked to the side and behind the cloaked man, stopping less than two meters away.
Because the other person had pulled their large hood down very low, their entire face was hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see their true appearance.
Only a faint outline of a thin jaw can be seen.
However, Jiang Mu could clearly sense the aura of a cultivator emanating from the cloaked figure.
His aura was restrained, making it impossible for others to fathom the true depth of his cultivation.
He's a tough nut to crack.
Jiang Mu made a silent assessment in his mind.
"If you don't understand, how come you guessed I was looking for a young girl before I even said who?"
Jiang Mu spoke softly.
The cloaked man picked up a branch, poked at the campfire in front of him, and said:
"Because today, I only spoke to that girl."
"And now, someone has specifically sought out this remote cave to find me looking for someone. Who else could it be but her?"
Jiang Mu asked in a deep voice, "Who exactly are you?"
"I?"
The cloaked figure paused slightly as he poked at the campfire, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke in a murmured tone.
"Just... a rootless person."
"A rootless person?"
Jiang Mu was taken aback at first, then sneered, "So he's a eunuch."
The cloaked figure did not respond.
Jiang Mu stepped forward, her eyes cold and sharp: "I'm asking you, what did you and that girl talk about today?"
The cloaked figure said quietly:
"I just asked her one question."
"What's the problem?"
"I asked her, which is the true merit: saving lives or killing lives?"
Jiang Mu was taken aback upon hearing this.
What kind of bullshit question is this?
He scoffed, "Isn't that obvious?"
The cloaked figure gently shook his head:
"Many years ago, there was a highly respected doctor who, with a compassionate heart, saved a critically injured passerby on the roadside. However, that passerby later became an outlaw and a bandit king, burning, killing, looting, and harming countless innocent people."
That same doctor later encountered a pregnant woman.
He killed the woman, removed the demonic fetus from her womb, and saved the lives of hundreds of people in the village.
However, the woman herself was innocent.
Young man, tell me, which one has merit?
Jiang Mu curled her lip: "What you're saying is nothing but sophistry playing with causality."
"But isn't life just a cycle of cause and effect?"
The cloaked figure sighed.
"The good deeds you sow today may not yield good results. But the evil deeds you commit today often require the blood of countless people to pay for..." "Shut up!"
Jiang Mu completely lost her patience.
He stepped forward, grabbed the cloaked man by the wide collar, and lifted him off the ground.
Only then did they notice that the cloaked man's face looked as if it had been burned, making him appear quite ferocious.
Jiang Mu was stunned for a moment, then said coldly:
"I don't have time to listen to your bullshit cause-and-effect arguments. I'll ask you one last time: what does that girl's disappearance have to do with you?"
The cloaked figure, held aloft by Jiang Mu, showed no sign of panic.
There was no struggle.
He calmly gazed at Jiang Mu and said:
"Don't you want to know... how that girl answered my question?"
Jiang Mu frowned and asked, "What was her answer?"
Given Lingzhu's personality, when faced with such a moral dilemma, she would probably be completely fooled by this charlatan, and even fall into a dead end of self-doubt.
The cloaked man laughed:
After hearing my question, the girl only answered with four words: "one".
"Which four words?"
The cloaked figure said, enunciating each word clearly, "None of your business!"
Jiang Mu was stunned.
Then, he twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
Well, that answer is definitely in line with that girl's style.
The cloaked figure said quietly:
"People say that turning back is the shore, but if there is a bottomless abyss in front of you and an endless sea of fire behind you, where is the shore?"
All people suffer, and the suffering lies in attachment. Only by transcending attachment can one cross the river of suffering…
Jiang Mu stared at the mysterious man who kept spouting nonsensical and rambling remarks, his gaze gradually turning cold:
"Recently, more than a dozen murders have occurred in Huzhou City."
"It must be related to you, right?"
Upon hearing this, the faint campfire inside the cave flickered a few times, almost going out.
The cloaked figure smirked. "You think...they shouldn't have died?"
Sure enough it was him!
A sharp light flashed in Jiang Mu's eyes, and the Blood Frenzy Blade was drawn, transforming into a scarlet streak that slashed straight at the cloaked figure.
However, as the blade passed, the cloaked figure vanished like wisps of smoke.
Only a faint, lingering phrase remained, echoing in the cave:
"She's in the woods to the west, about six miles west..."
As the words fell, the campfire went out as well.
"phantom?"
Jiang Mu was surprised.
Jiang Mu cursed under his breath, and after confirming that the other party's aura had disappeared, he rushed out of the cave.
Outside the cave.
The gaunt woman who had led the way was sitting on a moss-covered rock outside the cave.
He was holding an oval-shaped stone in his arms.
She gently rocked her body, her eyes tender yet vacant, as if she were soothing a sleeping baby.
He was still humming a tune.
After Jiang Mu came out, the woman seemed not to see him, completely immersed in her own fantasy.
Jiang Mu opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't speak, and plunged headfirst into the dense, secluded forest on the west side.
Jiang Mu moved swiftly through the forest.
All I could hear was the whistling wind and the rustling of leaves.
He kept an eye on his surroundings while secretly making plans in his mind.
Who exactly is that guy?
Why did they commit those murders?
Was his telling Chu Lingzhu whereabouts a deliberate trap, or was he simply being kind by giving directions?
Regardless, now that we have a clue, we have to give it a shot.
Jiang Mu pushed his speed to the limit.
Sure enough, after flying westward for about six miles...
The woods ahead gradually thinned out, revealing a faint glimmer of firelight and a faint smell of smoke.
At the same time, a familiar figure of the girl came into view.
"Found it!"
Jiang Mu was overjoyed.
To prevent the girl from being kidnapped or from being targeted by some kind of trap, Jiang Mu slowed his pace, concealed his presence, and crept forward under the cover of tree trunks and bushes.
However, as the distance closed, Jiang Mu was a little confused.
At this moment, Little Doctor Chu Lingzhu was sitting cross-legged on the ground without any regard for her image.
He was holding a sharpened branch in his hand.
On the branch, there was a large corn cob, roasted to a golden brown and crispy.
The girl was leisurely turning the branch while humming an unknown tune, shaking her head.
Her delicate face, glowing with a rosy luster, was filled with contentment.
Jiang Mu looked completely bewildered.
This doesn't look like a kidnapping.
He then observed carefully.
It was ultimately determined that the girl had not been kidnapped.
"What the hell..."
Jiang Mu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
We've been searching for you all over the mountains and fields, and this girl, instead, has come to this desolate wilderness to have a picnic?
Are we on a spring outing?
Jiang Mu was furious.
He was about to go up and give this heartless girl a good scolding when an idea suddenly popped into his head.
"This girl is getting bolder and bolder. If we don't teach her a lesson, she might cause trouble in the future." Jiang Mu narrowed his eyes, preparing to teach her a lesson himself.
Let her know the consequences of messing around outside.
Jiang Mu moved swiftly, appearing behind Chu Lingzhu like a ghost.
At this moment, Chu Lingzhu's entire attention was focused on the fragrant roasted corn in her hand, unaware of the approaching danger. "Mmm~ It smells so good."
The girl sniffed sweetly and couldn't help but swallow.
Continue humming cheerfully:
"Roasted corn, oh roasted corn, smells so good..."
Jiang Mu's lips twitched.
"You'll sing, right?"
"I'll make sure you won't even be able to cry in a little while!"
Jiang Mu sneered inwardly, and like a hawk pouncing on its prey, swooped down on the girl.
Five meters... three meters...
Just as Jiang Mu's hands were less than twenty centimeters from the girl's slender nape, a sudden change occurred.
Jiang Mu suddenly smelled a pungent odor.
That taste...
How to describe it?
It's like a 100-fold concentrated dose of inferior medicated oil, mixed with some kind of sour smell that's been fermenting for countless days, hitting you straight in the head.
What the hell is that?
Jiang Mu hadn't reacted yet.
next second!
An extremely foul odor, like an exploding biological weapon, instantly swept into his nasal cavity.
Not only does it have a pungent smell, but it also possesses physical attack properties.
Jiang Mu felt a buzzing sound in her brain.
Suddenly, the world spun around.
The scene before my eyes began to blur, and breathing became difficult, as if someone had stuffed a stinky sock filled with excrement into my mouth and nose. Then...
The stench seemed to seep directly into his brain through his nasal cavity.
He felt as if his brain had been filled with boiling excrement and then thrown into a furnace to be burned madly.
The burning sensation made his very soul tremble.
I even had this inexplicable urge to eat shit.