Chapter 93

In the main hall.

Many constables were gathered there, with many bodies placed in the middle.

"Sir!"

"Sir has arrived!"

Seeing Nie Xu approach, the constables made way for him.

Looking at the bodies,

Nie Xu instinctively covered his nose with his hand, even though the people had just died and it was impossible for a corpse odor to have developed.

"Lord Shen, these are the bodies of the Zhou family. To avoid any sudden situations, I had all the bodies moved together."

If it were a regular murder case, the bodies would not be moved arbitrarily, as that would disrupt the crime scene.

However,

when demons are involved, there is no such thing as a crime scene.

Placing all the bodies together allows for immediate handling if any of them undergo a transformation.

Shen Changqing nodded.

His gaze fell on the main hall, immediately drawn to the mummified body sitting in the main chair.

All the bodies were scattered on the ground, but this one was the only one that had died in a seated position.

Noticing Shen Changqing's gaze, Nie Xu explained in a timely manner: "That is the body of the old patriarch of the Zhou family. He was found sitting there when he died."

Without a doubt,

the old patriarch of the Zhou family did not realize what was happening until the moment of his death.

This could be seen from the fact that his seated posture was not disordered.

"It seems the demon that acted is no ordinary one."

Shen Changqing frowned.

Draining vital energy is indeed a demon's method, but to do so without the victim noticing is a different matter entirely.

From this, it can be seen that

the demon that acted is far more than just a low-level demon.

It could be a higher-level demon, or even a more powerful one.

A Sha-level demon!?

The thought just crossed his mind, and Shen Changqing quickly suppressed it.

If a Sha-level demon had acted, then not only the Zhou family but the entire city of Jin would have been turned into a ghost town.

Therefore,

he is more inclined to believe that a powerful Yu-level demon acted.

The only question now is

whether the one who acted is from the Eternal Alliance behind the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, or the powerful being behind the demon in the Zhou family's ancestral home.

Comparatively,

Shen Changqing is more inclined to believe the latter.

After all, the demon in the Zhou family's ancestral home was just eliminated yesterday, and today the Zhou family was wiped out.

To say there is no problem is impossible.

Shifting his gaze from the old patriarch of the Zhou family, Shen Changqing looked at the bodies on the ground.

Some had faces of terror, as if they had seen something terrifying before they died.

Others had peaceful faces, as if they had died without realizing it.

Taking a few steps closer,

Shen Changqing touched the bodies, feeling a faint evil aura lingering.

He then examined several more bodies.

Finally,

after retracting his hand from the old patriarch's body, Shen Changqing turned to Nie Xu: "Lord Nie, send people to cremate all the bodies of the Zhou family to avoid any future problems.

Also, send people to find the whereabouts of Zhou Qin. The demon took her away for a reason."

"No problem."

Nie Xu nodded and then looked at the people around him: "Constable Liu, follow Lord Shen's instructions."

"Your subordinate will comply!"

Constable Liu saluted and then ordered the constables to carry the bodies out.

Soon,

all the bodies were moved to an open area.

In the main hall, only Shen Changqing and Nie Xu remained.

Suddenly,

Nie Xu asked in a serious tone: "Lord Shen, did you discover something else just now?"

Hearing this,

Shen Changqing's face first showed surprise, then he nodded.

"Lord Nie has keen eyes. Indeed, I did discover something on those bodies. The strength of the evil aura varies, indicating that more than one demon acted last night."

"More than one demon?"

Nie Xu took a deep breath, his face turning grave.

"If more than one demon acted, then the problem is indeed serious."

There was already one demon in the Zhou family's ancestral home, and now another one has acted, meaning that there are at least three demons wreaking havoc in Jin City.

Although the first demon was eliminated,

the massacre of the Zhou family will cause significant unrest.

If the news spreads, his position as magistrate will be in jeopardy.

"Can Lord Shen determine how many demons were involved in the massacre of the Zhou family?"

"About three."

"Three!"

Nie Xu sucked in a cold breath, more than he had expected.

Thinking about it,

he couldn't help but say: "With three demons causing havoc, they may not have left Jin City. There will likely be chaos in the city. I believe we should bring the troops stationed outside the city to help maintain order.

Moreover, there are many powerful individuals in the army, and they should have a good chance of dealing with the demons."

Jin City is different from Lin'an City.

Lin'an City is in the heart of the Qin Empire, and its location is not particularly important, so there are no troops stationed there.

However, Jin City is a major city in the Dahuang Prefecture, which is close to the border and often invaded by barbarians. Therefore, there are always large troops stationed in Dahuang Prefecture to deal with emergencies.

Outside Jin City,

there is a large military force stationed.

Before coming to Jin City, Shen Changqing had already learned a lot about this.

"Is the military force stationed outside Jin City part of the Black Tiger Army?"

"Indeed, Lord Shen has heard of the Black Tiger Army?"

Nie Xu nodded.

Shen Changqing smiled: "As one of the top armies of the Qin Empire, how could I not have heard of it? I just don't know how many people are currently stationed outside the city.

And how many powerful individuals are in the army?"

"The Black Tiger Army stationed outside the city consists of over 12,000 people. As for the powerful individuals, I don't know much, but I do know that the leader of the Black Tiger Army is at the Xiantian realm."

Nie Xu replied after a moment of thought.

Xiantian realm!

Shen Changqing's eyes flickered.

It's not strange for the leader of 12,000 people to be at the Xiantian realm.

The military is a place where strength is paramount, and without sufficient strength, it's hard to hold a leadership position.

However, he was curious

whether the leader of the Black Tiger Army outside the city is at the Xiantian Neigang realm or the Xiantian Waigang realm.

"Since Lord Nie has a plan, let's do it. I will stay in Jin City, and if there is any information, Lord Nie can inform me promptly."

"Where is Lord Shen staying now?"

"Tianyi Tower."

"Ah, Tianyi Tower."

Nie Xu understood.

In his view, Tianyi Tower is a well-known place in Jin City, and it makes sense for someone of Lord Shen's status to stay there.

Then,

Shen Changqing glanced around the main hall and said, "I want to walk around the Zhou family's residence to see if I can find any clues. Lord Nie, do you have any objections?"

"Lord Shen is joking. You can go and inspect the Zhou family's residence. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me."

"Thank you."

Shen Changqing clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the main hall.

Although he learned a lot from the bodies of the Zhou family, he still wanted to visit the Zhou family's residence to see if he could find more.

If he could encounter a demon that hadn't left, that would be even better.

Of course,

the probability of that happening is low.

Spending two hours, Shen Changqing thoroughly inspected the Zhou family's residence. Although the evil aura lingered, it was weakening, indicating that the demons had long since left.

At the same time,

the constables had gathered all the bodies of the Zhou family and burned them with a large fire.

By the time Shen Changqing left, the bodies of the Zhou family were almost completely burned.

Closing the door of the Zhou family's residence and sealing it, the matter was considered concluded.

"Everyone, disperse. Everyone, disperse."

Constable Liu, with his sword, looked at the people gathered outside the Zhou family's residence and shouted loudly.

Hearing this,

the people dispersed on their own.

"Lord Shen, we will take our leave." Nie Xu slightly bowed to Shen Changqing and then led his team away.

Watching the constables leave, Shen Changqing glanced at the sky and then headed towards the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

Originally, he didn't want to go to the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

However, the Zhou family was wiped out by a powerful demon.

Regardless of whether the demons came from the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, Shen Changqing needed to check the situation.

The Zhou family's residence was some distance from the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

It took him about two hours to reach his destination.

In front of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion,

there were still women standing there to attract customers.

Seeing Shen Changqing approach, one of the women quickly noticed and walked up to him, smiling and holding his arm.

"What is your name, sir? Is this your first time visiting our Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion?"

"My name is Shen, and this is my first time."

Shen Changqing glanced at the woman, who, like Qing'er, had a faint evil aura.

"What is your name?"

"Sir, you can call me Yan Yan."

Yan Yan covered her mouth and smiled, then led Shen Changqing inside.

"Since this is your first time visiting the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, you should have a good time. Our Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion is the most famous place in Jin City, and many high-ranking officials come here and never want to leave.

If I'm not mistaken, Sir Shen is from the Central Plains, right?"

"That's correct."

Shen Changqing admitted frankly.

The Central Plains is a general term for the heartland of the Qin Empire, not referring to a specific city or prefecture.

As they talked, they had already entered the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

Compared to the previous two days, the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion was now crowded with people. The main hall was full, and many women in revealing clothing were sitting with the guests.

Yan Yan glanced at the environment in the main hall and then looked at Shen Changqing.

"Sir Shen, the main hall is full. Why don't we go to a private room?"

"Everything is up to you, Yan Yan."