Chapter 23

Qin Shaoyou, leading the horse forward, subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

Zhu Xiuzai, who was following behind, nearly collided with him and hurriedly led his horse around to his side, curiously asking, "Sir, what's wrong?"

Qin Shaoyou raised the horsewhip in his hand and pointed at the stray dogs near the city gate.

"Look at these dogs. Do you notice anything unusual?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiuzai, Ma Heshang, and the other soldiers all turned their gaze back to the stray dogs.

However, after a long while, they found nothing unusual.

"They don't seem unusual, just a bit fat," Zhu Xiuzai said, representing the thoughts of everyone, who nodded in agreement.

Qin Shaoyou shook his head. "I'm not asking if they are fat or not, but if you can see the pain and despair in their eyes."

"Huh?"

The soldiers were confused.

Could pain and despair be seen in a dog's eyes?

How could one see that?

They stared at the stray dogs again, this time focusing on their eyes, looking very carefully and seriously, but still saw no signs of despair or pain.

They even felt that the eyes of the stray dogs in Mianyuan County were no different from those elsewhere.

The soldiers didn't dare to voice their thoughts but exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes, clearly thinking:

What's wrong with Sir?

Is it because of last night's incident that he has become overly sensitive?

Ma Heshang also couldn't see any despair or pain in the dogs' eyes, but his thoughts were different.

"Amitabha, in this world, all beings suffer, and dogs are no exception. Sir, being able to see the despair and pain in these dogs' eyes shows that you have great wisdom and a connection with the Buddha."

Qin Shaoyou was alarmed.

I consider you a brother, and you want me to become a monk?

He hurriedly waved his hand. "Monk, don't ruin me. I still want to get married, have children, and continue my lineage. I don't want to become a monk."

Zhu Xiuzai joked, "Exactly, Sir hasn't even visited a brothel... uh, enjoyed the refined life yet, how can he become a monk?"

"Shut up." Ma Heshang glared at Zhu Xiuzai and then corrected Qin Shaoyou seriously, "Sir, you are mistaken. One can practice at home as well..."

"I can't bear the monastic rules, especially the no-meat rule, so let's drop it." Qin Shaoyou didn't want to continue this topic and turned to Zhu Xiuzai, "You didn't see the despair and pain in these dogs' eyes either?"

Ma Heshang could only close his mouth helplessly.

Seeing Qin Shaoyou's seriousness, Zhu Xiuzai stopped joking, thought for a moment, and shook his head seriously, "No."

"Strange..."

Qin Shaoyou frowned.

Everyone else didn't see the despair and pain in the dogs' eyes, but he saw them clearly. What was going on?

Was he hallucinating? Or...

"Could it be the effect of the 'Clear Vision' talent?"

Qin Shaoyou suddenly remembered the "Clear Vision" talent he gained from the boiled fox eyes.

In the mysterious recipe, the description of this talent was: "See a different world."

And at this moment, the information Qin Shaoyou saw in the dogs' eyes was indeed different from what others saw.

Could this be the so-called "different world"?

If this was indeed the information brought by the "Clear Vision" talent, why were these stray dogs feeling despair and pain?

Was it true, as Ma Heshang said, that all beings suffer, and dogs are no exception?

Or was there something wrong with these stray dogs?

After a brief consideration, Qin Shaoyou made an arrangement: "Send someone to catch a stray dog and bring it along."

"I'll go." A soldier volunteered, handed the reins to a companion, and walked toward the dogs, saying, "Sir, do you want to make a dog for a midnight snack? I'll catch a fat and tender one for you."

Hearing the soldier say he would make a dog for a snack, Qin Shaoyou felt a wave of nausea and almost vomited the dry food he had eaten on the road.

He quickly covered his mouth, recovered, and said, "Snack? I think these dogs are problematic and want to investigate one."

Everyone was stunned.

What could be wrong with these dogs? Was it worth the time to investigate?

Only Zhu Xiuzai, who thought faster than the others, had a suspicion.

His face turned pale, and he asked in a low voice, "Sir, are you suspecting that these dogs... are transformed from humans?"

Ma Heshang, who was nearby, heard this and his face also changed, exclaiming in a low voice, "The Beast Transformation Spell?!"

The Beast Transformation Spell?

Qin Shaoyou searched his memory for relevant information.

The Beast Transformation Spell, as Ma Heshang said, was a dark witchcraft that could turn living humans into animals, hence its name.

This bizarre witchcraft not only existed in this world but was also recorded in the strange stories of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" in Qin Shaoyou's previous life.

Qin Shaoyou hadn't thought about it this way before, just finding the stray dogs strange.

But after hearing Zhu Xiuzai and Ma Heshang's speculations, he also became suspicious.

Could these stray dogs really be transformed by the Beast Transformation Spell?

And the victims... could they be the missing children in Mianyuan County?

Qin Shaoyou was shocked and asked urgently, "Do you know any way to break the Beast Transformation Spell or determine if these dogs are transformed by it?"

Zhu Xiuzai shook his head. "We are warriors, good at killing demons and monsters, but not at breaking witchcraft spells."

Ma Heshang sighed. "Although I have learned some Buddhist powers, I don't know how to break witchcraft spells."

"Perhaps we can ask a Taoist from the Jade Emperor Temple to try?"

Just as Qin Shaoyou felt regretful, Zhu Xiuzai made a suggestion.

"Jade Emperor Temple? What is that?"

"It's a Taoist temple on Fengyu Mountain to the east of Luocheng, one of the ancestral temples of the Pure Brightness Sect. The Taoists there are not only skilled in internal alchemy but also have a deep understanding of talisman and spell techniques. They have a cooperative relationship with our Luocheng Demon Suppression Bureau. Whenever we encounter witchcraft curses we can't handle, we seek their help."

Qin Shaoyou understood.

The Jade Emperor Temple was the technical support for the Luocheng Demon Suppression Bureau!

He immediately made an arrangement: "Xiuzai... no, Old Wei, you take one person back to the Luocheng Demon Suppression Bureau, report our suspicions to Sir Xue, and ask him to invite a Taoist from the Jade Emperor Temple to help us."

Qin Shaoyou originally wanted Zhu Xiuzai to go, but then thought it would be more useful to have him stay, so he chose Wei the soldier.

Wei was familiar with the surrounding area and could find a place to stay in time, ensuring safety and not delaying the matter.

"Yes."

Wei accepted the order, called a companion, and the two immediately rode off from Mianyuan County.

Soon, the soldier who went to catch the dog returned with a yellow dog.

The dog was very scared, struggling desperately to escape.

"Don't be afraid, we mean no harm, we just want to help you."

Qin Shaoyou tried to communicate with the dog.

But the dog couldn't understand human language and continued to struggle.

With no choice, Qin Shaoyou had the soldier tie the dog to the horse.

He planned to slowly try to see if he could use the "Clear Vision" talent to find more issues with the dog.

Entering the county, Qin Shaoyou and his men first went to the inn by the city wall, using the identity of a Luocheng Prefecture constable to secure a room.

It was a large dormitory.

When traveling, one couldn't be too picky. As long as no one had any inappropriate preferences, Qin Shaoyou didn't mind.

Sleeping together was fine, just like in the college dormitory.

After tying the horses and putting away the luggage, he left two soldiers to guard the equipment and led the others to the Zhang residence.

He wanted to learn more about the case of the disappearance of Zhang Shilang's grandson.

This was the latest case of a missing child, and it might provide some clues.

However, what Qin Shaoyou and his men didn't expect was that when they knocked on the door of the Zhang residence, reported their identities as constables, and stated their purpose, the gatekeeper informed them:

"Thank you for your trouble, Sirs. I'm very sorry, but our young master has returned safely, so there's no need for you to worry anymore."