Chapter 31

The headless ghost stood in the great hall, while Baifu silently constructed the Mystic Yin Ghost Capturing Array beside him. Wenshan held the head and chanted the spell to help the headless ghost reattach his head.

Xun Yi sat on the throne, constantly tapping the table, his face showing signs of anxiety.

"Do you know this person?" Wushan, who did not understand these spells, watched from the side.

"Yes, his name is Liu Xun. He is a personal guard of the Rui Commandery Prince, and he lives in Qinglong City. Once, when my eldest nephew came to visit, my cousin, the Rui Commandery Prince, noticed him and directly added him to his personal guard." Xun Yi covered his forehead: "He lived with his mother since childhood. His mother sells candy at the Wenqu Temple. I saw him two months ago and heard that his wife is pregnant." He was the son of Aunt Liu, and when he was a child, Xun Yi even carried him to the temple fair.

Thinking of how Liu Xun's death left only his old mother and pregnant wife, Xun Yi smiled bitterly: "Just like his father, he left his wife and the child in her womb early."

Wushan, upon hearing this, felt deeply moved: "The world is ever-changing, just like this. The joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions, are the essence of the mortal world."

Xun Yi said nothing, focusing on the central Mystic Yin Ghost Capturing Array. When Wenshan threw the head, it slowly merged with the bleeding neck, but suddenly the headless ghost became agitated, grabbing the head and tearing it with his teeth, then kicking it away forcefully.

Wushan: "Hmm, why is the rejection so strong? Could the head have been contaminated with something else these days?"

"That's not right, this head isn't his." Baifu noticed something was off, catching Liu Xun's head and frowning: "This headless ghost must be someone else. Liu Xun's head doesn't match."

"Someone else?" Wenshan said: "I see part of Liu Xun's soul is locked in the Six Yang Head, which seems to be the mark of the headless ghost. Could this be another headless ghost?"

"Headless ghosts are born by chance, how could there be so many?" The Mountain Patrol General questioned: "And what about the Ghost-Head Vulture? Why are all these things happening to us?"

"Ghost-Head Vultures are generally formed by the resentment of the blade that beheads them. Because their heads were cut off, they crave the Six Yang Heads of others to balance the yang energy in the head with their own yin energy. When yin and yang perfectly merge, the Ghost-Head Vulture can advance to become a Ghost-Faced Owl." Wenshan twirled his judge's pen: "Perhaps all this is the work of a Ghost-Faced Owl?"

"You mean, the Ghost-Faced Owl outside the city is killing and causing these headless ghosts to appear?" Xun Yi twisted his neck, feeling it was still intact, and said: "Issue the City God's order, command the House Guard General to patrol Qinglong City. The Ghost-Hunting General to search for ghosts and gather clues. The Demon-Slaying General and the Mountain Patrol General to search outside for Liu Xun's and this headless ghost's remains."

Xun Yi issued the order, and at that moment, a surge of spiritual energy outside caused Xun Tan to burst into the City God's residence, glaring at the civil and military judges.

Running up to Xun Yi, he whispered: "What are you doing here!"

Of course, I'm worried about you!

But Xun Tan looked around, seeing all the gods present, and without a good excuse, he was about to be driven away.

Thinking of the interrogation that morning, Xun Tan said: "This morning, my sister interrogated Ma Jingyi and learned about a partner."

"Oh? Who?"

"Hu Xiaoman."

The headless ghost, who had not yet been taken away by Wushan, suddenly trembled at the mention of Hu Xiaoman's name. Wushan sensed something and temporarily left the headless ghost.

"Hu Xiaoman?" Xun Yi's voice rose: "That's impossible!" He shook his head repeatedly: "I'm not close to Hu Xiaoman, but she wouldn't do such a thing."

"Why is it impossible?" Baifu's eyes flashed: "Master, don't forget, yesterday morning when we went to the women's school, wasn't it Hu Xiaoman and Miss Zhang who were there? Later, when you went to the Wenqu Temple to find someone, they had already left the city. If these two women leaked the information, wouldn't that explain it?"

"We went to the Wenqu Temple too late, it could have been through other channels."

"Do you think Miss Zhang and Hu Xiaoman are gossips? Or was our conversation overheard?"

Xun Yi was speechless. He had dealt with Zhang Yuqi for five years and knew Zhang Miao, though not a close friend, as a naive little girl who would keep secrets. And at the time, no one else was present, so the information must have leaked from Hu Xiaoman.

Doubtful, Xun Yi said: "Investigate first. Wenshan, use the 'Round Light Mirror Technique' to check the Hu family's situation."

Wenshan, hearing Xun Yi's command, took out his judge's pen and drew a circle in front of his eyes. Golden light formed a mirror, projecting the situation at Hu Xiaoman's house.

With just one glance, Wenshan frowned: "There's a demonic aura." He controlled the treasure mirror, slowly changing the view to observe the Hu family's situation.

Suddenly, the mirror's view changed, showing the bones under Hu Daling's bed. These bones were scattered, only the limbs and torso remained, and all parts were headless!

"It looks like the style of a Ghost-Head Vulture," Wushan's fighting spirit flared. After the generals left, if they were to catch the demon, it would be his turn!

The view changed again, suddenly focusing on Hu Xiaoman's room.

Xun Yi frowned, intending to look away, but then he saw the pale-faced Hu Xiaoman being beaten by her father.

"Find a way to transmit the sound," Baifu said, and Wenshan cast a spell to reveal what was happening in the Hu family to everyone.

"Who did you ask your neighbor to send a message to during dinner?" The scarred man glared at Hu Xiaoman coldly.

Hu Xiaoman, lying on the bed, whispered: "I sent a message to Zhang Miao, saying the daughter wouldn't go to school in the afternoon."

Hu Daling grabbed Hu Xiaoman's hair, their eyes meeting. Hu Xiaoman's eyes flickered, and with a thud, she was slammed against the wall: "Sending a message to Zhang Miao? Not to let that boy from the Xun family come, right?"

Hu Daling sneered: "This afternoon, when Zhang Miao comes to visit, try to get her to bring the Xun family's young master. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Xun Yi appeared in Hu Xiaoman's room, holding the City God's seal. He smiled at Hu Daling: "Uncle, if you want to see me so much, you could have just sent a letter to the Xun family." As he spoke, divine power spread, and peach blossoms bloomed, exuding a killing aura: "Or do you have something to hide?"

Seeing Xun Yi in the mirror, Xun Tan looked back at his brother on the throne. Xun Yi had already rushed to the Hu family as soon as Hu Daling started beating Hu Xiaoman.

"Go, Yin spirit! Be careful not to dissipate!" Xun Tan and the others, not daring to delay, appeared at the Hu family.

Hu Daling, seeing Xun Yi descend in divine light, was startled. Then, seeing the golden peach blossoms and the crescent moon hanging high, the cold aura spreading, and a woman casting the "Osmanthus Embracing the Moon" spell at the door, he knew he couldn't stay.

Taking out the "Book Reed Pen," he pointed the tip: "Radiant Light Shatters the Moon, Vast Sea Rises with the Moon!" First, brilliant sunlight broke through the moonlight, then black water swept through the entire house.

Boom!

Tables and chairs overturned, the wooden bed broke, and the flood carried all the furniture toward them.

Wenshan, Wushan, and Baifu, fearing for Xun Yi's safety, all came to his aid. But Hu Xiaoman's room was too small for all of them to stand. The black water swept over, and they all cast spells, but their spells conflicted, leaving them unable to move freely. Baifu used earth diving, Wushan carried Xun Yi away, and Wenshan rescued Hu Xiaoman. Two orange bubbles landed in the water, avoiding the black water attack.

Xun Tan used a spell to protect herself, watching as the moon in the black water enveloped Hu Daling, who fled the house.

"Where are you going!" Xun Yi, enraged, threw the City God's seal into the air: "City God's power, seal!" The golden divine seal hung in the air, forming a light barrier to seal the entire city.

Hu Daling escaped the house, flapping his hands to transform into a demonic bird surrounded by yin wind, flying toward the sky, only to be blocked by Xun Yi's seal.

Seeing he couldn't leave the city, he dove again, his sharp beak pecking at Xun Yi.

"White Egret's Song, Seagull's Play." Wenshan cast a spell, writing two lines of gold with his iron pen, transforming into white egrets and seagulls that attacked the demonic bird.

"Master, you and Hu Xiaoman step back. Leave this to us!" Wenshan handed the unconscious Hu Xiaoman to Xun Yi and moved forward with Wushan. One wielded a sword, the other a pen, working in perfect harmony to corner the demonic bird.

In the air, a flock of seagulls and white egrets pecked at the demonic bird, black and white feathers falling.

"This Wenshan is not simple. This technique must be the third realm of the Literary Dao, the Spring and Autumn Pen? He can already be called a sage, reaching the realm of achievement."

The Literary Dao has five cultivation realms, similar to Xun Tan's qi cultivation and demon techniques, all corresponding to the five heavens, followed by the path to becoming a celestial deity.

"Establishing the Heart, Establishing the Word, Establishing the Deed, Establishing the Destiny, Establishing the Sage. It's a pity he only realized the fruit of his deeds after death; otherwise, he might have had the potential to become a sage." Xun Tan shook her head, knowing that based on Wenshan's achievements, he would never reach the sage realm of the Literary Dao in this life.

Xun Yi was about to ask a question when Hu Xiaoman in his arms woke up. Seeing the demonic bird retreating in the air, she almost fainted again.

Suddenly, a silver light burst from the ground!

"Evil spirit, die!" Baifu, holding a large axe, fiercely chopped at the demonic bird's neck. Blood splattered, and the bird's head fell to the ground, black smoke rising from its body.

Baifu and the others, caught off guard, were enveloped by the black smoke, disoriented in the mist, feeling the constant presence of vengeful spirits.

"Brother, use the divine seal to disperse the black smoke. This is probably the manifestation of evil spirits and resentment?" Xun Tan was uncertain, as this was her first encounter with such a phenomenon.

Xun Yi, holding the City God's seal, was about to cast a spell when Hu Xiaoman pushed him away: "Father!" She ran toward the bird's head on the ground, which transformed into Hu Daling's human head. Hu Xiaoman, ignoring everything else, stumbled over.

Because she was in Xun Yi's arms, her push made him lose his grip on the City God's seal, missing the best opportunity. By the time Xun Yi used divine power to disperse the black smoke, the demonic bird had already fled, and Baifu and the others landed with a gloomy expression.

"Evil spirits and resentment, this demon is indeed a Ghost-Head Vulture, and not just one person's resentment, but the accumulated resentment of many beheaded people. It naturally controls the evil spirit domain, and the black smoke contains countless dead spirits, disgusting." Wenshan's face showed disgust. As a divine being, he and Wushan abhorred such evil spirits. Baifu, as a benevolent ghost cultivator, also detested such demonic techniques.

"This time, we let him escape. We don't know if we can catch him again." Wushan complained, disliking the sight of Hu Xiaoman holding the head and refusing to let go. If not for Hu Xiaoman's interference, Xun Yi could have dispelled the evil spirits, and they could have captured the demonic bird.

Hu Xiaoman stared at the group, her mind in chaos from the spells cast. Xun Yi walked over to help her, but she immediately pushed him away: "It's... it's you... you killed my father!" Her voice was hysterical, mixed with fear.

"Your father is already dead; that was a demon possessing him." Xun Tan stepped forward to defend her brother: "Otherwise, would your real father treat you like this?" She pointed to the bruises all over Hu Xiaoman's body.

Hu Xiaoman, holding the head, refused to let go, resisting Xun Tan's approach and shrinking into the corner.

Xun Yi slapped his head: "I remember Zhang Miao once mentioned that Hu Xiaoman's father liked to drink. He would often beat people after drinking, so Hu Xiaoman didn't suspect his recent violent behavior?"

After all, they had been father and daughter for many years. Hu Daling, raising his daughter alone, was under great pressure, usually a kind and honest man, but he would change completely after drinking. During this time, the Ghost-Head Vulture had been impersonating him, and Hu Xiaoman had only assumed her father was under too much pressure outside and was taking it out on her.

Instead, their intervention made her suspect that Xun Yi had killed her father.

"As for the bones under the bed, she didn't know about them?" Xun Tan couldn't stand it, stepping forward and striking Hu Xiaoman unconscious: "Wushan, help carry her to the City God's residence. We'll restore her father's soul and let him explain."

At this point, the commotion had attracted the attention of the neighbors.

"Then, what about the Ghost-Head Vulture?" Xun Yi said: "If we let him continue to wreak havoc, there will be more victims." More frighteningly, the Ghost-Head Vulture could transform into the appearance of the person it ate, making it difficult to find if it hid among the people.

"Master had already sealed the city with the divine seal, so the evil spirit can't leave. The Ghost-Head Vulture must be hiding in the city." Baifu said: "Master should strengthen the City God's barrier to prevent any evil spirits from leaving, and then we can search house by house."

A knock came at the door, and Xun Yi used the divine seal to teleport everyone to the City God's residence. Mobile users, please visit http://m.piaotia.net

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