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Chapter 402 Giant Boa (Part 3)

Zhang Tong fell backward onto the stone slab beside the well.

A faint, sinister smile played on his lips.

There wasn't a single scratch on his body; it was obvious he'd been bewitched.

A strong servant from a wealthy family nearby found him early in the morning while fetching water.

Jianpu wasn't flustered at all. In this day and age, what's so surprising about seeing a corpse on the roadside?

He first reported the incident to the authorities, and then carried the buckets to another well further away to fetch water.

After the government investigated, it transferred the case to the Department of Purification.

This looks like it was harmed by evil spirits last night.

An inspector arrived from the Department of Purification.

They only took it slightly seriously when they discovered the dead man was a low-ranking official of the Grand Canal government, but they didn't alert the patrol inspector. Instead, they called Yu Yunhang over.

After investigating, Yu Yunhang concluded that the victim was harmed by the evil tree-nosed insect.

The evil spirits within the city also have their own territories.

There is a half-dead old tree next to this well.

A malevolent tree-nosed insect lived in the tree. Its favorite thing to do was to squat on the tree, watch the people coming and going at the well below, and fantasize about sucking in their souls with its nose and eating them.

But it dared not actually do it.

If even one person dies by the well, the Exorcism Department will take its life.

Moreover, for it, consuming souls is merely "greed." Its true purpose in staying in the city is to indulge in the abundant "vulgarity" of the place.

It survives and grows every day by relying on the murky, worldly atmosphere of the city.

If they leave human cities, they will inevitably grow thinner and thinner.

But last night, someone suddenly rushed to the tree and started provoking and humiliating me.

I ignored him, but he still tried to kill me!

I have no choice but to resist.

Who would have thought that such a lowly nobody would be so easily defeated? I only needed to inhale through my nose, and his soul left his body, willingly crawling into my nose...

The tree-nosed insect was so frightened that it fled Champa overnight.

After Yu Yunhang solved the case, he symbolically issued a warrant for the capture of the tree-nosed insect.

If the evil spirits within the city kill someone and manage to escape, this is the only way they can be dealt with.

In such a vast area outside the city, there are countless similar evil spirits. How can we determine which one is the murderer?
……

Pilong's "lice" can burrow into the target's body without anyone noticing.

However, if the target is of a higher level, such as a sixth-rate one, it is best to subdue the target in advance, otherwise resistance may kill the louse.

But Zhang Tong was just a nobody.

Bored, Xu Yuan waited in the "Jade Pavilion" for Zhang Tong and that cold-jade girl to finish, and then quietly released the lice.

After taking Zhang Tong into custody, they learned that the people behind Zhang Tong were actually the River Supervisor and An Chengyuan.

Zhang Tong is no longer useful.

Xu Yuan didn't want to waste a single lice on him, so he manipulated him to leave in the middle of the night and seek his own death.

……

The staff at Yuansheng opened for business early this morning after removing the door panels.

While working, they were all absent-minded, glancing at the street every now and then.

Those water brigade servants have been causing trouble for several days in a row.

I wonder when today will arrive?
They already asked for twenty taels yesterday, and they'll definitely ask for an even bigger exorbitant amount today.

The guys just felt frustrated and annoyed!

Our boss is a high-ranking official, so why are we so submissive?
However, even by nearly noon today, not a single water horse driver could be seen on the street.

As the workers were wondering what was going on, a rumor began to circulate among the shops at the docks: "Zhang Tong is dead!"

Not long after, the story of how Zhang Tong died spread throughout the dock in great detail, as if they had witnessed it with their own eyes!
The crew of the Yuansheng exchanged glances, unable to contain their excitement!
One of the talkative and frivolous workers couldn't help but say, "No wonder the boss has been holding back all this time; he was planning something drastic! Hehehe, after this, who will dare to bully us at the docks..."

He was speaking excitedly when he suddenly heard Uncle Yang coughing behind him.

"Are you just bored and have nothing better to do than gossip here!"

The waiter shrank back, wiping the table with a grin: "Boss, I'm working right now."

Then he couldn't help but say, "Shopkeeper, is this really our boss...?"

"Nonsense!" Uncle Yang glared at everyone, "Don't go out and spread nonsense! Lord Zhang... died at the hands of evil spirits!"
There are many shops on this dock that have a grudge against Lord Zhang, so why are you saying it's us?

Do you understand everything? "

The workers all shouted in unison, "Understood!"

No matter what Uncle Yang said, the neighbors immediately suspected Yuansheng.

"Yesterday I was certain that Yuansheng was going to go out of business and that the shop would change hands—but I never expected that it would directly kill a Water Horse Attendant!"

Suddenly, the neighbors all around became friendly.

On ordinary days, when people set up stalls in front of their shops, they would argue for half a day about who would take up more space or who would take less space.

Nowadays, everyone is amicably giving Yuansheng a little more leeway.

The guys, who had been feeling down for several days, finally got their revenge.

But some people secretly thought: Zhang Tong is dead, how could the River Supervisor let this go?

Everyone at this dock knows that the Water Horse Attendant is just a dog of the River Supervisor.

……

The River Supervisor was indeed very angry.

Regardless of how Zhang Tong died, the river supervisor believed that Xu Yuan was responsible.

"What a courageous dog!"

"Openly plotting to murder a ninth-rank official of the imperial court!"

Zhang Tong is very obedient and capable in handling affairs.

Such dogs are not easy to find.

But since we're dead, we have to find a new path.

With the lucrative position of Assistant Water Horse Attendant vacant, many people tried to curry favor with the River Supervisor to secure the post.

The river supervisor wasn't in a hurry; he could wait for a better price if others were vying for his services.

River monitoring is already very familiar with this kind of thing.

That evening, the river supervisor accepted an invitation from a magistrate of the Champa government to go to Xieliu Lane for drinks, dressed in plain clothes.

During the banquet, the magistrate mentioned that a family nephew was willing to offer one thousand taels of silver to seek the position of Assistant Water Horse Officer.

The river supervisor just smiled and brushed it off.

The price isn't low, but I still need to hear quotes from other companies.

The prefect understood, and after mentioning it briefly, he said no more. The two then began to chat about romance and nature. As night deepened, they each took their girls back to their rooms.

Once in the room, the girl shared one last drink with him to "enhance the mood," and then they prepared to go to bed.

After drinking the wine, the river supervisor fell asleep immediately and could not be woken up no matter how much he was called.

Lord Xu once bought a wine pot from Yin Yang Zhai.

The River Supervisor was one of the six streams.

After knocking him unconscious, Xu Yuan inserted the louse into He Jian's body.

It's still the same one that controlled Zhang Tong before.

Using it on Zhang Tong would be a waste, but using it on He Jian would be just right!
……

The shops at the dock all thought that the river inspector wouldn't give up easily, but day after day they waited, Yuansheng continued to operate well, and its business became more and more prosperous.

There was still no movement from the river supervisor's side.

Even a few days later, the River Supervisor reappointed a Water Horse Assistant named Qin Tu.

He is Qin Ze's cousin.

Although Qin Ze has almost become "Master Qin the doorman" in the Department of Purification, he was the first inspector to take the initiative to join Lord Xu.

Although he often gets a hard time from Lord Xu because of his big mouth, Lord Xu still gives him all the benefits he deserves.

As for whether the River Supervisor can remain in his post...

As long as the money is available, it's not a problem.

The River Supervisor has plenty of money, but in reality, he doesn't want to spend his own.

Now that Lord Xu is making the decision for him, he can spend the money as he sees fit, and his position will be very secure.

For Xu Yuan, secretly dealing with the Grand Canal government was no longer a big deal.

In a place like Champa, a "double fifth-rate" person can really do whatever they want!

At this point, Lord Xu was in fact the de facto ruler of Champa.

The government should not provoke them, otherwise Xu Yuan would not mind using another scoundrel.

Xu Yuan was secretly feeling smug when his stepmother and Aunt Wang came to see him. His stepmother got straight to the point and said, "My aunt and I have to go back now."

Xu Yuan was taken aback: "Go back? Why do you suddenly want to go back?"

"We need to go back and make preparations ahead of time," Lin Wanmo said.

Everyone understands what needs to be prepared.

Xu Yuan lowered his head and remained silent for a moment: "Okay..."

Aunt Wang was a little reluctant to part with the child. She touched A Yuan's face and said, "If we don't go back and prepare now, it will be too late."

Xu Yuan said, "My Dragon Transformation Technique has already advanced to the fifth rank. When you make your preparations, take my combat strength into account."

Aunt Wang's eyes lit up: "So fast?"

Xu Yuan nodded.

Lin Wanmo couldn't help but say, "The Grand Canal government and the Fu family found out about it one after another recently, and that's why..."

Xu Yuan nodded and smiled.

It's all understood without saying a word.

Lin Wanmo carefully examined her stepson, facing reality for the first time: "He really has grown up..."

From the Crown Princess to Luo Gongqiao, many fourth-rate officials visited Champa.

Who would have thought that the mastermind behind it all was this seventeen-year-old boy, Zhang Lu?

The key point is that he also snatched chestnuts from the fire and obtained the resources he wanted, thus successfully advancing his Dragon Transformation Technique to the fifth rank.

Xu Yuan tentatively asked, "What about the family matters...? Is it related to Master Ruan Tian?"

Lin Wanmo and Aunt Wang were both surprised: "You... guessed it?"

Xu Yuan curled his lip: "Jiaozhi is such a small place. If the imperial court could pardon a serious crime like treason, who else could it be for?"

This is also one of the reasons why Xu Yuan was willing to cooperate with the Ancient Corpse Empress to deal with Ruan Tianye.

Xu Yuan vaguely suspected that the family's affairs were probably related to this Master Ruan Tian.

“Our family is responsible for ‘nailing’ Grandpa Ruan Tian to Ghost Mountain…” Aunt Wang suddenly said, and Lin Wanmo no longer stopped her.

"Back then, Lord Ruan Tian fled into the Ghost Mountain with the royal robes and jade seal of Jiaozhi."

Unfortunately, most of the dynasties that ruled over Jiaozhi were officially recognized by the central dynasties.

This royal robe and jade seal were the treasures of the Kingdom of Jiaozhi, and they were of the same lineage as those of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the imperial talismans of the Ming dynasty could not suppress it.

As long as this thing is in Nguyen Thien's hands, he can come out at any time, incite the local natives to rebel, and re-establish the Nguyen Dynasty of Jiaozhi.

The court devised a plan to trap Him in the Ghost Mountain by using the remains of the ancestors of the Nguyen Dynasty and their blood ties.

But this arrangement needs to be strengthened every year.

"If anything happens on a regular basis, we must also keep a close eye on whether this restriction has been loosened."

At this point, Aunt Wang paused, looked at Xu Yuan, and slowly said, "The root of this restriction lies in the underworld, not in the mortal world. Therefore, to strengthen the restriction, one must pass through the Gates of Hell and walk the Road to the Underworld every year!"

Xu Yuan's eyes widened suddenly: So that's how it is.

Aunt Wang then said, "Everyone in our alley has a lot of yin energy because everyone has been to the underworld several times."

"Your uncle, fourth uncle, and I can't just act outside the alley because we've been to the underworld too many times, leaving us with too much damage."

Xu Yuan nodded. Aunt Wang and Uncle Shen were definitely top-tier people back then. But now their physical condition is about the same as that of the third-tier person from the Prince of Xiang's mansion.

Aunt Wang: "But going to the underworld isn't all bad. In our alley, there are far more third-rate people than outside. Can you guess why?"

Xu Yuan: "Is it also related to visiting the underworld?"

"A fourth-rate person can only rise to the third-rate in the underworld, not in the mortal world!"

Xu Yuan was taken aback once again.

This is the absolute secret of the Seven Gates.

I would never tell someone who is not a close relative.

“I understand…” Xu Yuan said.

"Try to further improve the Dragon Transformation Technique," Lin Wanmo said. "The Dragon Transformation Technique has the strongest resistance to the underworld among all techniques."

Xu Yuan nodded vigorously, his resolve to elevate the "Dragon Transformation Technique" to the fourth rank before the Ghost Festival in July.

Lin Wanmo and Aunt Wang left after lunch that day.

The teachers of the Third Sister's Guild all followed Aunt Wang back to Shanhe County.

While their reluctance to part with Aunt Wang certainly played a part, the more important reason was that they were prepared to "step down and hand over the reins."

The Third Sisters Society has now been freed from its constraints and can expand and develop freely.

The younger generation needs to step up.

The older generation simply let go and allowed Miao Yan's generation to do it.

With Master Xu around, nothing will go wrong.

……

With all his loved ones gone, Lord Xu felt utterly empty inside.

After several more days of rain, everyone's mood became even more gloomy.

The river swelled, and a mudslide occurred in Xiaoyu Mountain, submerging an entire small village.

The local government was busy with disaster relief, while the canal administration was busy with flood control.

Miao Yan has resumed his work with the fishing gang.

The fishing gang had been catching some novel evil spirits these past few days, which they could sell for a good price, so they were completely unaware that danger was about to strike.

There are some evil spirits here, the offspring of the great evil spirit in Ghost Witch Mountain.

Xu Yuan entrusted this matter to Third Sister with peace of mind.

Five days later, the rain finally stopped.

Everyone in the Purification Department was busy.

In the heavy rain, countless evil spirits infiltrated the city.

These newcomers, who don't know the rules, are likely to cause a series of bizarre cases.

Xu Yuan sent out his captains to patrol diligently.

At noon, Lang Xiaoba was still worried that the adults had no food to eat—the old lady had passed away, and the adults were now all alone again.

Lang Xiaoba went to Wuweilou to buy wine and food. When he entered the government office, he heard the voices of Zhu Zhanlei and Miao Yu.

"Come on, come on, what's the point of you staying alone? I'll treat you to drinks." Zhu Zhanlei tugged at Xu Yuan's sleeve.

Zhu Zhanlei ultimately failed to complete his "revenge operation" against Xu Miaozhi together with Dafu.

This is because Xu Yuan keeps a very close eye on Da Fu.

But Xu Yuan later realized that Zhu Zhanlei didn't have the guts.

He truly didn't want to provoke Xu Miaozhi again.

In Zhu Zhanlei's opinion, isn't it good for me to eat, drink, and have fun?

I'll let this loss slide.

Besides, I also lost Xu Miaozhi's "Dragon's Cure".

If I really make an enemy of this woman, and she comes back to take revenge on me... cough cough, when will this cycle of revenge end? I won't stoop to her level.

Xu Yuan was already feeling a bit lazy and didn't want to go, but Lang Xiaoba brought back wine and food, so everyone ate at the government office, had a few drinks, and chatted.

Before they had finished eating, a captain under Shi Bading rushed over: "Sir, someone from Shiping County has sent for help, saying that a giant python has been discovered in the county. It has come ashore three times and swallowed eight people..."

"A giant python?" Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

Lord Xu is seeking to advance his Dragon Transformation Technique once again. If there is any dragon-type evil spirit that can be devoured, it is naturally the Yin-Yang Python from the old market at Xiaoxi Temple.

But that one is not someone to be trifled with.

After hesitating for two days, Xu Yuan rejected the idea, using the excuse that "I tricked it out of many treasures before, so I should be kind to it."

Now that a giant python has suddenly appeared in Shiping County under his jurisdiction, Lord Xu was immediately intrigued.

"Bring the people here."

"As ordered."

Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanlei then took their leave.

Before long, the man from Shiping County was brought in. He knelt down respectfully, not even daring to look up at Xu Yuan.

He was just a yamen runner in Shiping County, subordinate to the county officials of Shiping County.

Their social status and position are far inferior to Xu Yuan's.

"What exactly happened?" Xu Yuan asked.

"Reporting to you, sir, it has been raining for the past few days. Perhaps it is because of this giant python that rushed down from Xiaoyu Mountain. There was no such evil spirit in our county before."

It dwells in the Xiaohei River in the north of the county. There used to be a lion-headed toad evil spirit in the river, but since this giant python appeared, the lion-headed toad has disappeared without a trace, presumably having been swallowed by the giant python.

There are three villages on both sides of the Xiaohei River. The villagers all know that there are evil spirits in the river, so they don't usually go to the riverbank.

Even so, over the past three days, the giant python still managed to come ashore and swallow eight people from three villages.

Our adults risked their lives to investigate, but the giant python, hundreds of feet away, glared at us, and the poison seeped into their very souls, causing them to fall unconscious on the spot. They haven't woken up yet.

At this point, the man kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Please, sir, save us! If you refuse to help, I fear that sooner or later the entire population of our county will be devoured by that evil spirit!"

Lang Xiaoba stood to the side, impatiently saying, "Alright, stop kowtowing. Can a giant python eat an entire county's worth of people?"

The man then became meek and dared not speak again.

When people from below came to ask for help, they were all like this, afraid that their superiors would not send anyone, so they all exaggerated the severity and urgency of the situation.

Xu Yuan then asked, "What level is that lion-headed toad?"

"Sixth-rate!"

Xu Yuan frowned: "Really? Do you know what will happen if you dare to deceive me?"

The man's eyes flickered: "It should be a sixth-rate person. I've only heard rumors from the county; I've never seen it with my own eyes..."

boom!
Xu Yuan slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Fool! You think you can fool me?"

The man's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground again: "I dare not."

"What level is it exactly?"

"Nine, nine streams"

"Hmph!" Xu Yuan snorted coldly.

If there are evil spirits of the lowest order in the county, would you still use that giant python to eat people?

That lion-headed toad had already devoured all the villages along the river.

Lang Xiaoba got angry and reached out to grab him: "Sir, this fellow is really despicable! He came to us for help, but he's full of lies. Let me give him a few punches first."

Xu Yuan raised his hand: "Never mind."

Lang Xiaoba left indignantly.

The man was already ashen-faced: "Sir, that giant python is indeed terrifying, and the county is truly powerless to eradicate it."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Ba, take a team of brothers and come with me to Shiping County."

It is, after all, an evil spirit belonging to the dragon family, so I should at least take a look.

……

Shiping County is located between Champa and Luocheng.

Xu Yuan set off at noon. After everyone mounted their horses, they attached calligraphy stickers to the horses' legs, and they moved at lightning speed, entering Shiping County by evening.

The county magistrate, accompanied by three shifts of yamen runners, stood respectfully at the entrance of the county government office to greet them.

"Your humble servant Lu Chengwen greets Lord Xu."

Xu Yuan dismounted and, without any pleasantries, asked directly, "Where are the county officials now?"

"After County Magistrate Wei Zhenbang fell into a coma, he was rescued by his subordinates and has been staying in the county government office ever since."

"lead the way!"

"Yes."

The magistrate quickly led Xu Yuan to the backyard of the county government office, then pointed to a quiet room and said, "Sir, it's inside."

The magistrate opened the door for Xu Yuan. Just as Xu Yuan was about to enter, a chilling aura blew out of the room, causing Xu Yuan to shiver involuntarily.

The magistrate said, "It has been like this ever since Wei Zhenbang fell into a coma."

Xu Yuan nodded and went inside, where he saw the unconscious county official lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

My whole body was stiff and ice-cold.

A chill emanated from him.

A servant wearing a cotton-padded coat was tending a stove, constantly fanning it.

The firewood in the stove was burning brightly, but there was still no heat to be felt.

Xu Yuan first used his life-gazing technique to examine the county official's life. He found that the official's life was now only a thin thread, like a wisp of smoke hanging above his body, drifting aimlessly, and could be completely extinguished at any moment.

But Wang Ming couldn't see what exactly was wrong with him.

Xu Yuan grasped the Yin-Yang Guillotine again, and this time he saw Wei Zhenbang, along with his soul, solidified by the dense Yin energy.

This yin energy was very strange, like a piece of ice, freezing Wei Zhenbang while not dissipating itself.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, gripped the Yin-Yang Guillotine, observed closely with his right eye, and then gently exhaled a wisp of fire from his abdomen.

This strange injury requires extreme caution.

If anything goes wrong, Xu Yuan will stop immediately.

To avoid endangering Wei Zhenbang's life instead of saving him.

Xu Yuan controlled the fire in his abdomen to a thread-like fineness.

It landed on the icy Yin energy surrounding Wei Zhenbang, like a sharp blade slicing off a piece of Yin energy.

Once this yin energy is separated, it slowly dissolves and then dissipates.

Xu Yuan stared at Wei Zhenbang, but Wei Zhenbang remained unchanged.

Xu Yuan felt a little relieved and used the fire to cut off another piece.

After performing this for a short time, the yin energy surrounding Wei Zhenbang had been completely removed.

Xu Yuan frowned, because Wei Zhenbang hadn't changed at all.

It hasn't improved, but it hasn't worsened either.

But after cutting away all the frozen yin energy, Xu Yuan thought to himself that his treatment method should be correct. After a short pause, he let the wisp of fire in Wei Zhenbang's abdomen seep into his ear canal.

Under the scorching heat of the flames, the yin energy within Wei Zhenbang's body began to slowly dissipate.

Then Xu Yuan unleashed his power, and with a "whoosh," the fire in his abdomen transformed into a fire shield, which covered Wei Zhenbang's body.

"Ah!" the magistrate exclaimed, wanting to stop them but not daring to.

I am very worried that this Lord Xu will act recklessly and end up killing Wei Zhenbang.

But after a while, Lord Xu opened his mouth and inhaled, and all the fire in his abdomen rolled back into his abdomen.

The chill in the room vanished instantly.

Wei Zhenbang, lying on the bed, twitched his eyelids and opened his eyes, waking up!
The magistrate immediately changed his tune, showering him with flattery: "Lord Xu's skills are truly divine!"

Wei Zhenbang was bewildered: "I..." He suddenly noticed Xu Yuan's official robes and hurriedly tried to get out of bed to pay his respects, but Xu Yuan stopped him: "Are you alright?"

"I am unharmed."

"Check yourself again. Are your body and soul alright?"

Wei Zhenbang silently checked it over and said, "There is indeed no problem. With you personally taking care of it, I am very relieved."

Xu Yuan was somewhat puzzled: He felt... it shouldn't be this simple.

(End of this chapter)