I bear witness to immortality in the human world.

Chapter 120 Demon Subduing
Jingye City.

North of the city.

In a courtyard somewhere.

A dark figure dressed in black leaped between the courtyards, moving with agility and lightness, without alerting anyone, and quietly slipped into a house. A moment later, a bulging bundle appeared on his back.

Zhu Ye was a thief from the bottom of society. He was an orphan and a beggar who struggled to survive by stealing and being clever. He also tried to learn martial arts by stealing. By chance, he encountered a corpse while traveling at night and picked up a sum of money from it. He used this money to eat, wear, and live a hard life. Finally, he successfully coagulated his blood and became a martial artist.

Although he had become a martial artist and escaped the lowly status of the underworld, enabling him to find normal work, he was still used to the life of theft because he came from a poor background and couldn't get used to working for others. Therefore, after becoming a martial artist, he didn't do much work and went back to his old ways, stealing every night.

There are many tricks to the trade when it comes to thievery.

Zhu Ye understood this principle well, and he adhered to the rule of not stealing from wealthy households, households with strict security, or households that were penniless... He only stole from those households that were well-off but not wealthy and could not afford to hire martial arts guards.

Moreover, thieves don't exhaust their resources; they take only a small portion and try to avoid causing too much of a commotion.

Because he didn't steal much money, and his targets were all suitable, and because he never flaunted the stolen money and spent it in various places while traveling all over the country, he was not caught by the Censorate for many years and lived a very comfortable life.

"Oh, I didn't expect this to be the young lady's boudoir... This girl is quite pretty, but her sleeping posture is really... Hmm, luckily I ran into a master, who only steals valuables and doesn't ruin her reputation."

Zhu Ye climbed onto the roof. Recalling the erotic scene he had witnessed inside the house, he felt a surge of lust. He smacked his lips, thinking that after removing his clothes, he could go to the red-light district to vent his desires.

He only stole money, not flowers, which was also his rule. After all, stealing a little money was nothing. In small amounts, it would not attract the attention of the Censorate. Even if the owner took the initiative to report it to the authorities, the Censorate might not accept it. But picking flowers was different. It would ruin a person's reputation and might even lead to death. Once things got out of hand, trouble would follow.

While it may not seem like much if it happens occasionally, restraint is necessary when it's appropriate.

Swish.

Zhu Ye flipped over the wall and leaped from the rooftop several times before getting away from the courtyard where he had been burglarizing.

However, just as he was swiftly moving across the rooftops under the cover of night, he suddenly seemed to sense something, paused, and turned his gaze to the distance.

"Huh? What's the noise?"

Zhu Ye narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of alertness. He had just sensed some unusual movement nearby and seemed to have seen a dark figure dart past not far away. He immediately crouched down quietly.

He had been a thief for many years, and it was common for him to run into other people when he went out at night. Sometimes he would meet fellow thieves, and sometimes he would encounter vicious thieves who committed murder and robbery, but he would avoid them whenever possible.

The commotion just now was strange; someone must have gone by. However, people who move about quietly in the dead of night are usually not good people. It's more likely that he'll run into someone from the same line of work, but Zhu Ye doesn't want to meet anyone from his line of work.

under night,
Zhu Ye lay quietly, waiting for about a dozen breaths. When he realized he couldn't hear anything, he carefully stood up, turned around, and planned to leave in another direction.

But just as he turned around, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt the hairs on his body stand on end. A gasp almost rose in his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

I see,

Not far from the eaves behind him, a man in black appeared out of nowhere. His face was not clearly visible in the darkness, but his complexion was ashen, like that of a dead man. His eyes, however, flashed with a fierce and menacing light.

"Side by side, which road are you on, handing over a threshold?"

Zhu Ye suppressed his heart palpitations, lowered his voice, and whispered to the man in black.

This is his slang, used to greet someone and inquire about their origins. Generally, thieves, philanderers, and robbers at night keep to themselves and rarely clash when they bump into each other; they usually give way to each other.

"Threshold? Door... Heh heh, heh heh..."

The black-clad man's reaction struck Zhu Ye as incredibly strange. The man seemed to have pondered his words for a moment, then let out a chilling low laugh before moving like a ghost and closing in instantly.

"you……"

Zhu Ye's pupils contracted sharply.

The man in black moved too fast, unbelievably fast. He couldn't even react. Such speed was beyond the reach of a martial arts master who had just achieved one blood coagulation, and even a second blood coagulation would probably be difficult.

The man in black before me is a martial arts master who has achieved three stages of blood clotting?!

But what kind of important person is he who can clot blood three times? What is he doing acting so suspiciously at night, and why is he looking for him?
Zhu Ye's mind raced. Although he didn't know where the other party came from, he instinctively wanted to lower his head and admit defeat. But before he could even speak, the man in black suddenly attacked, his arms like iron clamps, pressing him down in an instant.

Followed by.

The other creature suddenly opened its mouth, revealing gleaming white teeth, and lunged to bite down on his neck. "Ugh..."

Zhu Ye was terrified and struggled desperately but could not break free. Just as he was about to shout, it was too late. The man in black bit his neck, and his screams were immediately suppressed, turning into sobs.

Gurgling.

Zhu Ye felt his throat being bitten off instantly, and blood gushed from his neck, which was swallowed by the man in black. His strength also quickly disappeared.

"You...are you a human...or a ghost..."

Unable to break free, Zhu Ye struggled to turn his head to look at the man in black. He could only manage to utter a few words before everything went black and he completely lost consciousness.

The man in black didn't respond at all. After gulping down the blood, he opened his mouth even wider and began to gnaw at Zhu Ye's head, making a crunching sound.

I do not know how long it has been.

Its daybreak.

The figure of the man in black and Zhu Ye was no longer on the eaves. Only a few tattered pieces of black cloth were scattered at the corner of the eaves, which fell into the corners of the streets and alleys with a gust of wind, unnoticed by anyone.

……

The Department of Cautious Punishment.

Silou.

"Master, are you looking for me?"

Wu Ming arrived on the fifth floor, met Liu Muyuan, and spoke respectfully.

Liu Muyuan was holding a dossier in his hand. When he saw Wu Ming arrive, he nodded slightly to him and said, "I've been busy lately and haven't had a chance to test your cultivation. How are your Divine Firmament Thunder Technique and Thunderclap Spear Technique progressing?"

"Reporting to Master, the Divine Firmament Thunder Technique has been mastered to the second Thunder Talisman, and the Thunderclap Spear Technique has reached the sixth move."

Wu Minggong gave a respectful reply.

Upon hearing this, Liu Muyuan smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. In just two months, you have managed to cultivate the Divine Firmament Upper Purity Talisman to the second Thunder Talisman. Your aptitude for Daoist arts is even higher than I thought... Hmm, however, blindly shutting yourself in toil is not the proper way to cultivate. I happen to have some things for you to handle."

Say it.

Liu Muyuan then placed the dossier in his hand on the table and gently pushed it forward.

In fact, Wu Ming only took half a month to refine the second thunder talisman. Now, two months later, the second thunder talisman is almost ready to be perfected. However, Wu Ming did not distinguish at this time. He just took a step forward and reached out to pick up the dossier.

After only a few cursory glances, a strange light flashed in Wu Ming's eyes.

The case file records some recent 'disappearance cases'.

In Jingye City, disappearances are a common occurrence. Every so often, the Shenxing Division receives a number of missing persons cases. However, this time, the disappearances are noticeably different. They occurred in quick succession, and most of the missing persons are martial artists who have achieved the Blood Clotting Realm.

It's normal for ordinary people to disappear in Jingye City; they might have been victims of human error or enemies. But the disappearance of multiple Blood Condensation Warriors in a short period of time is unusual, especially since the disappearances mostly occurred at night.

"You want me to investigate this missing persons case?"

Wu Ming looked at Liu Muyuan and asked.

Liu Muyuan said calmly, “Recently, there have been continuous demonic disturbances outside the city, and some demons have taken advantage of the chaos to sneak into the city and hide in various ways. Most of these missing persons cases are related to them. I have been busy with things recently and have no time to deal with these trivial matters. It just so happens that you have made progress in your cultivation of the Dao, and it is easier for you to find their traces with your primordial spirit perception. It is a good opportunity for you to hone your skills.”

Liu Muyuan directly pointed out that the recent missing persons cases were related to demons, which surprised Wu Ming, because he had also encountered many demons. These things could hide in the wilderness, but how could they hide in the city?

"Among all the demons in the world, there are always all sorts of strange and wonderful creatures. Although only when one reaches the fifth level of transformation and becomes a demon king can one shed one's physical form and condense a human body, some low-level demons also have unique talents. For example, some can wear human skin and hide their bodies, while others are extremely small and good at hiding. In short, there are many different kinds of demons."

Seeing Wu Ming's surprised expression, Liu Muyuan casually said a few more words.

Upon hearing that it was extremely small, adept at concealment, and wore human skin to hide its body, Wu Ming immediately understood. Putting aside the former for the moment, wasn't the latter just the demon 'Painted Skin' from opera stories?
It seems that the chaos outside the city has indeed affected the city, and even monsters have begun to infiltrate the city.

Liu Muyuan entrusted this matter to him, and there was indeed no problem with it. After all, in terms of strength, he was not as good as those martial arts masters who had achieved four blood coagulations, but when it came to patrolling and sensing, martial arts masters who had achieved four blood coagulations were far inferior to him, and even martial arts masters who had achieved five blood coagulations would find it difficult to compare with him in terms of sensing and investigation methods. After all, everyone has their own expertise, and Taoist magic and martial arts each have their own strengths.

(End of this chapter)