Starting as a dockworker

"Damn, this show's over..."

Several laborers nearby whispered among themselves.

The anticipated fight did not occur.

These people were all hired by the Huang family at great expense; how could they possibly be allowed to fight?

Manager Huang immediately intervened, using all his persuasive skills to end the dispute.

Although the dispute has ended, the two are still quite resentful and can't stand each other.

"Everyone's here, let me say a few words..."

"You are all invited by the Huang family to discuss the exorcism of evil spirits. Please unite as one. After the matter is accomplished, the Huang family will reward you according to your merits and will not treat you unfairly."

Manager Huang shouted loudly, gathering everyone together slightly.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up slightly.

You get paid just for coming, and there's a reward after you succeed.

These days, who would complain about not having enough money?

Zhao Liqun spoke up: "Manager Huang, what kind of evil spirit is this in your Huang family? We need an explanation, otherwise we'll be completely lost and won't know where to start."

In fact, he had never seen demons or monsters before; the Huang family had paid a high price to bring them here.

However, he wouldn't reveal this to outsiders, otherwise it would diminish his own prestige.

Shopkeeper Huang said, "It's a rat demon."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately began whispering among themselves, discussing the rat demon.

The stories people were talking about were nothing more than folk tales; no one had actually seen them.

Zhao Liqun then asked, "A rat demon? What does it look like? Can you describe it?"

Manager Huang shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing about it.

The other servants and guards of the Huang family had never seen it either.

All the jobs mentioned earlier have mysteriously disappeared; no one has ever seen them.

However, Manager Huang was prepared. He looked at Li Xiao and the others and said, "However, these brothers know what they've been through. Let them tell us..."

This is also why Manager Huang was willing to spend a lot of money to keep Li Xiao and his seven companions.

All eyes immediately fell on the laborers.

Li Xiao gave a look, signaling for Lao Gang to speak.

Old Gang is old and experienced, so he can handle this kind of situation.

He vividly recounted the events of those three nights, including how they dealt with them, especially the last day, which was quite strange.

"This rat demon is so powerful, how could they disappear while holding hands?"

"That's strange. The person in the middle is gone, but the hands on both sides have been reattached?"

"Three people died, and we'd never even seen what the rat demon looked like. It must know some kind of magic..."

After hearing this, everyone felt a chill run down their spines, sensing that they were not to be trifled with.

Even the militia captain with his bushy beard frowned, looking quite serious.

"Just a minor demon!"

At this moment, Zhao Liqun sneered and said, "We martial arts masters take the secret medicine to strengthen our foundation and enhance our strength."

However, this secret medicine should not be taken indiscriminately. The more powerful the medicine, the more cautious one should be. It should be taken gradually. If the body cannot withstand it, it may harm one's cultivation.

This demon eats people in the same way, using them to increase its cultivation. But it only eats one person at a time, indicating that its cultivation is insufficient.

Otherwise, your entire Huang family would probably have been devoured long ago.

Although Zhao Liqun had never seen a demon, both martial artists and demons need to cultivate.

With a little thought, one can guess the general idea; what he said is reasonable and well-founded.

The bearded captain retorted, "Even if it's a minor demon, it's probably not that easy to deal with. That minor demon appears and disappears like a ghost; it can harm people without them even noticing, and they won't even know how they died."

"That's because you can't see it."

Zhao Liqun chuckled and then stomped his right foot hard.

"Crack!" The cement floor cracked like a spider web as it was stepped on.

Immediately afterwards, he spun his foot with force, turning the cement into dust. The stones embedded in the dust were thrown into the air, and he reached out and grabbed them, suddenly having a handful of stones in his hand to use as hidden weapons.

then.

call out!call out!call out!

He tossed the pebble from his hand, and it flew toward the target on the shooting range!

Keep in mind that they were more than 300 meters away from the firing range at that moment.

They were practicing shooting just now, standing on a target 100 meters away, and they still weren't accurate.

But the pebbles in Zhao Liqun's hands seemed to have eyes; every single one flew straight towards the bullseye of one of the targets, hitting it directly. All ten targets were hit without exception.

hiss....

Everyone present gasped in astonishment; that was incredible!

This terrifying strength and terrifying eyesight far surpass those of ordinary people.

No wonder he said he could see it; it certainly made people believe him.

"So this is what a martial artist is..."

Seeing this, Li Xiao's desire to go to the martial arts school to practice martial arts grew stronger.

It is certain that these pebbles have exceeded the power of this Hanyang rifle, and they can be fired continuously, just like a machine gun, without the need for frequent reloading.

These are still pebbles, not specially designed concealed weapons.

If it were a hidden weapon, it would probably be even more powerful!

Although it is unknown whether a martial artist can withstand bullets with their bare body.

But in terms of lethality alone, it is already superior to rifles!

Li Xiao found it strange that even with such powerful martial arts masters, the previous dynasty was still destroyed by foreign guns and cannons.

But upon reflection, it became clear that martial arts masters, no matter how skilled, are ultimately a minority.

There are probably only a handful of people this capable in the entire Wuling County.

Against a well-equipped army, it cannot play a decisive role.

"So you're the last disciple of Guiyuan Martial Arts School. I apologize for my rudeness earlier..."

After figuring out the other party's identity, the burly man with a thick beard from the militia immediately lost his temper.

He was very glad that he hadn't actually started a fight, otherwise he would have been dead.

Zhao Liqun made a show of force, seized control of the narrative, and began to take the lead in dealing with the rat demon.

Based on Lao Gang's description of the rat demon, he devised a plan.

The shop assistants in the rice store were instructed to prepare nets, and the guards were to lie in ambush outside the rice warehouse with weapons.

The laborers used burlap sacks to cover the rice barn with straw soaked in gasoline, and then used the sacks to completely surround the barn.

Then, waiting for Zhao Liqun to give the order, the rat demon appeared, so they lit gasoline and set fire to the rice warehouse, trapping it inside like a turtle in a jar.

At first, Manager Huang thought that setting fire to the rice warehouses would burn down dozens of them.

But after thinking about it, there was no other way, so he agreed to this method.

A burning granary can be rebuilt.

But if the rat demon isn't killed, it might hide and harm people, and then there will be absolutely no way to deal with it.

With everything arranged, everyone began to get to work...

......

In the evening, the sun sets in the west.

Everyone was ready, and Zhao Liqun and his two companions, dressed as waiters, mingled among the crowd.

Manager Huang brought in a girl who looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old and had her sleep in the rice warehouse as bait.

The girl was wearing tattered clothes, and she looked like a refugee who had fled from outside the city.

She was probably sold by her parents.

The little girl was trembling with fear, her face filled with terror.

Seeing this, Li Xiao felt a pang of sadness; the lives of the disaster victims outside the city were truly worthless...

"Shout loudly if anything happens, understand?"

Zhao Liqun then reassured him, "Don't be afraid, we're here, everything will be alright."

Hearing this, the girl's anxiety eased considerably.

Zhao Liqun, along with his two junior brothers and the girl, entered the rice warehouse.

Next, the others lay in ambush outside, waiting patiently.

Night falls, and darkness deepens.

The entire Huang family rice shop was unusually quiet...

Many members of the Huang family still lived in the houses deep inside the rice shop, but at this moment, all the doors were tightly closed and no sound was made.

Only Manager Huang is here; I heard he's Master Huang's cousin.

He would occasionally take out his pocket watch to check the time.

The laborers, hidden outside the rice granary, held matches, ready to light the sacks at any moment.

The sack was filled with straw soaked in gasoline, ready to ignite at any moment.

Everyone was ready and waiting for the order to act immediately.

But as time went by, there was still no movement inside.

Many people almost dozed off...

Until 4 a.m.

Suddenly, a shout came from afar, breaking the silence in the darkness.

The sound did not come from the rice warehouse, but from the Huang family's residence, which was located deeper inside.

"Oh no! The Third Miss has gone missing!!!"