Gou Zai Yao Wu Simulated Immortal

Li Qian weighed the jade in his hand, placed it in a secluded corner, and felt somewhat at ease.

With Xiong Da attached to the jade, if anything unexpected happens, it can at least buy time for the Li family.

After making the arrangements, Li Qian did not linger.

He turned and left the city, heading straight for Sandiegou.

There's no way you can guard against thieves for a thousand days if you're a thief for a thousand days.

Instead of waiting for the snake demon to come to us, we should take the initiative to go out and see if we can find the snake first.

……

San Die Gou is located in a remote area.

Three mountain ridges enclose a narrow, dark valley.

Weeds grew rampant, and the humidity was extremely high.

The further you go in, the cooler it gets, and even the chirping of insects and birds gradually stops.

Li Qian stealthily made his way through the night.

In the distance, a village came into view, and there was already a faint fishy smell in the air.

He squinted to observe, becoming even more cautious in his actions.

When we reached the depths of the Sandiegou Valley, the scene before us was not much different from what we had expected.

The outside looked like a bandit stronghold.

The fence, watchtower, and wooden house are all there, and at first glance, it even looks somewhat human.

However, upon closer inspection, one will notice something amiss.

The men patrolling the village all looked relaxed, their weapons dull and worn.

They looked like ordinary mountain bandits.

They were definitely not the elite informants that Xiong Po had previously described, the ones who worked for the snake demon.

In several damp corners behind the village, there were some drag marks.

Li Qian moved with agility, silently following the trail towards the shadows behind the village.

He hadn't gone far when he discovered a stone cave at the innermost part of the village.

The cave was dimly lit by firelight, and there was a lingering, putrid smell.

Looking down, there was a bottomless pit.

Li Qian frowned and reached out to pull a handful of dry grass from outside the cave.

He circulated the Yang energy to refine the sun, and with a flick of his fingertips, he ignited it.

Then he flicked his finger and threw it straight into the hole.

Flames rolled and fell downwards.

What was reflected was only stark white bones and blackened, rotting flesh, vaguely recognizable as human remains.

When that glimmer of light reached the bottom, it startled something.

A large number of tiny, white, wriggling creatures surged up from the pit.

Maggots, countless maggots, swarmed and crawled among the rotten flesh and bones.

Layer upon layer, piled up so high that the bottom of the pit was obscured.

Li Qian stood at the edge of the cave, his face darkening.

He turned and left, searching the village's layout.

After a long while, nothing came of it.

The demon has vanished, leaving the building empty.

Li Qian could only draw a four-word conclusion.

She Zhuyin was much more cunning than Xiong Da; as soon as the bear demon died, she immediately withdrew.

Li Qian stood outside the village, his chin resting on his hand, quietly watching the pigs and dogs inside still drinking and making merry.

He naturally took the opportunity to destroy the bandit's den.

But after a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, he managed to suppress his murderous intent.

This place must not be touched.

At least for now, we can't do anything.

The snake demon had already retreated.

That old lair then became the place it was most likely to return to for a visit in the future.

If I were to wipe out the entire bandit den right now...

This was tantamount to telling She Zhuyin that the place had been completely exposed and that he should not come back.

But if this place were still here, the snake demon might come back for a final look.

Li Qian withdrew his hand from the hilt of his sword, memorized the layout of the stronghold and the routes for advancing and retreating, and then quietly withdrew.

The snake demon's attempt failed, leaving only the local gentry as a possible route.

Why not go directly to Heixi County and ask the people there?

Since Liu was able to collude with the snake demon, he must not be a clean person.

……

The next morning.

Heixi County is smaller than Xiangyang County.

The county is small, but the streets and alleys are crowded.

Upon entering the county town, one can smell the pungent odor mixed with livestock manure and firewood smoke.

Li Qian used the illusion array to disguise himself as an ordinary traveling merchant.

We found a teahouse on the street to rest.

The teahouse was small, but its business was diverse.

Downstairs sat brokers, porters, traveling merchants, and ruffians, making a great commotion.

This is a good place to gather information.

Li Qian ordered a pot of coarse tea and two small dishes of snacks, and sat in the corner by the window, slowly drinking them.

After listening to the whispers inside the building, he beckoned to the waiter.

The man was thin and small, with a gray-white cloth draped over his shoulder, and a broad smile on his face.

But when he heard Li Qian mention the Liu family in a low voice, the smile on his face froze.

"Sir... you can ask about other things, but I dare not speak carelessly about this."

Seeing his appearance, Li Qian didn't waste any words.

With a flick of his finger, a small piece of silver fell onto the table.

Xiao Er's eyelids twitched.

Li Qian held his teacup and took a sip: "I was just passing through on a trade route when someone mentioned it. I was curious, and also afraid of running into someone important."

The waiter's eyes darted over the silver, his throat bobbing, still somewhat hesitant.

Seeing his expression, Li Qian added, "Name your price, and we'll discuss the rest separately."

The waiter glanced left and right.

After confirming that no one was paying attention, he bent down and said in a low voice, "The man you are talking about is Liu Haoshen, a famous gentleman in our Heixi County."

"His wife's older brother is the magistrate of this county."

"With relatives around, he's used to being arrogant. He tries to get his hands on any lucrative business in the county."

The waiter smacked his lips, and Li Qian poured him a cup of coarse tea.

He cleared his throat and continued, "Logically speaking, someone like that should have already expanded his business overseas."

"But the trade routes in Xiangyang are tightly controlled, especially by the Li family, who have a firm grip on the routes to the north and south."

"He tried to pass through several times, but the Li family refused, and the feud only deepened."

Upon hearing this, Li Qian gently rubbed the rim of the teacup with his fingertip.

It seems that what Xiong Da said was not unfounded.

The Liu family certainly had this motive.

The waiter noticed that Li Qian remained silent.

He lowered his voice even further, speaking mysteriously: "There's another matter, one that no one in the county dares to speak of openly."

"This Liu Haoshen would frequently take young girls in the county."

"They said they would send her out of the county to do needlework and learn a trade, with room and board provided, and they would pay her quite a bit of money."

"Over the years, countless girls have been sent away. But none of them have ever returned."

Li Qian narrowed his eyes slightly: "Nobody's going to do anything about it?"

The waiter gave a wry smile.

"Who's in charge?"

"The county magistrate is standing behind him."

"Besides, he gave way too much money."

"Even knowing there's nothing good going on, poor people still have to grit their teeth and push their daughters away."

"Some families are just after that little bit of money. Others are genuinely struggling to survive."

"Rather than let the whole family starve to death, it's better to send a daughter away so the whole family can catch their breath."

As he finished speaking, a hint of numbness crept into his voice.

Such things are no longer unusual in Heixi County.

After listening, Li Qian bowed to the waiter, left a small piece of silver, and turned to leave the teahouse.

……

When I returned to the Puyuan County office from Heixi County, it was already close to dusk.

The guards in the courtyard came and went.

Having recently made a small fortune selling demon materials, he was urging others to drink and eat meat.

Laughter and curses mingled together, creating a lively scene.

He walked through the bustling crowd and went straight to Zhou Lan's door.

Upon seeing that it was Young Master Li, the servants guarding outside remembered their boss's instructions and hurriedly went inside to deliver the message.

Before long, Zhou Lan, with a beaming smile, welcomed Li Qian into the inner room and dismissed the servants.

"Young Master Li, please come in quickly. The matters you previously entrusted to us have now been prepared."

"There happens to be another way for you, young master, to legitimately join the Demon Slayer Bureau!"