Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Five days after the recruitment, the centurion's office received a case from the county government, and Cao Xiong was finally able to get away from the busy work.

He took on the task voluntarily.

This case was not caused by demons or ghosts, but by human error.

The incident occurred a few days ago when a troupe was performing on the street, and a goat suddenly started talking.

He claimed to be human, but was transformed into a sheep by a spell.

The other people thought it was a troupe doing this to create a lively atmosphere, but a rich young man watching the performance took it seriously.

He immediately tried to take the goat and report it to the authorities, which led to a conflict with the variety show troupe.

When the constables arrived, the goat that had spoken earlier returned to normal and was no different from an ordinary goat.

Thus, the misunderstanding came to an end.

Just two days ago, the wealthy young man's entire family was brutally murdered.

This morning, a monkey rushed into the county government office, claiming to be the young master who had clashed with the troupe of opera performers. After saying this, it collapsed to the ground and died.

The county government immediately organized a team to investigate, and finally found the troupe's residence in the west of the city. The specific scene was not detailed, but it was known that the constables who went there suffered heavy casualties.

Only one constable who did not enter the troupe's residence escaped.

Following the clues provided by the county government, Cao Xiong led a small squad of soldiers to the west of the city.

The western part of the city is the most diverse and bustling area in the entire Guobei County.

Especially recently, most of the refugees who entered Guobei County have been driven here.

It should be packed with people, but even though it's only evening, there are hardly any people on the streets.

People passing by occasionally hurried by.

"Is this case involving the variety show troupe really that scary?"

Cao Xiong felt something was amiss.

He casually grabbed a vendor carrying a load of goods and asked, "Why are there so few people today?"

The vendor's panic subsided slightly upon seeing Cao Xiong.

"Sir, it's dangerous at night lately, so I don't dare to go out."

Tell me in detail.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to get away without explaining, the vendor quickly added, "Recently, people have been dying for no reason every night in the west of the city."

"At first, the people who died were all headless. In the last few days, people have been having an arm removed after they died. It's terrifying!"

Cao Xiong waved his hand, signaling the vendor to leave.

"It seems the waters in the west of the city are deeper than I imagined."

People die every night. The dead are either beheaded or have their arms removed.

This doesn't seem like something a demon or ghost would do. Could it be that a psychopathic killer has appeared, who not only enjoys the process of killing but also collects the victims' organs?

Cao Xiong did not intend to get involved in this matter; he would simply report it to the county government upon returning.

Cao Xiong continued on his way and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard.

Even before you get close, you can smell the stench of various kinds of livestock manure.

Cao Xiong waved his hand, and a soldier stepped forward and kicked open the courtyard gate.

After Cao Xiong entered the courtyard, he saw the corpses of goats, hunting dogs, and monkeys lying haphazardly inside the enclosures.

Cao Xiong casually examined a few corpses and found that these livestock had all been killed with a knife, the cuts were clean, and they died with a single blow.

Cao Xiong pulled a willow-leaf knife from the waist of a soldier next to him and cut open the belly of a goat.

The goat's internal structure is exactly the same as that of a human.

"It really is an evil technique."

"Search it for me!"

A gloomy feeling settled over Cao Xiong.

After the constable died, the county government immediately posted notices, and all the city gates were thoroughly searched.

However, the owner of this variety show troupe had the ability to transform people into animals, and mastering the art of disguise was not difficult for him either.

How do I find it?

Cao Xiong shook his head in disappointment.

The officers and soldiers rushed into the room and began searching.

Just as Cao Xiong had predicted, the entire courtyard was searched inside and out, but nothing was found.

Cao Xiong could only leave with his men temporarily.

Not long after Cao Xiong left the troupe's courtyard, as he passed an alleyway filled with refugees, the Evil-Sniffing Longsword at his waist suddenly trembled.

Cao Xiong immediately became alert, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife, his gaze sweeping among the refugees.

With the help of a swordsmanship expert, Cao Xiong noticed a pair of hands.

Those were hands that looked completely ordinary.

The fingers are short, thick, and dark black.

But Cao Xiong was certain that it was also a pair of hands that held a knife.

"Stand up."

Cao Xiong pointed to the refugee lying on his side.

After a while, the person still didn't make a sound.

A soldier walked over and pulled the person directly out of the pile of refugees.

"Ouch~"

"Sir, spare my life! I'm just an ordinary citizen, I didn't steal or rob anything, sir!"

The behavior of refugees is perfectly normal.

"It turns out I misunderstood you."

Cao Xiong smiled, took two steps forward, and suddenly threw a punch.

"Bang!"

The man who had been timid just moments before instantly changed his demeanor when Cao Xiong threw a punch.

Their fists collided. Cao Xiong remained standing, while the man was knocked back and slammed against the wall.

"You actually found me. I'll remember you."

After uttering those harsh words, the man ran into the depths of the alley without looking back.

"Chase!"

Cao Xiong followed closely behind.

The two ran one after the other for nearly half an hour before finally stopping in a forest.

The man turned to look at Cao Xiong, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"If that beast hadn't insisted on running away, my babies wouldn't have died."

"Then you should go and keep them company."

Cao Xiong drew his Evil-Sniffing Blade, lunged forward, and slashed out with it.

The man calmly took out a talisman from his pocket, squeezed a drop of blood from between his fingers, and let it drip onto the talisman.

The talisman instantly transformed into a golden light and flew into the air, becoming a flying sword.

"Bang!"

The phantom of the flying sword collided with the longsword.

Cao Xiong felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, and the long knife in his hand almost slipped from his grasp.

The illusory flying sword formed from the talisman lost most of its light.

But he still stabbed Cao Xiong.

"A fleeting shadow in the wind~"

Cao Xiong channeled his inner energy and struck again.

The flying sword phantom turned into fragments and dissipated in the air.

Seeing the talisman turn to ash, the man's face showed a look of heartache.

With a flick of his wrist, the man produced a ring-pommel sword.

"You're quite good, I'm going to refine you into a treasure~"

Before he finished speaking, the man's body leaped into the air, a yellow aura swirling around his ring-pommel sword.

In the blink of an eye, three identical ring-pommel swords appeared in front of the man.

Cao Xiong bent his knees slightly, continuously gathering his strength.

"Clang~"

The Evil-Smelling Longsword also sensed the danger and began to tremble.

"Sword Drawing Technique~"

When the man's attack was within inches of Cao Xiong, Cao Xiong finally finished charging up his attack.

They unleashed their full power in a single strike.

The Evil-Smelling Longsword and the Ring-Pommel Sword collided, and the air seemed to stand still.

There was no metallic clanging noise; it was as if two clumps of cotton were intertwined.

At the same time, the man felt as if his neck was being pricked by a needle.

The next moment, a tiny cut appeared on the man's neck.

The wound grew larger and larger, and before the blood could flow out, it was absorbed by the following Evil-Smelling Blade.

In an instant, the man became a dried-up corpse.

[Killed a mid-stage Qi Awakening Realm cultivator, 0.5 fragments]