Whoosh!
Amidst the curtain of rain, a slender dark green figure, like a fish, darted past and leaped into a dark alley only about a foot wide.
Boom!
A moment later, there was a loud noise.
A huge figure, akin to a pitch-black chariot, charged straight into it.
The walls on both sides of the alley cracked and collapsed, sending out a continuous roar and smoke appeared, looking from above like a giant beige dragon charging forward with a roar.
As the walls collapsed and tore apart, the dark green figure rushed towards a nearby house.
Bang!
Su Heng struck through the air with a punch.
The terrifying punch compressed the air, forming a dense white shockwave.
The already rotting house beams splintered under the immense force, collapsing, turning half of the house into rubble, revealing a mother and child huddled together, shivering in fear in the other half.
The mother and child had faces full of terror.
A child about seven or eight years old opened his mouth, unable to hold back from screaming out loud.
But he was smothered by his mother, his eyes revealing uncontrollable terror.
Boom!
Su Heng leaped high, descending from the sky.
The house shook again, dropping large amounts of dust, the ruins were completely compacted, forming a dirt pit several meters in diameter.
Clatter!
The broken debris shifted, and the severely injured water ghost darted out toward the mother and child.
Su Heng snorted coldly, his eyes twisting with countless blood lights, a tremendous amount of Yang Extreme True Qi surged into his throat, the terrifying sonic boom exploded in a conical shape in midair.
The water ghost was as if struck by lightning.
Frozen midair, its body burst into a mass of blood light.
It let out a sharp scream, crashed onto the ground, and from its body emanated a series of crisp snaps as it rapidly darted out in another direction.
Su Heng glanced at the mother and child, casually tossed them a Silver Tael as compensation, and then continued his chase.
Whoosh!
He leaped into the rain curtain.
Following the water ghost into an open street.
Houses on both sides of the street bore numerous infected corpses, by the hundreds, like an army, blocking Su Heng's path.
Meanwhile, the water ghost took refuge in a complex residential area.
If it could find a well, it would be able to enter the vast and complex underground water system.
Once there, like fish returning to the sea or birds seeking the tranquility of the forests, it would be completely free, no longer in panic like now.
The demon possessed not insignificant intelligence, some could even hide well among the population.
The water ghost before him,
had been frightened by Su Heng, leaving a deep impression.
It no longer planned to appear in this city; it wanted to stay far away, finding another place to grow anew.
However…
It had no second chance.
Demons, because they devour humans, were feared by the common people.
But for Su Heng at that moment, such demons were merely food, nothing more.
In the eyes of the demons,
Su Heng was nothing less than another kind of natural predator, a more terrifying Heavenly Demon.
Black veins bulging on his arms, shrouded in scorching Yang Extreme vapor, he slashed and swept through, a vista of blood and flesh erupting before his eyes.
Thousands of rotting corpses,
not even ten breaths had passed before Su Heng violently penetrated through them.
The water demon's green figure vanished into a desolate courtyard, disappearing from Su Heng's sight.
But that didn't matter.
Su Heng could smell the scent emanating from the water ghost.
He slightly discerned the direction, exerted force under his feet, sprinting forward, and then leaped high again.
A moment later, a continuous roar of thunderous noises came from the abandoned residential area. Amidst the curtain of rain, plumes of earth-grey smoke rose up, and the entire city trembled slightly.
From a distance,
County Magistrate Chou Cai of Changqing County was leading hundreds of constables to defend the government office, fighting against a large number of rotting corpses in front of them.
The Great Zhou Dynasty valued literature over martial prowess, so naturally, the combat effectiveness of these constables was quite limited.
Most of them were just getting by.
Once a real test arrived, they were not much stronger than ordinary people.
Even with an expert like Song Baoyi present, facing the army of infected that swelled like the tide, he felt powerless and could only barely resist.
And he had to be mindful of the rain...
To avoid getting drenched and silently infiltrated by the plague through the skin.
Under many such factors, the situation became increasingly perilous.
However,
Just when the constables' defense was about to completely collapse, those rotting corpses abruptly changed direction and rapidly surged towards another part of the street.
"Why is this happening?" a constable exclaimed with wide eyes.
"We're finally alive!" another constable gasped dramatically, sitting down on the ground with a thud.
"If something is abnormal, there must be demons at work, don't let your guard down!" Song Baoyi clenched his teeth, his hands gripping the firewood knife, veins bulging prominently.
"Look, what is that!"
Chou Cai shouted from within the crowd, despite having no martial arts skills.
However, his eyes were exceptionally bright, having better vision than average, able to clearly see figures moving along the walls from hundreds of meters away.
"Covered in green, with a slender body, it looks like the water ghost recorded in ancient texts," the record keeper whispered, wearing a black scholar's hat.
The record keeper assisted the County Magistrate in handling documents, writing the county annals, and so on.
Since the outbreak of the plague in Changqing County, he had been reviewing a lot of material, including myths and folklore.
He had thought those records were merely bizarre legends, thrilling and scary tales. Yet, he never expected to witness these supernatural events unfolding before him.
Therefore,
When he saw that dark green slender figure,
He immediately thought of the water ghosts recorded in those documents.
"Water ghost..." Chou Cai gasped, "Is this what caused Changqing County to become like this, alongside those rotting corpses outside?"
"That's what the county annals record," the record keeper said softly.
"So, if we kill the water ghost, could we resolve this crisis?" Chou Cai asked again.
"I don't know…" the record keeper first shook his head and then bitterly smiled, "But we're just flesh and blood, how can we fight against demons and ghosts."
Chou Cai was taken aback.
The hope that had just ignited was swiftly extinguished.
"No, wait!" Song Baoyi suddenly spoke up, "That water ghost, it looks like it's fleeing."
No sooner had he spoken than a loud bang echoed from afar.
A yellowish-brown tower collapsed, dust billowing, and it seemed like even the ground vibrations could be felt here.
A tall, dark figure burst through the thick smoke, rushing straight in the direction the water ghost had fled, disappearing from sight in an instant.
"Hiss..."
Chou Cai gasped, "Damn it, there's a second demon."
"Can you identify what kind of demon this one is?" Chou Cai asked the record keeper beside him.
The record keeper shook his head, "But, this demon... it seems to greatly resemble Master Su Heng of the Su Family."
Su Heng had once spent a great effort researching supernatural creatures.
And the record keeper, being in charge of the county annals, naturally had quite a few interactions; his impression of Su Heng was indeed profound.
"Su Heng…"
Chou Cai's mind flashed with the image of those blood-red pupils.
He was startled again, a chilling sensation spreading up his spine, cold sweat forming on his forehead.
Recalling how he was blinded by greed on that day, wanting to lock him up in the dungeon to severely exploit the Su family. Looking back, it was fortunate that he abandoned his stubbornness quickly. Otherwise, he feared he wouldn't even know how he died.
But,
Even the terrifying water ghost was being chased.
Could this Master Su Heng of the Su Family really be some form of humanoid demon?