The security in the county city had obviously become much stricter.
Xu Jin, a disciple of the Taoist Institute, holding the institute's waist token, was still interrogated about where he came from, where he was going, and what he was going to do.
Although he passed smoothly, it made Xu Jin somewhat worried—had an incident occurred?
No matter where, the loss of five lives, even if they were just ruffians, was still a major case.
Having returned to the Taoist Institute, Xu Jin, following the doorman's guidance, went to report to the Middle Court again.
The Jinshan Taoist Institute covered a vast area, stretching from the southern side of the county city to the foot of the mountain, and was composed of more than a dozen buildings of varying sizes.
The areas within the city were roughly divided into the Martial Arts Hall, Forging Hall, Medicine Inquiry Hall, living quarters, Star-pointing Hall, and the residence of the Star Patrol Guards.
It was said that there were also the Beast Taming Hall and the Star Moving Tower within the mountains.
In the entire Taoist Institute, apart from the Star-pointing Hall, which was independent, although the other disciples were divided into the Inner, Middle, and Outer Courts, it was only the various treatments and learning locations that differed; their living quarters were all together.
The living conditions were several times better than during Star Pointing.
Take accommodations for example—the Outer Court was two per room, the Middle Court was one per room, and as for the coveted Inner Court, each person had their own small courtyard.
The quarters Xu Jin was assigned to were number forty-two marked with the letter "B," the last one in the Middle Court.
Pushing open the door, he was greeted by dust, indicating that it had been some time since anyone had lived there.
The room wasn't large, just over two meters wide and three meters long—a small room with very simple furnishings: a bed, a bamboo cabinet, a table and a chair were all there was.
But Xu Jin was overjoyed.
Finally, he no longer had to sleep in a large communal bed with twenty others reeking of smelly feet and farts every day; at last, he had a relatively private space of his own.
He set down the straw paper he had bought on the road and began to sweep and tidy up the place.
Straw paper cost fifty copper coins for a bundle—not expensive—but luckily his father, Xu Dajiang, wasn't present.
Using money to wipe one's ass—Xu Jin would certainly get a scolding.
Half an hour later, having tidied up the place, Xu Jin lay down on the bed, feeling wonderful.
Finally, he felt comfortable.
The sense of improving one's living environment through one's own effort was quite good.
"Brother Jin, Brother Jin."
A shout came from outside the door; it turned out to be Qian Xiaohu, who was carrying a big and small package.
"Brother Jin, this is the meat pie my mother baked, this is the mutton she cooked, I brought them especially for you," Qian Xiaohu said with a smile.
Xu Jin looked at Qian Xiaohu with surprise, "Damn, is your family celebrating the New Year or what?"
"Indeed, when my father heard that I succeeded in Star Pointing, he held a big feast; relatives and friends all came, and each one gave generous gifts; the food was plentiful. Oh, right, here's some silver."
Qian Xiaohu handed Xu Jin a purse containing five taels of silver, "Brother Jin, thank you for helping me. Without your help, I definitely couldn't have succeeded at Star Pointing. From now on, you're my real big brother."
"If I'm really your big brother, then what's this about?" Xu Jin weighed the purse, kept a little over three taels, and returned the rest.
Qian Xiaohu wanted to say something more, but Xu Jin glared at him, "Brothers should settle their accounts clearly. Do I need these extra taels from you?"
"No, no, of course not."
"Then, from now on, focus on your cultivation. Remember, strength is your foundation. By the way, you didn't forget to practice when you went home these past days, did you?"
"No, I didn't miss the morning and evening sessions. With Yue Daqi and Lu Xianbing, both so talented and hardworking, I'd be foolish, no, stupid, if I didn't put in the effort!"
"Eh, am I just in time to hear you talking about me?" A tall figure in brand-new strong clothes appeared at Xu Jin's door. Seeing Xu Jin's puzzled expression, he explained, "I asked for Brother Xu's room and found my way here."
"Please, I wouldn't dare presume."
Hearing Lu Xianbing address him as brother, Xu Jin quickly demurred.
But Lu Xianbing became serious, bowing formally to Xu Jin, "Brother Xu, Brother Jin, if it weren't for your inspiration that day, I wouldn't have had the courage to express my opinions, much less successfully fight for a place in the Inner Court."
It appeared he had come for this matter. After a bout of modesty, Lu Xianbing mentioned that he had reserved a table at Immortal Dawn Building to express his gratitude.
Xu Jin happily agreed to go, knowing that it was important to make connections.
The dishes at Immortal Dawn Building, even within the county city, were top-notch.
Moreover, in this world, game truly tasted wild, and free-range chickens were genuinely free-range; everything tasted exactly as it should.
During the meal, the three men also learned a bit about each other. Xu Jin and Qian Xiaohu were clearly from farming backgrounds, while Lu Xianbing evidently came from a wealthier family. His father was an official in the county government. It wasn't appropriate to pry too deeply on a first meeting, but Xu Jin still asked one more question.
"By the way, Brother Lu, Xiaohu, when I returned to the county city today, I noticed that the security was much stricter. Did something major happen?" asked Xu Jin casually.
"Yes, yes, the inspections were really strict when entering the city today," said Qian Xiaohu.
Lu Xianbing looked at the two of them and spoke in a low voice, "Evil demons are running rampant, committing seven or eight crimes in one night. Just last night, there were two cases within the county city itself, and even Zhao Mansion's third son, a prominent businessman, was murdered. Hence, the city is under strict guard."
Xu Jin didn't say much, but Qian Xiaohu spoke up, "Shouldn't the evil demons be trying to hide and avoid notice? Why are they committing crimes so frequently?"
Xu Jin internally praised Xiaohu's timely question that reflected his own thoughts.
"Evil demons?"
Lu Xianbing chuckled bitterly, "Considering the twenty or so cases that have occurred in and around the county city these days, it's hard to say how many were truly the work of evil demons."
"And the government office?" asked Xu Jin.
"Jinshan County is too vast; most officials are out chasing the real evil demons, including many from our institute, as well as the Star Patrol Guards from the Tianyang and Cangming Branches. That's why people with bad intentions are using the name of evil demons to commit their deeds. The government office is already short-staffed," said Lu Xianbing in a low voice.
Seeing the solemn expression on Xu Jin and Qian Xiaohu's faces, Lu Xianbing added, "However, it's said that they're close to locating the evil demon's range, and soon it will be a matter for the experts from each court. As long as you stay within the institute, you shouldn't have much to worry about."
Xu Jin finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
So, the city was under martial law not because of what had happened last night, but due to separate incidents that had occurred within the county city.
That night, he couldn't skip his evening practice session.
Today, at the Pill Room, Xu Jin had purchased twenty Blood Replenishing Pills, ten Solid Foundation Pills, and twenty Mental Awakening Pills, which cost him a total of two hundred and ten taels of silver.
He had to break through to the Second Layer of Dining Dawn as quickly as possible to gain some ability to defend himself.
******
In front of the residence where Deng Hu lived, on Warehouse Lane near the City West Pier.
A sturdy young man dressed in shorts and with a blue headband wrapped around his forehead anxiously waited outside Brother Hu's gate.
Everyone who mingles around the piers knew that those who don blue headbands are members of the Heavenly River Gang, generally people dare not provoke them.
At this moment, the young man named Jiang Sheng once again approached to knock on the door, "Brother Hu, Brother Hu, it's me, Jiang Sheng."
Jiang Sheng had already come by in the morning, but at that time, the door to Brother Hu's place was barred from the inside.
So, Jiang Sheng didn't knock.
It was pretty normal for Brother Hu to drink or carouse with women till midnight and then sleep till midday.
But it was already the afternoon; shouldn't he be out taking care of business rather than still having the door barred?
Moreover, he was there to convey an order from the incense master.
If he couldn't successfully communicate the order, Brother Hu, being incense master Deng's own nephew, would be fine, but he would be screwed.
"Brother Hu, Brother Hu!"
After knocking for a long while and seeing that even the main room's door was tightly shut through the crack in the door, Jiang Sheng braced himself and climbed over the wall to get in.
The moment he entered the yard, a foul stench hit him so hard that it gave him a fright.
It stank to high heaven.
The yard was full of green-headed flies!
Something had happened!
As he delicately pushed open the door, Jiang Sheng immediately fell to the side and started to vomit wildly.
The source of the smell was five corpses, an unidentified liquid, and a large amount of bugs, ants, rats, and flies.
In this peak of summer...
While vomiting, Jiang Sheng ran towards the Heavenly River Gang's headquarters.
The Heavenly River Gang lived off the water, so naturally they were beside the river, but although their main entrance was located within the county city.
However, he couldn't find incense master Deng Longshu at the main entrance of the Heavenly River Gang, nor the other two incense masters; even Gang Leader Zhou Ji was absent.
After asking around, they said that they had gone to the East Pier.
Jiang Sheng gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold water, then dashed towards the East Pier, where in the one-eyed wolf Qian Qi's home, he found incense master Deng Longshu, Gang Leader Zhou Ji, and also a place littered with dead bodies in white and red.
Jiang Sheng vomited again.
"Worthless trash!"
Incense master Deng Hu cursed as soon as he opened his mouth; this kid was one of his runners, usually sharp and tactful, so why was he embarrassing him in front of the Gang Leader today?
Although the scene was a bit scary, he shouldn't vomit in front of the Gang Leader, should he?
However, once Jiang Sheng spoke up, incense master Deng's expression changed, and he immediately snatched up Jiang Sheng by the collar.
"You're sure you saw right?" Brother Hu was his own nephew and the only male of their Deng generation, waiting to carry on the family line.
"It should be... No..."
Jiang Sheng was a bit dazed.
"Trouble at the East Pier, trouble at the West Pier too, seems like someone is targeting us. Let's go, we'll check it out together," said Zhou Ji, the Gang Leader of the Heavenly River Gang.
Fifteen minutes later, the high ranks of the Heavenly River Gang hurriedly arrived at Brother Hu's residence.
After only a few breaths, Gang Leader Zhou Ji said, "He wasn't killed inside the house." As he spoke, everyone moved into the courtyard.
Zhou Ji suddenly ran outside of the courtyard with a penetrating gaze, quickly finding the initial location where several ruffians under Brother Hu had died. Unfortunately, everything had been washed away, leaving no valuable traces. However, Brother Jin had handled things hastily, and they still found several pieces of flesh and bone within the courtyard, which he picked up with his fingertips.
"The murderer is a cultivator, with a cultivation level not too strong.
His Star Power is quite weak; it wouldn't surpass the Fifth Layer of Dining Dawn."
After looking around for a while and flipping over the ruffians' bodies, Zhou Ji suddenly said, "There must have been two murderers; the second person doesn't possess Star Power and purely used brute force to beat people to death."
"Hm?" Deng Longshu's expression instantly became ferocious.
"Go, check the nearby residences, ask around," ordered Zhou Ji.
In no time, several Heavenly River Gang members returned.
"Gang Leader, the closest one said they heard some noises."
"What kind of noises?"
"Spare me, Master Xue, spare me."
"Last name Xue?" Zhou Ji frowned, "Is there any other clue?"
"Right, Gang Leader, I came to talk to Brother Hu last night. When I left, it was already evening. When leaving, I saw an old man and a young man entering Brother Hu's yard," said Jiang Sheng.
An old man and a young man?
Deng Longshu's eyes immediately widened, this matched the Gang Leader's assessment that there were two assailants.
"Do you recognize them?"
Jiang Sheng shook his head, "Don't know them!"
Before he finished, Deng Longshu kicked him away, "Then why the hell did you mention it?"
"Incense Master, as long as I see them again, I will recognize them in an instant!"
"Hm, then stroll around the city these next few days, and report back immediately if you find anything."
Heavenly River Gang Leader Zhou Ji made a decision, and also instructed, "Collect a few pieces of the corpses for me, keep them on ice, I'll make use of them."
Not long after, Gang Leader Zhou Ji, along with the other two incense masters, left the scene. However, incense master Deng Longshu motioned with a wave of his hand, leading his subordinates rushing towards the adjacent yard.
"Incense Master, where are we going?" asked Jiang Sheng.
"Where?"
"To take out that entire family!"
"Goddammit, they heard the pleas for mercy and yet didn't come to help!
They knew something was up but didn't report it, if I don't take them out, who else should I take out?!"
It wasn't long before screams resounded from the yard next to the warehouse!