Chapter 915: The Shadow of Evil Appears

[Potential +1]

Wang Chen ignored the information prompts flashing in his vision and summoned his panel.

[Name: Wang Chen (Ling Zhiyuan)]

[Age: 16]

[Cultivation Level: Martial General]

[Technique: Bloodshed Wheel (Thief Swallowing): 37/400]

[Potential: 971]

Earlier, when he was gathering the fourth bloodshed wheel, he had consumed a large number of potential points. Now, not only had he fully replenished them, but he had also reached a record-breaking nearly one thousand points.

Wang Chen had a vague feeling that if his potential points reached one thousand, some kind of change might occur!

What kind of change it would be, Wang Chen certainly did not know.

But he was very much looking forward to it.

To be honest, every day spent brewing and drinking medicine was tough and tiring, and it wasn’t easy to keep going.

Just then, a sharp whistle suddenly pierced Wang Chen’s ears.

Startled, he leaped out of the open window without a moment’s thought and landed in the small courtyard outside.

Bang!

Wang Chen looked up to see a brilliant firework bursting in the sky.

Blood Guard Summon Order!

This was the signal for the Blood Guards to gather. Whenever important matters occurred, any guard seeing the firework signal had to rush to the designated gathering place immediately.

The direction of the firework was exactly where the county’s Wei Hall was located.

Wang Chen quickly mounted the yellow horse tied at the door and sped towards the Wei Hall.

Ordinary people were strictly forbidden from riding horses on the streets of the county, as it could easily injure innocent bystanders.

However, the Blood Guards were exempt from this restriction, so Wang Chen always used his mount when traveling to his rented house.

In just the time it took to brew a cup of tea, he arrived at the Wei Hall.

Just as Wang Chen dismounted in front of the gate, he saw Old Qiu emerge quickly from inside with a group of people.

One of the Blood Guards spotted Wang Chen and immediately frowned, saying, “Ling Zhiyuan, why aren’t you staying in the Wei Hall, running around outside all the time? What are you thinking?”

Wang Chen ignored him and looked at Old Qiu.

This guy’s name was Dong Zhihui. He belonged to Old Qiu’s squad like Wang Chen, but ever since they met, he had not liked Wang Chen and had given him trouble both openly and secretly.

However, Wang Chen only focused on his own matters and didn’t bother to argue with him. Since Old Qiu had a good impression of Wang Chen, Dong Zhihui hadn’t been able to stir up too much trouble.

Now, unexpectedly, he picked on Wang Chen over a trivial matter in front of everyone!

Old Qiu said in a deep voice, “Stop arguing! The task is urgent; you all come with me!”

Wang Chen didn’t particularly like Dong Zhihui. This man had lofty ambitions but mediocre talent, and despite his average abilities, he had remained a mere stamp guard at the Wei Hall for several years.

In fact, Dong Zhihui’s dislike for Wang Chen stemmed from this very reason.

Old Qiu appeared to be a kind-hearted man, seemingly a bit weak, but how could a truly weak person hold the position of Blood Guard small flag!

With just a few words, he silenced Dong Zhihui and led three Blood Guards, including Wang Chen, along with a small yellow dog, to the scene of the incident.

The iron hooves clattered against the bluestone pavement as the four riders galloped down the main street, causing passersby to scatter in alarm.

The incident had occurred at a tailor shop in the west of the city. When they arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside, eager to witness the commotion.

Two uniformed constables stood at the entrance, maintaining order.

Old Qiu tugged on the reins and dismounted, lifting the small dog from the saddle.

Upon seeing the Blood Guards arrive, the onlookers immediately dispersed, no one daring to linger.

The two constables quickly saluted, “Sir Qiu!”

“No need for formalities!”

Old Qiu waved his hand and led Wang Chen and the others into the shop.

The tailor shop had a front shop and a back courtyard, with the shop at the front for business and a residence behind it.

The door of the main building stood wide open, and a strong smell of blood emanated from within.

Inside the house, there were also two constables, one of whom was Captain Li, someone Wang Chen had dealt with before.

As Wang Chen stepped into the room, the first thing he saw was a body lying face down on the ground.

A corpse stripped of its skin, revealing the raw muscles beneath!

The deceased had clearly endured immense suffering, with limbs twisted in agony. Even without its facial skin, the horror of its final moments was unmistakable.

On the bed nearby lay two more bodies, also stripped of their skin!

Such a gruesome scene was enough to haunt anyone’s nightmares!

An investigator was examining the body on the ground.

“Skinning Demon!”

Old Qiu’s pupils suddenly contracted, his expression turning fierce: “It dares to appear again!”

It was said that the original demons were of only one kind, the Celestial Demons.

But when the original demons descended into this world and began to infect and possess human souls and bodies, they evolved into various forms over the centuries.

The Skinning Demon was one of them.

This type of demon delighted in skinning its victims alive, then redrawing and wearing the stolen skin to disguise itself as another person.

Skinning Demons often amassed several or even dozens of human skins, allowing them to blend into crowds under different identities, always searching for new targets!

These malevolent creatures were exceedingly cruel and difficult to detect, making their presence a grave threat.

Linjiang County had once been plagued by Skinning Demons, but they had vanished under the relentless pursuit of the Blood Guards and had not been seen since.

Now they had returned!

“The investigator has just confirmed that these people were likely killed last night during the hour of the pig,”

Captain Li said in a deep voice. “The bodies were discovered this morning when someone came to collect clothes. Lin the tailor had a family of five, and we found four skinned bodies—all four adults. The five-year-old daughter is missing.”

“I’ve already sent men to search the surrounding area. It’s possible the Skinning Demon took her…”

As he spoke, he clenched his fists, his anger evident.

Though Captain Li was not a particularly good man, witnessing the tragic fate of the Lin tailor’s family stirred a sense of shared sorrow within him.

Demons are the common enemy of all humanity!

“Woof, woof!”

At that moment, the small dog that Old Qiu had brought in began sniffing around. Suddenly, it barked at the door and darted outside.

“Follow it!”

Old Qiu commanded.

This dog had an exceptionally keen sense of smell and could even detect the scent of demons. It had helped Old Qiu solve several cases of family massacres in the past.

Thus, Old Qiu trusted it implicitly.

The group followed the dog outside.

They watched as it ran out, quickly disappearing into an alley.

Everyone chased after it until they reached the base of the city wall, where the dog began barking furiously at the top of the wall.

Old Qiu scooped it up, holding it in his arms, and said, “We’ll pursue it outside the city.”

The four Blood Guards returned to the tailor shop, remounted their horses, and rode out of the city to the earlier indicated location.

They set the small dog down once more.

This time, the dog ran northward, disappearing into the dense forest!