Refining elixirs is mentally taxing, especially for a pill of the Three-Veined Purple Clear Spirit Flow Divine Pill's caliber.
As dusk settled, Chen Jiuyang emerged from the grand hall, a trace of fatigue on his face. "Elder Liu, the pill completion time is three days. I'll trouble you to keep watch. Please inform me if any malevolent spoils are causing trouble, and I shall eliminate them."
Liu Wen replied, "Liaocheng City."
Liaocheng City.
Chen Jiuyang's expression faltered. Wasn't that the city where he had previously stayed?
What a coincidence.
"Alright, I shall depart for Liaocheng City immediately," Chen Jiuyang said, then stepped away from the Medicine God Valley.
After Chen Jiuyang left, the person beside Liu Wen spoke, "Elder Liu, isn't the malevolent entity in Liaocheng City the most powerful one? This kid..."
Liu Wen's eyes gleamed with greed. "The Three-Veined Purple Clear Spirit Flow Divine Pill is a rare commodity, with a price but no market. Each pill is worth at least a hundred million Dragon Coins. His cauldron has completed the refining, yielding at least thirty-two pills. This kid has no background and no idea where he got his fortuitous encounters. How can we miss out on such a benefit?"
"We have been stuck at the peak of the Earth Realm for so many years. If we can seize this batch of pills and present them to Prince Qian in Feng Province, he will grant me a spot, and the Heaven Realm will be within reach!"
Standing before the true form, one fails to recognize its true features.
...
Chen Shengrong had disappeared.
However, as a student, his disappearance and unknown whereabouts meant the school had to report it to the police.
The local police station dispatched two grassroots constables to investigate his whereabouts, and soon, these two constables from the Six Doors also disappeared.
Of course, this was the public announcement. In reality, after entering Chen Shengrong's home, these two constables never came out. It wasn't until the elite constables of the local Six Doors arrived that they discovered the two grassroots constables were dead, found within the small restaurant at Chen Shengrong's home. Their deaths were extremely tragic, their bodies gnawed upon, bizarre and terrifying, unlike anything human.
The local Six Doors immediately sealed off the vicinity. Within half a month, Liaocheng City had experienced multiple similar cases. The manpower of Liaocheng City's Six Doors was stretched thin, but the Medicine God Valley could not escape its responsibilities, so they widely invited martial arts experts to handle the situation.
...
Two elite constables from the Six Doors arrived at Chen Shengrong's family's small restaurant.
The door was tightly shut, with sealing tape all around. The March wind was still biting, causing bones to ache.
"Bang—"
A constable with martial cultivation directly kicked open the door, entering with the other constable.
"Hiss!"
"Gag!"
The small restaurant was filled with the stench of decaying flesh, making one nauseous.
The kitchen was covered in crimson, dried bloodstains.
"There's no problem here," the constable said after a sweep of the kitchen with his flashlight.
"No problem here either," the other constable said, frowning. "Let's check the second floor."
These were the small cement houses common in these urban villages, typically two stories high.
Those two grassroots officers had entered here and then disappeared, becoming unreachable.
The two cautiously went upstairs, holding a flashlight in one hand and a handgun in the other, and pushed open the door to the second floor.
"Whoosh!"
"Rumble!"
Dozens, even hundreds, of flies were clustered on a corpse. Illuminated by the two men's flashlights, they suddenly flew everywhere.
After the flies dispersed, the two men got a clear look at the corpse.
One constable said, "Doesn't this look like the missing student, Chen Shengrong?"
"This degree of decomposition... it seems like he died a month ago, but he only disappeared five days ago. How is this possible?!"
"Something is strange. Let's search the other rooms and find those two missing officers first."
"Whoosh!"
They pushed open another room, and the scene before them made their scalps tingle.
"Is this Chen Shengrong's mother?"
As they opened the door to Chen Shengrong's mother's bedroom, they saw her corpse. Her hands clutched a blood-stained knife, her body was in a bizarre inverted position, her eyes wide open. Her body had not yet decomposed, only showing rigor mortis, suggesting she had died less than seventy-two hours ago.
Chen Shengrong's mother died with her eyes wide open, her expression ferocious and terrifying. She seemed to be biting a piece of flesh in her mouth.
"This is strange! We can't handle this! We must report to headquarters and have them send people to investigate thoroughly!"
The two of them were only here to investigate the situation. The scene clearly looked like a murder scene, and they could not disturb the scene or the evidence.
The two quickly retreated from the second floor and exited Chen Shengrong's family's small restaurant. They returned to the police car, picked up the police radio, and said, "Calling for support, suspected homicide..."
"Sizzling..."
However, there was no response from the other end, only the sound of static.
"Bang—"
At this moment, a figure crashed into their car. The two constables quickly got out.
"Miss... are you alright?" one constable asked.
Judging by her hair and clothing, she appeared to be a woman. There was no blood on the ground or the car, so she likely wasn't seriously injured.
The other constable walked over to help the person who had been hit. "Miss, may I ask..."
The woman, who was being helped up by the constable, slowly raised her head. Her eyes were wide, her expression contorted, her body was cold, and her face showed rigor mortis. Her voice was cold and terrifying: "I'm so hungry! Can you give me some meat to eat!"
The two Six Doors constables' scalps instantly tingled:
"How is this possible!"
This woman who had crashed into their car was Chen Shengrong's mother, and they had just seen her corpse on the second floor.
"Ah!"
After a few screams, the night returned to silence.
...
By the time Chen Jiuyang arrived outside Chen Shengrong's family's small restaurant, it was already past midnight.
As he approached, he noticed that the entire area was sealed off, and a police car with its headlights on was parked there, but the car was empty.
"Boom!"
A jeep stopped in front of Chen Jiuyang. "Handsome Jiuyang, this world is truly small."
The people sitting in the jeep were none other than Cao Qingqing and Bai Shujuan.
"..." Chen Jiuyang said helplessly, "Yes, this world is truly small."
Bai Shujuan spoke, "Handsome, you also received a mission from the Medicine God Valley to come here and investigate the truth?"
Chen Jiuyang frowned slightly and replied, "Similar to you."
Cao Qingqing said, "Then we can complete the mission together. Phew, this place is rumored to be a bit sinister. Several Six Doors constables have already died, but Liaocheng's Six Doors are overwhelmed and can't cope."
"With a master like you here, I feel much more at ease."
"Heh heh..."
Chen Jiuyang smiled faintly, his gaze indifferent as he looked at the small restaurant. He said softly, "This place is indeed a bit strange and eerie. Even I might not be able to protect you."
"If you die here, don't blame me."
This small restaurant made Chen Jiuyang feel uncomfortable and uneasy. He was of pure yang constitution, had undergone three blood changes, possessed immense strength, and was even blessed by the luck of the Dragon Country, yet he felt this way.
Let alone these two ordinary young girls.
What kind of ghost thing was inside this small restaurant?