Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

When Shen Lian said this, everyone present was stunned and then looked at Shen Lian.

Zhao Shan raised his hand, signaling Shen Lian to continue.

Shen Lian continued, "These scales look like those of a demon, but what if the other party is someone who cultivates some kind of evil technique? Would that explain why there's no demonic aura on these scales?"

A person who practices some kind of evil or strange martial art?

The demon-suppressing envoys present began to ponder. Shen Lian's guess was not without possibility. After practicing some evil techniques, one's own body would indeed undergo some changes, or part of the body would become demonized, but these people did not have any demonic aura on them.

Zhao Shan nodded thoughtfully and said, "That is indeed possible. It seems we need to change our approach to the arrest. From now on, search every household to see if we find anything."

As soon as Zhao Shan gave the order, the Demon Suppression Division immediately sprang into action.

Although Qinghe County is not large, it has a population of tens of thousands, and conducting door-to-door investigations would undoubtedly be very time-consuming.

As night fell, the streets of Qinghe County were deserted.

Since the Demon Suppression Division issued the curfew, no one has been out at night. With so many disappearances, the people of Qinghe County are filled with fear and anxiety.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun were on patrol.

"The fourth team has checked 320 households in the west of the city, and the fifth team has checked 276 households in the south of the city. No scales or suspicious traces were found in either case," Chen Yun said.

"Could it be that we're going in the wrong direction?" Wang Lin rubbed his throbbing temples. "If they were truly practicing evil arts, they should have left some clues."

Shen Lian shook his head and said, "The direction should be correct. Those scales are exceptionally sharp and difficult to conceal with ordinary clothing. If someone has these scales, they would definitely try to avoid contact with others. I suggest focusing on investigating two types of people: those who have been staying home recently and those who frequently go out at night."

Li Hu handed the file to Shen Lian: "Brother Lian, I received news that Widow Li from the east of the city, her son suddenly stopped coming out of the house three months ago, saying he had a strange illness and was afraid of the light. When I went to investigate, she looked flustered, as if she wanted to hide something."

Lin Feng added, "There's also Zhang Laosan, a dockworker, who started only taking jobs at night about two weeks ago and is never seen during the day. His coworkers said they saw bluish patches on his hands, which he explained was from paint."

Shen Lian stroked his chin and said, "Both of them are suspects. Lin Feng, Wang Lin, and Hu Zi went to the dock to find Zhang Laosan, while Chen Shimei and I went to Widow Li's house."

The group immediately split up and took action.

In Yangliu Lane in the east of the city, there is a dilapidated courtyard, which is the home of Widow Li. The courtyard wall is mottled and the wooden door is ajar.

Shen Lian stepped forward and gently knocked on the door knocker, but no one answered for a long time.

"The Demon Suppression Division is investigating a case. Please open the door," Shen Lian said.

Suddenly, a heavy thud came from inside the door. Shen Lian kicked the wooden door open and saw a dark figure escaping from the backyard by climbing over the wall.

"Chase!"

Shen Lian and Chen Yun gave chase. The dark figure moved with incredible speed, weaving left and right through the narrow alleyways, clearly very familiar with the terrain.

"He's running towards the moat!" Chen Yun shouted.

A dark figure rushed out of the alley and plunged into the reeds by the moat. Shen Lian followed closely behind, leaping in, only to see the ripples spread across the water and the figure vanish.

Shen Lian looked at the river and said, "Junior Sister Chen, you stay here and guard this place. I'll go down and catch him."

"Isn't this too dangerous?" Chen Yun asked worriedly.

Shen Lian laughed and said, "Don't worry, I don't do things I'm not confident about. Even if I'm no match for them, I can easily escape."

Shen Lian took out the prepared black iron fishing net and the "water-repelling talisman". The fishing net was made of black iron wire and was specially used to catch water monsters. The "water-repelling talisman" allowed the user to breathe underwater for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Then, Shen Lian dived into the water, bubbles forming around his body. He held a black iron fishing net and continued to descend. The river water was murky, and visibility was extremely low.

Shen Lian activated the [Combat Power Detection] to check if there were any high-level combatants underwater.

He moved quickly through the water, cautiously surveying his surroundings.

[Combat Strength]: 12~18

Soon, Shen Lian discovered that there was a powerful opponent ahead, so he spurred his body and rushed forward.

"Wave-Cutting Style!"

As he approached, Shen Lian swung his longsword, unleashing three consecutive slashes towards the dark figure, the sharp blade energy spreading outwards.

"what!"

A scream rang out underwater, and blood spread through the river.

Shen Lian then saw the thing clearly: a humanoid creature covered in bluish-black scales, with huge fish fins growing on its back.

Shen Lian threw out the black iron fishing net in his hand, which enveloped the monster. The monster struggled and tore at the net, but the black iron wire was extremely tough and became more and more tightly entangled the monster the more it struggled.

Bang!

With a loud bang underwater, Shen Lian led the monster ashore.

"Senior Brother Shen." Upon seeing Shen Lian come ashore, Chen Yun rushed over immediately.

Shen Lian looked at the monster covered by the black iron fishing net, and he could vaguely see traces of human skin on its neck.

"Are you Widow Li's son?" Shen Lian asked tentatively.

Chen Yun was startled upon hearing this, her gaze falling on the monster. Could this monster be Widow Li's son? She found it hard to believe.

"Kill, kill me!" The monster suddenly spoke in human language, writhing on the ground in agony, its flesh and blood tightly bound by the black iron fishing net.

"No, don't kill my son."

Just then, a woman suddenly appeared. It was Widow Li. She knelt in front of Shen Lian and kept kowtowing to him.

"My lord, my son has never done anything immoral. Please don't kill him," Widow Li said, tears streaming down her face.

"What happened to your son before?" Shen Lian asked.

Widow Li told Shen Lian and Chen Yun what had happened to Li Wen.

Three months ago, Li Wen found a stone while working at the docks. The stone glowed at night. At first, Li Wen only experienced photophobia and loss of appetite. Later, his skin began to itch and develop bluish spots. Widow Li consulted a doctor, but the doctor could not diagnose the cause. Half a month ago, Li Wen completely mutated. Scales covered his entire body, and he would uncontrollably slip out of the house at night, only returning home the next morning, always smelling of water.

"He said he couldn't control himself, that something in the water was calling to him." Widow Li collapsed to the ground. "I dare not report it to the authorities, for fear they will kill my son as a monster."

"Mother...Mother..." Li Wen uttered in a hoarse voice, struggling to get closer to the widow Li who was kneeling on the ground.

Widow Li wept uncontrollably, her forehead bleeding from kowtowing: "Please, Your Honor, have mercy! Wen'er has truly never harmed anyone. He just couldn't control himself from going into the water, and he always returned just before dawn. He didn't capture those missing people."

Shen Lian looked at Widow Li expressionlessly and said, "You say he didn't harm anyone, then how do you explain the scales we found at the scene?"

Widow Li trembled all over, her lips quivering but she couldn't utter a word.

Li Wen, trapped in the fishing net, stopped struggling, his face contorted in pain: "Mother, stop talking, let him kill me. Living like this is just torture..."

Widow Li suddenly rushed to the fishing net, her hands trembling as she stroked the scales on Li Wen's face: "Mother won't allow you to say such things! There must be a way, there must be a way to turn it back..."

Chen Yun, holding a long sword, stood beside Shen Lian and said, "Senior Brother Shen, we shouldn't stay here any longer. Why don't we take Li Wen back to the Demon Suppression Division for questioning?"

Shen Lian affixed an "evil-suppressing talisman" to Li Wen's forehead, and then together with Chen Yun, they took Li Wen back to the Demon Suppression Division.

Li Wen was locked in a specially made iron cage, with iron chains binding his body.

As dawn approached, Li Wen became much more awake, and Shen Lian gleaned some information from his questions.

Two weeks ago, Li Wen's body underwent some kind of mutation. Late that night, driven by an irresistible impulse, he climbed over the wall and jumped into the moat.

"I...I really haven't arrested anyone!" Li Wen suddenly became agitated, the chains rattling. "Every time I go into the water, I try to go to secluded places. That section of the river in the west of the city is remote; I often stay there..."

Zhao Shan said in a deep voice, "But on the night Wang Dali of the blacksmith shop in the west of the city disappeared, your footprints were found at the scene. How do you explain that?"

Li Wen almost burst into tears. "I did go to the west side of the city that night, but I really didn't arrest the person. The person was arrested as soon as I arrived in the west side of the city."

Shen Lian pressed further, "Did you see clearly what it was?"

Li Wen shook his head: "It was too dark. I only saw a shadow, bigger than me, and moving very fast. Moreover, that thing had an aura that frightened me."

"If what Li Wen said is true, then the real culprit is still outside," Shen Lian said, stroking his chin.

He walked towards Li Wen, paused, and asked, "Li Wen, where is that stone you found now?"

Li Wen lowered his head: "I threw it away. I felt that the stone was the cause of my current state, so I threw it into the moat, about two hundred paces west of the dock."

Zhao Shan immediately stood up: "Sun Yan, take two teams and go to the river tonight to search for that stone."

"yes!"

Sun Yan immediately accepted the order, selected two teams, and left the Demon Suppression Division.

……

Council chamber.

A number of demon-suppressing envoys were gathered in the hall, each with a very solemn expression.

Zhao Shan broke the silence: "Li Wen has been placed in a secret room under the supervision of Junior Officer Chen Biao. The scales on his body have fallen off, but he is still somewhat delirious. What are your thoughts on what he said?"

Shen Lian stood up and walked to the map of Qinghe County hanging on the wall.

The map was marked with cinnabar at the locations of thirteen disappearances: the blacksmith shop in the west of the city, the moat, near the docks...

These locations, though seemingly scattered, subtly form a winding trajectory.

"Thirteen missing persons cases, spanning three months." Shen Lian's finger slid along the markings. "Li Wen said he found that glowing stone three months ago, and the first missing person case happened exactly three months ago. This is no coincidence."

Lin Feng crossed his arms and pondered, "After Li Wen mutated, he was only controlled to go into the water at night, but he didn't harm anyone. This means that controlling his existence requires some kind of medium, most likely that stone. The real killer, however, may no longer need such a medium."

Li Hu lowered his voice, "The old master said those scales resemble those of a blue dragon but lack any demonic aura. Could it be... a human-demon hybrid?"

This word sent a chill through the council chamber.

Human-demon hybrids are a taboo in the martial arts world. A hundred years ago, a tragedy occurred because a certain family secretly conducted bloodline fusion experiments.

Zhao Shan said in a deep voice, "There is no evidence yet, so we cannot speak rashly. The most urgent task is to find that stone and find the real culprit."

After Zhao Shan made the arrangements, Shen Lian and the others left.

Last night, Shen Lian and Chen Yun investigated Li Wen's case, while Lin Feng, Li Hu, and Wang Lin went to investigate Zhang Laosan.

However, the three of them did not find Zhang Laosan at the dock, and since it was nighttime, there was no one at the dock, so they did not get any useful information.

Shen Lian and the others arrived at the West Wharf area.

As dusk approached, the dockworkers who were unloading cargo gradually finished their work.

They first found the dock foreman and asked him about Zhang Laosan.

The foreman, a middle-aged man with a weathered face, sighed upon hearing the name "Zhang Laosan": "Zhang Laosan, he's an honest man, a hard worker, but he has a heavy family burden, so he often volunteers for night shifts. About two months ago, some bruises appeared on his hands and neck. We thought it was a skin disease or rust, and advised him to see a doctor, but he always said it was nothing and didn't want to spend the money. Three days ago, he suddenly said he was quitting, settled his wages, and left, and hasn't been seen since."

"Where does he live?" Li Hu pressed.

"It's in the shantytown behind the dock, but I'm not sure which one exactly. You'll have to ask the local residents."

The four of them immediately rushed to the shantytown and, after making several inquiries, finally found an old woman who had lived next door to Zhang Laosan.

The old woman's eyesight wasn't very good. She recalled, "The third son was a man with a hard life. His wife passed away early, and he had a child who was being raised by his mother in the countryside. Lately, he often came home very late at night, sometimes covered in sweat. About eight or nine days ago, in the middle of the night, I heard some noises coming from his room, which lasted for a long time, and then there was no more noise. The next day, the third son was gone. The door wasn't locked, the room was a bit messy, and there seemed to be some sticky water stains on the floor."

Shen Lian and Lin Feng exchanged a glance.

It is highly likely that Zhang Laosan met with misfortune.

They inspected Zhang Laosan's residence.

The room was simply furnished, and the bed showed signs of being pulled apart.

The footprints on the ground were messy, and many of them had clear cracks along their edges, and were larger than Li Wen's.

"It seems that Zhang Laosan may have also come into contact with that kind of stone, and now he's been targeted by the real culprit," Wang Lin said in a low voice.

"The real culprit is becoming increasingly cautious," Shen Lian said with a grave expression.

Chen Yun looked at Shen Lian and asked, "So what do we do now?"

Shen Lian said, "Report the situation here first. Zhang Laosan has gone missing, which is very likely the work of a murderer. We cannot be careless."

Soon, Shen Lian and his group returned to the Demon Suppression Division and reported the information.

Everyone was quite surprised to learn of Zhang Laosan's disappearance.

So far, many people have gone missing in Qinghe County, but the murderer is still at large, and we do not know his identity or whereabouts.

The information reported by Shen Lian and others still had some value.

The fact that the murderer might not be a demon has changed the direction of the investigation. The murderer is still lurking in Qinghe County and may strike at any time.

This is certainly not what the Demon Suppression Division wants to see.