Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

Shi Tie crouched down and touched a claw mark in the corner of the wall. The mark was deep and messy, carrying a violent aura.

"Its claws are sharp, and it's quite large, but... this demonic aura is strange, very restless, unlike that of an ordinary wild beast."

The two carefully investigated the perimeter of several crime scenes. Shi Tie even risked extending his divine sense slightly to sense the residual energy fluctuations in the air.

Besides the stench and demonic power of the monsters, he also seemed to detect a very faint, discordant fluctuation of spiritual energy, which flashed by and was elusive.

"Damn it, something feels off." Shi Tie scratched his head and said to Wang Hu, "Write it down: the depth and spacing of the claw marks, the concentration and characteristics of the residual demonic energy, and... that strange feeling of spiritual power."

"Yes, Senior Brother Shi!" Wang Hu quickly took out a simple piece of animal hide and a charcoal pencil and began to take notes carefully. This was a task assigned by Senior Sister Su, and he needed to be as detailed as possible.

At the same time, Su Xiao led Sun Xiaolan and Li Tiezhu to a relatively bustling street in the center of Black Mountain City.

Their target was several large shops, partly to gather information and partly to test the possibility of selling sect-produced items.

They first entered a Buddhist artifact shop called "Bai Lian Fang".

The shopkeeper was a shrewd old man with a goatee and a cultivation level of around the fourth level of Qi Refining. He noticed that Su Xiao had an extraordinary demeanor (although he suppressed his cultivation level, his composure was hard to completely conceal), and that Sun Xiaolan, who was following behind him, also had bright eyes. Li Tiezhu, being steady and reliable, dared not be negligent and immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Fellow Daoists, what would you like? All the magical artifacts in our shop are meticulously crafted by master craftsmen and are of the highest quality!" the shopkeeper introduced enthusiastically.

Su Xiao smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the various low-level flying swords and magic shields on the counter, and he already had a plan in mind.

The Qingyun Sect's current weapon-refining capabilities are limited. Its main output consists of standard iron swords and shields forged by Shi Tie and his men. These are of average quality and offer no advantage.

She took out a "Sharp Gold Talisman" drawn by a disciple of the sect. Although the talisman paper was ordinary, the runes were drawn smoothly and contained spiritual light, showing that she had a strong skill in making talismans.

"Shopkeeper, we'd like to inquire whether your shop accepts this type of talisman?" Su Xiao handed over the talisman.

The shopkeeper took the talisman and examined it carefully, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Hmm? This 'Sharp Gold Talisman' is drawn quite neatly, with evenly distributed spiritual energy. Although it's a low-grade first-tier talisman, its quality is close to mid-grade. May I ask which sect you belong to, fairy? What is your production volume?"

Su Xiao was prepared and calmly replied, "My siblings and I come from a small sect in the mountains, nothing to brag about. This talisman was drawn by our sect elders, and there aren't many of them. We occasionally take it out to exchange for some spirit stones to supplement our expenses."

The shopkeeper was a shrewd man. Seeing that the other party was unwilling to reveal his background, he didn't ask any further questions and pondered for a moment before saying:

"This talisman is of good quality. A low-grade Sharp Gold Talisman sells for about two low-grade spirit stones on the market, and the purchase price is usually one spirit stone. I am willing to offer one spirit stone plus fifty spirit sand for this one, Fairy. What do you say?"

The price was reasonable. Su Xiao didn't agree immediately, but instead took the opportunity to inquire about the prices of several other common pills and materials, gaining a clearer understanding of the price levels in Black Mountain City.

As she took her leave, she asked, seemingly casually:

"Shopkeeper, I've heard things haven't been very peaceful in the city lately? I've also heard there are monsters lurking in the west of the city?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately sighed and lowered his voice, saying:

"That's right! It's been going on for quite a while now. The monsters specifically target livestock at night, and sometimes they even injure people, causing widespread panic. The city lord's mansion has sent people to investigate several times, but without any results. Sigh, this wretched world..."

After leaving Bailianfang, Su Xiao led his men to Huichuntang, a shop specializing in elixirs, and Wanbaolou, a general store. The process was roughly the same: first, they tentatively inquired about the purchase price, and then they subtly tried to find out more information.

At Huichuntang, she keenly noticed that a type of medicine called "Qingxin Dan" seemed to be selling particularly well. The shop assistant mentioned that it was a recent supply from the Li family and that the quality was very good.

Meanwhile, at Wanbaolou, the manager complained that the price of obsidian raw materials controlled by the Zhao family had recently increased.

After the tour, Su Xiao had a more concrete understanding of the spheres of influence of the three major families: the Zhao family controlled the mines, the Wang family influenced trade (the Yuelai Inn seemed to be related to the Wang family), and the Li family made a breakthrough in the distribution of elixirs.

The three parties appear to be in a balanced state, but in reality, undercurrents are surging.

In the evening, the five met again to exchange information.

Shi Tie was the first to shout, "Junior Sister Su, there's definitely something wrong with the demonic beasts in the west of the city! Their demonic energy is extremely agitated, unlike anything that grows naturally. And I seem to sense a faint, unsettling fluctuation of other spiritual energy!"

Wang Hu supplemented the detailed survey records.

Su Xiao nodded and recounted her observations and analysis from the shop that day:

"...Overall, the three families have considerable conflicts. The Zhao family relies on mining and has the deepest foundation; the Wang family controls distribution and is well-informed; and the Li family has recently acquired a channel for medicinal pills and is gaining momentum."

"The city lord's mansion is powerless to resolve the monster incident, which conveniently provides them with an excuse to fight amongst themselves or to launch an attack on the city lord's mansion. We need to be extra careful not to be used as pawns."

"So what do we do now? We can't just sit here and wait, can we?" Shi Tie asked impatiently.

Su Xiao pondered for a moment, a decisive glint in his eyes: "Waiting is not as good as taking the initiative. Since the City Lord's Mansion has offered a bounty, let's accept this investigation mission!"

"A mission?" Wang Hu and the other two were somewhat surprised.

"Yes," Su Xiao explained, "Firstly, this is the most direct way to get involved in this matter and obtain firsthand information;"

"Secondly, if we can find out the truth and even eliminate the demon beast, we can openly and legitimately promote the name of our Qingyun Sect; thirdly, the spirit stones offered as a reward are also urgently needed by the sect. Of course, this matter is dangerous, and we must plan carefully before we act."

She looked at Shi Tie and said, "Senior Brother Shi, tomorrow you and I will go to the City Lord's Mansion to collect the bounty. Make it clear that we are only responsible for investigating the trail and do not guarantee a solution."

He then instructed the other three: "Wang Hu, Xiao Lan, and Tie Zhu, the three of you stay at the inn for now. Do not go out and be ready to provide support at any time."

With the plan finalized, Shi Tie and Su Xiao arrived at the city lord's mansion, located in the city center but rather deserted, the next day. The mansion was somewhat dilapidated, and the guards seemed listless.

They were greeted by a steward surnamed Liu, whose cultivation level was only at the third level of Qi Refining. Upon hearing that someone had come to collect the bounty, he became quite enthusiastic.

"It's wonderful that you two fellow Daoists are willing to lend a hand!" Deacon Liu said with a bitter face. "This demonic beast has caused a great uproar in the city, and the city lord is very worried. He has offered a reward of fifty low-grade spirit stones for clues or a solution."

"However... several fellow Daoists have tried before, but all of them gained nothing, and some were even injured."

Su Xiao cupped his hands and said, "Deacon Liu, my brother and I are willing to do our best, but we must make it clear beforehand that we are only responsible for investigating the traces of the demon beast and analyzing its habits. If we are not strong enough to defeat it, we will not act rashly."

"I understand, I understand!" Deacon Liu quickly replied. "Finding the trail is a great achievement! Here is a copy of the case file and a distress signal talisman. If you encounter danger, you can activate this talisman, and the nearby patrol team will arrive as soon as possible... although, it may not be of much help."

He added somewhat awkwardly.

After receiving the case file and signal talisman, Shi Tie and Su Xiao left the city lord's mansion.

Back at the inn, after carefully studying the case file and combining it with Shi Tie's investigation the previous day, even more doubts arose.