The midday sun beat down on the quiet old residence. The doors were half-open, and waves of a metallic blood stench drifted out from within.
Zheng Jun stood in the corner of the Wang Residence's courtyard with his saber in hand, just as he had a few days ago when they were hunting the Wave-Treading Thief, Lou Wei.
The only difference was that back then, as a sixteen-year-old, he had stood by the gate like a mere lackey. Now... still at the same age, he had earned the right to stand inside the courtyard!
It was a massive improvement.
However, standing in the corner meant he had an unobstructed view of the entire courtyard. The scene was stomach-churning.
The five members of the Wang family lay dead on the ground, their clothes disheveled and their abdomens torn open, spilling their intestines. The Master of the Wang Residence—a prominent figure in Black Mountain County named Wang Xiu, commonly known as Wang Wu—now lay lifeless in the courtyard.
His chest had been brutally ripped open, his internal organs missing. Blood stained the bluestone slabs red, and his eyes had been gouged out, leaving only two trails of bloody tears.
Wang Wu's wife lay nearby. Her intestines were like ruthlessly snapped ropes, scattered across the ground and tangled with a half-eaten kidney. The blood had yet to dry, flowing like a small crimson river across the yard.
The sight of Wang Wu's son and daughter was even more horrifying. Their corpses were completely mangled, as if they had been eaten alive, leaving behind only torn flesh and scattered gore.
As for Wang Wu's old mother, she was the only one with an intact body. Her neck had simply been snapped, and she lay dead to the side.
Zheng Jun was not frightened by this gruesome, disemboweled bloodbath. Instead, he remained highly alert, staying in his corner while secretly observing the situation unfolding in the center.
There were five people investigating the courtyard. The leader was a Ti Cavalry from the Garrison Command Government Office, clad in a black and gray Flying Fish Robe. The other four were the Historian of the County Government Office, Squad Leader Sun, the Infantry Captain, and a forensic doctor.
"Lord Ti Cavalry, there are five victims with mutilated bodies. The perpetrator... the perpetrator must be highly skilled. This..."
After examining the bodies, the forensic doctor reported to the Ti Cavalry in the center of the courtyard, his voice trembling and his eyes filled with terror as he watched the officer probe the exposed viscera with his bare fingers.
Throughout his career, though he frequently dealt with corpses, they were usually victims of drowning, poisoning, or falling off cliffs. Murders happened, but something this bizarre was truly rare! In the forensic doctor's mind, there was only one possibility for such a scene: a Demon Fiend was at work!
"It's not a Demon Fiend."
The Ti Cavalry from the Garrison Command Government Office shook his head, stood up, and glanced at the people around him. "Where is the Historian?"
"Here, I'm here!"
Hearing this, the Historian hurriedly trotted over to the Ti Cavalry, bowing submissively and acting extremely docile. "Ti Cavalry Song, what are your orders?"
"This is the result of the Demon Skill known as the Five Organ Skill. It is not the work of a Demon Fiend. Someone in the county is cultivating this Demon Skill. This scoundrel's foundation is unstable, and his strength has yet to reach Qi Storage; he is still in the stage of Blood Refining and Body Tempering," Ti Cavalry Song said calmly. "Go check the recent sales of animal hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys in the city... All the jewelry in the residence is gone. Whether this was for money or a vendetta, you lot can investigate it."
"Understood."
Hearing this, the Historian breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though a heavy burden had been lifted. Thank goodness it wasn't a Demon Fiend. As long as it wasn't a Demon Fiend at work, everything was fine.
After giving his orders, Ti Cavalry Song strode out of the courtyard. Without sparing a single glance at the courtyard full of runners, he walked right out the door and left.
Since it wasn't a Demon Fiend, it was no longer the concern of the Garrison Command Government Office.
Once Ti Cavalry Song was gone, the relieved Historian immediately dispatched the runners present to investigate the surrounding areas. Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu were assigned to visit the butcher shops in the county town to look into the matter of the internal organs.
"Thank goodness it wasn't a Demon Fiend..." Zhou Pu breathed a sigh of relief. He still had lingering fears, seemingly terrified of Demon Fiends.
This being his first time at a murder scene, Zheng Jun actually found it somewhat novel. Wang Wu was a lender of loan shark money; now that he was dead, who knew how many poor people would have their burdens lightened.
As the two walked toward the butcher shops, Zheng Jun casually asked, "The Five Organ Skill... Zhou Pu, do you know of this Pile Skill?"
"Never heard of it," Zhou Pu shook his head. "But from what Ti Cavalry Song said, it should be a Pile Skill that requires consuming internal organs for cultivation."
Hearing this, Zheng Jun's expression suddenly turned strange. He thought, "I also frequently buy internal organs and offal."
After all, Zheng Jun lived a life of poverty; even when he had silver taels, he had to budget carefully. Eating meat every meal was an enormous expense. Therefore, Zheng Jun often bought a little meat alongside pig offal like liver and lungs. It still provided him with high-quality nourishment, but at a relatively cheaper price.
Who would have thought that some damned Demon Skill practitioner would suddenly pop up and do something like this!
He thought, "Loves eating internal organs, currently in Blood Refining and Body Tempering, recently came into a sudden windfall... Doesn't this suspect profile describe me perfectly?"
Fortunately, he had no conflicts with Wang Wu. He didn't even know the man. Otherwise, Zheng Jun would be beyond all hope of clearing his name.
Thinking of this, Zheng Jun felt a little reassured. He then proceeded with Zhou Pu to the butcher shops to track down the whereabouts of the internal organs.
The results of their investigation, however, were somewhat disappointing.
Because pig offal was quite popular, the three Martial Arts Halls in the county bought up the lion's share. The small remaining portion was usually bought by government runners and Quick Hands like Zheng Jun who couldn't afford premium meat, or by porters and manual laborers looking to improve their meals.
Trying to find the Cultivator of the Five Organ Skill among all these people was nearly impossible!
The silver lining was that Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu were just ordinary runners. Solving the case wasn't up to them anyway; they had the Squad Leader and the Historian above them. Let the higher-ups get a headache over this; Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu were only responsible for making arrests.
After recording the names of all the buyers, Zheng Jun and Zhou Pu took the list back to the duty room. Once they handed it in, it was time to get off work, so they went their separate ways home.