Zhao Yuansong stood on the eaves, his face already extremely ashen.
With the enhancement of his pháp nhãn (magic eye), he could see the scene below with only moonlight.
In a small courtyard before him, not only was there a dense residue of demon energy, but also a pungent smell of blood.
He moved from house to house, discovering that over twenty households of commoners had had their lives reaped by demons, their throats slit in their sleep.
From the elderly in their sixties and seventies to infants in swaddling clothes, not a single person among the twenty-odd households had survived!
Zhao Yuansong even found that the souls of these commoners had been taken by some means, stripping them of even the chance to reincarnate!
How could he not be enraged by this?
And how could he not be furious?
However, as he followed the demon energy, it suddenly stopped at a certain point.
The demon that had committed this sin had suddenly stopped, employing a special technique to conceal its tracks.
A night passed, and Zhao Yuansong, who had returned without success, stood in Cao Yan's courtyard, lost in thought, a murderous aura now cast over his face.
Last night, he had discovered five locations where demons had wreaked havoc, claiming the lives of over a hundred households in their sleep.
And the demons' objective was clear: to harvest the souls of these commoners!
"Outrageous!"
A young man, upon learning of what had happened last night, could not help but exclaim in a low voice.
Beside him, another young man's face was also filled with anger, wishing he could flay the demon that committed the crime.
The two were named Song Changsheng and Qian Dahai. Although their ranking within the inner sect was not high, it was not particularly low either, and they were somewhat known.
While the two spoke indignantly with furious expressions,
the three people gathered under the eaves were filled with worry, fearing that their husbands and children would be harmed by the demon.
"Please rest assured, everyone. I personally saw Brother Cao return to the barracks. He did not encounter the wicked demon."
Zhao Yuansong smiled slightly and spoke to comfort them.
Upon hearing this, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to prepare breakfast.
Less than half an hour later, Cao Yan also returned home. Although his face was full of fatigue, his eyes seemed to blaze with anger.
Seeing this, everyone's expressions immediately tensed, and a guess formed in their hearts.
However, the conclusion they reached was far from the truth.
"Last night, a total of one hundred and seventeen households suffered, their lives brutally taken by a ruthless killer!"
As soon as Cao Yan closed the courtyard gate, he spoke in a low voice before the three.
Judging by his demeanor, he seemed to be grinding his teeth.
According to his account, after discovering the large number of commoners killed, the county magistrate had attributed all the crimes to the chivalrous thief!
As everyone knew, that chivalrous thief who operated within a thousand-mile radius always acted alone. How many people would it take to kill so many in a single night?
If it were a cultivator, then it would be another matter entirely. But everyone knew that the chivalrous thief was merely a martial artist of the first or second realm.
"It was done by demons."
Zhao Yuansong spoke, recounting what he had seen and heard last night.
His account was almost identical to what Cao Yan had in mind. He had also examined the crime scenes and indeed found traces of a dense demon energy.
However, all suspicious points were dismissed by the county magistrate, being attributed to the chivalrous thief.
This made Cao Yan suspect that the so-called chivalrous thief had never appeared in the city, and it was all a fabrication by the county magistrate.
"You suspect the Samsara Tower?"
He looked at the person before him, voicing his doubts.
Ordinary families only knew of the rebellion, but were unaware of the Samsara Tower behind it.
However, Cao Yan, with his first realm strength and past experience as a traveling bodyguard, had accumulated considerable connections, naturally allowing him to learn certain things.
It was rumored that the Samsara Tower housed not only a large number of demonic cultivators but also a group of demons and ghosts.
Last night's events, coupled with the rebel county magistrate's vigorous cover-up, attributing all blame to the so-called chivalrous thief, inevitably led to other thoughts.
Zhao Yuansong nodded slowly. Before returning this morning, he had gone to the vicinity of the county yamen and could sense the dense demon energy emanating from it from afar.
In fact, many people in the city had already guessed at the signs. After all, the demons within the county yamen never concealed their presence.
Many people like Cao Yan, who had their own sources of information, had already formed their own judgments and would not believe the county magistrate's claims.
But what good would it do to know the truth of some matters?
"Let's go. Take your family and hide in the mountains."
Zhao Yuansong sighed, suddenly advising.
After his initial fury subsided, he understood a fact: no matter how angry he was, he was powerless to change anything.
If a remote small county town was in such a state, one could only imagine the situation elsewhere.
It was likely that wherever the rebels occupied, such acts would not be uncommon.
And he was merely a cultivator of the second realm. Even if he suddenly possessed the cultivation of the Golden Core realm, he still wouldn't be able to change much.
Upon hearing this, Cao Yan's forehead veins bulged. In the end, he could only sigh and turn to discuss with his wife and parents, packing some essentials to flee the city.
If they continued to stay in the city, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't be the next victims.
"Junior Brother Zhao!"
Song Changsheng spoke with anger.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was pulled back by Qian Dahai. At his meaningful glance, he could only let out a resentful hum.
"I know what you want to say."
Zhao Yuansong turned and looked at them, his expression solemn. "I didn't plan to leave just like that!"
Indeed, if they were to act now, their whereabouts would inevitably be exposed.
But to pretend he saw nothing and quietly leave the county town was something he absolutely could not do.
However, even if they were to do something, it would require careful planning to ensure their escape and that no one else would be implicated, regardless of the outcome.
After several days of relative calm, Cao Yan requested leave from his superior, claiming he needed to take his family out of the city to offer incense to the gods.
About seven or eight li outside this small county town, on a mountain, there was a reasonably well-known mountain god temple, where people often went to offer incense.
Cao Yan's excuse was that too many people had died in the city recently, and his wife, children, and parents were uneasy.
They had already visited the City God Pavilion in the past few days, so this reason was unassailable.
Thus, he was granted leave and openly left the county town with his wife and children. However, after walking four or five li, he changed direction and departed.