HBWnovel Chapter 161 Beauty and Bones
Chapter 161 Beauty and Bones
Chapter 161 Beauty and Bones
Upon hearing Jiang Zhilan's question, all the witnesses exchanged bewildered glances. They now all knew that the mysterious portrait was likely an ominous object, and none of them wanted to invite trouble upon themselves.
Seeing their expressions, Jiang Zhilan had no choice but to say, "Whoever can provide a useful clue will receive one hundred taels of silver!"
A hundred taels of silver is enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for ten years. As the saying goes, a generous reward will surely bring forth brave men. One man stammered, "Sir, perhaps I know where that painting has been taken."
Jiang Zhilan stared at the person who spoke and said, "Tell me, who ended up with that painting?"
The person who provided the clue was the last victim, the next-door neighbor of the scholar surnamed Wang, so Jiang Zhilan took his words very seriously.
The man said, “Your Honor, that scholar Wang was poor and made a living by selling calligraphy and paintings. Even the house he lived in was rented. The landlord was the owner of a pawnshop in the city, and after scholar Wang died, he took the house back. I think if that calligraphy and painting really existed, the pawnshop owner would definitely not let it go.”
Jiang Zhilan turned to Magistrate Sun and asked, "Lord Sun, do you know that pawnshop owner?"
“I know.” Magistrate Sun nodded and said, “The pawnshop owner’s surname is Jia. He is a mean and mean man. People in the city call him ‘Jia the Skinflint.’ If he really dies at the hands of that monster, then that monster will have rid the people of a scourge.”
Jiang Zhilan snorted, a hint of displeasure on her face: "I don't care whether the victim is a good person or a bad person. As long as that demon kills people on my human territory, I, as the head constable of Tianmen, have the responsibility to subdue the demon!"
“Your Excellency is right.” Magistrate Sun realized he had misspoke and hurriedly nodded, “I will immediately gather all the county’s constables and go with Your Excellency to capture the demon.”
“That’s more like what a local official would say.” Jiang Zhilan’s expression softened a bit. “However, ordinary constables won’t be of much use and will only lose their lives in vain. You don’t need to worry about exorcising the demon; Constable Li and I will take care of that. You take the constables and go evacuate the residents near the Jia family’s house immediately to prevent innocent civilians from being harmed if we fight the demon.”
After an all-night interrogation, as dawn broke, Magistrate Sun, along with his constables, quietly evacuated the residents near the pawnshop. Jiang Zhilan and Lin Fei, on the other hand, rushed to the pawnshop, ready to kill the wicked monster who was causing harm.
……
"Young Miss, hurry up. If we're late and that demon notices us, all our efforts will be in vain!" Lin Fei urged, pulling on the Demon-Binding Rope in his hand.
Yan Yan was being pulled along by Lin Fei, looking unwilling: "Don't go back on your word! Now that we've found the real culprit, aren't you going to let me go?"
Jiang Zhilan, who was walking in front, smiled and said, "Sister Yan, of course we will not go back on our word, but we will have to wait until we catch the real culprit before we release you. Until then, we will have to trouble you for the time being."
As they spoke, they arrived near the pawnshop. The pawnshop door was tightly closed, but a faint ray of light could be seen coming through the crack in the door.
"It really is demonic energy!" Jiang Zhilan's expression hardened. "It seems that the murderous fiend is indeed inside this pawnshop!"
The demonic energy that the fiend left on the victims' corpses was undetectable to anyone except Yan Yan, who was proficient in corpse energy, and even to experts with open eyesight.
However, Jiang Zhilan and Lin Fei could clearly see that an extremely strong demonic aura was emanating from the pawnshop. Judging from the intensity of the aura, the demon emanating it was at least a demon general, and possibly even a demon commander in its prime.
A demon general is equivalent to a human at the Acupoint Realm. A demon commander, on the other hand, is equivalent to a human cultivator who has opened the Heavenly Gate and reached the half-step Dharma Aspect Realm.
This demonic creature absorbed the life essence of mortals to recover its vitality, clearly indicating it had suffered significant injuries. Yet, even in this state, it could still emit such a dense demonic aura. It's possible that this prodigy, upon returning to its full strength, possesses the power of a demon general.
"I didn't expect this prodigy to be quite capable. In the current demon race, he should be considered a well-known figure." Lin Fei narrowed his eyes, gathering all his true energy into them, trying to see the situation inside the pawnshop. He said, "How could such a powerful prodigy appear in a small county town, absorbing the essence of mortals?"
In this world, the demon race is in decline, and even a demon general or demon commander is extremely rare among them. The powerful demons are all suppressed and guarded by various sects. Wild demons with demon general or demon commander levels shouldn't be unknown figures.
"Once we catch this monster, we'll find out by questioning him." Jiang Zhilan also focused all her true energy into her eyes, examining the situation inside the pawnshop.
……
Inside the pawnshop, the owner, Mr. Jia, had not slept all night and was now sitting in a chair, looking quite energetic.
In his arms, he held a stunningly beautiful woman. The woman, dressed in a thin shirt, leaned against Mr. Jia's chest and said in a sweet voice, "Master, don't you feel tired after staying up all night?"
"Not tired, not tired at all." Boss Jia's eyes gleamed with lust as he chuckled, "With a beauty by my side, let alone one night, I could go three days and three nights without rest, and I could handle it!"
The beauty giggled, amused: "My lord, people say that wine is a poison that burns through the intestines, and lust is a steel knife that scrapes the bones. Aren't you afraid that I will scrape you?"
Looking at the beauty's smile, Boss Jia was completely captivated: "For the beauty, even my life is nothing!" As he spoke, his hands began to move restlessly up and down.
The beautiful woman, her face flushed and panting, said, "My lord, you're so naughty! I really want to devour you whole!"
As she spoke, her lips moved closer to Master Jia's.
Just as their lips were about to touch, a thunderous shout suddenly came from outside: "You lustful old fool, your beauty has faded into dust, don't you want to die sooner?"
This roar was like a sudden clap of thunder in spring; it even shattered the door of the house.
The beauty in Boss Jia's arms was undoubtedly stunning to ordinary people, but to a master with opened eyes, she was clearly just a pile of bones.
Needless to say, this woman must be the culprit behind this series of murders in Qinghe County.
"A tongue that spits thunder?" The beautiful woman, her good time interrupted, was also furious: "Where did this scoundrel come from, daring to ruin my good time?"
She looked up and saw two people dressed as constables standing outside the door, and a girl with her hands tied, quietly backing away.