43: Chapter 43 The Mysterious Water Town

The car drove for two hours, arriving at the outskirts of this water town.

This water town was a very popular tourist attraction; even though ghost-related incidents had occurred, it was still teeming with people and very lively.

Business seemed completely unaffected.

This was likely because the local authorities had blocked and concealed the news to avoid widespread panic.

Jiang Ling and his group drove all the way to the local criminal investigation unit to inquire about the specific situation and obtain permission for their operation.

After all, this was a town with a large flow of people, and they could not act recklessly to avoid causing innocent harm.

"So you are the Martial Artists here to handle the haunting incidents!"

"We've been waiting for you for a long time!"

A staff member came up enthusiastically to shake hands with Jiang Ling and the others.

"My name is Hou Yuanfei, and I am the team leader here!"

"Let me be the one to guide you through the situation!"

"Very well!" Zhao Jinyu nodded and said, "It would be best to be quick; we cannot afford to waste too much time."

"Understood!" Hou Yuanfei led everyone into the town.

The town was a water town with centuries of history, featuring small bridges, flowing water, and homes; everywhere were archaic bluestone streets and ancient buildings.

Walking inside felt as if one had experienced Transmigration to an era hundreds of years ago.

If not for these haunting incidents, this would indeed be a great place to live.

As soon as Jiang Ling entered the town, his Mental Energy stirred, and he felt something.

He looked around but didn't discover anything.

Yet he had a feeling that something here was completely out of place with the overall layout of the water town.

"Our water town has always been a popular tourist destination, with many visitors coming here to sightsee every day!"

"The haunting incidents started about half a month ago!"

"That day, Granny Wang, who lived on this street, suddenly seemed as if she were possessed by a ghost. She attacked people everywhere, looking extremely terrifying, and her eyes had turned green!"

"We arrived with our people and restrained Granny Wang!"

"But at night, she inexplicably hanged herself in our station!"

"There wasn't even a stool or anything of the sort in that room; it was impossible for her to hang herself!"

"However, Granny Wang used her own belt to hang it on the chandelier and hanged herself!"

"It was as if she had jumped up on her own to hang herself!"

"Don't you have surveillance?" Jiang Ling asked.

"Of course we do!" Hou Yuanfei rubbed his forehead. "But for some reason, the surveillance from that night broke, and nothing was recorded!"

"The surveillance was fine again the next day!"

"Everyone says it was a supernatural event."

"And then what happened?" Zhao Jinyu asked with a frown.

"Later, it was Old Li the Third, who sold pork on the next street!" Hou Yuanfei said, "One day, everyone went to his shop to buy meat as usual. After taking it home, some people found that the taste of the meat was not right!"

"They went to ask Old Li if he was selling stale meat!"

"And guess what happened?"

"Old Li the Third slammed his butcher knife onto the chopping block and shouted, 'I slaughtered it just last night, how could it not be fresh? If you don't believe me, come in and see.'"

"The person followed Old Li inside to look, and guess what they saw?"

"The person saw the head of Old Li the Third's wife sitting on the chopping block inside, along with bones from various parts of her body!"

"The person was so terrified, experiencing Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, and they immediately came to report it!"

"We arrested Old Li the Third, only to find that he had gone crazy, constantly claiming that he had slaughtered a pig, not his wife!"

Upon hearing this, Lai Zihan and Qi Yuxuan instantly turned pale, nearly vomiting.

"Next came the inexplicable deaths occurring one after another in the town!" Hou Yuanfei continued, "Some hanged themselves, some strangled themselves, some stabbed themselves dozens of times, and others drowned themselves in washbasins..."

"In recent nights, strange things have happened every day, and people are even afraid to go out."

Zhao Jinyu listened to these words from Hou Yuanfei, her brow furrowed tightly. "These cannot be confirmed as being caused by ghosts!"

"It is also possible that some exotic beast skilled in illusions is responsible!"

"It's just that we don't know where it's hiding!"

"Tonight, we will keep watch in the town and see when that thing appears."

"As long as it dares to show itself, I can kill it!"

"Then I will rely on you all!" Hou Yuanfei said respectfully. "I hope you can resolve this matter soon and let the town return to its former peace and tranquility."

At night, Jiang Ling and the others split up to patrol various locations in the town, looking for any suspicious people or objects.

The town at night, having shed the noise of the day, became like an unmarried young lady, quiet and serene.

Carrying his horizontal saber, Jiang Ling walked along the bluestone streets of the town, pondering what he had seen and heard during the day.

He always felt that this town was somewhat strange!

But he couldn't put his finger on exactly what was strange about it!

Was an exotic beast really responsible for all of this?

Or did ghosts actually exist in this world?

However, even if there were ghosts, Jiang Ling was not afraid.

He already possessed a certain level of strength; even if there were truly ghosts, he dared to slay them.

In the blink of an eye, it was midnight. Every household had extinguished their lights, and the streets were pitch black, almost impossible to see one's own hand in front of one's face.

Fortunately, every organ of Jiang Ling's Chaos Sacred Body had been strengthened, and his eyes could see more clearly in the night than ordinary people.

Suddenly, Jiang Ling saw a beautiful Woman in White Clothes with long hair sitting on a stone bridge ahead. Under the serene moonlight, she appeared so ethereal and otherworldly, as if a Fairy from the Moon Palace had descended to the mortal world.

"Heh..." Jiang Ling immediately laughed.

Damn it, I was just talking about how this night was pitch black! And now a Woman in White Clothes appears sitting under the moonlight? You tell me, where is this moonlight coming from?

If it were an ordinary person, their mind would have already been completely bewitched by now, failing to notice this small detail that defied common sense, and they would be completely captivated by that Woman in White Clothes.

However, Jiang Ling's Chaos Sacred Body had increased all his base attributes by tenfold, and his Mental Energy had reached 650; this kind of mental bewitchment had little effect on him.

"Beauty, why are you sitting here all alone in the dead of night?" Jiang Ling arrived under the bridge and asked with a smile.

"This humble one is waiting for someone fated!" The beautiful woman spoke softly, her voice melodious and filled with endless enchantment.

"Oh? Waiting for someone fated?"

"Then am I your fated one?" Jiang Ling took a step toward the bridge and asked teasingly.

"If you, Young Master, have the heart, then you are my fated one!" The beautiful woman said shyly.

"Oh? So you mean... you want my heart?" Jiang Ling's hand was already gripping the hilt of his horizontal saber.