72: Applying pressure

The three exchanged glances, seeing seriousness and coldness in each other's eyes.

Without further delay, they immediately set off, quickly returning to the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall with the clues they had found.

In the Quiet Room in the backyard, Zhao Zheng and Martial Uncle Chen Chuan's expressions became grim after hearing Chen Linsheng's minute findings and deductions.

"Strange Fragrance? Eerie footprints?" Zhao Zheng slammed the table, leaving a clear palm print on the hard mahogany surface. "Someone is definitely playing tricks! No matter who dares to harm my Disciple, I will make them pay the price!"

Senior Martial Uncle Chen Chuan slowly stood up. His face was calm, but his eyes, usually sparkling with vigor, were now like two bottomless Cold Pools, harboring monstrous rage.

He said nothing more, merely nodded slightly to Zhao Zheng, and strode out quickly.

Chen Linsheng watched the departing back of his Senior Martial Uncle with some confusion.

Zhao Zheng snorted coldly and explained, "Your Senior Martial Uncle is going to exert pressure. He is a Commander Chen of the Jiuqu Prefecture Constabulary, and officially, his status is half a head higher than this Qinghe County Magistrate. With him stepping forward, the Government will absolutely not dare to be perfunctory; they must reopen the investigation, and the standards will be completely different."

Chen Linsheng suddenly realized—this was the dual deterrence of Official Status and strength... County Yamen, Back Hall.

The Qinghe County Magistrate was holding a teacup, listening to County Commandant Wang and Li Xunya's report on Zhang Yang's "Qi Deviation" case, his face showing some indifference.

The accidental death of a Martial Arts Hall Disciple was not a big deal in his eyes, and since the Patrol Office already had a conclusion, he did not want to cause further complications.

Just then, a commotion came from outside, followed immediately by a Yamen Runner scrambling in, his face pale: "L-Lord! Commander Chen of the Jiuqu Prefecture Constabulary is visiting!"

"What?!" The County Magistrate's hand shook, spilling tea all over himself.

A Commander Chen of Jiuqu Prefecture—that was one of his Direct Superiors. Why would he suddenly come to this small Qinghe County?

Before he could tidy his clothes and go out to greet him, Martial Uncle Chen Chuan had already strode in with the powerful gait of a Dragon. He wasn't even wearing his Official Uniform, only a plain gray Martial Outfit, but the imposing Aura of someone long holding a high position and Managing Judicial Affairs instantly solidified the air in the entire Back Hall.

"Commander Chen! This subordinate was unaware of the Commander's arrival and failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me!"

The County Magistrate quickly stood up, bowed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Martial Uncle Chen Chuan's gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the County Magistrate, County Commandant Wang, and Li Xunya. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable sense of oppression: "I, Your Official, heard that a Formal Disciple of the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall in your county Died Suddenly last night, with the preliminary conclusion being Qi Deviation?"

"Y-Yes, Head Constable Li's investigation confirmed it was due to carelessness in cultivation, leading to Qi and Blood Assaulting the Heart..."

County Commandant Wang answered, Bracing Himself.

"Nonsense!" Martial Uncle Chen Chuan interrupted him without politeness, his voice suddenly turning sharp. "I personally inspected the residual traces at the scene. There is residue of a Strange Type of Intoxicating Fragrance, and footprints from an eerie Movement Technique! This case is full of suspicious points and is absolutely not a simple cultivation accident! You, as Local Officials, Managing Judicial Affairs in this area, dare to close the case so hastily? Do you think the great liang law is a joke?!"

He took a step forward, his gaze fixed on the County Magistrate:

"County Magistrate, this case must be immediately reopened! I, Your Official, suspect that this matter may be related to the White Lotus Cult Heretic who recently infiltrated our county! If it truly is a cult crime, and we allow it to go unchecked, if the higher-ups assign blame, neither of us can bear the responsibility!"

The three words "White Lotus Sect" struck the hearts of the County Magistrate and County Commandant Wang like a heavy hammer.

Their faces instantly turned deathly pale. If it were a typical murder case, they might be able to prevaricate, but once it involved the White Lotus Sect, which the Imperial Court strictly ordered to be eliminated and which was notorious, the nature of the situation was completely different!

If they were slapped with the charge of "harboring an Evil Cult" or "ineffective investigation, indulging an Evil Cult," losing their posts and being dismissed would be getting off lightly!

"Yes, yes, yes! Commander Chen is insightful! This subordinate was negligent, this subordinate is guilty!" The County Magistrate repeatedly wiped away sweat, his voice trembling. "Reopen! Immediately reopen the investigation! Li Xunya! Hurry and re-examine the scene, you must find out the truth!"

Cold sweat streamed down Li Xunya's back, and he complained bitterly in his heart.

He had originally accepted a request and Money from the Black Mountain Gang, intending to suppress the matter and close it as an "accident."

He had thought that although the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall was influential, it was ultimately just a Civilian Martial Arts Hall, and the pressure would be manageable.

He never expected that this would attract a Commander from the prefecture, who immediately slapped the enormous label of "White Lotus Sect" onto the case!

This pressure was unbearable, not just for him, but even for County Commandant Wang and the County Magistrate!

He was already cursing the Black Mountain Gang to high heaven in his mind. These idiots, just how much trouble did they stir up?!

Fortunately, he had been cautious and did not follow the Black Mountain Gang's hint to "dispose of the body quickly," otherwise today... Just as Li Xunya was secretly relieved and preparing to receive his orders and leave, another loud voice came from outside the door.

"Commander Chen is right! This is absolutely not a minor matter; it must be thoroughly investigated!"

Everyone looked toward the voice, only to see a Burly Man with a rugged face, dressed in the uniform of a low-ranking military officer, striding in. He cupped his hands toward Martial Uncle Chen Chuan and the County Magistrate.

This person was precisely Wu Tiande, the External Commission Battalion Commander responsible for the defense of the Qinghe County Garrison.

"Battalion Commander Wu? Why are you here too?" The County Magistrate felt overwhelmed.

Wu Tiande's face was gloomy. He spoke solemnly to Martial Uncle Chen Chuan and the County Magistrate: "Commander Chen, County Magistrate, I, Your Subordinate General, am here precisely because of a similar case! In my Military Camp, some time ago, several Veterans who retired but remained as Instructors were murdered. Their deaths were horrific; seven or eight tenths of the blood in their bodies was gone, as if sucked dry by something! The cause of death is bizarre, definitely not an ordinary homicide! I, Your Subordinate General, was about to report this, but hearing that Commander Chen was here, I specifically came to inform you! If this is truly the work of an Evil Cult, the harm will extend beyond just the Common People!"

Sucking the Blood Dry?!

When these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked! Even Martial Uncle Chen Chuan's brow furrowed tightly.

After Wu Tiande finished speaking, his sharp gaze turned to County Commandant Wang: "County Commandant Wang, I heard that the Martial Arts Hall Disciple's body is still in the Morgue? May we inspect it together? Perhaps we can find a connection!"

County Commandant Wang dared not hesitate for a moment now, and immediately looked at Li Xunya.

Li Xunya quickly bowed, his tone absolutely certain: "Yes! It's in the Morgue! Perfectly preserved. I, your Subordinate Official... I will take you Lords there now!"

He was filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, fortunately he hadn't touched the body, otherwise, the one "disposed of" today might have been himself... County Yamen Morgue, cold and damp.

Zhang Yang's body was placed on a simple Wooden Board, covered with a White Cloth. Beside it were three other bodies covered with White Cloth, which were the three murdered Veterans Wu Tiande had mentioned.

Martial Uncle Chen Chuan, Wu Tiande, Zhao Zheng, Chen Linsheng, Di Moyu, Liu Ruyan, as well as the County Magistrate, County Commandant Wang, Li Xunya, and others gathered here, and the atmosphere was heavy.

The White Cloth was lifted, revealing Zhang Yang's pale face with a trace of eerie blue-gray. His eyes were wide open, as if he had seen something terrifying before death, his expression twisted with unwillingness and horror.

Chen Linsheng silently stepped forward, bowed to Zhang Yang's body, and muttered in his heart: "Senior Brother Zhang, rest in peace. We will definitely seek justice for you."

Afterward, he once again activated the "Five Senses Clarity" and "Minute Insight" of [Tracking Perfection] to carefully examine Zhang Yang's body.

He bypassed the obvious external signs and focused on sensing the deeper Residual Aura.

Deep inside Zhang Yang's nostrils, he once again captured that extremely faint wisp of Strange Fragrance, which carried a sweet, slightly fishy smell. It was weaker than the residue in the Cultivation Room, but definitely present.

Immediately after, he signaled for everyone to help and carefully examined Zhang Yang's entire body.

Finally, at the root of Zhang Yang's hair on the back of his neck, in an extremely hidden location, Chen Linsheng discovered a subtle Needle Mark, almost indistinguishable from a pore!

The skin around the Needle Mark showed an abnormal light purple color.

"There's a Needle Mark here!" Chen Linsheng said in a deep voice.

Everyone gathered around, and seeing the almost imperceptible mark, they all felt a chill in their hearts.

"He was indeed ambushed!" Zhao Zheng gritted his teeth.

Martial Uncle Chen Chuan carefully examined the Needle Mark, then ordered someone to lift the White Cloths covering the Veterans.

The Veterans were all robust individuals, but now they looked withered and gaunt, their skin shriveled, as if their Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been drained. At the carotid arteries on their necks, similar but more obvious Bite Marks and Suction Marks were found, and the wounds were also surrounded by an eerie blue-purple color.

"Injecting intoxicating fragrance or Poison via a Needle Mark, disrupting Qi and blood, creating the Illusion of Qi Deviation... Directly biting through blood vessels and sucking Fresh Blood..."

Martial Uncle Chen Chuan's gaze was icy as he swept over the County Magistrate and Wu Tiande.

"Although the methods differ, they are all sinister and bizarre, and the Residual Aura carries that same Sweet, Slightly Fishy Strange Fragrance from the same source. It seems that even if the perpetrators are not the same person, they must belong to the same Faction!"

His gaze finally settled on the eerie blue-purple marks, and he slowly uttered three words:

"White Lotus Sect!"

Although there was no direct evidence, all signs pointed to this terrifying Evil Cult.

Especially the act of sucking Fresh Blood coincided perfectly with rumors surrounding certain Evil Secret Techniques of the White Lotus Sect.

"It seems the White Lotus Cult Heretics are no longer just operating in the mountains; they have infiltrated the County Town and started their actions!" Martial Uncle Chen Chuan's tone was chilling. "Their targets seem to be Young Martial Artists or Veterans in the military with vigorous Qi and blood..."

He looked at the County Magistrate and Wu Tiande: "Gentlemen, this matter is no longer an ordinary murder case. It concerns the safety of Qinghe County, and even the overall strategy of the Prefectural City in eliminating the White Lotus Sect! We must immediately Merge the Cases, investigate with full effort! I will immediately prepare a document to report to the Prefectural Governors Mansion!"

The County Magistrate and Wu Tiande dared not say another word, hurrying to bow and accept the order.

Chen Linsheng stood aside, looking at Zhang Yang's face, whose eyes were wide in death, and then at the Veterans whose blood had been sucked dry, clenching his fists tightly.

He had originally thought the threat of the White Lotus Sect was still relatively distant, but unexpectedly, tragedy had struck right beside him in the blink of an eye.

Cave... Zhang Yuchen... Bloody Aura... White Lotus Sect... Sucking Qi and Blood...