Chapter 116 Blood Food Healing

Chen Mu pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"If that's the case, how do you know it's a fox demon?"

The few people around looked at each other, and after a while, a young woman said,

"What else could it be if not a fox demon, since it can bewitch people and eat human hearts?"

"Bullshit! If you ask me, it's not a fox demon, it's a dog demon!"

A sturdy man nearby interjected.

"Blacksmith Li from the east of town kept seven or eight laying hens, and they all vanished overnight. There was blood all over the coop, and also... also lots of yellow fur! The fur was fine and soft; at a glance, it looked like fox fur, but if you look closely, it looks a bit like dog fur."

"A dog demon, it must be a dog demon!"

Another old man squatting in the corner of the wall basking in the sun said in a hoarse voice,

"The cured meat I hung in the courtyard a few days ago was also stolen. There were claw marks at the base of the wall, and a tuft of fur. I picked it up, and it was definitely dog fur!"

"You're talking nonsense, it's clearly a fox demon! I've only ever heard of fox demons wearing human skin to bewitch people; I've never heard of a dog demon."

"What do you know? Dog demons can steal chickens too, and that fur was dog fur."

"Have you ever seen fox fur? That was clearly the stench of a fox."

"You're the one who's smelled dog fur!"

The few commoners actually started arguing over whether it was a fox or a dog, each speaking with great conviction, yet their details were contradictory.

Some said they saw handsome men and beautiful women, others said they saw faceless human skin, some said it stole chickens and snatched meat, and others said it bewitched people's hearts.

The only common point was that it appeared at night, its behavior was strange, and it seemed to leave hair at the scene.

Chen Mu and Qi Huan exchanged a look, their suspicions deepening.

If a demon was truly causing this, its methods were far too inconsistent.

Fox demons are good at shapeshifting and enjoy eating human hearts and essence. Dog demons often steal blood-based food and are fierce and direct. The demon in Qinglin Town had actually taken on traits of both.

Was it the commoners spreading rumors, or... was there more than one demon?

Or was this simply someone intentionally creating chaos to confuse the situation?

...

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the annex.

Since the three of them—Chen Mu and his companions—left, the anger on Xu Changze's face gradually faded, replaced by an expression of extreme exhaustion and pain.

He lifted the brocade quilt on the daybed.

Beneath it was a young woman with her eyes wide open and a look of extreme agony on her face.

There was a wound on her neck deep enough to see the bone, with the flesh rolled back. Blood had soaked through the bedding beneath her. Even more horrific, her chest, arms, and other areas all had signs of being bitten, leaving her flesh a bloody mess.

The other few women all had dazed expressions, turning a blind eye to everything happening before them, as if they had completely lost their will.

Xu Changze stared at the corpse, his throat emitting a strange rattling sound. He suddenly leaned down and tore a piece of flesh from the corpse's arm, chewed it haphazardly a few times, and swallowed it.

As the flesh entered his stomach, an unnatural flush appeared on his pale face, and his trembling body slowly calmed down.

After a long while, he slowly sat up straight, raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes regained clarity.

"Chen Mu..."

He whispered this name, murderous intent surging in his eyes.

In the battle at Peony Pavilion last night, he forcibly activated his official seal and took a hit from Chen Mu's soul-slaying blade. Not only was his essence severely depleted, but his Divine Soul was also heavily injured.

That soul-slaying blade specifically countered soul-forms. The Saber Qi that invaded his body was like a maggot on a bone, constantly eroding his consciousness.

The blood cultivation method taught to him by the City God was originally meant to nourish oneself with the blood, essence, and souls of the living. He could usually control himself, only secretly extracting essence and blood from some prisoners and beggars.

But this time, his injuries were too severe. Ordinary essence and blood were no longer enough to suppress it, let alone dispel the Soul Power erosion from the soul-slaying blade.

With no other choice, he had to take a desperate risk and use the flesh and blood of living people as a catalyst to forcefully heal his wounds. These few women were the medicine he had chosen.

However, the backlash from this evil technique was extremely severe; each time he used it, his mind moved one step closer to becoming a demon.

Just now, when the three of them burst in, he was at a critical moment in practicing his evil art. With his mind agitated, he had almost lost control.

If he hadn't made preparations in advance, capturing the souls of a few women and making them cover it up with seductive sounds, and then forcing himself to remain calm and using his official authority to suppress others, he would likely have been exposed on the spot.

After his breathing steadied slightly, Xu Changze took that official seal from his bosom.

The surface of the official seal was dull, and there were even a few fine cracks, clearly having suffered significant damage from the confrontation with the demon seal last night.

"Old demon..."

Xu Changze muttered to himself, his eyes complex.

When the City God taught him the blood cultivation method, he had warned him that this technique was dangerous and that one slight mistake would lead to falling into the Demonic Path and suffering its backlash.

He hadn't taken it seriously at the time, thinking it was just a shortcut to quickly improve his strength. Looking at it now, that old demon probably never had good intentions from the start.

But so what? He had no way back.

Chen Mu had to die, Qi Huan had to die, and everyone who knew his secrets or blocked his path had to die.

It's just that...

Xu Changze gripped the official seal tightly, his eyes filled with hesitation.

Last night in the Peony Pavilion, the voice from the private room and that strange demon seal all pointed to that mysterious Jiang Family of the North.

He had originally thought Chen Mu was just a callow youth with some talent who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Looking at it now, the waters behind this kid were very deep.

"I can't delay any longer. I must recover my injuries as soon as possible, and then... strike first."

Having said this, he struggled to get up, took a deep breath, and took a talisman paper from his bosom. He bit his fingertip, dripped a drop of blood onto it, and whispered an incantation.

The talisman burned without wind and turned into a wisp of green smoke. Xu Changze straightened his robes, carefully lifted the fifth-rank official seal, raised it above his head, and slowly knelt down.

The official seal trembled slightly, and a blurry phantom slowly rose from it. Its features could not be seen clearly, only vaguely resembling a human figure wearing official robes.

"The time is approaching. Is the offering ready?"

Xu Changze's body trembled, his voice becoming increasingly submissive.

"Reporting to the Honored Envoy, it was almost ready."

"The wandering souls, livelihoods, and Power Of Will from incense in Yunmeng City over these years have all been secretly collected according to the Honored Envoy's instructions. The Ghostly Creatures raised by Zhao Qinghe have swallowed living souls and refined essence, and quite a lot has been accumulated. We only need this harvest to gather the required amount..."

The voice suddenly turned cold, interrupting Xu Changze.

"It was? Something went wrong?"

Xu Changze bowed his head to the ground and hurriedly explained.

"There were some accidents. A new lad has arrived at the Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division named Chen Mu."

"I don't know why, but this kid can actually slay the Ghostly Creatures raised by Zhao Qinghe, ruining the step of refining living souls. Last night, he clashed with me at the Peony Pavilion, and I was careless, causing damage to the official seal, so the progress has slowed down a bit."

The figure seemed to move, and its tone held a hint of surprise.

"Chen Mu? A mere Demon Suppression Division runner can slay Ghostly Creatures and damage the official seal?"

Xu Changze replied hurriedly.

"This subordinate dares not conceal anything. This kid is indeed evil; his cultivation progress is impossibly fast, and he possesses strange methods that specifically counter soul-forms."

"Last night, he even brought out a strange black seal that was actually able to contend with the Luck Dragon of the official seal in my hand."