622: Chapter 33 The Murderer

"I'll go take a look."

After saying that, Xu Changqing got up and left.

Meng Li, however, did not move.

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui did the same.

This was where Xu Changqing differed from the others; he had been educated at Shushan since childhood and took the protection of all living beings as his duty. Even knowing that Old Master Liu wasn't a good person, upon learning that the man might lose his life—especially at the hands of a demon—he would still choose to save him.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Changqing returned. He knocked on the door of Meng Li's room.

Meng Li opened the door, and before he could ask, Xu Changqing said, "Brother Meng, I have rescued the man, but his situation is very dire, and I am powerless to help. Could we let Miss Hua Ying take a look?"

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui heard the commotion and opened their doors to look out at the same time, feeling somewhat surprised by what they heard.

Meng Li wanted to see what was going on, so he nodded. "Where is he?"

"In my room."

"Let's go."

Shortly after, Meng Li, Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and the others arrived at Xu Changqing's room and saw Old Master Liu.

The man's condition was indeed dire, or more accurately, bizarre: his frame was withered, and his entire person appeared a grayish-white, like someone with one foot in the grave. If not for a faint trace of breath and a slight glimmer in his eyes, one would have thought he was a corpse.

At first glance, Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and Lan Kui were all startled.

Meng Li took one look and shook his head, saying to Xu Changqing, "His essence has been drained; he isn't poisoned, so Hua Ying cannot save him. Looking at him now, not even one-tenth of his essence remains. He is but a breath away from death. It's beyond remedy; prepare the funeral arrangements."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Master Liu's final trace of breath dissipated, and the light in his eyes vanished.

In an instant, his life force was severed, and the man became a corpse.

Seeing this scene, Xu Changqing, Jing Tian, and Tang Xuejian were stunned for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

Their impression of Old Master Liu wasn't good, but respect is due to the dead; now that he was gone, it wasn't right to say anything more.

After a short while, the group went to the outer room.

Jing Tian asked Xu Changqing, "White Tofu, who drained his essence? Was it Wan Yuzhi?"

Xu Changqing shook his head. "No, it was Luo Rulie."

"Luo Rulie?!"

Jing Tian and Tang Xuejian were greatly surprised.

Meng Li was also somewhat surprised.

Hong Kui asked Jing Tian, "Brother, who is Luo Rulie?"

Jing Tian replied briefly, "The Hall Master of Pili Hall, an out-and-out villain. To dominate the Jianghu, he captured many innocent commoners and turned them into Poisonous People who were neither human nor ghost, causing a huge mess in Yu Zhou City."

"Fortunately, Elder Brother Meng, White Tofu, and I stepped in and settled the matter."

"And me," Tang Xuejian added, then puzzled, "I remember Luo Rulie was heavily injured by Mr. Meng's Flying Tiger Jade Beast back then. The Tang Clan people captured him, and after interrogation, they confirmed there were no issues and executed him on the spot, burying his body in the mass grave."

"He should be as dead as can be. How could he still be alive, and even come to Anning Village?"

Hearing this, Jing Tian said to Xu Changqing, "White Tofu, you couldn't have seen wrong, right?"

"I didn't," Xu Changqing replied in the negative, then explained, "I fought with him and can be one hundred percent certain it was Luo Rulie. However, Luo Rulie's appearance at the time was more like a demon than a human. It seems some change must have occurred, or perhaps Luo Rulie had some Opportunity that allowed him to return from the dead and transform from a human into a demon."

Jing Tian and Tang Xuejian said no more, because as things stood, this was the only possibility.

Then, Jing Tian asked, "So where is Luo Rulie now?"

Xu Changqing replied, "I don't know. After turning into a demon, his strength increased significantly. I was focused on saving the man, so he escaped."

Jing Tian immediately said with frustration, "If I'd known, I would have followed you. That Luo Rulie was a scourge when he was human; now that he's a demon, he's bound to be even worse. Failing to eliminate him this time is like letting a tiger back to the mountains. Who knows what disasters will arise in the future?"

Seeing this, Lan Kui comforted him, "Brother, there is no need to be frustrated. After all, no one expected him to return from the dead and come here to cause trouble."

"Now that we know, we can just eliminate him when we encounter him later."

Hong Kui also said, "Exactly."

Only then did Jing Tian's mood improve slightly.

At this time, Tang Xuejian spoke up, "Do you think the strange murders that happened in this village before might also have been done by Luo Rulie?"

Xu Changqing said, "It's possible, but whether it is or not, we'll have to verify the condition of the previous victims to be sure."

Jing Tian said, "That's simple. Just call the shopkeeper over and ask, and we'll know."

With that, he went out to find the Inn's shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was shocked upon hearing the news. When he came over and saw Old Master Liu's corpse, he was first startled, then, under Jing Tian's urging, he plucked up the courage to identify it. After a moment, he said with lingering fear, "Yes, this person's death is the same as the others before. It must have been done by the same killer."

Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and the others immediately understood that the previous murders were also Luo Rulie's doing.

Following that, the shopkeeper called people to take away Old Master Liu's body.

After the shopkeeper left with his men, Xu Changqing frowned and said, "Luo Rulie has already committed several murders in Anning Village. Judging by the timing, he has been here for a while."

"From his previous style of doing things, he is a person with a very strong sense of purpose."

"He shouldn't be here just to drain people's essence; he likely has a greater scheme."

Tang Xuejian nodded and followed up by asking, "What is his scheme?"

Before Xu Changqing could answer, Jing Tian said, "Does that even need guessing? It's definitely the earth spirit pearl. After all, besides the earth spirit pearl, there are no other treasures in this place."

"That's not necessarily true," Tang Xuejian countered, then asked Meng Li, "Mr. Meng, what do you think?"

Meng Li said calmly, "My view is the same as Jing Tian's. Since Luo Rulie is draining people's essence, it shows that he has a need for essence after turning into a demon. The earth spirit pearl is nurtured by the power of the earth and has the effect of nourishing all things, containing an extremely vast amount of earth essence, which happens to correspond with Luo Rulie's needs."

"However, he likely hasn't obtained the earth spirit pearl yet; otherwise, he wouldn't need to come out at night to drain people's essence."

"As for why he hasn't succeeded, it might be that he doesn't know the exact location of the earth spirit pearl, or perhaps the place where the earth spirit pearl is located is dangerous, making it impossible for him to get it."

"In that case, as long as we go to the Ancient Vine Forest tomorrow to look for the earth spirit pearl, there's a high probability we'll run into him."

Finally, he summarized, "So, what we need to do next is get some good rest and then go to the Ancient Vine Forest tomorrow."

"Alright, everyone go back to your rooms and rest."

After saying that, Meng Li stood up and walked out.

Jing Tian, Xu Changqing, and the others felt it made sense, so they followed suit and returned to their respective rooms.

Early the next morning, everyone had a simple breakfast and set out towards the Ancient Vine Forest...