Fushan City.
It was already late at night. The entire city was under strict curfew due to incidents of demonic entities and strange creatures harming people. Only constables from the yamen patrolled the streets.
These constables were cultivators of martial arts, and their leader was someone who had activated his blood qi. They were not afraid of demonic entities and strange creatures. However, their primary duty was to protect the safety of Fushan City and prevent criminals from causing trouble.
They were proficient at solving cases and apprehending culprits, but when it came to fighting demonic entities and strange creatures, they would likely be wiped out in a single encounter.
Professional matters required professional people.
Gu Yuan was the professional that Fushan City had sought. After all, a city of this size couldn't have only one place where demonic entities and strange creatures were rampant. The Demon Suppression Division was always short-handed.
Unfortunately, all the personnel from the Fushan City branch of the Demon Suppression Division had accompanied the head of the division to a village under Fushan City to slay demons. There were only a few people left in the Demon Suppression Division, not enough to deal with the strange creature that had appeared.
After roughly assessing the realm of the strange creature, they immediately reported it to the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division to send reinforcements.
The origin of this strange creature had also been investigated by the Demon Suppression Division.
It was a concubine of a wealthy merchant in Fushan City, a typical melodramatic affair.
The concubine had recently been taken in by the merchant, and the two were in the throes of newlywed bliss. The merchant was infatuated with her and would go to her courtyard every night to sleep with her, which incurred the displeasure of the main wife.
Once, when the merchant went to another city for business, the main wife, accompanied by servants, broke into the concubine's room, tortured her to death, then dumped her body in the well in the backyard and sealed it with stones, leaving no trace.
When the merchant returned and found his beloved concubine missing, he was furious. He questioned the main wife, who claimed she didn't know her whereabouts. Hearing from a servant that the concubine had not returned after going out, the merchant immediately sent people to search.
However, they searched for a long time without success and eventually dropped the matter. The merchant took in another concubine. This time, before the main wife could do anything, strange occurrences began. Every night, cries could be heard from the backyard.
At first, the merchant paid no attention. But as time went on, more and more people heard the cries, and even the merchant himself heard them. He recognized the voice as similar to that of his previous concubine and, with a flash of insight, understood what was happening.
He interrogated the main wife. Under pressure, she confessed the truth. The merchant was enraged. His beloved concubine had died unjustly due to female jealousy. However, the dead could not be brought back to life.
The main wife had accompanied him through his difficult times since he was young. He couldn't simply send her to the yamen for the sake of a concubine he had only known for a few days. He secretly hired an expert to try and kill the strange creature the concubine had become.
But unexpectedly, the concubine's resentment was so great that the expert hired by the merchant died directly. The resentment then backfired and engulfed the merchant's entire mansion, making it impossible for anyone to approach. The next morning, the surrounding residents discovered something amiss at the merchant's house and reported it to the authorities, leading to Gu Yuan's mission to Fushan City.
Upon receiving the report, the yamen quickly contacted the Demon Suppression Division, cordoned off the scene, and began investigating the cause. They discovered it was a vengeful entity corresponding to the Blood Qi realm. The Fushan City branch of the Demon Suppression Division temporarily did not have a Demon Suppression Envoy of this level. Moreover, the entity's resentment was still spreading, so they had to promptly report it to the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division.
According to the intelligence, this concubine was extremely alluring, like a vixen, having completely captivated the merchant's soul.
Her figure was even more remarkable; readers can imagine it for themselves.
Gu Yuan looked at the intelligence in his hand and fell into thought. The formation of strange creatures was coincidental; not everyone who died would become a strange creature. The formation of each strange creature involved a certain amount of luck. While it wasn't unheard of for a strange creature to consume dozens of people, like this concubine, it was rare.
Furthermore, according to the intelligence, this merchant had hired an expert, likely a martial artist, possibly not exceeding the Blood Qi realm. Yet, a newly formed strange creature could kill him directly. This indicated a significant problem.
After joining the Demon Suppression Division, Gu Yuan learned that there were dark cults operating in the shadows, plotting to bring about a world of demons and strange creatures.
He had heard in the Demon Suppression Division that these dark cults possessed methods to rapidly upgrade strange creatures.
He wondered if this concubine was a product of these cults.
Gu Yuan inwardly became vigilant.
He felt that the incident this time was not simple and that there might be variables ahead.
He put away the intelligence and looked at Fushan City, where traffic was constantly flowing in and out, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"Giddy up!"
Gu Yuan spurred his horse towards the gate of Fushan City.
A young guard saw someone galloping towards them from afar and was about to stop him but was pulled back by an older guard.
"Demon Suppression Division business, civilians stay back!"
The guard shouted as he watched Gu Yuan's rapidly approaching figure.
People entering the city heard the guard's shout and immediately retreated without thinking, clearing a path for the personnel of the Demon Suppression Division to pass.
Gu Yuan, expressionless, rode his horse swiftly into the city, stirring up a cloud of dust. Yet, no one dared to say anything out of line, for this was the highest military organization of Da Gan, the protector of the people: the Demon Suppression Division!
The guard who had wanted to stop Gu Yuan had a look of embarrassment on his face. If he had intercepted a Demon Suppression Envoy, he might have lost his head.
After all, the matters handled by the Demon Suppression Envoys involved human lives.
The guard who had stopped him patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Little Wang, you've just become a city guard. You need to develop a keen eye in the future and see who's coming before deciding whether to intercept, understand?"
"Yes, yes, thank you, Brother Zhang. I understand."
The city guard named Little Wang smiled ingenuously and quickly thanked Brother Zhang before returning to his duties.
...
Gu Yuan rode without stopping to the area where the merchant's mansion was located, as stated in the intelligence.
The area had already been sealed off by constables, and no one was allowed to enter.
Of course, Gu Yuan was an exception.
The constables noticed Gu Yuan's arrival and immediately went to greet him.
Gu Yuan dismounted, handed the reins to one of the constables, and asked the constable, whose attire clearly differed from the others, "What is the situation now?"
The constable clasped his hands into a fist and replied respectfully, "The resentment of that strange creature is spreading, enveloping the three households nearby."
Gu Yuan nodded and said no more, walking towards the area with the strongest strange aura.