The next morning, as dawn broke, the villagers of Liu Gou were roused from sleep by their elder.
They were told to gather at the village’s meeting hall—an order that, of course, had come from Liang Cheng.
After confirming with Lu Xuan the night before, Liang Cheng was certain that no supernatural disturbances would plague Liu Gou Village for a long time.
But as for the deaths of the two villagers and three militiamen?
He wasn’t foolish enough to reveal the truth.
Should I really tell them their village is haunted? That their people were killed by some horrifying, unclean entity?
If he did, panic would spread like wildfire, throwing the village into chaos.
…..
Liu Gou Village Meeting Hall
Liang Cheng stood at the center of the room, flanked by his deputies.
Behind them, several constables carried a wooden plank draped in white cloth.
Once the villagers had mostly assembled, Liang Cheng cleared his throat and spoke.
“Silence!”
His sharp command cut through the murmurs, and the hall fell dead quiet.
Every eye fixed on him—including Lu Xuan’s, who sat observing from the side.
Satisfied, Liang Cheng nodded and continued.
“After last night’s investigation, I’ve determined the cause of those deaths.”
“The real culprit has been executed on the spot. From now on, Liu Gou Village will be safe.”
“You can all rest easy.”
He kept it brief, wrapping up the case in just a few sentences.
Murmurs of relief rippled through the crowd.
“Really?”
“Thank heavens!”
“Constable Liang solved it so quickly!”
“We won’t have to live in fear anymore!”
“Constable Liang is truly wise!”
Amid the chatter, a woman pushed forward, her face streaked with tears.
“Sir Constable,” she choked out, knees buckling as if to kneel. “Where is the monster that killed my husband? Please, give me justice!”
Liang Cheng stepped forward swiftly, using the scabbard of his sword to stop her from dropping to the ground.
“I’ve already said—the culprit has been dealt with.”
He gestured to his men.
“Show them.”
The deputies lifted the plank and pulled back the white cloth—revealing a bizarre, misshapen skeleton.
Before anyone could get a clear look, the cloth was draped back over it.
Lu Xuan, watching from the sidelines, nearly facepalmed.
This kid’s lying through his teeth.
Liang Cheng had a real talent for this—wasted on a small-town constable’s job.
“This was a highly venomous beast,” Liang Cheng declared. “The victims died from its poison.”
“From what I’ve learned, its toxins drive men mad—rendering them immune to pain, making them harm themselves.”
“As for why the corpses seemed to move? That was also the poison’s work.”
“It creates the illusion of death while the victims cling to life by a thread. That’s why they could still move.”
He delivered the explanation flawlessly, his expression unreadable.
The villagers listened intently—though whether they actually understood, or were even paying attention, was debatable.
The elder frowned, stepping forward.
“Constable, might this old man examine the beast? I—”
“Enough,” Liang Cheng cut in smoothly. “The case is closed, the killer executed. We’ll be taking our leave now.”
“As for the beast’s remains—they’re crucial evidence. They must be presented to the magistrate.”
He shut down the request firmly.
No way was he letting anyone inspect it up close.
That “beast skeleton” was a haphazard assembly of random animal bones he’d thrown together last night. One good look would expose the ruse.
“Elder, don’t trouble yourself,” Liang Cheng added meaningfully. “Liu Gou Village is safe now.”
“This kind of creature exists only once in this world. It won’t return.”
The elder’s eyes narrowed slightly—then relaxed.
He’d lived long enough to recognize a coded message.
The village was safe. The rest wasn’t his concern.
…..
Outside Liu Gou Village
Dust swirled as a carriage rolled away, escorted by riders on horseback.
Inside, Lu Xuan pulled back the curtain, casting one last glance at the fading village.
That shadowy entity…
Even now, his mind lingered on the eerie figure from last night.
His first encounter with the supernatural—a genuine, otherworldly horror.
And one that had netted him 50 system points.
Fifty.
Even if he drained the Lu family’s entire herbal shop dry, he’d never amass that many points normally.
So he’d remember this creature.
And if, as he suspected, it wasn’t truly dead?
Then he’d be back.
To kill it again.
To harvest more points.
To push his skills beyond all limits.
