Chapter 35: The Constabulary Barracks

Creak—

The door swung open.

The figure in the black robe turned his head. On the bed, the terrified woman and her drowsy husband had already been dragged out by Cai Wei, who carried one in each hand as he withdrew from the room.

The black-robed man reacted swiftly, pushing off with his feet and gliding like a specter toward the half-open doorway. He was about to follow Cai Wei out and flee to freedom.

But this trap had been meticulously set by several people; how could they let him escape so easily? When he was less than two steps from the door, a blade flashed through the center of the doorway.

Yue Wenying moved with his saber, his body following the blade as he broke through the wooden door and crashed into the black-robed man.

With a crisp tearing sound, the robe on the figure’s chest was split in two, and a fetid stream of yellow fluid gushed from his chest.

This time, Yue Wenying was prepared. He slapped a golden talisman onto himself as if it cost nothing, and a faint golden aura enveloped his entire body. The yellow liquid, which could corrode an iron spearhead, evaporated instantly upon contact with the golden light, failing to harm him in the slightest.

As had been said before, without his equipment, Yue Wenying was at best a skilled swordsman. But with the gear of a demon-catcher, he was every bit the formidable Copper Bell Demon Hunter.

Landing a heavy blow, Yue Wenying shouted, giving his opponent no chance to retaliate. He kicked the black-robed man to the ground with his right foot, released his saber with his left hand, and pulled two steel needles, each as long as a finger, from the iron case at his waist.

One needle struck the “Guanyuan point,” the other the “Zhongwan point.”

Only when the black-robed man lay motionless did Yue Wenying finally withdraw his blade.

A single stroke, a kick, and two needles—all accomplished in mere seconds—the black-robed man was completely subdued.

Only then did Bai Xian and Yang Xian rush into the room, one after the other. Seeing the immobilized black-robed man on the ground, both couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up in admiration.

“These are Soul-Locking Needles,” Yue Wenying explained to those who had entered. “No matter if the target is demon, ghost, or practitioner of the dark arts, once pierced by these, they’re as helpless as meat on a chopping block.”

He continued, “This black robe isn’t the same one who ambushed us yesterday.”

Bai Xian used the tip of her spear to lift the sleeve of the black-robed man, revealing a withered but intact arm.

The black-robed man who had attacked them before had lost much of his body to Bai Xian’s “Dragon’s Strike.” This one, however, was whole.

At that moment, Cai Wei entered the room with He Shan in tow.

“I’d like to see who this parasite is really inhabiting,” he said, and promptly pulled off the black-robed figure’s helmet.

The room fell silent.

For beneath the cloak was not the expected face of a wicked villain, but the ordinary visage of an elderly woman.

“I know her—she’s Old Madam Zhang from West Street!” Cai Wei exclaimed in shock upon recognizing her. “Aunt Zhang, it’s me, Constable Cai! Do you know who I am?”

Old Madam Zhang was a lonely widow who sold tofu at the corner of the neighboring street. Cai Wei often patronized her stall out of kindness. She would always greet him with a warm smile.

But though Cai Wei knew her, “Old Madam Zhang” clearly had no intention of acknowledging him. With the cloak torn away, she seemed stripped of disguise—her face twisted and convulsed, her mouth gaping wide as she roared and howled at them.

Her cries drew neighbors from all around, who lit their oil lamps and came out to investigate.

Yue Wenying grabbed a rag and stuffed it forcefully into her mouth, finally silencing her.

Cai Wei’s face was filled with sorrow.

“Old Madam Zhang was a devout Buddhist, a kind soul who often helped the city’s beggars. Who could have imagined she’d become like this?”

“Don’t call her Old Madam Zhang anymore,” Yue Wenying said coldly. “She’s nothing but a shell possessed by the parasite.” With that, he hoisted her up. “Let’s lock her up at the station for now.”

The prison had been burned to the ground, and only a few cells at the station remained usable.

…

Inside the constabulary,

Bai Xian and the portly Taoist priest, Zhang Xuan, sipped tea leisurely.

The group returned from interrogating “Old Madam Zhang.”

“How did it go?” Bai Xian asked, though she could tell from their expressions that they had come back empty-handed.

“The old woman acted like a completely different person. Remove the rag and she just keeps howling—no matter what we asked, she gave no response.” As he spoke, Cai Wei put down his tiger-claw tool. “Looks like we’ll have to use torture.”

Bai Xian shook her head with a wry smile.

“If she didn’t even flinch at Yue Wenying’s blade, do you think torture will work?”

At her words, Cai Wei wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

“So what do we do? We finally caught one, and we can’t get anything out of her.”

Ignoring Cai Wei’s complaints, Bai Xian turned her bright gaze on He Shan.

“What do you think of this black-robed one? I noticed you seemed much calmer around her than before.”

He Shan was taken aback, surprised she had noticed even this detail. He nodded.

“I’m still afraid when I’m near her, but compared to when we first entered the city, it’s much less intense. It seems that I—or rather, the parasite within me—is not much weaker than hers.”

In fact, Bai Xian had noticed this when Yue Wenying swiftly defeated the black-robed figure. Though he had the advantage of his equipment this time, the black-robed figure hadn’t used that ethereal movement technique, and the yellow fluid in her body was much less than before—clearly, she was weaker than the previous one.

The key to a parasite’s strength lies in how many people it has devoured, how many other parasites it has consumed.

This was the best news they had heard in days.

It meant that the parasites had not yet taken deep root in Jinjiang County. Most were still in their infancy. The black-robed figure who had ambushed He Shan at the city gate two days ago was already among the stronger ones.

“In any case,” Yue Wenying declared, slapping his thigh, “since this method works, I’ll continue searching the city for centipede parasites and kill as many as I can.”

“But what about the station?” someone asked.

If all of them went out hunting the parasites, the station would be as vulnerable as the prison was—a target for the black-robed ones. The centipede parasites locked up there would become their nourishment.

Yet there were so few capable hands—barely enough for two groups.

Cai Wei pondered for a moment before suddenly standing.

“I wonder if all of you trust me, Cai Wei,” he said.

“Out with it, Constable Cai,” Yue Wenying replied. “No need to beat around the bush among us.”

“I have someone in mind who can help guard the cells.”

“Who?”

…

Orderly footsteps marched from the southern barracks to the station in the heart of the city.

A seasoned general dismounted. Though his armor was old, it was clearly well-maintained, and the marks left by weapons lent his battle gear an aura of menace.

Behind him trailed three hundred well-equipped soldiers of the patrol battalion.

The old general, helmet in hand, strode across the courtyard and into the main hall, where he surveyed the group.

Cai Wei stepped forward to greet him.

This man was none other than Ren Yulong, one of the three magistrates of Jinjiang County, with whom they’d previously crossed paths.

In his youth, Ren Yulong had been a fierce general, fighting through more than a hundred battles, rising from a common soldier to the rank of deputy general—a rare and undefeated commander on the battlefield.

After laying down his arms, he became the county constable of Jinjiang, commanding both the city guard and the patrol battalion.

Unlike the common yamen runners, the patrol battalion was truly elite—akin to SWAT officers on Earth. Though not large in number, they were armed with crossbows and nearly half wore leather armor.

Cai Wei’s crossbow had in fact been borrowed from the patrol battalion.

As for the city guard, that was a real army. When they formed up, they were not easily opposed.

This, then, was the reinforcements Cai Wei had brought.