"Ah!!!"
On a winter morning, before dawn, the horizon was still covered in gray, when a sudden scream shattered the silence and spread...
A female corpse, swollen and red, hung from the pillar of the gate.
The body's feet swayed back and forth beneath it, a rope tightly wound around the neck, producing a creaking sound in the wind.
The woman was not wearing a skirt or pants, and even her clothes were tattered.
"Ah ah ah!!"
The bustling market in the morning erupted in chaos.
Soon, some patrolmen arrived on the scene and confirmed the identity of the female corpse — a female Martial Artist from the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.
The patrolman looked distressed, even a bit fearful.
The County Captain had just died, and this female Martial Artist was quite skilled at the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, at least no weaker than him, but now she was dead here.
He stared wide-eyed at the scene, while the Government Officials beside him gasped.
No one asked stupid questions like "Is it suicide?".
This was the audacious display of the "Flower-picking Thief".
It was as if the entire Xiongshan County had become his hunting ground.
The patrolman looked at the female corpse, suppressing his inner fear, and instructed, "Take her down, call the coroner!"
At that moment, a Government Official suddenly let out a scream of ultimate fear, turned, and ran away, shouting as he ran, "It's not my fault, it's not my fault! It's not my fault!!"
It was unimaginable that a strong and robust Government Official would be scared enough to turn and flee.
The shrill scream sent chills down one's spine, causing the once-bustling market to fall into a dead silence...
The patrolman took a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, "We have many people here, we have many people here, the Flower Thief wouldn't dare to show up, afraid of him... afraid of him..."
He couldn't finish saying "afraid of him for what."
He was a seasoned patrolman who had always followed County Captain Shan, but as he spoke those words, the terrifying image of County Captain Shan's death kept flashing in his mind.
The bare human head, the body hacked and scattered.
"Ha..."
"Ha... ha... ha..."
The patrolman felt a chill down his spine, panting heavily, as the clouds of mist from his breath were blown away by the icy wind.
It felt as if a ghostly hand in the cold wind was choking his neck, making him gasp for air like someone drowning.
It was oppression coming from the darkness.
Soon, the master of the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall from the Li family arrived in person, silently gathering the disciple's corpse, his face showing pain and anger. He suddenly drew his sword, looking around the market, and roared in fury, "Damn thief! If you have the guts, come after me! Come on! Come on! Beast!"
...
...
That night.
At the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall, the master sent everyone away, sitting alone in the courtyard with eyes closed, alert, like a tightly drawn bow, as if truly waiting for the thief.
However, hidden in the inner room behind the master, were several skilled fighters.
These fighters included those from the Li family, the Tian family, and the Ding family.
Of course, in terms of numbers, the Li family had the most, as they controlled the mine, blacksmith shop, and martial arts hall, producing skilled fighters themselves, in addition to hiring external Martial Artists, which the Tian and Ding families couldn't compare to.
Now, with Shan Jian dead, the three families felt unprecedented pressure, and their alliance was natural.
They didn't know whether the master's provocation would work, but with the thought that it might, they set an ambush here.
The Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall was quite far from the Li family, so... Li Xuan did not sneak over.
He still remembered a previous incident.
The Flower Thief could use diversion tactics; previously, Shan Jian set a trap to lure the Flower Thief, but what they lured in was a decoy, while the real Flower Thief killed on the other side.
So, at such a dangerous time, he wouldn't leave the Li family and allow their home to be robbed.
If such a thing truly happened, he would regret it for a lifetime.
At this moment, in the room of the eldest young master of the Li family, a tall, lean, demonic figure covered with cloud-like patterns sat cross-legged like old wood, unmoving, in the frigid darkness.
The murderous aura restrained, the silver rings on his fingers hidden beneath a wide gray robe, appearing calm like a statue.
With the enhancement of "29 points of acuity", Li Xuan felt his senses extremely sharp, aware of any slight disturbance in this silent night. Perhaps, he couldn't protect the entire Li family, but at least the inner courtyard was secure.
...
...
Meanwhile, at the Magistrate's residence.
The lamps were still burning brightly.
The Magistrate sat before his desk, his hand holding the pen trembling.
He had never encountered such a thing during his tenure!
That dastardly Flower Thief was so brazen.
He was frightened and angry, pondering to select a temporary new County Captain, then gather the entire county's strength to conduct a house-to-house search, determined to find that Flower Thief.
Just then, the door creaked open.
The Magistrate suddenly looked up and saw a familiar figure.
The Magistrate's wife, dressed in new winter clothes, carried a wooden tray with a steaming bowl of soup, looking especially enticing and warm in the deep winter.
"Husband, take care of your health." Though not particularly beautiful, the Magistrate's wife came from a wealthy family, living comfortably and pampered, looking graceful and delicate.
The Magistrate relaxed his expression as he watched his wife approach, saying, "Wife, don't worry, my county soldiers number eight hundred, now divided into two groups patrolling day and night, and our residence is a priority."
The Magistrate's wife smiled, "Husband, I naturally trust in you."
She gently sat beside the Magistrate, scooped some soup, blew on it to cool it, and placed it before the Magistrate, saying, "Husband, eat while it's hot."
The Magistrate nodded, grabbing the bowl to drink.
But after just one sip, he felt a chill on his neck, followed by unimaginable pain, turning his world upside down.
"Heh... heh heh heh..."
A bizarre, inhuman laughter echoed from beside him.
The candle flame in the Magistrate's room suddenly went out.
In the darkness, it seemed as if something was gnawing on the Magistrate's body, piece by piece, until only a head remained, rolling under the desk with its bulging eyes in a terrified death stare.
...
Sometime later.
At the Magistrate's residence, the bedroom.
Knock knock knock...
The sound of knocking echoed.
The still-elegant Magistrate's wife heard the sound and got up to open the door, glancing at the Magistrate outside, coquettishly saying, "Husband, coming to bed this late."
"Busy with affairs, couldn't come earlier." The Magistrate sighed.
"Come to bed now." The Magistrate's wife yawned.
The Magistrate suddenly shut the door, lifted his wife in his arms, threw her onto the bed, quickly stripped off her undergarments, then tore off his pants and pounced.
"What's gotten into you, husband?" The wife had never seen her husband so eager.
The night... turned amorous.
...
...
The next day.
The trio of skilled fighters at the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall didn't encounter the Flower Thief after a night of guarding.
The master was also considerably exhausted.
As everyone was discussing how the Flower Thief might be scared, and began dispersing, an uneasy clamor burst from the market area in the distance.
The group hurried over.
The market was surrounded by a crowd, three layers deep.
Before everyone's eyes, the Magistrate's wife, once graceful and educated in appearance, had become a corpse, hanging over a gate, swollen and violated below.
Her bare white legs, turned bluish in the deep winter chill, swayed in the wind, causing the rope on the gate to emit a horrid screeching sound.
An icy chill surged forth, sweeping over everyone, raising goosebumps rapidly.
For a long while, no one dared to utter a word.
This scene was unprecedented.
It was as if an evil hand was gripping this small county of Xiongshan, toying with them at will.
And from the direction of the Magistrate's residence, screams echoed simultaneously.
Soon, bad news arrived...
Magistrate, gruesomely murdered!