Chapter 42: The Nightwalker
Surrounded by a group of armed and wary officers, Song Sanlang bowed and answered respectfully, “It’s just me and my uncle now. I have no other family or attachments. So I decided to settle down in Wei City and bought a small shop. I’ve left the corpse-carrying trade behind. That last incident... left me deeply shaken.”
Li Yanchu quietly activated his Qi Sight, but saw nothing abnormal about him. He glanced at Bai Hongtu, who gave a slight shake of the head. It seemed like he hadn’t noticed anything suspicious either.
After asking Song Sanlang a few simple questions, the two let him go.
As Song Sanlang walked away, Li Yanchu watched his back with a thoughtful expression. “Could it really just be a coincidence?”
Though they had failed to uncover any hidden demonic monks or rogue Daoists in Wei City, Li Yanchu ordered every paper effigy in the city to be gathered and burned to ash.
Naturally, the expenses were covered by the yamen.
Moreover, Li Yanchu had Magistrate Xu issue a strict prohibition: it was strictly forbidden for anyone in the city to privately make paper effigies, and violators would be severely punished without mercy.
In chaotic times, harsh laws are necessary. With dark forces stirring beneath the surface of Wei City, there was no room for leniency.
Li Yanchu hoped this crackdown would expose clues about the paper effigies’ origins. But his Art of Pursuit was still in its early stages of cultivation, or perhaps the mastermind had already severed the spiritual link, making it impossible to trace back. In the end, the mastermind behind the paper effigies remained hidden.
Still, having successfully slain five of them, Li Yanchu earned a substantial amount of merit. It was enough, at least, to ease his frustration.
For the next two days, there was no further sign of paper effigies, nor any reports of missing women.