Volume One, Chapter 108: Lurking at the Spot!

After they came out, the two did not go looking for clues right away, but instead checked into an inn.

Inside the inn.

“Don’t you think it’s strange? Why did Aunt say the shadow wanted to kill chickens and dogs? Is there some special ritual involved?” Li Changsheng asked curiously.

Back in Qingcheng, that Gu master had killed quite a few people simply to refine medicine—it was all part of his ritual.

Jiang Chen replied, “Looks like we won’t be getting any sleep tonight. Let’s get ready and keep watch for a while. We’ll see what exactly it is.”

Since the police patrolled at night, they could search for information in secret.

In the dead of night, Li Changsheng crouched under a tree with his sword slung across his back, while Jiang Chen sat up in the tree.

Li Changsheng whispered, “If this thing really shows up, you think the two of us can handle it?”

Jiang Chen sighed, “Come on, you survived the Qingcheng crisis. If you can’t deal with something this small, you might as well resign from Institute 509 before they fire you for incompetence. That’d be embarrassing.”

Li Changsheng scoffed, “Please. I was just asking. Ordinary evil spirits are nothing to me—piece of cake, I could handle them in no time.”

Jiang Chen yawned. “Alright, alright, you’re amazing. How about this: if we see anything, you go catch it yourself.”

Li Changsheng was strong, probably already at the Formless Realm. Jiang Chen was quite confident letting him handle it—besides, it probably wouldn’t take much effort anyway.

In small towns, hardly anyone went out after midnight; the streets were pitch-black, not a single streetlamp, with only the occasional meow or bark echoing in the darkness.

Many police officers patrolled the area, checking on anything out of the ordinary. They clearly took this strange case seriously—after all, several people had died in succession, which would be a major case in any criminal investigation. But until the nature of the case was determined, it was still up to the detectives to keep watch.

Once they realized it involved something supernatural, they’d immediately contact Institute 509 through established channels, though procedures usually required clearance from the provincial bureau chief.

They waited the whole night, and both were utterly exhausted. When dawn finally broke, Li Changsheng was about to call Jiang Chen back.

But as he looked up, he realized there was no one in the tree. Furious, he pulled out his phone and nearly smashed it.

Jiang Chen had left and gone back to sleep right after their conversation the previous night.

“This is outrageous! He left me here all alone and went back to sleep himself? What a jerk!” Li Changsheng fumed, gripping his sword and ready to confront Jiang Chen. But on second thought, he realized he couldn’t beat him—yet.

“I’ll remember this. The day I’m stronger than you, I’ll definitely teach you a lesson!” Li Changsheng muttered angrily, tamping down his fury for now.

No point fighting now—he’d only get beaten. He’d just have to wait.

At lunch, Jiang Chen remarked at the table, “Tonight, he should show up.”

Li Changsheng frowned, “Why do you say ‘should’? If he didn’t show up last night, what makes you think he’ll appear tonight?”

Jiang Chen answered slowly, “There’s always a process. I can’t say for sure—I just guess tonight is likely.”

Last night was just a test. If the target appeared, they’d catch him in one move; if not, they’d wait. Besides, they had another matter to investigate—besides catching this killer, they needed to look into the person who looked exactly like Wu Gang.

Li Changsheng couldn’t help but feel exasperated—he’d never expected to become a detective. He was used to receiving a mission, going in, killing the target, and then doing whatever he liked afterward. Someone else would always clean up the mess. Institute 509 had plenty of experience handling such things, and there was never any worry about killing the wrong person. Institute 509 was absolute justice in Daxia.

That night, Li Changsheng was smarter—he waited up in the tree, eyes closed and half-dozing. Both he and Jiang Chen had sharp senses, able to detect even the slightest disturbance, so he might as well get a little rest while he could.

The two hid quietly in the tree as a squad of patrolling officers soon moved past. The very moment they left, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared.

In an instant, both opened their eyes.

“That must be him,” Li Changsheng squinted, barely able to contain himself.

The figure crept from door to door, peering in suspiciously and making marks as she went.

Jiang Chen had no intention of acting rashly, but Li Changsheng had already charged forward.

Jiang Chen didn’t have time to stop him. In the blink of an eye, Li Changsheng had closed the distance.

But just as quickly, the figure sensed his presence, spun around, and delivered a whirling kick.

With a dull thud, Li Changsheng was knocked back several meters. Jiang Chen was taken aback—Li Changsheng was about third level in the Formless Realm, quite formidable, but this person was even more extraordinary. Her movements were agile, and it was clear she was a girl.

Of course, it wasn’t that a girl couldn’t be their suspect; rather, despite defending herself, her attacks showed no intent to kill—she simply wanted to subdue Li Changsheng.

Her attacks were sharp and relentless, each move improvised in the heat of battle, not some set sequence of trained techniques.

Li Changsheng wasn’t going all out either—his sword, his greatest asset, remained unused, showing neither side truly intended to harm the other.

Jiang Chen, who had thought to intervene, changed his mind and sat back down. If he could watch a thrilling fight, why not?

Li Changsheng darted around, dodging and weaving; the girl’s fists whistled through the air as both fought fiercely. She wielded hidden weapons with ease, making anything at hand into a deadly projectile. For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Finding an evenly matched opponent, neither seemed willing to let the other go. The girl fought with gusto, and Li Changsheng’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Wait… Are they getting feelings for each other while fighting?” Jiang Chen smacked his lips, growing uneasy.

Out of concern for the townspeople, Li Changsheng refrained from using his sword; their fight remained a contest of fists and feet, intense but controlled—they seemed to have forgotten their actual mission.

Meanwhile, as the two battled, a shadowy figure hiding in the nearby grass suddenly darted away, vanishing before Jiang Chen could react.

“Wait, that was the real one!”