The Demon Lords

Chapter 476 4: Parasite_1

"A silver bolt? Aren't you being extravagant?" A Ming asked.

Silver is too soft for arrowheads.

"Only truly useless things can be called art."

Xue Three's fingers caressed the silver arrowhead as he continued, "Besides, who knows if there are indigenous vampires or something similar in this world? I, for one, like to be prepared. If I hadn't seen you eating blood sausage with garlic before and realized garlic has no effect on vampires, I would've actually wanted to smear some garlic juice on it."

"What are you two doing?" Siniang's voice came from outside the house.

"Hm?" A Ming looked at Siniang with some confusion. He had seen her accompany My lord back to his room earlier. So soon?

"Something's happened. Come take a look," Siniang said.

Something had indeed happened. The body of a barbarian soldier had been discovered and brought back.

By the time A Ming and Xue Three arrived, Zheng Fan, the blind man, and others were already gathered in the courtyard.

Zheng Fan was wrapped in a fox-fur cloak, frowning at the corpse before him.

This barbarian soldier was an outrider for Green Willow Fortress. As long as the Imperial Edict hadn't arrived, Zheng Fan remained the Commander of Green Willow Fortress. Furthermore, although the war had concluded, tensions with Qian State persisted, so necessary precautions had to be maintained. If Qian State were to launch a sudden attack, similar to Zhong Tianlang's past incursion that devastated their home base, Zheng Fan would have nowhere to even shed a tear.

The barbarian soldier's death was gruesome. His face was frozen in terror, and most importantly, his body was severely desiccated.

A Ming's eyes narrowed slightly. He had been drained of blood!

Liang Cheng also stood nearby, apparently deep in thought.

A Ming walked up to Zheng Fan and said, "My lord, this was not my doing."

Within Green Willow Fortress, A Ming was one who feasted on human blood. Liang Cheng, however, was different. A Ming consumed fresh blood for sustenance, while Liang Cheng merely treated it like an occasional cigarette.

The blind man spoke up, "Don't worry, we know you didn't do it."

Zheng Fan nodded in agreement, adding, "If you had done it, you would have cleaned up properly."

"..." A Ming was speechless.

Xue Three looked puzzled. "So, there's another vampire in our vicinity?"

Had his earlier teasing words to A Ming, and that silver bolt, actually become relevant? Suddenly, Xue Three felt a peculiar sensation, as if he were a little princess standing center stage, bathed in the spotlight's glow.

A Ming responded, "It might not be a vampire. In this world, it's possible for some people to absorb the vital essence and blood of others to advance their cultivation. And from my experience, the stronger and more skilled a person is, the sweeter their blood tastes."

That might be why the perpetrator targeted a barbarian soldier.

"Whatever the reason, anyone who dares to harm our people will not be forgiven." Zheng Fan set the tone, then said to the blind man, "Send word to Hui Wenzu in Nanwang City about this. Have him investigate whether any other soldiers or civilians have gone missing recently. Also, dispatch most of our cavalry to search. The culprit must be nearby!"

Losing soldiers in battle was one thing; Zheng Fan, though pained, could rationalize such losses. However, losing men *after* the fighting had ended was unbearable for Chief Zheng. He felt truly aggrieved. These were the troops he intended to take to the Jin land to establish his new base, especially since Fatty Hui hadn't yet agreed to provide reinforcements.

"Yes, My lord!"

"Yes, My lord!"

The cavalry from Green Willow Fortress were dispatched to begin the search. When nearby military encampments learned of the situation after inquiring about the friendly troop movements, they also sent out their own men to assist.

The surviving Silver Armored Guard in Yinlang County relayed these developments back to Qian State, causing considerable alarm along its three border commands. They assumed the Yan people were preparing for another major offensive. Of course, that was a matter for later.

The search quickly yielded results. As night fell, a squad of Green Willow Fortress cavalry discovered a village where something was amiss.

Zheng Fan immediately led the blind man, A Ming, and Siniang to the location. The other Demon Kings were leading search parties in different areas and could not reach the site in time.

This village had no name. It was a settlement of immigrants who had arrived from Qian State in the autumn. Yan State had always maintained a policy of welcoming immigrants from Qian State. After all, population was an extremely precious resource at any time. However, the process of officially registering these individuals and granting them citizenship had been delayed due to the war, which had been triggered by the Yan Emperor's suppression of the noble houses. Consequently, there were indeed many such small settlements of Qian people immigrants near the Qian State border in Yinlang County.

Under normal circumstances, this village, formed by a Qian clan that had migrated collectively, should have housed dozens of people. Now, however, it was eerily quiet.

Rows of bodies, collected by the Green Willow Fortress cavalrymen, had been arranged in an open area. Men, women, the elderly, and children—all were there. A Ming inspected the bodies, then flipped over a male corpse. Pointing to a hole at the back of the man's neck, he said, "My lord, the perpetrator might not be human."

The blind man walked over, closed his eyes, and used his spiritual energy to examine the wound. Crouching down, he drew a long tentacle on the ground with a twig. "Based on the wound and the internal damage," he said, "what pierced the body appears to be a long, tentacle-like appendage, similar to that of an octopus."

Then, the blind man said to A Ming, "Dissect the wound area."

A Ming took a knife from a nearby soldier and carefully cut into the corpse along the wound at the back of its neck. He performed the task with practiced skill, like a seasoned butcher.

Once the layer of skin was cut away, a distinct ring of fibrous, cotton-like residue was visible near the wound.

"My lord, this is likely a secretion from the tentacles of the blood-sucking creature."

Zheng Fan, ignoring any revulsion, squatted down to observe. After a moment, he said slowly, "But the barbarian soldier back at our fortress had no obvious wounds."

As he spoke, Zheng Fan signaled his subordinates to turn over other corpses. They discovered that all these bodies had similar wounds at the back of their necks.

"Wait, the wounds vary in size," Zheng Fan noted.

"Yes, My lord. The wounds made by the creature to feed vary in size. But if we arrange them by size..."

The blind man ordered a nearby soldier, "Arrange these bodies according to the size of the wounds, from largest to smallest."

The soldiers immediately complied. Having all experienced battle and killed before, they showed no fear of the corpses, even though their desiccated state made them as terrifying as mummies.

Once the corpses were arranged, the blind man said to A Ming, "A Ming, can you determine their time of death?"

"Liang Cheng should be the one doing this."

Grumbling, A Ming began his examination. Even though the bodies were nearly drained of blood, some residue would inevitably remain. A Ming possessed an exceptionally refined ability to assess and distinguish blood. Much like a true sommelier who could discern a wine's vintage and storage conditions from a single sip, A Ming had a similar expertise with blood.

After a short while, A Ming clapped his hands. "The most recent death was this woman, likely two days ago. The earliest was that man, probably eight days ago. Furthermore, the wounds on the back of their necks are smaller for the more recent deaths."

Zheng Fan pondered for a moment. "So, that thing is evolving?"

"My lord is brilliant."

"My lord is brilliant."

"Focus on the task. Save the flattery for later," Zheng Fan reminded them.

"Then it could be a demonic beast," A Ming guessed. "I've heard there are demonic beast activities in the Skybreak Mountains of Jin State."

"An extremely aggressive demonic beast that can evolve?" Zheng Fan mused, puzzled. "That is somewhat interesting."

The blind man reminded him, "My lord, strictly speaking, if the Pixiu ridden by the Earl of North Border and Lord Jingnan were to go berserk, the destruction and casualties they would inflict would be far greater than this."

"So, that thing stayed in this village for several days?" Zheng Fan wondered. "But there are no signs these people were tied up. Before you arrived, were they found dead in their own homes, one by one?"

"Yes, Commander," Zuo Jiqian, who stood nearby, responded.

These people were "eaten" in batches.

"Exactly. Ordinarily, even if common people are no match for a demonic beast, they would have tried to escape rather than remain here. Besides, we found no traces of a pack of such creatures nearby."

There is likely only one demonic beast, yet it possessed the ability to make all the villagers stay here, awaiting their turn to be fed upon.

A Ming suddenly smiled and, looking at the blind man, said, "Well, at first I thought it might be one of my kind. Turns out, it might be one of yours instead, Blindman."

The next words were spoken by the blind man over the "dark channel," as other soldiers were present, and one of their fellow soldiers had been found dead that day. It was inappropriate to say it aloud: "My lord, if it's a demonic beast skilled in bewitchment or mesmerism, its value is typically immense."

A demonic beast that can breathe fire or spew water is ordinary enough. But one capable of "mental" or "spiritual" manipulation is truly extraordinary. In Tuman City, the blind man had once encountered that husky, Erha, who was with the western merchant Wenter. Erha also possessed some spiritual talent, though it wasn't particularly strong. Nevertheless, such a demonic beast could play a significant role at critical moments, much like Western mages. Mages specializing in spiritual and spatial magic are the rarest and most valued.

Zheng Fan understood the blind man's implication: capturing it alive to serve them would be the ideal outcome.

However, Zheng Fan shook his head. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, we find that thing. Make sure it doesn't kill anyone else right under our noses."

The war had just ended, and Zheng Fan was planning to take a break while awaiting new orders. He really didn't want any trouble at this juncture.

Just then, Zheng Fan suddenly felt the Mo Wan in his chest throb.

"What's wrong, son?" Zheng Fan asked, placing a hand on his chest.

A Ming asked curiously, "Could it be that Mo Wan can sense that thing's presence? My lord, did you add a 'watchdog' function when you drew Mo Wan?"

But the blind man suddenly interjected, "No, Mo Wan is a spiritual entity. If Mo Wan can sense its presence, does that imply the creature itself lacks a physical body?"

"If it lacks a physical body, then what about the tentacles?" A Ming countered.

Zheng Fan, deep in thought, murmured, "A parasite?"