"Qi Ban!"

Zhang Kui couldn't afford to waste words with the Xiahou family, his figure flickered and he was instantly in the courtyard, sealing all of Guo Huai's Qi mechanism.

After probing with the Cave Abyss Skill, his face immediately turned grim.

"Gu Poison..."

The faces of several people from the Ministry of Justice in the courtyard changed, and they quickly retreated, avoiding the strange insects on the ground.

Zheng Quanyou furrowed his brow slightly,

"The clothes of the Ministry of Justice... Taoist Zhang, who is this?"

Zhang Kui ignored him and concentrated fully on giving aid.

Fortunately, it was just ordinary Gu poison. Under the successive use of the Disease-removal Talisman and the Thunderous Exorcism Pill, Guo Huai finally vomited a mouthful of black blood filled with insect eggs.

Although he remained unconscious, the Gu poison in his body was completely removed.

"His name is Guo Huai, an old acquaintance..."

Zhang Kui stood up and looked at Zheng Quanyou,

"He mentioned some time ago that he discovered clues about the mastermind behind the Gu Plague."

"What?!"

Zheng Quanyou was greatly shocked, and everyone in the courtyard also showed surprise, staring intently at Guo Huai on the ground.

The great epidemic in the Capital City had caused countless deaths and injuries. The terrifying "Gu Plague" still made many people shudder, and all the government offices were still pursuing it relentlessly.

Zheng Quanyou took a deep breath, his voice trembling somewhat,

"Taoist Zhang... you must save him!"

The Blood Wolf Guard of the Xiahou family, Tang Shu, pressed his lips together but said nothing; he knew that compared to the case of his own young master, the "Gu Plague" case was undoubtedly more significant.

"Don't worry, it's already fine..."

Zhang Kui's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, "It seems Guo Huai discovered something, I'm also very curious about who it is."

They carried Guo Huai into the house, cut a small piece of Blood Jade Ginseng root, soaked it in water, and after drinking it, the man finally woke up faintly.

He looked around blankly, finally exhaling a sigh of relief, "Damn it... my life is still tough."

Beside him, Zheng Quanyou immediately stepped forward with a serious expression, "Guo Huai, I am the Chief Constable of the Ministry of Justice, Zheng Quanyou. What exactly did you find out?"

"Zheng... Divine Constable Zheng!"

Guo Huai's eyes sparkled with admiration, he struggled to get up.

Zhang Kui looked at the man with dead fish eyes beside him in surprise; this person seemed quite famous.

Zheng Quanyou pressed Guo Huai's hand down,

"Brother, don't move, speak while lying down."

Guo Huai nodded and spoke excitedly:

"After the great epidemic in the Capital City, everyone related to those Ghost Rong merchants was silenced, leaving the trail cold."

"I checked the records and discovered that in recent years, the other party always returns to the Capital City as the year-end approaches, regardless of the wind and snow; I suspect the other party secretly kept a woman."

Zheng Quanyou's eyes flashed with admiration,

"Indeed, disputes often arise among the Ghost Rong merchants; if he settled in the Capital City, he wouldn't dare let anyone know."

Encouraged, Guo Huai spoke more quickly,

"But after finding the place, I discovered the woman had fled in advance, leaving the trail cold. I used a silly method, asking everywhere from the Capital City to its suburbs, about women who recently moved in alone or with children."

"Yesterday, I finally found someone and learned an important clue: that Ghost Rong merchant was always smuggling at the frontier, and he returned to the Capital City early because a shipment was detained, so he wanted to get in touch with General Heyang's son, Xiahou Jie, to smooth things over."

"And the night before the incident, that Ghost Rong merchant, after drinking a little too much, proudly told the woman..."

Guo Huai looked at everyone, gritted his teeth and said:

"An official invited him to Xinghua Square with Xiahou Jie's token to a banquet..."

"Nonsense!"

The Blood Wolf Army Guard Commander Tang Shu's expression changed dramatically, quickly walking to the bedside.

This was no longer just about Xiahou Jie; it was about the black hand behind the Gu Plague, even Xiahou Ba might face a death sentence.

Zhang Kui glared with wide eyes, rising to block him.

"What, want to silence him?"

"Get out of the way!"

Tang Shu, with blood light all over him, wanted to push Zhang Kui away.

"Courting death!"

Zhang Kui's large hand ignited with Geng Metal Gang Evil, and he smacked it over.

Seeing the sharp and terrifying golden Evil Light, Tang Shu's scalp tingled with fear, he dared not take it head-on, and quickly retreated.

"Both of you, stop."

Zheng Quanyou was shocked and quickly intervened, then sternly shouted at the soldiers who wanted to form a formation:

"Commander Tang, if you act recklessly, you will be casting your family's general into the depths of despair!"

Tang Shu's eyes widened as he breathed heavily, feeling sorrow in his heart; their family general had been a hero all his life, yet was still ruined by his own son.

Zheng Quanyou wiped the sweat off his forehead, what was originally a murder and mystery now gave him an intense feeling of anxiety.

"Guo Huai, where is that woman now?"

...…

To everyone's surprise, the place where the woman was hiding turned out to be in a small village at the foot of West Mountain in Iron Blood Manor.

A large group hurriedly rushed over.

"It's that small courtyard..."

In Guo Huai's eyes, a trace of sorrow flashed, "I didn't dare to reveal this to anyone. Today, I planned to take someone to find Taoist Zhang for refuge, but before I even entered, I felt a chill in my heart and hurriedly begged for help, but I still fell for it."

"I guess that woman has already been silenced..."

Zheng Quanyou's face was gloomy,

"Search!"

At the command, teams from the Ministry of Justice and the Astronomical Bureau immediately rushed in.

Zhang Kui rode slowly on Fatty Tiger, following behind.

He shook his head slightly, there were no living beings inside the small courtyard.

Sure enough, the courtyard was empty.

"No signs of a struggle!"

"There are women's and children's clothes..."

"The water in the pot is still boiling!"

Several skilled operatives from the Ministry of Justice quickly examined and reported.

Zheng Quanyou's eyes lit up,

"They were just taken, quick, pursue them!"

"Don't bother chasing..."

Zhang Kui, with a serious expression, walked into the courtyard. With a flash of sword light, his right hand reached into the ground and with a tug, pulled up a meter-thick layer of turf, tossing it out of the courtyard with a whoosh.

In the large pit within the courtyard, a woman was huddled with two children, bodies riddled with venomous insects crawling in and out, having been eaten so that only their skins remained.

A man from the Ministry of Justice stifled a retch, "We didn't find any signs of digging..."

"That's because the other side is skilled in the Earth Escape Skill."

Zhang Kui used the Cave Abyss Skill to look around,

"There is an aura underground, neither demon nor ghost, it's the same group as the demon that attacked me..."

......

The new clue was like thunder in a drought.

The nature of this case had completely changed.

The son of the Blood Wolf Army commander, who had defended the frontier for decades, was actually connected to the mastermind behind the 'Gu Plague' case.

Was he aware or forced?

If forced, it proves that there is an organization hidden in the Capital City attempting to disrupt the world, how many others have been drawn into it?

If aware, was General Xiahou Ba of the frontier involved?

It was said that His Majesty Qian was furious and shattered a beloved brush washer.

National Guardian True Man Huo Yu and Li Xuanji personally stepped in to handle the case, with Guo Huai, who had made great contributions, following his idol Zheng Quanyou, searching for clues throughout the Capital City.

But Zhang Kui, ultimately an outsider, was excluded from the investigation and received no information.

He didn't mind, as he wasn't any detective solving cases, and believed that the truth would eventually come to light.

At least he gained something, the huge black dog's corpse was taken by the Astronomical Bureau.

Perhaps linked to the mastermind, and with Fatty Liu from the Inner Treasury assisting, he completed the Eight Trigrams Furnace materials without selling the Pure Treasure Pearl.

Ever since the Eldest Prince's banquet, the Wu Family gradually distanced themselves from him. Zhang Kui also decided not to bother with mundane matters and had a high furnace erected near Iron Blood Manor, flames roaring day and night.

After all, it was the lowest level Eight Trigrams Furnace. Half a month later, it was finally completed and placed in the backyard of Iron Blood Manor.

This furnace was about one and a half meters high, with double ears and three legs. The furnace body was made of smooth, lustrous bronze, with a pagoda-like top featuring eight positions inside: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui.

Li Dong'Er had already traveled far to Qingzhou. Fatty Tiger and Old Liu squatted in the yard watching the excitement.

"Master Kui, can we start alchemy with this furnace now?"

Old Liu was a bit excited, hoping that if Zhang Kui succeeded in alchemy, he might benefit and extend his own life by a few more years.

Zhang Kui shook his head and laughed, "This furnace cannot use Mortal Fire; we must find a Spirit Fire, at the very least an Anomalous Fire is necessary."

Hiss...

Old Liu took a deep breath,

"Where could we possibly find such a thing?"

Zhang Kui chuckled, "Don't worry, I've already made plans."

...

In the past life, Spirit Fire or Anomalous Fire would have been impossible, but in this world, with its abundant spiritual charm, there were often places crafted by the magic of nature among the mountains and rivers.

Just near Haojing City, there happened to be such a place.

On the West Mountain outside the city, there was a cave, perpetually shrouded in blue Yin Fire, with nothing growing around it.

A thousand years ago, during chaos in the mortal realm, with evil spirits rampant, even corpses underwent bizarre transformations after death. Residents near Haojing City began casting corpses into the Yin Fire Cave, gradually forming a custom.

The capital's plague led to many corpses being thrown into it.

Simply put,

it was the capital's natural crematorium.

...

After the fresh snowfall, the mountains were draped in silver.

But near one peak of the West Mountain, it remained dry, with paper money scattered along the road along with broken incense burners and other items, where an unnamed divine statue stood covered in dust.

Zhang Kui looked at the distant cave, burning with blue fire and angled steeply into the earth, and shook his head slightly.

"Elder Huayan mentioned that there are often strange phenomena here, and it's likely to find an anomalous flame. It's a good thing I learned the Fire Escape Sitting Fire Technique."

As he spoke, he strode toward the fiery cave.

Just as he walked away, the eyes of the stone divine statue beside him twitched slightly...

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