Chapter 29: Terrifying Trace of Light, Who is the Bull Demon?

Lei Chunlan... is dead?

Si Mubai froze mid-motion. A few drops of emerald-green tea splashed out of the cup in his hand.

He narrowed his eyes at his trusted aide. "Lei Chunlan... wasn't she staying inside the Golden Splendor Pavilion? How could she be dead?"

"And didn't her family assign a Complete Meridian Opening guard to protect her? Even in the face of danger, couldn't they at least hold off the attacker for a moment?"

Si Mubai's expression darkened.

Lei Chunlan represented the Spirit Infant Sect in negotiations with him. But now, Lei Chunlan... is dead!

Dead, right after their meeting concluded...

In the pavilion, the once-serene atmosphere was suddenly laced with an icy coldness, almost murderous. The raging gusts of wind and swirling snowflakes turned sharp, cutting through the air.

Xu Beihu had been planning to take his leave, but now he decided against it, his eyes flickering with uncertainty and his heart troubled by suspicions.

*Was it truly just coincidence?* *A strange thought began to form unbidden in his mind.*

Li Che had just met Lei Chunlan...

And then she was killed immediately afterward?

*Coincidence? Really? How could it possibly be a coincidence?* *

Si Mubai rose to his feet and set down the teacup. "Old Guo, lead the way. Let's have a look."

Upon hearing the order, Blood Exchange Warrior Guo Zhan clenched his fists, bowed, and turned to lead the way.

…

…

Before the incident, Li Che had left the Golden Splendor Pavilion. He meandered through the crisscrossing roads of the Inner City, ensuring no one followed him, before arriving at the alleyway where he had stored his belongings.

Stripping off his black clothes and unleashing his Qi-Blood aura, his body reverted to its original state. He donned his own attire.

Crushing the wood-carved mask into dust, Li Che let out a long exhale.

*With Lei Chunlan dead, he felt a fleeting sense of relief, as though a weight had lifted off his chest—though the sensation lasted only briefly.* *That relief was quickly replaced with tension.*

Li Che raised his hand. With a silent command, streams of white, jade-like energy coiled and wove about in his palm, like tiny serpents writhing in the air.

"Divinity..."

"The Spirit Infant Master's Divinity?"

"The siphoned Divinity, hidden within the Thousand Analyzing Hands... though I've no idea yet what purpose it serves."

Time was tight; Li Che opted not to delve deeper into deciphering it.

Leaving the alley, he purchased a box of osmanthus cake from a shop and then collected some pre-ordered fine liquor and food from a nearby inn. Walking to a charioteer parked on the roadside, smoking some dried tobacco, he called out.

"Elder, I've got what I needed. Could you be so kind as to ferry me back to the wood carving shop?"

Li Che spoke with a smile and casually handed over a small jar of yellow wine that he had packaged to-go from the inn.

The charioteer responded with evident humility, hurriedly attempting to decline the offer. Yet when his protests proved unsuccessful, he accepted the gift with a grateful smile—soon bustling to steer the carriage onward.

The rhythmic clang of horseshoes striking cobblestone accompanied the scene.

Shattering the bitter chill as the snow flurried on.

Slowly heading toward the Outer City.

…

…

In the small courtyard.

The white snow was stained crimson. The guard's body, cut cleanly into two halves, lay on the frozen ground, under the falling snowflakes—a chilling and miserable sight.

The thick stench of blood clung to the air, sharp and overpowering.

The crunch of snow announced their steps, as Si Mubai and Xu Beihu tread into the courtyard.

Si Mubai, wrapped in his crane robe, gazed at the gruesome remains of the guard. His handsome face was dark with a stormy expression. "Overpowered and crushed, leaving no chance to fight back…"

"The killer is incredibly strong. A guard with Complete Meridian Opening would've been no match. Unable to send out even a distress call, this was certainly no novice of Bone Tempering—perhaps even Bone Tempering Completion."

Si Mubai had a sharp eye; it took only moments for him to assess the formidable strength of whoever had attacked the guard.

"The wounds appear to be inflicted by a sharp weapon, yet they differ from those cut by common blades or swords..."

Blood Exchange Warrior Guo Zhan crouched to examine the corpse before speaking gravely.

Xu Beihu, cloaked in fox fur, stared at the unnervingly smooth and precise incisions on the guard's body, his heart faintly stirring...

*These cuts… they seem oddly familiar.*

Suddenly, he recalled the manner in which the wooden arrow had killed a woodcarver at his Outer City wood carving shop—Sun Changbiao.

*Could it… be the same killer?*

Si Mubai stepped past the guard's body and entered the room. Heat from burning coal permeated the space, though in doing so, it only intensified the bloodstains' pungent scent, becoming nauseating.

And there lay Lei Chunlan's corpse, affixed to the wooden floor, her death... unimaginably brutal.

A wanted notice. A tragic body.

It was as if a Yin God of Hell had walked the human world, claiming souls for judgment!

Xu Beihu squinted, his rugged face softly flickering with a keen, perceptive look—affirming...

The person who killed Lei Chunlan...

Was the same one who killed Sun Changbiao!

The method of killing was identical, as were the execution patterns. Those wooden arrow markings and the thread-like lacerations on the body… all but confirmed the killer's identity.

"The Bull Demon..."

Xu Beihu exhaled deeply.

*Who could it be?!* *Among the chaos of the Outer City, they infiltrated a meticulously guarded shop to commit murder...*

*And within the Inner City, they dared slay someone in the heavily fortified Golden Splendor Pavilion shared by powerful houses!* *Brazen… yet shrouded in mystery!* *

*Who is it?* *Who is backing them!* *

"Who is the Bull Demon?"

Si Mubai's glinting gaze caught Xu Beihu's murmured question.

Xu Beihu quickly summarized the situation.

"An audacious Bull Demon indeed, to dare commit such a crime inside the Golden Splendor Pavilion. Truly... reckless and defiant, with no regard for us Fei Lei City clan houses!"

Si Mubai clenched his fists tightly within his sleeves, his voice cold and dripping with overwhelming killing intent.

The ripple of Divinity in his eyes spread outward like concentric waves, carrying the faint sound of wailing ghosts—a sound that haunted the air, refusing to fade.

Xu Beihu glanced briefly at Si Mubai's ominous demeanor, and his own heart stilled for a moment.

*Si Mubai seemed dangerously close to achieving Divine Foundation, his Divinity already teetering on the edge of control.* *

As footsteps echoed from the courtyard entrance, powerful Qi-Blood energy wound through the air. Several figures approached—leading the way was a man dressed in a black and red robe, a side knife strapped to his waist, his eyes sharp and intense.

"Young Master Xu, Young Master Si, you're both here."

The newcomer bowed slightly, his voice resonating with vigor.

"Ah, it's Hunter Zhang. We owe you thanks for coming all this way," Si Mubai said, his tone shifting subtly as he reined in his fury. His expression briefly softened, allowing a fleeting, bitter smile to surface.

Xu Beihu and Si Mubai showed conspicuous respect toward the newcomer.

After all, this man, Zhang Xiangyang, was one of the three Divine Catchers of Fei Lei City's Yamen, assigned by the Imperial Court. Beyond his extraordinary martial prowess as a warrior, his Divine Cultivation was formidable.

The title "Divine Catcher" was reserved for those who wielded Divinity, their abilities far surpassing those of ordinary warriors.

With his hand resting lightly on the knife hilt, Zhang Xiangyang slowly strode forward, entering the room where Lei Chunlan's corpse lay alongside the wanted notice.

"Ah, it turns out the deceased is a wanted criminal. Tsk, after the killing, issuing a wanted notice... The murderer feigns righteousness, but ultimately violates the law through violence." Zhang Xiangyang remarked flatly.

"Let's first confirm the identity of the killer..."

Zhang Xiangyang uttered the words, then stepped forward decisively.

Bang!!!

His hair and beard swept upward, and a gray light flickered in his eyes—that was his cultivated Divinity manifesting.

Instantly, the air was suffused with palpable fear, the lingering terror of Lei Chunlan's final moments. Capturing the aura, Zhang Xiangyang's Divine Catcher ability vividly projected the scene in his pupils.

"The figure was tall and broad, exceeding nine feet in height. He wore a bamboo hat and black attire, his Qi-Blood immense... and his face was hidden behind a Bull Demon mask..."

The gray glow in Zhang Xiangyang's eyes faded, his focus returning as he spoke flatly. "This aligns with the description of the notorious Outer City fugitive known as the Bull Demon."

"Committing crimes in the Outer City is one thing, but to dare act within the Inner City—that Bull Demon... surely has a strong backing."

With a chilling laugh, Zhang Xiangyang mused. Without a powerful connection, who would dare traipse so unbridled through the Inner City? There were noble families, clans, and even the Yamen—all forces not to be underestimated.

"Hunter Zhang's mastery of the 'Terrifying Trace of Light' Divinity… grows ever stronger. To become Fei Lei City's foremost Divine Catcher is merely a matter of time."

Si Mubai clapped softly, his tone carrying a mix of sorrow and mirth.

Zhang Xiangyang glanced at Si Mubai's tenuously restrained Divinity and remarked with a faint smile, "Young Master Si is the one truly worthy of congratulations, with Divinity just on the verge of breakthrough and Divine Foundation imminent."

After speaking, Zhang Xiangyang turned toward the accompanying constables.

"Return to the Yamen. Revise the wanted notice for the Bull Demon, increasing the reward to three hundred..."

But as he recalled the oppressive image conjured up by Lei Chunlan's fear—the towering menace of the Bull Demon—he reconsidered.

"Forget it; set the reward at five hundred taels instead!"

ps: Please read to the most current chapter to rank and support! PK is ongoing—Old Li thanks you deeply!