December 24th, the Hour of the Tiger. Demons born in the southeast.

Li Si met Wang Hang. As soon as they entered the main hall, Bai Zhenzhu said she had a gift to give to Madam Wang. Ignoring the dazed Wang Hang, she rushed straight into the inner family courtyard. Wang Hang tried to stop her but was already too late. Li Si waved his hand. “Just let her go. The little girl has been saying she wants to meet Madam Wang. Women always have topics to discuss with other women. Please sit down, Magistrate Wang.”

The two men in the main hall chatted intermittently for half a day, then Bai Zhenzhu returned happily. She looked at Li Si and said coquettishly, “I chatted with Madam for so long, my throat is so parched. Let me drink some tea first.”

Bai Zhenzhu picked up the teacup in front of Li Si and gulped down two mouthfuls. After finishing, she whispered to Li Si, “Madam Wang says Wang Hang is completely normal.”

“What secret weapon did you use?” Li Si still hadn’t forgotten about this matter.

Bai Zhenzhu giggled. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Top-grade royal concubine rouge from the Wanque Tower in the Holy City.”

Li Si suddenly understood, then abruptly stood up and said to Wang Hang, “Magistrate Wang, the idle chat is over. We should enter the main topic.”

Wang Hang looked puzzled. “Please speak, Magistrate Li.”

“Yinshuang City is caught in a terrible conspiracy that hasn’t yet been revealed,” Li Si said seriously. “It all begins with the blood case at Yinshuang Prison over twenty days ago…”

Wang Hang held his breath and listened. Li Si told Wang Hang about A’Shu’s unjust death in the kite play, finding Blind Grandmother Xu in the slum district, learning of Sun San’s terrifying story, discovering various suspicious points at the Cui residence, breaking the Ghost Script Code to discover the Demon-Men’s true nature, and diving into the pond to find the real corpse. Wang Hang inquired several times before fully understanding.

“Cui Yunhai is an imposter Demon-Man. The real Cui Yunhai has long been a corpse at the bottom of the pond!” Wang Hang repeated as if he couldn’t believe it.

“That’s right. The corpse has already been retrieved, and someone is watching it,” Bai Zhenzhu responded.

“This is just the surface. Most terrifying is that those ill-intentioned Demon-Men have transformed into Cui Yunhai, Wu Ancai, and other prominent figures in Yinshuang City. Their plans are thorough, their methods vicious. They’re definitely not simply after gold and silver, but have an even more shocking conspiracy,” Li Si’s tone revealed deep concern. “This is what worries me most.”

Wang Hang realized the seriousness of the situation. He pounded his hand. “Then what should I do?”

“Stop the Demon-Men,” Li Si said decisively.

“How do we stop them?”

Li Si took a breath. “First arrest Cui Yunhai, Wu Ancai, and Du Chong and bring them to the yamen. By prying open their mouths, we can follow the vine to find the melon and control the remaining Demon-Men. However, this must be done covertly, using only the most trustworthy people, because there might be Demon-Men lurking in the yamen too.”

Wang Hang shivered and nodded. “We’ll do everything as Magistrate Li says.”

As dawn broke, Wang Hang arranged the personnel. “The people are ready. We’ll go to the three residences simultaneously to arrest them. Let’s depart now.”

Li Si nodded. “Good.”

The yamen gate opened, and suddenly someone rushed in. His panicked gaze wandered over everyone’s faces as his trembling voice shouted, “Which of you is Magistrate Wang Hang? I need to find Magistrate Wang!”

Wang Hang frowned and spoke. “I am Wang Hang. Who are you?”

“I am Zhu Chao, subordinate of Lord Huo Daozhang, Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Lord Huo sent me to find Magistrate Wang to protect someone, someone who concerns the future fate of the Great Shi Dynasty…”

Li Si and Wang Hang’s expressions changed dramatically, looking at each other in astonishment.

Wang Hang’s expression shifted. “Speak clearly and slowly.”

Zhu Chao swallowed dryly and nodded.

At this moment, noisy, piercing cries and wails came from the adjacent long street. Under normal circumstances, this would certainly have drawn Li Si and Wang Hang’s attention, but right now both men were firmly captivated by what Zhu Chao was about to say.

End of the Hour of the Rabbit, Zhu residence.

Sixteen expert fighters formed a square formation tightly surrounding Huo Daozhang and a small sedan chair. Their speed wasn’t fast but steady as they moved toward the next street. Someone in the sedan chair lifted the curtain. Through the fist-sized gap appeared a pale-faced young boy. His eyes gazed vacantly at Huo Daozhang, his lips moving as if saying a few words.

Huo Daozhang nodded respectfully and ordered, “Quicken the pace.”

The leader of the sixteen men gave a low shout, and the square formation’s speed increased. But speed brought instability, and the formation inevitably exposed flaws.

The sedan chair’s curtain lowered. Huo Daozhang imperceptibly shifted the corners of his eyes. At the ends of several deep alleys, there seemed to be figures. Huo Daozhang felt a chill in his heart—Zhang Xianglin had made his move after all. Now he could only hope Zhu Chao could quickly bring reinforcements. With Prince Kang’s people involved, Zhang Xianglin should have some reservations.

Zhang Xianglin, who knew Huo Daozhang’s every move like the back of his hand, was currently at the Yunshangyun Restaurant three zhang away, humming an obscure local tune. Wu Du appeared at some unknown time. Zhang Xianglin glanced at Wu Du and said grimly, “The most spectacular show is about to begin. Let’s go to the Nüwa Temple.”

Early in the Hour of the Dragon, the expert square formation arrived at the Nüwa Temple.

The Nüwa Temple was uniformly built with blue bricks and blue tiles, with two halls front and back. The front was a worship hall, with two dragon-wrapped columns outside the hall, elaborately carved and painted, magnificent in bearing. The back was the main hall, enshrining Nüwa Empress.

The sedan chair settled. The formation opened a path forward. The curtain lifted. The young boy slowly opened his closed eyes. Just as he was about to exit the sedan, he was stopped by Huo Daozhang.

“Young Prince, please don’t come out yet. Something’s not right about the Nüwa Temple.”

The Nüwa Temple had a widespread reputation. Worshippers coming to pray for blessings should be arriving in an endless stream, but right now, apart from their own people, there wasn’t a single worshipper. Huo Daozhang caught a whiff of danger. Suddenly, footsteps came from inside the temple.

The footsteps were chaotic and disordered, clearly not from one person. Huo Daozhang’s heart rose to his throat. Could Zhang Xianglin’s death trap be hidden inside the Nüwa Temple? Should they flee? But how would he explain to the young prince who had traveled thousands of miles to pray for blessings… Cold sweat covered Huo Daozhang’s forehead as he nervously watched the temple entrance.

A woman with half her body sideways walked crookedly out of the temple. Her cheekbones protruded, her eye pupils were like dried jujubes presenting a weird dark red color, as if a clot of dirty blood floated in her eye sockets. Her limbs were uncoordinated, her hands twisted into claw shapes, her fingernails purple and dark.

This woman seemed to suffer from a terrible disease.

But the next scene left Huo Daozhang dumbstruck—over a dozen more people gradually walked out of the temple. They were old and young, male and female, their facial symptoms without exception similar to the woman’s. The dozen people stared vacantly toward Huo Daozhang’s side. If it weren’t broad daylight with the temple before them, Huo Daozhang would have truly thought these people were demons and ghosts crawling out of hell!

The leader said in alarm, “Lord Huo, what should we do?”

The shocking scene before his eyes intensified Huo Daozhang’s panic. He looked back at the sedan chair. “Return to Zhu residence immediately.”

“Yes.”

The expert square formation began moving. As if the formation’s sound startled those dozen people with horrifying faces, they suddenly screamed like madmen, their cries more beast than human. In an instant, the dozen people charged toward the formation.

“Protect the young prince!” Huo Daozhang shouted.

The formation suddenly split in two. Those in front stayed to resist the enemy, while those behind covered Huo Daozhang and the sedan chair as they retreated. The sixteen expert fighters were carefully selected by Huo Daozhang from the Crown Prince’s residence. Each one was battle-hardened, capable of fighting ten opponents alone. But the battle situation wasn’t being suppressed. The crazily charging people’s eye sockets spattered blood spots, their skin seeping blood as if they were dark blood people.

The dark blood people had their arms and legs broken by the experts, but they seemed to feel no pain at all, continuing to fight with broken limbs, inching their bodies forward still wanting to attack their opponents. Finally, the experts struck to kill, breaking necks, and only then did the dark blood people stop moving.

“Kill them all, kill them all!” The leader’s eyes turned red with killing as he shouted fiercely.

In an instant, over a dozen people died.

Huo Daozhang breathed slightly easier, then suddenly turned back to discover hundreds of people appearing densely on the escape path ahead… Each person’s eyes had dark red blood spots frozen in the corners, like dark blood tears.

“Wu wu wu!” The hundreds of people made moaning sounds, charging over like an out-of-control massive herd of deer.

The square formation was instantly scattered. Only six expert fighters remained, escorting Huo Daozhang and the sedan chair as they retreated into the temple, slamming the temple gate shut behind them.

Outside, the remaining experts engaged in desperate combat with the eerily terrifying dark blood people. This battle was destined for a tragic ending from the start. Although the experts struck to kill, there were too many enemies, and they fearlessly surged forward wave after wave like the ocean.

“Ah!” The first scream came from an expert. A dark blood person bit off his wrist, then instantly bit through his neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain. Immediately after, desperate screams rose one after another, each like a blade stabbing the hearts of the survivors.

Huo Daozhang tightly closed his eyes, his entire body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

After about three quarters of an hour, the screams gradually subsided. But this also meant the last expert had died. Now outside the door remained only the demon-ghost-like dark blood people.

Huo Daozhang’s mind went blank, leaving only three words—what to do?

Yinshuang City yamen.

Zhu Chao said seriously, “Lord Huo secretly accompanied someone to Yinshuang City this time.”

“Who?” Wang Hang asked nervously.

Zhu Chao said each word carefully, “The current Emperor’s Imperial Grandson, the young prince of the Crown Prince’s residence.”

Wang Hang and Li Si’s expressions changed dramatically. Wang Hang stammered, “Im-Imperial Grandson.”

Zhu Chao nodded solemnly.

“The Imperial Grandson came to pray for blessings for the Crown Princess. The original plan was to act secretly. Who knew that upon arriving in Yinshuang City, he would be targeted by Prince Ding’s man—Bei’an Central Province Regional Inspector Zhang Xianglin. His intentions are sinister, wanting to harm the young prince. Lord Huo worries for the young prince’s safety, so he asks Magistrate Wang to send troops for protection.” Zhu Chao finished in one breath.

“Bei’an Regional Inspector.” Wang Hang fell silent, unable to make a decision. Zhang Xianglin was his direct superior. Opposing him would ultimately be more harmful than beneficial. Li Si discerned Wang Hang’s thoughts and quietly reminded him, “If something really happens to the young prince in Yinshuang City, you absolutely cannot escape blame, including Prince Kang behind you.”

Wang Hang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly ordered, “Summon the yamen officers to protect the young prince.”

Learning that Huo Daozhang and the young prince had already gone to the Nüwa Temple, Li Si and Wang Hang also led people toward the temple. Suddenly, a gray shadow flashed before their eyes. Lao Sitou appeared from who knows where.

“Old senior!” Bai Zhenzhu called out warmly.

“Good girl.” Lao Sitou squeezed out a bit of a smile on his face.

“Aren’t you supposed to be watching the corpse?” Li Si asked.

Lao Sitou looked at him sideways. “I discovered Cui Yunhai sneaking out of the residence. Fearing something might change, I came to tell you. I had Wu Wen hide the corpse well. He’s still guarding it.”

Li Si’s heart sank. Could the Demon-Men’s conspiracy be related to the young prince’s safety? This thought weighed on his mind like a boulder. Li Si also told Lao Sitou the news Zhu Chao had brought. Lao Sitou followed everyone toward the temple.

The moment they stepped onto the outside street, Li Si, Wang Hang, and the others were all stunned and terrified by the scene before them. Bloody slaughter was being enacted almost everywhere on the long street. One killer after another with blood-colored pupils raised their heads and roared, their bodies twisting crookedly as they chased fleeing crowds, savagely tearing apart the limbs of those they caught, then opening their foul-smelling mouths to bite necks and heads. Moments later, the bitten people struggled to their feet, their pupils also displaying the terrifying dark red color.

Wang Hang exclaimed in horror, “Heavens, what on earth has happened… How have people all turned into such ghostly things!”

Everyone was fearful and uneasy. Only Lao Sitou remained expressionless. He moved past everyone, using a grappling technique to restrain a killer, not even bothering to lift his head. “Li Si, don’t let anyone disturb me.”

Li Si immediately stood in front of Lao Sitou.

Lao Sitou used a small silver knife to cut open the killer’s palm. In an instant, a stream of foul-smelling dark-colored blood flowed out. Lao Sitou sniffed, then lifted the killer’s eyelid to observe, then checked the tongue coating, nostrils, teeth, and finally felt the heart.

After doing all this, Lao Sitou spoke with a grave expression. “This is a rare plague. I’ve only seen it in ancient texts. It’s called Dark Blood Plague. Patients infected with Dark Blood Plague initially fall into a comatose fever, then dark red spots appear in their eye pupils and their cheekbones protrude. If it cannot be treated, the eye pupils transform into dark red, the blood also turns dark red, consciousness is lost, and they take pleasure in violent flesh-eating. Dark Blood Plague is also an astonishingly contagious disease, transmitted through blood. Once bitten by a dark blood person, one becomes infected.”

“All dark blood people never tire or rest. Their heartbeat speed is more than ten times that of normal people. The heart is the foundation of human survival. A heartbeat more than ten times faster means their life consumption rate is dozens of times that of normal people, even hundreds of times.” Dozens of people looked at each other. Lao Sitou stated it more clearly, “Which means dark blood people can only live for one month.”

“Is there a way to cure it?” Wang Hang looked up at the street full of dark blood people. As a long-time local magistrate, how could he not feel heartache?

Lao Sitou slowly shook his head. “The ancient texts don’t say. However, as far as I know, the root of Dark Blood Plague is that certain micro-insects invisible to the naked eye have burrowed into the human body. The micro-insects swim into the brain and devour neural sensation. So as long as we find a method to kill the micro-insects, we can cure Dark Blood Plague.”

“Then how do we kill those insects?” Wang Hang urgently asked.

“Don’t know,” Lao Sitou said decisively.

Wang Hang sighed in frustration. An officer beside him suddenly shouted, “Sir, be careful, they’re coming!”

Over a hundred dark blood people discovered Li Si and the others hiding in a corner and charged together. Every dark blood person looked as if they had rolled several times in a blood mud pit, covered in dirty blood and shredded flesh. Accompanied by terrifying roars, they were like blood-colored asuras escaping from the gates of hell.

Li Si felt like a knife hung over his heart. He said in a deep voice, “Retreat!”

Lao Sitou suddenly remembered something and shouted loudly, “Wait, I remember the ancient texts said the micro-insects hate heat, so dark blood people should also fear heat… Fire, they fear fire! Who has flint? Light the fire?”

Someone among the officers produced flint. They dismantled two wooden beams from a nearby shop and lit them. With the firelight and heat waves, the dark blood people indeed slowed down. Zhu Chao looked at the dark blood people with shock. “The young prince must have been attacked by dark blood people too. The situation is critical. We must hurry to rescue him.”

Wang Hang hesitated briefly. “Alright, light several more torches to protect our flanks.”

Yinshuang City’s Nüwa Temple.

Nearly noon now, the dark blood people outside the temple took turns ramming the doors. Fortunately, the temple gate was solid enough and hadn’t been broken through. After who knows how long, the dark blood people gradually retreated.

The leader wiped the bloody sweat from his face. “Those monsters should have left.”

Huo Daozhang walked toward the sedan chair. Whether from fright or exhaustion, the young prince had fallen asleep. Huo Daozhang said in a condensed voice, “First carry the sedan chair into the main hall. After ensuring safety, we’ll decide what to do next.”

The leader directed the experts to carry the sedan chair into the main hall.

Huo Daozhang looked at the blood stains covering the courtyard, his mood gloomy. He had just wanted to enter the main hall to accompany the young prince when suddenly screams came from behind. Looking back intently, thirty-some dark blood people charged into the temple from the back door, biting an expert. The expert, contorted in pain, swung his palm to shatter the opponent’s skull. But even with the skull shattered, the dark blood person’s mouth wouldn’t release, biting firmly onto the expert’s ankle. Unable to move, the expert was finally pressed down alive by the dark blood people rushing up behind.

“Protect Lord Huo!” The leader roared angrily and charged into the crowd of dark blood people with two experts. Huo Daozhang, protected by the remaining two experts, retreated into the main hall. The main hall’s gate slammed shut with a thunderous sound.

Huo Daozhang’s eyes moistened. He turned to look at the sacred and dignified statue of Nüwa Empress and dropped to his knees with a “thump.”

“Nüwa Empress, I beg you… I beg you to protect the innocent people and stop this nightmare of slaughter.” Huo Daozhang’s old tears flowed freely. “Dong dong dong”—he heavily kowtowed on the blue bricks.

Not far from the Nüwa Temple on a hilltop, Zhang Xianglin stood as resolute as stone. After watching for a long while, he said, “Most of the experts are dead, yet they’ve persisted this long. Hmph, Huo Daozhang, your life is truly resilient.”

Beside him, the fierce-faced Wu Du said slowly, “Let me go.”

The shabby gray-clothed Chou Kui also said, “My hands are itching terribly.”

Zhang Xianglin glanced at the two and shook his head. “No rush. A good show must unfold slowly. I want the dark blood people to torture Huo Daozhang until he can neither live nor die, finally also becoming a monster indistinguishable between human and ghost.”

Wu Du and Chou Kui exchanged glances, both remaining silent.

The slaughter outside the hall ended. Only the leader escaped back in a wretched state.

Huo Daozhang looked at the few remaining people. Apart from himself without the strength to truss a chicken and the young prince, only the leader and two experts remained. Outside the hall were hundreds or thousands of dark blood madmen, so densely packed they couldn’t be counted.

The dark blood people began ramming the hall door like moths to a flame. The hall door wasn’t as sturdy as the temple gate. Soon there were three or four cracks. It wouldn’t take long before it was broken through.

Huo Daozhang looked up with a bitter smile. Having already reached a dead end, rather than sitting and waiting for death, better to end it decisively. He asked the leader for a blue-gleaming dagger and held it across his abdomen. “Kill one to break even, kill two to profit. If I can’t kill any, I’ll end myself. I’d rather die than let these beasts have their way!”

Huo Daozhang trembled as he gripped the dagger, preparing to fight desperately with the dark blood people who would burst in at any moment. Who knew that just at this time, suddenly knocking sounds came from outside the hall door…