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After a brief rest, the three of them walked onto the official road. To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, Li Ye, Zhiruo, and Yan Yuchen decided to let the four zombies take a detour and follow them in less populated areas. In their group, Zhiruo continued to chatter away, teasing Li Ye.
"Why did you only revive female zombies?" Zhiruo complained, "And you specifically chose the pretty ones. That leader is clearly stronger than Shadow Reaper, yet you picked Shadow Reaper."
Li Ye awkwardly scratched his head and tried to explain, "It was purely accidental. You know the number of revivals is limited, and the situation was urgent at that time. I didn't make a special selection."
"Hmph! A man's words are just lies!" Zhiruo pouted, looking both cute and funny.
"By heaven's conscience, I really..." Li Ye said dejectedly, letting his hands drop in resignation. "Forget it, I guess anything I say now is pointless."
Yan Yuchen watched the two bicker and couldn't help but chuckle. She softly said, "You two are really amusing."
Zhiruo remained dissatisfied, pouting her lips. "Hmph, if you won't say anything, I think you're just feeling guilty!"
Yan Yuchen looked at the two arguing and laughed again. "Alright, alright, stop fighting. Li Ye, you need to think of a way to reassure Zhiruo."
Li Ye helplessly spread his hands. "Fine, I deserve this."
Although they were bickering, it made the journey lighthearted and joyful (though it might be a bit torturous for Li Ye). After half a day's travel, they finally arrived at Qingyang City. The city gate was bustling with activity, lively and vibrant, with people continuously flowing through the streets. The three paused briefly before deciding to fill their stomachs before making further plans.
The main gate of Qingyang City was grand and imposing, with soldiers patrolling the walls. Li Ye, Zhiruo, and Yan Yuchen smoothly passed through the gate's inspection and entered the city. Inside Qingyang City was filled with noise; vendors shouted their wares as various food aromas wafted through the air.
The three stopped at a street-side snack stall and ordered some local specialties; steaming hot food was quickly served. Watching Zhiruo and Yan Yuchen's satisfied expressions brought a sense of relief to Li Ye. The fragrant grilled meat and fresh fruits allowed them to temporarily forget their travel fatigue.
"We need to buy some clothes and masks so that the zombies can follow us without drawing attention," Li Ye suggested.
"Good idea," Yan Yuchen nodded in agreement. "We need to be cautious and try not to raise any suspicions."
"Oh my, you really can't bear to be apart for even a moment," Zhiruo shot Li Ye a glance with a hint of arrogance. "Just go with your zombies."
Li Ye helplessly lay on the table, his expression one of despair. Seeing Li Ye's forlorn look, Zhiruo chuckled and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, we can go buy some clothes."
Li Ye let out a sigh of relief as if pardoned and quickly began to eat.
After lunch, the three of them went to the market and bought some loose clothing and masks. Li Ye picked out some heavy cloaks and masks to conceal the zombies' pale skin and terrifying faces. Specter quickly left the city after getting the clothing and masks, distributing the disguises to other zombies.
Specter wore a long black dress, with wide sleeves covering her sharp claws. Her beautiful and enchanting face showed no difference from a living person except for her unhealthy pale skin and crimson eyes. She donned a fox mask, exuding a mysterious and deadly allure.
Shadow Reaper also chose a black dress but opted for a snake mask, making her appear dangerous and alluring. The two low-level zombies changed into long robes, wearing ghostly masks as they carried their spoils, following Specter and Shadow Reaper back into the city.
The group decided to stay in Qingyang City for a while to gather information about Liu Zhang's whereabouts. As they wandered aimlessly down the street, they suddenly heard a commotion. Looking in the direction of the noise, they saw a crowd gathered not far away, seemingly watching something lively.
"Let's go take a look," Li Ye frowned and led the two women over.
Among the onlookers, an elderly man knelt on the ground in terror, pointing at a gruesome corpse hanging from a tree. The body bore a horrific twisted expression, as if it had suffered greatly in life.
"Another Soul Devourer!" a passerby exclaimed in a low voice. "This is already the fifth this month."
Li Ye was startled by this news. Soul Devourer? He turned to Zhiruo and Yan Yuchen, noticing that all three of their faces had grown serious.
Li Ye frowned as he looked at the gruesome corpse, thinking that it was better to avoid trouble at this time since they were opposing the court; it was not wise to draw attention. Yan Yuchen observed Li Ye's expression and seemed to guess his thoughts. Only Zhiruo looked at the horrific corpse with confusion and couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ye, don't you find it strange? In broad daylight, there’s such a gruesome corpse in the city, yet Yamen seems unconcerned? Could Yamen be involved?"
Upon hearing this, Li Ye suddenly realized that if this matter was indeed related to Yamen, it would require investigation. He quietly said to Zhiruo, "You're right. If Yamen is involved, then we can't just stand by."
Yan Yuchen nodded. "We should inquire about Liu Zhang's movements in the city. If the Soul Devourer incidents are related to Yamen, then Liu Zhang's subordinates are likely involved too. We can follow the clues to uncover more about this matter."
Li Ye took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Alright, tonight we will go to Charity Manor and see if these corpses can provide us with more clues."
As night fell, Qingyang City quieted down. After disguising themselves, Li Ye, Zhiruo, and Yan Yuchen quietly made their way to Charity Manor on the outskirts of the city. A dim oil lamp hung at the entrance of Charity Manor, giving it an especially eerie and desolate atmosphere.
"Stay close to me, be careful, and don't make any noise," Li Ye whispered.
The three of them quietly climbed over the wall and entered Charity Manor's courtyard. Several coffins were placed in the yard, and the air was filled with a decaying smell. Li Ye cautiously led the two women toward the side hall, which should be where the bodies were stored.
As they pushed open the door to the side hall, a strong stench of corpses hit them. Several bodies were neatly arranged on a wooden board in the center of the room. Li Ye lit a candle he carried with him; the dim candlelight flickered, providing only limited illumination.
Zhiruo and Yan Yuchen covered their mouths and noses as they approached the bodies. Each corpse bore a tragic expression, their faces twisted as if they had suffered immense pain in life.
Li Ye carefully examined one of the bodies and found a deep wound in its chest, as if pierced by some sharp weapon. However, what unsettled him the most was what he found at the top of the corpse's head. Gritting his teeth against his nausea, Li Ye pulled out a two-foot-long steel nail from their heads. The nail was inscribed with incantations; having practiced the Nine Nether Spirit Control Technique, Li Ye recognized it as the legendary Soul Guiding Nail! These individuals had their souls completely extracted while they were alive.
"These wounds don't look like they were caused by ordinary weapons," Li Ye said quietly. "Moreover, their souls have been absorbed."
Yan Yuchen nodded. "This method is likely some form of dark magic; the rumors about the Soul Devourer might be true."
Zhiruo frowned. "How are we going to find this Soul Devourer?"
Li Ye pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "This isn't something done by a so-called Soul Devourer; it's done by humans! Ghosts wouldn't use a Soul Guiding Nail inscribed with incantations!"
The three continued to inspect other bodies and discovered that each one bore strange markings written with special spiritual energy. If it weren't for Li Ye's training in the Nine Nether Spirit Control Technique, he might not have noticed these markings at all. He recorded each of these symbols and found a common feature: each symbol contained an ancient character representing "sacrifice."
"It seems these people were used for sacrifices," Li Ye said solemnly. "This situation appears to be quite unusual!"
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