The top-level junior sister also wants to act weak today

Chapter 178 Luoying Village (3)

"Come on, just look at this case yourself," the man put down his chopsticks, his voice low but full of disdain, "All the children disappeared overnight! Children from every household were abducted without a word. Do you think anyone could do such a thing? Not even a footprint was left behind. This is definitely not human!"

"You mean, this was done by a demon?"

"It was definitely a demon!" the older man said firmly, his expression appearing extremely serious. "So I'm telling you, even if the civil officials come, it's useless! If the demon starts doing evil, they'll arrest the officials too. In my opinion, the court should just send demon catchers directly."

"That makes sense. If the monster is really that powerful, how can a human defeat it? From this point of view, the monster catcher is indeed more reliable."

"Hey, I'm not saying anything bad about you officials. You county magistrates have been investigating for so long and still haven't found any clues. Why don't you go find a demon catcher?"

The constable shook his head and lowered his voice: "I'm telling you not to tell anyone. I don't think our county magistrate takes this case very seriously."

"No way!" the older diner's eyes widened when he heard this. "Hundreds of children are missing! And they're all from villages in our county. How could the county magistrate not take it seriously?"

The constable waved his hand and explained with a wry smile, "It was quite a sensation in the first two days after the incident. When the master heard about it, he wrote a memorial to the court overnight and took us to search everywhere. But in the end, didn't we still find it? After a long time, for some reason, the master said forget it and wait until the court sent someone."

The elder sighed deeply and shook his head, saying, "This is sheer nonsense! Even if your county magistrate lets it go, can you let those common people, the parents of the missing children, let it go? Didn't they go to the government office to cause trouble?"

"Of course!" The constable clasped his hands together on the table and slammed them, his tone filled with indescribable confusion and astonishment. "The strange thing about this is that the parents are so cooperative. They don't cry or make a fuss, and they don't even go to the government office. They still work from sunrise to sunset, as if nothing had happened."

The four people standing by suddenly got goosebumps when they heard this.

Chu Ying leaned slightly closer to Jiang Yingxue and lowered her voice, "No way, this is too weird. Hundreds of parents are ignoring their own children? This sounds so counterintuitive, it's like something's been possessed.

Cen Yizhi nodded immediately, a hint of uneasiness in his voice: "Yes, could it really be a demon? Those parents might have been bewitched by the demon, which is why they became like this."

Yan Chuan put down the teacup in his hand: "From the current situation, it can only be a demon. It can transform hundreds of people away overnight and bewitch the minds of hundreds of people at the same time. It must be a great demon. The demon king will descend into the world in five years. If a great demon appears at this time, it is probably related to the demon king."

His words were like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples, and everyone's hearts couldn't help but feel heavy. Jiang Yingxue looked up at Yan Chuan, her eyes revealing a hint of deep thought.

"Yingxue, what do you think?" Yan Chuan asked in a deep voice

Jiang Yingxue lowered her brows, tapping her fingers lightly on the tabletop, as if she were trying to sort out her thoughts. After a moment, she raised her head, her voice calm but with a hint of doubt: "What you said makes sense, but there's one thing I don't understand."

Her eyes swept over several people, finally stopping at Yan Chuan: "If that monster can really bewitch people's minds, why didn't it control them from the beginning and prevent them from reporting to the police?"

Chu Ying frowned upon hearing this and whispered, "Perhaps it was because the monster was slow to react? It wasn't until someone reported it to the police that it realized it had to silence the public."

"Alright, let's assume that the monster was slow to realize it. But what about the man who traveled across mountains and rivers to come to our sect to complete the mission?" She paused, her tone probing, and continued, "Was he not bewitched, or did he break free of the spell on his own?"

This question made everyone silent.

At this moment, a group of people came down from upstairs in a mighty procession. Their footsteps were steady and powerful, mixed with the sound of armor and fluttering clothes, which instantly attracted the attention of the four people.

Walking in front was a man who looked to be in his early thirties. He was tall and straight, with a handsome yet dignified face. His sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, revealing a fierceness that was intimidating without even being angry.

His attire was particularly refined. He wore a dark robe with silver thread outlining the hems with cloud patterns and auspicious animal designs. He wore a jade pendant at his waist and a ring inlaid with red gold on his hand.

Following behind him were several attendants and guards. All the guards wore tight-fitting short robes, long swords at their waists, and bows and arrows slung over their shoulders, their expressions solemn.

The man walked downstairs while talking to the guards beside him, and didn't pay much attention to the crowd on the first floor.

Chu Ying uttered a low, tut-tutting sound and leaned slightly closer to Jiang Yingxue, a flicker of excitement in her eyes: "My God, what a grand ceremony! These people must have been sent by the imperial court, right? You know what, that leading man is quite handsome—"

Before she could finish her words, Jiang Yingxue suddenly stood up from her seat, the chair legs scraping harshly against the wooden floor. She leaned on the edge of the table with one hand and covered her lips with the other in surprise.

Chu Ying was startled by her reaction and was about to ask, but she heard Jiang Yingxue suddenly shout, "Dad!"

"Dad!?" Chu Ying and Cen Yizi shouted almost at the same time, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Such a young father!? This is too--" Before Chu Ying could finish her words, she caught a glimpse of Yan Chuan taking out a mask from somewhere and putting it on his face calmly.

Chu Ying was stunned for a moment, turned her head and stared at him, whispering, "No, Senior Brother, why are you wearing a mask? Are you afraid of Yingxue's father?"

Yan Chuan held his forehead and turned his head away: "Don't worry about me."

Jiang Yingxue forgot where she was for a moment, and the excitement on her face could hardly be concealed. She lifted the hem of her skirt and ran towards the man like a joyful deer.

The man was talking to his subordinates with a serious expression, and his slightly furrowed brows revealed majesty. It was obvious that they were discussing important matters.

However, when he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure running towards him, he was suddenly stunned, his eyes widened slightly, and a rare look of surprise appeared on his usually stern face.

"Yingxue!?" The loyal and brave Marquis' tone was a little uncertain.

He hadn't seen his baby daughter for more than a year and even thought he was hallucinating at one point.

It was not until Jiang Yingxue hugged him and called him "Dad" again that Marquis Zhongyong finally felt the reality of the matter.