Chapter 660 Death In The Air.

Shi Lang made a few preparations after he left the city palace. He wandered the market and procured some antidotes and clothes for disguise. His clothes were very neat, and although they were not brocade or silk, they were very clean.

Shi Lang often wore a neat white and blue hanfu, but since he was going to investigate a serial murder, the chances were for the level of the task to harden all of a sudden. Who knew if the enemy waiting in the dark was stronger than him? He had to prepare for it all, just in case.

Thinking about it, the terran bought a set of coarse linen clothing. He left the city quickly and changed his clothes on the way. In his mind, he could sense Lie Hu, the lightning leopard, and Lei Hei, the lightning mane horse, getting by just fine. He did not have to worry much now.

To maintain some secrecy, he did not use any public caravan to move, nor did he rent a spirit beast. He hid his space ring inside his hair. Only a basic spear was tied to his back. His spiritual cultivation level was equal to that of an Immortal General. Yes, he intended to distract his enemy into making a move and catch them off guard.

He traveled at a fast speed and reached the destination after two days. He came to a remote town located in a valley. The place did not look too big, but Shi Lang frowned upon seeing the situation in the town.

The terran sighed and mumbled, "Such a lonesome town. No wonder such a thing happened here."

That said, he began to make his way down the mountain. His speed was not fast, and neither was it slow. He was sensing every possible spot in his reach to find if someone was hidden in the vicinity. Although he did not find any signs of humans, what surprised him was the lack of animal activity as well.

It was understandable that the big predators did not move too close to the human settlement, but small animals should have been present. This made his doubts even stronger. The happenings in this place were caused by human intervention.

Shi Lang moved closer to the town and sensed the temperature of the surroundings fluctuate greatly. He furrowed his brows and devised a plan to infiltrate the valley. He took a deep breath, and his bones began to crackle. His back bent a little, and his shoulders slumped on the sides.

His face also went through a great transformation. This was not a spiritual technique but the prowess of a terran that allowed him to change his body structure. He left the forest and traveled along the mountainous path. He came to the town gate and found a young man about eleven years old holding a wooden staff. He seemed to be guarding the town.

Shi Lang was surprised to see this child and walked closer. He deliberately made some sounds that alerted the boy. The child immediately became cold and vigilant and pointed his staff at Shi Lang as he asked loudly, "Who are you? Why have you come here?"

Shi Lang nodded in approval. The young man revealed a trace of protective instinct. He was trying to protect his town from evildoers. The terran replied, "Child, I am a travelling cultivator. A few days ago, I fought a demonic cultivator and suffered an injury. Is it possible for me to stay in this town till I recover? I promise to pay you due compensation."

The child did not care. He did not care about Shi Lang's reward and took a step forward. Shi Lang was shocked; this child was a mortal, yet he was taking a stand against a cultivator.

Shi Lang quizzed the child, "Are you not afraid of death?"

The young man froze in his steps. Shi Lang had induced a touch of killing intention in his voice just now, and that shocked the child. He was shivering, and sweat covered his forehead. The terran said, "Tell me, Child. Why do you go to such lengths? What is it that you wish to protect?"

The child was under the influence of a killing intent, and he could not hold back his thoughts. He said, "My sister. She is the only one I have, and she could be the next to die. I will protect her till my last breath."

Shi Lang nodded and took back his killing intent. The mind of a child was delicate. If he was to keep him under the influence for any longer than a minute, the child could go mad. Shi Lang watched the child shiver and fall to the ground, but he did not help him up.

He waited for the young man to stand up. The child stood up after a few minutes and asked, "Why didn't you kill me?"

Shi Lang replied, "You are not my enemy, and I am a bit curious about the town's situation. You just mentioned that there had been a few deaths. What is that about?"

The young man did not reply instantly, and Shi Lang sighed, "Kid, I spared your life to prove that I have no ill intention. Do you think if I wanted to kill, I would have spared you for this reckless behavior?"

The young child woke up from his paranoia and said, "People have been dying in the town since half a month ago."

Shi Lang asked, "How did they die?"

The child replied, "The apothecary says they died of snake bite. Bullshit, if they did."

Shi Lang raised his brow. This child seemed more interesting than he thought. He asked, "Why do you say so? Do you know more than the apothecary?"

The boy looked around and said, "They were all cultivators. How could they die from the poison of a normal snake?"The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

Shi Lang was truly surprised. He noticed the cautious expression of the young child and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The child wanted to say something when a soft sound interrupted them, "Xiao Ren, where are you?"

Shi Lang looked at the side and found a young teenage girl. She was dressed in white and looked as if a fairy had stepped out of the painting. However, he was shocked to discover that this girl, despite looking beautiful, had hazy eyes.

He sighed at the predicament of this child. Heavens must have been jealous of her beauty and taken away her eyes. The boy hurriedly approached the girl and asked, "Sister, why did you come out? Do you not know that it is not safe outside?"

The girl smiled and said, "I was waiting for you to come back for a meal, but you did not come, so I came to check on you."

She paused and then turned her head toward Shi Lang as she asked, "Who is there?"

Shi Lang was taken aback but replied, "My name is Ace. I am a traveling cultivator. A few days ago, I suffered some injuries, and I was asking this child if I could rest here for a few days?"

The girl nodded and said, "You can stay here for as long as you like, Senior."

Shi Lang nodded and walked up to enter the town when suddenly, the young boy said, "Old man, do you know anyone here?"

Shi Lang froze and shook his head. While the young lady said, "Xiao Ren, address the senior properly, do not be rude."

She apologized to Shi Lang. The latter brushed it off, and the young lady said, "Senior if you do not mind, you can stay in our house. We have two rooms, and you can take Xiao Ren's room. Please think of this as our apology."

Shi Lang thought about it and said, "Fine, lead the way."

He was sure that this child, Xiao Ren, knew something. He wanted to know what made this child act so rashly. He asked, "I have told you my name, but what about yours?"

The girl replied while holding her brother's shoulder, "I am Hao Mei. This is my brother Hao Ren."

Shi Lang nodded and replied, "Good names."

The girl thanked Shi Lang and led him through the town. They lived in a small house, but the condition of the house was decent. Shi Lang could feel that must be because Hao Mei was a cultivator.