I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 55 - 51: Beset by a Formidable Foe

Bai Hao was exhausted.

Originally, he came to Cyan Yang City to investigate the report of a haunting in Fuan Alley by Xun Sheng, bringing along one of his disciples for training.

Who would have thought his disciple went out investigating the day before yesterday and hasn’t returned since, and before Bai Hao could investigate the matter in Fuan Alley, Cyan Yang City encountered a more severe and dire crime.

It’s truly a headache.

"Lord Xun, have you dispatched all the officials and constables to search the entire city?" Bai Hao asked.

Xun Sheng promptly nodded in response, "Of course."

"It’s not enough; currently, we can’t find the whereabouts of the murderer in the shortest time, so we must prepare to protect the other citizens from harm. Go ahead and issue a notice to recruit Martial Artists from the whole city to temporarily serve the government for night patrol. The salary will be... three taels of silver a day."

Xun Sheng was slightly startled, that sum was not small.

But he quickly agreed, "Yes, I’ll do it right away."

After Xun Sheng left, Bai Hao took out a Jade Pendant from his chest, looked at it, and couldn’t help feeling worried: "Wan’Er, though not weak, is yet to return with no news at all. Could she really have encountered misfortune... This Cyan Yang City truly is a place rife with troubles."

...

The notice from the government recruiting at three taels of silver a day truly dropped like a bombshell, causing an uproar throughout Cyan Yang City.

Three taels a day, thirty taels in ten days, over a longer period, this was not a small amount.

Many martial arts practitioners who worked as guards, Hospital Guards, or engaged in other trades could not earn this sum in a day.

Hence, the front of Cyan Yang City’s yamen suddenly became bustling, attracting a large crowd of men, women, old and young, all rushing to sign up.

It was truly a sea of people.

But Xun Sheng wasn’t recruiting indiscriminately; he needed Martial Artists, practitioners with true skills.

Aside from bravery, a heavy reward also attracts those trying to muddle through and make up the numbers.

For such individuals, Xun Sheng set out three assessments as a threshold, without genuine skills, they truly couldn’t knock on the door of three taels a day.

First, lift an eighty-pound stone lock with one hand.

Second, lift a two hundred-pound iron ball with both hands.

Third, showcase a martial art skill.

These three assessments directly weeded out many people for Xun Sheng.

Ultimately, fifty-five Martial Artists were recruited, including four external Martial Artists.

Even being the Governor of Cyan Yang City, recruiting so many people made Xun Sheng anxious, thinking of capturing the murderer soon, otherwise, he’d have to shell out quite a bit of silver each day, which is unbearable. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Recruited Martial Artists do not work during the day; they are primarily responsible for Cyan Yang City’s night patrol, assisting officials in preventing the murderer from committing crimes at night.

Considering the manner of the murderer’s recent crimes, their skills certainly shouldn’t be underestimated, so these three taels of silver somewhat resembles life-and-death wagering money.

If you survive till tomorrow, fine; you’ve earned three taels.

If you encounter that murderer and die by their hands, well, sorry, those three taels are the government’s price for your life.

With the recent increase in extermination cases, the entire Cyan Yang City has become gloomier; except for those who must go out to work, earn money, and support their families, basically, slightly wealthy families have servants attend to any necessary out-of-home matters.

At night, it was even more exaggerated; the night businesses of those brothels suffered huge impacts, basically no one dared to go out except those possessed by their lust.

Qin Yuesheng was also given a rare prohibition by Qin Feng, forbidding him from going out at night.

The entire Cyan Yang City, because of the extermination case, was enveloped in a city-wide anxiety, everyone living in fear.

This affair impacted many, among whom the most dumbfounded was Jiang Taicang.

Nighttime.

Jiang Taicang sat alone in his bed, hugging his head, rubbing his hair, his demeanor subtly revealing signs of madness.

"How could this be, I have no recollection of this at all."

Flipping through his notebook filled with various fortuitous encounters, Jiang Taicang tried to find a link to the extermination case, but the results disappointed him, he found nothing.

This meant that the extermination case in Cyan Yang City had escaped Jiang Taicang’s original memory knowledge; it was an entirely new event.

"Damn it, the original events have changed again." Jiang Taicang stuffed the notebook into his chest, his face full of anxiety.

He worried that if things progressed in this manner, the future might no longer be the one he knew, rendering his knowledge null and void, and all opportunities and encounters would turn to nothing.

At this moment, outside Jiang Mansion.

A dark figure emerged from a nearby alley.

He seemed like a dog, constantly sniffing around, gradually moving closer to Jiang Mansion.

The four Hospital Guards stationed at the gate immediately sensed something was wrong; this individual’s behavior was truly bizarre.

One Hospital Guard immediately shouted, "Who goes there, get lost at once."

That figure slowly pulled down a rag covering his head, revealing a man with twin horns on his forehead, a fierce green face, and a visage covered in scales.

"Mon...monster, it’s a monster!"

The four Hospital Guards panicked and instinctively raised their iron rods.

The man sniffed a few more times at the gate and couldn’t help but grin: "It’s here! You’re here!"

With those words, he leapt out suddenly, reaching the four Hospital Guards with unimaginable speed.

With seemingly no complicated moves, just four palm strikes shattered the skulls of the four Hospital Guards.

Breaking through the door, a massacre quietly descended on the Jiang family.

"Master, the first wife has been pressuring me lately, acting all high and mighty, I’m too scared to go out."

"Don’t mind her, the doctor said she has a tumor in her brain, probably won’t live much longer. Once she’s gone, I’ll make you the official wife."

"Really?"

"Really."

The beautiful concubine excitedly hugged Master Jiang’s neck tightly, coquettishly saying, "Master, you are so good to me~"

"You are the treasure of my heart. Who else can I be good to if not you? Come, lower yourself again and give me a taste. I like this most about you."

Bam!

Just as they were in their romantic moment in the room, the door was suddenly ripped apart, shattered like paper with no defense.

A green-faced, fanged monster walked in from outside.

"Ah!!!!"

This scared the couple half to death, especially Master Jiang, who was years old and couldn’t handle such fright—his pants wet through in an instant.

The monster squeezed their necks and snapped them, sniffing around: "Not here, but very close, nearby."

...

Jiang Taicang awoke from his sleep to endless clamor outside.

What he heard most were words like ’fire,’ ’quick, find water,’ and ’put out the fire.’

"Fire?" Jiang Taicang wondered.

But before he could think further, continuous screams echoed outside, as if a massacre was taking place.

Jiang Taicang instantly became alert, springing out of bed and drawing his personal sword from beside the bed.

Suddenly, a tall silhouette appeared outside the door, with two conspicuous sharp objects on its head.

Jiang Taicang grasped the sword handle tightly, ready to strike.

Boom!

The door exploded instantly, turning into wood chips scattered all over, smashed by the person outside.

With the help of a lantern outside, Jiang Taicang clearly saw the figure’s appearance at first glance.

But instantly, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"How is this possible?!"

Standing outside was Shen Lang, though his body had undergone many changes, Jiang Taicang still recognized him.

"I found you, it’s you," Shen Lang kept saying, his demeanor slightly dazed, but Jiang Taicang could not afford to underestimate him because of it.

He was all too familiar with Shen Lang’s body change.

Celestial Demon Transformation.

The Celestial Demon is a mysterious existence, and humans who have come in contact with Celestial Demon blood or flesh will undergo this transformation 100%.

The transformation makes a person lose all sanity, yet bestows immense power.

Jiang Taicang instantly understood why Shen Lang turned this way, probably trapped and starved in the Celestial Demon’s heart realm, eventually breaking down and eating the demon’s remains.

Cloud Trace Sword Step: Fog Manipulation!

Knowing he couldn’t communicate with the transformed Shen Lang, Jiang Taicang had two options: flee or fight.

Holding the sword, Jiang Taicang lunged forward, launching an offensive on Shen Lang, seeking to strike first.

With Misty Sword Step, he swiftly executed three quick strikes, the sword’s edge enveloped in clouds, targeting Shen Lang’s vital spots.

Shen Lang swung his arm, throwing a punch haphazardly, focused solely on grabbing Jiang Taicang and tearing him apart instantly.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The sword pierced three times, creating wounds, slow-flowing black blood.

"Kill you!" Shen Lang disregarded his injuries, grabbed the sword’s edge, and snapped it. Jiang Taicang’s sword was halved, losing advantage.

A fist shadow followed at lightning speed, leaving Jiang Taicang unable to dodge, only attempting to block with difficulty.

But he underestimated Shen Lang’s power after transformation, which was beyond Jiang Taicang’s current strength.

Bang!

Jiang Taicang flew backward at high speed, crashing into the wall, causing a segment to collapse.

Shen Lang gave no chance to breathe, pressed forward, reaching for Jiang Taicang amidst the rubble.

Desperately, Jiang Taicang flipped like a carp, slipped out through the wall gap, encountering a group of Jiang Mansion guards nearby.

Seeing Jiang Taicang in distress, the leader hurried over, "Seventh Young Master, are you okay?"

But Jiang Taicang seized his arm and threw him behind.

Confused, the guard heard an explosion, and a large hand grabbed him by the throat.

"Wh—What."

Snap!

A crisp sound; his neck limply tilted to one side.

Next second, Shen Lang ripped the guard’s body in half.

Red beads fell, foul and bloody.

Seeing this, chills ran up Jiang Taicang’s spine, cold sweat pouring.

If he hadn’t used the guard as a scapegoat, he would have died gruesomely.