Devouring Soul Emperor

More than a dozen girls had gone missing. So many.

Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but shake his head. The scroll had only mentioned that Ma Zhiyong had violated a little over a hundred young women.

A moment’s reflection was all it took for him to realize that the "over one hundred" figure couldn’t be accurate.

Many victims must have deliberately kept it a secret. After all, no one would want to publicize something that would destroy their reputation.

"Aside from the number of missing girls, is there any other information? For example, are there any eyewitnesses? Or any suspected locations where Ma Zhiyong might be hiding?"

Chu Qingyun asked in a low voice, fiddling with the lid of his teacup.

A flicker of surprise showed in Qu Yuanhang’s eyes. He had assumed that this young Examiner from the Great Xia Dragon Guard would lack initiative and just poke around for a bit.

But he hadn’t expected Chu Qingyun to be so difficult to fool. Even his casual questions were remarkably astute.

Qu Yuanhang didn’t dare to brush him off and answered honestly, "There are two eyewitnesses, but both are night watchmen who were on their rounds. All they saw was a suspicious shadow, which is essentially useless. As for any suspected hiding places... I’m ashamed to say I’ve been unable to find any."

"I see..." Chu Qingyun nodded. "Town Mayor Qu, please gather all the families of the missing girls. I want to question them. I might be able to find some clues."

Chu Qingyun’s heart grew heavy.

’I originally thought I’d just have to come here, find the guy, have a fight, and then go back and report. Case closed.’

’But I didn’t expect this Ma Zhiyong to be so cunning. He’s been in San Yang Town for over a month without leaving the slightest trace.’

Qu Yuanhang didn’t dare to take Chu Qingyun’s order lightly. He moved with the utmost speed, sending his men to bring the families of the missing girls to the Town Mayor’s Mansion.

The families of all the victims, from the very first one over a month ago to the most recent one just two days prior, were gathered in a single courtyard.

"Sir, my daughter was fine when she went to sleep, but when we woke up, she was gone..."

"The same thing happened to us!"

"Sir, I’m begging you, please find my daughter! Please..."

With everyone gathered together, the scene quickly descended into chaos. One person began to wail, and the grief soon spread to the others. The collective crying and shouting from the large crowd gave Chu Qingyun a splitting headache.

The commotion continued for half the afternoon, yet not a single clue was found.

All they knew was that their daughters had vanished overnight. They had no other information, offering only endless tears and pleas.

’The sky was beginning to darken. Two days had nearly passed—one-fifth of his allotted time gone—and he was still faced with a tangled mess and not a single clue.’

’What’s more, San Yang Town had a population of nearly one hundred thousand, and he was the only one capable of dealing with the Flower Thief. Even the crudest method—a stakeout—wasn’t feasible.’

’Besides, now that news of the Great Xia Dragon Guard’s second assessment phase was out, it was questionable whether Ma Zhiyong would even dare to strike again.’

"Sir, this humble official has prepared a small banquet to welcome you and help you wash away the dust from your journey."

Just as Chu Qingyun was growing frustrated, Qu Yuanhang appeared, inviting him to the meal with a smile.

"Let’s skip it. Thank you for the kind offer, Town Mayor Qu, but I’m rather troubled and not in the mood for a banquet," Chu Qingyun said apologetically, clasping his hands.

"Hehe, solving the case isn’t something that can be rushed. Many of San Yang Town’s prominent figures will be at the welcome banquet today. You might find them useful in your investigation later on," Qu Yuanhang persuaded.

"Well... alright then."

Town Mayor Qu’s welcome banquet was indeed sumptuous. In addition to fine wine and delicacies, there were several beautiful young dancers providing entertainment.

However, with the case weighing on his mind, Chu Qingyun found it impossible to muster any enthusiasm.

Qu Yuanhang, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, toasting everyone, eating and drinking with abandon. Once drunk, he watched the singers and dancers with keen interest, as if he’d completely forgotten about the missing girls.

Most of the other guests at the banquet were the same.

It was a classic case of ’not my problem.’ For those whose daughters weren’t missing, the issue was of no concern. They’d rather spend their energy thinking of ways to suck up to the Town Mayor.

However, one man at the banquet did catch Chu Qingyun’s eye. He appeared to be under thirty and had the strength of a Level Three Martial Artist. This must be San Yang Town’s Chief Constable, Tie Mingyuan.

Throughout the entire banquet, from start to finish, Tie Mingyuan hadn’t said a single word. He just kept drinking, sullenly, by himself.

By the time the welcome banquet ended, the sky was completely dark, and the guests had all dispersed.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chu Qingyun feigned a return to his room. Once there, he changed his clothes, then immediately activated his Stealth Soul Technique and Hidden Qi Technique. He slipped out of the Town Mayor’s Mansion and went to find Tie Mingyuan.

He tailed him all the way to his home before revealing himself.

"Sir! It’s you!" he exclaimed, clearly remembering Chu Qingyun. "Tie Mingyuan pays his respects, Sir!"

Chu Qingyun smiled. "No need for formalities, Iron Chief. I came to ask you, as San Yang Town’s Chief Constable, what is your take on this case?"

At these words, a look of shame crossed Tie Mingyuan’s face. "Seventeen girls have gone missing... even the Town Mayor’s daughter is gone. As the Chief Constable, I have failed in my duty..."

"What!?"

"You’re saying the Town Mayor’s daughter—Qu Yuanhang’s daughter—is missing? That she was taken by the Flower Thief?"

Chu Qingyun couldn’t help but gasp. That was something Qu Yuanhang had definitely not told him!

"Yes. Don’t tell me the Town Mayor didn’t inform you?" Tie Mingyuan asked with a frown. "It’s a major detail. Logically, there’s no way he should have kept that from you."

Chu Qingyun’s gaze flickered for a moment. He gave a slight laugh. "Perhaps he did. I’ve been traveling for the past two days. I was probably too exhausted and forgot."

Tie Mingyuan nodded and continued, "Actually, for the past month, I’ve been investigating this case with everything I have. But what I’ve found is that Ma Zhiyong shows no signs of ever having left the town. I suspect he and the missing girls are still somewhere within San Yang Town."

After that, Tie Mingyuan shared some other details he had uncovered during his investigation.

But Chu Qingyun barely registered them. ’His mind was consumed by a single fact: Qu Yuanhang’s daughter was missing, and had very likely fallen into the hands of the Flower Thief.’

’And yet, he acted as if nothing was wrong. He was in the mood to welcome me, to throw a welcome banquet, and to do it all with such enthusiasm.’

’This... was just too abnormal!’

’When something is this abnormal, there must be something foul afoot!’

In his heart, Chu Qingyun silently grew wary of Qu Yuanhang.

By the time he returned from Tie Mingyuan’s home, the night had grown deep. The small town was usually quiet at night, but since the Flower Thief began his rampage, almost no one dared to venture out after dark.

However, on this particular night, several uninvited guests arrived at the Town Mayor’s Mansion.