The next day, just as the morning sun crept over the horizon, Lin Chen arrived at Yangzhou.
It was a small, quiet town, surrounded by walls just tall enough to give its people a sense of safety—but low enough that any half-decent cultivator could leap over them without breaking a sweat.
Stretching his arms and shoulders, Lin Chen approached the gate. Lightning Phantom Step had made the journey quicker, but after two days of near-constant sprinting through forests and hills—and one very bloody cooking incident—he looked less like a traveler and more like a man who'd just crawled out of a massacre.
The guards at the gate noticed.
They gave him a look. Then they exchanged a look with each other. Then, almost in unison, their hands tightened around their spears—points now angled directly at him.
"Halt!" One of the guards barked. "State your name and purpose!"
Lin Chen blinked. "Eh? I'm just a cultivator here to deal with the missing girl situation. Sect mission. See?" He pulled out his disciple token and held it up.
The guard squinted at the token… then let his eyes drift back to Lin Chen.
More specifically, to the state of him—robes stained with blotches of dried blood, dust clinging to every fold, a faint roasted smell clinging to his body, and one sleeve torn like it had given up on life.
"…Sir," the guard said slowly, "you kind of look like the one who made the girls disappear."
"Hah?" Lin Chen looked down at himself. His once light-blue robe was now a tragic patchwork of brown smudges, red stains, and burnt holes. He let out a long sigh.
"Okay, listen—it's not what it looks like. This is beast blood. There was… some unnecessary trouble on the way here."
The two guards exchanged looks. A beat later, they coughed awkwardly, then straightened into stiff bows.
"Apologies, honored cultivator. We mean no offense. You're from the Starfall Sword Sect, yes? The City Lord already informed us that someone would be coming."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. Ah, right? Mortal logic: A cultivator equals scary. Even if you look like a homeless butcher, you're still above them.
One guard stepped forward. "Sir, if you'll allow it, I'll guide you to the City Lord's mansion."
"Sure," Lin Chen said with a shrug. "Lead the way. And uh, maybe don't let too many people see me like this… "
"Yes, sir!"
***
By the time Lin Chen arrived at the City Lord's mansion, the guards politely stopped him at the entrance.
"Sir… perhaps you'd prefer to freshen up first?" one of them said tactfully, trying not to look directly at the blood-stained clothes.
Lin Chen didn't argue. Even he didn't want to meet anyone looking like a wandering disaster.
He was led to a guest room—and to his surprise, it was way better than the cramped outer disciple quarters of the sect. Clean floors, soft bedding, and even a proper bath. The water was warm, and there was soap that smelled like actual herbs. Luxury by his standards.
Alongside the bath, they'd even prepared a fresh set of clothes: a violet-and-black cultivator robe with fine stitching and soft inner lining.
Once he'd scrubbed himself clean, dried off, and put on the robe, Lin Chen finally caught sight of himself in the polished bronze mirror.
"…Not bad."
Compared to a month ago when he looked like a tired noodle vendor's apprentice, he now at least resembles a real cultivator.
His features were still average—no movie-star looks or sculpted jawlines—but there was something cleaner, steadier about his appearance now. Maybe it was the robes. Maybe it was cultivation progress.
***
After that, Lin Chen was finally led to meet the City Lord.
The man was middle-aged, dressed in simple official robes, and carried an air of calm authority. A quick scan of Lin Chen revealed that he was at the 6th stage of Root Vein Awakening.
Not surprising. This was a small town; stronger cultivators usually moved on to sects or major cities. Town Lords rarely had high-level strength—just enough to maintain order.
When problems arose that were beyond their capacity, they naturally turned to the sect that controlled the region for assistance.
The City Lord gave Lin Chen a relieved smile as he rose to greet him.
"It's good to finally have someone from the sect accept the mission," he said. "We've been waiting for a while."
Lin Chen nodded and took a seat. "Missing girls, right? I'll need the details. When did it start, how many, and what do you know?"
The City Lord's expression darkened. "It began about six months ago. In the first month, three girls disappeared. All young. No signs. No trails."
Lin Chen listened quietly.
"But as time went on…" the City Lord's voice grew heavier. "In the second month, five. Third month, nine. And now, six months later… thirty-five girls in total."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. Thirty-five. That was an alarmingly high number for a town this small.
The City Lord clenched his fists. "I tried everything. Searching, posting guards, questioning everyone… but it was like they vanished into thin air. Not a single clue. I even suspected bandits or traffickers at first, but nothing fit."
He exhaled sharply. "In the end, I had no choice but to report it to the Starfall Sword Sect. Our town is under your jurisdiction, and if this is the work of a rogue cultivator… we simply don't have the strength to deal with it ourselves."
Lin Chen leaned back slightly. Thirty-five girls gone without a trace? Not something ordinary criminals could manage.
"Do you have any leads?" he asked. "Last known locations, times, anything? Or is it completely random?"
The City Lord shook his head. "That's the strangest part. No neighborhood, no time of day. And no connection between the victims—other than that they're all between fifteen and twenty-five."
Lin Chen scratched his chin. "So either someone is exceptionally clever… or using some spiritual means to cover their tracks."
The City Lord gave a bitter smile. "Exactly. That's why we need someone like you. Please… find out what's happening. I fear if this continues, there may be no young women left in our town."
Lin Chen sighed. He hadn't expected this to become a full-blown investigation. But fifty mid-grade spirit stones wasn't a small reward. For that, he'd play detective… even if his qualifications were mostly from reading too many xianxia novels.
"City Lord," he said, leaning forward, "issue a curfew immediately. No one is to leave their homes after sunset. Anyone caught outside is to be considered a suspect."
The City Lord blinked, then nodded quickly.
"From the pattern of these kidnappings, it's either a demonic cultivator or human traffickers," Lin Chen continued, "The girls haven't left the city, and no one saw anything. That strongly suggests they're still here… just well hidden."
Inwardly, he mused: Classic xianxia plot—probably some psycho using life force for a breakthrough. Why always the girls? Why not dogs for once? He nodded to himself like a veteran detective. In truth, it was just too many novels in his past life.
The City Lord studied him, clearly impressed. "You're sharp, Esteemed Cultivator. Your reasoning is more precise than our entire city guard combined."
"Obviously," Lin Chen muttered under his breath.
"Assign me a guide," he said aloud. "I need someone to show me the city, the incident sites, and the victims' homes. I'll begin the investigation."
"Yes, right away!" the City Lord said, straightening, a hint of hope returning to his expression.
*****
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