boyutpedia Chapter 9: Undercurrents in the Capital, Powerful Forces Intervene; The Demonic Embryo, Ji Lin'
Chapter 9: Undercurrents in the Capital, Powerful Forces Intervene; The Demonic Embryo, Ji Lin'
The magistrate then explained to the people that the flood was caused by a natural disaster and that the river monsters had been eliminated.
A few days after the disaster, a notice on the bulletin board in the market attracted a lot of attention.
It was posted by Ji Lin with the magistrate's approval.
[First, the Ji family offers free exorcism services to villagers. If you encounter any strange occurrences, please come to our home for consultation.]
[Secondly, to ensure the safety of the people, we are now collecting all kinds of strange information. A reward of ten taels of gold will be given to anyone who provides valid clues.]
As soon as the announcement was released, people started to discuss it and had all sorts of speculations.
"My house key keeps disappearing. When I want to look for it, I can never find it, but when I don't look for it, it just reappears by itself. Isn't that strange?"
"There are no strange things in the world, they are all man-made. Sometimes the human heart is more terrifying than ghosts and monsters."
"I've heard that there are many monsters in the Huai River. Recently, a monster was dealt with by a guy covered in vines."
Ji Lin spent some time selecting about thirty people from among the skilled men in the manor—some shrewd and capable, some agile, some physically strong, and some highly skilled in martial arts—to form the "Night Patrol," led by Big Beard, allowing them to utilize their respective strengths within the team.
As their own secret force, the Night Patrol operates only in the shadows and generally does not show themselves. They are well-equipped, well-paid, and frequently come into contact with unusual events, with a certain probability of becoming Awakened, provided they can survive such events.
The county magistrate reported the recent events in Xiong'an County to the prefectural government one by one, and these events eventually alarmed the imperial court.
Afterwards, the capital also sent a document back to the county magistrate. Upon receiving the message from the capital, the county magistrate immediately went to the Ji residence to discuss the matter with Ji Lin and Ji Chang'an.
"Lord Ji, someone from the capital is coming. We might be in trouble." The county magistrate hurriedly entered the Ji residence.
After reading the document, Ji Chang'an handed it to Ji Lin, seemingly lost in thought.
Ji Lin read it carefully. Besides some official matters, there were also some responses to unusual events.
The gist is that the royal family and aristocratic families were already aware of the anomaly and secretly cultivated the Demon Suppression Division.
The imperial court will soon send a demon-suppressing envoy to Xiong'an County to conduct an investigation. Please cooperate fully.
Besides the county magistrate, the people in charge are definitely focusing on the young master of the Ji family, as recent rumors have long circulated that he is neither human nor demon.
If this matter is not handled properly, it could very well be suppressed by the imperial court.
"So the court already knew about the abnormal resurgence. I don't care about the Demon Suppression Envoy's visit, but I'm worried about Lin'er." Ji Chang'an sighed with a look of melancholy.
"I thought I could get away with it by reporting the incident under the pretext of bandits and strange beasts causing trouble, but I never expected..." The magistrate paced back and forth in the living room.
"It's alright, let him come. I have a clear conscience," Ji Lin said calmly.
He understood that the key issue was strength. To break free from others' surveillance and control, one needed sufficient strength and leverage to have the right to negotiate.
What he needs to do now is to devour enough abnormal substances as soon as possible to increase his strength.
The group parted on bad terms, their faces heavy with sorrow. They could only deal with whatever came their way, taking it one step at a time.
Whether it was his own good fortune or the suffering of the people, strange events broke out frequently in the following days, and Ji Lin had to deal with two or three strange and demonic events almost every day.
We also owe a lot to Big Beard and the Night Patrol. Although they are not very strong now, they are still good at gathering information and cooperating in eliminating anomalies.
In just a few days, Ji Lin's attributes had all surpassed 30 points. Ten night patrolmen were also lost, but he quickly replaced them, and he was planning to expand the number of men.
Given his current strength, even ten grandmasters might not be a match for him.
When he added the last anomaly to mental state, the system automatically popped up an interface.
【Season Arrival】
[Outliers: 0]
【Strength: 30/30】
【Minyi：30/30】
[Constitution: 30/30]
[Spirit: 30/30]
[System notification: Demon blood purity has reached 10%, first transformation can proceed]
Ji Lin was very surprised, but also a little excited.
When I first underwent the demonic transformation, even I was startled. Now, as I undergo a further transformation, I have no idea what kind of monster I will become.
What's exciting is that transformation means becoming stronger, and no longer being constantly restrained by others.
He chose to undergo his transformation in a remote mountain to avoid making too much noise and disturbing others.
Ji Lin, with mixed feelings, rode his horse alone out of the county town, and went up into the mountains hundreds of miles from the inner city, where he found a stone cave.
He looked around and saw that the place was deserted, overgrown with weeds, and towering trees grew wildly, blocking out the sun, completely different from the barren mountains outside the city.
The cave was pitch black. Outside, birds and animals chirped, while inside, insects swarmed and hissed. You could also faintly hear the sound of dripping water.
He lit a torch and slowly moved forward, stepping on the gravel. The scent of moss wafted towards him.
He parted a few sticky silken threads and found the inside completely empty. Fortunately, the space was spacious enough, several feet high and several feet wide, which was more than enough to meet his needs.
He then silently recited the command, and a system notification popped up:
Should we begin our first transformation now?
"Yes."
[The transformation begins...]
The next second, Ji Lin immediately felt his bones begin to break, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body. His muscles and body swelled up, the veins on his skin bulged, his blood became scalding hot and seeped out from his skin, the delicate black patterns on his body began to shine, and his clothes were stretched to shreds, making a "ripping" sound.
When the transformation stopped, he had already transformed into a half-human, half-demon state.
[The host has completed the transformation and awakened the talent: Heavenly Demonic Pressure]
Ji Lin breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling his whole body filled with strength.
He changed into a set of clothes that had been prepared beforehand, and then headed back.
When Ji Lin returned home, the Demon Suppressor had been waiting for him for a long time.
The man was dressed in a black, stand-up collar, fitted-sleeve outfit, with a Demon Cloak over it, the hem of which had a neat slit. He had a sword hanging at his waist and a serious expression on his face.
Ji Lin immediately checked his information.
[Martial Artist: Ouyang Zhen]
[Level: Grandmaster]
[Martial Arts: Soul-Severing Blade Technique]
He was astonished; it was the first time he had ever seen a martial artist with the strength of a Grandmaster. If it weren't for the demonic transformation, this person's strength would be no less than his own.
If a Grandmaster could be dispatched to a small county town, one can imagine that the strength of the martial artists or awakened individuals above him is simply beyond my ability to match.
"This must be Young Master Ji." Ouyang Zhen cupped his hands, deeply wary of Ji Lin's strength; he could sense an oppressive aura emanating from him from afar.
"I apologize for keeping the Demon Suppressor waiting." Ji Lin also politely returned the greeting with a cupped hand.
As part of his routine duties, Ouyang Zhen questioned Ji Lin and recorded every word he said.
To his surprise, Ji Lin actually possessed the strength of a Grandmaster and was indeed capable of handling some low-level anomalies. He decided to observe for a period of time and refrain from taking any action to kill him.