Having learned his lesson, Shen Qingqiu was more careful afterwards. His expression was a frown the rest of the way because he wished for a peaceful and uneventful trip. Finally, they arrived at Shuang Hu City.
This city isn't large but can be considered quite bustling. After entering, they visit the city's richest man, the same Old Master Chen who led the others in pleading for help from Cang Qiong Mountain sect. Old Master Chen's two beloved little concubines had both died tragically under the Skinner's hands. With Shen Qingqiu's arrival, he is filled with hope.
He touched the white jade hands of the third beautiful concubine. With mournful sighs and groans, his old man's tears dripped down.
"You cultivators must make the decision for us! I don't dare let Butterfly1 leave my side for fear that if she loses her way by even a single step, she will be killed by that unnatural creature2 the very same day."
Such an important mission NPC, yet he's making Shen Qingqiu's face twitch.
He does not at all like looking at an old man in his sixties and a teenage girl fondling each other in front of him!
The good part is that Shen Qingqiu is a lofty expert. After briefly meeting them, he can coldly turn around and leave. Only Ming Fan is left behind greeting Old Master Chen. Lofty people have special privileges; toward experts, the regular people beside them cannot say anything. The more lofty they are, the colder they are, even as the people around them watch with admiring eyes.
Ning Yingying knocked on the door and entered. Sweetly, she said: "Shizun, Ying-er3 is going to go out for a turn in the market. Shizun, do you want to come with me?"
Shen Qingqiu's back faced her. Putting on a perfectly intellectual appearance, he lightly said: "If Ying-er wants to go out for a turn, find some apprentice-brothers to accompany you. I still have some things to do before we face the Skinner."
Who she'll bring with her, can Shen Qingqiu not know?
Shen Qingqiu felt bitter to death. Doesn't he want to go out and play too? Before this he was cooped up in Qing Jing Peak's bamboo house compound and daily pretending to be that highly-educated Shizun. When he could finally go down the mountain for once, he had to meet with the system's beginning stage checkpoint for 'Shen Qingqiu' and hole up in his room without meeting anyone. He didn't even want to pretend to cultivate, just laid on his bed and pretended to be dead for a while. Then he truly started to think about how to deal with this Skinner.
According to the information gathered from the nine victims, the Skinner picks young and beautiful girls. So those in Shuang Hu City with beautiful daughters, wives, and concubines all close their doors when night falls. But even this fails to stop the Skinner from coming and going.
After sunset, Ming Fan entered his room to report what he learned.
Finally, there was someone to talk with him. Shen Qingqiu's half a day's worth of loneliness finally dissolved: "Did you visit the coroner?"
Ming Fan said: "Yes. This disciple interrogated the coroner and carefully inspected the bodies." Here, he stopped speaking. His expression was solemn as he offered something over.
Shen Qingqiu didn't receive it in his hands. Examining closely, there were two stacks of yellow paper written on by cinnabar. The surface of the papers had already become a rotten black color.
He nodded and said: "You used these papers to test the evil energy4 of the deceased?"
Ming Fan said: "Shizun is insightful. These yellow papers were used by this disciple in two places. The first place was in the dirt at the grave of a woman who had already been buried. The second place is at the coroner's among the deceased who hadn't been buried yet."
