Chapter 149: The Haunted House

Upon suddenly hearing Feng Ling'er cry out like that, Zhang Desen felt a flicker of reluctance arise in his heart. However, realizing that this matter was far beyond what she could handle, he hardened his heart and said,

"Miss Feng, thank you for your kind intentions. Indeed, there are many ways in which I could use your help, but not now. Your swordsmanship is truly formidable, and I admire it greatly, but the problem is that the enemy we are facing this time is likely far more powerful than we can possibly imagine. Therefore, it is extremely dangerous. You should return home first."

However, Feng Ling'er's next words caught Zhang Desen completely off guard. He heard her say,

"To tell you the truth, my father has already led a large army to the vicinity of Hezhou City, specifically to help you. Otherwise, why do you think those powerful local clans backed down so easily? My father told them that if any of them dared to make things difficult for you, the Feng Family Army would fight them to the bitter end."

Zhang Desen was startled. If this were true, he would owe the Feng family a massive favor. He immediately asked Feng Ling'er for the detailed circumstances.

Feng Ling'er explained. Originally, those powerful and entrenched regional factions simply could not tolerate the sudden appearance of a rival out of nowhere. After Zhang Desen led the allied guards to help General Feng Yucai successfully repel the enemy's grand army, the other powerful clans grew anxious about the emergence of a competitor and plotted to eliminate this new threat together.

General Feng Yucai, who held Zhang Desen in high regard, learned that these powerful families intended to gather in Hezhou City. Using the pretext of clearing out the remaining hostile forces within the nation's borders, he immediately led a troop of one hundred thousand soldiers to display military might before these clans, demonstrating his firm resolve to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhang Desen. This decisive action successfully forced the powerful clans to retreat to their respective territories.

Hearing this, Zhang Desen could not help but feel that he truly owed General Feng Yucai an enormous, debt-like favor. He could only say to Feng Ling'er,

"In that case, Miss Feng, please convey my gratitude to General Feng. Thank you..."

Yet Feng Ling'er immediately cut him off, saying,

"Enough. Please do not find any more excuses. My father already guessed beforehand that you would take an interest in the mysterious disappearances happening in Hezhou City, knowing that you, as the Masked Hero, would likely want to investigate. That is why he brought his troops this time, intending to personally cooperate with you in cracking this case."

Then, Feng Ling'er's mood seemed to shift once more. With her hands on her hips, she flashed a proud and triumphant smile and declared,

"Since I was little, I have harbored the ambition to become a female knight-errant, sweeping away all the evildoers in the world in one fell swoop. That is why I pestered my father to bring me along, and he intends for me to serve as the liaison between you and him. If you do not take me with you, how are we supposed to communicate?"

Listening to this, Zhang Desen felt a mixture of helplessness and deep gratitude for General Feng Yucai's assistance. After pondering for a moment, he said,

"Many thanks for the assistance of General Feng. This time, Miss Feng and the General can just coordinate from the outside. Leave the rest of the matters to us..."

Before he could finish, Feng Ling'er interrupted him again, speaking with absolute firmness:

"If you do not take me with you this time, I will take action on my own tonight."

Realizing she meant it, Zhang Desen thought for a brief moment and could only say with a resigned sigh,

"Very well. Miss Feng truly is a heroine among women. First, accompany us to the Liu family merchant guild's stronghold outside the city so we can discuss our plans; there are some things I still need to make perfectly clear."

Hearing this, Feng Ling'er beamed with joy. She rushed to Zhang Desen's side, grabbed his arm, and coaxed playfully,

"Great! Great! I promise I won't let you down."

At this moment, Zhang Desen said,

"All right, Miss Feng, please don't do that right now. I still have some business to attend to..."

Pouting her lips, Feng Ling'er retorted,

"Understood. Am I really inferior to that merchant's daughter? From what I've heard, she doesn't possess any remarkable swordsmanship at all—she's practically someone who couldn't even truss a chicken!"

Hearing this, Zhang Desen immediately wore a stern expression and said,

"Miss Feng Ling'er, please refrain from making random remarks about people. I must also remind you that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. If you can only see your own virtues, your progress will be completely restricted. Furthermore, when you belittle someone else's profession, you are simultaneously belittling yourself. Moreover, the things she is capable of perceiving in reality far exceed what you can see, and she possesses a far greater understanding of celestial knowledge. Please do not insult her!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ling'er instantly burst into tears and stammered,

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It was just a slip of the tongue. Shall I kneel and apologize to you?"

With that, Feng Ling'er actually started to drop to her knees. Seeing this, Zhang Desen quickly pulled her up and said,

"Very well, Miss Feng. Just learn to respect others from now on. I am not the kind of person to press an advantage relentlessly, and Liu Yuting certainly isn't either. Now, we must immediately go and deal with that troublesome matter. Let's set off!"

Feng Ling'er immediately wiped away her tears and said with a smile,

"Great, great, great! I will surely do my utmost to assist Sister Liu from now on."

Zhang Desen quickly responded,

"Good!"

Yet as soon as he spoke, Zhang Desen had a lingering sensation that something was not quite right. However, since there were still too many pressing matters in reality that demanded resolution, he simply brushed the thought aside.

At that moment, Zhang Desen turned to glance at the others. He had a vague feeling that, apart from the special operations soldiers, there was a strange, inexplicable look in everyone else's eyes, but he couldn't be bothered to care.

Just as Zhang Desen was about to leave the restaurant and walk toward the Liu family merchant guild's cargo storage depot outside the city, Wang Jia suddenly stepped forward and said to him,

"Lord Zhang, might you take me along as well? I also wish to contribute my effort to this cause."

Zhang Desen replied,

"The enemy we currently face cannot be dealt with using swordsmanship alone. Just moments ago, I received some information—you need not ask how I obtained it. The prime suspects in these missing persons cases are likely descending upon us even as we speak. You cannot comprehend their abilities at present, and if you confront them, you will only be captured. Should they leave anything behind within you, then even if we manage to rescue you, we may have no way to purge that influence. Therefore..."

Wang Jia hurriedly interrupted,

"Could it be that Lord Zhang already knows who the masterminds are? I have lived in this city for so long, yet I have never been able to discern anyone acting suspiciously, not even the Sun family has ever engaged in such deeds!"

Zhang Desen continued,

"Previously, I only had suspicions and conjectures, but after seeing that information just now, I am eighty percent certain. Since you have lived in this city for a long time, I would like to ask you: is there an estate in this city that covers an extremely vast area, yet contains a large, empty courtyard within its grounds? Furthermore, the people living inside that estate rarely interact with outsiders, including their immediate neighbors."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jia replied,

"There is indeed one estate that matches that description, but no one lives inside it. People all say it is a haunted house."

Zhang Desen was taken aback and asked,

"A haunted house?"

Wang Jia immediately answered,

"Yes..."

As it turned out, the estate Wang Jia referred to had originally belonged to a wealthy and prominent family, but that family had subsequently fallen on hard times. Consequently, they sold the estate and moved elsewhere to make a living.

The mysterious new master who purchased the property practically had no contact with anyone outside, not even his next-door neighbors. Not a single soul knew what he looked like. As for the former owners of the estate, who interacted with him the most, they had already relocated to distant regions, making it impossible for anyone else to learn about this enigmatic buyer.

For about a year following the purchase, everything remained normal. However, at night, mysterious lights frequently emanated from the estate. Moreover, strange luminous objects constantly appeared in the sky overhead and kept descending directly into the grounds of that residence. As time passed, these falling flying objects grew increasingly massive, leaving the surrounding residents in a state of nervous apprehension.

One year later, the missing persons cases began. Naturally, some people grew suspicious that something was wrong with the estate. People continually attempted to go inside to investigate, whether by day or by night. Strangely enough, the estate didn't even have a gatekeeper; anyone who wished to enter only had to push open the door and step inside.

Yet, regardless of whether it was day or night, anyone who crossed the threshold of that estate never emerged from it again. Gradually, the surrounding folk began to spread rumors that it was a haunted house, and everyone avoided it like the plague.

Naturally, the local authorities had also hired highly skilled Taoist priests to enter the estate and purge the demons. But without exception, every single one of them went and never returned.

Eventually, the government designated the estate as a restricted zone, prohibiting anyone from approaching it. As for the nearby neighbors, those who could move away had already done so.

As for the mysterious, recurring night-time disappearances, the authorities had also dispatched numerous renowned constables to investigate. These constables had personally ventured out at night to apprehend the culprits, only to mysteriously vanish on the very nights they went out, never to be seen by anyone again.

Then, Wang Jia stated,

"Lord Zhang, every word I have spoken is the absolute truth, without a single falsehood or fabrication. I am willing to swear upon the heavens. Furthermore, I have long desired to bring the masterminds to justice, but the Sun family refused to meddle in this affair out of fear of courting trouble, and even scolded me for borrowing trouble where none existed. Thus, I was never able to fulfill my wish."

At this point, Wang Jia cast a severe and stern glance at the mute guard standing nearby and said,

"Especially since the Sun family sent this mute guard to keep watch on me, fearing I would bring trouble upon them. I wonder how he feels now, seeing the Sun family abandon him here? He has committed countless murders for the Sun family and is profoundly guilty. He carried out all the dirty work I refused to do, yet he wouldn't let me investigate the haunted house. Now that Lord Zhang is willing..."

Zhang Desen interrupted Wang Jia and asked,

"Are you certain he is guilty of heinous crimes?"

Wang Jia answered,

"Since I have already severed ties with the Sun family, I no longer have any reservations. I am willing to stake my life on everything I have just said."

Zhang Desen immediately declared,

"Then now is the perfect opportunity to give him a chance to redeem himself through meritorious service."

With that, Zhang Desen instantly drew out his communicator and broadcasted the order:

"Craters Station, activate radar! A mysterious unidentified flying object has just entered Earth's atmosphere. Based on its trajectory calculations, its destination is likely Hezhou City. Considering that they are probably about to pass through the plasma blackout zone right now, immediately monitor their course!"

A voice instantly replied from the communicator:

"Understood!!!"