Chapter 27: Being Ugly Actually Has Its Advantages

Besides the feather, the soul link established between the Spirit Taming Residual Seal and the Blue Pipit was also a form of connection, and an exceptionally strong one at that.

Where there is existence, traces remain.

Although the Blue Pipit had been killed and the link severed, from a supernatural perspective, deep traces still remained behind.

That, too, was an important connection.

The combined effect of the two connections actually allowed the Omniscient Eye to break through a certain limitation, producing a vision that was much clearer than before.

Cheng Han immediately saw the following scene:

On a lush evergreen tree, a small bird stood quietly on a slender branch.

Although leaves concealed most of its body, its pale blue feathers still revealed flashes of unusual color.

At that moment, the bird took a few steps.

Amid the sea of green, that touch of blue flickered.

Then something bizarre happened.

A large mass of ink-black shadow suddenly appeared on the ground beside the tree. A pitch-black vine shot forth like a bolt of lightning and pierced into the tree canopy.

Rustle!

The vine violently scraped against branches and leaves, producing a loud noise.

In the blink of an eye, the vine withdrew.

The place where the blue bird had been standing was completely empty.

Even that section of branch had vanished.

The shadow on the ground disappeared soundlessly.

Chirp! Chirp!

The sudden change frightened the surrounding birds, sending them scattering in all directions.

A moment later, the vision dissolved into nothingness.

A message appeared:

“Proficiency +4. Current proficiency: 114/1000. Spirit Value: 9.4/14.6.”

Cheng Han’s expression became grave.

“The Blue Pipit was at least ten meters from the house, yet Qin Zicheng could kill it from afar. His methods are even more frightening than I imagined.

“That strange shadow on the ground feels extremely similar to the Ghost Claw. It seems my guess was right. This is very likely another manifestation of an Evil God’s power.”

He turned to the black cat and said with relief,

“Sheriff, it’s a good thing you’re a pitch-black black cat.”

The black cat gave a puzzled meow.

“Meow?”

Cheng Han looked at the two surviving birds and commented,

“Being ugly actually has its advantages.”

As its name suggested, the Gray-Spotted Sparrow was covered in dull gray feathers and looked completely unremarkable. The White-Clawed Crow was equally black, with only its claws being white.

Their plain appearance had undoubtedly helped them escape disaster.

Cheng Han beckoned.

“Sheriff, I’m afraid I’ll need to trouble you again tonight.”

The black cat swished its tail.

“Meow.”

As a cat willing to take on responsibility, it did not mind hard work.

Besides, every time it worked for its owner, it got to enjoy a lavish meal afterward.

No losses there!

Thinking of this, it unconsciously glanced at the wooden bucket.

Cheng Han laughed.

“Once we’ve dealt with Qin Zicheng, I’ll make you a whole roasted rabbit. We’ll even roast it over fruitwood.”

Fruitwood carried a natural fragrance that gave roasted food a unique flavor.

The black cat licked its lips and meowed excitedly.

Roasted meat was its absolute favorite.

Cheng Han began explaining the task.

“Sheriff, go back to the area around Qin Zicheng’s house and take a walk around. Secretly collect some items from each household.

“It can be dirt from their yards, stems and leaves from flowers and plants, or anything else. Just bring back one sample from each place. They’ll be very useful to me.”

Though such items seemed insignificant, they carried traces of human presence and could serve as connections for deduction.

The vine emerging from the shadows only proved that Qin Zicheng was dangerous.

The abnormalities affecting ordinary civilians, however, would prove that he posed a major threat to society and would be enough to prompt the authorities to launch a thunderous crackdown.

In short, Qin Zicheng would never recover from this.

The black cat answered,

“Meow.”

Cheng Han emphasized,

“Remember, do not go within twenty meters of Qin Zicheng’s house… no, make that thirty meters.”

The black cat nodded seriously.

One of the birds had failed to return. It likely encountered something terrifying.

Naturally, it would stay far away from dangerous places.

Cheng Han opened the door.

“Go.”

The black cat darted out immediately.

Over the next four hours, the black cat made three round trips, exhausting itself in the process.

It couldn’t be helped.

There were at least thirty households around Qin Zicheng’s home, and Sheriff could not carry many items at once. It had to keep making trips back and forth.

Besides the things Cheng Han requested, the cat also brought back some rather strange objects.

For example, a palm-sized piece of red cloth.

Judging by its appearance, it seemed to be a woman’s undergarment.

Holding the cloth, Cheng Han sighed.

“Sheriff, don’t bring back things like this in the future. I don’t want people thinking I’m some kind of pervert.”

The black cat tilted its head.

“Meow?”

It did not understand.

It was only a piece of cloth. Why was its owner so resistant to it?

Whoosh!

Flames burst from Cheng Han’s hand.

The red cloth instantly turned to ashes, burning more than ten times faster than normal.

He was destroying the evidence.

The black cat swished its tail, feeling somewhat regretful.

In its opinion, the cloth had many uses.

It could wipe tables.

It could wash dishes.

Why burn it?

Using the collected items as connections, Cheng Han performed deduction after deduction.

Because his Spirit Value was limited and the task was enormous, he had no choice but to enter deep sleep using Rhythmic Breathing to recover before continuing.

After completing the tenth deduction, Cheng Han looked visibly alarmed.

“The situation is even worse than I imagined.”

A few examples:

In one household, a five-year-old child had spent the past half month hearing a strange voice repeatedly calling his name while he slept.

A married couple repeatedly experienced the same eerie dream, where a figure covered in black flames led them through a dark forest.

Another resident dreamed of walking alone across a black wasteland. Whenever he gazed into the distance, he could vaguely see a gigantic statue standing at the edge of the horizon.

These were not isolated cases.

They were widespread.

Confirmed.

Things like black flames and giant statues sounded abnormal no matter how one looked at them.

They were undoubtedly connected to an Evil God.

And they showed that Qin Zicheng was involved in something far bigger than expected.

Most intriguing of all, every affected family had chosen to remain silent.

Not a single exception.

After pondering for a while, Cheng Han arrived at the most likely explanation.

“There must be some kind of supernatural power planting psychological suggestions into these people’s minds.”

Checking his status, he saw that his proficiency had increased by twenty-four points, bringing the skill’s progress to 138/1000.

He immediately felt satisfied.

“All this hard work wasn’t for nothing.”

Three o’clock in the morning.

Cheng Han gave the black cat one final task.

“Sheriff, there are plenty of Night Owls in the city. Go catch a few for me. I need them for something important.”

Night Owls were flocking birds that preferred to be active at night.

He added,

“Remember to catch them from different flocks.”

The black cat meowed and obediently went off to work once more.

Before long, three more bird victims appeared in the house.

Using the Spirit Taming Residual Seal, Cheng Han brought them under control before releasing them.

Looking up at the night sky, he said,

“School starts again tomorrow. I don’t want to stay in the same school as Qin Zicheng any longer.

“The best solution is for him to disappear tonight.”

“Meow.”

The black cat voiced its agreement seriously.

Several miles away.

A Night Owl returned to its flock.

It cawed several times and took flight.

The other thirty-odd Night Owls seemed influenced by a mysterious force. They rose into the air together and followed closely behind it.

After flying for some distance, they merged with two other flocks, forming a massive gathering of more than a hundred birds.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The dense sound of beating wings echoed through the night sky.

As though heralding the arrival of a grand performance.

(End of Chapter)