The First Legendary Demonic Scholar

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: The New Mission

The following few days passed in almost complete monotony.

Every morning began before sunrise.

The loud clang of the estate’s bell echoed through the servant quarters, dragging everyone from their beds before the first rays of light reached the horizon. Shen Yuan would quietly finish his training before anyone else woke up, circulating his qi through his meridians while practicing the Bone Whisper Steps until his control improved a little more each day.

Once training ended, he resumed the life of an ordinary servant.

Sweeping courtyards.

Cleaning corridors.

Carrying water.

Preparing meals.

Hauling supplies across the massive estate.

Nothing exciting happened.

Bang Fo remained secluded within his residence, only leaving occasionally to meet guests or issue commands through his trusted subordinates. Shen Yuan never had another chance to approach him, nor did the old man pay even the slightest attention to the countless servants working throughout the manor.

To everyone else, life had returned to normal.

To Shen Yuan...

It felt almost too normal.

The old steward continued assigning work every day, while the other servants slowly became accustomed to Shen Yuan’s quiet personality. A few even tried talking to him during meals, though their conversations rarely lasted long before Shen Yuan excused himself to continue cultivating.

He wasn’t interested in making friends.

Not here.

Not in a place where anyone could disappear overnight without leaving a trace.

Especially after everything the system had shown him.

If there was one thing Shen Yuan had learned after arriving in this world, it was that peace rarely lasted.

It usually meant something was waiting just around the corner.

...

That prediction proved true five days later.

Before dawn had fully broken, a terrified scream shattered the quiet estate.

"Someone’s dead!"

The cry echoed throughout the servant quarters.

Every servant immediately rushed outside.

"What happened?"

"Who screamed?"

"Did someone get attacked?"

Within moments, dozens of servants crowded around one of the small wooden houses near the edge of the quarters.

Shen Yuan arrived among the crowd, his expression calm despite the nervous whispers surrounding him.

The smell reached him before he even entered.

Blood.

Fresh blood.

As the crowd slowly parted, the horrifying scene became visible.

One of the servants lay motionless against the wall inside his room.

His eyes remained wide open, frozen with terror.

His chest had been sliced cleanly open.

Where his heart should have been...

There was only an empty cavity.

His own heart rested carefully inside his lifeless hands, almost as if someone had deliberately arranged the corpse before leaving.

Several servants immediately turned pale.

One woman covered her mouth before vomiting outside the doorway.

Others stumbled backward, unable to look any longer.

"What monster did this..."

"No beast could have done something like this..."

"Someone murdered him..."

Panic spread through the crowd.

Nobody noticed Shen Yuan quietly examining the room.

There were no signs of a struggle.

The furniture remained untouched.

The bed wasn’t overturned.

Even the small wooden cup on the table still stood upright.

Whoever killed this servant...

Either possessed overwhelming strength...

Or the victim never had a chance to resist.

Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from outside.

"Move."

The single word carried enough authority that every servant instinctively stepped aside.

Bang Fo slowly walked toward the room with several guards following behind him.

The old man’s expression remained indifferent, as though he had merely been informed that a vase had broken.

His gaze briefly landed on the corpse.

Only briefly.

"So much noise over one dead servant."

His cold voice caused several servants to lower their heads.

Bang Fo lifted one hand.

A crimson flame suddenly burst from his palm.

Before anyone could react—

Whoosh!

The corpse was instantly engulfed.

Within only a few breaths, flesh, blood, clothing, and even the wooden floor beneath him were reduced to ash.

Nothing remained.

Not even a single bone.

Several servants gasped.

Some looked horrified.

Others quickly lowered their heads, not daring to reveal any emotion.

Bang Fo calmly dusted off his sleeve.

"Clean the room."

"If anyone continues spreading rumors..."

"I’ll assume they’re responsible."

Without another glance, he turned around and walked away.

The guards immediately followed behind him.

Silence filled the courtyard.

No one dared speak until Bang Fo completely disappeared.

"What..."

"That’s it?"

"He didn’t even investigate..."

"Keep your voice down!"

"You want to die?"

Fear replaced curiosity almost instantly.

The servants quickly dispersed, pretending they had seen nothing.

Only Shen Yuan remained standing where he was.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Something wasn’t right.

Bang Fo’s reaction...

It was far too calm.

Almost as though...

He had expected this to happen.

Just then—

A familiar mechanical sound echoed inside Shen Yuan’s mind.

〈Ding!〉

His pupils contracted.

A translucent blue panel unfolded before his eyes.

──────────────────

[Hidden Mission Triggered.]

[Investigate the Murder within Bang Fo Estate.]

[Find the Individual Responsible for the Servant’s Death.]

[Uncover the Hidden Secret of Bang Fo.]

[Mission Difficulty: Unknown.]

[Reward:]

[• Appraisal Skill.]

[• 50,000 Qi Strands.]

[Failure: None.]

──────────────────

Shen Yuan’s breathing slowed.

His eyes lingered on one particular reward.

Appraisal Skill.

Finally...

A useful ability.

In a cultivation world filled with hidden experts, mysterious treasures, disguised identities, and secret techniques, an Appraisal Skill was invaluable.

It could save his life countless times and help him find hidden treasures.

As for fifty thousand Qi Strands...

That was enough to make him break through the next great realm as far as he could guess.

His expression remained calm as he dismissed the notification.

"A hidden secret..." Shen Yuan looked toward the direction Bang Fo had disappeared. "So even the system believes there’s more to him."

He replayed the man’s actions inside his mind.

He did not even bother to investigate or look surprised. It was like another ant had been crushed in his courtyard.

He had simply erased the evidence.

Almost...

As if the corpse itself was something he didn’t want anyone examining.

That alone was suspicious.

’Could it be, he had done it. Why would he leave the body for others to find it? Was he sending a message?’ Shen Yuan slowly walked toward the burned room once everyone else had left.

The wooden floor had become black from the flames.

Most traces had vanished completely.

However...

He crouched near the center of the room.

"...Hmm."

There.

A tiny drop of dark red blood remained trapped inside a crack between two floorboards.

Bang Fo’s flames hadn’t reached it.

Shen Yuan stared at it for several seconds before standing once more.

His instincts told him this murder wasn’t random.

Someone had wanted the servant dead.

But who? That was the question.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Just as he was about to search more, a sharp voice snapped at Shen Yuan.