Chapter 11 The difference between people is greater than that between dogs.

The look of malice in Head Constable Wang's eyes grew more intense, and his voice was shrill, like that of a ghost.

"How long has it been since you received the 'Taibao Horizontal Training' issued by our Demon Suppression Division? You, a newcomer, have already cultivated it to the Perfection Realm?"

"Heh, Chen Mu, I'm afraid you must have learned it in private years ago, didn't you!?"

"According to the imperial laws of our Great Zhou Dynasty, cultivating the Demon Suppression Division's Cultivation Technique without permission is a capital crime!"

Decades ago, it was not that the Great Zhou Dynasty's Demon Suppression Division had never had a Cultivation Technique leaked; some who learned the techniques even fled to small border countries to live in seclusion.

But the Demon Suppression Division had no intention of letting them go, directly dispatching hundreds of experts to completely eradicate them.

Upon receiving the news, that person, in order to survive, even spread the Demon Suppression Division's Cultivation Technique throughout the entire small border country, thinking that the law would not punish the masses.

Once the news broke, all the major dynasties assumed that this matter of the leaked Cultivation Technique would likely be downplayed and eventually dismissed.

But unexpectedly, the very next day, Great Zhou dispatched the State Preceptor to personally lead an expedition against the small country, slaughtering 300,000 people in a single day. From then on, the small border country met its end with its nation destroyed and its people wiped out!

Since then, whether in the Jianghu or among the common people, no one has ever dared to covet or secretly learn any of the Demon Suppression Division's Cultivation Techniques!

After Head Constable Wang finished speaking, he stared at Chen Mu with an incomparably cold gaze, as if looking at a corpse.

At the same time, he glanced at his subordinates on both sides, giving them a hint.

Several subordinates immediately reacted, their bodies erupting with waves of Killing Intent.

However, Chen Mu spoke indifferently, "Are you done?"

His understated attitude left Head Constable Wang and the others feeling somewhat baffled.

Chen Mu took a step forward unhurriedly, his Killing Intent fully revealed, while the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, "If you're done, then go die!"

Since the other party had already directed Killing Intent toward him, there was no need for him to forbear any longer.

Chen Mu raised his hand and drew his sword.

The sword left its sheath, a flash of silver light cut through the air, and a chill instantly appeared! "Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique"!

Head Constable Wang was startled and instinctively drew his sword to block. With a "crack" sound, the longsword forged from refined steel was suddenly as fragile as rotten wood, snapping upon impact.

Yet that silver light did not stop in the slightest, heading straight for his throat!

"Spare me! Master Chen, please spare me!"

Head Constable Wang could no longer maintain his usual dignity. Terrified to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, his legs went weak, and he immediately knelt, kowtowing like a pestle hitting garlic with "thud, thud, thud" sounds.

The sword stopped half an inch from his throat, but not because Chen Mu had a soft heart.

A figure in a bright red official uniform appeared silently between the two, hands like shears, clamping onto Chen Mu's sword, preventing him from thrusting it even a fraction further.

Chen Mu focused his gaze. The newcomer had a face like a dark red date, a few wisps of long beard floating in front of his chest, and his eyes looked at him sharply. It was none other than the Yunmeng County Magistrate, Xu Changze!

"Sheathe your sword. Do you intend to kill a colleague within the Demon Suppression Division?"

Xu Changze was imposing without being angry; his voice was deep and steady, carrying a faint pressure like Mount Tai crushing down. He had already reached the Late Stage of the Dao Entry Realm.

Chen Mu's wrist felt slightly numb; he withdrew his stance and pulled back his sword, his expression unchanged.

Head Constable Wang, who had felt a chill on his neck and was scared almost to the point of fainting, realized his head was still attached, so he scrambled to hide behind the County Magistrate, wailing pitifully.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, save me! This Chen Mu is defying his superiors and dared to commit violence in public here at the Demon Suppression Division! You must uphold justice for me!"

Xu Changze's gaze swept across the hall, passed over the limp Liu Ziming on the ground, and finally rested on Chen Mu, who stood holding his sword.

"Chen Mu, what do you have to say for yourself!"

The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable official authority.

Chen Mu's Killing Intent gradually subsided, yet he remained neither humble nor pushy, reaching out to point directly at Head Constable Wang behind Xu Changze.

"Head Constable Wang failed to extort a bribe, so he deliberately beat a colleague, causing serious injury. The person is still lying right there!"

Chen Mu looked at the deliberately ignored Liu Ziming, enunciating each word clearly. "Our Dynasty has always had clear laws: beating a subordinate without cause warrants exile of three thousand li."

"I took action, firstly to uphold the majesty of the law, and secondly to protect the clarity of justice."

"Bullshit!"

Head Constable Wang, as if his tail had been stepped on, relied on his brother-in-law, the County Magistrate, being present and spoke arrogantly, "Brother-in-law! I didn't beat Liu Ziming at all! He fell by accident! Don't you dare splash dirty water on me!"

Xu Changze snorted coldly, looked at the curled-up Liu Ziming on the ground, and hummed, "Liu Ziming, did Head Constable Wang beat you?"

Several gazes converged on the figure on the ground. Liu Ziming's whole body trembled, his lips quivered, and he struggled to crawl up. As soon as he looked up, he met Head Constable Wang's threatening gaze, and instantly, as if struck by lightning, he knocked his head against the ground.

"No... no, he didn't..." "It was... it was this humble one who fell by accident."

Although the voice was small, it was clearly audible. The corners of Chen Mu's mouth curled up slightly, a profound sadness in his heart. This world is truly sickeningly morbid!

"Well?" Xu Changze smiled slightly, looking back at Chen Mu with a mocking tone. "How else do you want to quibble?"

"Quibble?" Chen Mu met his gaze and smiled faintly. "It is nothing more than using power to oppress others. The Magistrate has eyes but chooses not to use them, and has ears but chooses to listen only to one side. What can I do about that?"

"Arrogant brat!"

Xu Changze's face sank. He waved his long sleeve, pointing directly at Chen Mu, and shouted sternly, "Even if the matter of him beating a subordinate were true, it would not be a capital offense! You used such a vicious sword technique; it is clearly an attempt to commit murder!"

"I was merely acting in self-defense, forced by the situation. Besides, isn't he still alive?"

Chen Mu did not yield an inch, answering calmly.

Seeing this, Head Constable Wang hurriedly grabbed Xu Changze's sleeve and wailed endlessly, "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law! You saw it, right? Even with you here, he is this arrogant; who knows how rampant he is behind your back! You must punish him severely to serve as a warning to others!"

Xu Changze raised his hand slightly, stopping his wailing, his gaze like a sword, piercing straight at Chen Mu.

"Fine, let us set this matter aside for now. I will ask you, you cultivated the Demon Suppression Division's Cultivation Technique 'Taibao Horizontal Training' to Perfection on your first day of reporting for duty. How do you explain that?"

"This technique is a secret of the Demon Suppression Division that is not passed on to outsiders. If you hadn't stolen it beforehand, it would be impossible to reach such a level! According to the law, you should be executed!"

Chen Mu's lips curled up slightly, and he slowly shook his head, his tone firm. "I had never glimpsed this Cultivation Technique before. This level is merely the result of these past few days of cultivation."

"The result of a few days?!" Xu Changze laughed out of extreme anger, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child? To believe your ghost stories? Or do you take all the colleagues in this Division for fools and idiots!"

Xu Changze looked around at the few Demon Suppression Division members who had followed him, his voice cold. "You have all cultivated 'Taibao Horizontal Training'. Tell me, how long did it take you to barely reach the entry level?"

The members who were swept by his gaze all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes, but forced by the pressure, they had to answer.

"Reporting to the Magistrate, this subordinate is dull-witted and used three years and eight months." "This subordinate also used two years..." "Among us, Brother Zhang has the best Aptitude, but even he used a year and a half."

Voices rose and fell. Although the time taken varied, they all pointed to one fact. 'Taibao Horizontal Training' is extremely difficult just to enter, let alone to Cultivate to Perfection; it is definitely not a task of a single day.

Xu Changze nodded and looked at Chen Mu again, his tone mocking. "What else do you have to say? Even if you had excellent Aptitude, you would never have such an achievement. Confess the truth immediately!"

Chen Mu met everyone's questioning gazes, his back straightening even more. "The gap between people is even greater than that between humans and dogs. To me, this Cultivation Technique is merely a day's work; why make such a fuss?"