Chapter 115 Using a Demon to Investigate

Chen Mu knew that nothing could be asked today. Xu Changze was clearly being deliberately difficult, and besides a few courtesans in the hall, there was nothing suspicious. Forcibly taking action would only give others a handle against them.

He glanced at Qi Huan, slowly took a step back, cupped his hands, and replied.

"In that case, this subordinate will take his leave."

After saying this, he turned and left. Although Qi Huan was unwilling, he had no choice but to follow.

The three of them exited the main room, crossed the courtyard, and walked out of the gate.

The guards saw them come out and were confused, but these three were not people he could question casually. He could only let them pass and watch them leave.

After walking quite a distance and turning into a quiet alley, Qi Huan couldn't help but spit.

"Bah! What 'inspecting the people's livelihood'? It's clearly just indulging in debauchery."

Liu Ziming also shook his head.

"Although Xu Changze is usually lecherous, he has never been this absurd. Closing the gates in broad daylight and even dismissing the servants... I always feel like something is wrong."

Chen Mu frowned tightly, saying nothing.

Liu Ziming wiped away cold sweat again, turned to Chen Mu, still feeling fearful.

"Chen Mu, you were too reckless just now. If Xu Changze had really turned hostile..."

"But he didn't turn hostile."

Chen Mu interrupted him sharply, his eyes deep.

"To be offended like that and only tell us to get lost is truly not in line with Xu Changze's style of doing things."

Qi Huan also frowned secretly.

"I also feel something is wrong. He was seriously injured at the Peony Pavilion yesterday, yet today he is acting so dissolute? And just now when pushing the door, I clearly smelled a trace of blood."

Chen Mu nodded and recalled, "I smelled it too. It was very faint, but it was definitely there, and..."

He paused, not continuing.

Qi Huan clearly associated it with something as well. Covering his chest, his expression became even uglier.

"So we're just leaving like this? That old dog Xu Changze is clearly up to something inside. That smell and the activity of those women... something is wrong, something is very wrong!"

A fire of anger smoldered in his chest, stemming from the indignation of being humiliated last night, and even more so from the powerlessness of seeing Xu Changze go unpunished—perhaps even committing crimes right now—while being unable to stop him.

At that moment, his blood boiled, and he wished he could turn around and kill him immediately.

Chen Mu did not stop walking, scanning the few early risers on the street, his voice extremely low.

"Not leave? Are we supposed to rush in and hack Xu Changze to death in front of the four yamen runners outside and the guards hidden in who knows which corner?"

Qi Huan was immediately choked for words.

"Are we just going to let him..."

Chen Mu finally stopped and turned back, his eyes fixed directly on Qi Huan.

"Chief Qi, Xu Changze is the Yunmeng County Magistrate, a seventh-rank official of the imperial court. Last night at the Peony Pavilion, we could still claim it was an accidental conflict or that he plotted to harm others first."

"Today, in broad daylight and under the eyes of the public, the three of us—one Prefecture Banner Officer and two Demon Suppression Division Squad Leaders—without any evidence, force our way into the County Magistrate's temporary residence and behead him."

"What kind of crime is that?"

Qi Huan opened his mouth, his expression shifting. As a Prefecture Banner Officer, he naturally knew what crime that was.

Treason, contempt for imperial law, and unauthorized killing of an imperial official—any one of these would be enough to cost him his head and even implicate his Family.

Regarding the Peony Pavilion incident last night, Xu Changze would certainly try his best to cover it up and make a counter-accusation. If they were to forcibly kill an official today, it would be handing him a handle, leaving no room for recourse.

The people behind Xu Changze would never let such an opportunity pass.

Qi Huan's chest heaved violently a few times, and finally, he slammed his fist hard against the earthen wall nearby.

How could he not understand this logic? It was just that this bitter resentment was truly hard to swallow.

"Then what do we do now? Just watch?"

Chen Mu lowered his head and pondered for a moment, looking at the increasingly desolate streets of Qinglin Town.

"Since Xu Changze came here under the pretext of investigating the fox demon's mischief and searching for demonic threats, and is so eager to recover from his injuries..."

"Then we shall use his own excuse to stay and investigate the fox demon."

Qi Huan and Liu Ziming looked at him simultaneously. Qi Huan was clearly thinking about the god-slaying pact with Jiang Xiong.

"Chen Mu, do you want to cause complications at a time like this?"

Chen Mu nodded, his eyes cold and dark.

"It's not causing complications, but using this opportunity to figure out his background, the oddities of this Qinglin Town, and the distribution of the forces around him. Most importantly..."

"Find an opportunity to get that official seal."

Qi Huan's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"That seal..."

"Is the key. To kill him, it absolutely cannot be done openly, nor can we give others a handle. His greatest reliance is nothing more than that County Magistrate status and that fifth-rank official seal of unknown origin."

Liu Ziming's eyelids twitched slightly.

"A fifth-rank official seal? How could a seventh-rank Yunmeng County Magistrate have a fifth-rank official's seal? This thing cannot be forged casually. Behind him... there is likely a big figure standing."

Chen Mu shook his head.

"I don't know, but seizing that seal is equivalent to pulling out his teeth. Without the official seal to mobilize Luck, his strength will be reduced by at least half. When that time comes, killing him will be easy."

Listening to this, Liu Ziming gasped.

"Seize... seize the official seal? If this is discovered..."

Chen Mu gave him a reassuring look, indicating he should stay calm.

"That's why we need an opportunity, we need a plan."

"And not right now, we will start by investigating the fox demon. Since Xu Changze is using this as a cover, perhaps there really is something unclean here, or it may have been related to him from the start."

Qi Huan finally calmed down slowly and nodded.

"That makes sense."

The three agreed and no longer walked toward the outskirts of the town, but instead turned toward the busier streets and alleys within the town.

By this time, the sky was bright, and pedestrians on the street were gradually increasing, but most walked in a hurry, with lingering terror on their faces. Their conversations with each other were also lowered in volume, and they glanced around from time to time.

Chen Mu stopped an old woman carrying a vegetable basket and asked kindly,

"Elder, we are from the Prefecture and County Demon Suppression Division. We heard that the town has not been peaceful recently. There is a fox demon causing trouble. Have you heard or seen anything unusual?"

The old woman was startled at first, but after seeing their official uniforms, and seeing that although they looked disheveled, their official authority remained, she felt a little relieved. She patted her chest and lowered her voice.

"Oh my, Officers, you've finally arrived. This town is not peaceful!"

She looked left and right, leaned in closer, her face showing faint signs of terror.

"Let me tell you, this matter is evil! It started... it started seven or eight days ago."

"First, there was Widow Wang at the west end of town. She got up in the middle of the night and saw something wearing human clothes, standing by the well with its back to her, not knowing what it was doing. Widow Wang called out, and when that thing turned its head... Oh, my mother!"

As she spoke, she shivered.

"Widow Wang said that thing had a human face, clean and fair, like a handsome young man, but its eyes... its eyes were green! It stared straight at people and smiled, with something bloody dangling from its mouth, like a heart or liver!"

An old man nearby who loved gossip also came over.

"Indeed! My son got drunk a few nights ago and came back late. He said he saw a girl in a red dress under the old locust tree in the town, sitting there combing her hair and singing a little tune. It sounded so beautiful."

"But he was dazed and wanted to walk closer to take a look. As a result, when that woman turned her head, her face was smooth! No facial features, just a sheet of white skin! He was so scared that he sobered up instantly, and he went home and fell ill for several days!"