Chapter 121 A Great Humiliation

Liu Ziming's words caused both their hearts to sink simultaneously.

The blood at Yiqing Courtyard had not yet dried, and the fate of Clerk Hu and his party remained unknown; now, there were even more deaths and disappearances.

This Qinglin Town had clearly become a den of monsters that devoured people without spitting out the bones.

Chen Mu's gaze turned cold in an instant.

"Near Xu Changze's private residence?"

Liu Ziming nodded urgently.

"It's not just there. Reports have come in from the east and west sides of town that family members went out last night and haven't returned. It's already spread throughout the town that the Fox Demon is going to begin a massacre, and the people are in a panic."

"Lord Xu has already taken men to the private residence and told me to get you there immediately."

Chen Mu made a prompt decision and turned to head rapidly toward Xu Changze's private residence. Qi Huan followed closely behind, and Liu Ziming dragged his injured leg, limping to keep up as best he could.

The closer they got to the private residence, the more palpable the strange sensation in the air became.

It was not the heavy scent of blood, but a restless agitation mixed with panic and oppression.

Logically, after such an event, the common people should have been panicked, with doors and windows tightly shut. Yet, at this moment, they were poking their heads out and whispering to one another at their own doorsteps, their gazes toward the three men filled with a strange scrutiny.

When they arrived near the private residence, the scene was already packed, surrounded by layer upon layer of people.

There were yamen runners, local militia, and even more commoners who had rushed over to watch the spectacle or look for missing relatives, the noise of the crowd rising in a din.

Xu Changze stood in the center of the crowd, dressed in his grand red official robes with a solemn expression, giving orders to several yamen runners. Seeing the three men arrive, he turned around, his face wearing an exceptionally grave expression.

"Chief Chen, Officer Qi, you have arrived just in time."

Xu Changze stepped forward, deliberately raising his voice so the surrounding commoners could hear clearly.

"The situation is urgent, so I will keep this brief. From last night until now, several homicide cases have occurred in succession in Qinglin Town."

"The tragedy at Yiqing Courtyard has yet to be solved, and now several corpses have been discovered near the private residence. Many more people in town have gone missing, and the people are in fear; the demon threat has become an urgent crisis."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding commoners to observe their panicked expressions, then turned to Chen Mu.

"Chief Chen, you are exceptionally brave and martial. You once fought the Ghost King alone in Yunmeng, saving the common people from fire and water; you are truly a hero of our Yunmeng."

"Now that the demon disaster is raging in Qinglin Town, it cannot be quelled by anyone lacking great ability. After much deliberation, I have decided this task belongs to you."

His words were spoken with high-sounding righteousness; upon hearing this, the surrounding commoners cast hopeful gazes toward Chen Mu.

Xu Changze stepped forward, nearly grabbing Chen Mu's hand to strike while the iron was hot.

"I know you have been traveling for days and have rendered meritorious service, but the safety of the people is as heavy as Mount Tai, and the laws of the imperial court cannot be desecrated. Now that the demon is rampant, if we do not slay it as soon as possible, I fear more innocent people will suffer."

"Chief Chen, in my capacity as the Yunmeng County Magistrate, I entrust you with full authority over the demon infestation case in Qinglin Town. You must investigate the truth, slay the demon, and restore peace and joy to the people as soon as possible."

These high-sounding titles were heaped upon him, elevating Chen Mu to the status of a savior.

On the surface, it was trust and a grave responsibility placed upon Chen Mu, but in reality, under the eyes of the public, it was forcing all the pressure and expectations onto his shoulders.

If he succeeded, it was his duty. If he failed, it meant he had betrayed their high expectations and was incompetent, bringing harm to the people.

Qi Huan stood to the side, his brows furrowed tightly as he listened. Xu Changze's posturing was clearly like a weasel paying respects to a chicken.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding commoners uniformly looked toward Chen Mu, their eyes filled with expectation and awe.

"Hero Chen!"

"Is that the Hero Chen who slew the Ghost King at such a young age?"

"Lord Xu is wise! With Hero Chen here, he will surely get rid of that monster!"

A chorus of agreement gradually arose from the crowd.

Chen Mu remained expressionless and merely bowed slightly.

"This subordinate accepts the order."

Just then, a middle-aged man in the crowd, dressed as a merchant with a sharp, monkey-like face, suddenly let out an "Eh?" and pointed at Chen Mu, his face contorting into an exaggerated expression as he let out a sharp, grating cry.

"Hey? Is this... is this Hero Chen the same Chief Chen who was auctioned off in public at the Peony Pavilion last night?"

This voice instantly extinguished the enthusiasm that had just ignited among the commoners. The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder discussion.

"Peony Pavilion? What place is that? Auctioned?"

"The Peony Pavilion is that... that male brothel."

"What does that mean? Hero Chen was auctioned off?"

Seeing that he had attracted everyone's attention, the man became even more excited, spouting off with spit flying.

"I was drinking at the Peony Pavilion yesterday, and I saw it with my own eyes—this Hero Chen and that Officer Qi."

He raised a hand and pointed at Qi Huan.

"It is said that the two of them were fighting over someone at the Peony Pavilion, causing a scene, and were finally seized on the spot by the manager of the Peony Pavilion and auctioned off in public! In the end, Chief Chen was bought by a distinguished guest for the high price of six hundred taels to spend the night!"

As he spoke, he clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"I was puzzled at the time. Aren't these two officials from our Demon Suppression Division? How did they end up in a place like the Peony Pavilion? And to be auctioned off like goods... tsk tsk, it was truly an eye-opener."

Now, the crowd completely exploded into an uproar. Shock, disdain, curiosity, schadenfreude... all kinds of gazes pierced toward Chen Mu and Qi Huan, and the previously hopeful eyes were quickly replaced by suspicion and contempt.

"Six hundred taels, good heavens..."

"No wonder Lord Xu said they were heroes; this is a truly unique way to be a hero."

"How shameful! They have disgraced the face of the imperial court!"

"No wonder Lord Xu had them rest at the relay station this morning; so that's what it was all about..."

Chen Mu's expression remained normal; he did not even lift an eyelid, as if he were completely indifferent to these discussions.

Since Xu Changze dared to orchestrate the Peony Pavilion incident, he naturally left himself a backup plan. This commoner who happened to recognize him was almost certainly a pawn he had arranged in advance.

He had never cared about empty fame or public perception. In troubled times, survival and becoming stronger were the fundamentals; the slander of others was merely background noise.

But Qi Huan did not have that level of composure.

He was already seething with rage because of last night's events, and now, seeing Xu Changze not only twisting the truth but also arranging for someone to expose their shortcomings in public, attempting to destroy the reputations of himself and Chen Mu.

Old grudges and new hatreds surged into his heart together, and his face instantly turned ashen, his chest heaving violently.

Especially when more comments about him drifted from the crowd, making his blood boil even more.

"Didn't they say two people were auctioned off last night? How much did the other one go for?"

"Oh, you mean that Officer Qi? It seems... three hundred taels? I can't remember clearly, but it wasn't as high as this Hero Chen. Hero Chen went for six hundred taels."

"Tsk tsk, people really are different from one another..."

Qi Huan slammed his fist hard against the blue brick wall beside him, veins bulging on his forehead, glaring fixedly at the merchant, wishing he could tear him apart alive.

The price wasn't as high as Chen Mu's! Is that the damn point! The point is that they were set up, humiliated, and nearly ruined forever!

But he couldn't shout this out. The events of last night were unspeakable, and once he tried to defend himself in public, it would only make things worse, playing right into Xu Changze's hands.