Chapter 125 The Mysterious Empty Building

Qinglin Town, Post House.

Qi Huan leaned against the bed, his face pale with anger. He stared at Chen Mu, who was sitting opposite him, eyes closed and regulating his breathing. Thinking of everything that had just happened, he couldn't hold back his indignation and cursed in a muffled voice.

"Liu Ziming, that brat—you saw his face today. A fence-sitter, swaying with the wind."

"Xu Changze gave him a few kind words and a few taels of silver, and he forgot his own name! It was a waste of your trust in him back then."

After a long while, Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes, but only looked out the window.

"He did not betray us."

"What? Chen Mu, you still trust him!"

Chen Mu shook his head, his tone flat.

"If he had truly betrayed us, he wouldn't have deliberately avoided my gaze when dispersing the commoners today."

"He is acting. Acting for Xu Changze, for those yamen runners, and for the townspeople. He is afraid, so he has no choice but to act."

Qi Huan was stunned; he really hadn't thought in that direction. After pondering for a moment, he frowned.

"You mean... his words were intentionally said for Xu Changze to hear?"

Chen Mu nodded and stood up, walking to the window.

"Xu Changze promoted him in public and slipped him money in private, just so everyone would see that he was wooing Liu Ziming."

"If Liu Ziming didn't take the money and show his loyalty on the spot, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow. Only by accepting and acting can he continue to stand in that position and... have an opportunity."

"What opportunity?"

Chen Mu didn't answer, just watched the window quietly.

About an hour later, a very light knocking sound came from the back window of the post house: three long knocks and two short ones.

Chen Mu signaled for Qi Huan to open the window. A figure slid in, stumbling upon landing and pulling at a leg injury, causing him to gasp in pain instantly.

It was Liu Ziming.

He was still wearing his Squad Leader uniform, but the obsequiousness and arrogance on his face had long since vanished, leaving only exhaustion.

"Chen Mu, Chief Qi, Xu Changze just called me to his private residence."

Liu Ziming lowered his voice.

Qi Huan looked at him for a long time, then snorted coldly and turned his face away.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Liu Ziming's face, and he cut straight to the point.

"He called me to his private residence and tried to win me over, telling me to keep a close watch on you two."

"He also said that for the human skin case in the back alley, he wants to pin it all on the fox demon and force you to investigate. If you can't find anything or if something goes wrong, it will be your crime."

Qi Huan snorted coldly.

"Same old trick."

Chen Mu nodded, not surprised, and asked.

"And how did you respond?"

Liu Ziming held his forehead, revealing a hint of exhaustion.

"How could I respond? I played the fool, of course."

"I swore oaths of loyalty, saying I would definitely see the situation clearly, follow Lord Xu, and never get tangled up with you again."

"And there is... something even more critical."

Liu Ziming took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

"Perhaps to show his trust in me, he put away the official seal right in front of me."

"The official seal?!" Qi Huan looked up abruptly, and a flash of surprise also crossed Chen Mu's eyes.

"In the two-story building from yesterday, inside the curio cabinet, on the third row from the top, behind the seventh grid from the left, there is a Qilin mechanism. Rotating it left and right opens the secret compartment behind it. The official seal is in that secret compartment."

He described it in extreme detail, clearly having memorized it on purpose.

Confusion deepened between Chen Mu's brows.

Xu Changze's action seemed careless but was actually deeply calculated. Revealing the location of such an important item to a subordinate he was trying to recruit but didn't fully trust was a test in itself, and even more so, a bait.

He was gambling on whether Liu Ziming would reveal this information to him and Qi Huan.

If revealed, he might go to steal the seal, at which point Xu Changze could use the pretext of guarding the official seal to set a trap and kill them on the spot.

Or, the official seal itself might be a larger trap.

"Do you think he is really so badly injured that he must store the official seal away and is unable to carry it with him, or is it a trap he set on purpose?"

Qi Huan looked at Chen Mu, having clearly thought of this layer as well.

Chen Mu turned around.

"Both are possible, but regardless, this is an opportunity."

"Without the official seal in hand, his threat is reduced by at least seventy percent. Even if it is a trap, we must step into it to see."

Liu Ziming's voice was a bit tight.

"Do you really intend to steal it? The place must be heavily guarded, and Xu Changze surely has a backup plan."

Qi Huan gritted his teeth.

"No matter how tight the security is, it's better than him carrying it with him. As long as that seal is not on him, we have a chance."

"Strike while he is sick!"

Chen Mu also nodded and looked back at Liu Ziming.

"Your information is very useful. You still need to continue pretending with Xu Changze and protect yourself."

"Also, if you stay out too long, it will arouse suspicion. Go back immediately and stand guard as usual. If Xu Changze asks, just say you came to warn us to behave ourselves while on patrol."

Hearing this, Liu Ziming felt a slight ache in his nose. He nodded vigorously, said nothing more, and flipped back out through the back window.

The room fell silent again.

Qi Huan rubbed his hands, excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Finally going to make a move on this old dog. Once we seize his seal, let's see what he has left to be arrogant about!"

Chen Mu remained calm.

"Stealing the seal is the top priority. Unless absolutely necessary, do not have a direct confrontation with Xu Changze."

"That goes without saying, but if we happen to run into that old dog alone..."

Chen Mu glanced at him.

"If there is a ten-out-of-ten chance of success, naturally, leave no survivors."

Qi Huan grinned viciously: "I was just waiting for those words from you."

Midnight was approaching, and Qinglin Town was deathly silent.

The days of demon troubles and murder cases had caused the commoners to bolt their doors early. The streets were deserted and exceptionally desolate.

Two black shadows swept out of the post house one after the other; they were Chen Mu and Qi Huan.

Chen Mu adjusted his state to the best, his Divine Void Step operating harmoniously, his aura almost completely concealed.

Although Qi Huan had not fully recovered from his injuries, he had taken a Medicinal Pill to forcibly suppress the pain, his eyes sharp as a hawk.

The two moved rapidly only in the shadows of the houses, avoiding the patrol routes of the yamen runners, and before long arrived outside Xu Changze's private residence.

Looking from afar, the gate of the residence was tightly closed, with big red lanterns hanging in front, swaying in the night wind. Four gate guards were dozing off, appearing somewhat careless.

Chen Mu gestured, and the two circled to the side wall of the residence. Although the wall was higher here, inside the wall was a dense thicket of bamboo, which could just block the view.

Chen Mu pushed his perception to the limit, vaguely detecting three different auras lurking in different corners inside the wall. They were all trained fighters and were the hidden sentries set up by Xu Changze.

He gestured three positions to Qi Huan, and Qi Huan nodded in understanding.

The next moment, Chen Mu's figure flickered slightly, and he had already crossed the high wall silently.

However, almost at the same time he landed, three small pebbles were shot precisely from different directions, heading straight for the shadows where the three hidden sentries were located.

"Puff, puff, puff!"

Three muffled sounds, and then there was no more movement.

Qi Huan followed closely by vaulting over the wall. The two cooperated tacitly and instantly eliminated the outer hidden sentries.

The two used the cover of the rockery to approach the main building silently. According to Liu Ziming's instructions, they easily found the corresponding location.

They saw that the doors and windows inside were closed tight, and there was no light.

Chen Mu held his breath and focused, probing the room.

There was no sound of breathing upstairs; Xu Changze was actually not in the building.