Chapter 50 Local Legends

After everyone had dispersed, only Xu Changze and Chen Mu remained in the main hall.

Xu Changze no longer wore a gloomy expression; instead, he wore a meaningful smile. He feigned composure, lifted his teacup to take a sip, and then spoke in a leisurely manner.

"Chen Mu, I will not forget your contribution regarding Sangye Village, and what I promised you will certainly be given. However..."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"Chen Mu, you must remember that the Demon Suppression Division is not a place for playing the individual hero. In some matters, you must learn to show restraint and bow your head when necessary."

"Do you understand the principle that the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind?"

This was no longer a hint; he was laying his words out in the open.

Xu Changze knew well that getting rid of Chen Mu would not be simple. Even if there were an opportunity in the future, it would have to wait until after the Special Envoy's inspection. For the time being, he still hoped Chen Mu would know when to advance or retreat and understand his place.

Chen Mu looked up to meet his gaze, remaining neither humble nor arrogant.

"I understand your words, sir. But I understand even more that in the practice of the Martial Dao, one should forge ahead with courage. If one bows their head to seek self-preservation whenever they encounter trouble, then this path of enlightenment is not worth walking."

Xu Changze's gaze turned cold for an instant before returning to calm, and he waved his hand.

"Very well. It is a good thing for young people to have spirit. You may go now. Cultivate diligently and do not disappoint my expectations."

Chen Mu bowed and took his leave, walking out of the hall while bearing the venomous gaze behind him.

Xu Changze's words just now seemed like advice, but were actually a warning, and the final "do not disappoint" was pregnant with hidden murderous intent.

He wondered what would happen if he truly "disappointed" him.

It was just that his time in this Demon Suppression Division was likely destined to be anything but peaceful.

By the time he left the county magistrate's office, it was already noon. Liu Ziming was waiting for him at the entrance, his eyes filled with concern as he looked at him.

"What happened? The superior didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

Chen Mu shook his head. "Nothing. Let's go, let's find a place to eat."

The two found a nearby restaurant, ordered a few dishes, and chatted while they ate.

As they were talking, a sudden commotion broke out at the neighboring table.

"Did you hear? The Xianggu that Squire Zhao married yesterday died!"

"That's not all! I just heard that the two brought in from Chunyue Pavilion this morning are also dead!"

"My god! Three dead in two days? I'm afraid the Zhao family has run into some evil spirit, hasn't it?"

"Who's to say? They say it's a demon or evil spirit at work—the wedding and the attempt to ward off bad luck didn't work, and instead, it invited something filthy!"

The chopsticks in Chen Mu's hand paused slightly, and he turned his head to look in the direction of those people.

Liu Ziming had clearly heard it too; his expression shifted repeatedly, sensing that the matter was suspicious, and he lowered his voice.

"Chen Mu, this... demons causing trouble in the city? That doesn't seem possible."

It indeed seemed unlikely.

Chen Mu did not show it on his face, but he was equally suspicious and alarmed in his heart.

As far as he knew, demonic disasters mostly occurred in the desolate wilderness outside the city or in remote mountain villages.

Although Yunmeng was not large, it was under imperial administration, and not only did it have sturdy city walls for protection, but it also had the Demon Suppression Division stationed there.

Most importantly, the Great Wu court was always extremely sensitive to demon infestations within cities. Once it was confirmed that a demon had appeared within a city, and the local Demon Suppression Division had not quickly exterminated it, the Prefecture would directly dispatch the Demon Suppression Army to purge it.

The Demon Suppression Army was the imperial elite, with strict discipline and excellent equipment, and they held immense authority, even being able to commandeer all military and political affairs.

It was precisely because of this that most demons knew to avoid cities, unwilling to easily provoke such thunderous methods.

Chen Mu stood up immediately, walked over to the man at the neighboring table who had been speaking, and pulled out his Demon Suppression Division token from his bosom.

"Brother, could you tell me in detail about the matter at Squire Zhao's house you were just talking about?"

When the man saw the token, he was stunned for a moment, then his expression changed, and he hurriedly stood up to bow, nearly overturning the table.

"So it's an officer from the Demon Suppression Division. I... I only heard it from others..."

Chen Mu looked straight into his eyes, allowing no room for any denial or evasion.

"Heard? Heard from whom? Do you know that deliberately spreading rumors causes public unrest? If you reveal the source today, that will be the end of it; if you cannot, you will come with us."

Chen Mu's words were like blades, determined to force out the source of the news.

The man was already so scared his legs had gone weak, nearly kneeling to kowtow, and he hurriedly said.

"Officer, spare me! I won't hide it from you, my cousin works at the Zhao estate. Recently, when he went to deliver hot water, he saw the Xianggu with his own eyes..."

The man shrank back at this point and swallowed before continuing.

"Sigh, it was tragic! The corpse wasn't even whole—missing arms and legs. If this isn't a demon at work, what could it be?"

"Missing arms and legs?" Chen Mu frowned deeply.

"Yes, my cousin said the corpse looked like it had been gnawed on by some wild beast, all bloody and mangled. Even the two girls from Chunyue Pavilion brought in this morning were the same; they died in similar ways, it was terrifying."

"So now, everyone in the Zhao family is panicked, saying there's a demon in the estate."

Liu Ziming, on the side, looked horrified and tugged at Chen Mu, hinting that this was definitely not an ordinary murder case.

Chen Mu nodded, gave Liu Ziming a look, and the two tacitly turned and walked out.

They hurriedly paid the bill, left the restaurant, and headed straight for the Zhao estate in the west of the city.

The Zhao family was a well-known wealthy household in Yunmeng, and their residence occupied a large area and was very imposing.

However, the main gate was tightly shut at this moment. Although it was broad daylight, the red lanterns at the entrance were still lit, obviously because the servants were terrified and had no time to attend to such minor matters.

Chen Mu stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a while, the gate slowly opened a crack, and a middle-aged man who looked like a steward stood behind the door, scanning the two of them vigilantly.

"What do you want?"

"Demon Suppression Division. We heard that things haven't been peaceful in your estate recently, so we've come to investigate." Chen Mu displayed his token.

The steward's expression changed upon hearing this, and he shook his head hurriedly. Not only did he not open the door, but he pushed it further shut.

"That's not true! You must have believed rumors! My household is perfectly fine, the estate is peaceful, everything is calm."

"Oh? Then please ask the one married in yesterday and the two newly taken in this morning to come out and meet us."

Under Chen Mu's sharp gaze, the steward began to stammer.

"This... my mistress is feeling unwell and is resting in her room, so it's not convenient to receive guests. If you have no business, officers, please return." As he spoke, he tried to close the door again.

Chen Mu immediately stepped forward and braced the door panel; the force was not great, but it made it impossible for the steward to close it no matter what.

"Insolence! The Demon Suppression Division is investigating a case involving demons and evil spirits; how can you brush us off with a claim of 'resting'? Move aside, I am going in to investigate."

Chen Mu scolded sternly, increasing the force on the door slightly.

"Officer, this is against the rules. Furthermore, this is not your jurisdiction; you have no right to trespass on a private residence!"

Seeing that Chen Mu was about to break in, the steward's voice involuntarily rose a few octaves.

"When demons are harming people, what jurisdiction is there to speak of?"

Liu Ziming also stepped forward and, with a slight exertion of force, pushed the gate open, causing the steward to stumble and nearly fall.

At this moment, an aged yet authoritative voice rang out.

"Who dares to run wild in front of my Zhao estate?!"