Chapter 51 Mysteries of the Zhao Family Mansion

As the voice fell, a middle-aged man dressed in bright red wedding attire walked out quickly. It was none other than the local wealthy gentleman, Zhao Qinghe, Squire Zhao.

At this moment, his expression was gloomy, and his eyes concealed a faint sense of unease, yet he looked at Chen Mu while forcing himself to remain calm.

"Two officers, may I ask what official business brings you here today?"

Chen Mu withdrew his hand and once again stated his identity and the purpose of his visit.

After listening, Zhao Qinghe managed to squeeze a smile onto his face, bowed with his hands cupped, and replied.

"So it is the officials from the Demon Suppression Division. I do not know who spread such rumors; it is truly a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

"It is true that someone in the residence passed away, but that was... that was a suicide. It was just due to family troubles; they couldn't think straight for a moment and... Sigh, family scandals should not be made public. I hope the two officials can understand."

"Suicide?" Chen Mu sneered, clearly not believing this excuse.

"Three people died within a single day, Squire Zhao. If it is truly not the work of evil spirits, then it is undoubtedly a human tragedy."

"If it is an evil spirit, my Demon Suppression Division will handle it. If it is a human tragedy, then it falls under the jurisdiction of the yamen. How can you be allowed to dispose of it quietly on your own?"

Chen Mu took a step forward, intending to enter the residence by force.

"Stop him!"

Zhao Qinghe retreated a step and shouted sternly. Several security guards immediately poured out from the courtyard, holding sticks and looking nervous.

"Squire Zhao, you are obstructing an official investigation. Do you intend to rebel?"

It seemed that force would be necessary. Chen Mu's eyes turned cold, and just as he was about to act, he suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps behind him, along with a sinister voice so familiar that it made one want to vomit.

"Chen Mu, you dare to cause trouble here!"

Chen Mu and Liu Ziming turned around in unison. They saw Head Constable Wang walking over quickly, leading seven or eight men dressed in official uniforms and wearing long swords at their waists. His eyes were vicious, and a cold sneer curled his lips.

"Chen Mu, Liu Ziming! You are not staying in your own jurisdiction, yet you actually ran to Squire Zhao's residence to act wild, and you even want to break into a private home? Do you have any respect for the law at all!"

Liu Ziming took a step back and whispered a reminder behind Chen Mu, "Chen Mu, the people he brought are all unfamiliar faces."

Chen Mu was slightly stunned. He looked over and saw that they were indeed not acquaintances from the county yamen.

Each of them had a broad back and a slim waist, with agile legs, steady breathing, and sharp eyes. They were clearly trained Martial Artists, and their cultivation was not low.

These people were by no means ordinary yamen runners.

Facing the crowd, Chen Mu's voice was as usual, flat and cold, without any emotion.

"Head Constable Wang, there is a suspicion of evil spirits at the Zhao residence, so we are intending to enter and investigate."

"Investigate?" Head Constable Wang couldn't help but sneer and stepped forward twice.

"Chen Mu, do you really not understand the rules, or are you pretending not to? This is the West City, and it is under my jurisdiction! If you want to investigate across boundaries, you must first ask if I agree."

A look of triumph flashed in his eyes, as if the pent-up frustration from yesterday's banquet had finally found an outlet.

Seeing this, Liu Ziming seemed to remember something. He grabbed Chen Mu's sleeve and said in a low voice.

"Chen Mu, don't be impulsive! I heard this morning that a few days ago, Lord Xu applied to the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division to transfer a few experts here, saying it was to strengthen defense during the Special Envoy's inspection. These must be them."

Chen Mu understood in his heart.

No wonder these people's energy was not weak; it turned out they were elites transferred from various places by the Demon Suppression Division. This was common, but he hadn't expected these people to be handed over to Head Constable Wang by Xu Changze.

Head Constable Wang saw Liu Ziming whispering and saw Chen Mu's knowing expression. Fearing that the other party would truly retreat in the face of difficulty and miss this good opportunity to teach him a lesson, he immediately added fuel to the fire.

"What? Is our Yunmeng Demon Suppression Division's one-and-only Genius also chickening out? Could it be that you relied on luck to pick up the credit for Sangye Village, and you really think you are something special?"

"However, I have heard that some people have mediocre skills, yet they don't have to worry about food or clothing, as they can make a living just by their faces. If Lord Chen could enter the Peony Pavilion, he would surely be a top-tier star!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the few experts behind Head Constable Wang let out muffled sneers.

Liu Ziming was so angry that his chest swelled, his face turned red, and his fists clenched until they creaked, but Chen Mu remained calm and collected.

It was just a provocation, and a very low-level one at that. Head Constable Wang was merely trying to goad him into attacking first, so he could use these experts to teach him a lesson. This way, he wouldn't have to bear the name of initiating the conflict, and he could push all the blame onto him.

What a clever scheme!

Chen Mu realized this immediately. His gaze swept from Head Constable Wang's extremely smug face, looked at the few experts waiting in battle formation, and finally landed on the gate of the Zhao residence, from which a faint bloody Evil Qi seemed to be emanating.

"As a member of the Demon Suppression Division, my duty is to slay demons and eliminate devils, and to protect the common people!"

"Demons and devils harm people regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. Recently, there have been anomalies at the Zhao residence, and the deaths were tragic. As an official, there is absolutely no reason to stand by and watch!"

"If I can handle this demon, I will handle it! Even if it is not under my jurisdiction, I will still handle it!"

Upon hearing this, Head Constable Wang's eyes flashed with the joy of a successful conspiracy, and he immediately shouted loudly.

"Chen Mu! You insist on crossing boundaries to stir up trouble and show contempt for your superiors. Then don't blame me for being ruthless. Come! Take him down for me!"

Before the words had even faded, the seven or eight experts behind him immediately stepped forward, their cold gazes instantly locking onto Chen Mu.

These people were clearly well-trained and coordinated; they completed the encirclement the moment the order was given.

Two people blocked Chen Mu's left side, three blocked the right, and two more circled behind Chen Mu, taking the opportunity to block Liu Ziming, who wanted to step forward to help.

The remaining person stood beside Head Constable Wang, clearly the leader.

Chen Mu frowned slightly. Judging by their movement speed and positioning, they were clearly not a ragtag group thrown together at the last minute. Every one of them was a Martial Artist above the Dao Entry Realm. It seemed they would be difficult to deal with; he could only use skill to overcome brute force.

With a shift in his thoughts, the Divine Void Step was activated instantly. His figure flickered, turning into three afterimages that were hard to distinguish between real and fake, darting in three different directions.

The two attacking from the front clearly did not expect the opponent to be so fast. They hurriedly swung their blades to hack, but only shattered the afterimage on the left. However, the person who had circled behind Chen Mu reacted extremely quickly. With a turn of his body, he drove straight for the center of Chen Mu's back!

"Clang!"

Chen Mu parried the blade with his sword backhanded and used the force to retreat. At the same time, he silently activated the Taibao Horizontal Training, and his Protective Aura expanded instantly, deflecting the blade light attacking from the other side by a few inches.

"Bang!"

The blade struck the Protective Aura, making a dull sound. The man only felt a massive force coming from the blade, shaking his arm until it went numb. He retreated three steps, "thump, thump, thump," with a look of shock on his face.

In just a moment, Chen Mu had already exchanged blows with several of them. Although he had not fallen into a disadvantage, he felt the pressure.

These people were not as capable as him in one-on-one combat, but such tacit coordination was enough to give him a headache. In a prolonged battle, he would inevitably suffer.

Just as he was thinking of a countermeasure, the leader standing beside Head Constable Wang suddenly spoke, raising his hand to stop his subordinates who were encircling him.

"All of you, stand down!"