Chapter 82 Evidence of the Bloodbath

"Snap!"

The slap was crisp and loud. Head Constable Wang's head was knocked to the side, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Qi Huan, still not satisfied, suddenly raised his right foot and kicked Head Constable Wang in the stomach with all his might.

Head Constable Wang was caught off guard. He let out a miserable scream as he was kicked, sprawling on the ground. He curled up in agony, feeling as though his internal organs had been shifted by that single kick, and tears and snot began to stream down his face.

Before he could even beg for mercy, he was hauled up again by Qi Huan and slapped a dozen times, scolded as he struck.

"You dog relying on his master's power, trying to use people to pressure me, huh? Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?!"

"Conspiring against colleagues, framing others, colluding with a Ghostly Creature, and even threatening me! Who gave you the audacity?!"

"Xu Changze is just a local county magistrate. Does he have the authority over someone from the Prefecture's Demon Suppression Division? Do I need to report to him for killing a lapdog like you?!"

Qi Huan was naturally hot-tempered. Coupled with his severe injuries, his emotions were extremely unstable, and he struck without any restraint.

Head Constable Wang was beaten black and blue. While he begged for mercy repeatedly, he felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.

Being beaten, while painful and humiliating, at least meant the other party still had reservations and dared not kill him outright.

As long as he survived this beating and returned to the county office to his brother-in-law, he would still have a chance to turn the tables!

By then, he would repay today's humiliation a hundredfold!

He curled up, enduring the excruciating pain, while already plotting how to twist the truth and use his connections to sabotage Chen Mu and Qi Huan once he returned.

However, just as he thought he was safe after enduring this physical suffering, a white light flashed before his eyes without warning.

Fast, too fast!

It was so fast that he couldn't react, so fast that he didn't feel any pain.

There was only a chill on his neck, followed by a dizzying spin.

A headless corpse remained standing in place, even taking a few steps forward, while blood gushed from the neck like a fountain.

That official uniform, chillingly familiar—was that... his own body?!

"Gurgle..."

The head rolled on the ground a few times, stained with mud and withered leaves, finally coming to a stop. The face stared blankly at the sky, eyes filled with disbelief.

Before his consciousness was completely swallowed by darkness, he saw the young man who had swung the sword.

His expression was as indifferent as ever, especially those eyes, deep and calm.

With a flick of the long sword to shake off the blood, he sheathed it, as if he had just done something trivial.

How could it be...

To his dying breath, he didn't understand why it was Chen Mu who had struck.

He had calculated Qi Huan's temper and reservations, calculated the rules of officialdom and his brother-in-law's influence, but he had miscalculated one variable: Chen Mu.

That young man of little status would swing his blade so ruthlessly.

[Slayed a Dao Entry Realm Early Stage Cultivator, plundered Lifespan: 41 years]

The System notification arrived as expected.

Chen Mu raised his eyes and looked at Qi Huan, who was stunned by the sudden turn of events.

"Chief Qi, are you satisfied with this explanation?"

Qi Huan's hand was still clutching Head Constable Wang's collar, while his other hand remained frozen in mid-air. The rage on his face hadn't yet faded, replaced by deep shock.

Hearing Chen Mu's question, he opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time. His hand loosened, and the headless corpse collapsed with a thud.

"Chen... Chen Mu?"

"You... you actually slaughtered him?!"

His voice was dry due to his injuries and emotions. He first pointed at Head Constable Wang's corpse, then at Chen Mu.

"He is a proper Squad Leader of the imperial court, the brother-in-law of Xu Changze! You are too..."

He then waved his hand helplessly and sighed through gritted teeth, "Now we're in trouble..."

That's right, trouble.

Although he wished he could skin Head Constable Wang alive himself, he knew the rules of officialdom well. No matter how much the other party deserved to die, he was a government official. Even for the lowest-ranking bailiff, one had to follow procedure to deal with him.

Unless it was an extreme situation like catching them in the act of treason or threatening a superior's life, killing someone in a private conflict was completely different from publicly beheading an imperial official.

Especially since standing behind him was Xu Changze, an old fox who had been entrenched in the officialdom for years, with unknown connections behind him.

Qi Huan could almost foresee how furious Xu Changze would be once the news got back, and how much pressure he would apply to twist the truth.

Currently, they didn't have conclusive evidence of the other party colluding with a Ghostly Creature or conspiring against colleagues. With only Liu Ziming's testimony, how much chance of winning did they have? Moreover, in officialdom, being in the right doesn't always guarantee victory.

Especially when it involved the relatives of local officials with real power.

Qi Huan was about to reprimand this reckless young man, but the words stuck in his throat.

Because he saw that Chen Mu's gaze had moved away from the headless corpse on the ground and was slowly turning towards the masked men nearby who were still alive, clutching their wounds and wailing.

These five or six men were all Head Constable Wang's confidants. Usually, they were arrogant and domineering, throwing Liu Ziming into the Yangu Pit without hesitation, and attacking Chen Mu fiercely. Now, sensing Chen Mu's gaze, they crawled on the ground shivering like lambs waiting for the slaughter.

Two of them, who were less severely injured, had already cleverly knelt on the ground, kowtowing like garlic pounding in Chen Mu's direction.

"Lord Chen, have mercy! Chief Qi, save us!"

"Have mercy! We were forced into this! If we didn't listen, they would have killed our whole families!"

"I have an eighty-year-old mother above and a three-year-old child below; I really had no choice!"

"..."

The cries, begging, and the sound of kowtowing echoed in this dead, silent place, pushing all the blame onto the deceased Head Constable Wang, packaging themselves as innocent and pitiful victims.

Chen Mu's eyes remained completely unmoved, looking at them as if they were just annoying ants. His hand, resting on the sword hilt, moved slightly, as if he intended to draw his sword again.

Kill them to silence them, cut the weeds and dig up the roots!

In this Yunmeng city, where demons run rampant, officialdom is cutthroat, and human hearts are sinister, leaving survivors meant leaving future disasters. He knew this well, and he had no such thing as womanly benevolence.

"Chen Mu!"

Qi Huan shouted sharply, but Chen Mu's sword had already barely left the scabbard, and it looked like he was about to strike.

Just then, a figure stumbled over and forced his sword back into the scabbard.

"No! You can't kill them all! Chen Mu, calm down!"

Liu Ziming dragged his injured leg, one hand pressing down on the long sword, the other grabbing his sleeve. His face was pale, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat; clearly, he was enduring the leg injury and weakness.

Chen Mu paused, his brows slightly furrowed.

Liu Ziming's lips trembled, and he whispered quickly in a breathy voice that only the two of them could hear.

"Head Constable Wang is dead; it's what he deserved, killing him is fine."

"But these people... if they all die here, then today's events will truly leave no evidence, and there will be no room for maneuver."

"We must keep them alive!"