Chapter 92 Open Bait, Hidden Hook

"Did you see that? The old fox has started casting his bait. His methods might be a bit crude, but they're effective."

Chen Mu's expression remained calm. He looked back at the restaurant, as if he could peer through the walls to see what was happening inside.

"Co-option and division."

Qi Huan sneered, his mockery undisguised.

"Stuffing money into his hands right in front of us, and now keeping Liu Ziming behind alone—this tactic is too obvious."

"It's nothing more than wanting to tell Liu Ziming that he is the one Liu Ziming should cling to, as he can provide him with endless benefits and a bright future."

"And as for you, Chen Mu, you can't give him anything except pushing him to the forefront of the storm."

Chen Mu stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Mhm."

But Qi Huan was clearly thinking deeper. He frowned slightly and continued his analysis.

"That's not right. Xu Changze, that old fox, has a deep and calculating mind. He usually does things in a step-by-step, interlocking manner. Why would he try to win him over so obviously right in front of us?"

Chen Mu pondered for a moment, then replied.

"That's only the first layer."

"The first layer?" Qi Huan raised an eyebrow.

Chen Mu nodded, gently nudging a pebble on the ground with the tip of his shoe.

"Doing these things in front of us might be a crude and obvious tactic, but precisely because it is obvious, it might be intentional."

Qi Huan's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly realized. He couldn't help but gasp, not because of the pain from his wound, but because of Xu Changze's schemes.

"Are you saying… he deliberately let us see him trying to win over Liu Ziming so that we would grow suspicious of each other?"

"A scheme within a scheme to sow discord?"

Chen Mu didn't answer. Qi Huan looked at his impassive face, paused, and his tone became serious.

"Chen Mu, I know you must have your reasons for recommending Liu Ziming, but one must always be on guard. Liu Ziming's nature might not be bad, but human nature often cannot withstand the test, especially under the temptation of power and money."

"Xu Changze's money and those bright prospects carry significant weight. Liu Ziming has spent so many years at the bottom of the Demon Suppression Division. Suddenly being elevated and held in such high regard by a magistrate with real power, it's hard to guarantee his heart won't change."

"You and I are now at daggers drawn with Xu Changze. Any slight oversight could lead to total ruin, so you… it would be better to keep your guard up."

In Qi Huan's view, although Chen Mu was strong and decisive in his Heart-Nature, he was still young and hadn't experienced enough storms. His understanding of the dark side of officialdom wasn't deep enough.

But to his surprise, after listening, Chen Mu didn't show a thoughtful or grave expression; instead, he decisively shook his head.

"Chief Qi, you're overthinking it."

"Liu Ziming is not that kind of person."

"Not that kind of person?"

Qi Huan opened his mouth, thinking he had misheard. He looked at Chen Mu suspiciously, as if wanting to find a trace of a joke or sarcasm on that face, but there was nothing.

Chen Mu's gaze was very serious and carried a sense of certainty.

"Chen Mu, do you really trust him that much? At a time like this, aren't you being too…"

He wanted to say "too naive," but looking into Chen Mu's bottomless eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say the word no matter what.

Who was Chen Mu? He was that ruthless character who calmly laid out plans in the Zhao residence, feigned weakness to lure the enemy, and ultimately struck down the ghost with ferocity.

He was that cunning fox who made decisive moves by the Yangu Pit, beheaded Head Constable Wang without hesitation, and then turned around and pinned the blame on himself.

He was that clever person who, when faced with Xu Changze's "killing with praise" and schemes, moved step-by-step and countered every move.

Such a deep-thinking and sharp-handed guy could never be a simple youth ignorant of human nature.

Then was he pretending? To paralyze himself? Or was there some other profound meaning?

Just as Qi Huan was filled with doubts and didn't know how to continue, a slightly hurried sound of footsteps came from behind.

It was Liu Ziming.

His steps were a bit unsteady, and his expression was more complex than before—there was unease, struggle, and also a trace of relief from having made a decision.

"Chen Mu, Chief Qi."

Liu Ziming's voice sounded a bit dry. He first looked around, confirmed that no one was paying attention, and then, without hesitation, took out that heavy money bag from his sleeve and handed it to Chen Mu with both hands.

"This is what Lord Xu just gave me, saying it's a salary subsidy and… the reward for this mission."

"But you were the one who put in the most effort last night, and you deserve the most credit. I can't take this money, at least not all of it. You take it; it's what you deserve."

His words were sincere, even a bit foolish, and didn't at all look like the behavior of someone who had just been attempted to be co-opted by a superior.

Chen Mu looked at the money bag offered to him. He didn't take it immediately, just stared into Liu Ziming's eyes.

Liu Ziming was a bit flustered by his gaze and quickly explained, with the frankness of someone spilling everything.

"I haven't touched a single bit of the silver inside. Besides talking about this money, Lord Xu also said a lot… a lot of other things when he kept me behind."

"What did he say?"

Qi Huan couldn't help but ask, his tone carrying a sense of scrutiny.

Liu Ziming took a deep breath, seemingly trying to make his explanation clearer.

"He first praised me for a while, saying I was steady and reliable, that I was a talent worth molding, and said he wanted to cultivate me vigorously and allocate resources to me."

He then paused, his face showing clear anxiety and unease.

"He said he wanted to assign me a good job. Qinglin Town, fifty miles west of the city, has had some minor issues recently, but the public security is generally good. It's just right for a new Squad Leader like me to go gain experience, accumulate Karma, and it's purely a job to earn credit."

"Qinglin Town?"

Qi Huan frowned. That was a small town under the jurisdiction of Yunmeng. It couldn't be called prosperous, but it had the advantage of being stable. Occasionally there were small demons or Jianghu petty thieves causing trouble, but they generally didn't amount to anything.

Although it sounded pretty good, he always felt something was not quite right. Could it be an open promotion but a secret demotion, or… luring the tiger away from the mountain?

Liu Ziming shook his head, his tone carrying self-mockery.

"Although I am stupid, I'm not foolish. At a time like this, sending me out and talking about allocating resources and earning Karma—I don't believe a single word of it. I refused on the spot, but he…"

Liu Ziming's face showed helplessness and a trace of lingering fear.

"When he saw me refuse, his expression immediately turned sour. Then he tried to persuade me with earnest, painstaking words, saying it was for my own good, that it was easy to achieve results, and also saying it was an official assignment that I should obey."

"Anyway, between his words, he used both soft and hard tactics. I had no choice but to agree for now."

"Chen Mu, I'm sorry. I know this matter isn't right, and Lord Xu definitely doesn't have good intentions, but in that situation, I… I really didn't know how to push back hard."

Liu Ziming's eyes held guilt and unease. His words were heartfelt, laying out the entire conversation he had with Xu Changze without holding anything back.

After speaking, he pushed the money bag toward Chen Mu again, his eyes earnest.

Chen Mu reached out his hand, but instead of taking the money bag, he pushed it back.

"You keep the silver."

"Lord Xu was right; this is your salary and reward, and it's what you deserve. You need money to heal your wounds and settle down."

After saying this, he patted Liu Ziming on the shoulder, not with much force, but with a reassuring tone.

Just at this moment, footsteps were heard from behind again.

The three of them turned around and saw Xu Changze, who had come out of the restaurant at some point, standing on the steps with a warm smile on his face.

His gaze swept over the money bag in Liu Ziming's hand and Chen Mu's pat on the shoulder, his smile faltered for a moment, then he feigned surprise.

"Oh? The three of you are still here?"