32: Chapter 32 Because You're Afraid of Death

As she moved, the armor plates on her body made a slight clanking sound, and an Aura of killing intent rushed toward them.

She walked up to Chen Mo and stopped.

Chen Mo felt like an iceberg was pressing down on him. This was not just an Aura, but a sense of oppression from a different level of existence. According to Tiger Li, this woman was at least Seventh Grade, perhaps even higher.

Ye Zhiqiu was half a head shorter than Chen Mo, but her presence made it seem as if she were looking down on him.

She extended one hand; it was long and fair, yet her fingertips bore thin calluses.

Chen Mo subconsciously wanted to retreat but forced himself to stay put.

Ye Zhiqiu's hand did not touch him, stopping just three inches above his shoulder, seemingly sensing something.

A moment later, she withdrew her hand and readjusted her cloak.

"Your Foundation is passable, but your mind is too heavy."

Ye Zhiqiu left behind an incomplete evaluation, then looked at Jiang Hongli, "Since you found help, don't die out there. The City Defense Army is very busy lately; they don't have time to collect your corpse."

With that, she turned and left.

Her black cloak cut a sharp arc through the air, decisive and clean, without any hesitation.

Only when that black silhouette vanished into the night did the stagnant air in the hall begin to flow again.

The waiter behind the counter’s legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the floor.

Chen Mo also let out a breath, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

That woman was too dangerous.

In that instant, he felt as if all his secrets were nearly exposed. Thankfully, the Turtle Breathing Technique was effective, locking the newly formed strand of internal Qi deep within his Dantian, preventing her from detecting anything unusual.

"Hmph—She makes me so mad! So mad!"

Jiang Hongli plopped down onto a stool, grabbed the teapot, and started gulping from it, completely abandoning the image of a refined Young Miss. "That Face of Ice Ye, always wearing a dead person's expression, as if everyone owes her a massive debt!"

Chen Mo gave a wry smile and walked over to sit opposite her: "Constable Jiang, that person is the Chief Investigator. Are you not afraid of retribution for speaking ill of your superior?"

"Afraid of what?"

Jiang Hongli slammed the teapot onto the table. "She just happened to be born a few years earlier, started Cultivating a few years earlier. When this Young Miss reaches her age, one finger will be enough to press her into the ground and rub her!"

Chen Mo did not pick up the conversation. When it came to the squabbles of superiors, it was best for a Mortal like him not to get involved.

He poured himself a cup of tea to calm his nerves, then slowly asked, "So, what is the job tonight? Something that warrants the Chief Investigator of the City Defense Army personally coming to warn you?"

Upon hearing this, the anger on Jiang Hongli's face subsided slightly, but her eyes became somewhat excited.

She leaned toward Chen Mo and whispered mysteriously, "Chen Mo, do you believe in ghosts?"

Chen Mo's eyelids twitched.

"I do."

He answered crisply.

Nonsense. I've undergone Transmigration, and I have a System panel. What's so strange about ghosts existing in this world?

Jiang Hongli was clearly surprised by Chen Mo’s immediate agreement. She paused for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good that you believe. The place we are going tonight is a ghost's den."

"..."

Chen Mo’s hand holding the teacup froze mid-air. "Um, Constable Jiang, I just remembered my stove... oh no, the fire wasn't extinguished at home. I need to go back and check."

Saying that, he started to rise.

"Sit down!"

Jiang Hongli grabbed his shoulder. This girl looked delicate, but her grip was frighteningly strong; after all, she was a Martial Artist who had already entered a Grade. "You've come all this way, and now you want to run?" Jiang Hongli glared at him. "Don't worry, it’s not a real ghost, someone is just pretending to be supernatural. Besides..."

She reached into her bosom and pulled out a silver note, slapping it onto the table.

"This is the amount after the job is done."

Chen Mo looked down.

One hundred taels.

His backside instantly felt rooted, firmly stuck to the stool.

"Constable Jiang, please continue.", Chen Mo put on a sincere smile. "To maintain the peace of the South City, for the tranquility of the common people, I, Chen Mo, am duty-bound. It has nothing to do with money; it’s mainly my sense of justice."

Jiang Hongli rolled her eyes. "Show off."

She pointed to the pitch-black night outside the window. "Steward Zhao's residence in the South City has recently been plagued by evil occurrences. Every midnight, a woman’s crying can be heard from the well in the backyard. They invited several waves of Daoists and monks, but none who went in ever came out. That deadpan Ye Zhiqiu thinks it’s the work of demons and wants to seal off the Zhao residence and burn it down to finish it. But I don't believe it."

"You don't believe it?"

"I don't believe there are that many demons in this world." A sharp glint flashed in Jiang Hongli's eyes. "I investigated the Zhao family's background. Steward Zhao took a new concubine three months ago, and that concubine 'died of illness' less than half a month after entering the household. Immediately after, the Zhao residence started having hauntings."

Chen Mo rubbed the rim of his teacup. "Are you saying someone has returned from the dead? Or is this man-made?"

"Whether it's one or the other, this Young Miss will investigate it to the bottom." Jiang Hongli gritted her teeth. "Ye Zhiqiu wants to disregard life and just burn everything down, but I won't let her get her way. I want to prove that her cold-blooded rule of 'better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go' is wrong!"

Chen Mo sighed.

So, it was a clash of wills.

To prove she was better than her rival, she had to venture into a dragon's den. This was the passion of youth.

Unfortunately, he, Chen Mo, had the mindset of an old man.

"Constable Jiang, since this is an investigation, why didn't you bring any brothers from the yamen? Why seek me out?" Chen Mo asked the most crucial question.

Jiang Hongli glanced at him, her expression a bit strange: "Because you fear death."

"Huh?"

"Those people in the yamen, every single one of them is reckless for the sake of merit. When real danger strikes, they rush in headfirst." Jiang Hongli pouted. "But you are different. Tiger Li told me that although you seem cowardly usually, you are sharper than anyone when it matters. When danger comes, you will definitely be the first to find an escape route."

Chen Mo's mouth twitched.

Was that a compliment?

"And..." Jiang Hongli looked him up and down, her gaze landing on the horizontal saber at his waist. "You are now a Ninth Grade Bronze Skin, too. Although you just started, you can still take a couple of hits. In a crucial moment, you should be able to block a hidden arrow for me."

Chen Mo: "..."

So, I'm just an Advanced meat shield plus an escape radar?

"Alright, stop making that long face."

Jiang Hongli stood up, tidied her red skirt, and resumed her spirited demeanor. "Let's go, the Zhao residence isn't far from here. Remember, stick close to me once we get inside. If we really encounter that 'demon' Ye Zhiqiu mentioned..."

She paused, then turned back and winked at Chen Mo.

"You run, don't worry about me."

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.

Looking at the red-clad girl before him, the thought in his mind that "this woman is just trouble" faded slightly.

Although she had a fiery temper and loved to stir up trouble, this girl... her heart wasn't bad.

"Let's go."

Chen Mo stood up, tucked the one-hundred-tael silver note into his robes, and secured it close to his body.