You want evidence from the yamen, what does it have to do with my Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Ping An Town, Mud Water Alley.

A four-courtyard residence was sealed off by yamen runners, and a faint smell of death still lingered.

A disheveled constable walked out of the courtyard, holding a copper pipe in his mouth. He glanced at the two yamen runners beside him.

"Anything found?"

Several yamen runners shook their heads.

The constable took a deep puff from his pipe. "Send someone to notify the Imperial Guards. We might not be able to handle this."

As dusk settled.

The Scholar knocked on Shen Qing's door. "Lord Shen, a yamen runner from Ping An Town requests an audience."

"He says a family was massacred over there, all nine members killed. They're stumped."

"The magistrate sent someone to invite you over."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qing opened the door, a Wild Goose Feather Saber hanging at his waist.

"Gather the men, it's time to work."

In less than fifteen minutes, a fully armed contingent of Imperial Guards rushed out from the Commander's office.

There were only a dozen or so, but Shen Qing still brought the Scholar, Black Dog, and others.

Shen Qing had killed thirty of the original Imperial Guards, and with the urgency of his appointment, the new recruits hadn't arrived yet.

Shen Qing had originally intended to make Black Dog, the Scholar, and Old Li Lieutenants.

But the three insisted on following Shen Qing, forming his personal guard.

As night fell, Shen Qing and his entourage finally arrived in Ping An Town.

Although the people on the road didn't recognize Shen Qing, they clearly saw the uniform he wore.

The onlookers who had gathered to watch scattered like birds and beasts.

The accompanying yamen runner couldn't help but sigh.

"The name of the Imperial Guards really carries weight."

The Scholar murmured from the side, "That name was earned with our lives."

Upon arrival, Shen Qing asked directly.

"Where are the bodies?"

"They're all in the front room. We didn't dare touch anything for fear of ruining clues."

The Scholar and the others quickly took control of the residence and began examining the bodies.

Shen Qing entered the room and immediately saw a girl on the bed, looking about eighteen or nineteen years old. She was naked and covered in wounds, clearly having suffered inhuman abuse before her death.

Based on the evidence at the scene, it wasn't a complicated case.

It was obvious the killer had molested the girl, but was discovered by her family, leading to the murderous act.

Shen Qing looked around the room, which was in disarray, with overturned cabinets. However, some jewelry scattered on the floor indicated that the killer wasn't after wealth. It was estimated that the killer was not lacking in money.

Shen Qing summoned the constable. "Have you investigated this family's background? Did they have any enemies?"

Facing Shen Qing, a Commander under twenty years old, the constable showed utmost respect.

"Reporting, Lord Shen. We went door-to-door this afternoon."

"The male head of this household was a well-known teacher in Ping An Town. He was a good man and often gave out porridge to refugees."

Shen Qing turned to look at the constable.

"He Sui is the teacher?"

The constable felt Shen Qing's sharp gaze and swallowed, nodding.

"Yes, he's been teaching for twenty years."

"No enemies."

"Did he offend anyone recently? Or get into any arguments?"

"No."

The Scholar cursed under his breath, "Another one of these cases, damn it."

No enemies, no one offended. Whether in his past life or now, these were the most annoying cases.

This meant the killer likely had no connection to the victims, and the murders were crimes of opportunity, making them impossible to investigate.

However, this was a high-martial world, so there were still many clues to be found.

Shen Qing walked over to a male corpse, over fifty years old. Shen Qing had noticed this body upon entering the room.

This was the body of the male head of the household, He Sui. Shen Qing found an inconspicuous callus on the tiger's mouth of his hand.

The callus in this position was different from others; only someone who had held a saber for years would develop one there.

He Sui's hands had very light calluses, suggesting he hadn't held a saber in many years.

Shen Qing crouched down and took He Sui's pulse, a thread of internal energy flowing in and quickly circulating through his body.

Over sixty crucial points required for the Body Tempering Realm had been opened; he was a martial artist at the eighth level of Body Tempering.

At this moment, Black Dog entered the room, holding a saber in his hand.

"Lord Shen, a saber was found in the east wing."

"Can't find the book title? You could try searching for the author, maybe it was just renamed!"

The constable was stunned. "A saber? How could there be a saber? Whose is it?"

Shen Qing stood up and brushed the dust off his hands. "He Sui's saber."

The constable looked confused. "My Lord, it can't be He Sui's. He Sui is a well-known teacher and doesn't know martial arts."

Shen Qing took the saber handed over by Black Dog and drew it slightly. A cold glint flashed in the room.

The blade was like autumn frost, the body slightly curved, with twisted patterns on the blade and an exquisite copper-wood hilt. The characters "Qing He" were also carved on it.

All the yamen runners and Imperial Guards in the room sighed inwardly.

What a fine saber!

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Qing discarded the long saber at his waist and hung the Qing He at his side.

Only then did he speak.

"The killer had the same idea as you, believing He Sui had no martial arts skill."

"So, the first strike wasn't delivered with great force. Who knew He Sui actually had some cultivation, and not a low level at that, reaching the eighth level of Body Tempering."

"The killer panicked for a moment and used full force, which is why He Sui was killed."

"Black Dog, examine the body."

Black Dog didn't speak, directly crouching down and taking out a set of forensic tools from the cloth bag he carried. The Imperial Guards were not equipped with accompanying forensic examiners.

In emergencies, Black Dog was the team's forensic examiner.

Although he wasn't a specialist, the Imperial Guards had seen many dead bodies, and through sheer practice, Black Dog had been trained from an amateur examiner into a seasoned professional.

Black Dog skillfully undressed He Sui.

Shen Qing directed, "Between the chest and abdomen, only cut through the skin layer."

Black Dog's hands were as steady as an old dog's. A straight line was cut directly from the chest to the abdomen, and then the skin layer was lifted.

Shen Qing had a yamen runner fetch a torch and hold it about ten centimeters above He Sui's chest.

The yamen runner leaned close to the constable and asked in a low voice, "Boss, what are you doing?"

The constable's face stiffened. "Are you curious now? Why so many questions? Watch carefully and learn."

"Now shut up, I'll explain it to you later."

The yamen runner chuckled and rubbed his head, thinking his boss was truly strict. He resolved to learn well.

In reality, the constable was also completely baffled and knew nothing, merely putting on a tough front to avoid losing face in front of his subordinates.

After a while, the yamen runner's pupils suddenly widened, and he stammered, shouting, "L-Lord, his chest!"

A black palm print slowly appeared on He Sui's chest, as large as a palm-leaf fan.

The constable gasped.

Shen Qing, leaning against the side, slowly opened his eyes. Now he had enough clues.

"An extremely chilling palm technique. Normally, only an expert of the Houtian realm who cultivates chilling techniques could unleash such a palm."

"However, it's possible for someone in the Body Tempering Realm if their palm technique is highly proficient."

Shen Qing turned to look at the yamen runners and the constable.

"Do you have a suspect?"

The yamen runner swallowed and tugged at his clothes, wiping the sweat from his palms. "Yes, yes, we'll go and investigate immediately."

Although Ping An Town wasn't large, there weren't that many martial artists who used palm techniques.

However, before the yamen runner could even reach the door, Shen Qing called out, "Investigate? Are you an idiot?"

The yamen runner turned back in confusion, seeing Shen Qing point at the man's chest.

"Can't you see such a large black palm print?"

"This palm print is as big as a palm-leaf fan, larger than your head. Are there many people in Ping An Town with hands this big?"

This statement stunned the yamen runner. That's right, were there many people in Ping An Town with hands this big?

He had simply been astonished by Shen Qing's methods and momentarily forgotten this detail.

After a moment of thought, several yamen runners quickly shouted, "Black Palm Gang! Lu Hei Zhang!"

The constable remained silent for a moment before adding, "There's another person. I saw him this morning at the Hong Fu Inn. He's not from Ping An Town. That person is two meters tall, with hands as big as palm-leaf fans, and his cultivation is extraordinary."

Shen Qing nodded in satisfaction. The target was locked on.

The constable continued, "But these two have no grudge against He Sui, no motive for murder, and we don't have enough evidence. What if they deny it?"

Shen Qing sneered, "Evidence? Your yamen needs evidence, but what does that have to do with my Imperial Guards?"

The constable wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. It seemed that was indeed the case.

When did the Imperial Guards ever need evidence to arrest someone?

If the Imperial Guards decided you were guilty, you had better actually be guilty.

He then lifted his foot and strode towards the door, shouting.

"Move out, arrest them."