Suspicion

"Young Master Chen?" Constable Lu looked calmly at Chen Mu.

"It's me." Chen Mu climbed up from the ground and cupped his hands in thanks. "Many thanks to Constable Lu for saving me."

"It was nothing." Constable Lu cast an indifferent glance at the two men on the ground.

The two men lying on the ground and groaning noticed Constable Lu's gaze and immediately trembled all over, their voices dropping considerably.

They seemed terrified of this Constable Lu.

"Could I ask Young Master Chen to come with me to the County Office? There are some matters in which I need Young Master Chen's assistance," Constable Lu said politely.

"No problem." Chen Mu agreed without hesitation.

"This way!" Constable Lu rested his right hand on his saber and stepped aside to clear the path.

Chen Mu brushed the dirt from himself and headed toward the mouth of the alley.

As he passed the Short Man, he viciously stamped his right foot onto the man's left hand.

Ah...

Caught completely off guard, the man instantly let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered.

Constable Lu's expression immediately turned strange.

Noticing Constable Lu's gaze, Chen Mu gave a bashful smile. Then he pressed down with his right foot and ground it hard twice.

Constable Lu's mouth twitched.

After leaving the alley, the two walked side by side.

Chen Mu suddenly spoke. "Does Constable Lu know who those two are?"

"I don't," Constable Lu answered instinctively.

Then he looked at Chen Mu in surprise. What, did he still want to retaliate?

"I was blocked for no reason. I should at least know which mighty figure I offended, shouldn't I?" Chen Mu sighed. "It's mainly for my safety in the future. If I can't afford to offend them, I can at least avoid them, right?"

"I truly don't know the two of them." After hesitating for a moment, Constable Lu said, "But judging by their clothes, they seem to be from the Wonderful Painting Workshop in East Market."

East Market? Wonderful Painting Workshop?

That Master Yan?!

I only sold a painting, and he actually sent people to break my hands.

He dearly wanted to retaliate directly.

But he was only a poor scholar who made his living by selling paintings.

His opponent had entrenched himself in Anle Ward for years and could command street thugs. If Chen Mu went to retaliate, wouldn't that be like an egg striking a stone?

Chen Mu said with an unwilling look, "I guess I can't go to East Market anymore."

Constable Lu glanced at Chen Mu, seeming as though he wanted to say something but held it back.

They were neither relatives nor friends, and he did not know the specific details, so it was not appropriate for him to offer help directly.

He could only remain silent and lead Chen Mu straight to the County Office.

Qingshan County Office

Chen Mu stood alone in the County Office's main hall, looking around.

The hall was spacious. Two rows of wooden racks stood on either side, with wooden staves, bronze gongs, ceremonial parasols, and guard-of-honor weapons arranged neatly upon them.

At the far end stood the magistrate's desk, complete with documents, tally slips, a Brush Rack, and a vermilion inkstone.

In one corner of the desk sat a palm-sized bronze mirror covered in green patina.

"Are ancient County Offices this unreliable? They called me here just to leave me standing here alone?" Chen Mu muttered.

Ever since arriving at the County Office, he had been left in this empty main hall.

Constable Lu had disappeared into the rear hall, and Chen Mu had no idea when he would return.

"There's no record in this body's memories of ever committing a crime. I haven't done anything outrageous either, so there probably won't be a problem." Chen Mu remained fairly calm.

"Unfortunately, the Portrait Painting Skill I just painstakingly leveled up seems rather difficult to monetize." With nothing to do at the moment, Chen Mu silently considered how to deal with Master Yan.

It was not hard to guess why the other man had targeted him.

Nothing more than striking at a competitor and protecting his own interests.

The method was simple and crude, yet extremely effective.

"Until I figure out a way to break this deadlock, I can't go to Anle Ward." Chen Mu thought regretfully.

He had just found a way to make money, only for it to be forced to stop after a single day of business.

"Luckily, I earned Ten Taels from Wang Family, so I don't need to worry about food and drink for now."

But if he wanted to rely on ten taels of silver to learn martial arts and witness this world's strange sights, it was clearly nowhere near enough.

County Office rear hall.

Du Huai, the County Lieutenant of Qingshan County, sat uneasily in the seat of honor.

"County Lieutenant Du, that man has stood beneath the Evil-Warding Bronze Mirror for half an hour. He should have nothing to do with a Malevolent Spirit," Constable Lu said.

The middle-aged Taoist beside him shook his head. "Not necessarily. If he can evade the Heartless Bell of our Qingfeng Temple, then he may also be able to escape the Exorcism Mirror."

If Chen Mu were here, he would have recognized this middle-aged Taoist as Cheng Yi of Qingfeng Temple.

County Lieutenant Du immediately stood up, angling his body toward the rear door, ready to flee at any moment. Then he looked at Constable Lu nervously and asked, "Did he truly commit the Wang Family Massacre Case?"

To evade the Heartless Bell and deceive the Exorcism Mirror—what kind of vicious Malevolent Spirit would need such abilities?!

"Based on our inquiries and investigation, Chen Mu's movements after leaving the Wang Family are clear. After returning home, he never went out again. It's highly unlikely to have been him." After hesitating briefly, Constable Lu truthfully gave the results of the investigation.

"If he slipped out of his home in the middle of the night, no one would have noticed," Cheng Yi said blandly.

Constable Lu glanced at Cheng Yi. "He seems to have some conflict with the Wonderful Painting Workshop. Someone was watching him all day yesterday."

"As long as it wasn't him." County Lieutenant Du let out a breath and dropped back into his chair.

"What was with that headless portrait of the deceased?" Cheng Yi frowned. "The painting had no head, and then the man lost his head. No matter how one looks at it, that isn't normal."

County Lieutenant Du, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again.

"Perhaps someone is making a mystery of nothing," Constable Lu said, narrowing his eyes.

"A person? Impossible! The Wang Family Massacre Case was definitely done by a Malevolent Spirit!" County Lieutenant Du glared at Constable Lu.

A family massacre occurring under his jurisdiction would be easier to explain if a Malevolent Spirit was wreaking havoc.

But if it had been done by a person, and he, the County Lieutenant, failed to catch the culprit, he would suffer during the year-end evaluation!

The Wang Family Massacre Case had definitely been done by a Malevolent Spirit!

"Whether it was a person or not, this Chen Mu remains highly suspicious," Cheng Yi said calmly.

"It seems we can't let this Chen Mu go," County Lieutenant Du said thoughtfully.

"If there is nothing else, this poor Taoist will take his leave first." Cheng Yi cast a glance at Constable Lu and spoke calmly.

"Very well. Constable Lu, help me see Master Cheng Yi out," County Lieutenant Du said with a smile.

In the main hall, the bored Chen Mu stared at the bronze mirror, examining it.

The bronze mirror was round, its edges carved with flame-like patterns. Green patina covered its surface, and it rested on a small wooden stand. He had no idea what dynasty's antique it was.

Just as he was pondering it, two figures emerged from the rear hall.

"Master Cheng Yi?" Chen Mu looked at the middle-aged Taoist in surprise.

"No matter how well you hide, sooner or later you'll show your tail!" Cheng Yi shot Chen Mu a cold glance.

After saying that, he ignored the utterly bewildered Chen Mu and turned to leave the main hall at a brisk pace.

When did I offend this Taoist? Chen Mu was full of confusion.

What was with that hostile tone?

Before long, Constable Lu returned to the main hall, holding a painting in his hand.

He came before Chen Mu, unrolled the painting, and asked, "Young Master Chen, did you paint this?"

Chen Mu looked carefully, and his scalp instantly went numb.

The meticulous brushwork, the lifelike portrait—it was exactly the portrait of the deceased he had painted for the Wang Family patriarch.

But strangely, the head in the portrait had vanished, as though someone had wiped it away from thin air.

"I painted it, but I painted a full-body portrait. It had a head." Chen Mu instinctively knew he was in trouble.

"Last night, the Wang Family was massacred. Every direct blood relative died. Just like in this portrait, their heads vanished without a trace!"

Chen Mu's scalp tightened.

Damn it!

They suspected him!

"If you cannot prove that you have nothing to do with the Wang Family Massacre Case, I can only have you stay in a cell for a few days," Constable Lu said blandly.

This...