Su Manor!

Wasn't it just you being too embarrassed to go alone, so you insisted on dragging me along?

Su Fei walked towards the direction of the new residence.

He had already memorized the address; it was in the eastern district of Qingzhou Prefecture City, not too far from the Thousand Households Office.

As soon as he reached the alley entrance, he saw two imposing vermilion gates. A brand-new plaque hung above the lintel, bearing the characters "Su Manor." The calligraphy was bold and vigorous, quite like the work of a master.

It seemed they had specifically found someone to do the inscription.

Two old servants stood guard at the entrance. Seeing Su Fei approach, they quickly bowed.

"Greetings, Master."

Even the gatekeepers and servants were arranged. How thoughtful.

Su Fei pushed open the gate and entered.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the scene before him made his eyes light up.

A spacious courtyard greeted him, paved with bluestone slabs and cleaned spotlessly.

To the left was a small garden, with pavilions and waterside structures arranged harmoniously. A few koi fish swam in the pond, and weeping willows lined the bank. A gentle breeze rustled through, causing the willow branches to sway, lending a touch of Jiangnan garden elegance.

To the right were several side rooms, their windows clean and bright, clearly all tidied up.

Moving further in, the main hall was tall and spacious. Simple patterns were carved into the beams and pillars, giving it an air of grandeur without being ostentatious.

In the backyard, there was a dedicated training ground paved with flat bluestone. Weapon racks were placed in the corners, holding commonly used armaments. This suited Su Fei's preferences.

"As expected of a residence granted by the Emperor, the specifications are indeed different."

Su Fei couldn't help but praise. He walked around the residence, becoming more satisfied the more he looked.

Pavilions, waterside structures, small bridges, and flowing water—it offered both scenic views and a place for martial artists to train. It was far better than his previous small courtyard.

"Awesome, this finally feels like a mansion."

Su Fei then returned to his old residence.

He packed a simple bag, hired a carriage, and within half an hour, all his belongings were moved to the new house.

The old servants had already prepared hot water. Su Fei washed up, changed into clean casual clothes, and sat in the Grand Tutor's chair in the main hall. Looking at the empty yet bright room, he suddenly felt a sense of stability.

"From now on, this is my place."

The corners of his mouth curved upwards as he considered that he should hire a couple more servants to manage the courtyard and clean the house, so he could focus on his duties with the Imperial Guard.

As Su Fei walked into the Thousand Households Office, he saw his former superior, Captain Li, waiting at the entrance.

"Captain Su, the Commander is looking for you. He wants you to go see him."

"Understood."

Su Fei nodded, feeling a slight surprise.

At this usual time for starting work, Commander Feng was mostly occupied with official documents.

Having someone specifically sent to fetch him today suggested there must be something important.

He quickly walked to Commander Feng's office door and knocked.

"Your subordinate, Su Fei, reporting for duty."

"Come in."

Su Fei pushed the door open and entered. He saw Commander Feng sitting at his desk, holding a case file.

Su Fei cut straight to the chase.

"Sir, are you looking for me about a new case?"

Commander Feng looked up at him and pushed the case file in his hand towards him.

Su Fei took the file and opened it. The words "Plum Blossom" caught his eye.

Su Fei had seen this name in the wanted criminal files; it was a flower thief who had been active in various parts of Great Xuan for many years.

The record in the file was quite detailed: Plum Blossom, late-stage Xiantian Realm cultivation, Lightness Skill at Major Accomplishment, only one step away from Perfection.

He had managed to escape unharmed from the encirclement of a Grandmaster.

His Lightness Skill was exceptional, and he was also skilled at preparing poisonous smoke and aphrodisiacs, employing extremely sinister methods.

Initially, he only committed crimes in Cangzhou in the northern region. Later, seeing that the local authorities could not apprehend him, his actions became increasingly brazen.

He began to move to other places to commit crimes.

Unlike ordinary flower thieves, Plum Blossom was extremely cruel in his actions.

After raping women during his crimes, he would often kill them without mercy, even wiping out the victim's entire family.

At the crime scene afterward, he would leave behind a meticulously crafted plum blossom specimen, as if to boast of his evil deeds.

"This person has been committing crimes in various places for five years. The local authorities have organized large-scale pursuits, and on several occasions, they had him cornered. However, his poisonous smoke was potent, resulting in the loss of many constables and martial artists who came to help. All of them were killed by his poisonous smoke."

Commander Feng's voice carried suppressed anger.

"Even Imperial Guards from other regions were killed. The bounties offered by local authorities and civilians combined have already reached nearly five thousand taels of silver, yet Plum Blossom remains at large and has not been apprehended."

Su Fei flipped to the latter half of the case files, his expression gradually darkening.

The records clearly stated:

Last night, the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Qingzhou Prefecture City's northern district was violated.

The Zhang family suffered a complete annihilation, including the merchant and his wife, their daughter, and all their relatives, seventeen guards, and five servants – a total of thirty-three people, none of whom survived.

On the stone table in the Zhang family courtyard, a withered plum blossom was placed.

Su Fei's fingers tightened slightly, creasing the pages of the case file.

He had read many case files and witnessed many gruesome murders, but this was his first encounter with such a brutal flower-picking thief.

Commander Feng sighed.

"According to records from various regions, this Plum Blossom commits crimes in one place, with a minimum of four or five cases, and sometimes over ten, before moving on. Now that he's struck in Qingzhou, if we don't apprehend him quickly, more people will likely suffer."

He looked at Su Fei, his gaze becoming exceptionally serious.

"Su Fei, I want you to take on this case."

"Your internal energy can neutralize a hundred poisons, which is an advantage no one else possesses. Ordinary martial artists who encounter his sleeping gas or poisonous smoke will fall victim nine times out of ten, but you are different."

He paused and added, "I won't hide it from you. This Plum Blossom's lightness skill is truly formidable. Even I, a Grandmaster, might not have complete confidence in capturing him, and I might even be poisoned."

"But when you act, it's different. Even if you can't capture this flower-picking thief Plum Blossom, you should at least be able to escape with your life."

"Even if you can't catch him, with your abilities, ensuring your survival should be no problem."

Su Fei understood. They were interested in his Nine Yang Divine Art's poison-neutralizing effects.

He closed the case file.

This Plum Blossom truly deserved to die.

A flower-picking thief actually chose such an elegant name.

Did he deserve it?

Lightness skill, poisonous smoke, sleeping gas, years of committing crimes, and still at large. This opponent looked like he would be more troublesome than Zhao Feiying.

Ding! Mission Triggered: The Flower Picker!

Mission Requirement: Host successfully apprehends the flower-picking thief Plum Blossom.

Mission Reward: Finger Flicking Divine Ability, eighty years of cultivation.

The mission had arrived, but what did the system mean by this?

A scoundrel like Plum Blossom, not only picking flowers but also cruelly destroying them. Even without a mission, I would have taken on a case like this.

Did you really need to issue a mission to me at this time?

"My Lord, I accept this case."

Su Fei cupped his hands in response.

"Please have all the case files of this individual's past crimes transferred to me. Additionally, I require the detailed on-site investigation records from last night's crime scene."