Lei Heng Strikes!

The man pulled a black scroll edged in gold from his sleeve. His voice rang clear, carrying the air of someone simply carrying out official business.

"By order of White Tiger Hall, Fang Mo, commander of the Seventh Squad, is to immediately investigate the mysterious disappearance of the villagers of Liuxi Village in Wannian County. The case must be solved within seven days. Alive, bring them back; dead, bring back their bodies. If the case remains unsolved when the deadline passes, you will be executed according to the law!"

"Captain Fang, come accept your orders."

Fang Mo paused mid-bite.

Liuxi Village? A hundred and thirty-two people had vanished? And he had to solve the case in seven days?

He casually tossed the apple core into the weeds in the corner. The devil-may-care look vanished from his face, replaced by a smile of surprised gratitude and obsequiousness.

Fang Mo strode forward. As he walked, he very naturally wiped the hand that had just been holding the apple against his robe, then slipped several pieces of fine silver from his wide sleeve.

"Goodness, so an official from above has arrived! There isn't even tea to offer in this wretched place. How discourteous of us."

Fang Mo cupped his hands and bent low. As he accepted the scroll, the pieces of silver slipped silently into the other man's palm, as if by magic.

The messenger's expression didn't change. With a furtive turn of his wrist, he weighed the silver.

Not too much, not too little. Just right. It wasn't so heavy that he'd hesitate to accept it, nor so light that it seemed insincere.

This one knew the rules.

The man's tightly pressed lips finally curved into a genuine smile, and his narrow eyes were no longer entirely cold.

Fang Mo took the heavy scroll with both hands but didn't hurry to open it. Instead, he stepped closer and lowered his voice, speaking with a hint of unease and ingratiation:

"My lord, I've only just arrived and haven't even had time to warm my seat since taking up my post. I'm honestly not confident about this case in Liuxi Village. Failing the task and being punished would be a small matter; if I delay the Hundred Households' important work, that would be a crime for which I could never atone, even in death."

"Could you give me a few pointers? Is there anything unusual about this case?"

As he finished speaking, he slipped over another folded banknote.

This time, it wasn't silver pieces, but a banknote from Baotong Bank worth a hundred taels.

The messenger lowered his eyes and quickly glanced at the figure on the note. His eyelids twitched.

What a generous gift.

He slipped the banknote into his sleeve without a word. When he looked at Fang Mo again, his expression had softened considerably, even taking on the warmth of a fellow insider.

"Ahem."

The messenger cleared his throat and glanced around. After confirming that only his own men were nearby, he lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear:

"Lord Fang, you're too kind. Since you're so understanding, I won't keep anything from you."

"On the surface, the case in Liuxi Village is about missing people, but in truth..."

He paused, his expression growing inscrutable. "I should let you know, Lord Fang: this case is likely connected in countless ways to the three demonic monks from the Western Desert who were sent to the Heavenly Prison some time ago."

Fang Mo's pupils contracted sharply.

Demonic monks from the Western Desert?

Weren't those the three unlucky bastards—Yuantong, Yuanji, and Yuanjue—who had died at his hands?

So that was it.

Those three monks were dead, but the business they had been involved in—or rather, the business of the people behind them—hadn't stopped. Liuxi Village was very likely one of the sources of the Blood Spirit Pill's ingredients—virgin boys and girls—or perhaps a site where the pills were being made.

Lei Heng, that bastard, still wanted him dead!

If he failed to solve the case, he'd die for it. If he did solve it and stumbled upon the earth-shattering conspiracy behind it, then with the Organ Refining Realm experts—or even stronger masterminds—waiting in the shadows, he'd still be dead with the few men he had.

What a perfect scheme to kill with a borrowed knife.

Fang Mo sneered inwardly, but put on a look of utter shock and repeatedly cupped his hands.

"Thank you for telling me, my lord! This news has practically saved my life!"

"Lord Fang, there's no need for that."

The messenger waved his hand, his smile returning to its professionally pleasant form. "We all work under White Tiger Hall. It's only right that we look out for each other. If you don't mind, just call me Wu Er."

"Big Brother Wu!" Fang Mo readily played along, calling him "big brother" with extraordinary warmth.

Wu Er chuckled and patted Fang Mo on the shoulder, speaking with hidden meaning:

"Brother Fang, now that you've accepted the order, you should set out soon. The higher-ups are watching this case closely. If you miss the deadline, it'll be hard to explain things to Lord Lei."

"I understand. I'll make preparations at once and won't cause you any trouble, Big Brother Wu."

"Good. I'll head back and report."

Wu Er didn't linger. With a wave of his hand, he led the black-clad captains away.

They had come quickly and left just as fast, leaving behind only a scorching scroll and the yard's still-lingering killing aura.

Fang Mo stood where he was, watching them disappear at the end of the alley.

The scroll in his hands creaked as he gripped it.

"Boss, Lei Heng has no good intentions."

Yan Wangchou had appeared beside him at some point. He exhaled a mouthful of smoke, his old face flickering in and out behind the haze. "Liuxi Village is thirty li outside the city, with the Mass Grave behind it. It's a notorious place of ill omen. This seven-day deadline clearly means he doesn't want us coming back alive."