Reporting a Councilman

When they entered the conference room, a middle-aged man with a thick beard was seated at the table. He slammed both hands down on it and stared sternly at everyone.

When he saw them come in, he merely glanced at them before looking away.

Tang Yue glared at the bearded man, anger in her eyes, and muttered something under her breath.

Seeing that Tang Yue seemed a little out of control, Cheng Xiaoyu asked quietly,

"Sister Tang Yue, who is that?"

"Zhu Meng, a councilman of the Tribunal."

Tang Yue stared daggers at Zhu Meng and gritted out her answer.

"You seem to really hate him. Is he the one who wants to harm the Totem Black Serpent?"

"Mm."

Tang Yue then explained Zhu Meng's intentions to Cheng Xiaoyu, before adding angrily,

"Big Guy is poisonous, but it doesn't release its venom carelessly, much less use it against humans. If it really used its poison, there wouldn't be a single living thing left anywhere around West Lake."

"Yue Yue, calm down."

Leng Qing patted Tang Yue on the shoulder to soothe her, then said to Cheng Xiaoyu,

"Actually, a week ago, we sent people to investigate. The place where the Totem Black Serpent appeared was a construction site where they planned to build a high-rise. There was no one there at the time. Even though it was huge, it didn't crush a single living thing, let alone poison anyone!"

Tang Yue nodded firmly in agreement.

"Most importantly, during its molting period, Big Guy only secretes a fluid that helps shed its old skin. It isn't poisonous during that time... So someone must have seized the opportunity to pin two inexplicable deaths on Big Guy."

Tang Yue was certain that no one knew the Totem Black Serpent better than she did. It would never trample any living creature, especially not the humans who had cared for it.

The bodies discovered a week later couldn't have been Big Guy's doing. Absolutely not!

Cheng Xiaoyu lowered his head in thought. He had a general understanding of what had happened, but there was no obvious way to resolve things yet. They would have to investigate before they could do anything.

Zhu Meng slammed the table and glared at them, his tone forceful.

"That's your totem. What does it have to do with us? I'm concerned with whether this monster will run rampant!"

The angry rebuke interrupted Cheng Xiaoyu's thoughts. He couldn't help sizing Zhu Meng up, thinking that this councilman had a truly explosive temper. How had this guy gotten to his position?

In Cheng Xiaoyu's stereotypical impression, councilmen were supposed to be approachable and kind, weren't they?

Ever since the incident in Jinlin City, he hadn't had much regard for those high-ranking people, especially ones who used their positions to intimidate others.

He understood that Zhu Meng might genuinely have Hangcheng's safety in mind, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed...

As Zhu Meng continued to rant, Cheng Xiaoyu quietly took out his phone and started recording. He suddenly realized that audio and video recording were incredibly overpowered features. How had he never thought of this before?

Well, his teacher was the principal of the people, after all. There was nothing wrong with reporting a councilman for misconduct!

Before long, Zhu Meng left with a group of palace guards, leaving a roomful of people speechless.

The neutral members, along with those inclined to obey the Magic Court, the Magic Association, and the Supreme Tribunal, also rose and filed out.

It seemed this matter was already settled!

"Tang Yue, I think you should take the Totem Black Serpent away from here ahead of schedule. Find somewhere safe where it can get through its molting period in peace."

After the others had left, Tang Zhong pondered for a moment before speaking seriously to Tang Yue.

"Mm, I understand."

Tang Yue nodded gravely.

"And who is this?"

"Oh, he's my student. I taught him in Bo City, and he's also Leng Qing's junior apprentice brother."

"I see..."

Tang Zhong sized up Cheng Xiaoyu. He couldn't discern the young man's true cultivation level. He must have had a magic tool that concealed it.

But since he was his niece's student and a member of Qingtian Hunter's Institute, he should be trustworthy...

Cheng Xiaoyu, meanwhile, was sorting through his thoughts. Although Zhu Meng had been forceful, he'd left them some room to maneuver. If they could gather evidence within the next two days, the matter would resolve itself.

But if they really fled with the serpent, wouldn't that make them look guilty?

Still, given the circumstances, it would be difficult to investigate in such a short time. This seemed like the best solution.

The four of them left the conference room and hurried to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.

Holding the Totem Pearl, Tang Yue crouched down and spoke toward the lake.

"Big Guy, that Zhu Meng wants to go after you again. I'm taking you away now, somewhere safe where you can recover... Big Guy, can you hear me?"

Before long, the calm surface of West Lake began to ripple. Bubbles rose, and then a huge, flattened snake's head emerged from the water.

Only then did Cheng Xiaoyu get a good look at the Totem Black Serpent. Its head alone was about the size of a small hill. No wonder its full body had looked so terrifying that night.

"Wow, it really is a Totem Beast!"

Leng Lingling wasn't afraid at all. She ran over and stroked the Totem Black Serpent's scales, looking thrilled. At that moment, she seemed like a little girl.

"Sister Leng Qing, you said the Totem Black Serpent was Hangcheng's guardian deity, right?"

"That's right... Why?"

Cheng Xiaoyu took out his phone and began searching. He learned that a White Demon Eagle flock lived in West Ridge, and that the Silver Dome Lord, a Monarch-level creature, was there as well.

They were living so quietly in West Ridge. It seemed Sister Tang Yue and Sister Leng Qing hadn't been lying: the Totem Black Serpent had been Hangcheng's guardian deity for all these years... Then we need to make sure everyone acknowledges its status as the guardian deity!

"Sister Tang Yue, I might have a way to speed up the Black Snake's molting."

Tang Yue froze for a moment, then looked at Cheng Xiaoyu in surprise.

Cheng Xiaoyu checked the Shop, and a moment later, a bottle of potion appeared in his palm. He held it up toward the Totem Black Serpent.

The Totem Black Serpent saw the bottle, and its huge eyes seemed to light up. It leaned its head forward slightly and flicked its scarlet tongue.

Leng Qing and Tang Yue both looked astonished. The Totem Black Serpent's reaction proved that Cheng Xiaoyu's claim was credible.

"Xiao Yu, this potion..."

Leng Qing wanted to ask more, but stopped herself. She understood that this was her junior apprentice brother's secret.

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Tang Yue and spoke with utmost seriousness.

"Sister Tang Yue, I have a way to make sure the Totem Black Serpent is recognized as the guardian deity, but I'll need your full cooperation."

If you're used to sitting high and mighty, then it's time you put in some effort too. After all, you're supposed to serve the people...

After quietly placing two Commander Level Shadow Demons in Tang Yue's shadow, Cheng Xiaoyu took Leng Lingling out to investigate the plague overnight.

With Leng Lingling's brains and his ability to get things done, they had completed their investigation by the next morning. It turned out that someone had been passing off the tainted blood of a Demon Beast called the Lingzhua Plague Rat to mass-produce blood potions for healing. That was what had caused the outbreak.

The entire blood-potion production chain was strictly controlled by the Magic Association, so it was highly unlikely that such a mistake had been made when sourcing the ingredients. The most likely explanation was...

Someone had colluded with an inspector from the Magic Association to use the Lingzhua Plague Rat's unusual blood to mass-produce these illegal potions!

The low-quality potions seemed to work just as well as legitimate ones, but their makers hadn't expected the Lingzhua Plague Rat's tainted blood, lying dormant in people's bodies, to suddenly mutate. The mutation had grown even more severe, becoming contagious.

Those who had taken the low-quality potions themselves also had tainted blood in their bodies, which was quickly activated. This accelerated the spread of the disease and led to the disastrous plague in Hangcheng.

By now, they had found the source of the disease. The plague had nothing to do with the Totem Black Serpent. It wasn't a natural disaster, but a man-made one!

Leng Lingling immediately told Leng Qing about this major discovery. Leng Qing had also made good progress on her end. She had discovered that the person in charge of overseeing the blood potions had been none other than Wang Yi's wife.

Wang Yi wouldn't have dared to put the tainted blood into the blood-potion production process on his own. If they traced the matter further up the chain, the mastermind was clearly one person... Councilman Luo Mian!

"Of course. The world is full of people like that, especially among those in power!"

Cheng Xiaoyu wholeheartedly agreed with Leng Lingling's anger. He had already learned from the Shadow Demons that Tang Yue had arrived, so the Totem Black Serpent must be nearly done molting.

Next came the most important step...