The Widow Still Had Her Charm

Training Grounds.

The men had all assembled.

Five from the Ding Fire Bureau and five from the Water Bureau, along with two Banner Commanders.

The Heavenly Qilin Guard had a broad range of duties and was often short-handed. It was also common for different bureaus to work together.

This time, however, the circumstances were a little unusual...

The Ding Fire Bureau constables looked at the tall, straight-backed figure, their hearts filled with nerves and dread.

They had witnessed Chen Mo's methods with their own eyes. If they accidentally provoked this baleful god, their fates would be especially tragic!

Li Yuan stood off to the side, silent, her thoughts unreadable.

Seeing that it was getting late, Chen Mo swung into the saddle.

"Move out."

"Yes!"

The western suburbs.

To be precise, this place did not fall within the capital itself, but belonged to one of its subordinate counties.

They were heading to Tongling County, which was not far from the city. And with the Heavenly Qilin Guard's Crimson Blood Horses, which carried the bloodline of strange beasts and ran at incredible speed, the journey would take only about an hour.

When they reached the county gates, the county magistrate and a group of constables, who had been waiting there for some time, came forward to greet them.

Chen Mo and Li Yuan showed their badges.

When they saw that the two were Banner Commanders of the Heavenly Qilin Guard, everyone became even more respectful.

"Greetings, Milords."

The short, stout county magistrate, dressed in a green official robe, cupped his hands. "This humble official is Li Minghan. I've been waiting for the two Milords for some time."

In terms of official rank, he was a seventh-rank official of the imperial court, on the same level as the two of them.

But the same rank did not mean the same standing.

The Heavenly Qilin Guard was a special institution with the emperor's express authorization. It wielded enormous power and was notorious for the many brutal methods that struck fear into people's hearts...

A lowly county magistrate like him, with no backing or connections, could not compare with them at all.

"This humble official has prepared a little food and wine. It's getting late, and you've all had a tiring journey. Why not go to an inn first to rest and freshen up? We can discuss everything else tomorrow."

Li Minghan forced a radiant smile.

Beside him, an old constable furrowed his brow, seeming to want to say something. But when he saw the magistrate shoot him a discreet glare, he could only lower his head helplessly.

This wasn't the first time officials from above had been sent here.

They would go through the motions, put on a show, and then leave things at that.

Besides, the two of them were young. The man was handsome and refined, clearly a pampered young master, while the woman carried an outrageously large blade over her shoulder... Neither looked like they had come to investigate a case.

All they had to do was treat them to good food and drink, then send them on their way tomorrow.

"There's no need to rest. Who can tell me the details of this case?"

Chen Mo got straight to the point.

Li Minghan froze. Why wasn't this handsome young master following the usual script?

Was it because there were too many people around, and he couldn't save face unless he put on a show?

Though he grumbled inwardly, he did not dare neglect them. "Head Constable Xing, give the Milords a detailed account of the case, from beginning to end."

"Yes."

The old constable answered and gave them a rough outline of what had happened.

The deaths had started three months ago, one after another within the city.

And all the victims had died in much the same way:

They were all men, dressed in bright red wedding robes, with strange smiles on their faces.

Their skulls had been pried open, and their insides were empty, as if something had eaten everything within.

At this, Chen Mo and Li Yuan exchanged a glance.

"If it were an evil cultivator, there'd be no need to dress the victims in wedding robes. It's probably..."

"A demon ghost!"

The two of them immediately reached the same conclusion.

Only demon ghosts acted this way. Their methods were bizarre and uncanny, and ordinary logic did not apply to them.

Although the Three Saints Sect had driven out most of the demon ghosts, some were bound to slip through the net. Strange calamities and disturbances happened from time to time.

But this was right beneath the emperor's nose, under the clear gaze of heaven. How could they have grown so brazen?

"How many people have died so far?"

Chen Mo asked.

"Twenty-nine."

Constable Xing's voice was heavy.

"That many?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Why did you wait so long to report it?"

Constable Xing shook his head. "We reported the matter to the Capital Yamen two months ago. They sent constables over, led by a seventh-rank martial artist. But he was killed that very night, and died in exactly the same way as the other victims."

"After that, the Heavenly Qilin Guard sent someone too..."

"Ahem!"

At that moment, Li Minghan coughed loudly. Constable Xing caught on and immediately fell silent.

Even a seventh-rank martial artist had died?

No wonder the case had required two Banner Commanders.

Chen Mo's thoughts stirred. "Who did the Heavenly Qilin Guard send last time?"

Constable Xing hesitated, then lowered his voice. "An official surnamed Li from the Ding Fire Bureau. He wandered around the city once, declared the case solved, then returned to the capital the next day."

He'd also drunk ten jars of top-grade wine and taken two hundred taels of silver as travel expenses!

Li Minghan silently added to the account.

They bled the county dry, taking bribes and everything else they could get their hands on. If the Heavenly Qilin Guard came back a few more times, they'd empty out the entire county yamen!

The Ding Fire Bureau's men looked a little uncomfortable at this.

A cold glint flashed in Li Yuan's eyes.

Being crooked and greedy was one thing, but so many people had died, and he had still brushed the case aside. How was that any different from treating human lives like weeds?

She should have let Chen Mo cut him down that day!

"Based on the pattern of the deaths, one person dies every three days on average."

"It's been exactly three days since the last death. I'm afraid tonight..."

Constable Xing's voice grew low.

Everyone looked terrified, and the air grew oppressive.

It was like a blade hanging over their heads. No one knew whether they would be the next to die.

"Come on. Let's go into the city and take a look."

Chen Mo rode through the county gates at the head of the group.

It wasn't even yet the hour of the Rooster, but the streets were already deserted. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut; some had even boarded them up completely.

An atmosphere of panic was spreading through the city.

"Which family was the first to suffer one of these deaths?" Chen Mo asked.

"The Liu Family, in the western part of the city."

"Master Liu was taking a second principal wife. He held a lavish wedding banquet that night, but when they went to make a scene in the bridal chamber, they discovered that he was already dead..."

Constable Xing answered.

"Take me to the Liu Family."

"The rest of you, go investigate the homes of the previous victims. If you find anything unusual, fire a signal arrow."

"Gather at the county yamen before the hour of the Pig."

Chen Mo gave his orders methodically.

"Yes!"

The constables quickly scattered, heading to different parts of the city under the guidance of the constables.

Li Minghan and Head Constable Xing exchanged a glance. Only then did they realize that this young master did not seem to have come here to do nothing but go through the motions...

And Li Yuan, whose nature had always been forceful, offered no objections. She silently followed behind Chen Mo.

Liu Mansion.

The residence was rather grand and luxurious, with high walls and deep courtyards. Its gates were shut tight.

Constable Xing went forward and knocked on the door ring, calling out, "I'm Head Constable Xing of the county yamen. The Heavenly..."

Before he could finish, an impatient voice came from inside. "The mistress has ordered the doors closed to visitors. Constable, please come back another day."

Constable Xing was about to say more when Chen Mo simply lifted his foot and kicked.

Bang!

The door bar snapped, and the heavy solid-wood gates burst open, knocking a servant flat on the ground.

Clutching his reddened forehead, he pointed at Chen Mo and shouted angrily, "How dare you force your way into a private residence? Do you know where you are..."

"Impudence!"

"This is a Banner Commander of the Heavenly Qilin Guard!"

Constable Xing said sternly.

"T-The Heavenly Qilin Guard?!"

At the words, the servant nearly lost his soul in terror.

He scrambled to his feet, dropped to his knees, and kowtowed, his voice trembling. "This lowly servant was blind! I beg the Milord to forgive me!"

Chen Mo ignored him and strode into the courtyard.

Just then, a woman dressed in mourning clothes stepped out of the main hall.

She was graceful and curvaceous, her plump, rounded figure swaying as she walked. She was like a peach ripe to bursting.

At the same time, a prompt flashed before Chen Mo's eyes:

[Special Event Triggered: Liu Family Widow.]

"Looks like I came to the right place after all."

The corner of Chen Mo's mouth curled slightly.