A Widow's Enduring Charm

Training Grounds.

The personnel had already assembled.

Five men each from the Ding Fire Bureau and the Water Bureau, plus two flag officers.

The Heavenly Qilin Guard handled complex affairs and often faced manpower shortages, so inter-departmental cooperation was a common occurrence.

However, the situation this time was somewhat special...

The bailiffs of the Ding Fire Bureau watched that upright figure with nervousness and trepidation in their hearts.

They had witnessed Chen Mo's methods with their own eyes; if they were to accidentally provoke this god of Sha, the consequences would likely be miserable!

Li Yuan stood to the side, silent and wordless, lost in her own thoughts.

Seeing that the hour was growing late, Chen Mo vaulted onto his horse.

"Move out."

"Yes!"

Western suburbs.

To be precise, this area did not belong to the capital city itself, but to a subordinate county.

The place they were heading to was called Tongling County. It was not far from the city, and with the Crimson Blood Horses of the Heavenly Qilin Guard possessing the bloodline of exotic beasts, they were incredibly fast, making it about an hour's journey.

Upon arriving at the county gates, the magistrate and a group of officials who had been waiting there for some time hurried forward to meet them.

Chen Mo and Li Yuan displayed their waist tokens.

Seeing that they were flag officers of the Heavenly Qilin Guard, the crowd's expressions became even more respectful.

"Greetings, my lords."

The magistrate, a short and stout man in green official robes, cupped his hands and said, "This humble official, Li Minghan, has been awaiting your arrival for some time."

In terms of official rank, he was a seventh-rank imperial official, equivalent to the two of them.

But the same rank did not mean the same status.

The Heavenly Qilin Guard was a special agency granted imperial privilege; their power was immense, their reputation notorious, and their various brutal methods were enough to make one's blood run cold...

As a small magistrate with no roots or backing, he could not be mentioned in the same breath.

"This humble official has prepared some wine and food. The hour is late, and you have all traveled far and suffered from the wind and dust; why not head to the tavern first to rest, refresh yourselves, and we can discuss other matters tomorrow."

Li Minghan squeezed out a brilliant smile.

Beside him, an old Head Constable frowned, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing the magistrate glare at him, he could only lower his head in resignation.

This was not the first time someone had been sent from above.

It was nothing more than going through the motions, just enough to get by.

Besides, these two were so young; the man was handsome and noble, clearly a pampered young master, and the woman carried an exaggeratedly large blade on her shoulder... they didn't look like they were here to solve a case at all.

Serve them good food and drink, and send them off tomorrow.

"Resting is unnecessary. Who will tell me the specific details of this case?"

Chen Mo went straight to the point.

Li Minghan was stunned. Why wasn't this handsome young master following the script?

Could it be that there were too many people present, and he wanted to put on a show to save face?

Though he grumbled inwardly, he dared not delay, saying, "Head Constable Xing, report the details to the lords, every bit of it."

"Yes."

The old Head Constable acknowledged the order and gave a rough account of the circumstances.

Since three months ago, murders had been occurring in the city one after another.

And the manner of death was extremely similar:

The victims were all male, dressed in bright red wedding robes, with eerie smiles on their faces.

Their skulls had been pried open, and the insides were completely empty, as if something had eaten everything away.

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

"If it were a rogue cultivator, there would be no need to dress the victims in wedding robes; it is likely..."

"A demon or ghost!"

The two instantly arrived at the same conclusion.

Only demons and ghosts would act in such a manner; their methods were bizarre and could not be judged by conventional logic.

Although the Three Saints Sect had driven out most demons and ghosts, it was inevitable that some would slip through the net, and incidents of strange chaos occurred from time to time.

However, this was under the feet of the Son of Heaven, in the bright light of day—how could they be so rampant?

"How many people have died so far?"

Chen Mo asked.

"Twenty-nine people."

Constable Xing's tone was heavy.

"That many?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "Why did it take so long to report this?"

Constable Xing shook his head. "This matter was reported to the Capital Yamen two months ago. They sent officers over, led by a Seventh-Rank martial artist, but he met a violent death that very night. His state of death was identical to the other victims."

"Later, you Heavenly Qilin Guard sent people..."

"Ahem!"

At this moment, Li Minghan coughed loudly. Constable Xing realized his mistake and immediately fell silent.

Even a Seventh-Rank martial artist died?

No wonder this case required two Flag Sergeants.

Chen Mo's thoughts stirred, and he asked, "Who did the Heavenly Qilin Guard send last time?"

Constable Xing hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice. "It was an official from the Ding Fire Bureau named Li. He wandered around the city for a bit, declared the case closed, and returned to the capital the very next day."

And he drank ten jars of premium wine and pocketed two hundred taels of silver for travel expenses!

Li Minghan added silently to himself.

Sucking the marrow from the bones, extorting and demanding—if the Heavenly Qilin Guard came a few more times, they'd likely empty out the entire county office!

Hearing this, the members of the Ding Fire Bureau all looked somewhat uncomfortable.

A cold glint flashed in Li Yuan's eyes.

Being corrupt is one thing, but with so many people dead, to brush it off so carelessly—how is that any different from treating human lives like grass?

I really should have let Chen Mo cut him down with a single blade that day!

"According to the pattern of the murders, one person dies every three days on average."

"It has been exactly three days since the last death, so tonight, I fear..."

Constable Xing's voice was low and slow.

The others showed expressions of fear, and the atmosphere became incredibly oppressive.

It was like a guillotine hanging over their heads; no one knew if they would be the next to die.

"Let's go. Enter the city and take a look."

Chen Mo took the lead and entered the county gate.

It was not yet the Hour of the Rooster, but the streets were already deserted. Every household had their doors and windows tightly shut, and some had even used wooden planks to seal them off completely.

An atmosphere of panic was spreading throughout the city.

"Which family did this happen to first?"

Chen Mo inquired.

"The Liu Family in the west of the city."

"Master Liu was taking a second wife and held a grand banquet that night. It wasn't until they went to tease the newlyweds in the bridal chamber that they discovered the person was already dead..."

Constable Xing replied.

"Take me to the Liu Mansion."

"The rest of you, head to the homes of the previous victims to investigate. If you find anything unusual, fire a signal whistle."

"Gather at the county office before the Hour of the Boar."

Chen Mo gave his orders in an orderly fashion.

"Yes!"

The officers dispersed quickly, heading to various parts of the city under the guidance of the constables.

Li Minghan and Constable Xing exchanged a glance, realizing that this young master didn't seem to be here just to slack off...

And Li Yuan, who was usually strong-willed, offered no objections and followed silently behind Chen Mo.

Liu Mansion.

The residence was quite luxurious and grand, with high walls and deep courtyards, its main gate tightly shut.

Constable Xing stepped forward to knock on the door ring and called out, "I am Constable Xing from the county office, the Heav..."

Before he could finish, an impatient voice came from inside: "The Mistress has ordered that we are closed to visitors. Please come back another day, Constable."

Constable Xing wanted to say more, but Chen Mo simply raised his foot and kicked the door.

Bang!

The bolt snapped, the heavy solid wood gate burst open, and the servant was knocked flat onto the ground.

He clutched his bright red forehead, pointed at Chen Mo, and shouted angrily, "How dare you trespass into a private residence? Do you know what place this is..."

"Insolent!"

"This person is a Flag Officer of the Heavenly Qilin Guard!"

Constable Xing said in a deep voice.

"H-Heavenly Qilin Guard?!"

Upon hearing these three words, the servant nearly lost his soul in terror.

He scrambled to his feet in a panic, knelt, and kowtowed, his voice trembling as he said, "This lowly one is blind and failed to recognize a superior; I beg the Lord to forgive my sins!"

Chen Mo ignored him and stepped into the courtyard.

Just then, a woman dressed in mourning white walked out from the main hall.

She was graceful and alluring, with a full, curvaceous figure; her waist swayed with every step, much like a perfectly ripened peach.

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

[Special event triggered: Liu Family Widow.]

"It seems I really came to the right place."

The corners of Chen Mo's mouth curled upward slightly.