Yu Xiu Investigates the People Yu Xiu Killed?

Let Yu Xiu investigate the murders committed by Yu Xiu? Guiping County, County Office.

Guo Boyan sat at the head of the table, brow furrowed: "Has it still not been determined which demonic force is causing chaos behind the scenes in Guiping County?"

He appeared middle-aged, his expression etched with fatigue.

Someone below replied: "Yu Shang has been tracking this matter, and I hear he has already made some headway."

Guo Boyan nodded: "Yu Shang's work is indeed reassuring."

"However, demonic disturbances in the same location should have been reported to the sect together as a mission. Yet, at present, only the Shadow Demon in Lushui Town has been clearly identified..."

At this point, Guo Boyan paused: "Have any fellow disciples from the sect gone to Lushui Town to eliminate the demon?"

The person below replied: "We have yet to see any senior brothers from the Inner Court come to the County Office to retrieve information, nor have we seen anyone come to take over the mission."

"Hm?" Guo Boyan was surprised, then a thought struck him: "Could something have gone wrong?"

In the past, once the threat of a Shadow Demon was reported to the sect, it would quickly be posted as a mission and accepted by disciples; the entire process would take no more than a day.

By this timeline, fellow disciples from the sect should have arrived long ago!

Lushui Town.

A young man with a well-proportioned, upright figure and a rather striking appearance stepped lightly into the town.

The town, which had previously been devoid of human presence, now had a few pedestrians about.

"Has the Shadow Demon here been dealt with?" Yu Shang felt a stir in his heart.

If the Shadow Demon had not been dealt with, the people in the town would have kept their doors tightly shut, with few venturing outside.

He silently took out the 'Demon-Seeking Bead', captured a wisp of faint demonic aura, and headed straight toward the east.

Before long, a thatched cottage entered Yu Shang's field of vision. He swept his gaze over it, crouched down outside the cottage, and touched the marks on the ground with his hand: "Such formidable Sword Qi."

If it were not for a cultivator, an ordinary person stepping on these sword marks would likely have been slashed by the residual Sword Qi.

"Two different types of Sword Qi. One is sharper and more refined; the latter, while also powerful, is far inferior to the former." His heart tightened: "Internal strife among fellow disciples?"

The Qingwei Sword Sect is the heaven of Yan Province, and also the strongest sword cultivation sect in Yan Province. If nothing went wrong, such Sword Qi must belong to fellow disciples of the Sword Sect.

He slowed his pace, walked into the cottage, and saw the bloodstains on the ground, as well as the residual Sword Qi in the fine details and the increasingly faint demonic aura.

"The Shadow Demon was slain! And fellow disciples were also slain!" He sensed that the matter was troublesome.

Finally, his gaze rested on the floor of the main room. He drew his sword and cut open the loose ground.

"Hiss!" He gasped, seeing several fellow disciples lying dead beneath the earth.

"This is bad!"

Not long after, Guo Boyan and the others from the County Office arrived in a hurry. Looking at the nine corpses laid out side by side in the thatched cottage, they all fell into silence.

Fellow disciples!

They were all disciples of the Inner Court!

Guo Boyan looked at the clerk who handled liaison with the sect: "How many people from the sect accepted the mission to slay the Shadow Demon in Lushui Town, and who were they?"

The clerk, who looked to be nearly fifty, recalled carefully for a moment: "Only four Inner Court disciples accepted this mission."

He walked to the nine corpses laid out, identified them carefully, and pointed to Qin Shu, Zhao Zheng, Ruan Fei, and Zhang Yun: "Not one is missing, they are all here."

Guo Boyan and Yu Shang exchanged a look.

Four people accepted the mission, yet nine arrived, and another powerful individual had already killed them and left!

These nine Inner Court disciples were certainly not clean, so who was the one who killed them and left?

"Report this to the sect immediately, with every detail." Guo Boyan's expression was grave.

Nine Inner Court disciples dead at once, and within the borders of Yan Province—how could the sect not hold someone accountable?

He rubbed his brow and looked at Yu Shang again: "Have you found out what kind of demon is causing chaos behind the scenes in Guiping County?"

Yu Shang: "This disciple tracked it all the way, and finally stopped before Tantan Lake."

"Stopped at Tantan Lake?" Guo Boyan asked: "Is it dangerous?"

Yu Shang: "There should be Shadow Demons there that have surpassed the Ascending Dragon Four Passes and touched upon the Four Great Passes. The number is unknown, but there is definitely more than one!"

Guo Boyan took a deep breath: "In that case, I fear experts from the main sect will have to come!"

Qingwei Sword Sect, Emerald Bamboo Mountain, Inner Court, Law Enforcement Hall.

A disciple hurried into the hall and handed a 'Sound-Image Stone' to the Hall Master sitting behind the desk, Su Wenjin: "Hall Master, an urgent report from Guiping County!"

Su Wenjin, who appeared middle-aged with a short beard, was dignified and severe. He was not one for levity, and ordinary people would feel a sense of fear just by looking at him.

'Guiping County?' Su Wenjin took the Sound-Image Stone and activated it.

A scene was projected outward.

Lushui Town, the thatched cottage, the corpses, the Inner Court disciples, the sword marks!

"The identities of these nine disciples have already been verified." The disciple stepped forward at the opportune moment, reciting the names of Fang Jiming and the others one by one.

"To think that nine Inner Court disciples died in a tiny place like Lushui Town!" A flash of Sha Qi appeared in Su Wenjin's eyes, though he quickly regained his composure. "Explain in detail why Qin Shu and Zhao Zheng of the Flying Smoke Society were mixed up with Fang Jiming, Song Yue, and the others from the Wind Image Society."

The disciple replied, "There was no issue with Qin Shu, Zhao Zheng, and the other two from the Flying Smoke Society; they had accepted the mission to slay demons in Lushui Town and appeared there accordingly.

"However, Yuan Shu, Song Yue, and the other two from the Wind Image Society had accepted demon-slaying missions in Donghe Prefecture and Baishou Prefecture. Fang Jiming was not among them, so they should not have appeared in Lushui Town.

"Furthermore, I checked the records of the flying ship taken by Qin Shu, Zhao Zheng, and the others that day. There was a fifth person among them: Yu Xiu.

"But there is no registration for Yu Xiu in the Lushui Town demon-slaying mission, nor is he among the dead."

"Yu Xiu!" A thought stirred in Su Wenjin's heart. "It was Yu Xiu who exposed Fang Jiming's younger brother, Fang Jibai, for breaking through his realm using evil arts back then, correct?"

The disciple nodded. "Exactly."

Su Wenjin suddenly understood. "What is Yu Xiu's strength?"

The disciple answered, "On the surface, he is at the first level of the Qi Sea. He has only been in the Inner Court for two months."

"On the surface?" Su Wenjin asked. "Have you checked the Library Pavilion?"

"I have. Around the twentieth day after entering the Inner Court, Yu Xiu broke through the third pass of the Ascending Dragon, the Qi Sea, and entered the fourth pass, the Life Spring. He then selected a Life Spring realm cultivation technique and sword manual from the Library Pavilion.

"Additionally, the Library Pavilion Elder once kept Yu Xiu by his side to cultivate for a night and was shocked by his astonishing comprehension.

"In the Elder's own words, a month has passed; with Yu Xiu's aptitude, he must have already broken through the Life Spring and entered the first of the Four Great Passes."

Su Wenjin was shaken. "In less than two months, he broke through three passes of the Qi Sea and the fourth pass, the Life Spring?!"

With such aptitude, the Inner Court had likely not seen his like in decades!

The disciple remained silent for a moment. "Hall Master, should we pursue accountability for this?"

Su Wenjin pondered for a long time. "When Yu Xiu returns to the sect, designate him to investigate the deaths of Fang Jiming and the others. It can serve as his mission for promotion to the Main Sect. There must be a result."

Yu Xiu killed them, and now he is to investigate it? The disciple was stunned for a moment before quickly realizing the implication.

Fang Jiming and the others had harbored ulterior motives; they deserved to die anyway.

"This disciple will see to it at once." He acknowledged the order and withdrew.

In the Law Enforcement Hall, only Su Wenjin remained, seemingly lost in thought. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk, though the tempo was somewhat erratic.

"Within two months, breaking through three passes of the Qi Sea and the fourth pass, the Life Spring...

"What a fine Yu Xiu!" The lingering words echoed throughout the empty hall.

Fang Jiming did not die in vain!