Killing

The lingering shock in the courtyard had yet to fully subside when a rhythmic, distinct knocking suddenly echoed from the direction of the front gate.

"Who is it?!" the gang members guarding the moon gate immediately barked, though their voices betrayed a hint of trepidation.

"Inspection Bureau. We heard there was an anomaly here and have come to investigate," a young male voice replied from outside.

The Inspection Bureau?!

Lei Tiger's pupils constricted.

Nominally, the Jinmen Inspection Bureau was a branch of the United Government's police department, but everyone in the circle knew that its core personnel were actually the outer tentacles of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau, specifically tasked with handling bizarre and supernatural events.

They were usually elusive, and their appearance almost always meant that a situation had already drawn official attention.

A mysterious Soul Walker had just left, and now the Inspection Bureau was knocking on the door?

Besides, wasn't the Inspection Bureau already overwhelmed by the incident at Green Dragon Shoal? Why would they have the time to come here?

Was it a coincidence, or...

Lei Tiger's mind raced, and he quickly shot a look at Scarface.

Scarface understood, taking two of his more composed subordinates to head toward the front gate.

Lei Tiger himself took a deep breath, straightened his disheveled clothes, signaled his confidant to hide the Ghost Head Blade, and strode out to meet them.

The gate opened.

Three people stood outside, all wearing crisp black uniforms.

Unlike standard police uniforms, these featured a silver-embroidered emblem on the left arm—a crossed sword and shield, with a small character for "Inspect" engraved on the shield's face.

The leader was a young man who looked no older than twenty-seven or twenty-eight, his gaze sharp.

He did not carry many weapons, save for a standard-issue long blade hanging at his waist in a plain scabbard.

But most striking was that just by standing there, he radiated a faint, scorching heat, as if he were a human furnace.

Behind him stood a man and a woman.

The man was slightly older with a steady expression, holding a ledger that looked like a mix of leather and parchment.

The woman had short, ear-length hair and lively eyes; besides a short blade, she carried several small leather pouches at her waist.

"Inspection Bureau, Yue Shan."

The young man's gaze swept over the panic on the gatekeeper's face and the chaos in the courtyard, finally settling on Lei Tiger, as he flashed a black metal token.

"Are you the Black Tiger Gang's Leader Lei? Apologies for the late-night intrusion, but we detected a violent fluctuation of yin energy here and are investigating as per protocol."

As he spoke, his eyes took in the scene of the front courtyard, and his nose twitched almost imperceptibly.

Lei Tiger felt a chill in his heart.

Yue Shan?

He hadn't heard the name, but the scorching blood-energy radiating from the man made the weight of his presence immediately clear.

He was no ordinary Inspection Bureau clerk; he was definitely a core martial artist from the Anomaly Suppression Bureau!

Only those who practiced authentic martial arts and possessed formidable blood-energy could exhibit this faint aura of human yang-fire, capable of repelling all evil.

Compared to the cold, sinister, and mysterious Mr. Song, this Yue Shan brought a different level of oppression—as if one were facing not a man, but a furnace about to erupt.

"So it is Officer Yue,"

Lei Tiger suppressed his suspicion, cupped his fists, and offered a "jianghu" smile mixed with lingering fear. "You officers have come at the right time! I don't know what kind of evil we ran into, but the courtyard suddenly started haunting! Several brothers were injured, and thanks to..."

He paused, quickly weighing the pros and cons; it was best not to mention Mr. Song proactively, especially when facing official forces.

"Thanks to an ancient blade I obtained years ago, and my brothers fighting for their lives, we barely managed to hold on until it stopped."

"Oh?" Yue Shan was noncommittal. He stepped into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the dark, bruised wounds on the injured men before resting on the area where the vengeful spirit had finally dissipated.

He didn't pull out any artifacts like Mr. Song; he simply focused for a moment, then closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a flash of realization crossing them: "Yin energy condensed, heavy with resentment. But it dissipated quickly—there are signs of external intervention and purification."

He turned his gaze to Lei Tiger. "Leader Lei just said you relied on an ancient blade and your brothers fighting for their lives?"

"Pardon my bluntness, but given the concentration of residual yin energy and the nature of the resentment here, ordinary weapons and blood-energy would struggle to resist it, let alone purify it so quickly and thoroughly."

Yue Shan's voice was calm, yet every word was like an awl, piercing straight to the heart of the matter.

Lei Tiger's heart skipped a beat. Knowing he couldn't fool a professional like this, he quickly changed his tune: "Officer Yue is truly sharp-eyed! It is true that a passing expert intervened and used some methods to completely drive the ghost away. I was still in shock and had a slip of the tongue."

"An expert?" Yue Shan pressed. "What did they look like? What methods did they use?"

"This..." Lei Tiger weighed his words. "It was a gentleman in a long gown, carrying a green lantern and shaking a copper bell. As for the methods... I don't really understand them. He only said he was righting a wrong, then left without leaving a name."

His description was half-truth, half-lie, omitting only Mr. Song's identity.

Yue Shan listened quietly, his face expressionless.

The woman behind him whispered to her companion, "A green lantern, a copper bell... sounds like the style of soul-guiding and soul-soothing bells, common among the corpse-drivers of the Southwest, but it's rare to see such clean technique."

Yue Shan nodded slightly and said to Lei Tiger, "Leader Lei, this matter is no longer a standard public security case. Evil arts harming people endanger the public, and the Inspection Bureau has the authority to investigate thoroughly. Please tell me in detail: has your gang had any grudges with anyone recently?"

Lei Tiger put on a look of deep thought, then said indignantly, "Officer Yue, my Black Tiger Gang runs some dock businesses in Jinmen, so it's inevitable that we have some friction with others,"

"But these are all matters of the pugilistic world, where fighting and killing are common. This kind of driving ghosts to harm people... Lei truly cannot fathom it! Unless it is some deviant sorcerer, or..." He paused at just the right moment, his face showing hesitation.

"Or what?" Yue Shan's gaze was stern.

"Or, perhaps some outsiders with unknown backgrounds?" Lei Tiger lowered his voice. "I will not hide it from you, Officer. Recently, there have indeed been some new faces active in Linhe County, their movements secretive. I have heard some rumors, but I have not investigated them thoroughly."

Yue Shan took a long look at Lei Tiger, as if he could see through the schemes deep within the man's heart, but he did not expose them. "Today's incident will be recorded by the Inspection Bureau. All counties and cities in Jinmen are under the jurisdiction of the United Government. Regardless of pugilistic grudges or disputes involving unorthodox paths, everyone must abide by the rules."

"Those who rely on minor heterodox arts or malevolent Sha objects to act recklessly will not be tolerated by the Inspection Bureau or the Anomaly Suppression Bureau. Conduct yourself accordingly."

Having said this, he did not linger, turning and leaving with his two subordinates.

The courtyard fell back into silence, but the atmosphere had already changed.

"Pass down the order," Lei Tiger's voice was hoarse. "All the brothers are to keep a low profile for the time being, but the business at the docks must not be delayed..."