Murder

The shock in the courtyard had yet to fully subside when a steady, rhythmic knock suddenly came from the front gate.

"Who is it?!" The gang member standing near the moon gate immediately shouted hoarsely, though his voice sounded rather unsteady.

"Inspection Bureau. We heard there was unusual activity here, so we've come to investigate." A young man's voice came from outside.

Inspection Bureau?!

Lei Tiger's pupils contracted.

The Jinmen Inspection Bureau was nominally subordinate to the United Government's police department, but everyone in the know understood that its core personnel were actually the Anomaly Suppression Bureau's outer tendrils, tasked with handling strange and bizarre incidents.

They usually appeared and disappeared like dragons, rarely seen. When they did show up, it often meant the authorities had already taken official notice of the matter.

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

Besides, wasn't the Inspection Bureau already swamped by the trouble at Green Dragon Shoal? How could they have the time to come knocking here?

Was it a coincidence, or...

Lei Tiger's thoughts raced. He quickly shot Scarface a meaningful glance.

Scarface understood. Taking two trusted men who were somewhat calmer than the rest, he hurried toward the front courtyard to open the gate,

while Lei Tiger drew a deep breath and straightened his rumpled clothes. He handed the Ghost Head Blade to a trusted subordinate with a gesture to hide it, then strode forward to greet the visitors.

The gate swung open.

Three people stood outside, all dressed in neat black uniforms.

The difference from ordinary police uniforms was the emblem embroidered in silver thread on their left sleeves: crossed sword and shield, with a tiny character for "inspection" etched onto the shield.

The man at the front looked to be only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. His gaze was sharp.

He carried few weapons, just a standard-issue long saber at his waist, its scabbard plain.

But what drew the most attention was that simply standing there, he seemed to radiate a scorching aura, as if he were a living furnace.

Two people stood behind him, a man and a woman.

The man was somewhat older, his expression composed, and he held a hide- or leather-like notebook in his hand.

The woman had short hair cut to her ears and lively eyes. Besides a short blade, she had several small leather pouches hanging at her waist.

"Inspection Bureau. Yue Shan."

The young man's gaze swept over the panic on the face of the man who had opened the gate and the disorder in the courtyard, finally settling on Lei Tiger as he came out to greet them. He displayed a black metal token.

"You must be Gang Leader Lei of the Black Tiger Gang. Sorry to trouble you so late at night. We detected a severe fluctuation in unusual yin energy here, so we've come to investigate as protocol requires."

As he spoke, his eyes had already taken in the front courtyard. His nose twitched almost imperceptibly.

Lei Tiger's heart tightened.

Yue Shan?

He had never heard the name, but the scorching, vigorous vitality radiating from the man immediately told him how formidable his visitor was.

He was no ordinary Inspection Bureau employee. He had to be a true core martial artist of the Anomaly Suppression Bureau!

Only those who cultivated orthodox martial arts and possessed powerful vital energy could give off such a faint aura of human yang fire, driving evil spirits away.

Compared to Mr. Song's sinister, elusive presence, Yue Shan exerted an entirely different kind of pressure. It was as if Lei Tiger were facing not a man, but a furnace on the verge of erupting.

"So you're Officer Yue."

Suppressing his alarm, Lei Tiger clasped his hands and put on a martial world smile mixed with lingering fear. "You officers arrived just in time! I don't know what evil we ran afoul of, but ghosts suddenly started making trouble in the courtyard! Several of my men were hurt. Fortunately..."

He paused, swiftly weighing the pros and cons. It was best not to bring up Mr. Song unprompted, especially in front of the authorities.

"Fortunately, I had an old blade that wards off evil, and my brothers fought with everything they had. We barely made it through. Things had only just settled down."

"Oh?" Yue Shan made no comment. He stepped into the courtyard, his eyes passing over the blue-black wounds on the injured men before stopping at the spot where the vengeful spirit had finally vanished.

He didn't take out any kind of magical artifact as Mr. Song had. He simply focused his gaze there for a moment, then closed his eyes, as if sensing something.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a look of understanding flashing through them. "Yin energy gathered here, and the resentment was deep. But it dissipated very quickly. There are signs that an outside force intervened and purified it."

His gaze turned to Lei Tiger. "Gang Leader Lei just said that you made it through with an old blade and your men fighting desperately?"

"Forgive my bluntness, but given the concentration of yin energy and the nature of the resentment left behind, ordinary weapons and vital energy would hardly have been enough to resist it, much less purify it so quickly and thoroughly."

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

Lei Tiger's heart skipped. Knowing he couldn't deceive an expert like this, he quickly changed his story. "Officer Yue, you see everything clearly! It's true, a passing expert came to our aid afterward and used some sort of technique to completely drive off the ghost. I was still shaken and misspoke."

"An expert?" Yue Shan pressed. "What did he look like? What technique did he use?"

"Well..." Lei Tiger chose his words carefully. "He was a gentleman in a long robe, carrying a green lantern and shaking a copper bell. As for his technique... I don't really understand it myself. He only said he couldn't stand by when he saw injustice. After helping us, he left without giving his name."

His description was half true and half false. He had simply omitted Mr. Song's identity.

Yue Shan listened quietly, his face expressionless.

But the woman behind him murmured to her companion, "A green lantern, a copper bell... Sounds like a soul-guiding and spirit-settling bell technique, commonly used by Soul Walkers and corpse drivers in the southwest. But it's rare to see such a skillful practitioner."

Yue Shan gave a slight nod, then said to Lei Tiger, "Gang Leader Lei, this is no ordinary public-order case. Evil arts have been used to harm people and endanger the public. The Inspection Bureau has the authority to investigate further. Tell me in detail: has your gang had a falling-out with anyone recently?"

Lei Tiger put on a pensive look, then said indignantly, "Officer Yue, my Black Tiger Gang does business around the docks in Jinmen. Naturally, we've had some friction with people here and there.

"But those are all matters of the martial world. Fights and bloodshed are common. As for using ghosts to harm people... I can't think of anyone! Unless it was some crooked-minded practitioner of the martial arts, or..." He stopped at just the right moment, looking hesitant.

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

"Or some outsiders whose background we don't know?" Lei Tiger lowered his voice. "To be honest, Officer, there have been some unfamiliar faces moving around Linhe County recently, acting mysteriously. I've heard a few rumors, but haven't looked into them closely."

Yue Shan gave Lei Tiger a long look, as if he could see right through the calculations buried deep in his heart, but he didn't call him out. "The Inspection Bureau will enter tonight's events into its records. All counties and cities in Jinmen fall under the United Government's jurisdiction. Whether it's a feud in the martial world or a dispute between unorthodox practitioners, everyone must abide by the rules."

"Those who rely on a little unorthodox sorcery or some baleful object to run wild will not be tolerated by the Inspection Bureau or the Anomaly Suppression Bureau. Take care of yourself."

With that, he didn't linger. He turned and left with his two subordinates.

Silence settled over the courtyard once more, but the atmosphere had changed.

"Pass down my orders," Lei Tiger said hoarsely. "All our men are to keep a low profile for the time being, but don't let the dock business suffer..."