Are You Serious? (Seeking Follows, Seeking Votes)

Just as Chu Ming was considering how to dispose of the corpse, a voice drifted from the mouth of the alley.

"I'm not going in; Chief Constable Hou can go in himself."

"I have to go in?"

"Hm? Captain Zhang, what kind of look is that?!"

"Chief Constable Hou, I haven't tasted the heart and liver of a martial artist yet." Zhang Yi's eyes suddenly turned blood-red, and he licked his lips, staring obsessively at Hou Ping's chest.

Hou Ping was startled and instinctively covered his chest, though he felt something was off. "Captain Zhang, are you being serious?"

However, his only response was Zhang Yi lunging at him.

Hou Ping was merely a martial artist who had condensed five strands of blood energy, while Zhang Yi practiced the Blood Refining Technique and had condensed six. Caught off guard, Hou Ping was tackled to the ground instantly.

"Sss-ro~"

Saliva dripped from the corner of Zhang Yi's mouth, landing on Hou Ping's face.

Zhang Yi pinned him down as if he were a woman, holding Hou Ping firmly in place while his right hand formed a claw in the air, viciously swiping toward Hou Ping's chest.

Hou Ping surged his blood energy, struggling with all his might, but he could not break free.

It's over!

Bang—

But the next instant, the claw did not descend, his chest remained unscarred, and Zhang Yi, who had been pinning him down, was sent flying for reasons unknown.

Hou Ping scrambled to his feet, catching only a glimpse of a figure flashing past him at high speed, leaving behind a faint scent of... ink?

"That was... Brother Fang's young master?"

The build was very similar.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he wanted to chase after him to check, but he tripped over something. He looked down.

A corpse? Zhang Yi?

No, Zhang Yi's build was larger than this.

That must be Zhang Yi over there.

He narrowed his eyes and looked toward the corner of the alley directly ahead, where Zhang Yi was slumped motionless, looking as if...

Hou Ping walked over to investigate.

"He's actually dead!"

He stood there in a daze, a chill running down his spine.

A long time passed before he finally calmed down, reflecting on everything that had transpired.

"Zhang Yi, a Deputy Captain of the Criminal Defense Division, practiced the Blood Refining Technique and intended to kill me to devour my heart and liver!"

Hou Ping stared at the Blood Fiend Body-Forging Technique he had scavenged from Zhang Yi's inner lining, his heart rate accelerating once more.

"If someone hadn't intervened just now, I would have..."

"That person..." The image of that somewhat slender figure resurfaced in his mind, along with that scent of ink...

The same person popped into Hou Ping's mind again—the young master of Brother Fang's household!

Because the scent of ink on both of them was nearly identical.

He had been a Chief Constable for over a decade and had handled countless cases.

Experience told him that no detail could be ignored; because of this ink scent, he believed that the one who saved him might very well be Brother Fang's young master.

"But... didn't that young master only just start condensing his blood energy?"

Zhang Yi was a Captain of the Criminal Defense Division; even he wasn't a match for him, so how could Brother Fang's young master kill him instantly?

Impossible!

Even if that young master were truly a genius who had optimized the Tiger Python Force, he would never be a match for a Zhang Yi who had condensed six strands of blood energy, let alone kill him in a single blow.

Hou Ping cast the thought aside and walked over to the corpse he had tripped over earlier, crouching down to inspect it.

"The tea stall owner?!"

Didn't this person run away?

Hm? No!

He was suddenly struck by a realization.

"Zhang Yi said the tea stall owner and that young girl had fled, but Zhang Yi was the other mole. That means... he intentionally lured Brother Fang, Instructor Lin, and the others away, and then made his move on me?"

"Do I even have the status to warrant that?"

Hou Ping looked at the two corpses, his eyes darting around.

"Or could it be that their true target was the person who killed the tea stall owner—the one who saved me?"

Brother Fang's young master had counter-killed the tea stall owner?!

And saved me while he was at it?!

A cold wind blew, and Hou Ping shivered.

"Brother Fang and the others were tricked; they definitely won't be able to catch up."

"This place is not suitable for lingering. Let's return to the Catching Yamen first."

Late at night.

Hou Ping was waiting anxiously in the Yamen hall when several figures entered from outside, their faces etched with indignation and exhaustion.

"Didn't catch them?"

"Mn." Shao Pengshu grabbed a pot of cold tea and gulped down several mouthfuls. "We didn't even see a shadow."

Fang Xiao looked solemn, while Lin Zhenwu stood to the side, holding his long spear with a look of guilt. "Old Fang, it's my fault for arriving late."

Tan Hong, who was behind them, looked around and suddenly asked, "Chief Constable Hou, where is Zhang Yi?"

"Where is that kid? Where the hell did he go? How did he track them!" Shao Pengshu scolded.

The two minor bailiffs outside twitched their lips and looked toward the corner of the Yamen hall.

Hou Ping slowly stood up, walked over, and kicked the white cloth covering the floor. "He died here."

Lin Zhenwu and Fang Xiao turned their heads in unison.

Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong did not react immediately. "Chief Constable Hou?"

"He died here." Hou Ping pulled back the white cloth, revealing two corpses: one was a withered old man, and the other was Zhang Yi, wearing the Flying Fish Robe of the Criminal Defense Division.

"Old Zhang!" Tan Hong rushed over in a single stride. "Chief Constable Hou, what is going on? How could Old Zhang be dead?!"

His tone was heavy with accusation, and the gaze that should have been reserved for criminals was now fixed firmly on Hou Ping.

It was as if Hou Ping were the murderer.

For a moment, no one even noticed the corpse of the tea stall owner.

"Chief Constable Hou, you must explain this to me clearly!" Shao Pengshu drew his Embroidered Saber, pointing it at Hou Ping in uncontrollable rage.

"Regarding the matter from a few days ago, Zhang Yi, Tan Hong, and I have already offered our apologies. You also know it was Instructor Fang who made us put on that act. Even if Zhang Yi's attitude was poor, it shouldn't be a capital offense, right?!"

Once he said this, it was no longer a question; he had already concluded that Hou Ping had harbored a grudge over the staged act from a few days prior and had killed Zhang Yi while they were out of town chasing the tea stall owner and the young girl.

The atmosphere in the Yamen hall became instantly oppressive, with the clear implication that if Hou Ping did not provide an explanation, he would be dealt with on the spot.

Seeing this, Fang Xiao hurriedly stepped in front of Hou Ping. "Constable Shao, Constable Tan, could you please let Hou Ping explain?"

Hou Ping did not speak; he simply pulled the white cloth away completely and picked up two wooden plaques from the bodies of Zhang Yi and the withered man.

At this moment, Lin Zhenwu also furrowed his brows and came over to examine the two corpses.

"Blood Fiend Cult?"

On the front of both blood-stained wooden plaques, the three characters for Blood Fiend Cult were written.

Turning them over, the one belonging to the tea stall owner bore the words: Hong Yan, Lower Protector.

The back of Zhang Yi's plaque, however, read: Zhang Yi.

If the plaques were genuine, then Zhang Yi was a false name.

"Shao Pengshu, Tan Hong, put your blades away first." Lin Zhenwu already had a guess in mind as he continued to examine the two bodies.

The withered old man's chest was sunken, with a palm print visible to the naked eye; in a similar position, Zhang Yi's chest also bore a palm print.

Aside from these two similar palm prints, there were no other fatal wounds on either of them.

In other words, both men had been killed by a single strike from the same palm technique.

He then pried open their mouths and noses, and even examined their internal organs.

"There are undigested, rotting organs in their stomachs; it looks like they were already rotting when they were consumed."

"The blood of both men is dark in color and contains a faint trace of Sha Qi. They must have practiced the same type of Blood Fiend cultivation method."

As an expert who had condensed eleven strands of Qi and blood, Lin Zhenwu easily discerned the general condition of the two corpses.

He stood up slowly, took the plaques from Hou Ping's hand, and looked at Shao Pengshu and Tan Hong. "The material of the plaques is the same, and they have been crafted for a long time."

The implication was that the plaques were not faked by Hou Ping on the spur of the moment.

"This person is the tea stall owner we were chasing."