Purpose

City Guard Main Division.

Xu Hongyu wore a white Flying Fish Uniform and led several dozen people straight out of the General Office through the drizzling rain, vanishing into the streets and alleys of the South District.

On the third floor of the General Office, He Mingxuan stood by the window, watching Xu Hongyu depart with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression cold.

"My lord, are we simply not going to interfere in the matter of the Black Crow Sect?"

A man in a Dark Green Yamen Director Uniform stood waiting beside him. Watching Xu Hongyu's back disappear, he could not help asking He Mingxuan in a low voice.

He Mingxuan overlooked the South District beneath the drizzle and said blandly, "If she wants to do it, let her do it. I have some idea of the Black Crow Sect's affairs as well. I can roughly guess one or two things about their purpose, and it has already displeased some people above. Interfering rashly in this matter will bring us no benefit whatsoever."

"Besides, the Black Crow Sect has been entrenched for many years, and its main altar is located underground. It will not be easy to deal with."

Destroying the Black Crow Sect would certainly yield some spoils; after all, it was a force that had taken root for many years. But after learning how troublesome it was, He Mingxuan decided not to meddle.

There was no need to fight over something that might cost effort without earning thanks. Most of the people Xu Hongyu had mobilized were her own. If the Black Crow Sect proved sufficiently sinister and cunning, Xu Hongyu might suffer grievous losses this time. By then, her authority in the City Guard would weaken further, and suppressing him, the Deputy General Director, would become harder than climbing to the heavens.

Amid the drizzling rain.

A large force from the City Guard moved solemnly, their Killing Intent surging to the heavens. For a time, nearly every household shut its doors in panic. Wherever they went, street after street and alley after alley were emptied in an instant, without a single figure in sight.

Yet this large-scale operation was neither a search for bandits nor a door-to-door tax collection. It was an operation to seize the Black Crow Sect's stronghold. The many Yamen Runners scarcely paused as they hurried straight toward it.

Very soon.

The Yamen Runners of the Nine Stripes Ward Guard Office, led by Min Baoyi, all arrived at the location of the Black Crow Sect's stronghold.

This stretch of streets and alleys still held shadowy figures. Some commoners with numb eyes braved the fine rain, hiding incense sticks in their clothes as they hurried to burn incense at the Black Crow Sect's temple. Even when they saw the large number of Yamen Runners appear, they remained so numb that they barely reacted.

"Attack!"

With a ringing clang, Min Baoyi drew his Yamen Saber and pointed it at the Black Crow Sect's stronghold. He said in a deep voice, "The Black Crow Sect deceives the ignorant people, squeezes them for silver, and kidnaps people. Its crimes are too numerous to be recorded... By order of the General Office, seize every last member of the Black Crow Sect!"

At Min Baoyi's command, the five Head Runners, Chen Mu among them, had already each led a force into position and swiftly encircled the entire Black Crow Sect stronghold. Then they charged in fiercely.

Chen Mu strolled through the drizzle. Along the way, he did not encounter any resistance worth mentioning. He did not even need to draw his blade; Liu Song, Li Tie, and the other Yamen Runners beside him swiftly ended the fighting.

In merely a short while.

Of the roughly hundred Black Crow Sect members in the stronghold, some were dead and some captured. Along with several poor commoners who had been beguiled by the Black Crow Sect, they were temporarily detained in one courtyard under Qin Bei's guard.

Min Baoyi, Chen Mu, Wang Gong, and the others then came to the courtyard Chen Mu had scouted earlier, where the Black Crow Sect's hidden passage underground was located. They ordered the Yamen Runners to search it carefully.

The courtyard was soon turned upside down.

Before long, they found a hollow section within one wall of the inner room, but could not locate the mechanism.

"Stand back."

After examining it closely, Min Baoyi waved his hand, signaling the people still searching in confusion to retreat. Then, with a ringing clang, he drew his Yamen Saber and suddenly struck twice at the wall.

Amid cracking sounds, the hard, thick wall was cleaved apart by Min Baoyi's blade as though it were tofu, revealing a pitch-black passage slanting downward behind it.

"Looks like this is the place."

Min Baoyi narrowed his eyes as he looked into the passage. It was extremely deep, and its end could not be seen.

Wang Gong said in a deep voice, "This place is entirely unknown. There may well be dangerous traps within. I think we should first interrogate those Black Crow Sect members and see whether we can extract any useful intelligence before taking the next step."

Min Baoyi sheathed his Yamen Saber and nodded slightly. "That makes sense."

Chen Mu also looked at the passage, deep in thought. They had encountered almost no meaningful resistance all the way here, and the many Black Crow Sect members they had captured were virtually all ordinary personnel. There was not even a single incense master among them.

The more it was like this, the more it showed the importance of this underground passage. The Black Crow Sect's upper ranks must all have retreated into it, completely abandoning the surface portion.

"Zhong Chang, Wang Gong, you two guard this place. Chen Mu, take your men and search everywhere for any other clues. I'll go to Qin Bei's side and see whether we can interrogate some leads out of them."

Min Baoyi quickly made the arrangements.

Everyone responded and swiftly began moving on their separate tasks.

Since Chen Mu had once explored the Black Crow Sect's stronghold at night, he was fairly familiar with the place. He led Liu Song and the others through the rooms one by one, but after searching everything, they found nothing.

When he returned to the courtyard, he happened to see Min Baoyi approaching with a grim face. Clearly, the interrogation had also yielded nothing. The captured Black Crow Sect members did not even know about the underground main altar or the hidden passage. Like the two men Chen Mu had casually grabbed that night, they knew nothing when asked three questions.

"Wang Gong, arrange for people to go down and investigate."

Min Baoyi spoke in a deep voice.

Since there were no clues anywhere and the interrogations had produced nothing, they could only send people down to explore. In any case, they still had many Black Crow Sect members whom they could drive ahead of them. By advancing step by step and exploring slowly, they would sooner or later uncover the underground area.

Wang Gong nodded with a dark expression. Naturally, he did not like descending underground to investigate under such completely unknown circumstances, but there was no other way now. He soon seized several Black Crow Sect members and had people drive them down together, investigating batch by batch.

After a while.

The first group to descend returned, their bodies stained with patches of blood. Of the four Yamen Runners, one was heavily injured and one lightly injured, having been struck by concealed mechanisms and hidden arrows in the tunnel. As for the Black Crow Sect members driven ahead of them, every one of them had died.

After learning the details, Wang Gong waved his hand and had them go rest and treat their wounds. He then replaced them with another group, once again driving several Black Crow Sect members ahead as they went down to explore anew.

This continued repeatedly.

After half a day had passed, more than ten Yamen Runners had been injured and over thirty Black Crow Sect members had died. The general layout of the underground passage gradually emerged, yet they still had not reached its end.

But judging from the clues, this passage was extremely long and had long since extended far from their current location. Its direction seemed to lead toward Two Stripes Ward.

According to the map, it more precisely led toward the center of Two Stripes Ward, Nine Stripes Ward, and Wutong Ward.

"So their main altar really is set at the center of the three wards."

Min Baoyi spoke in a deep voice.

Just as he was about to order someone to relay this news to the other parties, a burst of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"How are things progressing?"

A cool voice sounded, one Chen Mu knew very well.

When he turned around, he saw a woman in a white Flying Fish Uniform and a conical hat walk into the courtyard through the drizzle. More than a dozen Yamen Runners followed beside her. It was Xu Hongyu, the South District's Chief Constable, whom he had not seen for some time.

The drizzling rain seemed like a curtain, lending an added hazy beauty to the cool jade-like face beneath her hat.

"Greetings, Chief Constable."

The Head Runners and Yamen Runners in the courtyard did not dare look too much. They all bowed respectfully.

Min Baoyi also saluted, then quickly described the current situation.

After hearing him out, Xu Hongyu nodded slightly. "I will immediately transfer people over to hold this position. Suspend exploration at the other two locations. We will open a breach from your side, then force our way in."

There were passages in all three locations, and every passage contained mechanisms and traps. Naturally, there was no need to waste manpower advancing along all three routes. Opening the passage through Nine Stripes Ward and attacking their main altar would be enough.

But just then.

A figure in a straw rain cape suddenly hurried over. It was Xiao He, Xu Hongyu's personal maid, whom Chen Mu had seen several times before. With a grave expression, she quickly came to Xu Hongyu's side and whispered something into her ear.

"Is that true?"

Xu Hongyu's expression changed slightly.

"There is a ninety percent chance."

Xiao He nodded gravely.

Xu Hongyu's face instantly darkened. She said in a deep voice, "No more exploration. Gather everyone at once and follow me inside!"

Min Baoyi and the others standing nearby had also heard Xiao He's quiet report, and every one of them changed color.

Chen Mu had heard it as well, and his gaze turned cold.

Xiao He's intelligence was this... the Black Crow Sect was using some secret technique to cultivate and control a kind of Gray-skinned Demon Rat, calling it a "Guardian God." The rat itself was not particularly strong, but once it bit someone, the victim would suffer spasms and epilepsy at best, or descend into madness at worst, biting others and becoming almost like the source of a plague.

These Gray-skinned Demon Rats had not yet been fully cultivated, and the ones appearing in the city were merely offspring. Once they were fully completed, they could rapidly spread throughout the entire city. At that time, the lives and deaths of the Outer City's million inhabitants would be in their hands; with a single thought, they could make jade and stone burn together!

By then, even the great Lineages of the Inner City could only hesitate to strike at the rat for fear of breaking the vase. The Black Crow Sect would rise in one leap into a force capable of negotiating with the Inner City's great Lineages, seeking power and influence from it.