Hidden Arrangements

Su Che felt that his ability to lie without batting an eye was already unparalleled.

Sending Lu Bai to Jiankang was definitely not just about making money.

Money was very important to my past self, but it has no meaning to me now.

Money is merely a tool to enable me to fulfill my desires and ambitions.

The important thing is to bring the people of the Duling Su Clan to Tian'an County and Ci Prefecture.

Zhu Yi did not have suitable official robes, and Su Che expressed his understanding.

With the Chiwen Ring mythical beast) in place, not only can the official robes of the Deputy Judicial Thousand-Householder be obtained at will, but even the imperial robes of the current emperor can be obtained at will.

Su Che wrote a letter, stamped it with the seal of the Deputy Judicial Thousand-Householder that he always carried with him, and handed it to Zhu Yi, asking him to go to the Tian'an County Office to borrow people.

The Imperial Demon Hunters Imperial Demon Hunters have clear regulations requiring them to conceal their identities when stationed in local areas, but these regulations were inflexible and dated back many years.

Those prominent figures in Tian'an County naturally knew who Zhu, the silk shop owner, was, just as they knew that Tongde Tower was owned by the Langya Wang Clan.

Some things and identities are destined to be revealed.

The constables arrived quickly, a total of sixteen, led by a head constable. They all looked very energetic and brought their full set of weapons, including iron rulers, long knives, and ropes.

However, each of them looked quite tense.

Exorcising demons and catching ghosts is basically no longer the responsibility of the yamen runners in this world.

It wasn't their responsibility to begin with.

Without further ado.

Zhu Yi fastened his leather belt, donned the official uniform of the Imperial Demon Hunters, and wore a black gauze hat. Years of experience Imperial Demon Hunters still carried a hint of Sha Qi. With a single glance, the constables all trembled in awe.

"This time we're taking Corpse Demon. Don't be afraid. Just treat this worthless monster like a thief with a bit more strength."

"You will follow behind me, be careful and vigilant. Do exactly what I tell you to do, and don't do anything unnecessary. If you do a good job, the magistrate will record your merits, and we will also award you a separate reward."

"If you don't do a good job, let me make it clear from the outset: don't blame the law for being heartless!"

After speaking, Zhu Yi bowed to Su Che.

"Does Your Honor have anything to say?"

"You just need to lead the people and get things done."

Su Che did not go to the county government office, but had already told Zhu Yi the location of the old house. This man was also a veteran among the Imperial Demon Hunters, so he naturally knew how to handle the situation.

As for those few Corpse Demon...

Zhu Yi is right, they are all good-for-nothings.

Not to mention that these yamen runners were fully armed, and with Zhu Yi, the old Imperial Demon Hunters, personally overseeing the situation, even a group of desperate peasants could drive them away.

Zhu Yi led the way, following Su Che's previous instructions, with the head constable and his men following closely behind. Although the procession wasn't exactly grand, it still attracted countless sidelong glances.

Tian'an County is used to a life of peace and prosperity, so the official uniforms of the Imperial Demon Hunters were still too conspicuous on the streets.

This should be the right place.

Looking at the white walls and black tiles in front of him, Zhu Yi realized he had been neglecting his duties for the past few years. Whose house was this secluded mansion?

Who owned this house before?

"It's the old residence of the Shen Household in the county. Five or six years ago, the county was hit by a plague, and many people died. The entire Shen Household, regardless of social status, perished. The county ordered the sealing off of their residence."

The head constable stated very clearly. "I was the one who handled this task back then, and the coffin should have remained sealed inside the Shen Household's main hall."

"No burial?"

Zhu Yi frowned.

Generally speaking, in cases like this where the entire family has been wiped out, if no one is available to collect the remains, the government should organize the burial.

Tian'an County, however, did not take this step.

"My lord, the imperial court has such laws, but in our Tian'an, funeral rites emphasize that each person should be buried according to their own lineage. After a person dies, their family members should handle the funeral arrangements. Those whose entire lineage has been wiped out are considered to have failed their ancestors and are not allowed to be buried here."

Strange and unusual.

Zhu Yi was certainly aware of the customs of Tian'an County, but he simply wanted to use the head constable to speak to the magistrate of the Ministry of Justice and exonerate himself.

"Old Zhu, we're here on business, let's not bring up old grievances."

Su Che interjected.

"Work."

"Understood."

Zhu Yi adjusted the straight sword with a ring pommel at his waist, walked a few steps to the entrance of the Shen Household, which was sealed by Tian'an County.

Exposed to wind and sun, rain and frost, the seal has long since become unrecognizable.

"The Imperial Demon Hunters of Ci Prefecture Thousand-Household Office, is hereby ordered to open the seal."

As he spoke, he flicked his hand through the Ling Kong, and a burst of energy peeled the seal off piece by piece. With a flick of his palms, a gust of wind caused the long-rotten door to creak and slowly open.

What a skillful way to arrange Tree-Coiling Roots!

Su Che silently praised him.

The cultivators among the Imperial Demon Hunters are different from those from the Jianghu (martial arts world) in the Night Pacification Bureau. They were originally elites under the command of the Great Liang, so most of them follow the path of Martial Confucian Lineage.

Regardless of Zhu Yi's reputation in Tian'an County, the swiftness with which he acted just now shows that he hasn't forgotten the foundation upon which his family stands.

Since it's the government's weapon, then we still have to rely on force to decide things.

Withered vines and old trees, broken wells and crumbling walls—the gate opened, startling a crow into cawing. Zhu Yi drew his long sword and slowly walked into this long-sealed mansion.

The head constable led a group of constables close behind.

"Do you remember where the body was laid to rest back then?"

"It should be in the lobby."

Zhu Yi bypassed the screen wall, swept his long sword across, cutting through the withered grass and tangled vines, and strode straight towards the entrance hall.

The Shen Household's mansion truly deserves the reputation of a grand and secluded residence. The courtyard is very deep, and every brick, tile, and house layout shows that a lot of thought and effort was put into it back then.

Unfortunately, things have changed, and in the end, it was all for naught.

Zhu Yi led the people into the entrance hall of the Shen Household. The furniture and decorations had long been removed, leaving only seven huge coffins propped up on the ground, each with four long benches underneath.

A sheet of yellow paper was placed on top of the coffin using broken bricks.

"Grown ups..."

After rushing into the hall, Zhu Yi looked at Su Che with hesitation.

Su Che frowned slightly.

Although a trace of Evil Qi can still be sensed here, it is merely a remnant.

If things seem to be going well, those Corpse Demon are no longer here.

"Open the coffin."

Su Che slowly waved his hand, signaling the constables to step back.

Zhu Yi brandished his long sword, spinning around like a hawk, the blade sharp and cold, skillfully shattering the coffin lids one by one.

Click.

The old, heavy coffin opened with a thud, revealing the corpse inside.

Four men and three women, all of them were dead but not stiff, their bodies festering all over. Among them were the lady and maid that Su Che had seen in the courtyard that day.

However, each corpse had been dissected, and a long iron nail had been driven into its heart.

"Grown ups?"

Zhu Yi looked at Su Che.

"Old Zhu, come and take a look."

Su Che walked up to the woman's body.

"In your opinion, how many years has this thing been around?"

"Reporting to you, sir, these Corpse Demon appear withered and lifeless, like zombies, and are clearly not a threat. Generally speaking, whether Corpse Demon absorbs the Essence Blood of an ordinary person or the essence of the sun and moon, it takes about three or four years for it to regain its appearance before death."

"The entire Shen Household perished in the plague six years ago. My assessment is that they must have recently turned into zombies."

What do you think?

"Dismemberment to suppress the mind is the most common method for suppressing Corpse Demon." Zhu Yi looked at Su Che: "Could it be that some cultivator traveling the world noticed the anomaly here and took the liberty of helping out?"

That makes sense.

Su Che waved his hand to signal to the group of yamen runners.

"You all retreat outside the courtyard and seal off the surroundings. Don't let anyone else in. Although the Corpse Demon is gone, the corpse poison is still there."

The head constable was eager to get away from this troublesome place as soon as possible. Hearing that there was still corpse poison here, he immediately led his men to leave quickly.

After the constables had all left, Su Che used his Law Power to wave his hand, and the iron nail that had been pinning the Corpse Demon's heart flew up with him and hung horizontally in the air.

"Supporting justice? What a coincidence!"

"What does Your Excellency mean?"

Zhu Yi had no idea what the judge in front of him was up to.

The Corpse Demon is dead; this matter is over.

"Look at these iron nails, can you see any clues?"

The iron nails were dark and dull, painted with a layer of Zhu Qi, and looked quite ordinary.

"Adding feet to a snake"

Su Che looked at the shattered corpse of the Corpse Demon.

"These wounds were inflicted by Sword Qi, and the person who did it had already condensed Sword Sha."

Su Che has been diligently practicing the Tai Hell Avici Sword recently, and with a group of Hungry Ghost Vicious Spirit to practice on, his experience in swordsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds. From the wounds on the corpses, he immediately judged that the one who did the work should be a Sword Cultivation, or someone with a strong swordsmanship, at least someone who had condensed Sword Sha.

"For a sword Sword Cultivation who has mastered the Sword Sha, killing a few weak Corpse Demon is already like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. He can just kill them and leave. Why bother with iron nails to suppress their hearts? Could these things be thousand-year-old corpse kings?"

"Are you saying, sir, that person did this on purpose to mislead us?"

"Corpse Demon are caused by the malevolent energy of heaven and earth, especially the foul air from underground, which easily triggers their transformation into corpses."

Su Che pointed to the bench under the coffin.

"Leaving aside the custom in Tian'an County that forbids the burial of those who have died without leaving a family, these coffins are all suspended in mid-air. Where does the foul air from the ground get in from?"

"Someone must have deliberately set this up." Zhu Yi looked at Su Che in surprise. "But what use are these few insignificant Corpse Demon?"

"I'm thinking about that too."

"Yellow paper."

Zhu Yi sheathed his sword.

He tossed the broken bricks aside and reached out to grab the yellow paper.

"Careful."

Su Che flicked his fingertip, sending out a Sword Qi.

The target was Zhu Yi's wrist. Su Che's Sword Qi was not forceful; it only made Zhu Yi's hand go numb.

Zhu Yi looked at Su Che with suspicion.

"You can't just take things without permission."

Su Che pointed his finger, and a gust of cold wind blew, sending the yellow papers flying into the air.

The yellow paper fluttered about like fallen leaves swept away by the autumn wind, and its material and appearance were no different from the yellow paper sold at the entrance of the City God Temple.

But there was only one picture, which depicted a lifelike, ferocious, bloodshot eye, as if painted with fresh blood, its crimson color almost dripping.

"This is?"

The Ninth Nether Soul-Burning Yinflame shot out, enveloping the Yellow Talisman. Within the dark blue flames, the blood-red eye twitched incessantly, as if it were alive.

There should be more.

Su Che looked at the yellow paper in front of the coffins.

As expected, someone had secretly orchestrated this.