What was he supposed to do now?
Lin Mo found himself at a loss.
He could keep reporting Zhou Ze, but how was he supposed to get the next letter into Liu Ziyan's hands?
All this old man wanted was to cultivate in peace. Was that really so difficult?
Lin Mo grumbled inwardly.
His head felt twice its normal size.
Seemingly noticing his predicament, Shangguan Wuqing offered, "I could give you a solution that would settle this once and for all. Want to hear it?"
"Please go ahead, Captain Wuqing." Lin Mo pricked up his ears.
"My residence happens to need a servant. Why not come work for me? I can guarantee you a peaceful old age." Shangguan Wuqing looked perfectly serious, without a hint of jest.
At her words, Lin Mo immediately grew wary.
To his ears, Shangguan Wuqing's offer sounded just like some creepy stranger approaching a little girl on the street and telling her he had delicious candy at home.
So this was the Pure Yang Sacred Body? It was downright unreasonable!
Lin Mo was secretly alarmed.
He still looked like a decrepit old man, yet the Pure Yang Sacred Body's succubus-like constitution had already bewitched Shangguan Wuqing into losing her senses.
If he were ten or twenty years younger, Lin Mo dared not imagine what the scene would look like.
Lin Mo looked Shangguan Wuqing up and down.
He had to admit, she had an excellent figure.
She was full where she should be full and pert where she should be pert. Her slender, water-snake waist was clearly the result of deliberate training.
Her face, too, had a dashing beauty that grew more appealing the longer one looked.
Although she fell short of Liu Ziyan, Shangguan Wuqing's looks definitely placed her in the top tier of the entire First Saint Sect.
But the problem was, this was the First Saint Sect!
The First Saint Sect that devoured people without even spitting out their bones!
Who knew how much malice was lurking in Shangguan Wuqing's belly?
So what if she was a squad captain in the Enforcement Hall? Lin Mo did not trust her at all.
He still wanted to return to Purple Heaven Palace, to his little wooden hut, and cultivate in peace.
"Ahem... Captain Wuqing, this old man is merely a servant with little time left. What virtue or ability could make me worthy of such kindness?"
Putting on a deeply apprehensive expression, Lin Mo politely declined. "I appreciate your kindness, but you needn't trouble yourself over me. Just leave me to fend for myself."
Shangguan Wuqing remained silent for a while before spreading her hands and saying frankly, "Suit yourself. I only wanted to lend you a hand because I felt sorry for you."
"Since you don't need it, I'm perfectly happy to set aside my urge to help and respect another person's fate."
Lin Mo pressed his palms together and said gratefully, "Thank you for understanding, Captain Wuqing. Since I don't need to assist with any investigation or questioning, may I go back now?"
"Whenever you like."
Shangguan Wuqing did not give Lin Mo any further trouble. After a simple registration, she let him leave.
He emerged from the Enforcement Hall's Vermilion Bird Squad office.
His body hunched, Lin Mo stepped into the night.
Something still felt wrong...
Although he had left the Vermilion Bird Squad office without trouble, an uneasy premonition kept nagging at Lin Mo.
Would Shangguan Wuqing really let him go so easily?
I'd better hurry back.
With no time to dwell on it, Lin Mo quickened his pace.
He was not heading back to the Maidservant Department, but to the little wooden hut outside Purple Heaven Palace.
Only under Liu Ziyan's watchful eye could he feel even a sliver of safety.
He could not be sure about anyone else, but at least Lin Mo could now confirm that Liu Ziyan would not kill him for the time being.
Lin Mo understood very well that he had to keep his head down and survive for now.
Once his cultivation improved, with the Pure Yang Sacred Body's super succubus-like constitution, he could have as many women as he wanted.
There was nothing worth regretting about passing up one Shangguan Wuqing.
He had no desire to take an enormous, unknown risk for a Shangguan Wuqing he knew nothing about.
But then!
On his way back to Purple Heaven Palace, as he passed through a dark, secluded bamboo grove.
An eerie wind of unknown origin suddenly rose.
Lin Mo's frail body shuddered. Without warning, a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!
What was coming had come after all.
The next instant.
A black blur darted out of the bamboo grove and hurtled toward Lin Mo at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
Before Lin Mo could even react, a knife-hand strike knocked him unconscious.
Then the black blur slung Lin Mo over a shoulder and swiftly vanished into the night without attracting anyone's attention.
The following day.
Enforcement Peak.
This was where the Enforcement Hall's headquarters stood.
"Master, you wanted to see me?" Shangguan Wuqing walked in with brisk, steady steps.
On a meditation cushion in the center of the hall, a beautiful woman in court robes sat cross-legged.
Only when Shangguan Wuqing entered did the woman slowly open her eyes.
The beautiful woman's face still possessed a mature charm. Even her loose court robes could not conceal her magnificent figure.
"Wuqing, when I sent you to arrest Lü Mingtong, the Maidservant Department's steward, last night, you brought that servant named Lin Mo back with you as well, didn't you?"
The beautiful woman's purple lips parted slightly, and a mature, sultry voice that seemed capable of melting a man's bones drifted out.
"Yes."
"Mm. Where is he now?" The beautiful woman gave a slight nod and continued questioning her, her gaze fixed on Shangguan Wuqing's eyes.
Shangguan Wuqing froze briefly, then cupped her hands. "Reporting to Master, I don't know. Last night, after registering him, I let him leave."
"Unless something unexpected happened, he should have returned to the Maidservant Department?"
"But Master, he's only a servant. Is there any need for you to concern yourself with his whereabouts?"
Shangguan Wuqing was puzzled.
Lin Mo was undoubtedly a servant in the Maidservant Department, so why would her master, the head of the Enforcement Hall, ask her about his whereabouts?
The beautiful woman did not answer Shangguan Wuqing's question. Instead, she said in an accusatory tone, "No one in the Maidservant Department saw Lin Mo return last night."
"Then... I don't know!"
Shangguan Wuqing lowered her eyes slightly and declared firmly, "I truly did let him leave last night. All the junior brothers and sisters at the office can testify to that!"
The beautiful woman stared hard at Shangguan Wuqing for a while, then softened her tone a little and said earnestly, "Wuqing, you are one of the disciples I am proudest of."
"I am not questioning whether you let Lin Mo leave last night. The problem now is that he has disappeared, and you were the last person to see him."
"I don't care what methods you use. Even if you have to dig three feet into the earth, you must find him and bring him back."
"If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his corpse!"
"But remember, you must not cause too much of a stir."
"Yes, Master!"
Shangguan Wuqing dared not ask any more questions and hurriedly withdrew.
Before you continue