Chapter 155

Silence.

The long street was utterly still.

The stench of blood mingled with the smell of charred debris; residual flames crackled amid the ruins.

All eyes were fixed on the figure standing at the center, knife in hand, the blazing flames around him slowly receding—filled with fear and reverence.

The leaders of the two factions—the hawk-nosed man and the bearded man—though both at the peak of the Primordial Realm—now had pale faces, beads of cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.

They could clearly feel the lingering icy killing intent and lethal threat emanating from Chen Mu.

Those few slashes, like a storm of fire, had utterly shattered their false sense of security.

The two exchanged glances, seeing identical terror and surrender in each other's eyes.

To resist further meant certain death.

Hesitantly, the hawk-nosed man stepped forward, bowing deeply with clasped fists, his voice dry, "I… I am Qiu Li of the Black Water Gang. I had no eyes to recognize your greatness, and dared to offend your lordly majesty—I beg… I beg your mercy."

"We are willing to compensate for all damages!"

"For every deceased civilian, for every damaged building or shop—we offer triple… no, quintuple compensation! No objections!"

The bearded man quickly followed suit, bowing low, his voice gruff, "We… we of the Giant Sand Gate also accept punishment! Same terms! We only beg your lordship to show mercy!"

Chen Mu's gaze swept coldly over the two, then rested on the bodies of the civilians, falling silent for a moment.

Arresting all of them and locking them in the Town Martial Office's dungeon would be simple—but for families who lost loved ones, tangible compensation might ease their immediate suffering better, and better aligned with the Town Martial Office's duty to maintain local stability.

"Remember your words."

Chen Mu's voice carried no emotion, "If you dare lie or deceive, or if you ever again act recklessly within Tai'an Prefecture Realm, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will take your heads!"

"Dare not! Absolutely dare not!"

Both shuddered, pledging fervently.

Only then did Chen Mu slowly sheathe his blade, turning to the Town Martial Office guards beside him, "Leave two men behind to supervise their inventory of damages, calculate compensation, and ensure every affected household receives their due. Any failure—your head is on the line."

"Yes, my lord!" The guard immediately responded with solemnity.

Chen Mu no longer glanced at the silent warriors, turning instead to lead his remaining men back to the Town Martial Office.

Long after his figure vanished, the frozen atmosphere on the street gradually loosened—breaths of relief, hushed whispers, began to rise.

"So... so powerful! Is that the prodigy on the Hidden Dragon List?"

"I heard he's only ranked 107th—and he's this strong?!"

"He's also a Patrol Inspector of the Town Martial Office! So young and already an Inspector…"

"Tsk tsk, it's enough to make a man die of envy…"

"…"

Various murmurs of admiration, awe, and lingering dread reached Qiu Li and the bearded man, darkening their faces further—flushing red then pale, yet they could only bow their heads in humiliation, ordering their men to clear the scene and prepare compensation.

Today, their faces were utterly lost—and they'd bleed heavily.

…

In the evening, Tong Yuanshan finished handling external affairs and returned to the office to report to Chen Mu.

"Your lordship!"

"Today, thanks to your lordship's decisive action, the chaos on Changxing Street might have been far worse."

Tong Yuanshan first praised Chen Mu's swift intervention, then adopted a Solemn Countenance, "Regarding why so many external cultivators have flooded into the city recently, I've uncovered some whispers."

"Oh? What is it?" Chen Mu asked.

"It's said to be about a treasure map."

Tong Yuanshan lowered his voice, "Three hundred years ago, the Haoran Sect was wiped out overnight. Their sect treasures were never fully unearthed—someone smuggled out a map recording their hidden vaults. Somehow, the rumor spread that this map had been brought into our Tai'an Fucheng, drawing factions like flies to rotting meat."

Haoran Sect treasure map?

Chen Mu's heart stirred sharply, yet his expression remained unreadable.

He recalled how previously, the Earth Altar Realm hermit Zhou Tong—killed by Chen Mu, Pang Yunrui, Shen Ge, and Qin Liangjing—had gasped about the Haoran Sect's treasure before dying. At the time, all four had dismissed it as delirious rambling, none believing it.

Yet now, it seemed this was no mere rumor?

And the storm had reached Tai'an Fucheng?

Chen Mu suppressed his inner shock and spoke calmly, "I see. If it's a struggle over a treasure map, chaos will only deepen. Commander Tong must increase patrols, closely monitor the city's movements—especially areas where external cultivators gather—and ensure order is maintained. No repeat of today's chaos."

"I understand!" Tong Yuanshan replied solemnly.

…

That night, Chen Mu returned to his residence.

Soon after sitting down, Zhou Boli, the Second Master of the Zhou family, came to visit.

Previously, when Pei Renguang had slaughtered wildly at the Giant Willow Manor, Chen Mu had escorted the gravely wounded Zhou Bowen—head of the Zhou family—back to Zhou Fu from outside the city, and had briefly met Zhou Boli.

Not strangers.

Zhou Boli paid a respectful visit, so Chen Mu invited him into the reception hall.

Zhou Boli first formally thanked Chen Mu again for saving Zhou Bowen at the Giant Willow Manor, then his expression turned grave.

"Inspector Chen, I've come uninvited today with a crucial matter to discuss." Zhou Boli carefully withdrew a yellowed, ancient animal hide from his robe and spread it on the table.

The hide bore faint outlines of mountains and terrain, with a prominent mark at the center—but the map was clearly incomplete, its edges torn, appearing to be only about one-third intact.

"This was acquired by my Zhou family by chance."

Zhou Boli whispered, "After extensive verification, this is almost certainly the very map—the Haoran Sect treasure map—that has been rumored in the city lately!"

Chen Mu's gaze settled on the hide, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Again, the Haoran Sect!

Zhou Boli sighed, a bitter, helpless expression on his face, "Inspector Chen, you surely know that our Zhou family suffered devastating losses due to Pei Renguang. Now our clan is weakened, our experts depleted—holding this map is no blessing, but a death sentence waiting to strike."

He looked at Chen Mu, his tone utterly sincere, "Therefore, on behalf of the Zhou family, I propose an alliance with you, Inspector Chen, to jointly seek the Haoran Sect treasure. If we truly find it, the Zhou family will take only one-tenth—the remaining nine-tenths belong entirely to you. What is your decision?"

Zhou Boli fixed an eager gaze upon Chen Mu, waiting for a response.

On the surface this cooperation looked like a losing bargain, but in reality, given the Zhou clan's current predicament, it was the only choice they had to seek shelter under a powerful backer.

And Chen Mu's strength, together with his identity as an Inspector of the Pacify-Wu Office, was undoubtedly the best partner they could find.

*Knock*—*knock*—

Chen Mu's fingers tapped lightly against the table as he looked at that one-third portion of the treasure map and said calmly,

"No need."

"Thank you, my lord!" Zhou Boli blurted out in excitement, but only after the words were spoken did he realize what he'd said, and his mouth fell open, his eyes going wide.

"Sir… Sir Chen, what did you just say?"