Chapter 156: What? The Treasure Map Is in Chen Mu

"I say, no need."

Chen Mu said calmly, "You may rest assured—regarding this treasure map, I will not leak a single word."

"This… this…"

Zhou Boli's face shifted rapidly, "Elder Brother Chen, could you please reconsider? If the treasure is found, my Zhou family will take only a fraction—the rest shall be entirely yours, my lord!"

Yet.

Chen Mu sat upright in his chair, expression serene, and shook his head slowly once more, "I appreciate your kindness, but this matter is of great weight, and the clues are vanishingly faint. As a Patrol Inspector of the Zhenwu Bureau, it is my duty to avoid entanglement in such jianghu treasure-hunting affairs. I apologize."

His tone was flat, yet carried an unshakable resolve.

It was not that he was unmoved by the treasure—rather, the Zhou family's sudden, excessive eagerness, coupled with the faint urgency and calculation hidden deep in Zhou Boli's eyes, made him instinctively sense something amiss.

Unprovoked kindness is either deceit or theft.

Especially during this sensitive period, Chen Mu had no intention of giving anyone leverage, nor of stepping into any unknown trap.

Zhou Boli opened his mouth as if to speak further, but ultimately sighed long and deep, forcing a strained smile, "If that's how it is, then… then I won't disturb you further, Elder Brother Chen. Should you change your mind in the future, feel free to send word at any time."

He gathered the animal-skin map fragment, bowed, and departed, his silhouette carrying sorrow and helplessness.

Chen Mu watched his back recede, his gaze flickering slightly, but he gave it no further thought, attributing it to the normal reaction of a failed plan.

The next morning, as dawn broke.

Chen Mu had just risen and adjusted his true qi.

Zhou Buzhi, another head of the Zhou family, suddenly arrived at his door, face pale with panic, eyes red-rimmed.

"Elder Brother Chen! My second brother is in trouble!"

Zhou Buzhi's voice trembled with tears, "My second brother… my second brother Boli… he was murdered on his way home last night!"

Chen Mu calmed his breath, frowning slightly, "Zhou Boli was killed? What happened?"

"Just three alleys from the mansion… struck down in a single blow! Both his bodyguards were killed too!"

Zhou Buzhi cried in grief and fury, "And… and the map he carried… the map… it's gone!"

The treasure map had been stolen?

Chen Mu's heart sank slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he comforted, "I'm sorry for your loss. The Zhenwu Bureau will open an investigation and spare no effort to apprehend the killer."

What he thought internally, however, was that Zhou Boli, carrying a treasure map that could invite death, had been ambushed while traveling alone at night—unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected.

The question was: how had the information leaked?

"Th… thank you, my lord!" Zhou Buzhi bowed deeply upon hearing this.

"Don't grieve too much," Chen Mu said softly. "If we get any news, someone will deliver it to your home."

"Thank you, my lord!" Zhou Buzhi bowed again in gratitude.

…

After seeing off the grieving Zhou Buzhi, Chen Mu did not dwell on the matter.

Yet.

By midday, a strange current began spreading through Wulong Fucheng at an alarming speed.

In taverns, teahouses, inns, and even alley corners, countless martial artists whispered among themselves, discussing the same astonishing rumor.

"Have you heard? The Zhou family found the Haoran Sect's treasure map!"

"True? If the map's in the Zhou family's hands, let's go to the Zhou mansion…"

"Forget the Zhou mansion—the map's moved! It's in Chen Mu's hands, of the Zhenwu Bureau!"

"What? How did it end up with Chen Mu?"

"Need I ask? Obviously, the Zhou family was trying to curry favor with Chen Mu. Zhou Boli went to present the map last night—and was killed on his way out! Isn't that convenient?"

"Huh… so you mean… Chen Mu…"

"Shh! Lower your voice! Who knows the truth? But the map's definitely with him now!"

"…"

The rumors grew fiercer, embellished and multiplied, yet their core remained singular—

The treasure map had fallen into the hands of Chen Mu, Patrol Inspector of the Zhenwu Bureau!

In an instant, the entire Wulong Fucheng martial world was shaken!

Countless eyes—greedy, suspicious, wary—turned sharply toward the Zhenwu Bureau headquarters and Chen Mu's residence.

Outside the bureau, numerous unfamiliar faces with suspicious demeanor and darting glances now lingered at a distance.

Even within the bureau, subordinates who had once shown him deference now regarded him with subtle, complicated glances, whispering among themselves constantly.

Tong Yuanshan rushed to Chen Mu, face filled with anxiety, "Elder Brother Chen, the rumors outside…"

Chen Mu stood by the window, watching several unmistakable martial figures at a distant street corner, his expression calm, eyes flashing with cold light.

At this moment, how could he not understand?

Zhou Boli's death was no accidental ambush—it was a deliberate, vicious frame-up aimed squarely at him!

"Lord Tong."

Chen Mu cut off Tong Yuanshan's words, his voice steady and unruffled, "Take your most trustworthy men and investigate immediately. Find out where this rumor first emerged, and through whose mouths it spread. I need the source identified as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

Seeing Chen Mu's composure, Tong Yuanshan felt slightly reassured and hurried off to carry out the order.

Chen Mu turned, picked up the Zhan Sha Dao from the table, and strapped it to his waist.

To defend himself?

Before such rampant rumors, any defense was meaningless—it would only deepen the suspicion.

What he needed was action!

…

He didn't call anyone else; Chen Mu walked out of the Zhenwu Bureau gate alone.

Unexpectedly, not long after leaving the government office, as he turned into a relatively wide street, three men blocked his path.

The leader was a burly man with a haughty expression and Qi at Sixth Stage Innate; beside him stood two companions with flickering eyes and cultivation at Third Stage Innate.

Instantly, a crowd of martial artists gathered around, their gazes varied, all holding their breath as they watched.

The Sixth Stage Innate giant bowed his fists, yet his tone held no respect—only pressure: "Chen Xuncha! I am Luo Heng, the 'Upstream Leopard'! I block your path today with no other intent—only to ask my lord: is the Haoran Sect's treasure map truly in your possession?"

His voice boomed, deliberately audible to all nearby: "According to martial world custom, whoever sees it has a share! Especially a treasure left behind by the Haoran Sect! My lord, though you are a Zhenwu Bureau Xuncha and a Potential Dragon prodigy, hoarding it alone will hardly win you consensus. Why not reveal it? Let us all examine it together—better than becoming the target of everyone's ire. What do you say?"

The other two chimed in beside him.

"That's right, Lord Chen! Shared joy is greater joy!"

"The treasure is ownerless; it belongs to the virtuous. You alone holding it isn't appropriate, is it?"

Chen Mu stopped, his cold gaze sweeping over the three, then flicking to the growing crowd around him. His voice was calm, yet carried undeniable authority: "I say this once: the treasure map is not in my possession. Step aside!"

Luo Heng chuckled, not moving aside—instead stepping forward, his internal Qi surging.

"My lord, words alone mean nothing! You say you don't have it—how do you prove it? Unless… we search you ourselves!"