Chapter 327: No Sense of Self-Preservation!!

The twenty-odd loyalists of Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming in the front row were struck as if by lightning, each ashen-faced and trembling all over; some even collapsed to their knees, nearly fainting.

Their greatest patron had, in a single night, become a traitor to the imperial court—and fled?

Then what fate awaited them, his dependents?

Meanwhile, the constables on the periphery, who had never been close to Tang Ji and his trio, or even had been marginalized by them, now wore expressions of utter disbelief and shock.

Three Si Li simultaneously defecting?

This was an unimaginable scandal!

It would shake the entire Southeast Circuit Zhenwu Bureau system to its core!

"Insane, insane."

"How could this happen? Tang… Tang Ji and the others lost their minds?"

"Hmph, big shots think further ahead than we do—they probably look down on the Zhenwu Bureau."

"This is a disaster—we'll all be investigated."

"Ha! I told you Tang Ji and Du Yuansheng were suspicious, but you wouldn't believe me!"

"…."

A cacophony of shouting, gasps, and whispers erupted—the entire training ground plunged into chaos and panic.

Chen Mu stood atop the platform, ignoring the turmoil below.

His cold gaze swept like the most precise scanning device across hundreds of faces below, leaving no micro-expression unobserved.

He was searching for those who, upon hearing of Tang Ji's defection, displayed not just shock and fear—but other abnormal emotions—

Such as hidden "nails" within the Zhenwu Bureau, left behind by Tang Ji and his men either because they hadn't had time to extract them… or because they were deliberately left behind!

Indeed.

Under his sharply focused, keenly attuned gaze, Chen Mu quickly locked onto five individuals.

These five were scattered across different squads, outwardly displaying the same stunned expressions as everyone else—but deep within their eyes, after the initial shock, a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of something else flashed—

Not mere fear or confusion, but suspicion, wariness, hastily concealed panic; and two of them even unconsciously tensed their bodies, subtly shifting their hands toward the weapons at their waists!

This was not the normal reaction of ordinary constables hearing their superiors had defected!

"Found them."

Chen Mu sneered inwardly, fixing his gaze on these five "outliers" hidden among the crowd.

It seemed Tang Ji and his men had fled quickly—but left behind plenty of "tails" and "eyes."

Perfect—he could use these five to trace the whole network.

…

Chen Mu forcibly suppressed the news of Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming's defection, forbidding any leakage.

Thus, within Weizhoucheng, all factions continued to buzz with rumors and speculation about the attack on the Cao Bang branch and the mysterious disappearance of its chief, Cao Cao Cao Liangxing—none yet realizing that the Zhenwu Bureau's internal world had been turned upside down.

Chen Mu held his ground, focusing all his attention on secretly surveilling the five "eyes" he had identified.

He wanted to see who these hidden nails would contact—and where they would go.

Yet these five remained unnervingly calm; for two full days, they acted like ordinary constables thrown into panic—showing up punctually for roll call, performing trivial duties, making no suspicious moves, as if utterly unconnected to Tang Ji and his men.

Only on the third day, as night fell and lanterns lit up, did they finally grow impatient.

Two of them—one thin as a monkey, the other broad-faced and fleshy—slipped away during shift change, avoiding their comrades, sneaking out of Weizhoucheng, and sprinting southward with lightness techniques.

Chen Mu lurked in the shadows, like a parasite clinging to bone, silently trailing them without a sound.

With his current cultivation and concealment skills, the two ahead had no chance of sensing him.

They raced along the main road for a stretch, then turned onto a secluded side path, finally vanishing into a rarely trodden trail deep in the southern hills, twisting and winding until they disappeared into a secluded manor nestled in a mountain hollow, surrounded by dense woods.

Chen Mu halted at the edge of the manor, hidden within the shadow of a towering ancient tree, his breath merging with the leaves.

Activating his "Listen to the Wind" skill, his ears twitched slightly—and sounds within a radius of hundreds of meters suddenly amplified, crystal clear.

"…The Demon Eye Lord arrives tonight—ensure this place is flawless!"

"Any word from Cao Cao Liangxing yet?"

"None. He's likely dead. But it doesn't matter—as long as the goods arrive on time…"

"What's Chen Mu been doing these past two days?"

"According to our 'eyes' in the city, he's been holed up in the bureau, no major moves—but he's cunning, we can't let our guard down…"

…

Several of those voices were unmistakably Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming!

Several other unfamiliar voices joined the conversation.

Hmph~

Chen Mu sneered inwardly.

"So they're hiding here—found themselves a nice nest."

He did not rush to alarm them; instead, he pulled a tongxin bamboo tablet from his sleeve, channeled true qi through his fingertips, and swiftly carved several messages onto its surface, then activated it.

A flash of light rippled across the bamboo—message transmitted.

About fifteen minutes later.

Two figures appeared beside Chen Mu in the shadows like ghosts, without disturbing a single breath of air.

Both wore the cloud-patterned official robes of high-ranking Zhenwu Bureau officers; one was lean and pale, his gaze deep and serene, his aura restrained yet radiating the calm authority of a master.

The other was a burly man with a square face, thick brows, and tiger-like eyes, his presence naturally intimidating, his aura sharp and fierce.

"Lord Ding, Lord Zhao." Chen Mu bowed, whispering with internal voice.

The lean elder was Ding Tianpeng, the Southeast Circuit Zhenwu Bureau's Judge, a Land Altar realm "Perceive the Divine, Unbreakable" cultivator.

The burly man was Zhao Fukang, another Judge, whose cultivation had reached the Land Altar realm's "Ascend the Soul Altar" stage!

These two were precisely the reinforcements Chen Mu had requested from the Zhenwu Division headquarters of the Southeast Circuit.

"The target is indeed here?" Ding Tianpeng nodded slightly, his voice calm.

"Confirmed without error."

Chen Mu nodded, pointing at the estate below where the sparse lights concealed killing intent, "The three traitors—Tang Ji, Du Yuansheng, and He Xiaoming—along with several of their accomplices, are all currently inside this estate."

"Hmph, betraying the imperial court, throwing in with the sea bandits, wreaking havoc on the prefecture for personal gain—truly not knowing whether to live or die!" Zhao Fukang snorted coldly, killing intent glinting in his eyes.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

The three said no more, exchanged a glance, and at the same instant their figures blurred, transforming into three hazy afterimages that—like three shooting stars—plunged from the high sky and came to a halt directly above the estate.

Their ferocious auras no longer concealed, they crashed down like three great mountains descending from the heavens!

Ding Tianpeng struck first, his face still calm; he merely pressed his right palm casually downward.

Boom!