Chapter 425: There Must Be Collusion!

Colluding with the Mo Sect?

This is no minor fault of lust or greed, no petty abuse of power! This is treason against the imperial court!

It is a crime worthy of exterminating nine clans!

"W…what?"

Tang Bin's voice cracked with disbelief and furious shock, "My lord… my lord, are you certain?! I helped him… how could he dare?!"

He rebuffed it almost instinctively.

It wasn't that he wished to shield Yu Chengbang—this news was simply too shocking!

How could a man who had worked diligently in the Zhenwu Bureau for over a decade, finally rising to the position of deputy chief, suddenly be tied to the Mo Sect?

And at this very moment, when the great war between cultivation sects raged fiercely, and Wulong Fucheng had just suffered a Mo Sect attack?

"The source is reliable."

Chen Mu's tone remained unchanged, still calm, "I have already conducted preliminary verification—there are indeed suspicious elements. Otherwise, I would not have come to you this late at night."

He paused, watching Tang Bin's stunned, nearly vacant expression, then continued, "Yesterday, outside the city, did Yu Chengbang lead a patrol out of the city?"

"Y…yes!"

Tang Bin snapped back to awareness and hurriedly said, "This morning, Yu Chengbang indeed led a squad of bureau guards out to patrol the surrounding areas, to prevent any Mo Sect remnants from hiding."

"Did he, at any point, leave the group alone under the pretext of 'other urgent duties'?" Chen Mu pressed.

Tang Bin's face darkened again as he recalled yesterday's arrangements and subsequent reports, hesitating, "This… I was occupied with other matters inside the bureau yesterday and did not accompany them the whole time. But when the squad returned in the evening, the officer in charge did report that Master Yu had left ahead to handle urgent duties during the patrol… My lord, could it be…?!"

A terrifying possibility struck him, and his face changed instantly.

The timing of yesterday's battle outside the city seemed to overlap with the time Yu Chengbang "left"?

"Last night, around midnight, did anyone see an unidentified, suspicious figure sneak into Yu Chengbang's residence?" Chen Mu asked again.

Sweat beaded on Tang Bin's forehead, his voice trembling, "This… I… I don't know. Last night, after finishing my duties, I returned home to rest and did not assign anyone to surveil the Yu residence…"

He already believed seven or eight tenths of it!

Chen Mu spoke with absolute certainty, his details matching perfectly—unless he held concrete evidence, he would never ask such precise questions!

Colluding with the Mo Sect! Traitor! Spy!

These words burned like red-hot irons, searing Tang Bin's heart with panic and rage.

As chief of the Zhenwu Bureau, his own deputy—could he be a Mo Sect mole?

It was an unforgivable disgrace, a grave dereliction of duty.

"M…My lord!"

Tang Bin suddenly dropped to one knee, clasping his fists and speaking with a trembling voice, "I failed in my duty! I allowed such a traitor to lurk beside me! I beg my lord to punish me! I… I will fully assist you in investigating this villain! If evidence is confirmed, I will capture him myself and uphold the law!"

His voice brimmed with fury, shame, and a thread of dread.

If Yu Chengbang truly was a spy, then the defense of Wulong Fucheng's Zhenwu Bureau—and indeed the entire city—was nothing but an open door to the Mo Sect?

Had yesterday's battle outside the city owed something to his "contribution"?

Chen Mu watched Tang Bin kneeling before him and sensed his emotions were genuine—mostly anger and shame, with no sign of deception.

"Rise."

Chen Mu said coolly, "Now is not the time to assign blame. Whether Yu Chengbang truly colluded with the Mo Sect still requires solid proof. Stirring the nest prematurely would be unwise."

Tang Bin rose quickly, took several deep breaths, and forced himself to calm down, "My lord is right! What are your orders? How should I assist?"

Chen Mu paused briefly, then said, "For now, only you, I, and one of my informants know of this. Before we obtain ironclad evidence, not a word must leak. You must do three things."

"First, immediately and secretly retrieve all official Juan Sect records, personnel deployment logs, and especially any documents related to city defenses, patrol routes, and Mo Sect intelligence that Yu Chengbang handled over the past three months, and deliver them to me in secret. Do not arouse suspicion—not even from Yu Chengbang himself."

"Second, under the pretext of strengthening city defenses and clearing Mo Sect remnants, secretly assign your most trusted confidants to conduct continuous, distant, and concealed surveillance of the Yu residence—twenty-four hours a day. Record every person entering or leaving, their times, and their features—but do not approach under any circumstances, lest you be discovered."

"Third."

Chen Mu's gaze grew cold, "Investigate whether Yu Chengbang has had any unusual financial changes recently, or whether he has had close contact with any unidentified or suspicious individuals. Pay particular attention to whether his fondness for women has been exploited by any special figures."

Tang Bin nodded repeatedly, committing every instruction to memory.

"Yes! I understand! I will arrange everything in secret—no mistakes!"

He knew this was his chance to redeem himself, and the key to purging the traitors and safeguarding Wulong Fucheng's security.

"Also."

Chen Mu added, "My identity must remain secret for now. Act as if we have never met. If an emergency arises, go to Room Tian-3 at the Yuelai Inn in the eastern quarter and leave a hidden mark to contact me."

The two exchanged the secret signal and related details.

"Go. Proceed with caution," Chen Mu waved him off.

"Your servant takes his leave!"

Tang Bin said no more, bowed once again to Chen Mu, then turned and strode swiftly from the alley, his figure quickly swallowed by the night—his steps steady, yet charged with suppressed fury and resolve.

…

The next day.

Early in the morning, Chen Mu arrived at the Yuelai Inn.

He entered Room Tian-3.

The room's furnishings were simple but clean and orderly.

Chen Mu sat down and did not wait long.

About an hour later, three long, two short, extremely faint knocks tapped against the window—the agreed-upon signal.

The next instant, a palm-sized, flat object wrapped in oil paper was slipped through the window crack.

It was what Tang Bin had sent.

Chen Mu summoned it with a gesture, the oil-paper bundle landing in his hand—surprisingly heavy.

Unwrapping the oil paper, he found a thick stack of organized Juan Sect copies, and a folded note.

Above was a brief report written by Tang Bin in cipher.

Chen Mu glanced at it twice, then turned his attention to the stack of Juan Sect records.

The Juan Sect records covered most of Yu Chengbang's key official duties over the past three months.

Chen Mu skimmed through them at a glance, analyzing, summarizing, searching for possible anomalies.

First were personnel rotations and patrol assignments.

As deputy chief, Yu Chengbang was primarily responsible for daily city defense patrols and security in certain areas.

The records showed that over the past two months—especially after news of the True-Demon Great War spread—Wu Long Prefecture increased the frequency and scope of patrols around the city's outskirts.

Yu Chengbang personally led patrols multiple times, or assigned trusted subordinates to oversee key routes.

Chen Mu's gaze lingered on several of these patrol routes.

These routes appeared ordinary, but if linked to the location of yesterday's battle outside the city and the position of the Black Wind Pass Shishen Sect outpost…

Several patrol arrangements seemed to deliberately or inadvertently "avoid" certain areas, or had "gaps" in patrol timing.

These "gaps" and "avoided" zones happened to provide possible opportunities for the Mo Sect to hide, assemble, or even launch a surprise attack.

"Coincidence… or deliberate?" Chen Mu pondered.

Patrol logs alone could not directly prove guilt, but they undeniably increased Yu Chengbang's suspicion.

Second was the handling of Mo Sect intelligence.

Wu Long Prefecture's Zhenwu Bureau had recently received scattered reports or rumors about Mo Sect activity, most of which Yu Chengbang initially screened, organized, and submitted to Tang Bin or filed directly.

Chen Mu carefully reviewed these records and found several scattered reports—such as "unidentified persons gathering in remote hills outside the city" and "strange sounds and odors at night near Black Wind Pass"—which, in Yu Chengbang's annotated summaries, were marked "no verifiable evidence, likely wild beasts or mountain dwellers," with a recommendation to "avoid deploying large manpower for in-depth investigation."

The timing and locations of these reports matched almost exactly the known activity period of the Black Wind Pass Shishen Sect outpost!

"Suppressed critical intelligence…" Chen Mu's eyes grew cold.

This went beyond negligence—it resembled deliberate concealment.

Further down were records of daily material allocations and case collaborations, showing no obvious issues for now.

After quickly reviewing all the Juan Sect records, Chen Mu's suspicion of Yu Chengbang had risen from "suspicious" to "highly suspicious."

Combined with Zhang Fang's eyewitness testimony, it was nearly certain this man was colluding with the Mo Sect.

The current issues were: First, the evidence chain was still incomplete and indirect, especially lacking ironclad proof of direct contact, intelligence transmission, or receipt of orders from Mo Sect members.

Second, what role did he play in the Mo Sect?

Was he merely an inside agent providing intelligence and convenience, or was he involved in deeper conspiracies?

Third, besides him, were there other accomplices within the Zhenwu Bureau—or even other offices of Wu Long Prefecture?

"Looks like I need to give him some 'opportunity.'"

Chen Mu muttered to himself, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.