Chapter 724

Luo Mingzi’s face turned ashen, his body radiating a chill colder than the frost on the ground.

“Seal the perimeter! Zhang Shi-di, check for residual Qi traces!”

“Li Shi-di, examine the corpses!”

“Zhao Shi-di, investigate the battle marks! The rest of you, guard the surroundings!”

The Enforcement Hall’s elite moved as one, scattering instantly at the order.

Some chanted incantations and ignited talismans; where they passed, blue smoke clung without dispersing, leaving behind various traces.

This was the “Manifestation Technique,” which revealed magical traces through reactions of Gang and Sha Qi—the only drawback being its time limit, but since the culprit had left only recently, it was perfect.

Others lit special white candles; their pallid flames flickered, yet the surroundings grew darker.

These were “Spirit-Calling Candles,” capable of briefly manifesting the shadows of yin spirits to investigate exorcism methods.

The Enforcement Hall kept many such disposable auxiliary artifacts; Li Yan had once cultivated good relations with them partly to acquire these—of course, the headquarters in the capital used far more advanced versions.

Soon, they found something.

“They used spellcraft to set up an array and traps!”

“There’s a massive residue of yin spirits—deeply resentful!”

Upon hearing this, Luo Mingzi frowned slightly and murmured, “Something’s off…”

Even in an ambush, to annihilate a whole detachment of the Capital Guard in an instant without a single shot fired—the ambushers must be experts—but leaving behind traces after casting spells? That’s the mark of a fool.

Who exactly…

Luo Mingzi’s gaze, sharp as a hawk’s, swept over the chaotic hoofprints and footprints along the road.

It was clear the battle erupted suddenly and ended even faster—the footprints were a mess, yet vanished beyond the immediate area.

On the trees!

Luo Mingzi leapt upward, landing on a branch—sure enough, numerous footprints were visible.

“Their movement skills are excellent—not one of them is a mediocre.”

Thinking this, he leapt down again and crouched beside a frozen captain’s corpse, prying open its stiff jaw—immediately, he noticed slight charring on the tongue.

“Brother, this is a sign of violent spiritual disturbance during life,” whispered the Daoist beside him. “The tongue pressed against the palate suggests the mind was instantly overwhelmed by a massive illusion.”

“It was an invasion by yin spirits!”

Luo Mingzi nodded, then turned to the corpse’s chest, tearing away the shredded clothing.

The fatal wound was revealed: a long, slanted gash piercing from the ribs straight into the heart.

The wound’s edges were smooth, yet marked with fine serrated tears.

“A blade of extreme sharpness—single strike, instant death. This… isn’t typical Central Plains weaponry.”

The men exchanged glances, then quickly examined other soldiers killed in close combat—the wounds were all eerily similar.

“Brother, this cut’s force is heavy and grounded, yet the motion resembles both a chop and a lift—have you ever seen anything like it?”

A young Daoist couldn’t help asking.

Luo Mingzi frowned, then a sudden insight struck him: “It’s a ‘Ripper Dagger’!”

He said gravely, “This is the short dagger used by Japanese samurai! Its blade, forged through countless hammerings, leaves these fine serrated tears—I saw identical wounds when I went to Luoyang to clean up after a previous incident.”

Everyone was stunned.

One young Daoist glanced around, incredulous: “Do the Japanese have such powerful spellcraft?”

Luo Mingzi said grimly, “Likely a master has come. Release the spirit hounds—follow the trail!”

Yet as they pursued, they lost the trail halfway.

Gazing at the city walls bathed in morning light, all their faces darkened…

…………

“Japanese?”

Outside the Bureau of Arts, Li Yan looked surprised.

“Indeed they are.”

A young Enforcement Hall Daoist sighed helplessly: “The blueprints are gone, the Capital Guard has suffered heavy casualties, and every single Wala and Southeast Asian envoy taken into custody is dead.”

“The Emperor flew into a rage—Luo Mingzi was scolded in the palace for two full hours. This is a massive loss of face; foreign envoys have all submitted petitions of protest, and even Commander Lu of the Capital Guard is deeply dissatisfied with us.”

Brother Luo has already captured the Marquis of Hai and is interrogating him; he sent me to ask you, Li Shaoxia—when you fought those Japanese pirates in Luoyang, did you ever encounter this kind of spellcraft?

Li Yan shook his head. “Japanese spellcraft excels at spirit control—they call it ‘Shikigami.’ We once killed a master who specialized in it; his summoned spirit was called ‘Aoi-Gōdō Woman.’ This is likely a similar technique.”

“Oh.”

The young Daoist’s face fell with disappointment.

Li Yan turned to glance again at the Bureau of Arts and said gravely, “We’re at a critical stage in crafting these artifacts. Soon, the Academy’s new students will arrive, and these masters will be swamped—there’s simply no time to spare.”

“But I can recommend someone—he’s had plenty of dealings with the Japanese. He might be able to help you.”

The young Daoist’s eyes lit up; he bowed deeply. “Please, Li Shaoxia, point us in the right direction.”

“Captain Tian Hua of the Capital Guard!”

…………

Outside the Xuan Jisi gate, Tian Hua looked up at the plaque and sighed faintly.

This Tian Hua, Captain Tian, was the very man once ordered to investigate Zhao Changsheng, who had met Li Yan at Liangzi Lake, then followed the Jianmu trail from Sichuan all the way south.

Unfortunately, he suffered a devastating blow in the south—every brother he brought with him died, leaving only one survivor.

Before the Jinmen Cannon Incident, it was he who handed Li Yan the token, enabling local Capital Guard cooperation and minimizing losses.

But after being transferred to the capital as desired, things didn’t go smoothly.

Due to his failure in the south, he’d been under investigation these past days—though he’d suffered no physical punishment and retained his rank, those few sly, sarcastic colleagues had worn him down to exhaustion.

There are always those who do the work, and those who manage.

Those who do the work, are good at working.

Those who manage, are good at tormenting people.

To him, these weren’t the worst.

The most painful was waking every night, jolted awake by the horrific scenes from that day.

He never imagined his release from investigation would come because of these Japanese.

Gathering his composure, Captain Tian strode quickly into Xuan Jisi.

“Captain Tian, you’ve finally arrived.”

A Daoist hurried out to greet him, leading him toward the main building.

Captain Tian had also been part of the team hunting Zhao Changsheng and was familiar with Xuan Jisi’s personnel.

Soon, the two reached a dim prison cell.

“Captain Tian.”

Seeing Tian Hua enter, Luo Mingzi hurried forward, face filled with apology: “You’ve been through so much. I’ve pleaded with the Emperor about what happened in the south, but the Capital Guard…”

“I understand, Daoist, no need to explain.”

Captain Tian bowed deeply, speaking gravely: “As long as Jianmu is eradicated, my personal troubles mean nothing.”

Luo Mingzi clapped his shoulder, offering no further comfort, and led him into a prison cell.

Inside, a man clad in bloodstained robes was bound to a wooden frame.