Chapter 36: How to Close the Case

Fortunately, Sheng Yuanyao's cultivation was solid; her hands shot out to support Lu Xingzhou's shoulders, touching lightly before separating, bringing her to a halt mere inches away without even causing Lu Xingzhou's wheelchair to roll backward.

Lu Xingzhou picked up A'nuo, who lay on the ground like a salted fish: "Commander Sheng's kung fu is excellent. A'nuo, learn from her."

By the way, you're wearing your official uniform, yet you still smell so fragrant...

Sheng Yuanyao stepped back awkwardly: "You two... are you finished?"

What kind of remark is that... Shen Tang was seething with irritation: "Commander Sheng, what brings you here?"

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand and smiled: "Commander Sheng is naturally here to ask how to handle the deaths of the Huo family guards and Liu Qingcang."

"Correct." Sheng Yuanyao finally shifted into the rhythm of official business, her expression grave as she asked: "I actually wanted to ask yesterday what you did to Huo Yu and those others... but later I thought it wasn't appropriate to ask in public, so I decided to go see for myself first."

"And then?"

"The Huo residence was littered with corpses. Everyone Huo Yu brought died, including Liu Qingcang. But strangely, the bodies of two fifth-grade guards could not be found."

In fact, not only Huo Lei and Huo Ting, but even Ying's corpse had been disposed of by Lu Xingzhou; it was just that Sheng Yuanyao did not know Ying existed, so counting them, she only noticed two guards were missing.

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "How does Commander Sheng intend to close this case?"

"Originally, Huo Yu came here making a huge scene to find you. Now everyone is dead... even if it was publicly known that he was killed by a demon, the deaths of those guards would still make it hard to clear your suspicion. I wanted to ask first: what is your version of events?"

Lu Xingzhou was somewhat surprised: "Could it be that you would actually follow my version?"

Sheng Yuanyao's face remained expressionless: "It is one reference point. I'll say this upfront: if you have nothing good to say, I will report your suspicion truthfully. After all, too many people know, and I cannot hide it."

"Is it possible... that the two guards, seeing Huo Yu dead, feared punishment, killed someone, and fled?" Lu Xingzhou blinked: "Perhaps they even took some treasure with them."

Sheng Yuanyao glared at Lu Xingzhou with irritation; she naturally knew Lu Xingzhou had done the killing and would never believe such nonsense.

But she quickly became thoughtful.

The issue here was not whether she believed it, but whether others would believe it, and how to report it most advantageously. Even though Sheng Yuanyao was young, she came from a distinguished family and understood the principles of officialdom deeply.

The public perception now is that Huo Yu was ostensibly investigating Huo Shang and had pinned Lu Xingzhou as the suspect, but was actually secretly investigating demon affairs. This was something he himself declared in public, and the demon even responded, "So it's you investigating me, huh?"

One must admit this trap was dug by Sheng Yuanyao herself; outside the sealed room, she told the demon that someone named Huo Yu was investigating it...

Then Huo Yu bravely resisted the demon and unfortunately sacrificed his life, which was also witnessed by the masses.

Although some powerful individuals might sense something was off, no one could produce concrete evidence. Young Master Huo bravely resisted the demon and sacrificed his life heroically; this sounds good for the Huo family. If you insisted he was kidnapped and killed in a muddled way without evidence, guess which story Grand Preceptor Huo would prefer to hear? Therefore, generally, no one would be so full of energy as to seek out trouble for themselves.

If reporting this way, there is a key question: where were the guards when Huo Yu resisted the demon?

If the guards had already been killed by someone else, how could Huo Yu have the mind to resist the demon alone? No matter how you think about it, it doesn't make sense.

Furthermore, if the guards were killed, what about the responsibility of that place, and Sheng Yuanyao's responsibility? Young Master Huo's guards were all killed; what were you doing in Xiazhou!

The most reasonable explanation is indeed that the guards harbored treachery, deliberately tricked Huo Yu into dying, then killed the other guards, stole the treasure, and fled.

This reporting method is the simplest and carries the least responsibility; all blame falls on the guards who deserted their post at the critical moment and Xu Bingkun, who raised the demon. However, once laid out this way, it truly has nothing to do with Lu Xingzhou at all; Huo Yu's previous pursuit of Lu Xingzhou could simply have been a move to mislead Xu Bingkun.

In fact, because the Huo family knew that Ying, who was carrying a pill, was missing, this explanation makes the Huo family more likely to believe that Huo Lei and his brother kidnapped Ying.

Sheng Yuanyao knew full well that Lu Xingzhou was the one who did it; reporting it this way would leave a bitter taste, as it was plainly a complete fabrication. But she was very clear that all subordinates of the Demon Suppression Bureau and all officials in Xiazhoucheng would be very happy to write it this way, saving so much trouble.

"Was all of this planned in advance?" Sheng Yuanyao finally sighed, asking with a bitter feeling.

"Regarding the disappearance of the guards' bodies specifically, yes, it was planned to shift the blame onto them." Lu Xingzhou said frankly: "I said I would cook all the melons for you until they were ripe."

"Then your early hint to me about the demon case was also using me?"

"That is truly not the case. After all, I didn't know you would go to slay the demon at that time; I didn't anticipate such coordination. I am not a god. At that time, hinting to you that the City Lord was raising a demon was truly to help you earn merit. Later, seeing the demonic qi surge into the sky, I naturally adjusted the plan."

Sheng Yuanyao's face, which had turned as black as charcoal, finally lightened a bit. She then sighed wearily: "This trip to Xiazhou has turned me, in such a short time, into an official slicker just like everyone else... I joined the Demon Suppression Bureau not to become someone like this."

Lu Xingzhou looked at her steadily for a long moment, then said in a low voice: "I said it before... this world is a pill furnace. We reside within it, and sooner or later, we will all be refined into the same smooth shape."

Sheng Yuanyao said with some sarcasm: "What if one does not want to become the same shape? To turn the furnace fire into one's own flame?"

"Yes, if you have enough power, then you can ignore what the Xiazhou officials think, not care about the Huo family's reaction, and simply arrest me and hand me over... but not now."

Sheng Yuanyao was actually amused by this. She glanced casually at Shen Tang, who was listening to the gossip nearby: "If I really wanted to arrest you, I'd probably have to withstand the reactions of certain people here."

Shen Tang smiled slightly and said nothing.

Sheng Yuanyao stretched, then walked out with a somewhat dispirited air: "Let it be. Once this matter passes, I will ask my father to transfer me back to the capital... it's meaningless."

Shen Tang thought to herself that you might not be able to return, but ultimately said nothing. Watching Sheng Yuanyao depart, she said in a low voice: "Yuanyao is quite good... nowadays, young ladies of official families with such a pure heart are truly rare."

Lu Xingzhou also smiled and bowed: "Then, Sect Master, I will go back to rest."

Shen Tang said softly: "Go ahead. You've worked hard. I'll have someone bring you some restorative medicine in a while."

Lu Xingzhou waved at Dugu Qingli: "Goodbye, Bai Mao."

Dugu Qingli remained expressionless.

A'nuo quickly pushed Lu Xingzhou away. Dugu Qingli, with a stern face, asked: "You two were quite fast?"

Shen Tang's face turned red: "It took longer than expected... he rested for a while in the middle."

Dugu Qingli: "Is this something I can hear?"

Shen Tang: "What are you talking about?"

"Whatever you did, that is what I am saying."

"We were treating the legs!" Shen Tang was too lazy to argue nonsense with her and looked at her own legs with some anticipation: "He said it would take ten days; the rest is just recovery training. I really can stand up again..."

Dugu Qingli hesitated somewhat: "If you are healed, you will actually be stronger than me, capable of self-defense. Can I leave then?"

In that instant, Shen Tang felt a malice she absolutely should not have felt, thinking that letting Dugu Qingli leave was not a bad thing, to avoid Lu Xingzhou's eyes always being fixed on her, and even at the farewell, he was looking at Bai Mao instead of her...

But knowing this thought was absolutely wrong, she said: "Did the Imperial Preceptor order you to protect my safety, or to protect me until my legs are healed?"

Dugu Qingli said helplessly: "To protect your safety. But I feel you have no danger ahead."

"Then you are wrong... from Sheng Yuanyao's attitude toward us, we know that at least Sheng Qingfeng knows my identity. Since Sheng Qingfeng knows, others will eventually know too; my identity cannot be hidden for long. By then, even if I am allowed to settle down peacefully, various hidden arrows will inevitably be aimed at me. Furthermore, why did demons appear in Xiazhou, and where did they come from? This is also a hidden danger that cannot be ignored..."

Dugu Qingli said: "If that time truly comes, my power alone cannot protect you. But your own power can then be put to use..."

Shen Tang asked: "Are you close to fourth grade yet?"

"After this battle with the demon, I gained quite some realization. I feel the bottleneck of fourth grade has loosened somewhat; a breakthrough should be imminent. But my master said I must experience the mortal world before I can glimpse the top three grades. I still haven't perceived any use for it."

Shen Tang sighed somewhat: "It is already remarkable. You are not even eighteen this year; you are truly a genius."

Dugu Qingli said nothing; she did not think her own situation was anything remarkable, for Shen Tang had already reached fourth grade, which was truly astonishing. Although Shen Tang was older than she, her own so-called bottleneck had merely loosened, not broken; who knew how many years it would take to breakthrough.

"As for what you said about experiencing the mortal world being useless... it's because you've experienced too little." Shen Tang smiled: "At least you cannot feel the despair Sheng Yuanyao just felt."

Dugu Qingli pondered for a moment and agreed: "I truly do not know why she was sad. Clearly, she herself did not want to expose Lu Xingzhou."

"That is two different matters..." Shen Tang looked at her for a while, then suddenly smiled: "Hey, when I can stand up again, how about you go protect Lu Xingzhou?"

Dugu Qingli was stunned, and blurted out: "I certainly won't compete with that child for the position of pushing the wheelchair!"

"What if that is your path to the upper third grade?"

Dugu Qingli fell silent and did not answer.

Shen Tang pressed her lips together, her mood suddenly worsening; she turned the wheelchair around herself: "I will go see what is in the warehouse to send some to Lu Xingzhou... you continue your cultivation."

Just as she turned, both women felt a sudden movement in their hearts: "Who!"

With a "Whoosh," Dugu Qingli seemed to teleport, blocking the path of a black-clad, masked figure.

The Yanluo Hall assassin secretly groaned; his skill in hiding his presence had failed to deceive an equal for the first time. Where on earth had this Bai Mao come from? Was the so-called Sword Heart Clarity really that absurd?

"M-misunderstanding..." The assassin raised his hands to signal he meant no harm.

Dugu Qingli pointed her long sword lightly: "Who are you? What is your purpose?"

The assassin intended to explain, but his heart suddenly stirred.

What was there to explain? The Yan Lord ordered me to deliver fruit to the Judge, yet forbade me from saying where it came from. The Judge is so wise; what excuse could I possibly concoct to deceive him? This mission would be impossible to complete.

It would be better to let these two women deliver it; that would wash my hands of it completely, and the existence of the Yan Lord would absolutely never be revealed...

Thinking this, he directly took out a smoke bomb, exploded it on the ground, turned, and vanished in a flash, disappearing into the vast darkness.

Dugu Qingli was about to give chase when she suddenly sensed something amiss with an aura; looking down, she saw a fruit lying in the smoke, its radiance faintly shimmering.

(End of this chapter)