Chapter 125: Perhaps Just Went to Kill Someone

Ye Shirong's mansion was brightly lit, with officials who had rushed to the scene carrying torches and patrolling the perimeter, among whom traces of the Red Scale Guard could be seen.

Linghu Qingmo carried Meiqiu on her shoulder, searching the courtyard with Feiji and others, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding buildings:

"Is Xie Jinhuan injured? Where did he go?"

"Gulu~"

Meiqiu, dragged over in the middle of the night to work overtime, raised a wing to wipe her neck, but was directly ignored.

Wan'an County Commandant Feiji, half-squatting beside the corpse that had already turned into rotten meat, looked deeply worried:

"Master Jingkong said he went to eliminate the demonic bandits. There are fragments of clothing everywhere; with the body beaten like this, he must have suffered greatly himself..."

Linghu Qingmo had been resting at Wang Fu, but upon suddenly hearing the commotion in the outer city, she brought Meiqiu over to check, never expecting that Xie Jinhuan was secretly slaying demons and monsters behind her back again!

If she had known, she wouldn't have pretended to be angry today; if she had stayed by his side every step of the way, how could Xie Jinhuan have risked his life alone...

Just as everyone was searching, a faint sound of wind breaking suddenly came from the rooftops.

Several officials immediately became alert and looked up, only to see a young master in tattered clothes, wearing a sleeveless tight outfit personally bestowed by the Pill King, jump down from the wall:

"Eh? Mo Mo, why are you here too?"

Linghu Qingmo, who had been extremely worried, rushed forward immediately, supporting his shoulders to inspect his body:

"Are you not injured? Why is your complexion so weak?"

Xie Jinhuan had only been kicked once by Ye Shirong from front to back; his entire body's exhaustion was from being pinned down and abused by the Twilight Heroine, but this embarrassing matter was really hard to bring up:

"I am fine. These remnants of the Mingshen Sect are truly cunning; I just went to chase them, but couldn't find anyone."

Monk Jingkong, who was also checking the traces nearby, interjected at this moment:

"He cast the 'Body-Eating Gu' in advance; nothing could stop the elimination of witnesses. However, Ye Shirong had taken root in Jingcheng for twenty years and used a secret method to conceal his cultivation technique's path; no one had ever discovered anything unusual in the past. How did Young Master Xie manage to root him out?"

Xie Jinhuan knew the officials would be puzzled and explained:

"Today, while playing music in the Linde Hall, I accidentally noticed something strange about Ye Shirong, so I came over tonight to check, and never expected to actually catch him."

Linghu Qingmo frowned and couldn't help but pinch Xie Jinhuan's lower back:

"You had clues but didn't tell me? I knew you asking Ye Shirong in the Linde Hall was not as simple as wanting to leave a goat beard..."

"Sigh, I originally wanted to discuss it with you, but you turned and ran away."

Xie Jinhuan shook his head with a smile, just about to find an excuse to take his leave, when he heard a sound coming from the courtyard well:

"My lord, there is something here."

Seeing this, Xie Jinhuan and Mo Mo went together to the well to inspect; they could see the stone door at the bottom of the well had been forcibly broken open, revealing a tunnel. He landed inside and, along with everyone else, entered to check, finding that the interior contained more than ten prison cells.

Inside the cells were wooden racks, upon which more than thirty men, all with disheveled hair and vacant eyes, looked like the dead, yet their physiques were very robust, even quite large.

And at the deepest end of the corridor was a resting room, containing two plank beds, with dice, miscellaneous books, and other items to pass the time, as well as medicines and bandages.

Linghu Qingmo, who had usually only captured minor demons and bandits, looked slightly confused upon seeing this:

"Who are these people?"

Monk Jingkong sighed lightly, his eyes holding a trace of compassion:

"Blood slaves. The demonic Taoist keeps them to plunder vital energy; each time only a little is drawn, then nourished and restored with pills, allowing the cycle to repeat. Usually, one person can be used for several years; although the progress is slow, it is very hard to discover."

Feiji, who had always served in Jingcheng, had seen many major cases, but this kind of demonic Taoist secret base was indeed the first time he had seen one; at this moment, he looked around the many prison cells:

"Can these people still be saved?"

Monk Jingkong shook his head: "Their souls have long returned to the yellow earth; only their shells remain in the human world. Fortunately, having been imprisoned here and brutally tortured, they no longer feel the pain of having their tendons and bones torn apart."

Seeing that many officials were frowning tightly, and Mo Mo's eyes were filled with anger, Xie Jinhuan, who was very good at comforting people, said:

"Ye Shirong died quite miserably; his limbs and spine were broken, and he was sliced more than ten times. It can be considered paying back some grievance for these common people."

Feiji nodded slightly, then turned to look at the officials:

"Do you see? If you are soft-hearted towards demonic bandits, the demonic bandits will not have mercy on the common people. From now on, you must be like Jinhuan, more evil than the evil path and more vicious than the demonic Taoists, so that these bastards will truly fear you."

"Yes."

"Send all the blood slaves to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to verify their identities and thoroughly investigate everyone who has had contact with Ye Shirong in recent years."

The accompanying officials immediately began to get busy.

As the County Commandant, Feiji definitely wouldn't be sleeping tonight; seeing Xie Jinhuan's tattered appearance, he first asked with concern:

"Not all officials in the government office are useless; the rest will be left to us. If there are any clues, notify you in time. You go back to Wang Fu to rest first, don't exhaust yourself..."

Xie Jinhuan still had a private matter to ask Uncle Fei for help, so he raised his hand slightly, using the excuse of discussing the case, and went with Feiji outside Ye Mansion, speaking in a low voice:

"Uncle Fei, I have something I need to trouble you with."

Feiji's two small mustaches drooped, and he immediately became unhappy:

"Between us uncle and nephew, what is there to talk about troubling? Just give the order directly; even if you want to go to the Purple Gold Pavilion, Uncle will disguise himself to guide you..."

Xie Jinhuan saw Mo Mo waiting nearby and feared she might hear, so he hurriedly said:

"It is serious business. Today in the Linde Hall, I noticed Li Gongpu's eyes were wrong; he kept looking at the Crown Prince. I feel he wants to curry favor with His Highness the Crown Prince..."

"Ah?"

Feiji's expression became serious, and he stroked his chin:

"The Emperor strictly controls the Crown Prince, and Li Gongpu is the best at sucking up; making him play with things and lose his ambition is no small matter..."

Xie Jinhuan put on a look of worrying about the country and the people:

"Yes. The Emperor's achievements are not bad; even if there are some minor lapses in propriety, they can be understood. But if an old fox like Li Gongpu bewitches the Crown Prince to corrupt the future ruler, it might bring disaster to the world."

"You want to investigate whether Li Gongpu has privately approached the Crown Prince?"

"Yes. However, I am alone and have few people I can trust..."

Feiji thought for a moment, then patted Xie Jinhuan's shoulder:

"Regarding your father's matter back then, I suspect Li Gongpu was involved quite a bit. I will handle this matter personally; I can't catch evil demons and devils, but I can spot criminal acts with a single glance."

Xie Jinhuan immediately clasped his hands: "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Fei."

"If you're any more polite, Uncle will have to scold you! Go back and rest."

"Hehe..."

After finishing the main business, Xie Jinhuan turned and walked toward the street.

Linghu Qingmo, carrying Meiqiu on her shoulder, waited by the roadside; seeing no one around, she approached, supporting her arm with her hand:

"Are you returning to Wang Fu now, or...?"

Xie Jinhuan needed to find Mu Mu Yun Hong to deceive her into giving up the Sixty-Year Lotus; taking Mo Mo along for this was clearly inappropriate. Thinking it over, he said somewhat awkwardly:

"Uh... I've already agreed with Physician Lin to go over tonight; she's probably still waiting... I'm just going there for a meal, not as outrageous as you think..."

"Not as outrageous as I think? What are you explaining?"

"Proclaiming innocence by denying guilt..."

Linghu Qingmo took a light breath; her heart was still a bit upset, but since Lin Wanyi was the principal wife, if she forcibly held Xie Jinhuan back from going, she'd surely have to face Lin Wanyi rushing over to pull her hair. Thinking it over, she said:

"Then go ahead. I'm not sleepy tonight either; I'll keep watch here with the government office. Notify you promptly if there's any news."

Xie Jinhuan feared Mu Mu Yun Hong might flee in fear of punishment, so he had to go immediately, but he didn't want Mo Mo to feel neglected. After a moment's consideration, he spread his arms for a bear hug, but noticing he was covered in dust, he sheepishly withdrew his hands:

"Forget it; I'm all dirty. Don't want to get your skirt dirty."

Linghu Qingmo had already crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes slightly cold; seeing Xie Jinhuan stop halfway through the hug, her gaze inevitably became a bit bewildered.

She certainly wouldn't mind Xie Jinhuan being covered in dust and ragged; instead, she felt a bit of pity. Seeing Xie Jinhuan afraid of soiling her clothes, no longer acting shamelessly, she thought for a moment and shifted her gaze elsewhere:

"You... you first say you won't be angry!"

Seeing this expression, Xie Jinhuan wasn't clear on what Mo Mo intended; he blinked his eyes:

"You won't be angry?"

Having received the safe word, Linghu Qingmo felt much more comfortable in her heart:

"I'm not angry. You only have one chance left."

With that, she turned and ran!

"Hey?!"

Xie Jinhuan hadn't expected Mo Mo to have learned to be clever too. Once the words were out, how could he let them consume the chance? He flashed forward a step to block her path, cupped her cheeks, and:

"Mwah, mwah, mwah..."

Linghu Qingmo's face immediately turned flushed red, yet she gritted her silver teeth, refusing to say the safe word. True to her promise, she didn't get angry; she merely rose slightly on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, and endured the indescribable sensation on her lips.

Xie Jinhuan kissed several times; noticing Mo Mo didn't shout "stop," it clearly wouldn't be appropriate for him to stop voluntarily...

"Sizzle..."

Linghu Qingmo's eyelashes trembled lightly. She had intended to endure this trial and preserve her "stop" chance, but Xie Jinhuan was simply too skilled at this. If she endured any longer, she'd be bullied into making a sound. She could only lean back to dodge:

"Stop!"

Xie Jinhuan, thoroughly satisfied, stood properly:

"You only have one chance left; you must truly not be angry from the bottom of your heart!"

In fact, Linghu Qingmo wasn't angry; she had just seen Xie Jinhuan trying to be mischievous and, fearing he'd soil her clothes, deliberately provoked him a bit.

But these little thoughts in her heart, Linghu Qingmo certainly wouldn't say aloud. Putting on an expression of "I'm so angry but can't lose my temper," she hoisted Meiqiu and walked away:

"I'm going to investigate the case. You go about your business; rest well."

Xie Jinhuan had urgent matters on hand; knowing Mo Mo was unhappy but still had to leave, he merely shook his head with a smile and flew away.

"Huff~"

After walking two steps, Linghu Qingmo heard a sound, turned back to look, and saw Xie Jinhuan was indeed rushing nonstop to find Physician Lin. Her gaze inevitably grew complex; she murmured softly:

"A big playboy..."

"Gurgle~"

Meiqiu, perched on her shoulder, raised her wing and patted Linghu Qingmo's head, as if to comfort her—Don't overthink it; perhaps Ah Huan just went robbing houses to earn travel expenses!

Seeing Meiqiu shake her head and act cute, Linghu Qingmo reached up to pat her; her mood improved considerably. After walking a few more steps, she turned back to look once more...

(End of this chapter)