"No, not at all."
Yan Xun shook his head in confusion.
Thump, thump, thump.
There were knocks on the door, and a magnetic male voice came from outside:
"Open up, room inspection."
The man in the conical bamboo hat's complexion changed drastically, he bolted up and exclaimed, "Not good..."
Before he could finish speaking, a fierce blade light flashed, slicing the door into smithereens!
A handsome and upright man walked in slowly, followed by dozens of Sky Scale Guards who filed in, surrounding the place so tightly no water could trickle through!
"Chen Mo?!"
Yan Xun's eyes bulged, his expression one of meeting a ghost.
Shouldn't he be at Yicui Square right now, being played around by Yan Liang in circles?
How could he appear here?
"An unexpected catch?"
Chen Mo glanced at the man in the conical bamboo hat.
He had long known the hiding place of the Barbarian Slave; he intentionally lured the snake out of the hole, wanting to catch them red-handed.
He just didn't expect the other party to be so bold as to still engage in a trade under these circumstances!
"Stop them!"
Without any hesitation, the man in the conical bamboo hat swiftly formed hand seals.
The burly man bellowed, his stature explosively growing, tearing his clothes, and transforming into a nearly three meters tall giant, with muscles gleaming with a bronze luster!
"A Magician?"
Chen Mo's eyebrows raised slightly.
"Dare to resist, kill on sight!"
The assistant officers leaped into action.
They were all entry-level Martial Artists with no weak strength, but their swords and sabers only left marks on the giant's body and couldn't inflict any fatal damage.
Yet, with a swing of his overly powerful arms, the giant sent several men flying!
Seeing this, the others quickly adjusted their tactics. Some moved swiftly, twirling iron chains around the giant, tying him in place.
The rest targeted the ankles, knees, and groin with fierce slashes!
In the distance, two assistant officers with hand crossbows tensed the bowstrings, the arrows whistling through the air!
Thud! Thud!
Two arrows pierced the eyes almost simultaneously!
"Ah, ah, ah, ah!"
The excruciating pain nearly drove the giant mad!
He grabbed the chains and flung the assistant officers away, breaking free from the restraints, and started charging forward, heading straight towards where Chen Mo was standing!
"Lord, be careful!"
Qin Shou cried out in alarm.
Chen Mo's feet remained still as he placed his hand on the hilt of his blade.
In the instant of impact, a dazzling cyan light tore through the darkness, a dragon-roar echoed, shaking the souls of those who heard it!
The giant, still in a running pose, was split from the top down into two, passing by Chen Mo's side. The splashing blood hadn't even fallen before it was evaporated by the Sword Qi!
Clang!
The sword was sheathed, and the body thudded down!
"So graceful, too graceful!"
The crowd watched, their hearts elated, their eyes filled with awe and admiration!
In terms of strength and defense, this giant was far beyond any ordinary Sixth-rank Martial Artist. Unexpectedly, he couldn't even withstand a single strike from the General!
Just how powerful must the General be?
[Kill "Copper Puppet·Giant Spirit", True Spirit +30.]
A prompt flashed before Chen Mo's eyes as he evened out his breath.
"Is this the power of a Heavenly Rank Top-Grade Martial Technique?"
"Sleeve Green Dragon... just at the entry level and yet so formidable, but the True Yuan consumption is just too huge, an average Sixth-rank Martial Artist might not be able to deliver such a strike."
Moreover, Chen Mo could feel that this strike was in line with some profound truth indistinctly.
That must be what is referred to as "Daoist Charm".
"My Copper Puppet!!"
The man in the conical bamboo hat felt a surge of pain.
To forge this puppet, he had invested all his savings, utilized a Sixth-rank Martial Artist's body, and nearly a thousand jin of Crimson Copper!
And this pup was cleaved by this youngster in a single strike?
"I'll remember you; we have a long time ahead of us..."
The man in the conical bamboo hat gave Chen Mo a deep look and the blue bricks under his feet softened like quicksand, and he quickly submerged into the ground.
Five Elements Escape Technique!
As a Sixth-rank Mage, he had his own reliance; just these court hawks and dogs couldn't possibly stop him...
Just then, a mellow voice sounded leisurely: "Friend, since you've come, don't be in such a rush to leave."
Boom!
A Silver Spear pierced through the door like a shooting star smashing into the ground!
Shen Shuqiu stepped forward in the moonlit night, grabbed the Silver Spear, and with a surge of Qi Force pouring into it, tore a giant fissure several meters long in the ground, which kept spreading rapidly!
The assistant officers, along with the Barbarian Slave, had just retreated to the courtyard when the entire building collapsed with a thunderous crash!
"A Fifth-Level Pure Yang Practitioner?"
"You're a Sky Scale Guard Guard Hundred Households?!"
Exclamations arose.
Then another pained grunt followed.
As the night breeze swept by and the dust settled, Shen Shuqiu stood tall and proud.
The man in the conical bamboo hat was hoisted up by the Silver Spear, his abdomen impaled, firmly nailed to the wall.
The Divine Sea is breached, and no kind of magic can be mustered anymore.
They've been set up...
The man in the conical hat just couldn't understand.
They were just some Barbarian Slaves, how did they alarm the Sky Scale Guard Hundred Households?
"Bring them into the Imperial Prison, to await their fate!"
Shen Shuqiu's voice was ice-cold.
"Yes!"
Assistant Officer responded.
Yan Xun's knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Being a member of the Sky Scale Guard, he knew all too well what the Imperial Prison meant.
A soul scattered by the fires of torment, an unspeakable cruelty; in that place, death was not the fear, but that even death was a luxury...
The several prisoners were taken away.
Shen Shuqiu's hand flicked his Silver Spear, which turned into a speck of light and retracted into his body.
Noticing Chen Mo's astonished gaze, Shen Shuqiu took the initiative to explain, "This spear is not a solid object; it is a Martial Spirit that I nurtured. It communicates with my will, moves as my limbs do."
A Martial Spirit?
Chen Mo suddenly understood.
The chasm between the transcendental realms was vast.
At the Sixth-rank Returning to Origin Realm, one refines True Qi into True Yuan.
At the Fifth-Level Pure Yang Realm, it is about merging the Divine Thought with the True Yuan, solidifying it into one's own Martial Spirit!
"Each person's cultivation technique, comprehension, and state of mind are different; the Martial Spirit they solidify is also fundamentally different."
"I've been practicing spear fighting with my elder brother since childhood..."
Speaking of this, Shen Shuqiu paused, a flicker of sorrow and hatred in his eyes.
Years ago, when the Barbarian Tribes invaded the Southern Border, Shen Family's eldest son died on the battlefield, and his hatred for the Barbarian Tribes ran deep!
Once he regained his composure, Shen Shuqiu patted Chen Mo's shoulder.
"Your role in tonight's capture is by far the most important... Yet, I am curious, how did you know about the Yan Family harboring Barbarian Slaves, and even the specifics of their location?"
...All tears when talking too much.
In his past life, Chen Mo saw someone on a forum claiming unequivocally that one could trigger a hidden plot about "Training Barbarian Slave" if a series of prerequisites were met.
So he repeated this quest dozens of times, remembering every detail...
Damn it, accursed Sitting Forget Dao!
Chen Mo tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I had an informant."
"An informant?"
"So, you were planning this for a long time?"
Shen Shuqiu was somewhat surprised, scrutinizing Chen Mo seriously.
Previously, he had a very ordinary impression of Chen Mo, thinking him to be nothing more than a pampered young master, not fit for serious tasks.
But in just one day, Chen Mo made him see him in a new light!
Master of the strategy, deliberating thoroughly before action, deliberately provoking the enemy to lure them out before a combined capture of evidence and culprits.
Handsome, highly talented, and with such meticulous thoughts.
Comparing him to his own food-loving sibling, Shen Shuqiu suddenly felt the pressure of "aiming high"...
No, this good brother-in-law must not slip away!
"About the marriage grant we spoke of last time..."
"Cough cough, it's late, I should go back to catch up on sleep, Lord, you should also rest early."
"Since that Magician was apprehended by Your Lordship, you should personally prosecute him. I would not dare to claim the merit."
After saying this, Chen Mo vanished in a flash, escaping the situation.
Shen Shuqiu was stunned for a moment before smiling wryly.
"Hmph, this kid is indeed sly, pretending he dares not claim the merit, he's clearly afraid of making enemies..."
The following day, Zhao Hua Palace.
Flying eaves and upturned corners, green tiles and red columns, fully displaying the majesty of the Imperial Family.
The incense burner carved with auspicious beasts emitted curling wafts of incense, the air was filled with a faintly sweet fragrance.
Behind the colored glaze screen, a bright yellow figure could be vaguely seen sitting upright.
"How goes the investigation of the Ministry of Revenue's corruption case?"
The female voice carried an imperious yet languid tone.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the suspect has confessed to his crimes without denial. After interrogation and investigation, the three individuals are also suspected of bribery, office buying, dereliction of duty... among other crimes."
"They involve a doctor from the Ministry of Personnel, office head, and five Imperial Censors."
Speaking thus, Yan Peizhi, dressed in purple official robes, presented the confession.
His temples were graying, his gaze sharp, like a lean, hungry tiger, his aura extraordinary.
The eunuch took the confession and handed it to the Empress.
After a while, a voice tinged with anger said, "Hoarding power, auctioning offices, our Great Yuan's officialdom is rotten to the core! Good, very good!"
"Your Highness, please calm your anger."
Yan Peizhi bowed his head, his eyes flickering.
Whether the confession was true or false had ceased to be important.
What mattered was, what benefits could be reaped from this confession?
At this moment, a Female Officer dashed in and whispered something to the Empress.
The area behind the screen was quiet for a long time.
Just as Yan Peizhi was growing puzzled, the words from the Empress made him break out in cold sweat!
"Lord Yan, perhaps you can first explain why your Yan Family would have any connection to the Barbarian Tribes?"