Chapter 37: Wise (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

The long saber emitted a sharp, ringing hum, as nine overlapping afterimages converged into a single, brilliant streak of white light.

With a "buzz," the man and his blade swept through a distance of three zhang.

The blade light was like a bolt of silk, tearing through the air with a roar akin to the cry of a dragon or the howl of a tiger.

Su Mu’s strength was completely exhausted, and he fell to one knee.

A few steps behind him, a head with disheveled hair rolled tumblingly away from its neck.

Blood flowed like a waterfall.

The blood was, unexpectedly, as black as ink and emitted a wave of foul stench.

Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps suddenly drifted from the mouth of the alley.

Zhao Ji rushed into the street, leading seven or eight constables.

The moment he saw the corpses scattered everywhere, his expression changed drastically.

"Su Mu! What happened here?!" Zhao Ji shouted.

Before Su Mu could answer, Zhao Ji saw the pool of ink-black blood on the ground. A look of terror instantly surfaced on his face, and he even instinctively took a step back.

However, he quickly regained his composure and spoke with feigned calmness, "What happened here? Why is there a demon?"

"A demon?"

Su Mu froze for a moment. His impression of demons was still stuck on that five-zhang-tall monster from that one night. Although this killer had some strength, he was far inferior to the demon from that night.

Was this killer also a demon?

"Captain Zhao, Li Fugui and I were patrolling the streets when we spotted a suspicious individual. We chased him here, but we didn't expect him to launch a sudden attack."

Su Mu propped himself up with his saber and stood up unsteadily. "Caught off guard, we suffered heavy casualties. Li Fugui and the other four died in the line of duty. I fought with everything I had to strike the killer down..."

"You're saying you killed a demon?" Zhao Ji interrupted Su Mu somewhat crudely.

"It wasn't my achievement alone; it was the combined effort of the five of us. I was just lucky to survive," Su Mu said.

"Nonsense! I know your level of skill. You five think you could kill a demon?" Zhao Ji sneered. "How do I know you didn't collude with a demon to kill Li Fugui and the others, only to stab him in the back yourself!"

Zhao Ji pointed at the headless corpse, his face wearing an expression that said *don't even try to lie to me.*

Su Mu was dumbfounded by these words.

"In broad daylight, why would I collude with a demon to kill constables? What would I gain from that?" Su Mu said, somewhat speechless. If one was going to frame someone, one should at least use some brainpower.

Zhao Ji also realized that this accusation was somewhat preposterous.

"I will investigate thoroughly. If it truly was you, I will certainly bring you to justice," Zhao Ji said, attempting to save face.

"Then I wish you a speedy discovery of the truth, Captain Zhao," Su Mu said, curling his lip.

Zhao Ji ordered his men to seal off the scene and sent someone to fetch the coroner.

As for Su Mu, he was driven aside as a suspect.

He was happy to have some peace and quiet, so he sat down in a corner to silently recover his strength.

Looking at the corpses of Li Fugui and the others not far away, he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy at the passing of lives.

One moment they were vibrant lives; the next, they were all corpses.

In this world, even officials could not guarantee their own safety.

Only strength mattered!

If he hadn't achieved minor success in Skin Tempering and mastered the Wave-Subduing Saber Intent, one of the five corpses on the ground would surely have been his own.

Practice makes perfect.

The coroner worked very quickly. By the time Su Mu had recovered most of his strength, they had finished their work.

The four men, including Li Fugui, had died at the hands of the killer's minions and bore no saber wounds.

The wounds on the killer's body, however, were all caused by a long saber.

This was perfectly consistent with what Su Mu had said.

"Is it possible he colluded with a demon to kill the four constables, and then they had an internal conflict?" Zhao Ji asked the coroner, unwilling to let it go.

The coroner was a veteran of the South City Bureau, and with brothers in his sect serving in the Inner City, he naturally did not fear Zhao Ji.

Rolling his eyes, he said irritably, "Captain Zhao, if you had even a shred of education, you would know that is impossible. Demons have no rationality whatsoever. Although this person's infection of demonic aura was shallow, they would absolutely never cooperate with a human. To them, humans are nothing more than food."

He was practically pointing a finger at Zhao Ji's nose to call him unlearned.

Though Zhao Ji was annoyed, thinking of the coroner's connections in the Inner City, he could only manage a forced smile.

"Young man, on behalf of the people of South City, I thank you. If you hadn't slain him, once he had fully transformed into a true demon, he would have brought immense harm to the citizens," the coroner said, cupping his hands toward Su Mu before leaving.

Su Mu felt a slight warmth in his heart. The world and its people hadn't completely rotted yet; there were still reasonable men.

He also returned the gesture with a cupped hand.

"Take Li Fugui and the others' bodies back for burial. As for this killer, burn him on the spot! Leave no trace!" Zhao Ji commanded loudly, somewhat irritably.

With that, he prepared to return and report to the Sima.

Suddenly, Su Mu grabbed him.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Ji said, embarrassed and angry. "Let go!"

"Captain Zhao, this demon should be the killer behind those previous family massacre cases. Does the South City Bureau's bounty still stand?" Su Mu asked directly, ignoring his mood.

"Hmph, if it's yours, it won't run away; if it's not, no amount of begging will help." Zhao Ji shook off Su Mu's arm and strode away.

"True enough. If it's mine, no one can back out of the debt," Su Mu muttered to himself as he dragged his exhausted body toward home.

***

South City Bureau, Rear Office.

"Hmm? The killer was someone infected with demonic aura? And Su Mu killed him?" He Yuxing said, frowning.

Zhao Ji, hunched over like a shrimp, hurriedly replied, "Yes, the coroner verified it. The state of death for Li Fugui and the others was identical to the victims in those family massacre cases. Although the killer was infected with demonic aura, he hadn't fully transformed and wasn't very strong, so Su Mu happened to get the credit."

"So many people witnessed it; it would be difficult for this Sima to go back on his word," He Yuxing said, tapping his finger on the armrest of his chair in contemplation.

The appearance of a demon was a major event, but since it was already dead, it was fine. Preventing a demonic outbreak would actually serve as a political achievement for him.

However, regarding this Su Mu—he had previously refused his recruitment. Since he wasn't one of his own, what was the use of promoting him?

"Very well, I, the Sima, give my word," He Yuxing said slowly after a moment of thought. "The three hundred taels of silver shall be paid, and he shall be given the position of Squad Leader. Not only shall he be given these, but it must be done with great fanfare, so that all constables know that what I say, I do."

"The Sima is wise!" Zhao Ji hesitated.

"Since he is now a Squad Leader, he should be responsible for the security of a specific area. Let him be in charge of Guangfu Ward," He Yuxing continued.

Zhao Ji froze, his face instantly shifting to an expression of genuine admiration. "The Sima is wise!"

Guangfu Ward was the most chaotic ward in South City, a place where refugees gathered and conflicts raged day and night; it had even suffered a demonic outbreak in the past.

In recent years, several successive Squad Leaders of Guangfu Ward had died in office.

Su Mu was just a young man without any backing. If he went to Guangfu Ward, would those gangs submit to him?

He would likely end up a corpse in the street within a few days!

The Sima was truly skilled at "borrowing a knife to kill"!