Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chen Mu's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Don't tell me this person is hiding here without the protection of your Hehuan Sect."

The young girl chuckled, "Everything must be put to its best use. This thief will sooner or later end up on the guillotine, but his martial arts are quite good. We are merely making use of him temporarily. Even if you hadn't come today, Lord, we would have sent this person to you after he served his purpose."

"Actually, compared to such a thief, we would prefer to get closer to a talented and outstanding man like yourself, Lord. What type are you fond of? Our Hehuan Sect has all kinds to offer. There must be a sister here who can satisfy your preferences... "

"Enough,"

Chen Mu coldly interrupted the girl's seductive tone and glanced at Xiao Lian, who was still sitting on the ground outside the corridor, and said, "She is not from your Hehuan Sect. Give her a way out, and I won't pursue the other matters further."

As his words fell, Chen Mu picked up Yan Wansi and swept past, disappearing outside the broken window.

Hou Lingling paused slightly upon hearing Chen Mu's words, then turned to look at Xiao Lian, who seemed a bit frightened, as if she had discovered something very interesting. She showed a keen expression and stroked her chin.

"This Lord Chen truly treats everyone equally."

According to the information about Chen Mu, it mentioned that during his time as the Prefecture Chief, he had provided relief to disaster victims, treating refugees from other regions with the same impartiality, giving them help all the same.

It now appeared that in Chen Mu's eyes, not just ordinary people but even brothel courtesans were treated with the same impartiality. He did not ignore Xiao Lian because of her lowly status and even left a remark for her in the end.

...

Inspectorate.

On the top floor of the sixth level, Yan Jingqing, dressed in white, was still reading a book.

Suddenly, someone appeared silently beside him and whispered a few words.

"Caught a big thief, huh?"

"So the Hehuan Sect has infiltrated not only the Inner City but also the brothels in various parts of the Outer City..."

Yan Jingqing shook his head slightly and continued reading.

To him, neither the Black Cloud thief Yan Wansi nor the Hehuan Sect's infiltration into the brothel were matters of importance. Although the Hehuan Sect was part of the Demon Sect, practicing methods that depleted others' Qi-Blood for their own use, they did not commit murderous acts, thus the minimal disruption to order.

On the other hand, organizations like the Blood Concealment Pavilion and the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion were far more harmful.

The former disrupted order by their very nature, while the latter, after establishing itself in Yu County, had constantly been cultivating its power secretly. Relying on the backing of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, they had gradually placed their people into various government offices, though for now, they were still limited to the lower levels.

...

Bringing back Yan Wansi was just the first step.
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The next step was interrogation, to make Yan Wansi confess his numerous crimes and his connections with the He Family. This step would be difficult. After all, Yan Wansi was a desperado, and moreover, a Martial Man who had achieved Minor Achievement in the Bone Tempering Realm. Ordinary methods would not easily compel him to submit.

But the Inspectorate now was different with not just vast power, it also included several personnel Yan Jingqing had brought from the State Government Office, including two other Metropolitan Commanders who held the same position as Chen Mu.

After Chen Mu had Yan Wansi locked up in the Inspectorate, he soon found one of the Metropolitan Commanders.

"Lord Pang, Black Cloud Family Head Yan Wansi has been captured by me. This man is wicked to the core, and his case might involve significant issues. Does the Inspectorate have any experts skilled in interrogation?"

"Yan Wansi committed many evils; capturing him was indeed a meritorious act... Interrogation just happens to be my specialty," Pang Xiangyun said with a smile, readily agreeing.

Yan Wansi was, after all, a vicious bandit in the Bone Tempering Realm, and also the Family Head of the Black Cloud Bandits. Capturing such a man was beneficial for the Inspectorate; it could at least be publicized to deter some of the criminals both inside and outside of Yu City, and was considered neither a major nor minor merit.

Chen Mu had brought him in for interrogation; this was essentially sharing the merit with him. He was naturally pleased to see it, especially since he had already intended to form a connection with Chen Mu. Being from the State Government Office, there were few in Yu County whom he held in high regard; Chen Mu was undoubtedly one of them, possessing both talent and being valued by Yan Jingqing.

"Then I'll trouble Lord Pang," Chen Mu said, bowing to Pang Xiangyun, who smiled and returned the gesture.

After handing Yan Wansi over to Pang Xiangyun, Chen Mu did not inquire further. Whether anything useful was extracted from the interrogation or not, the multitude of crimes Yan Wansi confessed could not possibly bring down the entire He Family based on his word alone. Even Yan Jingqing would not have taken such an action.

On one hand, the He Family was under the influence of the Seven Profound Sect, and on the other, Yu County was maintaining a delicate balance at the time, with the He Family's influence spread throughout the county. Any major disturbance would definitely invite interference from other sects.

Several days later.

Chen Mu was still in his Silent Chamber, contemplating the Separating Fire Map.

The aftermath of the Yan Wansi incident unexpectedly caused a huge stir.

First came the edict from the Inspectorate.

He Guangxun, Deputy Governor of the Smelting Bureau, was secretly conspiring to provide the Black Cloud Bandits with the salt transportation routes and operational intelligence of Yu County, resulting in the bandits stealing a shipment of salt from the Salt Affairs Bureau.

He was removed from his position as Deputy Governor of the Smelting Bureau, and by order of the City Lord's Mansion Prefectural Governor, Yu Zutian was appointed to succeed him as Deputy Governor of the Smelting Bureau!

It seemed like just the reassignment of a Deputy Governor, but it actually showed Yan Jingqing's extreme dissatisfaction with the He Family. Traditionally, the Smelting Bureau had always been managed and controlled by the He Family.

Not only had He Guangxun been removed from his Deputy Governor position, but Yu Zutian from the Yu Family had also been appointed to take over, effectively forcing a part of the Smelting Bureau to be split off to the Yu Family!

Following that.

By decree from the Demon-Slaying Office, one Deputy Governor and seven White-Clothed Guards from the He Family were dismissed!

This move stripped the He Family of all the significant personnel in the Demon-Slaying Office, rendering these individuals unable to access the resources of the office ever again!

With these simultaneous actions, the severity of the punishment was beyond Chen Mu's expectation.

In his view, the issue with Yan Wansi would at most cause Yan Jingqing to be displeased with the He Family, leading to some mild reprimands or the removal of a few positions, but not enough to let the Yu Family take over. After all, in these chaotic times, no family was completely clean, and most had some shady dealings.

Only later, upon questioning, did Chen Mu learn that the information extracted from Yan Wansi during the interrogation involved the Heavenly Corpse Sect!

"This suggests a possible collusion between the He Family and the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect," Chen Mu murmured to himself after hearing the news.

In these tumultuous times, acts of murder and arson were almost trivial, but involvement with the remnants of the Heavenly Corpse Sect was something the Seven Profound Sect could not tolerate. Even if it was just suspicion, Yan Jingqing's actions were ruthless.

Just as Chen Mu was pondering how the He Family might deal with this situation,

the follow-up abruptly ceased.

Yan Jingqing also stopped pursuing the He Family, and the situation eerily calmed down once again.