Chapter 44: Investigation
Chapter 44: Investigation
"Sir, what's wrong?" asked Liu Song and the others as they noticed Chen Mu's grave expression upon exiting the courtyard.
Chen Mu, however, remained silent, merely shaking his head. He led the group back to the City Guard, simultaneously sending someone to locate Min Baoyi.
As it happened, Min Baoyi was not drinking with anyone today. He was at a teahouse in the back streets, listening to music, when he learned that Chen Mu was looking for him. With a smile, he casually tossed some copper coins onto the table and followed the messenger back to the City Guard.
Upon arriving at the City Guard, Min Baoyi saw Chen Mu waiting for him at the entrance, his face serious. He paused slightly, realizing that something significant might be happening. He nodded slightly to Chen Mu, refraining from asking questions at the door, and led Chen Mu directly into the main hall.
Soon, deep within the City Guard's main hall, after dismissing the attendants, Min Baoyi turned to Chen Mu and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's like this..." Chen Mu began, promptly reporting his consecutive investigations and various situations.
Min Baoyi's expression grew grave as he listened: "The Guardian Deity..."
In truth, whether it was the disappearance cases or the sightings of the gray-furred rats, he was well-informed about everything, as his informers were everywhere in the Nine Streets. However, a few hundred disappearances over several months didn't seem like a big deal to him, so he hadn't paid much attention. As for the gray-furred rats, he cared even less.
But now, from Chen Mu, he received another piece of intelligence—the gray-furred rats and the disappearances might be linked to the Black Crow Sect. This implied an ominous feeling.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Min Baoyi stood up and spoke in a low voice, "This matter is indeed extraordinary. I must first report it to Lord Xu. You wait here at the City Guard for news." He hurried out the door.
With various clues pointing to the Black Crow Sect, it was no longer a decision for Min Baoyi alone, as the City Guard, to make. After all, the Black Crow Sect's influence spanned multiple districts, not just local gangs in the Nine Streets. Deploying some men to investigate the sect was one thing, but a large-scale operation would require higher-level approval.
As Min Baoyi left, only Chen Mu remained in the main hall, his eyes revealing a heightened awareness. He usually ignored minor matters, but if the Black Crow Sect had sinister intentions, they must be crushed in their infancy. Even a casual prediction of potential events was terrifying, and if they unfolded, they could turn the entire Outer City into a living hell.
Half a day passed.
Finally, Min Baoyi returned to the City Guard.
The news he brought back was that Xu Hongyu took this matter very seriously. However, she instructed the Nine Streets to avoid any major moves for now and instead discreetly monitor the Black Crow Sect. She would dispatch additional personnel to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Upon receiving these instructions, Chen Mu breathed a slight sigh of relief. His biggest concern was that Xu Hongyu wouldn't care about this matter and ignore it, as people in this world might not react as strongly to disasters as he did.
Although Xu Hongyu didn't immediately order the City Guard of the Nine Streets to take action but instead sent people to investigate, the fact that she paid attention to the matter was reassuring.
This was no longer just about Zhang Youying's disappearance; it was much more significant.
Chen Mu's level of concern far exceeded the ordinary.
"Rest assured, a small sect like the Black Crow Sect can't cause too much trouble," Min Baoyi said, noticing Chen Mu's still-serious expression. He patted Chen Mu's shoulder, "And about your distant cousin, I've asked my people to look into it. As long as she's within the Nine Streets, it's impossible for her to vanish into thin air."
Chen Mu bowed gratefully to Min Baoyi, who waved his hand dismissively, "There's no need for thanks between us. When you're free, invite me for a drink."
Noticing the fading daylight, Min Baoyi stood up, chatted with Chen Mu for a while, and they left the City Guard together.
Chen Mu soon returned home.
Chen Hong was still waiting for him there. Seeing him return, she hurried forward to ask for news.
Chen Mu shared only that there was a lead, and he had ordered the City Guard to investigate. For now, they could only wait for news. After reassuring Chen Hong, he escorted her home.
The night was cloaked in darkness, the moonlight dimmed by the black veil.
At the Black Crow Sect's base, everything was shrouded in darkness, not a single candlelight in sight. It seemed like everyone had already retired for the night.
A black figure silently appeared outside the cluster of buildings, almost invisible under the night sky. With agile movements, the figure traversed the eaves and corners of the buildings, inspecting each structure with ease.
"Strange," Chen Mu muttered as he paused on an eave, gazing at the pitch-black sect base. A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
With his current strength, Chen Mu trusted no one more than himself. After nightfall, he had stealthily made his way to the Black Crow Sect's base to investigate. However, after a thorough search, he found no signs of anything unusual.
It wasn't that he didn't trust the actions of Xu Hongyu's side; the Black Crow Sect had territories in several districts, making it a significant concern. He wasn't sure which area Xu Hongyu was investigating, so he decided to conduct his own covert operation.
The entire area was enveloped in darkness, as if everyone had long gone to bed. Unlike other sects that operated at night, the Black Crow Sect didn't even have sentries, appearing like a regular sect that only prayed during the day.
Chen Mu's senses were now heightened, allowing him to hear even the slightest sounds. Crouching at the corner of the eave, he could almost hear the breathing of someone sleeping in the room below.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chen Mu swiftly moved, locating a relatively secluded room. With a slight exertion of force from his palm, he shook the window open and flipped into the room. Inside, there was only a bed with a sleeping Black Crow Sect disciple.
Chen Mu grabbed the disciple's throat, waking him from his dreams but preventing any sound from escaping.
Without asking any questions, Chen Mu lifted the disciple and flipped out of the window, quickly leaving the Black Crow Sect's base. He only stopped in a secluded alley, where he threw the disciple down and coldly said, "Answer my questions, or you die."
The Black Crow disciple was already terrified, his face pale and drenched in cold sweat. Having been carried by Chen Mu across the eaves, he knew that the person before him was at least a Muscle Training Level warrior, possibly a Gang Leader or even a Deputy Sect Leader within the Black Crow Sect, someone far beyond his ability to resist.
"I... I..." the disciple replied in a trembling voice.
Chen Mu asked in a deep voice, "Where are the people you captured?"
"Wh... what people did we capture?" the disciple stuttered, his face filled with confusion.
Chen Mu frowned at the disciple's response, which didn't seem feigned. He continued, "Why did you release so many gray-furred rats? What were you planning to do?"
"Gray-furred rats?" The disciple was even more perplexed, his face blank. His voice trembled as he replied, "We've seen many gray-furred rats these days. Wang Liu even caught and ate one."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mu remained calm and asked, "I heard that the Black Crow Sect worships not only the Raven God but also a Guardian Deity. Is that true?"
At Chen Mu's words, the disciple became even more confused, as if he didn't understand what a Guardian Deity was.
As expected, ordinary disciples often knew little.
Chen Mu wasn't surprised by the disciple's reaction. Yin Hong wouldn't have fabricated the existence of a Guardian Deity, as it would serve no purpose. If such information was revealed, it must be based on fact.
And now, with the ordinary disciple's ignorance, it became clear that the matter concerning the Guardian Deity was a closely guarded secret within the Black Crow Sect, making it all the more suspicious.
"Th... this... Young Master..." the disciple stammered, trembling as he looked at Chen Mu. But before he could finish his sentence, it abruptly ended as his throat was crushed.
Chen Mu indifferently tossed the body aside.
Another nameless corpse lay in the gutter.
Once upon a time, he was responsible for disposing of such corpses every day. Now, he had become a creator of these nameless bodies, unaware of who would clean them up the next morning.
(End)
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