Chapter 69: Sinew Transformation Pill
Chapter 69: Sinew Transformation Pill
The crowd of people stared at each other for a moment before quickly surrounding the area.
Meanwhile, the patrol officers stationed at the Zheng family's entrance had already gone inside to report, while others stood guard at the door.
"Halt!"
"Who are you?"
"The City Guard is handling a case. Do not cause any disturbances."
In the past, a handful of patrol officers encountering such a large gathering of various parties would have likely been intimidated and would never dare to speak out.
But now, with the Zheng family's sudden downfall and on-site confiscation of their property, the patrol officers felt an unprecedented boost in confidence. Everyone sensed that the City Guard was no longer the same as before!
These stern warnings were not only confident but also carried an air of authority.
"Hmph!"
However, the leader of the Sandflow Gang, Sha Xiangtian, with his sinister scarred face, remained unmoved. "What business do you have with the Zheng family?"
Just as his words fell, a voice came from inside.
"The Zheng family is smuggling herbs and resisting by force. The rebels have been executed and their property confiscated. Is the Sandflow Gang leader planning to rebel alongside the Zheng family?"
Shang Qinglai emerged from the Zheng family's residence with a cold expression, his tone carrying a chill and sternness.
Although the scene before them had already explained everything, hearing Shang Qinglai personally declare the Zheng family's annihilation and confiscation of property still left Sha Xiangtian and the others frozen in shock.
Their first reaction was that it was impossible.
Where did the City Guard get such formidable power?
But seeing the current situation, if the Zheng family's main force was still present, how could they have fallen to the point of having their property confiscated?
"Lord Shang, you're quite bold to accuse us of smuggling," Sha Xiangtian replied coldly, having calmed down.
However, witnessing this scene, he couldn't help but feel uncertain about the City Guard's true capabilities. He felt the night's events were incredibly strange, and after a moment of contemplation, he looked at the cold-faced Shang Qinglai and the others, finally waving his hand.
"Let's go!"
With the Zheng family's downfall sealed, it was pointless to continue the confrontation with the City Guard without understanding the situation.
It would be better to wait until tomorrow to gather more details.
At Sha Xiangtian's command, numerous Sandflow Gang members began to disperse, leaving behind only a few individuals from other factions. They exchanged glances, suppressing their shock, and quickly departed to report back to their respective families.
Watching the hundreds of people with their intimidating presence vanish in an instant, Shang Qinglai's expression softened, and he felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
This was the authority the City Guard should possess! In the past, no gang or faction dared to defy the City Guard, but after tonight, Willow Grove would be turned upside down!
Any gang or faction that dared to challenge the City Guard would likely retreat in fear, yielding a third of their ground! And the one responsible for this was Chen Mu, the new patrol commander who had only assumed office five days ago. Despite his youth, his abilities, methods, and audacity had already earned him sincere respect.
At this moment, Chen Mu wasn't concerned about the commotion outside. Although he had received reports, he knew that those outside were clueless about the situation and would never dare to act recklessly. They would undoubtedly retreat soon.
Moreover, even if the Sandflow Gang dared to engage the City Guard with their full force, it wouldn't affect Chen Mu much. The disturbance would only be slightly louder, and tomorrow another faction would meet its demise.
"Patrol Commander, the outsiders have retreated," Shang Qinglai reported respectfully from behind Chen Mu.
Chen Mu nodded slightly, unbothered.
By this time, the confiscation of the Zheng family's property was already halfway done. The captured servants were tied up and detained in one courtyard, while the female family members were held in another.
After a moment, Zhang Tong arrived to report, "Commander, we found some forbidden bows and armors, as well as herbs, but only a few hundred taels of silver..."
Chen Mu's expression remained calm as he instructed, "Continue searching, and look for any secret rooms."
The Zheng family's wealth and assets were substantial, so it was unlikely that they would have only a few hundred taels of silver.
Chen Mu chose to take action against the Zheng family, setting his first fire directly on them. It wasn't solely because the Zheng family had attempted to drug him on his first day, but also because their wealth and assets were undoubtedly more substantial than those of the Sandflow Gang and other factions.
The Sandflow Gang and other gangs were just that—gangs. They had only emerged and risen to prominence within a few years, mostly consisting of gathered fugitives. However, the Zheng family had been entrenched in Willow Grove for several decades.
"Yes, sir."
Zhang Tong responded promptly and led his men to conduct a thorough search while ordering others to interrogate the Zheng family members.
After a moment, Zhang Tong returned to inform Chen Mu that they had found something unusual in the Zheng family's study, indicating the presence of a secret room, but they couldn't locate the mechanism.
Upon hearing this, Chen Mu immediately asked Zhang Tong to lead the way. They quickly bypassed several courtyards and arrived at a separate courtyard within the Zheng family's estate. The study, though not large, was elegantly furnished, and the books neatly stacked inside suggested regular cleaning.
Chen Mu examined the books, finding no discrepancies in their editions.
Some patrol officers were inside, knocking and searching for the mechanism.
Finally, someone attempted to move a flower pot, but it was too heavy to lift. After a few adjustments, a bookshelf suddenly loosened, and when pulled open on both sides, a secret passageway was revealed.
"Sir, we've found the secret room."
Upon seeing this, Zhang Tong and the others immediately returned to Chen Mu's side to report, but they didn't go down to inspect it.
Chen Mu nodded slightly and then stepped into the secret passageway. Zhang Tong and Shang Qinglai also remained at the entrance, silently guarding the door.
The secret passageway was a slanted staircase leading downward. After walking for a short distance, they reached a relatively small underground room filled with numerous boxes.
Chen Mu casually opened one of the boxes.
Inside, ingots of snowflake silver were revealed.
After a cursory glance around, it was evident that the many wooden boxes contained silver, totaling several tens of thousands of taels, far exceeding Chen Mu's current wealth by several dozen times.
However, Chen Mu wasn't particularly interested in these scattered silver pieces. He walked further inside, bypassing the large wooden boxes, and found smaller ones. Upon opening them, he discovered stacks of gold leaves, also in significant quantities.
"Hmm?"
Just as Chen Mu casually opened several small wooden boxes, assuming they all contained gold leaves, he suddenly found something peculiar in one of the boxes. It was a stack of an unknown herb wrapped in oil paper.
After opening one, he discovered an unfamiliar herb.
Given that it was stored here with special care, it was likely not an ordinary item and must be extremely valuable. He opened several more oil paper packages, finding similar contents.
But as Chen Mu unwrapped the last oil paper package, he discovered a pill that resembled a black pearl, emitting a peculiar medicinal fragrance.
"Oh? What's this...?"
Chen Mu's eyes lit up with surprise.
He couldn't identify the herbs, but the pill before him, though seen for the first time, immediately reminded him of something specific due to its shape and scent.
Sinew Transformation Pill.
The Zheng family's collection even included such a valuable item.
(Chapter End)
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