Chapter 93: Sleepless Night
Chapter 93: Sleepless Night
Southern District.
Within its boundaries lies a spacious and elegant courtyard, secluded and serene.
This is He Mingxuan's residence in the Southern District, a four-section compound with an attached private garden.
In one of the rooms, bright lamps illuminate the entire space, making it as bright as daylight. In the center stands a round table laden with various dishes, surrounded by two figures. One of them is He Mingxuan, the Deputy Magistrate of the Southern District.
The other is a middle-aged man, tall and robust, with a broad face and large ears, resembling a high-ranking official. However, his name strikes fear into many—Zhuang Ge, the second-in-command of the Black Cloud Bandits.
The Black Cloud Bandits terrorize the outskirts of the city, striking fear into countless merchants. Although their numbers are limited to a hundred or so, their three leaders are all infamous and have reached the Sinew Transformation Realm.
Zhuang Ge, the second-in-command, has a bounty of three thousand taels of silver on his head, far surpassing the small-time bandits with bounties of mere hundreds.
"Brother Zhuang, you've done well. I'll drink to your success." He Mingxuan smiled faintly and raised his wine cup.
Zhuang Ge grinned and lifted his cup, "It's just our business, killing a few people and stealing some goods. It's not worth such high praise from Young Master He."
The Black Cloud Bandits were not originally cultivated by the He family. In fact, they were established by Zhuang Ge himself after he got into trouble in Yu City and became a wanted man. With no choice, he fled the city and turned to banditry.
Later, by chance, he obtained a Sinew Transformation Pill and successfully entered the Sinew Transformation Realm. The Black Cloud Bandits grew stronger, catching the attention of the He family. Instead of sending men to eliminate them, the He family recruited them, and the current leader is a figure cultivated by the He family.
Zhuang Ge was well aware that his Black Cloud Bandits were insignificant compared to the He family. Although they were controlled and their power taken away, managing a hundred bandits wasn't a significant authority.
On the contrary, with the He family's involvement, Zhuang Ge could even return to Yu City, occasionally visiting the flower district and abducting a few women for amusement, a far better life than hiding in the mountains.
Therefore, he naturally obeyed the He family's orders without question.
"Making the Yu Clan suffer a loss is a great achievement. Moreover, you did well, and your timing and location were perfect. The Yu Clan knows it was your doing, but they can't do anything about it and have to swallow their anger."
He Mingxuan smiled lightly and said, "There's no need for formalities, Brother Zhuang. It's not often that you come to the city, so enjoy yourself these few days. I have many maids in my rear courtyard; I'll call a few over, and you can choose as you please."
Zhuang Ge eagerly replied, "Good, good."
He Mingxuan called out, and someone outside immediately responded. He casually ordered, "Bring a few girls to accompany Brother Zhuang in drinking."
"Yes, sir."
A servant quickly entered.
He Mingxuan leisurely raised his wine cup and clinked it with Zhuang Ge's.
A figure like Zhuang Ge, though unsavory, had undeniable strength, making him a convenient asset. Moreover, he wasn't greedy for wealth, only lustful, which, in He Mingxuan's eyes, was a good thing. After all, they were just women, and having a Sinew Transformation master like Zhuang Ge willingly serve the He family was a minor matter, even if it meant sacrificing a few lives.
After a while, someone knocked on the door.
He Mingxuan called out, 'Enter,' but instead of the expected wine-serving maid, a black-clad servant rushed in and whispered something in his ear.
He Mingxuan's face darkened upon hearing the news.
"Good, very good..." He glared with anger in his eyes.
The Yu Clan had barely suffered a loss when retaliation came swiftly. A batch of the He family's goods was directly seized by the City Guard Office, but this wasn't what truly enraged He Mingxuan. The value of the goods paled in comparison to the Yu Clan's losses.
The critical issue was that this incident occurred not only in the Southern District but also in the Riverbed Area, where the patrol commander was from the He family, and the entire area was under their control.
Yet, the goods were brazenly seized right under their noses!
Even He Mingxuan, the Deputy Magistrate, had no prior knowledge of this!
"What's bothering Young Master He?" Zhuang Ge turned to look at He Mingxuan.
He Mingxuan waved his hand, signaling the servant to leave, and said coldly, "The City Guard Office from Willow Lane crossed jurisdictions and seized a batch of goods I had arranged."
Zhuang Ge's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't understand city affairs well, but isn't Young Master He the Deputy Magistrate of this district? How could he be outmaneuvered by a subordinate division?"
"Hmph!" He Mingxuan scoffed.
It was obvious that the news had leaked, reaching Xiao He, who then ordered Chen Mu to intercept the goods in the middle of the night. The entire process was likely only known to Chen Mu, as there was no movement from the headquarters or even their informants and spies in Willow Lane.
He Mingxuan could almost predict that if he went to the City Guard Office tomorrow to question Xiao He or confront Chen Mu, they would simply respond that the cross-jurisdictional operation was pre-approved by the headquarters.
He Mingxuan, as the Deputy Magistrate, was effectively left out of the loop.
Of course, the critical point was that Chen Mu had actually managed to neutralize a team of elite swordsmen from the He family!
It seemed that Chen Mu's killing of Sha Xiangtian from the Sand Dunes Gang wasn't a conspiracy but a genuine display of his extraordinary talent, as the intelligence suggested. In just over two years, he had cultivated a body of wrought iron flesh.
"No wonder Xu Hongyu values him so much. If this person truly enters the Sinew Transformation Realm, he will indeed be a formidable opponent."
He Mingxuan's eyes narrowed as he contemplated for a brief moment, and finally, a murderous intent surfaced in his gaze.
"This person must not be allowed to live!"
Regardless of whether Chen Mu could surpass the hurdle of the Sinew Transformation Realm or not, it was best to deal with him sooner rather than later. If he truly broke through, he would be even more difficult to handle than the average practitioner of the Sinew Transformation Realm.
He Mingxuan had been hesitant, not wanting to completely sever ties with Xu Hongyu, but with the recent back-and-forth between the He and Yu Clans, it was inevitable that tensions would escalate. Chen Mu would be the first sacrifice!
With this in mind, He Mingxuan turned to Zhuang Ge and said, "Brother Zhuang, I have a task I need your help with."
"Just give the order, Young Master He," Zhuang Ge replied.
He Mingxuan spoke slowly, "I need you to kill someone. Chen Mu, the Patrol Commander of the City Guard Office in Wutongli. It is said that he has mastered two sword forms and possesses an exceptionally strong body, trained to the limit."
Zhuang Ge pondered for a moment, "Two sword forms and a cross-trained body... If it's an assassination, I can kill him with one spear thrust. If it's a face-to-face confrontation, as long as no one interferes, I should be able to finish him within twenty moves."
"Then it's settled."
He Mingxuan spoke calmly, "This person has no influential background or followers. As long as you don't act within the City Guard Office, no one will be able to come to his aid."
Zhuang Ge's voice turned solemn, "In that case, there's no problem. When do you want me to make the move, Young Master He?"
He Mingxuan's eyes glinted with cold determination as he looked out the window, "Tonight!"
"They just hijacked our cargo and are probably still celebrating their success, unaware of any danger. Tonight is the perfect time. As long as he's not at the City Guard Office, you can strike. Since they dared to target the He Clan's goods, let there be more deaths tonight!"
...
City Guard Office, Wutongli.
The patrolman on night duty at the main entrance was leaning against the wall, yawning. Suddenly, he heard noises coming from a distance. He immediately snapped to attention and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a carriage slowly approaching the City Guard Office in the darkness, accompanied by a pungent smell of blood.
The patrolman's face paled, and just as he was about to call for help, the carriage had already reached the entrance. The person at the front was covered in blood, looking terrifying. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Chen Mu, the Patrol Commander!
"Commander Chen?!" The guard exclaimed in shock, finally reacting.
"Open the gate," Chen Mu gestured, instructing the guard to open the gate. Then, he directed Shang Qinglai and the others to bring the carriage into the City Guard Office.
"There's no need for patrols tonight. Call back all the night shift personnel and have them stand guard here," Chen Mu ordered.
With the carriage safely returned to the City Guard Office, the matter was essentially settled. Even the He Clan wouldn't dare lead a force to raid the City Guard Office to retrieve the cargo. Although Yu City's security was in disarray, it hadn't reached the point where the City Guard Office was a mere facade.
After all, the City Guard Office was directly under the command of the city lord, and the Outer City Magistrate was a member of the Xue Clan, not the He Clan. If things got out of hand and angered the Magistrate, the He Clan would have to pay a price.
After settling all the matters, Chen Mu headed home to change his clothes.
Since his residence was just a street away from the City Guard Office, he simply exited through the back door, crossed the street, and arrived at his courtyard gate. Without bothering to knock, he leaped into the courtyard and made his way to the backyard.
Backyard.
In the main hall, the fireplace was still lit. Wang Ni, Ku Er, and Le Er, the three young maids, were leaning against the small table next to the fireplace, their heads resting on the table as if they had waited until late at night and eventually dozed off.
Chen Mu shook his head slightly and decided against waking the three girls. He walked directly to the backyard, where he removed his clothes and doused himself with cold water from the water tank, quickly rinsing off.
The sound of his washing was enough to wake Wang Ni, who had been sleeping lightly. Rubbing her eyes, she stepped out of the house and, seeing a figure by the water tank in the distance, called out softly, "Brother Chen?"
"Go back to bed with Ku Er and Le Er. I have to go out tonight," Chen Mu said to Wang Ni.
Although the matter was essentially settled with the carriage's return to the City Guard Office, he still needed to stay at the hall tonight.
"Okay," Wang Ni replied, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Instead of waking Ku Er and Le Er, she rushed back into the house to fetch clean clothes and a towel for Chen Mu. She helped him dry off and change into fresh garments.
Chen Mu gently patted Wang Ni's head, then made his way to the front yard and exited the house again.
It was the dead of night.
Apart from the distant lights of the City Guard Office, the surroundings were pitch-black, devoid of any human presence. Even the gangs that usually roamed at night seemed to have ceased their activities.
As Chen Mu walked through the alleyways, the silence was absolute. The sound of a needle dropping seemed almost audible, and the only noise accompanying his footsteps on the cobblestone road was the echo of his own steps.
Step, step, step...
Chen Mu strode towards the City Guard Office, each step taking him further down the alleyways.
Just as he reached the end of the alley and turned the corner... a cold glint of light suddenly appeared—the tip of a silver spear, piercing the darkness and slicing through the dim moonlight like a stream of light tearing through the night.
The tranquil alley seemed to erupt in an instant, transforming the previous silence into a surge of murderous intent!
(End of Chapter)
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