Chapter 136 Taking Action!

Listening to the conversation over there, Chen Yi frowned slightly, but his feet kept moving forward.

As he walked, he took off his long robe and stuffed it into his pocket.

"There are only a few houses behind Huixianlou. If someone was nearby that night, they could have heard the sounds or seen those people, and... me."

If they were just ordinary people, they wouldn't be afraid.

The real fear is that someone with ulterior motives might bribe or impersonate someone to attract the attention of the Chief Justice.

Chen Yi changed into his martial attire and covered his face with a black cloth.

Silently concealing himself in the shadows, he followed the chief magistrate at a distance.

At the same time, his eyes, watching the group in the dimly lit alley, flickered slightly.

One, two, three... six.

Of the six chief criminal officers.

The woman in the lead, dressed in a crimson official's robe, was a seventh-rank martial artist.

Another tall and thin judicial officer had a cultivation level of just the eighth rank, while the rest of the people had a martial arts cultivation level of the ninth rank.

After Chen Yi finished reading, he dispelled his Qi-observation technique and silently thought:

"These judicial officers' martial arts skills are secondary; what they rely on is their power to arrest and investigate cases."

"However, the key now is not with them, but with the so-called 'murderer' who will be found later."

Not long after.

Several forensic officers arrived at the alley next to Huixianlou, where three people were already waiting.

By the light of the lanterns in their hands, Chen Yi could easily see that the three men were not all chief criminal officers.

One of them was a middle-aged man with a kind and honest appearance, wearing a short shirt made of linen.

This must be the person who provided the clue.

After reading it, Chen Yi looked around, found a corner to hide himself, and watched from a distance.

The woman in red asked, "Is it him?"

A younger officer standing nearby bowed and replied, "Commander Fang, that's him. He lives over here and his name is Sun Erhu."

Sun Erhu bowed and smiled, "This humble one greets Your Excellency."

The woman in red looked at him calmly. "I am Fang Hongxiu from the Shu Prefecture Judicial Office. I have a few questions for you to answer."

"Okay, okay, I will tell you everything I know."

"Tell me in detail everything you saw or heard that night."

"That night... it must have been before nightfall, I bought some vegetables from the West Market."

"As I passed by, I saw a burly man leaning against the wall, staring at the little guy."

Fang Hongxiu raised her hand to interrupt him, and gestured to the forensic officer beside her to take out the portrait, asking, "Is this the person?"

Sun Erhu glanced at him and said, "Yes, yes, that's him. He's got a face full of scars; he doesn't look like a good person at all."

"And then?"

"Later, I didn't dare to look any longer and hurried back to the house."

"However, the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. After returning home, I became more vigilant and kept a close eye on the situation here."

Sun Erhu chuckled and said, "Sir, to be honest, I'm a coward. I'm afraid these people will sneak into my house after dark."

Fang Hongxiu frowned slightly, but before she could speak, the young chief magistrate beside her snapped, "Enough with the nonsense!"

"Yes, yes..."

Sun Erhu paused for a moment, then quickly continued, "Later, it wasn't until it was completely dark that there was some movement outside."

"I only heard the man say something about the Xiao family, but I didn't hear it clearly. I can only confirm that the words 'Xiao family' were mentioned."

"Go on, what else did you hear?"

"Then a somewhat aged voice came from behind and asked, 'Who are you? What do you want with this old man?'"

Then the burly man said, "My young master invites you..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi knew he didn't need to listen any further.

Clearly, apart from the fact that Liu Jing's men did indeed appear near Huixianlou, the rest of the content is fabricated.

However, using this method to direct the investigation of the Criminal Investigation Department to the Xiao family is truly a low-level tactic.

"But the Hidden Guards aren't the only ones capable of using such methods."

"The Liu family, or anyone who wants to instigate a conflict between the Xiao and Liu families, is a suspect."

Chen Yi couldn't help but broaden his suspicions.

After all, given the methods used by the Hidden Guards, such a clumsy approach was far too blatant.

It's not only unacceptable to the public, but it also doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Just as he was thinking about these things, the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) had passed, and the sky had completely darkened.

A gust of wind, seemingly from nowhere, swept in.

Then Fang Hongxiu shouted in a low voice, "Watch out!"

Before he could finish speaking, a dart flew past several judges, pierced straight through Sun Erhu's forehead, and embedded itself in the wall.

Fang Hongxiu's expression changed drastically as she looked out of the alley. "Wang Han, you stay here and keep an eye on him. The rest of you, follow me and chase after him!"

"..."

As Chen Yi watched the criminal investigators run away with the woman in red, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

It doesn't work for good reasons, but it works for bad ones. This seems to be the work of the hidden guards.

To be honest, the person behind all this is truly ruthless.

Using a dead person as bait not only lured out the Xiao family, but also left no evidence, killing two birds with one stone.

In this way, even if the chief judge did not believe it, he would have no choice but to go to the Xiao family.

If the person behind it all were a little more ruthless...

Thinking it over, Chen Yi's eyes changed, and he immediately chased after Fang Hongxiu and the others.

The officer in charge of the case who was left behind was slightly taken aback when he saw him.

After realizing what was happening, he immediately drew his long sword from his waist and was about to reprimand him.

But in that instant, Chen Yi was already beside him, his hand transforming into a knife that landed on his neck.

Thump.

After the forensic officer fainted, Chen Yi glanced at Sun Erhu beside him.

Having confirmed his death, he transformed into a black shadow and headed towards the West Market.

Fortunately, because of the commotion caused by the previous incident at the Criminal Investigation Department, most pedestrians on the West Market Street were distracted and not many people noticed him.

But nothing is absolute.

At this moment, in a private room upstairs at Huixianlou, two figures were standing by the window looking towards the West Market.

They naturally spotted Chen Yi in the crowd.

One of them exclaimed in surprise, "Miss, are these people from the Xiao family?"

Another figure stared at Chen Yi, his eyes flickering slightly, and after a long while nodded:

"It should be."

No sooner had she finished speaking than another man in black appeared from a distance, moving much faster than the previous ones.

He paused for a moment.

"Miss, and this gentleman is...?"

"One of them should be from the Xiao family, and the other might be from the Liu family."

As she spoke, the figure by the window turned and walked out of the private room.

"Miss?"

"Let's go and take a look."

"Now that I've agreed to help the Grey Wolf, there has to be a result."

Inside Baicao Hall.

Liu Lang, who had already closed the door to rest, naturally heard the noise outside.

Especially those judicial officers who rushed around while shouting and scolding, which made him get up and go to the window to watch the show from afar.

When he saw two men in black running past, followed closely by the chief magistrate, he couldn't help but grin.

"Shuzhou City is in quite a mess tonight."

Of course, none of this concerns him.

He is no longer the "sword maniac" of the past, but merely a nameless swordsman suffering from severe injuries.

...

The other side.

Chen Yi had already chased them into the West Market. At this moment, most of the shops on the street were closed, and there were far fewer pedestrians.

In the quiet stillness, he heard footsteps behind him.

Without thinking twice, he turned and headed in another direction.

Finding a slightly higher spot on the eaves, Chen Yi quickly gathered his inner energy and held his breath.

Soon he saw a man in black move swiftly past, heading straight for the judges.

He frowned slightly. "Who is this?"

He pondered for a moment.

Unable to guess the identity of the person who came, Chen Yi had no choice but to chase after them again.

This time, however, he was more cautious.

Not long after.

Chen Yi then heard the sounds of fighting coming from afar, interspersed with shouts of varying pitch.

"The Chief Justice is apprehending a wanted criminal. Everyone must keep doors and windows tightly shut and no one is allowed to watch!"

"You audacious thief, why don't you surrender?"

"I advise you to let me leave, lest you get yourself into trouble!"

"dream!"

Chen Yi paused, noticing the traces of the black-clad man who had passed by earlier, and carefully hid on the eaves of the shop on the other side, watching from a distance.

The man in black who had killed Sun Erhu with a dart was now being surrounded and killed by several officers from the Criminal Investigation Department.

Clearly, the old-voiced man in black was not very strong, and was only about equal to Fang Hongxiu.

Defeat is only a matter of time.

Fortunately, Chen Yi recognized the voice, so he figured it probably wasn't someone from the Marquis's residence.

"Not necessarily, perhaps it's someone connected to the Marquis's mansion."

Just then, the battle on the other side had already decided the victor.

Fang Hongxiu used her long knife to knock the black-clad man's weapon away and kicked him to the ground.

"I'd like to see who's so bold as to commit murder right under the nose of my Criminal Investigation Department!"

"you……"

Just as the old man was about to speak, the man in black who had previously hidden on the other side rushed straight over.

A long spear had appeared in his hands without him noticing.

As soon as he leaped out, the spear flashed, its target aimed directly at the black-clad man surrounded by Fang Hongxiu and the others.

"How dare you!"

Fang Hongxiu, alert and alert, drew her knife to stop him.

clang!

The swords and spears were drawn.

Fang Hongxiu nearly dropped the long sword from her hand and staggered back a few steps.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding judges immediately drew their knives and attacked.

For a moment, no one paid any attention to the old man lying on the ground.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Chen Yi realized what was going on.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"His aim was probably to kill the old man to prevent trouble from coming to the Xiao family."

With this judgment made.

Chen Yi stopped watching the fight and focused his gaze solely on the man on the ground.

After seeing the old man's exposed eyes clearly, he thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

The old man was staring blankly at the fighting not far away, and did not get up to run away.

"I reckon he was planning to fall into the hands of the Criminal Investigation Department so that the Xiao family could be framed."

"In that case, it's not good to let him live any longer."

Thinking about this...

Chen Yi glanced at the people fighting, and without hesitation, he darted out from his hiding place.

The black-clad man who was being surrounded and killed was the first to spot him. He swept aside Fang Hongxiu and the others with his spear and was about to make the first move.

But the next moment, he saw the dark figure dance like a butterfly, heading straight for the old man who was reluctant to leave.

"you……"

Before the old man could even get up to resist, the dark figure punched him in the head.

Bang.

With a muffled thud, a perfectly healthy head exploded instantly.

Even in the dim light of the night, streaks of red and white liquid could still be seen splashing and flying everywhere.

"Huh?"

Upon seeing this, a hint of confusion flashed in the man's eyes.

"Hey, Mom, aren't you going to run?"

Upon hearing his call, Chen Yi cursed in a hoarse voice and ran towards the north side of the West Market.

The man in black realized what was happening, put away his gun, and fled in the opposite direction.

"You bastard!"

Fang Hongxiu was furious when she saw this.

Without thinking twice, she chased after Chen Yi in the direction he had fled.

"Let's see if you can escape from my jurisdiction!"

Upon hearing the voice, Chen Yi couldn't help but curl his lip; these judicial officers certainly knew how to pick on the weak.

That makes sense, though, since he wasn't as fast as the man in black.

He looked around and saw a small alley ahead, so he immediately turned into it.

Fang Hongxiu, with her icy eyes fixed on him, followed him inside.

Before she could even get a clear look at the situation in the alley, everything went dark.

Suddenly, she saw a large hand coming down towards her neck.

It was as if she had taken the initiative to meet him; before she could react, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and instantly lost consciousness.

Seeing Fang Hongxiu's unwilling look, Chen Yi slightly curled his lips.

He then used the same method to knock out the remaining six officers who had come after him.

Once everything quieted down, Chen Yi clapped his hands and let out a long breath.

"To be honest, tonight was absolutely spectacular."

"Although it is uncertain whether the old man was arranged by Xiao Dongchen, it is certain that the person wielding the big spear behind him is indeed a member of the Xiao family."

"From this perspective, it seems that the old man and the others were not entirely unprepared."

Chen Yi muttered a few words to himself and looked down at his clothes.

Only after confirming that he had not been stained with any blood did he leave the alley and prepare to return to the Xiao family.

We had just entered another deep alley.

He stopped, looked around, and suddenly spoke:

Is anyone else following us?

"Come out."

(End of this chapter)