North of Yizhang County, the Xu baronial mansion.
The Demon Suppression Division searched inside and out eight times and captured three more evil cultivators of respectable attainment.
But Xu Xiuzhu himself…
“It is said no one has seen him since this morning,” Ouyang Xing reported. “A retainer named Zhan Feng vanished at the same time. Normally this man kept to himself and was not especially trusted by Xu Xiuzhu, yet when Xu fled in haste, it was Zhan Feng he took.”
Ouyang Xing was the prefectural inquisitor of Yanzhou Demon Suppression Division.
Once Lu Zheng and Shen Ying revealed their cultivation and reported the matter in person, Ouyang Xing dared not be negligent. He personally led a team, yet they came up empty. Though Xu Xiuzhu’s entire network was uprooted, the man himself had disappeared.
“Because those two never returned last night, he sensed danger?” one Demon Suppression expert wondered.
Ouyang Xing sighed. “Our opponent is extremely cautious. We startled the snake by striking the grass.”
Lu Zheng clicked his tongue. “He is still a baron of Great Jing. Does he really need to be this wary?”
Another expert glanced at the three evil cultivators lying bound on the side, their elixir fields and qi seas sealed, and snorted coldly. “No matter his status, once he commits crimes he cannot see the light of day. The moment he is exposed, neither the Demon Suppression Division, nor the civil authorities, nor even the army will let him live!”
Ouyang Xing said calmly, “Those who openly violate the laws of Great Jing die!”
Lu Zheng looked at Shen Ying and saw the same “of course” expression on her face. He nodded inwardly.
The Great Jing court still commanded authority. Of course it was impossible to claim there were no bad people in government or society; that was unrealistic even in the modern world. But evil could only be done in darkness. Once exposed, death followed.
Take Xu Xiuzhu. His highest protection probably reached only the county magistrate. The prefecture had a Demon Suppression Division, and from Lu Zheng’s perspective, the Yanzhou Division showed no signs of collusion with Xu.
That was already very good.
Even a world of immortals had scheming and infighting. Where in the world was there a utopia?
…
They were delayed a full day in Yizhang County. The Demon Suppression Division ransacked the Xu mansion and arrested several people. Officials from the prefectural yamen came down and hauled away the county magistrate, assistant magistrate, sheriff, registrar, and a whole string of others.
Lu Zheng harvested roughly a few dozen strands of luck-light. Better than nothing.
That same afternoon, the prefectural yamen questioned witnesses, verified evidence, and immediately issued a nationwide arrest warrant. Xu Xiuzhu officially went from Great Jing baron to a wanted criminal whose portrait was plastered across Yanzhou territory.
Achievement unlocked: criminal record.
“We truly have to thank Young Master Lu and his wife. This was our oversight. Without the two of you, who knows how many more martial artists Xu Xiuzhu would have murdered and how many women he would have ruined!” Ouyang Xing cupped his hands in sincere gratitude.
From the interrogations they learned Xu Xiuzhu had not only practised blood-refining evil arts but also a yin-harvesting, yang-supplementing method. Over these decades of cultivation he had killed countless people.
Lu Zheng and Shen Ying returned the courtesy. “You are too polite. This is simply what we ought to do.”
After seeing off the Demon Suppression people, the couple did not linger on Xu family territory; the bailiffs were still inventorying the property and would not finish any time soon.
The two strolled along the main street of the county seat.
“Xu Xiuzhu should still be nearby,” Shen Ying said quietly.
Lu Zheng nodded. “Everything happened too suddenly. The mansion was operating normally. He cannot have gone far.”
“Shall we take care of it ourselves?” Shen Ying asked.
Lu Zheng nodded. “Evil must be thoroughly eradicated. The Demon Suppression Division has already cleared the path for us. I no longer need to worry about his noble status.”
As he spoke, he reached back and produced a paperweight: emerald green, shaped like a qilin.
It had been taken from Xu Xiuzhu’s study desk. Pure imperial-green jadeite. In the modern world it would easily fetch tens of millions.
Xu Xiuzhu was far from a top-tier powerhouse. Using the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror, Lu Zheng could easily locate him, but the treasure was extraordinary and he did not wish to reveal it casually before outsiders.
Without even looking for a secluded spot, he simply waved a hand and cast an invisibility spell. The two vanished right there on the county street without attracting any attention.
He brought out the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror, used the aura lingering on the paperweight to cast the spell, and soon layers of cloud-mist appeared on the mirror surface. The mist gradually cleared, revealing a wealthy middle-aged man who looked forty or fifty years old.
Lu Zheng nodded, then pulled the view back a little. The man was sitting inside a dim cave, speaking with another man.
The cave walls were rough natural stone. Torches burned on the walls, their flames flickering and casting shifting light and shadow.
Yet the interior was reasonably furnished: tables, chairs, utensils, everything present. Clearly Xu Xiuzhu had prepared this escape route long ago.
Lu Zheng guided the mirror’s view around the cave and confirmed that apart from Xu Xiuzhu and the man he was speaking to, there was no one else.
“That must be the retainer called Zhan Feng,” Shen Ying said.
Lu Zheng nodded. He moved the view to find the cave entrance, then pulled farther back until he was outside.
Raising the perspective higher, he finally located the cave.
It lay thirty li west of Yizhang County, just outside a market town. The Xu family owned an estate there, and Xu Xiuzhu had prepared a temporary hideout on the grounds.
…
Inside the cave.
Xu Xiuzhu’s face was grim.
Last night his two most capable subordinates had failed to return on schedule. He had instinctively sensed danger and slipped out of the mansion at dawn, watching from afar.
Then the Demon Suppression Division had arrived.
“The Liu brothers each had over two centuries of cultivation and shared a telepathic link. Their coordination was flawless. Even against a transcendent with more than three hundred years of cultivation they could have escaped intact. How did they fail to send even a single message?”
Xu Xiuzhu had always been cautious. He only selected wicked people to raise as blood slaves and cauldrons, sacrificing them before they could draw the Demon Suppression Division’s attention.
Such people had no true friends; their deaths attracted no notice.
The few subordinates he kept were strictly ordered to act with utmost care and avoid fighting whenever possible, lest they expose him.
This time, precisely to avoid encountering real experts, he had sent his strongest pair, the Liu brothers. Yet…
Even Xu Xiuzhu could not understand how those formidable brothers had fallen.
“Could they have run straight into Demon Suppression agents?” he wondered. “But if so, why did the Division arrive so late?”
“Master, now that everything is exposed, surely you can make up your mind at last?”
Xu Xiuzhu frowned and stared at Zhan Feng seated opposite him. “This incident… it wasn’t you who orchestrated it, was it?”
Zhan Feng cried injustice. “Master, you know what our relationship is. I have never forced you. Besides, even if I wanted to play tricks behind your back, I would never dare report directly to the Demon Suppression Division. I do not have a death wish!”
Xu Xiuzhu’s brow relaxed. He nodded.
