Sky Scale Guard Headquarters, Gui Water Bureau Office.
Shen Shuqiu sat at his desk, his expression grave.
Just a short while ago, the Lord Thousand Households who oversaw Bing Fire and Ding Fire, personally came to him, demanding a swift conviction for the Yan brothers.
The case must be closed within three days!
The implication was clear:
This case absolutely could not implicate anyone else!
But the problem was, Yan Liang had already confessed, stripped bare by Chen Mo...
Initially, Shen Shuqiu wanted no part in this.
However, without any instructions from the Empress, he had no choice but to brave through.
"Chen Mo, this kid, captures someone and then washes his hands off the matter..."
"He takes the credit, and I take the blame, truly unfilial!"
"Once this task is over, I'll send him to capture the Ten Great Demons, not allowing him to return if he fails!"
Shen Shuqiu muttered through gritted teeth.
Thump, thump, thump—
At that moment, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded as an Assistant Officer stumbled in.
"Big, big, big..."
"Big your head, what's with the panic?"
Shen Shuqiu frowned.
The Assistant Officer, not minding the scolding, swallowed and said, "Sir, General Chen is back!"
"Heh, he dares to come back? I was just looking to trouble him..."
"He has returned with the bodies of the Ten Great Demons!"
"..."
Shen Shuqiu thought he might be hallucinating due to recent pressures.
He dug his ears and asked:
"What did you just say? Say it again?"
The Assistant Officer, concise and to the point, said, "The case in Tongling County, the real culprit is the Evil Ghost Qin Wuxiang, who has been beheaded by General Chen! His body is now placed on the training grounds!"
After a brief silence, Shen Shuqiu suddenly stood up and quickly walked out of the office.
The entire training ground was already crowded, bustling, with a cacophony rising to the sky!
He parted the crowd and walked to the center, only to see a headless corpse lying on the ground in front of him.
Beside the body lay a head with no distinguishable features or face, marked by a purple jade emblem on the forehead.
As a member of the Sky Scale Guard, who would not dream of capturing the Ten Great Demons, achieving fame throughout the lands?
Shen Shuqiu was no exception.
He had reviewed all information on the Ten Great Demons and was familiar with their characteristics—
With just one look, he could almost confirm, this was indeed the body of the Tenth Sky Demon, Qin Wuxiang!
"You didn't see it, that battle was ground-shaking, eclipsing the sun and moon!"
"Qin Wuxiang transformed into a hundred-zhang tall giant demon, with demonic flames sky-high, arrogant and unrivaled! A single slap flattened an entire street block!"
"However, General Chen just gave a slight smile and said indifferently: 'A tiny glow dare competing with the bright moon? Bring me my sword!'"
"With a casual strike, his Sword Qi tore through the void, causing anomalies in heaven and earth, splitting that giant demon in two on the spot!"
"The might of one sword, terrifying indeed!"
Qin Shou stood amidst the crowd, speaking as if performing a comic dialogue.
The surrounding people listened as if they were there themselves, utterly captivated, occasionally letting out exclamations.
"Where's General Chen? Why don't I see him?"
Someone loudly inquired.
Qin Shou shook his head, sighing:
"General is generally great, but just too low-profile."
"He said: 'I do not take credit alone, nor shirk responsibility. I did not wish to claim this limelight but chose to give this opportunity to our younger brothers.'"
"That's what you call a truly broad perspective!"
Other Assistant Officers nodding in agreement.
General Chen really has quite the stature!
"Chen Mo... Chen Mo..."
A wave of shouting suddenly rose.
Then, more and more people joined in, gradually growing into a thunderous roar!
This was the Ten Great Demons! Moreover, a first kill!
Not only the Gui Water Brigade, but the entire Sky Scale Guard was glorified!
"Chen Mo! Chen Mo!"
The shouting was deafening.
Within the boiling crowd, Shen Shuqiu stood still like a statue, his expression a mix of bewilderment and disbelief.
"I was just talking casually, but he actually brought back the Heavenly Demon?!"
He knew in his heart, how could Qin Wuxiang, being one of the Ten Great Demons, be an easy target?
Even if Chen Mo could win, it certainly wouldn't be easy.
It must have been a hard-fought battle!
When the task was assigned initially, he had not anticipated it to be so perilous…
He had just cracked the Barbarian Slave Case, and only a few days had passed before such an enormous surprise was brought to him!
"This lad, he really does make me proud!"
"However, I keep things separate, and regarding the blame, I will still find you trouble... but it won't be too troublesome."
...
Zhao Hua Palace.
Incense wafted within the hall.
Behind the glazed screen, sitting in a bright yellow phoenix robe, a slightly lazy voice arose:
"How is the case progressing?"
Yan Peizhi's expression turned solemn.
He knew that the Empress's question had two implications: one concerning the corruption case in the Ministry of Revenue, and the other concerning the nurturing of Barbarian Slaves.
"Reporting to Your Highness, under the joint interrogation by the three bureaus, the case is progressing smoothly. The three officials from the Ministry of Revenue have confessed to embezzling relief funds as an individual act…"
The Empress listened quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Yan Peizhi knew the Empress was waiting for him to continue.
"Regarding the Barbarian Slave Case, according to my understanding, the Yan brothers confessed their crimes without denial."
"As for whether there are others involved, I still need…"
At this moment, a Female Officer hurried into the hall.
She bypassed the screen and whispered something in the Empress's ear.
Watching this familiar scene, Yan Peizhi shuddered, hoping there wasn't more bad news…
"Good, very good."
"It really is a 'surprise' for this palace!"
The Empress paused for a moment before sighing.
Yan Peizhi heaved a sigh of relief.
It seemed to be good news.
"Unexpectedly, he actually brought the Tenth Sky Demon to justice, ridding Great Yuan of a menace!"
"Eliminating harm for the people, his merit is as immense as mountains, he must be amply rewarded!"
The Empress's voice echoed in the hall.
Yan Peizhi was astonished.
The Heavenly Demon List recorded hundreds of demons.
Many had been captured and quite a few had been executed on the spot.
The list had been updated dozens of times, but the top ten remained untouched for years!
Now someone had actually slain one of the Ten Great Demons?
This indeed was a significant achievement!
"Congratulations to Your Highness, my felicitations to Your Highness!"
"Our Great Yuan truly manifests heroic spirit and breeds outstanding talents! This is the fortune of the people, and the luck of the state!"
"May I know which hero performed such a feat?"
Yan Peizhi joyfully asked.
Recently he had been unlucky with his affairs, unable to hold his head high before the Empress. Having finally caught a sliver of opportunity, he naturally wanted to seize it firmly.
Once the Empress confirmed the identity, he would steer the conversation towards "Your Highness's commanding presence and wise insight," indicating that everything was inseparable from the Empress's nurturing.
Ensuring he would praise her to make her extremely pleased and radiant…
In a flash, the complete sequence of flattering procedures had run through Yan Peizhi's mind.
This was the self-cultivation of an old court minister.
"This man is someone you know, and he also has an unresolved connection with your Yan Family."
The Empress said calmly.
Yan Peizhi was even more thrilled upon hearing this.
Could it be the credit of some administrator or official from the Ministry of Criminal Justice?
How opportune, as if a pillow had arrived as he dozed off!
"Your Highness, please don't keep me in suspense, who exactly is this mighty figure?" Yan Peizhi urged eagerly.
"Chen Mo." the Empress said.
Yan Peizhi was startled, "…Who?"
"Chen Mo, the person who personally took your nephew to the Imperial Prison."
The Empress said indifferently: "Both being commanders of the Sky Scale Guard, Chen Mo eradicates the evil and rescues people from fire and water, while your nephew busies himself nurturing Barbarian Slaves, corrupting the court…"
"Sometimes, I even get confused about who exactly is the rebel party."
Boom!
As if thunder had exploded beside his ears!
Yan Peizhi's knees buckled, and he collapsed kneeling on the ground!