I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 374 Eavesdropping with the Empress! Sword Pointing at Yu Youhan!
Yihua Building.

In the bedroom, after hearing Ye Zi'e recount what had happened at the theater, everyone reacted with varying expressions.

Song Xuan and Lu Shuyuan exchanged a surprised glance. They had been discussing how to investigate the case, since Bailu City was a vast and chaotic place with a mix of people, and with the enemy in the dark and them in the light, they had no idea where to begin.

Unexpectedly, Lord Chen did the opposite and brought the Gu God Sect into the open!

This operation sounds simple, but to come up with and implement it in a very short time, and to maximize its impact in the context of the situation, is something that most people simply cannot do!

"No wonder Lord Chen is such a brilliant judge who has never failed. His new approach is truly unexpected." Xu You couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The case in Fengmu County demonstrates that Chen Mo is bold yet meticulous, courageous and resourceful, and never plays by the rules.

Meeting him was simply bad luck for the Gu God Cult!
"It's too early to talk about these things now." Chen Mo shook his head and said, "Anyway, the water has already been stirred up. Now we just have to see if the big fish will show their faces... Song Xuan, go to all the teahouses and restaurants in the city to create a buzz and make this matter as big as possible."

"Shuyuan is in charge of keeping an eye on the inner city, especially tonight, to see if any suspicious persons enter or leave the government office."

"Yes." The two bowed their heads.

"I'll leave the theater to Li Baihu and Xu Sishi," Chen Mo instructed. "Change into plain clothes and observe secretly. Try not to reveal your identities. If there's any emergency, send a message immediately."

Li Yuan nodded, "Don't worry, sir, I'll take care of it."

"Wait a minute..."

Xu You looked Chen Mo and Ye Zi'e up and down, then frowned slightly and asked, "So what are you two planning to do?"

Chen Mo said, "That Madam Hua is a bit strange. Commander Ye and I plan to sneak into the Li residence tonight to investigate and see if we can find anything unexpected."

"Ok?"

Xu You glanced at Ye Zi'e, remaining noncommittal.

Feeling that cold gaze, Ye Zige shuddered, cleared her throat, and suggested, "Ahem, how about I go with Commander Li? The theater might attract the Gu God Cult's demons, so we can look out for each other."

Chen Mo thought about it and realized that it was indeed unreasonable for the two strongest fighters to stick together. He nodded and said, "Alright, then Officer Xu will follow me."

Xu You looked away and said with a smile, "I will follow your arrangements, sir."

Chen Mo glanced at the sky through the window, stood up and said, "So much time has passed, all the forces must have received the news. Let's not delay, let's set off now."

"Yes!"

The crowd responded in unison.

……

……

After leaving the restaurant, Chen Mo and Xu You did not immediately head to the Li residence.

According to the message from the paper doll, Ming Yuchun has not yet woken up. Hua Yinglan has been taking care of her in the room and has not met with anyone else, so he is not in a hurry and plans to go to the dock first.

Jinsha Port is located in the eastern suburbs and is built along the river. Its shoreline is made of bluestone and meanders from the top of the embankment all the way to the river.

Various types of ships gathered on the water, their sails and masts standing tall. Workers unloading cargo came and went in an endless stream, and huge cargo ships entered the port one after another, neatly moored on the shore, waiting for inspection and release.

The shouts, chants, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore mingled together, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

"I didn't expect this port to be so large?"

Chen Mo noticed a row of wooden signs that read "Tongji Ferry" standing on the shore. He stopped a passing porter and asked, "Brother, what does this sign mean?"

The porter, his forehead beaded with sweat after unloading the grain, said impatiently, "Ask someone else. Can't you see I'm busy? I don't have time to chat with you..."

Chen Mo wasn't angry. He casually slipped a few pieces of silver to Chen Mo and said with a smile, "We are merchants from Jinyang Prefecture. We just wanted to pay our respects. We won't take up too much of your time."

Seeing how generous the other party was, the porter's expression changed. He took the silver and put it into his pocket. A smile appeared on his dark face. "I can tell you're from out of town. Who in Bailu City doesn't know that 'Tongjijin' is Madam Hua's territory?"

"Madam Hua?" Chen Mo blinked and hesitated, "I've heard of her before. I heard she was originally from a prominent family, but she gradually rose to prominence after marrying into the Li family, a family of grain transport merchants..."

"The Li family? Heh."

The porter looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I've been in this city for half my life, and I still don't know what the Li family is like? They call themselves canal merchants, but they've only chartered a few merchant ships. In terms of scale, they're not even ranked in Bailu City."

"Now she has taken over more than 60% of the wharf in Jinsha Port. Thousands of sails pass by every day and hundreds of ships dock at night. She is firmly in the leading position. On the surface, she is managing the business on behalf of her husband, but who doesn't know that this is all thanks to Madam Hua?"

Chen Mo feigned surprise and said, "How can a mere woman possess such great abilities?"

"What are you saying? What's wrong with women? It was women who quelled the troubles of the southern barbarians!" The porter was quite dissatisfied with Chen Mo's choice of words and sneered, "Madam Hua has a very strong background. Even the Maritime Trade Office has to give her some face. No matter what kind of river gang or sea gang she is, no one dares to provoke her."

"Moreover, she's very kind to her subordinates, never delaying their wages, and even providing extra food allowances when there's a lot of work..."

Seeing the porter's endless chatter and admiring expression, Chen Mo and Xu You exchanged a glance. Could it be that Hua Yinglan really is a conscientious female entrepreneur?
"Drop anchor! Tie the bollards!"

At that moment, a unified chant rang out from the shore.

Chen Mo turned his head and saw a large merchant ship slowly approaching the shore. The ship was entirely black, with a blue iris emblem printed on the bow.

A group of crew members in black overalls pulled ropes tied to stone pillars and used a winch to pull the ship into the berth.

After setting up the wooden ladder, they began to unload the goods in an orderly manner, box after box, and soon the entire cargo hold was emptied.

“Look, that’s the Li family’s private boat.” The porter raised his chin to indicate, then sighed, “It’s a pity they only use their own people and never hire laborers. Otherwise, I would like to follow Madam Hua and make a living.”

"Not quite right."

Xu You surveyed the cargo ship and transmitted her voice, "Even though the cargo has been unloaded, the waterline is still quite deep, and there are always people patrolling the deck. They seem to be Transcendent Martial Artists..."

"The guards are so tight, which means there's something on board that can't be exposed to the light of day." Chen Mo's eyes flashed. "Let's go take a look."

"I say, do you two have any other questions?"

Before the porter could finish speaking, everything went blurry, and the two men had vanished without a trace.

"Hey, where is the person?"

He looked around and scratched his head in confusion.

……

……

on the deck.

Several burly martial artists stood there, their eyes blazing, scanning the surroundings.

However, they were completely unaware that two shadowy figures silently passed by behind them and drifted away without a sound towards the hatch.

Chen Mo led Xu You to the cabin door, opened the wooden cover, and stepped onto the stairs to enter the cabin.

This merchant ship is quite large, with three levels. In addition to the top deck, the lower levels are cargo holds and crew quarters.

When unloading the goods, Chen Mo used his divine sense to investigate. The boxes were mostly filled with medicinal herbs, tea leaves, and some exotic animal pelts, which should have been collected from the mountain farmers.

These products are considered specialties of southern Xinjiang. Some are consumed directly in Bailu City, while others are sold to traveling merchants heading north.

The two walked through the passageway and saw that the cargo hold was completely empty, with nothing inside.

Chen Mo activated his soul power, enveloping the entire ship, but found nothing unusual.

"strangeness……"

Step, step, step——

Just then, footsteps sounded, and two figures left the ship's cabin and walked towards them.

Chen Mo pulled Xu You and slipped into a cabin.

"This shipment is too hot to handle; it needs to be unloaded as soon as possible. What did the client say?"

"We just received news that things might be a bit unsettled in the city lately. We're advised to keep a low profile and not to make any rash moves until things calm down."

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

"Who knows? It'll probably take at least three to five days."

"That long? What if something goes wrong..."

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time. With Madam protecting you, nothing will happen."

"hope so."

The conversation faded into the distance.

Chen Mo leaned against the door, his brows furrowed.

To avoid alerting the enemy, he did not act rashly, but he could tell from their conversation that there were definitely contraband items hidden on the ship.

But where exactly is it hidden?
"The ship is only this big. Since it's not in the cargo hold, it must be below the waterline."

Chen Mo pondered to himself. Large ships have water tanks on both sides of the hull to adjust the balance of the ship, but they are usually closed. To open them, the ship must be towed ashore and the hull must be dismantled. Normally, no one would pay any attention to them.

"Let's go down and have a look."

Chen Mo and Xu You evaded the crew members along the way and arrived at the bottom of the ship. After carefully sensing the area, they found nothing unusual.

At this moment, Xu You's hand rested on the wall, seemingly triggering some mechanism. A crisp "click" came from below, accompanied by the sound of gears meshing. The floor opened along the gap, revealing an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Chen Mo looked at Xu You in surprise, "How did you find out?" Xu You shrugged and said, "Just lucky."

"I'll go in first; there might be an ambush."

Chen Mo crouched down and crawled into the hole.

Upon seeing the scene before him, he was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

No wonder the empty ship was still drawing so deep into the water; it turns out that the entire water tank was covered with anti-magic stones, creating a sealed chamber. This not only shielded it from perception but also sealed it off, preventing river water from seeping in through the gaps in the ship's planks.

At the same time, air holes were left in the interlayer of the cabin to ensure air circulation.

In the cramped space, a dozen or so figures huddled together, fast asleep.

They wore grey robes, their hands and feet were shackled, their beautiful faces had an exotic flair, and their wheat-colored skin and pointed ears were enough to identify them...

"Barbarian?"

Chen Mo snapped out of his daze, his expression turning serious.

Who would have thought that the contraband Madam Hua was secretly transporting was actually barbarian slaves?!

Recalling the case of the barbarian slaves that broke out in Kyoto, there was evidence that the barbarian slaves were transported into the city by canal, but the clues went cold when the investigation continued.

"No wonder there were no traces. It turns out they were transported by merchant ships and the handover took place underwater, which is why they were able to perfectly evade inspection..."

"But the problem is, Chu Heng is already dead, so where are these barbarian slaves going?"

"Are there other people doing this business?"

Chen Mo pondered to himself.

Xu You followed closely behind and, seeing the scene before her, showed no surprise. She asked, "What do we do now? Should we notify the prefectural government?"

"Hmph, I'm afraid even the prefecture isn't clean." Chen Mo said coldly, "Don't rush to take action. There must be someone else behind Madam Hua. These barbarian slaves can't stay here forever. They'll have to be dealt with sooner or later, and then they'll naturally slip up."

He first used the recording stone to capture the scene, then went to the wall and, relying on his physical strength, broke off a corner of the hard magic-breaking stone and stuffed a paper figure into the crack.

Just to be on the safe side, they also left a tracking mark on one of the barbarian slaves.

"Let's go, someone's coming soon."

The two left the secret room, closed the entrance, erased all traces, and then jumped off the merchant ship.

His figure streaked through the sky, flying towards the Li residence.

Throughout the journey, Chen Mo's brows were furrowed, and his thoughts were churning like a surging tide.

He originally came to investigate the Gu God Cult, but he didn't expect to get the barbarians involved. Is this a coincidence, or is there some connection between the two?

What roles do Lady Hua and the state government each play?
Seeing this, Xu You didn't say anything to disturb them and silently followed behind.

……

……

When we arrived at the gate of the Li residence, the sky was already slightly dark, and the lights inside the mansion had already been lit.

"follow me."

Chen Mo leaped over the outer wall, with Xu You following closely behind.

The Li residence was even more heavily guarded, with patrolling guards everywhere. Among them were not only mortal warriors, but also sorcerers.

"It's outrageous that a mere merchant's mansion is guarded by forces stronger than some small towns." Chen Mo's eyes flashed with a purple-gold light. He reached out and grabbed Xu You's wrist, avoiding the guards and magic arrays along the way, and followed the scent of the paper figure into the inner courtyard.

In the east wing, the window paper faintly revealed the dim yellow candlelight.

Chen Mo formed a hand seal, and wisps of green smoke rose up, forming a bright mirror that floated in front of the two of them.

The scene inside the room appeared in the mirror, through the shared perspective of the paper figures. Ming Yuchun had removed her disguise, changed into a nightgown, and was lying on the bed, still unconscious.

Hua Yinglan sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her quietly, her eyes filled with a complex and unreadable meaning.

About half an incense stick later, Ming Yuchun's eyelashes began to tremble slightly.

Hua Yinglan's expression brightened. "Sir, you're awake?"

Ming Yuchun's lips moved, her voice dry, "Thirsty..."

"There's water here." Hua Yinglan picked up the water jug ​​that had been prepared, poured a glass of water, and then carefully helped Ming Yuchun up, bringing the glass of water to her lips.

"Moisten your throat first, then drink slowly."

"Well--"

After drinking the entire glass of water, Ming Yuchun finally came to her senses. Looking at the woman before her, she was stunned. "Madam Hua? Wasn't I performing at the Pear Cloud Pavilion? How did I end up here?"

"You really don't remember what happened during the day?" Hua Yinglan asked, frowning.

"I……"

Ming Yuchun tried hard to recall, fragmented memories flooding her mind like a tide. She hesitated and said, "I just remember being on stage, supposed to be acting opposite A-Kuan, when suddenly my body lost control, and then it felt like something was crawling out of my body..."

“It’s a Gu worm,” Hua Yinglan said.

"What did you say?" Ming Yuchun wondered if he had misheard.

"You've been possessed by a Gu worm," Hua Yinglan said in a deep voice. "Have you had any contact with outsiders or mentioned me to anyone during this time?"

Ming Yuchun's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he stammered, "No, no, I've been living and eating at the theater all this time. I never show my face except for performances, and no one knows about our relationship. How could this be..."

Hua Yinglan's eyes turned cold upon hearing this.

The heavens are dead, the god of poison shall rise?
This is clearly a defiance of the imperial court, almost indistinguishable from rebellion!
Even a fool would know that the Gu God Cult would never do something so foolish.

Someone must have wanted to achieve some goal, so they deliberately smeared the Gu God Cult, and Ming Yuchun was just a pawn.

"By tomorrow at the latest, this news will have spread throughout the city. If it alarms the imperial court, we'll be in big trouble!" Hua Yinglan's eyes darkened as she thought to herself, "It seems I must be careful lately and make sure no one finds out."

"Madam, am I going to be arrested? But I really have nothing to do with the Gu God Cult!"

Seeing Ming Yuchun's nervous expression, Hua Yinglan's gaze softened. She reached out and pulled her into her arms, saying softly, "Don't worry, I'm here. Everything will be alright."

"Well, I believe you."

Ming Yuchun leaned against the soft embrace, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

The two embraced quietly, the flickering candlelight casting a warm glow over the surroundings.

"Meeting spring..."

Hua Yinglan hesitated, as if she wanted to say something.

Ming Yuchun raised her head, her eyes hazy, and gently bit her lip. "Don't speak, just kiss me."

"..."

Looking at their entwined figures in the mirror, Chen Mo's expression stiffened.

I thought they were best friends, but it turns out they were cheerleaders?
As the atmosphere grew increasingly heated, the two of them took the lead and began mining each other's resources. Hearing the rapid breathing coming from the room, Xu You's cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Lord Chen, you brought me all this way just to see this?"

Chen Mo's lips twitched slightly. "How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this... Hey, someone's coming."

The footsteps grew louder as they approached, about to enter the courtyard.

Chen Mo raised his hand and waved, the mirror turned into smoke and dust and disappeared. He then pulled Xu You and hid behind a pillar.

However, the cover was too small to hide two people. He didn't have time to think too much and directly covered Xu You in his robe, activating his magic to completely merge with the shadow.

The two were pressed close together, and could clearly feel each other's body temperature.

Xu You blushed and muttered, "If someone's coming, they don't have to hug me so tightly..."

"In urgent situations, we must act expediently. Please don't take offense, Director Xu." Chen Mo wrapped his arms around her waist, using his breath-concealing ring to help her cover her aura.

The other party's identity and cultivation level were unknown, and he didn't want to take any risks.

Xu You felt a burning sensation on her wrists, her legs went weak, and she nestled softly in his arms.

The faint fragrance of her hair intensified the sense of familiarity, and Chen Mo couldn't help but ask, "Officer Xu, haven't we met somewhere before?"

Xu You glanced at him. "Do you do this to every girl?"

Chen Mo frowned and said, "Do I look like that kind of person?"

"Then why are you pointing at me?" Xu Youyou said quietly.

"Who's pointing at you..."

Chen Mo followed her gaze and looked down, only then realizing what she meant. His face immediately turned bright red. "Strange, I clearly wasn't thinking about this, how could this be..."

He wasn't some complete novice who hadn't even started learning, so he wouldn't get so excited just from hugging a girl. But this Xu cadre had a unique attraction that made him completely unable to control himself.

Xu You turned her head away and spat, "Still saying you're not a lecher."

Chen Mo: "..."

(End of this chapter)