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Chapter 532 A leopard can't change its spots (10,000 words)
Xu Yuan had actually considered that since the evil spirits liked to trade with ghost silver, he could hide the "Business Law" in the ghost silver and buy its red-headed token.

After a brief encounter with this evil spirit last night, Xu Yuan could roughly judge that its level was about fifth-rate.

My own business law is only fifth-rate now, but it should be sufficient to handle things.

But in the end, they chose the safer option of "sword attack".

Without the official seal, this evil spirit was no match for Lord Xu.

Xu Yuan captured it along with the dozen or so evil spirits that came to buy meat. Including those from last night, there were now nearly thirty major evil spirits under the Ten Thousand Souls Cloak!
At least half of them come from prominent families in the city!

Lord Xu walked back to the Exorcism Department with his hands behind his back, unhurriedly.

The fox sisters separated from him halfway through the journey.

I'm going back to Baiyue Pavilion to sleep.

The little evil spirits in the city seemed quite restless.

The faint, ethereal sound grew clearer and clearer, interspersed with piercing, uncontrollable screams.

Lord Xu walked along the dark road, his eyes beginning to turn cold.

This is the drawback of using evil spirits on a large scale! Evil spirits have very limited intelligence and rationality.

Easy to let go, hard to take back!

"Hmm?" Lord Xu's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he gritted his teeth in anger, saying, "Those few from the turbid realm, their intentions are despicable!"
"This is an opportunity to show off to me..."

Previously, Xu Yuan had focused his main efforts on capturing the Shadow Evil.

Since Yin Yang Python and others promised to mobilize all the evil spirits in the city to help Lord Xu search for the target, Xu Yuan didn't think much of it.

The Bureau of Purification indeed lacks the ability to control the entire city at night.

But at this point, these minor evil spirits in the city are gradually becoming uncontrollable... What should we do next?
To suppress the situation and prevent major chaos, most people would have to go to those powerful evil spirits in the underworld.

This is different from when Xu Yuan forced Zhuojian during the day; now Xu Yuan is begging those few heads.

Those few did indeed help Lord Xu with his business, but they also planted a hidden threat within it.

They demonstrated their strength to Lord Xu, making him understand that he still needs them!
Don't push us too far. If you do, we'll unleash all the evil spirits in the city and fight you to the death!
Having figured this out, Xu Yuan couldn't help but smile: "We have indeed bullied them quite a bit during this period."

But so what?
You want me to bow down to you? Dream on!

Tonight's events are all caused by shadows and evil spirits.

Lord Xu's hatred for the shadowy evil spirits intensified even further!

To interrogate this evil spirit and find out the details of the prefect's death, we must return to the Exorcism Department and invite people from the prefect's office tomorrow to conduct the interrogation together.

However, this did not prevent Lord Xu from secretly giving an order, commanding the three-headed demons in the "Ten Thousand Souls Cloak" to deal with the shadowy evil spirits!
After obtaining the "Bridge to the Underworld," the three great demons have already established their own power base within the Ten Thousand Souls Cloak.

Their strength continues to grow, even surpassing the shadows and evil spirits.

After receiving the master's orders, it roared and pounced fiercely.

It bit into the three strange hands of the shadowy evil spirit, tore them off, chewed them, and swallowed them.

The shadowy evil spirits were in agony, screaming in agony!
……

At the base of the wall, a broken tile was suddenly flipped over.

There was originally a nest of ants under the tile, but suddenly, strangely, each ant grew to the size of a thumb!

It has sharp fangs and claws, fire in its eyes, and wings on its back.

It buzzed and flew around, turning into a stream of fire in mid-air, and crashed into the door of a house with a loud bang.

That family had already been awakened by the eerie noises outside—in fact, by this time, more than 70% of the city had been awakened. Like this family, they huddled together, trembling, their faces pale, straining to hear the sounds outside. They dared not think too much about it, but they knew that something terrible was likely to happen tonight, and they wouldn't be able to get through it easily…

When these evil spirits rammed into the door, the family screamed in terror.

The frail mother held her youngest daughter tightly in her arms, trembling uncontrollably, but her fearful eyes held a resolute determination: even if those evil spirits were to break in, they would devour me first!
Maybe if they eat me, they'll be full and will let my little girl go.

On the gate, the door gods opened their eyes, and the true god was furious!
A golden light swept across, and the newly transformed ant swarm exploded like popping beans, making a series of crackling sounds.

On another street, several pieces of broken furniture were abandoned at a corner.

Everything that was still usable had been taken.

The remaining unusable items will be picked up and chopped up for firewood by tomorrow.

But tonight, a strange, purplish-black light suddenly emerged from one of the dilapidated wooden boxes!
The box slowly floated up.

It absorbed all sorts of broken wood, rotten stones, and other debris from its surroundings, and miraculously repaired itself.

The box landed on the ground with a thud, and then the lid opened.

Large, black, slimy monsters crawled out of it.

Hungry and frantic, they followed the scent of living people and quickly crawled towards the surrounding houses!
When the door god's angry golden light shone on it, black smoke hissed up and it emitted a strange scream. After being dried out, it left a black patch on the ground!

Xu Yuan's expression was cold and stern; similar incidents were unfolding throughout the city.

The evil spirits are becoming increasingly out of control.

There are also many more things that have been triggered into strange changes!
The ranks of evil spirits are also constantly growing.

"Hmph!" Xu Yuan let out a cold snort.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ox-horn lamp rose high into the air.

Within the range of the horn lamp's light, Xu Yuan could freely transform anything into any shape he desired.

Generally speaking, this range is about one zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

But tonight it's pitch black and there's no moon.

The higher the ox-horn lantern rises, the wider the area its light covers.

It gradually covered an area of ​​a thousand feet.

In this situation, the light is dim and the horn lamp cannot perform its function.

But the quality of this third-rate craftsmanship was undeniable; under the light, all the evil spirits were suppressed and calmed down.

Xu Yuan rode on a fiery wheel and soared high into the air.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the tendon pill flew out and entered the Ten Thousand Souls Cloth, casually binding a malevolent spirit.

It was that human skin headdress!
Xu Yuan spewed out a mouthful of fire from his stomach, but deliberately controlled the flames, not burning the evil spirit to ashes directly.

The evil spirit was burned in the flames for a while, and the gaping maw with fangs drawn with blood kept emitting shrill screams that echoed throughout the night sky!

The entire city was completely awakened.

Some of the bolder ones would peek out the window and exclaim in surprise, "It's Lord Xu!"

They were initially too afraid to go into the courtyard, but now they had the courage to run into the courtyard and look up at Lord Xu as he burned the evil spirit at the stake!
The evil spirit in the human skin headdress was finally burned to death, and with a "poof," it turned into a cloud of foul air and dissipated into the night sky.

In the backyard of the Lin family mansion, the upside-down, twisted ancient tree suddenly gushed out a large amount of black blood and then collapsed with a crash.

The pale skeleton crashed to the ground, shattering into a pile of bone fragments.

The ancient evil spirit is dead!

Within the range of the light, all the evil spirits witnessed this scene.

Those that can be drawn out by the shadows and evil spirits are all high-level evil spirits within the city.

Ordinary people are unaware of their existence, but they are infamous among evil spirits.

This execution-like killing immediately subdued all the evil spirits.

Within the light's reach, all the little evil spirits were terrified!
The arrogance and madness they had shown earlier had vanished, and one by one they lowered their heads and burrowed back into their nests.

Those who were bolder below cheered and applauded, shouting, "Lord Xu is truly a god incarnate, protecting Champa!"

I mustered up the courage to see all of this tonight, and tomorrow I can brag about it to everyone around me!
Xu Yuan moved the ox-horn lamp to the next urban area.

The second evil spirit was brought out by binding it with animal sinew rope.

This time it was the half-corpse.

Xu Yuan used the same trick again, burning it until it screamed in agony and finally turned into a cloud of ashes!
This happened several times in a row. Lord Xu kept repeating it, which was very tiring. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He blamed it all on the evil spirits!
The next time the beast sinew rope was inserted into the Ten Thousand Souls Cloak, it carried a trace of fire from within.

It transformed into a fiery whip, lashing the shadowy evil spirit dozens of times!

The shadowy evil spirit was covered in wounds and its voice was hoarse from shouting.

The three giant demons watched from the side, their three blood-red mouths wide open, laughing gleefully.

Champa was neither too big nor too small. The ox-horn lamp could cover an area of ​​a thousand feet at a time. Xu Yuan worked for more than an hour and finally suppressed all the evil spirits in the city.

During this time, Lord Xu, who harbored great resentment, tormented the evil spirit four more times!
The shadowy evil spirit was quite tough at first, only screaming but not begging for mercy.

Then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "My lord, spare my life! I know I was wrong!"

Later it changed to: "The humble one is willing to serve as a slave to the master, at his beck and call!"

In the end, he could only hum and couldn't say a word.

The three-headed demons looked at the shadowy evil spirit with unusual warmth in their eyes.

Because it thinks this thing will be a delicious meal for me sooner or later!
……

Senior Brother Zhong didn't dare to move around and obediently stuck it on the wall of the restaurant for more than an hour.

When Xu Yuan captured the "Blood Slaughtering Ghost Messenger," he realized that he had underestimated him after all.

He knew that Xu Yuan was a fourth-rate person, and so was he, so when he was following him, he was cautious but not afraid.

But he knew he couldn't catch the evil spirits that the ghost messengers had fallen into.

That handkerchief-like craftsmanship is truly remarkable!

When the ox-horn lamp was lit, he dared not move even more.

After suppressing the evil spirits' riot, Xu Yuan returned to the Exorcism Bureau and then quietly slid down the wall, carefully making his way back to the Prefect's office.

Upon entering the study, he swayed, merging with the version of himself reading under the lamp.

A thin layer of cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

Senior Brother Zhong let out a long, stale breath.

"Such a figure exists in the southern border region!"

Mr. Bai asked him why the book club was keeping an eye on Xu Yuan, but actually, Senior Brother Zhong didn't know either.

But now I seem to understand a little.

He thought for a moment, then took out a whistling wheel from the book box beside him.

A moment later, the call connected with Minglu, and a calm voice asked, "Is something important happening so late?"

"Third Senior Brother, please allow me to report." Senior Brother Zhong spoke respectfully and recounted what had happened that night.

The "Third Senior Brother" praised, "You did a great job. I'm on my way and will arrive in Champa the day after tomorrow."

Among peers in the Jinxiu Academy, they naturally address each other as fellow students.

However, with the large number of students in our organization and its branches across the country, it is difficult to distinguish who started early and who started late.

Therefore, when they met, they addressed each other by age and surname, calling each other Senior Brother Zhang and Junior Brother Wang.

But there are only three of them, and everyone calls them Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Brother.

Regardless of whether they are older or younger than them.

These three are the most outstanding students of this generation at Jinxiu Academy.

The president once publicly asserted that all three possessed first-rate looks and cabinet-level abilities!
For example, the third senior brother has lofty aspirations, is magnanimous, and acts with the demeanor of a great general.

If Mr. Bai could see this third senior brother in person, he would surely find that Senior Brother Zhong's every move is somewhat imitating this third senior brother.

However, Senior Brother Zhong only captured the form but not the spirit.

The thought of his third senior brother coming and being able to work with him made Senior Brother Zhong excited, and he couldn't sleep.

He admitted that he was not as good as Xu Yuan, but Xu Yuan was definitely far inferior to his third senior brother.

……

In the turbid realm, the great evil spirits were as if they had lost their parents.

They put aside all other matters tonight and are all keeping a close watch on Champa from the murky depths.

But Xu Yuan did not come to ask for help.

Single-handedly and ruthlessly suppressed the nascent evil uprising.

The great evil spirits sat on wax.

Xu Yuan had already returned to the government office to rest, but they sat there in silence for a long time.

Finally, one of them hesitated before speaking up: "It's not that we're unwilling to help, but that Lord Xu didn't come looking for us."

Yin Yang Python glanced at it, somewhat speechless.

What you're saying... is really stupid.

They actually pinned their hopes on the fact that Lord Xu hadn't seen through our scheme?
Trying to get away with it?

Seeing that no one else responded and they were all staring at him like he was an idiot, the man shrank back, sighed inwardly, and dared not harbor any more illusions.

Another voice rang out: "Who came up with this terrible idea?"

The Fighting Ghost was furious—it was always this violent and fierce unless it was facing Lord Xu in person—it roared, "It's your old man! What's wrong? Trying to push me out as a scapegoat?"
You are dreaming!
When I came up with this idea, you all agreed!

"If that Xu guy comes in, none of you will escape. I'll drag you all down with me!"

Everyone felt awkward; yes, none of them objected.

And they all thought it was a brilliant plan.

For example, the white fox, thinking itself clever, always tried to extort money from people whenever it came, but it was completely unaware of the scheme hidden behind the "evil spirits searching the whole city".

Everyone was feeling stifled and fell silent again.

After a while, the Yin-Yang Python couldn't hold back any longer and yelled at the Fighting Ghost, "No matter what, this terrible idea was yours."

Since you're so good at coming up with ideas, what should we do now? Give me another suggestion.

The face of the Fighting Demon turned a deep purplish-black as he sullen out, his anger radiating outwards and transforming into hundreds of drifting black wisps around him.

"I..." it had barely uttered a curse when it noticed everyone staring at it.

Their momentum instantly vanished.

These bastards are determined to make me take the blame for this.

Everyone knows what to do, but no one wants to be the first to say it.

So embarrassing...

The masked ghost didn't want to talk about it either.

It has always been a "hardliner".

The Yin-Yang Python was getting impatient. It pressed forward for about ten feet and hissed as it flicked out its long, thin tongue.

The others followed it forward!
The masked ghost gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words: "Contact White Fox. Xu Yuan helped us deal with that thing that overstepped its bounds, and we want to express our gratitude!"

The great evil spirits breathed a sigh of relief.

They all appeared "unyielding to the death" yet "helpless": "So be it, for the sake of stability in the underworld, this is the only way..."

……

Xu Yuan couldn't worry about those idiots in Zhuojian for the time being.

After resting for more than an hour, it got light.

Xu Yuan immediately instructed Yu Yunhang to notify the prefectural government to send someone to conduct a joint trial.

With the prefect gone, the next highest-ranking official in the yamen should have been the assistant prefect.

However, the previous deputy prefect of Champa was ousted by the prefect, and no new deputy prefect has taken office since.

Next is Magistrate Qian.

Judge Qian lived in the north of the city, not far from the Lin residence.

He was also on tenterhooks last night, but his worries were different from those of ordinary people.

He finished breakfast absentmindedly, and after thinking for a while, he decided to go to his father-in-law's house before going to his shift at the yamen.

I asked about what happened in the backyard.

The Lin family assured them: Everything has been taken care of, so please rest assured.

Qian Tongpan felt somewhat relieved. However, when the carriage arrived at the entrance of the prefectural government office, just as he was getting off, a yamen runner quickly stepped forward and reported, "Sir, an inspector from the Exorcism Department has come to see you."

Qian Tongpan slipped and fell to the ground!
"what?!"

Several people around him quickly helped him up, saying, "Sir, please be careful."

Qian Tongpan felt his legs go weak and he could barely stand. He grabbed the arm of the person next to him and managed to get up. He forced himself to remain calm and asked, "Did the inspector say... what's wrong?"

"They say they've caught the real culprit in the prefect's case and invite you to come and try the case together."

The magistrate breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

……

Yu Yunhang was actually sitting in the gatehouse, and he saw clearly what was wrong with Magistrate Qian outside the gate. He sneered inwardly.

Why are you panicking?

He remained calm and waited until Magistrate Qian was ready before returning to the Bureau of Purification with him.

Mr. Bai came running breathlessly from the backyard of the yamen: "My lords, may I also listen in?"

His face was filled with grief: "After all, it concerns the students' father..."

Yu Yunhang then waved his hand, signaling him to follow.

The interrogation went very smoothly.

No torture or trickery is needed.

The evil spirits were completely subdued by Lord Xu last night.

The first question was about the prefect's case.

Mr. Bai was wrong about Yao Yuehua.

Yao Yuehua never played any "playing hard to get" tricks with the prefect; she genuinely hated him to the core!

That night, she poisoned the prefect!
The prefect was furious and berated Yao Yuehua, threatening to sell her to a brothel.

The evil spirit in the shadows happened to be passing by and overheard them from outside the wall.

Or rather... the prefect's words triggered its cunning.

You sell, I buy, the transaction is complete.

This cunning trick allowed the shadowy evil spirit to bypass the door gods and enter the courtyard.

Furthermore, its original identity as a bloodthirsty demon messenger also deceived the door gods.

It's not quite the same as the original Lucheng City God; the transformation wasn't as severe.

The prefect was a sixth-rank scholar; if he hadn't been poisoned, the evil spirits would have had to put in considerable effort to subdue him, leaving some traces.

Now you can relax.

According to the confession of the shadowy spirit, Yao Yuehua, though knowing she was doomed, still laughed maniacally, dying without regret. Because the prefect was also going to die!

By this time, the shadow had already enveloped the entire yard, so the neighbors didn't hear a sound.

The other cases were similar. The young couple in Nancheng got into trouble because the husband said in a fit of pique that he was going to sell his wife.

The prostitutes in the southwest corner often have "I'll sell you all" on their lips.

She adopted those girls with the intention of raising them, teaching them how to serve men, and then selling them for a good price.

The grocery store owner always liked to shout, "There's nothing in this world that can't be sold, it just depends on whether the price is right or not," which was just a catchphrase of his.

He would never actually sell his children.

But that night, his casual remark led to a tragedy!

Once the Blood Slaughter Ghost Messenger enters, he will never buy whatever you sell; everyone else will have to sell, whether they want to or not!
Judge Qian sat next to Xu Yuan, listening as Magistrate Xu finished hearing each case.

A wave of sorrow washed over him, and he murmured, "A dignified prefect, killed by evil spirits? Alas..."

Xu Yuan glanced at him and said meaningfully, "From the root of the matter, was it really an evil spirit that killed the prefect?"

Judge Qian hesitated for a moment, then said, "That's... Yao Yuehua?"

"Yao Yuehua is the most innocent person in this case!" Xu Yuan said in a loud voice, "The one who killed the prefect was his own lawlessness and recklessness!"
If he hadn't been so audacious as to plot against Yao Yuehua's family, they wouldn't have ended up like this.

Qian Tongpan was drenched in cold sweat again, and stammered, "Lord Xu is right..."

Which of the powerful and influential families in the city isn't lawless and audacious?
Judge Qian felt that Magistrate Xu was referring to him.

Xu Yuan affixed his seal to the case closure document and handed it to Magistrate Qian: "Lord Qian, please take a look. If there are no problems, please affix your seal as well. I will report it tomorrow."

Judge Qian quickly scanned the document: "No problem."

He also took out his official seal and stamped it on, then said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."

He felt like he had thorns in his back whenever he sat in this purification office.

Every glance from Lord Xu seemed to be scrutinizing him, which was truly agonizing.

"Go."

Without wasting a moment, Magistrate Qian immediately got up and left.

Mr. Bai then took his leave.

……

Magistrate Qian's carriage was parked at the entrance of the yamen. After getting in, the driver asked, "Sir, are you going back to the yamen or home?"

Judge Qian said, "Let's go to the lady's house."

"As ordered."

Magistrate Qian came to see his father-in-law again. Seeing that he was in a state of panic, Old Master Lin couldn't help but scold him, "Don't worry about anything!"

Old Master Lin also served as a prefect in his early years.

He believed he had crossed more bridges than his son-in-law had walked roads, and eaten more salt than his son-in-law had eaten rice.

He couldn't help but advise his son-in-law: "To judge a person, don't look at what they say, look at what they do."

Xu Yuan shouted so fiercely and in a strange, eerie voice that he scared you half to death.

But think carefully about what he did last night.
He captured so many evil spirits, but he didn't follow the trail to find those who sheltered and supported these evil spirits!

Instead, they killed them one by one in front of the entire city!

Magistrate Qian couldn't help but say, "He did that to scare away those minor evil spirits..."

"That's the surface reason. Couldn't Xu Yuan have some hidden purpose?" Old Master Lin said, "Back then, Cao Cao defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu, but he burned all the letters he captured that were treasonous with the enemy. Why?"

Magistrate Qian seemed to understand: "Father-in-law, do you mean that Xu Yuan killed those great evil spirits... also to reassure the people in the city? Indicating that he will not pursue the matter?"

"You've finally come to your senses." Old Master Lin picked up the expensive ginseng tea, took a sip, and cleared his throat before continuing, "The law does not punish the masses; punishing the masses will inevitably lead to chaos."

With so many prominent families making a fuss together, how could Xu Yuan possibly withstand it?

Judge Qian nodded at first, but then shook his head: "That's not right either. Since he doesn't intend to pursue the matter and kill those great evil spirits to reassure the people of the city, why does he keep giving me warnings?"

"We need you to warn us to behave ourselves and not go as far as we used to."

Magistrate Qian was completely convinced this time: "Father-in-law, your insight is brilliant!"

……

Why would a prominent family worship evil spirits?
That thing could go berserk and hurt people at any time.

But the major surnames have this confidence that they can control it.

There are many benefits to secretly raising a great evil spirit.

Many things that are inconvenient to do personally can be entrusted to evil spirits.

Even if a newly arrived official is upright and incorruptible and unwilling to collude with the local powerful families... you can't send someone to kill him, because if you do, the court will be furious and investigate thoroughly.

But what if the official was eaten by evil spirits on his way out?

Take, for example, the one the Lin family keeps in their backyard.

Two years ago, the Lin family took a fancy to a place in the south of the city and planned to open a freight station there.

After employing various methods, the dozen or so households there obediently sold their houses and moved away, not daring to confront the Lin family.

But there is one inn here that has been in business for three generations and is an ancestral property.

The owner refused to sell no matter what.

The Lin family then released a root-like skeleton.

Every few days, one of the guests staying at this inn is eaten by an evil spirit.

If the Lin family spreads the word again, the inn will have to close down.

The boss, however, was a man of strong will and wanted to persevere a little longer.

As a result, his grandson was also eaten by the evil spirit!

Not long after, the Lin family acquired the inn at a very low price.

With the establishment of the freight station, the Lin family earned an additional 15,000 taels of silver annually.

As for those innocent people who perished in the jaws of evil spirits during this process... In the eyes of the Lin family, those worthless lives are nothing compared to the 15,000 taels of silver our family earns every year!

So, evil spirits are useful, and very useful!

Will Lord Xu's use of Judge Qian to pressure these powerful families in the city?
Others may not know, but Old Master Lin has no intention of stopping there.

He is already looking for new evil spirits.

As for whether Lord Xu would be unhappy if he found out again?
Why not just not let him know?
……

Xu Yuan really wanted to know how this Blood Slaughtering Demon had fallen into evil.

But the evil spirit's memories were somewhat confused, and it couldn't explain them clearly.

After Xu Yuan finished his interrogation, he temporarily threw the body into the Ten Thousand Souls Cloth and entrusted it to the Three-Headed Demon for safekeeping.

The three giant demons opened their mouths wide, ready to devour—

Xu Yuan slapped it, causing the three-headed demon to shrink back.

"You can only eat after the case is closed up above. Don't worry, it'll all be yours sooner or later."

After all, this is a major case involving the prefect, and the higher authorities will likely send someone to review it.

The three demons nodded repeatedly, indicating that they would definitely keep a close watch on this fellow for the master.

Xu Yuan then ordered Lang Xiaoba: "Go and call Zhang Meng and Jia Yi here."

After the two arrived, Xu Yuan smiled and said, "You two have made a contribution to this case."

A look of joy appeared on their faces.

Xu Yuan continued, "We'll reward you after the case is closed. But right now, there's something else I need you to do."

Jia Yi and Zhang Meng clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Please give your orders, sir."

Xu Yuan took out dozens of fishy-smelling wrappers.

When Jia Yi and Zhang Meng opened them, they found that each one contained a piece of material.

Moreover, it's immediately obvious that each piece of "material" comes from a different evil spirit.

“When I annihilated those great evil spirits last night, I secretly left something from each of them.”

Xu Yuan said, "I suspect that at least half of these great evil spirits come from the major families in the city!"

"Zhang Meng."

As Zhang Meng was listening, he suddenly heard the official call his name and immediately straightened up: "Your humble servant is here!"

"Do you dare use your skills to find these powerful families in the city who are harboring evil spirits?"

Zhang Meng patted his chest: "Why wouldn't I dare? As long as you give the order, I guarantee I'll find them all without exception!"

"Good!" For the first time, Xu Yuan made a clear promise to Zhang Meng: "If you handle this matter well, I will transfer you to the Exorcism Division!"

Zhang Meng was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "Go. Remember: do it discreetly, don't let those powerful families find out."

"Yes!"

Xu Yuan's killing of those great evil spirits did indeed serve to reassure the prominent families in the city.

But the real purpose was far different from what Old Master Lin had guessed!
After the two left, Yu Yunhang stood to the side, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Xu Yuan laughed and scolded, "Speak your mind, or shut up!"

Yu Yunhang advised, "My lord, this matter needs further consideration. Even if we find those powerful families who raise evil spirits, the evidence we have is not conclusive, and it will not be easy to deal with them."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly and asked, "Yunhang, do you think a dog can change its nature of eating shit?"

"Huh? Huh?" Yu Yunhang had no idea what his master meant.

Xu Yuan waved his hand and said, "I have my own plan for this matter. This time, I will definitely sweep away all the deep-seated problems in the city!"

……

When the white fox was brought to the scene by the turbid creatures, and then heard that they wanted to "thank" Lord Xu, it was immediately filled with great confusion.

When did you become so "polite"?

She couldn't figure out the reason for it for the time being.

but……

"Lord Xu has indeed helped you a great deal, but I have done my part by running around doing all this work. Even if I haven't done anything special, I have certainly put in a lot of effort."

Suppressing its dissatisfaction, Yin Yang Python said, "Of course you will receive your share of the benefits. Go and convey our message to Xu Yuan, and we will thank you as well."

The white fox will absolutely not act until it sees a clear opportunity.

They dawdled and refused to go.

The evil spirits had no choice but to give her another piece of good material, and only then did she leisurely return to the mortal world.

Then he personally went to the Department of Purification.

However, Old Qin, the gatekeeper, told her, "Please go back, young lady. The yamen is very busy today, and the magistrate is indeed too busy to see you."

The white fox returned dejectedly.

Then the fox sisters were sent on another trip.

The two little ones came bouncing back: "Lord Xu said he'll be coming tomorrow."

"Okay." The white fox waved its paw. "Go play by yourself."

The two sisters then left.

The white fox drank alone, brooding. "So what if I'm a little older? You humans say a woman three years older than her husband is like holding a gold brick. You could be holding a hundred."

"Hmph, two little girls, what do they know about serving men?"

"You've never experienced how good your older sister is."

"Ugh……"

……

Zhang Meng and Jia Yi were full of energy and acted quickly. In just one afternoon, they investigated the origins of those great evil spirits and made a list, which they handed over to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan offered some more encouragement, and then immediately instructed Yu Yunhang to find Judge Qian and transfer Zhang Meng to the Exorcism Division.

Zhang Meng, having gotten his wish, was so excited that he insisted on treating everyone to a meal, dragging Jia Yi and several other inspectors out to celebrate that evening.

He most wanted to invite Lord Xu, but he was filled with awe for Lord Xu and dared not speak.

Xu Yuan certainly wouldn't join in the fun, and he also had plans for the evening.

Zhang Meng pulled the others away, and it was time for the shift at the yamen to end.

Xu Yuan was about to go to dinner when Old Qin suddenly came over quickly: "Sir, there is a Mr. Wu outside who requests an audience. He claims to be an advisor to the prefect."

“Mr. Wu?” Xu Yuan thought for a moment and remembered that Zhang Meng had said that after Mr. Bai fell out of favor, this Mr. Wu took his place.

"Please come in."

A short while later, Mr. Wu came in.

"Lord Xu," Mr. Wu greeted him with a bow, and then got straight to the point: "My father-in-law has passed away, and I am now a lone duckweed in Champa. I will be returning home early tomorrow morning."

However, before leaving, I would like to establish a good relationship with Lord Xu.

Mr. Bai has informants in the Department of Purification.

He had a mysterious figure by his side who was monitoring Lord Xu, and it seemed that he was acting on this person's orders.

Then Mr. Wu cupped his hands in greeting, turned around decisively, and left.

"That's all I have to say. I only know so much. Whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you, sir."

When Mr. Wu left the Exorcism Office and returned to the Prefectural Government Office, he glanced at Mr. Bai's courtyard.

Resentment, hatred, contempt... all sorts of emotions welled up in my heart.

The man surnamed Bai is ruthless. The old master is no longer here, and my influence in the prefectural government is not as strong as his. If I don't leave now, I may never be able to leave.

But even if Wu is gone, it won't make things easy for you, the Bai family!

They're all advisors; who doesn't know a little bit of scheming and trickery?

……

After nightfall, Xu Yuan quietly went out again.

Tonight, we will verify one by one whether those prominent families that Zhang Meng investigated truly harbored evil spirits.

As for how to verify it, it's actually quite simple. Xu Yuan went outside the Lin residence, caught a few small evil spirits nearby, and asked them for their information.

Lord Xu doesn't even need to lift a finger; just releasing the three-headed demon will suffice.

Such things can be kept secret from the living, but not from evil spirits.

The local evil spirits knew everything about the area, and even knew what these powerful families had been doing with the evil spirits they kept!
Even evil spirits have a gossipy heart.

When they see a great evil spirit on the move, they like to follow it from a distance to see what's going on.

Two hours later, all the results were in.

These prominent families did not disappoint Xu Yuan.

All of them did it.

Xu Yuan felt relieved.

Because I no longer felt any unease or guilt about what I was going to do next.

He returned to the yamen to rest and had a sound and sweet sleep.

I was woken up this morning by the clear chirping of the water birds.

I glanced at it, and the sun was already high in the sky.

"Little Eight."

Lang Xiaoba immediately carried a washbasin and pushed the door open to come in: "Sir, everything is ready."

After washing up, Xu Yuan skipped breakfast and headed straight to Baiyue Pavilion.

When the white fox saw him, she complained for a while: "You've finally come."

Because Xu Yuan said he would come this morning, White Fox did not receive any guests last night.

Last time, she and Zhu Zhanlei were caught in bed by Xu Yuan—it wasn't just Zhu Zhanlei who was embarrassed.

However, Xu Yuan arrived late this time.

Xu Yuan sat down with an air of authority and said, "I haven't had breakfast yet, bring me some breakfast."

The white fox rolled its eyes: "A breakfast here costs five taels of silver..."

Xu Yuan said bluntly, "You are the one who connects me and the turbid realm. I won't ask how much benefit you have taken, but don't think that I can't find any other evil spirits to pass messages to the turbid realm besides you."

The white fox immediately put on a charming smile: "Oh dear, I was just joking with you. I can't accept your money, no matter who it is."

She waved her hand outside: "Serve breakfast to Lord Xu, the kind that costs twenty taels of silver."

Before long, breakfast was served. Xu Yuan ate a few bites and complained, "It's not as good as Liu Hu's."

The white fox wore a forced smile, daring not to speak out against its anger.

While eating, Xu Yuan said, "You pass on a message to those useless people. I'm not so easily fooled."

Using the city's evil spirits to coerce me, huh? And what was the result? I don't need their help; I can still suppress all the evil spirits in the city, keeping them from moving!

The white fox suddenly realized, and gritted her teeth as she cursed, "These idiots! I knew they'd suddenly changed their ways and offered to give the master some benefits. Turns out they used underhanded tricks, but when they failed, they got guilty!"

She exclaimed repeatedly, "Well done, sir! These idiots deserve to be taught a lesson!"

Xu Yuan ignored her flattery, quickly filled his stomach, wiped his mouth, and said, "Tell them that I am very unhappy, but I can give them another chance."

The white fox immediately fanned the flames: "My lord, you must not let them off lightly!"

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "The night before last, I burned more than twenty great evil spirits in the city. Half of them were secretly raised by those powerful families."

But those noble families would surely seek out suitable evil spirits and keep them in their homes.

What I want them to do is to find suitable evil spirits and create opportunities for these noble families.

What they do is none of my business.

Once this matter is settled, their offenses against me will be wiped clean.

They know perfectly well what the consequences will be if they fail!

Can a dog stop eating poop? Of course not.

These powerful and wealthy families keep evil spirits around and have them do dirty things; they will never change their ways.

Yu Yunhang advised Xu Yuan that the evidence was insufficient, and if he used this matter to take action against the powerful families in the city, he might end up getting bitten instead of hitting the snake.

How could Xu Yuan not have thought of this?
From the very beginning, Xu Yuan never intended to use official methods to deal with them.

You enjoy manipulating evil spirits to harm people? Fine, I'll let you taste that flavor too!
(End of this chapter)