Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 206 People from the Academy Arrive, the Master Takes Roll Call

But in the following days, Xie Weining didn't give him that chance at all, leaving early and returning late every day, deliberately avoiding Chen Ye.

Chen Ye wasn't in a hurry. After all, haste makes waste. Anyway, she couldn't run away; she'd become his dish sooner or later.

The next ten days or so passed peacefully.

Chen Ye would go to the Xuanjing Division on time every day to report for duty, and then stay in his own office to bury himself in the mountains of files.

As for his men, they became much more obedient at this time, and no one dared to drink or gamble in the yamen anymore.

General Zhao Qi was completely obedient to Chen Ye, managing the Hundred Household Office in an orderly manner, which saved Chen Ye a lot of trouble.

As for Li Hu, who lost an arm, he hasn't been seen since he was carried out of the clinic. It's said that he was transferred to logistics to do jobs like guarding the gate and feeding the horses. His life is completely over.

Through reviewing the files during this period, Chen Ye gained a deeper understanding of the Xuanjing Division's operating model and the various forces inside and outside Yunzhou City.

The Xuanjing Division indeed wields great power, overseeing all officials, apprehending wanted criminals, and even possessing its own secret prison and torture chamber. However, it also has many enemies.

Therefore, to work here, you not only need to be ruthless, but also smart and cautious.

Chen Ye handled the affairs of the Hundred Household Office every day, and in his spare time, he would go home to chat with his father and occasionally bicker with Xie Weining, who was always saying one thing but meaning another.

Everything seemed so peaceful and beautiful.

Early that morning, just as Chen Ye got up and before he went to his duty, a captain from the Xuanjing Division rode a fast horse and rushed to the gate of Chen's residence in a great hurry.

"Lord Chen! The Commander has ordered you to proceed to the yamen immediately for a meeting!"

"understood."

Chen Ye responded and, not daring to delay, told his father a few words before immediately mounting his black steed and galloping towards the Xuanjing Division's office.

When he arrived at the Xuanjing Division, the entire office was already filled with a somber atmosphere.

All the captains were fully armed and ready for battle.

Inside the council hall, Commander Shen Lian, the two garrison commanders on the left and right, and their subordinates, four commanders of a thousand and eight commanders of a hundred, were all present.

Everyone's expression was extremely solemn.

Chen Ye was the last to arrive. He strode into the hall and bowed to Shen Lian.

Shen Lian glanced at him, then addressed everyone directly: "To make a long story short, an hour ago the city patrol received a report that a massacre had occurred at the residence of Zhang Jingzhi, the Vice Minister of Rites."

"I just got back from the scene."

Shen Lian's voice was deep, but it carried a chilling aura that made people's hearts tremble.

"The entire Zhang family, including Zhang Jingzhi himself, consisting of thirty-seven people, perished without a single survivor."

A collective gasp filled the hall.

The entire family of thirty-seven, including high-ranking officials of the imperial court, made this case truly astonishing.

"My lord, are there any clues?" the Left Garrison Commander asked, frowning.

“No clues.” Shen Lian shook his head, his face growing even more grim. “That’s the strangest part.”

"None of the deceased had any wounds or signs of poisoning. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, the doors and windows were intact, and the valuables in the mansion were untouched."

"This doesn't seem like a robbery, nor does it seem like revenge."

Shen Lian's words sent chills down everyone's spine, because this was indeed abnormal.

"This matter has alarmed His Majesty, who is furious and has ordered our Xuanjing Division to work with the Three Judicial Offices and the Six Doors to solve the case within three days!"

Shen Lian's gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone present.

"This matter is of great importance. You all know the consequences if we fail to solve it by then. Therefore, everyone is to cancel their vacations and enter a state of combat readiness."

Everyone tensed and responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Shen Lian didn't waste any words and immediately began issuing orders: "Left Commander, you immediately lead your men to seal off the entire city and strictly check all people entering and leaving! Right Commander, you go and coordinate with the Three Judicial Offices and the Six Doors to share intelligence!"

"Four commanders, each of you lead your centurions to the scene, seal off the surrounding area, and search every inch of it! Don't let any clue slip by!"

"Yes!"

Everyone immediately obeyed and left, leaving Shen Lian alone in the huge council hall in the blink of an eye.

He walked to the window, looked at the gloomy sky outside, and a deep worry flashed in his eyes.

He had a bad feeling. This Vice Minister Zhang was the Grand Tutor's man, and now he had died under mysterious circumstances. The capital was probably going to be in turmoil.

Meanwhile, the once bustling residence of the Vice Minister, filled with guests and laughter, is now shrouded in an impenetrable atmosphere of death and bloodshed.

The mansion was completely surrounded by soldiers from the Xuanjing Division and the Jingzhao Prefecture, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.

When Chen Ye arrived with his men, a middle-aged official dressed in the uniform of the Ministry of Justice walked over, cupped his hands in greeting to Chen Ye, and said, "Lord Chen."

His name is Wang Zheng. He is a senior official in the Ministry of Justice and also the person in charge of the three judicial departments this time.

"Lord Wang," Chen Ye returned the greeting, then asked, "What's the situation at the scene?"

“The scene is truly bizarre.” Wang Zheng’s face was grim, clearly shocked by the sight inside. “Lord Chen will know once he goes in and sees for himself. Our Ministry of Justice’s coroners have already conducted a preliminary examination, but they can’t find any cause of death. Therefore, we can only wait for the experts from your Xuanjing Division.”

The Xuanjing Division not only has highly skilled captains, but also some extraordinary individuals with unique abilities, making them far more professional than ordinary government agencies in handling such thorny cases.

Chen Ye nodded without saying anything more and led Zhao Qi and the others through the gate of the Zhang residence.

The moment you step through the gates of the mansion, a chilling aura hits you, making you shiver involuntarily.

There were more than a dozen corpses lying haphazardly in the courtyard, including servants and maids. They were all in the same position before they died, some sweeping the floor, some watering the flowers, and even their facial expressions hadn't changed yet, still showing the way they looked when they were alive.

Chen Ye frowned deeply and strode into the main hall, where the scene inside was even more horrifying.

Zhang Jingzhi and his wife, along with their two sons and daughter, were sitting around the dining table, where half-eaten food remained.

They all remained in a eating posture, with smiles on their faces, as if they were enjoying a moment of family bliss.

But their bodies were already cold and stiff, devoid of any life.

"My lord, this..." Zhao Qi followed behind Chen Ye, his face pale.

"Tell everyone to be careful and not to touch anything," Chen Ye instructed in a deep voice.

He then walked over to Zhang Jingzhi's body, squatted down, and began to examine it carefully.

Just as Shen Lian said, there were no wounds on the body, nor any signs of poisoning. The death was extremely sudden, as if the soul had been instantly taken away.

Chen Ye then carefully checked every corner of the room, but still found nothing unusual.

Just as he was lost in thought, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Chen Ye turned and looked towards the door.

A middle-aged man wearing a blue robe and a square scarf walked in.

He was about forty years old, with a gentle face and three long wisps of beard. He exuded a strong scholarly air, like a teacher in a private school. Behind him were several young people dressed as Confucian scholars.

Wang Zheng from the Ministry of Justice immediately changed his expression upon seeing the newcomer and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing respectfully: "Master Yan, what brings you here?"

Master Yan's gaze swept over the bizarrely deceased corpses in the main hall, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, before he nodded to Wang Zheng and said in a gentle voice, "Such a serious matter has occurred, and our academy naturally cannot stand idly by."

Academy?

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

When he first came to this world, he had witnessed the scene of the academy's masters flying through the air. He knew that this was the highest academy in the Great Chen Dynasty, with an extremely transcendent status. One of their duties was to guard Yunzhou and prevent demons from causing trouble.

"Master Yan, what do you mean...?" Wang Zheng's face turned pale, clearly having thought of something.

Master Yan did not answer directly, but instead stepped into the main hall.

The young students behind him gasped at the sight of the horrific scene inside, their faces showing pity. Master Yan's gaze swept around the room before finally settling on Chen Ye.

"This must be Inspector Chen, the newly appointed head of the Xuanjing Division, right? He single-handedly hunted down a one-horned thunder tiger in the autumn hunting grounds. He's quite accomplished for his age." Master Yan's tone was very calm, but Chen Ye could read a hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

"Master, you flatter me. I am unworthy of such praise," Chen Ye said, bowing respectfully.

He could sense that this seemingly refined scholar possessed an immense power within him.

It wasn't true qi, nor spiritual power, but a kind of aura that he couldn't explain, yet it was as vast as the sea.

This person is very strong!

"Inspector Chen, there's no need for such modesty." Master Yan smiled, then turned his gaze to Zhang Jingzhi's corpse beside the dining table. "May I take a look?"

"Please proceed, Master." Chen Ye gestured for him to proceed.

Master Yan walked to the corpse, but instead of touching it like Chen Ye or the coroner, he extended two fingers, joined them together like a sword, and gently traced them an inch away from the corpse's brow.

His movements were slow, and a faint glow seemed to linger around his fingertips.

Chen Ye narrowed his eyes and saw that as Yan Fuzi's finger traced across the surface, the air around the corpse seemed to undergo a slight, almost imperceptible distortion.

After a moment, Master Yan withdrew his hand, his expression becoming somewhat solemn.

"How is it?" Chen Ye asked.

“The three souls and seven spirits were completely extracted in an instant, without even a trace remaining,” Master Yan said in a deep voice. “What a domineering method.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions.

"Does Master Yan mean... the murderer isn't human?" Wang Zheng asked in a trembling voice.

"It's at least not an ordinary vendetta," Master Yan said calmly.

He then walked to another corpse and repeated the same action, but the result was the same.

“All thirty-seven members of the family had their souls extracted at the same time.” Master Yan stood up and looked around.

"There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, the doors and windows were intact, and the deceased even had the expression he had before he died on his face. This means that the murderer did it without them noticing, and that he was far stronger than them, to the point that he could crush them instantly."

Chen Ye nodded to himself; Master Yan's judgment was basically consistent with his previous speculation.

However, the other party seemed to have some special means to directly see things at the soul level, which was an ability that neither he nor Xuan Jingsi possessed.

"It's the work of demons..." A young student behind Master Yan couldn't help but whisper, his voice filled with both sympathy for witnessing the tragedy and a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

After all, for these students of the academy, slaying demons and monsters and protecting the people was the lifelong pursuit of their career.

"It's too early to draw conclusions now," Master Yan said calmly, glancing at the student. "However, this matter does indeed have an eerie air about it."

As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized compass from his pocket.

The compass was neither gold nor wood; it was dark blue all over and covered with densely packed characters. The pointer in the middle was a silver needle as thin as a cow's hair.

Master Yan muttered incantations, and then the silver needle began to spin wildly, so fast that it was almost invisible, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

Everyone present held their breath, watching this scene with bated breath.

Chen Ye stared intently, thinking to himself, "Is this the method of Confucian and Taoist practitioners? It really does have some tricks up its sleeve."

After about ten breaths, the silver needle on the compass slowly stopped, but the tip was still trembling slightly, eventually pointing to the northwest direction of the mansion.

“There is a lingering demonic aura.” Master Yan’s expression grew increasingly serious. “It’s faint, but it’s definitely there.”

"A demonic aura?" Wang Zheng's forehead was already covered in cold sweat. "Master Yan, how... how could a demon dare to commit such atrocities in the capital, right under the emperor's nose?"

"Why wouldn't you dare?" Master Yan retorted, his tone tinged with coldness. "When people live in peace for too long, they forget that the world is never as peaceful as it seems."

Yes, why wouldn't we dare?
With the emperor's feet under the suppression of dragon energy and the presence of great scholars from the academy, ordinary little demons and monsters dare not approach.

But if there really is a demon with profound cultivation who is not afraid of dragon energy, then in its eyes, this prosperous Yunzhou City is nothing more than a huge trough that raises countless delicious souls.

Wang Zheng, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, was as white as paper. After all, as a civil official who handled cases involving ordinary people, he had never seen such a scene before.

Chen Ye remained remarkably calm.

In his view, whether human or demon, as long as they are enemies, they should be killed.

At this moment, he was more concerned about the northwest direction that the compass was pointing to.

"Master Yan, is there any interpretation of the direction this compass points to?" Chen Ye asked.

Upon hearing this, Master Yan looked at Chen Ye and, seeing his calm expression, couldn't help but show a hint of approval in his eyes.

To remain calm under such circumstances and to ask the right questions is truly remarkable.

"This is a tracking compass I made in my spare time. It can sense abnormal auras in the world. Where the pointer points, that is where the demonic energy is most concentrated. It should be a place where the murderer passed by or briefly stayed when he left," Master Yan explained.

"Then what are we waiting for! Master, I will immediately send men to block off all the streets in the northwest and search every house!" Wang Zheng said hastily, as if grasping at a straw.

“No need,” Master Yan shook his head. “Making too much noise will only alert the enemy, and if the demon is willing to hide, you won’t find it even if you turn the entire Yunzhou City upside down.”

Wang Zheng immediately deflated, looking completely at a loss.

Master Yan ignored him and turned to Chen Ye: "Inspector Chen, this matter is of great importance. The Xuanjing Division and my academy need to work together. Therefore, I need a liaison to facilitate communication of information at any time. I think you should take on this role. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, not only was Wang Zheng stunned, but even the young students behind Master Yan showed expressions of surprise.

What kind of place is the academy? It is a sacred place of the Great Chen Dynasty, with a transcendent status, and it never easily gets involved with the government, especially with henchmen like the Xuanjing Division.

Even in joint investigations, the academy always took the lead, with the government providing assistance.

But now Master Yan has specifically named Chen Ye as the liaison, which is tantamount to placing Chen Ye in a communication position that is almost equal to his own.

Wang Zheng felt a mix of emotions, a mixture of envy and jealousy.

Being able to connect with the teachers at the academy is something many high-ranking officials in the court dream of, but unexpectedly, this young lad Chen Ye stumbled upon it.

Chen Ye himself was somewhat surprised.

He glanced at Master Yan, but saw that the other man's expression was gentle and he couldn't discern anything special about him.

After a moment's thought, Chen Ye cupped his hands and said, "If you are trustworthy, I will obey. However, I am but a humble official and I am afraid I cannot bear such a heavy responsibility."

"Inspector Chen is too modest," Master Yan smiled. "His Majesty appointed the inspector; who dares to say your words carry little weight?"

"In that case, I shall respectfully comply." Chen Ye no longer hesitated and readily agreed.

"Alright." Master Yan nodded in satisfaction. "Without further ado, Inspector Chen, you will come with me. Lord Wang, I'm leaving this place to you. Keep a close watch on the scene and do not let anyone sabotage it."

"Yes, yes! Rest assured, Master, I understand!" Wang Zheng replied repeatedly.

After giving his instructions, Chen Ye followed Master Yan and his group out of the Zhang residence.

Stepping out of that gloomy mansion, the sunshine and noise outside gave Chen Ye a feeling of being in another world.

The group did not ride horses or take a carriage; they simply walked towards the northwest.

Master Yan held a compass, constantly adjusting the direction.

As they walked further and further away, the scenery around them began to change.

From the Zhuque Avenue lined with official residences, we gradually entered the neighborhoods where ordinary people lived, and finally turned into a bustling alley.

On both sides of the alley, restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops, brothels... lined up one after another, bustling with noise, and the air was filled with a mixture of perfume and alcohol.

This is Pingkangli, a notorious den of iniquity in Yunzhou City.

The compass needle finally pointed steadily to a luxurious-looking three-story pavilion deep in the alley.

A huge plaque made of golden nanmu wood hangs at the entrance of the pavilion, with three large characters written on it in a vigorous and elegant style: Tingyuxuan (Listening to the Rain Pavilion).

(End of this chapter)