The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

Ping'an Town, Muddy Alley.

A four-courtyard house was sealed off by government officials, and a faint stench of corpses could still be smelled.

A bearded constable, a copper pipe dangling from his lips, walked out of the courtyard. He glanced at the two bailiffs beside him.

"Have you found anything?"

The constables all shook their heads.

The head constable took a deep drag on his pipe: "Send someone to inform the Embroidered Uniform Guard; we may not be able to handle this."

......

It was evening.

The scholar knocked on Shen Qing's door: "Lord Shen, a constable from Ping'an Town requests an audience."

"They say a family over there was wiped out; all nine members were killed. They're in a bind."

"The magistrate has sent someone to invite you, sir, to come over."

After a moment of calm, Shen Qing pushed open the door, a goose-feather knife tucked into his waistband.

"Get the men here, let's get to work."

Before long, a squad of fully armed Imperial Guards rushed out from the headquarters.

There were only a dozen or so people, but Shen Qing still brought the scholar, Black Dog, and the others with him.

Thirty of the original Imperial Guards were killed by Shen Qing, and since Shen Qing took office in a hurry, new guards have not yet been appointed to replace them.

Shen Qing originally planned to have Black Dog, Scholar Old Li, and the other two act as flag bearers.

However, the three insisted on following Shen Qing and becoming his direct subordinates.

As night fell, Shen Qing and his group finally arrived in Ping'an Town.

Although the people on the street did not recognize Shen Qing, they could clearly see the clothes she was wearing.

The crowd of onlookers scattered like birds and beasts.

The yamen runners who followed couldn't help but sigh.

"The name of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is still the most effective."

The scholar remarked sullenly from the side, "This title is earned by risking one's life."

Upon arriving at the destination, Shen Qing asked directly.

"Where is the body?"

"They're all in that house by the front door. We didn't dare touch them for fear of ruining the clues."

The scholar and his companions quickly took over the entire house and began examining the body.

Shen Qing walked into the room and immediately saw a girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old on the bed. She was naked and covered in wounds, clearly having suffered inhuman abuse before her death.

Judging from the traces found at the scene, it was not a complicated case.

It is clear that the murderer raped the girl, but was discovered by her family, so he killed her.

Shen Qing turned to look inside the room, which was in complete disarray. The cabinets were overturned, but the jewelry scattered on the ground indicated that the murderer was not after money. It was likely that the murderer was not short of money.

Shen Qing summoned the head constable: "Has the situation of this family been thoroughly investigated? Do they have any enemies?"

The head constable showed exceptional respect to Shen Qing, a squad leader who was not yet twenty years old.

"Reporting to Lord Shen, we went door-to-door asking this afternoon."

"The male head of this household is a well-known schoolteacher in our Ping'an Town. He is a good person and often gives porridge to refugees."

Shen Qing glanced back at the head constable.

"What age is this? Is he a schoolteacher?"

Feeling Shen Qing's sharp gaze, the head constable swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes, I've been teaching for twenty years."

"I have no enemies."

"Have you offended anyone recently? Or had any arguments with them?"

"No, not at all."

The scholar muttered under his breath, "It's that kind of case again, damn it."

It has neither offended anyone nor made any enemies; whether in the past life or in the present, it is the most annoying case.

This suggests that the murderer is very likely unrelated to the victim, and the killings were all impulsive, making the investigation impossible.

However, this is ultimately a world of high-level martial arts, so there are still more clues available.

Shen Qing walked to the side of a male corpse who was over fifty years old. She had noticed the corpse as soon as she entered the house.

This is the body of the male owner, He Sui. Shen Qing found an inconspicuous callus on the web of his hand.

The callus in this location is different from others; only people who hold knives year-round can develop calluses in this location.

The calluses on He Sui's hands were very faint, suggesting that he hadn't held a knife for many years.

Shen Qing squatted down and reached out to feel He Sui's pulse. A wisp of internal energy surged in and quickly circulated throughout his body.

He has opened more than sixty of the acupoints required for the Body Tempering Realm, making him a martial artist at the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm.

At that moment, the black dog walked into the house, holding a knife in its hand.

"Lord Shen, a knife was found in the east wing."

The head constable was taken aback: "A knife? How come there's a knife? Whose is it?"

Shen Qing stood up and dusted off his hands: "He Sui's knife."

The constable was somewhat puzzled: "Sir, it's not He Sui, is it? He Sui is a famous schoolteacher, he doesn't know kung fu."

Shen Qing took the knife from the black dog, pulled it out slightly, and a cold glint flashed in the room.

The blade is as white as autumn frost, with a slightly curved shape and twisted patterns. It is inlaid with an exquisite copper and wood handle, and the words "Qinghe" are engraved on it.

All the yamen runners and imperial guards in the room sighed inwardly.

Nice knife!

Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Qing threw away the long sword at his waist and hung the Qinghe sword on his own waist.

He then began to speak.

"This killer shares your view, believing that He Sui is not skilled in martial arts."

"So I didn't use my full strength in the first move. Who knew that He Sui actually had some cultivation, and not a low one at that, reaching the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm."

"The murderer panicked and used all his strength, which is why he killed He Sui."

"Black Dog, perform the autopsy."

Black Dog didn't speak, but squatted down and took out a set of coroner's tools from the cloth bag he carried with him. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were not equipped with accompanying coroners.

In case of an emergency, Black Dog is usually the team's coroner.

Although he wasn't a specialist in this field, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had seen many dead people, and he managed to train Black Dog from a novice coroner into a seasoned professional.

The black dog skillfully undressed He Sui.

Shen Qing instructed: "Between the chest and abdomen, we only need to cut through the skin."

The black dog's hand was as steady as an old dog's; it drew a straight line from the chest and abdomen, then peeled away the skin.

Shen Qing had a constable give a torch to the black dog, and then the black dog held it ten centimeters above He Sui's chest.

The constable leaned close to the head constable and asked in a low voice, "Boss, what are you doing?"

The head constable's face hardened: "Now you're eager to learn? Why are you talking so much? Watch carefully and learn properly."

"Shut up now, I'll tell you when we get back."

The constable chuckled and scratched his head, thinking to himself that his boss was really strict and he needed to learn from him.

The truth is, the head constable was also completely clueless and knew nothing; he was just being stubborn and couldn't lose face in front of his subordinates.

After a long while, the constable suddenly widened his eyes and stammered, "Sir...my lord, his chest!"

A black palm print, as big as a palm fan, slowly appeared on He Sui's chest.

The head constable also gasped.

Shen Qing, who was leaning against one side, slowly opened her eyes. Now she had enough clues.

"An extremely cold and sinister palm technique. Normally, only a master of the Acquired Realm who cultivates cold and sinister techniques can unleash such a palm technique."

"However, the Body Tempering Realm is also acceptable, but one must be highly skilled in palm techniques."

Shen Qing turned to look at the yamen runners and the head constable.

Do you have a goal?

The constable swallowed hard, scratched his clothes, and wiped the sweat from his palms: "Yes, yes, I'll go check right away."

Although Ping'an Town is not large, there are quite a few martial artists who use palm techniques.

But before the constable could even leave the door, Shen Qing stopped him: "Investigation? Are you a pig?"

The constable turned around blankly and saw Shen Qing pointing to the man's chest.

"You can't see such a big black palm print?"

"This palm print is as big as a fan, bigger than your head. Are there many hands this big in the whole Ping'an Town?"

Upon hearing this, the constable was stunned. Right, are there many hands this big in the entire Ping'an Town?

I was just so surprised by Shen Qing's methods that I forgot about this for a moment.

After thinking for a while, the constables quickly shouted.

"Black Palm Gang! Lu Black Palm!"

After a moment of silence, the head constable said, "There's another person I saw this morning. He's staying at the Hongfu Inn and isn't from Ping'an Town. He's two meters tall, with hands as big as palm-leaf fans, and his cultivation level is extraordinary."

Shen Qing nodded in satisfaction; the target had been locked in.

The head constable continued, "But these two have no grudge against He Sui, no motive for murder, and we don't have enough evidence. What if they deny it?"

Shen Qing sneered: "Evidence? Your government needs evidence, what does that have to do with my Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

The constable wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; it seemed to be true.

When did the Embroidered Uniform Guard start needing evidence to arrest people?

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard has determined that you are guilty, then you'd better actually be guilty.

He then lifted his foot and strode towards the door, letting out a low shout.

"Let's go, arrest them."