What imperial henchmen? Please call me Your Majesty!

After get off work tonight, Lao Zhao didn't go to the flower shop; instead, he stayed up with him to drink away his sorrows.

After a few rounds of drinks, the two parted ways.

Qingzhou is not bad.

It's just that walking at night is difficult.

Because of the recent spate of murders, apart from the bold and the drunk, hardly anyone dares to walk around on the streets anymore.

Su Mu lived not far from the government office, but it required passing through two narrow alleys because the rent was cheap there.

The intoxication made him feel dizzy and lightheaded.

They walk very slowly.

When the urge to urinate came, I found a corner to relieve myself.

A cool breeze blew into the narrow alley, ruffling the stray hairs around his neck and making him feel a chill.

Su Mu suddenly turned around and looked at the empty alley behind him.

He couldn't help but shudder and tighten his belt.

I walked a few more steps.

The feeling of unease returned, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

The Rat Talisman's keen perception also led him to discover the danger.

Slowly place your hand on the knife at your waist.

The fear grew stronger and drew closer.

Clang...

He drew his sword and slashed behind him.

However, a red line hidden in the darkness appeared, cutting across.

The moment the knife in front of him touched the red line, the iron was cut through as easily as cutting vegetables.

Fortunately, his reaction speed improved after obtaining the Rat Talisman, and he immediately crouched down upon seeing the situation.

The silk thread was cut.

Before they could react, strands of hair were cut and slowly drifted down in front of them.

Thump thump!

Su Mu's heart pounded. Realizing he was no match for his opponent, he turned and ran without a word.

He didn't run to his own residence, but instead ran to the government office.

He didn't believe the murderer would dare to chase him to the yamen (government office) and kill him again.

They walked quickly, weaving through the alleyways.

The other party seemed to have seen through his intentions.

A dark shadow, like an eagle soaring from the sky to the ground, pounced on him at an extremely fast speed.

Su Mu turned around, and the dark figure had already pounced on him.

With no other option, he swung his broken sword horizontally and chopped down again.

However, the moment he made contact, the knife gave him feedback that it was very powerful.

The blade bounced back after being slashed out.

Left with no other choice, he could only brace himself against the back of the knife with both hands, his body being pushed back slightly by the force of the impact.

Even after he stopped, he made a firm decision.

"No! I can't die like this!"

If we can't beat them, we'll resort to underhanded tactics!

He wasn't strong enough, but he had no choice. He retreated, and as the opponent attacked, the broken sword in his hand veered off course, and a wound instantly tore open on his left arm.

The pain shot straight to his brain, but he didn't care about anything else and turned to run.

Seeing this, the other side continued their pursuit.

Su Mu realized that the other party was relentlessly pursuing him, and it seemed that they wanted him dead.

We have no choice but to use our trump cards.

He secretly activated his dantian, unleashing the power of the rat talisman.

The power that was originally being consumed so intensely is now being amplified, even entering a bizarre pursuit.

The other party was like a hawk in the sky, while he was like a mouse scurrying through an alley.

Narrow alleyways are an advantage for rats and a disadvantage for falcons.

After a short chase, he hid in a corner.

Try to regulate your breathing and do your best not to reveal your whereabouts.

The opponent, moving stealthily in the darkness, lacked the powerful presence of someone pouncing from a great height—this was what he noticed during his brief pursuit.

Perhaps, I can turn the tables and kill them.

As he sensed the other person getting closer, his heart began to race.

I glanced around casually and spotted the stone lion not far away.

A sudden inspiration struck.

The heavy breathing was particularly clear in the darkness, and the approaching shadow gradually stopped.

"I've found you."

His voice was deep, but with a flick of his wrist, a red thread seemed to be guided, flying towards the opposite wall. After a collision, it bounced back and shot off in another direction.

The beautiful melody of the silk thread piercing flesh did not appear; instead, an indestructible hard object blocked the thread's progress.

Before he could react, a stone lion appeared right in front of him, and it seemed to come alive as it pounced on him.

"What?!"

Cross your arms and hold them in front of you.

The stone lion's paw slammed down, striking the arm heavily.

The force of the blow made him lose his balance.

"What happened?"

Before he could even react in his daze, the stone lion pounced again, opening its mouth to bite his arm.

"Alive, alive!"

With his arm restrained, Su Mu swiftly and decisively charged forward, leaping forward and slashing horizontally at the opponent's head.

Seeing the impending danger, the opponent instinctively went on the defensive, but was pulled back by the stone lion, creating a brief pause.

Pfft!

Bones shattered, and blood gushed out.

The stone lion also loosened its grip.

Su Mu looked at the person who had fallen to the ground and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go back now, thank you."

The stone lion was quite obedient and went back to its post to continue being a gatekeeper.

The talisman it was given didn't have much magical power. Although the stone lion came back to life, it could feel its life fading away.

Rather than sitting still and guarding the gate for hundreds of years, it's better to move around and have some fun.

I won't have too high expectations.

The magic power is withdrawn.

Su Mu looked at the other person.

The broken red thread.

This person is the murderer who killed the wealthy businessman.

really.

They've really got their eyes on me.

Search the other party briefly for any clues.

He did manage to get some, but it was too dark at night, and he had no interest in checking it.

He decided to leave it alone and hurried back to his residence.

When the lights come on.

He treated his wounds first before examining what he had obtained from the man.

It was a black token, with no discernible features; its surface was smooth and devoid of any special symbols.

There's also a folded piece of paper.

I opened it and took a look.

The sign above clearly read, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, we will act tonight. I will make the arrangements."

Su Mu was stunned.

My mind went blank as I pondered.

This person has someone above them!

I discovered myself first.

It was even reported.

The people above ordered him to be killed.

Moreover, killing oneself allows for a clean disposal process.

It can be cleaned up in Qingzhou.

That is……

There's a mole within the government office!

He was silent.

He didn't intend to get involved after discovering he could kill with silk threads, but once he was targeted, he was forced to eliminate himself. If it weren't for the Rat Talisman's power, he would probably be dead.

As you slowly clench your fist, the paper begins to wrinkle.

"Since you don't want me to live, then none of you should live!"

……

The next morning, Su Mu went to the yamen.

While he was still thinking about how to explain his arm injury and his dazed state, he went inside and found his colleagues in the yamen and even the shopkeepers lined up waiting.

The atmosphere was a bit off; usually, the shopkeepers were always at the front.

He was also puzzled, so he walked over to Old Zhao's side.

Ask in a low voice:

"What happened?"

Old Zhao glanced at him, and his expression wasn't good either.

"The murderer who killed the wealthy businessman has been found."

Su Mu was immediately terrified.

However, no one should have seen it last night.

Another question:

"So fast?"

"Yes, it was an official from the Imperial Censorate in the capital. He arrived last night, found the murderer, and killed him in no time. Isn't that strange? It happened on the road you usually go back to."

Old Zhao also noticed the injury on Su Mu's left arm and asked in confusion:

What happened to your arm?

"I ran into him last night; he was injured, but I ran away."

Su Mu looked troubled.

He dared not admit that he had tripped and fallen.

Old Zhao was also extremely shocked.

At this moment, the prefect walked over with a woman dressed in a flying fish robe. The prefect treated the woman with utmost respect until they reached her.

The prefect looked at them and quickly explained:

"This is an envoy from the Censorate. Recently, there have been frequent cases in Qingzhou, and the envoy has now taken over all of them."

Everyone became numb.

Shen Qingqiu looked at them and spoke directly:

"Su Mu, Zhao Xian, step forward."

That tone...

It’s so cold!

Su Mu looked at the woman.

As expected of an envoy from the capital.

Old Zhao also looked puzzled.

However, the two of them stepped forward together.

"I need two people to assist me in investigating the case. From now on, you two will cooperate with me in investigating the case."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Zhao Xian clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

The same applies to Su Mu.

But when he looked closer, he realized that the woman's eyes were fixed on him.

His eyes were quite sharp.

It's as if it can see right through you.

No way.

Could she have been there last night too?

Lower your head.

But a sense of vigilance also crept into my heart.

He suspected that the woman was there to investigate him.

Ninety-nine percent certain!

Shen Qingqiu saw him lower his head, and finally looked away to look at everyone.

"Alright, I won't waste any more words. Just do what you're supposed to do. You two, come with me."