Chapter 93: Sleepless Night

South District.

A spacious, elegant, and secluded courtyard.

This is He Mingxuan’s residence in the South District, a four-courtyard complex with a unique duplex design, and even its own back garden.

In one of the rooms.

Several bright lamps illuminate the entire room as if it were daytime. In the center of the room is a round table laden with various dishes. Two figures are seated at the table, one of whom is Deputy Chief Constable He Mingxuan.

The other is a middle-aged man with a robust and sturdy build, a square face, and large ears. He looks like an official, but his name makes many people tremble with fear—Zhuang Ge.

He is the Second Leader of the Black Cloud Bandits!

The Black Cloud Bandits run rampant outside the city, causing countless merchants to tremble in fear. This group of bandits, though only about a hundred strong, has three notorious leaders, each of whom has entered the Tendon Transformation Realm.

Among them, the Second Leader Zhuang Ge has a bounty of three thousand silver taels on the City Guard’s wanted list, far exceeding the small-time bandits with bounties of only a few hundred taels.

“Brother Zhuang, you did a great job this time. I propose a toast to you.”

He Mingxuan said with a light smile, raising his wine cup.

Zhuang Ge grinned, picking up his cup, and replied, “It’s just my own business, killing some people and grabbing some goods, nothing to warrant Master Xuan’s praise.”

The Black Cloud Bandits were not actually a force cultivated by the He family. They were originally established by Zhuang Ge himself. Because he had committed a crime in Yu City and was put on the wanted list, he was forced to flee the city and become a bandit.

Later, by chance, he obtained a Tendon Transformation Pill and successfully entered the Tendon Transformation Realm. As a result, the Black Cloud Bandits grew larger and larger, and were then noticed by the He family. Instead of sending men to eliminate the bandits, the He family sent people to incorporate them. Now, the leader is someone who was cultivated by the He family.

Zhuang Ge knows very well that his Black Cloud Bandits are nothing compared to the He family. Although being incorporated and controlled by the He family means losing his authority, managing a hundred or so bandits was not a significant power anyway.

On the contrary, with the He family’s involvement, Zhuang Ge can even return to Yu City and occasionally visit the red-light district, grabbing a few women to play with, which is much better than squatting in the mountains all day.

Therefore, he naturally complies with all orders from the He family.

“Being able to frustrate the Yu family is a great accomplishment, not to mention you did well. You chose the right time and place. The Yu family knows you did it, but they can’t do anything about it, and can only suffer in silence.”

He Mingxuan smiled faintly, saying, “There’s no need to be polite with me. You rarely come to the city, so enjoy yourself these days. I keep many concubines in the backyard; I’ll send a few over for you to choose from as you please.”

Zhuang Ge finished his wine in one gulp, “Good, good.”

Seeing this, He Mingxuan called out to the outside with a casual tone, “Someone, bring a few girls over to keep Brother Zhuang company while he drinks.”

“Yes.”

Someone responded immediately from outside the door.

He Mingxuan leisurely picked up his wine cup and clinked it with Zhuang Ge’s.

Although Zhuang Ge is not someone who can be seen in public, his strength is there, making him very convenient to use. Moreover, he is not greedy for money, only a bit lecherous. In He Mingxuan’s eyes, this is a good thing. Women are nothing; being able to have Zhuang Ge, a master of the Great Accomplishment of Tendon Transformation, willingly work for the He family is worth it, even if a few are killed each time, it is not a big deal.

After a while.

Someone knocked on the door.

He Mingxuan called out "Come in," but the person who entered was not the concubine he expected, but a servant in black clothing. He hurried over to He Mingxuan and whispered a few words in his ear.

Upon hearing this, He Mingxuan’s face immediately darkened.

“Good, very good…”

Anger flashed in his eyes.

The Yu family had just suffered a loss, and their retaliation came immediately. A batch of the He family’s goods was directly seized by the City Guard. But what truly angered him was not this, because the value of that batch of goods was not comparable to the Yu family’s loss this time.

The crucial issue is that this incident not only occurred in the South District but also in Huigou Li, and the constable in Huigou Li is one of He’s men. The entire Huigou Li can be said to be under his control.

Yet, despite all of this.

Someone actually seized his goods right under his nose!

Moreover, he, the Deputy Chief Constable, didn’t even know about it beforehand!

“What has upset Master Xuan so much?”

Zhuang Ge turned his head to look at He Mingxuan.

He Mingxuan waved his hand, signaling the servant to retreat, and then said in a cold tone, “The Wutong Li City Guard engaged in cross-border case handling and seized a batch of goods I had arranged.”

Zhuang Ge raised an eyebrow, saying, “I don’t know much about the city, but isn’t Master Xuan the Deputy Chief Constable of the South District? How could a branch constable undermine you?”

“Heh.”

He Mingxuan sneered.

There was no need to think, the news must have leaked, and Xiao He must have known. Then, she sent Chen Mu to intercept the goods in the middle of the night. The whole process was probably only known by Chen Mu. There was no movement from the Headquarters, and even the men and informants he had placed in Wutong Li did not send back any news.

He can almost imagine that even if he went to the City Guard tomorrow to question Xiao He or reprimand Chen Mu, they would just use the excuse that ‘cross-border case handling was approved by the Headquarters in advance’ to turn him away.

He, the Deputy Chief Constable, was practically bypassed the entire time.

Of course.

The key issue is that Chen Mu actually had the ability to defeat a team of elite swordsmen from the He family!

It seems that last time when Chen Mu killed Sha Xiangtian of the Quicksand Gang with one strike, it wasn’t some conspiracy, but as the intelligence said, he was indeed gifted, and had cultivated a Whole Iron Body in just over two years.

“No wonder Xu Hongyu values him so much. If this person really enters the Tendon Transformation Realm, he will be extremely difficult to deal with.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, He Mingxuan finally revealed a killing intent in his eyes.

This man cannot be allowed to live!

Regardless of whether Chen Mu can overcome the hurdle of Tendon Transformation, he should be dealt with as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he really breaks through, he will be even more difficult to deal with than an ordinary Tendon Transformation Realm martial artist.

He had been hesitant before, not wanting to completely fall out with Xu Hongyu, but with the back-and-forth between the He and Yu families, they will eventually reach a breaking point. Chen Mu can be the first to be sacrificed!

With this in mind.

He Mingxuan turned to Zhuang Ge and said, “Brother Zhuang, I need to ask you for a favor.”

Zhuang Ge said, “Master Xuan, just give the order.”

He Mingxuan slowly said, “I need you to kill someone, the Yamen Constable of Wutong Li, Chen Mu. It is said that he has mastered a Double Blade Momentum, and possesses a Copper Steel Body at the limit of Flesh Training.”

Zhuang Ge pondered, “Double Blade Momentum, toughened body… If it is an assassination, I can kill him with one spear. If it is a direct confrontation, as long as there is no interference, I should be able to take him down within twenty moves.”

“That’s good then.”

He Mingxuan said lightly, “This person has no background, and he doesn’t have any followers. As long as you don’t attack him within the City Guard, no one will be able to assist him.”

Zhuang Ge said in a deep voice, “Then there’s no problem. When does Master Xuan need me to make a move?”

He Mingxuan’s gaze turned cold as he looked out the window, “Tonight!”

“They just seized the goods I arranged. They must still be gloating and not be prepared. Tonight is the most suitable time. As long as he is not in the City Guard, make your move. Since they dare to attack the He family’s goods, then let more people die tonight.”

…

Wutong Li City Guard.

The Yamen Runner guarding the main gate, responsible for night patrol, was yawning while leaning against the wall.

Suddenly, he heard movement coming from a distance. He immediately woke up and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a carriage slowly approaching the City Guard in the dark night, along with a bloody smell.

The Yamen Runner’s face changed, and he was about to call for reinforcements, but he saw the carriage had already arrived at the gate. The person in the front was covered in blood, looking quite frightening. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Constable Chen Mu!

“Constable Sir?!”

The gatekeeper was shocked and finally reacted.

“Open the gate.”

Chen Mu waved his hand, signaling the gatekeeper to open the gate. Then, he instructed Shang Qinglai and the others to push the carriage into the City Guard.

“There’s no need for patrol tonight. Summon all the night patrol personnel back and have them guard the City Guard.”

Chen Mu issued an order.

With the carriage back in the City Guard, everything was basically settled. Even the He family would not dare to lead their men to break into the City Guard to intercept the goods again. Although the security in Yu City is chaotic, it has not reached the point where the City Guard is just for show.

After all, the City Guard itself is under the jurisdiction of the City Lord, and the commander of the Outer City is a member of the Xue family, not the He family. If things are taken too far, and the commander is enraged, the He family will also have to pay the price.

After arranging everything properly.

Chen Mu returned home. He needed to go back and change his clothes first.

Because his place was only a street away from the City Guard, he basically came out of the back door of the City Guard, crossed a street, and reached his doorstep. He was too lazy to knock, jumping directly into the courtyard and walking to the backyard.

Backyard.

In the main room, the stove was still burning. Wang Ni and the three little girls, Ku’er and Le’er, were leaning against the small table near the stove, their heads resting on the table, as if they had been waiting until late at night and had fallen asleep.

Chen Mu shook his head slightly, not waking the three little girls. He went directly to the water vat in the backyard, took off his clothes, and quickly washed himself with cold water from head to toe.

However, the commotion of washing still woke Wang Ni, who was sleeping the lightest. She rubbed her eyes and walked out of the room. Although it was dark, she still saw the figure near the water vat and softly called out:

“Brother Mu?”

“Go back to bed with Ku’er and Le’er. I have to go out tonight.”

Chen Mu said to Wang Ni.

Although it was basically over with the carriage back inside the City Guard, he still had to stay at the main hall tonight.

“Okay.”

Wang Ni rubbed her sleepy eyes but didn’t wake Ku’er and Le’er. Instead, she first ran into the room, brought clean clothes and a towel for Chen Mu, helped him wipe himself clean, and then helped him change his clothes.

Chen Mu gently reached out and touched Wang Ni’s head. Then, he walked to the front yard and went out again.

It was late at night.

Except for the City Guard in the distance, which still had lights, everything else was pitch black, and not a single person could be seen. At this time, even the gang forces that were active at night were no longer active.

Chen Mu walked in the streets, and the surroundings were quiet. Even the sound of a needle dropping on the ground seemed to be clearly audible. All he could hear was the echo of his footsteps on the blue stone pavement.

Tap, tap, tap…

Chen Mu walked, heading towards the City Guard, step by step through the streets.

Until he reached the end of this alley, as he turned out of the alley entrance… a cold light flashed. It was the spearhead of a silver spear, suddenly piercing through the air, like a beam of light tearing through the night under the dim moonlight.

The entire quiet street seemed to erupt in an instant. The previous silence suddenly turned into a killing intent!