Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 28 Master Dou's work is clean and efficient.

late at night.

A crescent moon hangs high in the sky.

The hazy moonlight scattered across the earth, as if draping the world in a layer of silver sand.

Inside a secret room, one important figure after another from Lang County gathered together. They each took their seats, their expressions somber, as if they could drip water.

The tall, robust Constable Wang, as if his spine had been broken and his energy drained, slumped into the large chair like a stray dog, sighing and saying, "What do we do?"

"What should we do?"

"The Golden Jade Guards have already secretly arrived in Lang County. If my brother-in-law hadn't accidentally discovered these outsiders, and because of the old steward's death, I had paid special attention and gone to investigate, we probably wouldn't have known that people from the capital had come until they came to arrest us."

"Now the Qin state has conquered five states in succession, and the Black Emperor has devoured the faith of the world, his power and influence are at their zenith."

"Our Great Chu Taiyi God has suffered a great loss of combat power due to a lack of faith. The King is furious and even dismissed a prime minister of Chu. We thought this matter had nothing to do with us, after all, our place is too remote. If anyone is going to investigate, it should be those prosperous places."

"Who would have thought that His Majesty would even take these scraps of ours?"

"It's over, we're all finished."

"If Jin Yuwei were to conduct a secret investigation at the Donghuang Temple, they would discover that much of the faith originally entrusted to Taiyi God has been lost. If they were to personally audit the accounts, they would definitely uncover something fishy. If the investigation continues, none of us will escape; we will all be caught in one fell swoop."

Officer Wang deliberately emphasized the phrase "no escape, all must be caught in one fell swoop." How could Magistrate Zhang not see through this little scheme? He impatiently slammed his hand on the table and said unhappily, "Stop with your little tricks."

"The most important thing now is to work together through thick and thin, not to play clever tricks."

Chief Constable Wang spread his hands and said, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Those are the Golden Jade Guards, who are on par with the Black Ice Guards. They are the sharpest sword in the King's hand."

The head of the Wang family said angrily, "They bully the weak and fear the strong."

"Those famous cities and ancient cities, which one of them is not rich in natural resources and has outstanding people? The number of religious beliefs they have given rise to is probably dozens or even hundreds of times greater than ours."

"I refuse to believe that no one is greedy, so why are they targeting us?"

"It's because there are many powerful martial arts sects and aristocratic families there that dare not act rashly. They can only pick on the weak and bully us small people. They don't dare to fight a tough battle. I think the Great Chu will perish sooner or later."

These outrageous words would normally cause a huge uproar and a great uproar, but now no one cares, and some even echoed them. It is clear that the words of the Wang family head have struck a chord with them.

Why target them? It's just because they're weak.

Are honest, weak people destined to be bullied?

After a string of complaints, Magistrate Zhang tapped the table, interrupting the commotion. Seeing that the scene had returned to calm, Magistrate Zhang calmly said, "There's no need to dwell on the complaints anymore. The most urgent matter now is how to resolve this issue."

Head Constable Wang sensed that the time was right and said in a deep voice, "These aren't the Golden Jade Guards from the prefecture. We can try to find connections and make contact. They're all from the capital."

"We have absolutely no connection with them, so even if we wanted to give them gifts, we wouldn't have anywhere to do so."

"The important figures in the capital sent them here because they have no connection with Lang County and will not be involved in any way. They will enforce the law impartially."

"So the soft approach won't work, we need to take a hard approach."

"Kill them."

Before Constable Wang could finish speaking, the head of the Wang family suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Kill the official!"

"But that's a capital offense."

Constable Wang sneered, "Does that mean what we did wasn't a capital offense? If the Golden Jade Guard finds out, we'll die, but killing the Golden Jade Guard doesn't necessarily mean we'll die."

"In a remote county like ours, it's not uncommon for demons to afflict us, and it's not unusual for a few people to die. In addition, the Qin State's Black Ice Guard has been active and deliberately intercepted and killed the Golden Jade Guards, so it's plausible that they framed us."

After Constable Wang finished speaking, there was complete silence. Constable Wang slowly stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone. He said bluntly, "If you dare not kill, then let the Golden Jade Guard investigate."

"I don't believe you're all tough enough to withstand the Jin Yuwei's torture. If one of you is exposed, then it'll be a whole string of them."

"We'll just arrest them one by one according to the list, and no one will be able to escape."

"So I'm planning to take my family and run away. I can't just stay here and wait to die."

After Officer Wang got up, he was about to walk outside when he was stopped by Magistrate Zhang, who said calmly, "Don't get so agitated. We're still discussing this."

Chief Constable Wang nudged Magistrate Zhang and said with a sneer, "Discussion?"

"Continuing like this is just a waste of time."

"We can discuss this slowly, but Jin Yuwei won't wait. Every second wasted is a second less of a chance to survive."

The head of the Wang family slammed his hand on the table, gritted his teeth, and said in a deep voice, "Let's do it."

"If the Golden Jade Guards won't give us a way out, then kill them."

"Running away is not a way to survive, but a way to die; it will only hasten your demise."

"We have a family and a business in Lang County. How can we go far if we run away with our families? Besides, if we go to another place, we will be like rootless duckweed. Without our business connections, even a constable can hold us hostage."

"Even if you have a fortune, you can be quickly extorted and robbed if someone targets you. Even if the Golden Jade Guards don't kill us, we will still end up with our families destroyed."

"Even when we were wronged, because we were on the run, we didn't dare to report it to the authorities. We could only swallow our anger and suffer in silence, which only made them bully us even more."

Chief Constable Wang clapped his hands in praise and said, "Well said!"

"Kill the Golden Guards, then blame it on the demons."

"Even if the Jin Yuwei sends people to investigate, we can just kill them. As long as we are united, Lang County is impregnable. If they really push us too far, we can just rebel."

"The Qin and Chu states are currently locked in a stalemate. If we are forced into rebellion, causing chaos in our rear, can the Jin Yuwei bear the consequences?"

"The Golden Jade Guards are all important figures; we must consider the bigger picture."

"Dry."

As Constable Wang finished speaking, the others responded in unison. Not killing Jin Yuwei meant certain death, but killing him didn't guarantee it. They knew which choice to make.

Head Constable Wang looked at Magistrate Zhang and said in a deep voice, "Please have Magistrate Zhang write a letter in blood."

"Everyone here signed their name with blood."

"If something really happens, no one can escape responsibility. We'll share the good times and the bad."

County Magistrate Zhang nodded emphatically and said, "That's exactly right."

He bit his index finger and began to squeeze out blood. The head constable, Wang, very considerately tore open his clothes, and Magistrate Zhang picked them up and began to write. He finished writing very quickly, and the head constable was the first to write his name in blood.

The others began to write down their names. At this moment, no matter what they thought in their hearts, even if they wanted to object, they had no chance at all, because if they didn't write it down, they would never be able to leave this secret room.

The blood oath issue has been resolved. Magistrate Zhang asked, "The Golden Jade Guards are certainly not weak. How do we deal with them?"

Looking at the blood-written letter, Constable Wang confidently said, "This matter is not difficult; we just need to ask Master Dou for help."

The head of the Wang family said thoughtfully, "Is it Dou Changsheng from the north of the city?"

Officer Wang nodded and said, "That's right."

"Don't underestimate Master Dou just because he's young. He's incredibly capable, especially skilled at communicating with demons and monsters. He makes a living dealing with them. If we make a move now, it will be too conspicuous."

"This person was killed by a demon. If we investigate further, to put it bluntly, it turns out that it was Master Dou who did it. What does that have to do with us?"

The head of the Wang family immediately praised, "Well said."

"But is Dou Changsheng willing to do it?"

"This is a capital offense."

Officer Wang said confidently, "Demons are capricious and unruly. Dealing with demons is like walking a tightrope; one wrong move and you'll be eaten."

"Master Dou dares to do this kind of business because he's ruthless."

"Another factor is greed for money; it is precisely because of this greed that one will take risks."

Magistrate Zhang said in a deep voice, "Greed is not terrible. We will contribute money together and we are not afraid of not being able to feed Dou Changsheng. What we are afraid of is that he can handle things smoothly and cause unforeseen complications."

Officer Wang patted his chest and said, "Gentlemen, you can rest assured. I have dealt with Master Dou before and know that he is an honest man. This time, we are not doing this for ourselves, but for Lang County."

"I believe that Master Dou will be willing to stand up for Lang County, do the work first, and pay later."

Officer Wang paused slightly, then raised his voice: "Let me make this clear: if you go back on your word and refuse to pay after Master Dou has done a good job, then even if Master Dou doesn't pursue the matter, I will pursue it to the end."

The head of the Wang family said loudly, "This is a life-or-death deal. Who dares to cause any trouble?"

"If anyone refuses to pay, or deliberately pays less or delays, then my Wang family will absolutely not let him off the hook. Everyone will join forces to wipe him out."

"They dare to bluff even on matters of life and death. Who would dare to actually believe them? Such fools should just die sooner rather than later."

Chief Constable Wang exclaimed, "Good!"

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I will go and fetch Master Dou right away."

Officer Wang strode away, and none of the remaining people stood up. They all fell silent, like statues, and began to wait quietly. As time passed, some people became restless, shifting their positions repeatedly. They were also worried that Officer Wang might not return and might have sold them out.

With a creak, the sound of the door being pushed open was heard, and everyone looked towards the door.

Constable Wang strode over, slammed his waist token onto the table with a clattering sound, and then rang out in his deep voice: "Master Dou, you get things done cleanly and efficiently."

"Everything is taken care of."

"They're all dead!"