Sky Scale Guard Headquarters, Gui Water Bureau.
Shen Shuqiu sat in front of the case, his expression grave.
Not long ago, the Lord of a Thousand Households, who controlled both the Bing Fire and Ding Fire departments, personally approached him, demanding the conviction of the Yan Liang brothers as soon as possible.
The case must be concluded within three days!
The implication was clear,
this case must not implicate anyone else!
But the problem was, Yan Liang had already confessed, completely divulging everything to Chen Mo...
Initially, Shen Shuqiu didn't want to get involved in this matter either.
But since the Empress hadn't given any instructions, he could only grit his teeth and persist.
"That kid Chen Mo, he caught the person and then washed his hands of it..."
"He takes the credit, and I take the blame, truly reprehensible!"
"When this task is over, I'll send him to capture the Ten Great Demons, and he won't be allowed to return without catching them!"
Shen Shuqiu grumbled through clenched teeth.
Thump, thump, thump—
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded, and an Assistant Officer stumbled in.
"M-M-M..."
"M what? Why are you so flustered and panicked?"
Shen Shuqiu frowned and said.
The Assistant Officer, disregarding the reprimand, swallowed and said, "Lord, General Chen is back!"
"Haha, he dares to come back? I was just about to find trouble with him..."
"He brought back the body of the Tenth Sky Demon!"
"..."
Shen Shuqiu suspected that the recent pressure might have caused him to hallucinate.
He reached out to dig his ear and asked,
"What did you just say? Say it again?"
The Assistant Officer concisely replied, "The case in Tongling County, the real culprit behind the scenes was the Evil Ghost Qin Wuxiang, who was beheaded by General Chen! The body is currently resting on the training grounds!"
After a brief silence, Shen Shuqiu suddenly stood up and quickly exited the bureau.
The entire training ground was already packed, thronged with people, and the noise was deafening!
He made his way through the crowd, walking to the center, only to see a headless corpse lying on the ground in front of him.
Beside the body was a head, its face blurred without features, with a purple magatama crest imprinted on its forehead.
As a member of the Sky Scale Guard, who hadn't thought about capturing the Ten Great Demons and gaining fame throughout the world, bringing honor to their family?
Shen Shuqiu was no exception.
He had reviewed all the data on the Ten Great Demons and knew their characteristics inside out—
With just one look, he could basically confirm that this was the corpse of the Tenth Sky Demon, Qin Wuxiang!
"You didn't see it, that battle was truly earth-shattering, the sun and moon were overshadowed!"
"Qin Wuxiang transformed into a giant demon a hundred feet tall, the demon flames were raging, arrogant! With one palm he leveled a whole block!"
"Yet General Chen just smiled faintly and said, 'The light of a firefly dares to compete with the glory of the bright moon? Sword, come!'"
"He casually struck out with a blade, the Sword Qi tearing through the void, causing celestial phenomena, and on the spot sliced that giant demon into two!"
"The power of one strike, terrifying indeed!"
Qin Shou stood among the crowd, speaking eloquently, as if performing a comedic dialogue.
The people around listened as if they were experiencing it firsthand, their hearts racing, occasionally letting out gasps of amazement.
"Where is General Chen? Why isn't he here?"
Someone shouted loudly.
Qin Shou shook his head, sighed and said,
"General Chen is good in every respect, except he's too low-key."
"He said, 'Credit is not to be taken alone, blame not to be shirked.' He didn't want to take the spotlight and chose to give the chance to shine to us younger brothers."
"That's called vision!"
The other Assistant Officers who executed the task nodded in agreement.
General Chen truly had great vision!
"Chen Mo... Chen Mo..."
A chorus of shouting suddenly began.
Soon, more and more people joined in, gradually forming a thunderous roar!
This was the Tenth Sky Demon! The first strike!
Not only was the Gui Water Bureau honored, but the entire Sky Scale Guard shared in the glory!
"Chen Mo! Chen Mo!"
The shouts were deafening.
In the boiling crowd, Shen Shuqiu stood there like a statue, looking somewhat bewildered and incredulous.
"I was just talking nonsense, and he actually brought the Tenth Sky Demon back?!"
He knew in his heart, to become one of the Ten Great Demons, Qin Wuxiang was no easy opponent.
Even if Chen Mo won, it wouldn't have been easy.
He must have gone through a fierce battle!
When he assigned this task initially, he never expected it to be this perilous...
Having just cracked the Barbarian Slave Case, only a few days later, he received such a huge surprise!
"That boy, he's really doing me proud!"
"But that doesn't change the fact about the blame, I'll still trouble you... but not too much."
...
Zhao Hua Palace.
Within the halls, incense wafted gently.
Behind the glazed screen, a bright yellow phoenix robe bore a languid voice:
"How is the case progressing?"
Below, Yan Peizhi's expression became solemn.
He knew that the Empress's question had two implications, one was about the Ministry of Revenue's corruption case, the other was about the Barbarian Slave case.
"Reporting to Your Highness, under the joint interrogation of the Three Departments, the case is progressing very smoothly, three Chiefs of the Ministry of Revenue have confessed, embezzling disaster relief funds was their personal action..."
The Empress listened quietly, making no comment.
Yan Peizhi knew that the Empress was waiting for him to continue.
"Regarding the Barbarian Slave case, from what I understand, the Yan Liang brothers have confessed to their crimes without reservation."
"As for whether anyone else is involved, I still need to..."
At that moment, a Female Officer hurriedly entered the hall.
She circled around the screen and whispered something in the Empress's ear.
Watching this familiar scene, Yan Peizhi couldn't help but shudder, wondering if there was more bad news...
"Good, very good."
"This truly is a 'surprise' for me!"
The Empress paused in silence before speaking with a sigh.
Yan Peizhi breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed to be good news.
"To think he could bring the Tenth Sky Demon to justice, removing a scourge for my Great Yuan!"
"Eliminating the threat for the people, such merit should be greatly rewarded!"
The Empress's voice echoed within the hall.
Yan Peizhi's expression was of astonishment.
The Heavenly Demon List recorded over a hundred demon heads.
Many had been captured and executed on the spot.
The list had been updated dozens of times, except for the top ten, which hadn't changed one bit over the years!
And now someone had actually slain one of the Ten Great Demons?
It was indeed a great achievement!
"Congratulations, Your Highness, felicitation to Your Highness!"
"My Great Yuan is truly of courageous spirit and talent abundant! This is a blessing for the people, and a fortune for the nation indeed!"
"Who might this hero be who accomplished such a feat?"
Yan Peizhi asked with a look of joy.
Lately, nothing had gone his way, and he struggled to hold his head high in front of the Empress; now that he finally had an opportunity, he intended to seize it.
Once the Empress identified the person, he would steer the conversation towards "Your Highness's golden voice and wisdom illuminate all," implying that everything was due to the Empress's nurturing.
Guaranteed to make her beam with delight...
In an instant, the whole flattery process had gone through Yan Peizhi's mind.
Such was the self-cultivation of an old courtier.
"It's someone you know, and they have a special connection with your Yan Family too."
The Empress spoke in a calm tone.
Yan Peizhi was overjoyed upon hearing this.
Could it be the accomplishment of a steward or chief within the Ministry of Criminal Justice?
It was like falling asleep and being offered a pillow!
"Your Highness, please don't keep me in suspense, who is this divine figure?" Yan Peizhi asked, unable to hold back any longer.
"Chen Mo," said the Empress.
Yan Peizhi paused, "…Who?"
"Chen Mo, the one who personally imprisoned your nephew in the Imperial Prison."
The Empress said lightly, "He is also the Sky Scale Guard Commander who eradicates evil and rescues the people, while your nephew is busy raising Barbarian Slaves, corroding the court..."
"Sometimes, I can't even tell who is the rebel party?"
Boom!
It was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky!
Yan Peizhi's knees gave way, and he collapsed to the ground!