"Report, it seems a Martial Artist team has entered the Imperial Court, and the nearby patrol chief has led a team to support!"

"Report, a fire has broken out at the grain storage in Chongbei Alley!"

"Report, thieves have entered the Ministry of Revenue and burned documents!"

"Report, assistance is requested at the warehouse on Zunan Alley!"

"Report, the left, right, and front guards of the Yulin have sent distress signals!"

"Report..."

Inside the Statistical Department in Yanjing, chaos erupted late into the night. Alarming news poured in from all sides, turning the conference room into an uproar.

"Ministry of Revenue, Imperial Court, Military Equipment Bureau, grain storage, we must hurry to provide aid!"

A burly man with a face full of scars slammed the table forcefully and roared, "At least three Martial Artists from the Outer District are out there burning, killing, and looting, and all the gutter rats are stirring up trouble. The Statistical Department must not stand idly by!"

"I won't allow it!"

A short-haired woman opposed him: "Until the chief returns, no one from the Statistical Department is allowed to go out! There are rats outside, let the Patrol and Punishment Department and the Twelve Guards handle it, it's none of our business!"

"Now the Twelve Guards can barely manage themselves, and the Patrol and Punishment Department has long been ineffective!"

"That's still not our responsibility! The Statistical Department is only responsible for inspecting and capturing rebels!"

"Now is not the time to discuss responsibilities; there's a mastermind wreaking havoc in Yanjing, and cries for help are everywhere outside. Staying here is just waiting for death!"

"Wait! For! The! Chief! To! Return!"

As the two argued, other agents remained silent, afraid to interrupt, and instead looked at the bald man and the child at the table—the only two inspectors capable of stopping the quarrel.

The scarred man arguing was 'Hungry Wolf' inspector Dou Yaqing of the Statistical Department, and the short-haired woman was 'Lapdog' inspector Sima Feihong.

From their surnames, it was evident that their backgrounds were remarkable: Dou Yaqing was the grandson of Ghost-Fighting Snake, who was Cha Huan's mentor and the previous principal of the Imperial Academy; Sima Feihong was the granddaughter of the chief Medical Officer, Sima Huo, her father being the Minister of War, Sima Dan.

They were among the earliest agents of the Statistical Department, and their identities showed that the department initially aimed to accomplish good deeds, which attracted these talented young people. Although later, the Statistical Department resorted to severe measures to solve serious problems, even forcing them to dirty their hands, they understood this 'necessary evil,' willingly bearing the chains of guilt, becoming the notorious 'Hungry Wolf' and 'Lapdog,' pursuing their ambitions in their own way.

Among them, 'Hungry Wolf' Dou Yaqing was undoubtedly more loyal to the Imperial Court and Yanjing, and thus, after Yanjing plunged into unprecedented turmoil, his first reaction was to lead the Statistical Department to aid various parties.

'Lapdog' Sima Feihong, however, disagreed, insisting on staying at the Statistical Department and awaiting Xie Chenyuan's orders. After two years of following him, she deemed Xie Chenyuan the master worthy of her devotion, caring more about whether Xie Chenyuan's Statistical Department could maintain strength amidst the chaos than the lives of Yanjing's citizens or the rise and fall of the Imperial Court!

With Xie Chenyuan absent, Dou Yaqing and Sima Feihong undoubtedly held the highest authority within the Statistical Department, far surpassing Jiujiu Jiu and Qianchan Chencheng's influence—the latter's child's appearance predetermined a lack of support; everyone knew Jiujiu Jiu was once a Hidden Sword Assassin, shaved his head only to cleanse his past.

Seeing no resolution in sight, Dou Yaqing said, "Let's vote, Qianchan, Jiu, do you support me or Sima!?"

The bald Jiujiu Jiu pondered for a moment, "I support both."

"Hmm!?"

"Half the people stay with Inspector Sima, half go out with Inspector Dou to provide support."

"Nonsense!" Sima Feihong cursed, "Sending half out with him to die? I don't agree!"

"I don't agree either." Dou Yaqing glanced at the fireworks outside, "Chaos has erupted, who can remain untouched? Now is not the time to wait and see; we must fight with thunderous power, swiftly sweeping away the ghosts and monsters in Yanjing! Otherwise, the longer we delay, more opportunists will rise amidst the chaos!"

Jiujiu Jiu shrugged, unbothered by the rejection of his proposal. Then everyone looked at Qianchan Chencheng, who appeared distracted tonight, leaning on his small face and casually said, "I support Hungry Wolf."

"Raccoon Slave!" Sima Feihong's tone was icy, "You better think clearly before you speak!"

"Sima!" Dou Yaqing displayed a sinister smile, "This time, I won."

Sima Feihong slammed the table apart, "I do not agree, let me see who dares follow you!"

"See, I didn't count, why ask me?" Qianchan Chencheng sneered, jumping off the chair, donning a hat, and calling out to the female agents behind him, "Chaoyeba, let's go."

"Qianchan, where are you going!?" Dou Yaqing shouted.

"Go kill!"

Everyone watched Xie Chenyuan leave without trying to stop him. In the Statistical Department, Xie Chenyuan was an anomaly. Although everyone respected and feared him, they distanced themselves from him. Because of his physical deficiencies and volatile personality, even though he was one of the four chief inspectors, he could not gain the loyalty of a single subordinate, forever remaining a loner.

Xie Chenyuan left the Statistical Department with Zhao Yebai, and got into a car. Zhao Yebai sat in the driver's seat, pressed the accelerator and asked, "Inspector, where are we going?"

"To the Imperial Academy."

"Why?" Zhao Yebai handed Xie Chenyuan a box of candies and curiously asked, "There's been no report of an attack at the Imperial Academy, right? Why aren't we supporting the places that were attacked?"

"Yanjing is like a tangled mess right now. To break the deadlock, running around putting out fires won't help. We need to find the most critical thread in this tangle." Raccoon Slave took a hard candy from the box, popped it into his mouth, and said, "The brilliance of the Holy Sword is that thread."

"The chaos tonight is insignificant. When the Jingji troops return to the capital tomorrow to quell the rebels, those outer district spies can be wiped out with a snap. But why did they suddenly go all out tonight, showing almost all their hidden cards, attacking all critical districts in Yanjing, keeping everyone on their toes? There's only one reason—they are confident they can solve everything after tonight! And when it comes to 'solving everything,' obviously only the brilliance of the Holy Sword possesses that power!"

"Throwing Yanjing into chaos is just to buy time. Their real target is the brilliance of the Holy Sword... Though I don't know exactly what they plan to do, the Imperial Academy is definitely the focus of their plan!"

"Besides," Xie Chenyuan's eyes lit up, "I've asked Jundo about it, and Jundo said... Le Yin's Heart of Nesser is broken!"

A broken Heart of Nesser could only mean one thing—Le Yin faced a formidable enemy, forcing him to shatter the Heart of Nesser to step into the peak of perfection realm to fight back!

Zhao Yebai chuckled, "So now we're going to rescue Vice Principal Le? Inspector, don't you hate him the most? Why..."

"Precisely because I hate him, I have to save him!" Raccoon Slave gritted his teeth and said, "He can't die at the hands of someone else, he can only die at my hands!"

Zhao Yebai said nothing, only giving him a very peculiar look. How to describe it, that look was like staring at a tomcat in heat.

Xie Chenyuan felt very uncomfortable being stared at, and snorted coldly, "Plus, his brother has been quite helpful to me, especially with that Unrivaled List they proposed, which made us quite a fortune... He also saved my life."

"Huh?"

"The time at the Platinum Tower, if it weren't for him carrying me to the Medical Bureau on time, I might have died from the antidote poisoning... The adult dose of the antidote is too toxic..." Xie Chenyuan's voice lowered, "And it was my fault holding him back. If he hadn't taken out those two enemies, that damn Grand Steward would have succeeded..."

Zhao Yebai: "Let me first clarify, no offense—but Inspector, I am genuinely surprised you'd repay a kindness. I've taken care of you for so long, yet you've always treated me poorly. I thought you were a heartless bastard."

Raccoon Slave was so enraged he almost reached out to hit her, but Zhao Yebai defiantly stiffened her neck, "I'm driving here, don't touch me, or we'll die in a nasty crash!"

Xie Chenyuan reluctantly withdrew his hand, sneering, "Repaying a kindness is just so I can be more decisive in the future. And maybe after saving Le Yin this time, I can deceive him into thinking I've let go of our grudge, then betray him and stab him in the back. That kind of revenge would be truly satisfying... And the Four Guards would definitely hold me in high regard. Though why didn't Jundo let me save him... Or have they sent someone else?"

"Actually, Inspector, it seems like you've always been concerned about Vice Principal Le!" Zhao Yebai grinned, "Otherwise, why would you actively seek out information about him from Jundo?"

"Nonsense!" Xie Chenyuan instantly got defensive, "I just happened to see his rescue fireworks earlier—I remember clearly because I planned to ambush him when he sought help—but soon after, dozens of rescue fireworks filled the sky, so nobody else noticed, only I kept this in mind."

"What a coincidence..."

"Indeed..."

Raccoon Slave suddenly felt something was off. He glanced outside, noticing wooden shacks surrounding them, with distant fires blazing, people shouting 'Fire,' screams, cries for help, mobs roaring in anger, and babies wailing—a chaotic blend of noises.

There's only one place in Yanjing with shanties—the so-called slum of Eighteen Alleys. But Eighteen Alleys is in the southern part of Yanjing, while the Imperial Academy is to the northeast!

"Zhao Yebai!" Xie Chenyuan sat up, "What are you doing? Where are we going?"

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness struck his pituitary gland, leaving him weak and his eyelids heavy.

Poisoned... That piece of candy!

Xie Chenyuan once again cursed his own body—there are few poisons in the world effective against a martial artist with integration and mastery, most act slowly. Yet due to his small physique, even a slow-acting, mild poison works quickly and strongly on him!

"Zhao... Ye... Bai..."

"Take a good rest, Inspector Xie," Zhao Yebai parked the car in a quiet alley and reached over to remove Raccoon Slave's hat, gently stroking his head, "This is all I can do for you."

"Why..."

"Because you remembered Le Yin's rescue fireworks." Zhao Yebai pinched Raccoon Slave's little cheek, speaking helplessly, "You forget over a thousand things every day, why couldn't you forget this one too?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.