However, before Su Mu could even start struggling, a bunch of corpses covered with white cloth were carried past them.
Seeing the bit of black clothing peeking out, Su Mu knew they must be the ones who had clashed with Chen Qing last night.
As she looked at these corpses, Su Mu felt scared but also inexplicably guilty.
Not only did she fail to break free from Chen Qing’s hand this time, she even shuffled a few steps closer to her.
Although Chen Qing was a total pervert, she was still strong. Staying close to her made Su Mu feel a bit safer.
Just like that, Chen Qing led Su Mu to a nearby pavilion.
Sure enough, Wu Ran and Ye Qinglian were waiting for them there.
The moment they met, Wu Ran gave Su Mu a strange look.
To think that this timid Miss Su could actually suppress such a powerful Senior—she was truly no ordinary person.
Su Mu felt a little uneasy under Wu Ran’s strange gaze, but for some reason, being stared at like that made her feel oddly proud.
Chen Qing didn’t notice the strange eye contact between Su Mu and Wu Ran.
She led Silly Shizun into the pavilion.
Seeing Chen Qing approach, Ye Qinglian handed her a black feather.
“This is proof from the City Lord’s Mansion. With this token, we have the authority to participate in the case investigation.”
Ye Qinglian’s thinking was straightforward. That missing girl was clearly connected to the recently rampant White Lotus Cult.
The White Lotus Cult had hidden itself so deeply, and now they finally had a solid lead. Of course, she wouldn’t let it go.
If they could use this case to root out the White Lotus Cult lurking in the shadows, it would make their trip into this tiger’s den worthwhile.
“By the way, those black-clothed people who poisoned themselves to death in the City Lord’s Mansion today—they’re the ones from last night, right?”
“Yes, the ones who ambushed me last night and delivered that warning letter.”
Chen Qing’s response made Ye Qinglian’s expression darken. The White Lotus Cult was so brazen—they had only just arrived, and that very night, they sent people to issue a warning.
Chen Qing took the Black Feather from Ye Qinglian. She was also quite invested in the matter of the White Lotus Cult.
For one thing, this was the official first step in her revenge plan, and it couldn’t go wrong.
For another, she was quite curious about this uprising cult that was so famous in her previous life. Something capable of throwing the world into chaos couldn’t be as simple as it seemed on the surface.
With the City Lord’s Mansion’s Black Feather, Chen Qing and the others smoothly left the City Lord’s Mansion and even went straight to the official Case Hall to begin reviewing the case files for that incident.
With the Black Feather as their credential, no one from the government dared to stop them.
As Chen Qing had expected, there was very little information in the case files—just the victim’s name, address, and the time of disappearance.
They hadn’t even bothered to verify any evidence before ruling it an accidental disappearance due to being dragged off by a wolf.
Just reading the case files made it clear this was a complete miscarriage of justice from start to finish.
Looking at the case files stacked on the shelves in the Case Hall, Su Mu felt a pang of emotion.
With government offices this corrupt, who knew how many of these files were wrongful convictions.
This case had only seen the light of day because it involved the White Lotus Cult. Otherwise, it would have stayed silent forever, just like all the others here.
Before Su Mu could finish her lamenting, Chen Qing knocked hard on her little head.
“What are you spacing out for? Let’s go investigate the case.”
Sometimes, it wasn’t unfounded for Chen Qing to complain about how Silly Shizun’s train of thought jumped around so quickly.
Su Mu, who had been a bit down a moment ago, instantly perked up at Chen Qing’s words about investigating the case.
Having grown up watching Ke Lan and Di Renjie, Su Mu naturally harbored a dream of becoming a divine detective herself.
She hadn’t had the chance back on Blue Star, but now in this world, she could finally showcase her talents.
Seeing the excited gleam in Silly Shizun’s eyes, several black lines appeared on Chen Qing’s forehead.
One second she was all mopey, and the next she was this excited. Chen Qing really couldn’t tell if Silly Shizun was just overly cheerful or hopelessly silly.
With the address provided in the case files, Chen Qing and the others easily made their way to the village where the victim lived.
Due to high land prices in the city, some migrants seeking a livelihood had no choice but to gather and live on the outskirts. As more and more gathered, they gradually formed villages.
It was called a village, but Slum was a more fitting description.
As they entered the village, some raggedly dressed children were playing house under a tree, and every passing adult had exhaustion etched into their features.
They knocked on the door of an old house. After a moment, the elderly woman who had beaten the drum of injustice before pushed open the door.
Upon seeing Ye Qinglian, the old woman dropped to her knees with a thud.
“Greetings, Imperial Princess! Thank you for upholding justice for me yesterday. Thank you! Thank you!”
Watching the old woman kowtow repeatedly while thanking her nonstop made even Su Mu tense up beside her.
She quickly dodged to the side. Adults had told her as a child that making an elder kowtow to you would shorten your lifespan.
Even though this old woman wasn’t her elder, she was so advanced in years—she didn’t dare accept it.
Fortunately, Ye Qinglian was adept at handling such situations and quickly helped the old woman to her feet.
After another round of profuse thanks to Ye Qinglian, the old woman finally invited them inside.
The moment they entered, a massive portrait caught Su Mu’s attention.
The figure in the portrait didn’t show her face, but her silhouette alone made her look like an immortal descended from heaven, radiating divinity.
For some reason, though, Su Mu felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity as she gazed at it. It was like she had seen it somewhere before.
Seeing everyone’s attention drawn to the portrait on the wall, the old woman hurriedly explained.
“This is the portrait of the Wusheng Immortal. As long as you pay your respects to her, your family will live in harmony, and your crops will yield a harvest. A couple of years ago, the village couldn’t even afford rice, but ever since we started worshiping the Wusheng Immortal, everyone has found a reason to keep going.”
As she spoke, sincere devotion shone in the old woman’s eyes, and she bowed toward the portrait again.
Staring at the portrait on the wall, Su Mu felt puzzled.
Could there really be gods, demons, cultivators, and immortals in this world?
The thought excited her. She had assumed this was just a high-martial world with a touch of the supernatural, but now it seemed there might actually be cultivators.
If she could cultivate immortality here and bring the techniques back, then her self on Blue Star could also pursue eternal life and reach the peak of the world.
But before Su Mu could fantasize for long, the System’s mechanical voice shattered her dreams.
【Host, don’t even think about it. The current Villain is already one of the strongest people in this world. There won’t be any cultivation.】
“Then how do you explain the ghost I saw last night? If there are ghosts, there must be immortals, right?”
Unwilling to give up, Su Mu pressed on.
But the System’s curt reply nearly made Su Mu explode with anger.
【No comment, but no cultivation.】
Seeing the System playing the riddle game, Su Mu really wanted to stab the damn thing to death.
Not only did it scam her, it was being cryptic too. Stabbing it once would be going easy.
