I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 52 - 41: Murder, Summoning Soul! (2 in 1)_2

"Right, why did you sleep next to me last night..."

"I said I was looking for liquor!"

"Who looks for liquor in bed?"

"Shut up!"

...

White Tower Street is located in the west of the city. Surrounded by residential areas, most of its inhabitants are wealthy merchants or officials. The homes stand in neat rows, their white walls and blue tiles contrasting with the clean, well-maintained green-brick road, lined with willows and sweet osmanthus.

At this moment, a crowd has gathered at the entrance of an alley, discussing animatedly.

"Tsk, Old Lin’s death was particularly tragic."

"Yes, despite his age, he still met such a vile end."

"Who knows who he offended..."

The sound of horse hooves prompts the crowd to turn around. Their expressions change slightly as they make way to the sides.

Chen Mo dismounts, while Li Yuan covers her skirt and lightly hops down.

After tying the horses to a tree, the two walk towards a mansion at the entrance of the alley. The officials of Six Gates have already sealed off the area, and the guarding officers step forward to stop them.

"This is a government investigation, all unrelated persons..."

Li Yuan flashes her badge, and the officer’s tone halts, bowing respectfully, "Mr. General, please come inside."

The Six Gates falls under the jurisdiction of the Three Law Departments, whereas the Sky Scale Guard is an institution specially granted imperial power, dealing with special affairs. The two often have overlapping responsibilities and thus frequently collaborate on cases.

Since the Sky Scale Guard has been called in, this case is definitely not a simple murder.

Entering the courtyard, they see a corpse covered with a white cloth in the center, with a few officials carefully examining the corners.

"General Li."

A middle-aged man clad in a blue robe, with a long sword at his waist, strides forward.

Approaching closer, his expression stiffens, and he incredulously sizes up Li Yuan.

"General Li, you are..."

Wearing a blue and white pleated dress, her black hair styled into a bun, red lips and white teeth lending her a delicate charm, she hardly resembles the usually aloof and stern Li Yuan.

Could she be possessed?

Li Yuan’s face is slightly unnatural, "I had social engagements last night and didn’t have time to change my clothes."

The middle-aged man snaps back to reality, suppressing his curiosity without further questions, and turns his gaze to the handsome young man beside her.

"And this gentleman is?"

"General of the Gui Water Bureau, Chen Mo."

Hearing this name, the expressions of everyone present become more serious.

Chasing after the Ten Great Demons has always been a duty of the Six Gates; they naturally recognize the weight behind the title of "Number one demon slayer."

"General Chen’s great name is well-known; to see you in person today, truly, you are as distinguished as your reputation."

The middle-aged man speaks heartily.

This is not entirely flattery; he’s spent many years investigating cases, and he’s skilled at judging people.

The young man before him stands tall and graceful, with a commanding presence and a hidden sharpness in his eyes, clearly not just for show.

Li Yuan promptly introduces him, "He is Investigator Shangguan Yunfei of the Six Gates Arresting Department."

On saying this, as if worried Chen Mo might misunderstand, she specially clarifies, "I’ve collaborated with him on some cases before."

Chen Mo certainly isn’t so petty and nods in recognition, "Shangguan the Divine Constable, I’ve heard much about you."

This Shangguan Yunfei does indeed have a background. With a high case-solving rate, only second to Lin Jingzhu, he’s one of the top four Renowned Detectives of the Six Gates.

His father, Shangguan Ming, is the Tongzheng Envoy, responsible for the delivery of petitions from all over the country, a figure at the heart of power.

After the pleasantries, Shangguan Yunfei brings the topic back to the case at hand.

"The deceased is named Lin Huai, a junior officer from the Ministry of Construction who recently retired."

"Living alone, without wife or children. This morning, neighbors reported a foul odor, which led to the discovery of the body. He has likely been dead for three days..."

Approaching the corpse, an officer lifts the white cloth. The moment Chen Mo sees the body, he understands why the Sky Scale Guard has been summoned.

The corpse is in a terrible state, with only a thin layer of flesh on the bones, almost mummified. The chest cavity has been split open, and the organs turned to mush; the intestines are spilling out.

The eyes bulging, the expression twisted, it seems he suffered unimaginably before death.

Shangguan Yunfei speaks, "There are signs of the house being searched, but the possessions are intact. The murderer wasn’t after robbery; it seems more like a vendetta."

Li Yuan frowns, "To be tortured to such an extent, how deep must the grudge be?"

Shangguan Yunfei shakes his head, "From what the neighbors say, Lin Huai was unassuming and well-liked... Moreover, how could a retired junior official from the Ministry of Construction make such an enemy that they would brazenly commit murder in the Emperor’s own city?"

Li Yuan muses, "His flesh and blood have been drained; the perpetrator is likely an Evil Cultivator..."

Shangguan Yunfei nods in agreement.

Chen Mo squats by the corpse, observing for a moment, and says, "It’s not an Evil Cultivator; it’s a demon."

At these words, the atmosphere turns deathly still.

The officials glance at each other, and Shangguan Yunfei frowns, "Mr. General, are you certain? How could the Demon Clan infiltrate Tiandu City with the Eightfold Exorcism Array in place?"

Back in the day when demons and strange creatures wreaked havoc, leaving the common folk in despair, the Three Saints took action to drive away the demons and established a grand array within Tiandu City.

As long as the Demon Clan sets foot in it, the Array will automatically activate, triggering the heavy weapon "Demon Extermination Crossbow" at the Observatory to slay the demons.

"No matter how profound an Array is, it’s not omnipotent. There’s a large population inside Tiandu City, and the mixture of auras is complex. Unless the concentration of Demon Energy reaches a certain level, the grand array is very likely to miss it," Chen Mo said.

With the enhancement of his title and the surge in his Divine Soul’s perception, he "sniffed" a trace of Demon Energy from the corpse.

Though faint, it was undoubtedly there.

Seeing his certain demeanor, the government officers were still somewhat incredulous.

This was the Great Yuan Capital City after all, where great powers converged. What kind of demon creature would be so bold?

At this moment, Chen Mo asked aloud, "You just mentioned, how long has this person been dead?"

Shangguan Yunfei said, "Judging from the degree of decomposition, no more than three days."

"Let’s hope we’re not too late."

Chen Mo took out a bronze candle lamp from his chest.

A flicker of flame ignited at his fingertip, lighting the wick, and he placed it next to the corpse.

The Soul Summoning Lamp procured from You Daoist still had oil left in it; once lit, it would attract Wandering Souls nearby.

Moments later, the candle flame trembled, and a half-transparent, smoke-like shadow slowly emerged.

Although the face was somewhat blurred, it could still be made out as Lin Huai’s!

Hiss!

A chorus of gasps sounded around them!

This was their first time witnessing such a scene!

"The Demon Extermination Crossbow is located at the Observatory and will automatically activate as soon as the members of the Demon Tribe set foot within its range," said Shangguan Yunfei, his voice somewhat hoarse. "General Chen, you’re also skilled in the methods of ghost cultivators?"

Chen Mo replied indifferently, "Just the basics."

Shangguan Yunfei thought about it and found it reasonable. Without some skills, how could he have dealt with Qin Wuxiang of Hundred Faces Thousand Forms?

Chen Mo approached the Wandering Soul and inquired, "Lin Huai, tell me, who killed you?"

The Wandering Soul Lin Huai had a dull expression, turning a deaf ear to his question.

Chen Mo asked a few more times, but Lin Huai remained unresponsive, and his figure grew fainter, almost dissipating.

Chen Mo frowned and tried to lock onto the other party with Divine Thought.

He exhaled and his tongue burst forth with the resonance of spring thunder:

"Lin Huai!!"

The roar was deafening, causing everyone present to tense up.

Suddenly, Lin Huai woke up with a start, his dull expression twisted as if he saw something that terrified him greatly.

His lips moved, and the voice squeezed through his clenched teeth:

"Demon... demon!!"

Whoosh—

A breeze passed by, and the Wandering Soul vanished like smoke.

The officers stood rooted to the spot, and after a long while, they came back to their senses with chills running down their spines!

Indeed, it really was a demon!

Shangguan Yunfei clenched his fist, his expression grave, "This case is of significant importance; it’s beyond our capability. We must immediately return and report to the government office!"

Previously in Tongling County, it might still be manageable, after all, it was a subordinate state and county, but this was the Great Yuan Capital City!

Beneath the Imperial City, demons were killing people...

This would cause a great disturbance!

The officers carefully lifted the corpse onto the stretcher, preparing to return to the government office.

Shangguan Yunfei offered his respects to Chen Mo with cupped fists, "Truly, there are no false reputations under a renowned name. If it had not been for General Chen’s guidance through this mystery, we might still be in the dark."

Li Yuan looked at Chen Mo, her eyes brimming with admiration.

She didn’t expect that not only was this bad guy formidable in fights, but he was also so astute in cracking cases, spotting the clue at a glance...

Noticing her fangirl-like demeanor, Shangguan Yunfei had even more admiration for Chen Mo.

"Even General Li is won over; what a ruthless figure..."

...

After leaving White Tower Street, Chen Mo intended to send Li Yuan back, but she adamantly disagreed, calling for a carriage instead and leaving on her own, seemingly too embarrassed to ride together on a horse with him.

Chen Mo went straight back to the Chen Mansion.

Considering today was fieldwork, there was no need to report back to the Gui Water Bureau.

Upon returning to the Chen Mansion, passing through the front hall, and reaching the Dining Hall, he heard a variety of speaking voices:

"Zhixia, eat more."

"If it’s not enough, I will ask the chef to make more."

Chen Mo walked over and saw the table full of delicious dishes. Shen Zhixia was sitting in her chair, a bit constrained, while He Yuzhi kept putting food into her bowl, almost towering into a small hill.

Seeing Chen Mo’s return, Shen Zhixia lowered her head and hid behind the mountain of dishes, not daring to look at him.

She muttered to herself, "I don’t know what’s with Qing’er, usually she would block me, but today she insisted on persuading me to freeload a meal at Chen Mansion..."