I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 57 - 45: Noble Ladies of the Capital, Shall We Go to the Imperial Music Bureau?

Chapter 57: Chapter 45: Noble Ladies of the Capital, Shall We Go to the Imperial Music Bureau?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The dull thud of beating echoed through the streets.

"Twenty, nineteen..."

Lin Jingzhu’s Black Stick, heavy as a thousand pounds, whistled down with each strike, tearing the burly man’s clothes and blurring his flesh with blood. Splatters of blood painted her fair cheeks, lending her beauty a sickly radiance.

By now, the burly man had stopped moving.

He realized the more he cursed, the harder she struck, and sometimes she would even deliberately count wrong to give a few extra hits. So, he chose to play dead and keep silent.

Chen Mo watched the scene with great interest.

This woman’s blows seemed ferocious, yet she managed the force just right. The man was in bone-deep pain with not a single unbruised area from his waist to his legs, yet his life was not in danger. Every time the burly man tried to muster his energy to fight back, the stick precisely cut off his flow of Qi, forcing him to be honest and take the beating.

"Tsk, now this is called professionalism."

"Mr. Chen."

At that moment, a call came to his ears.

Chen Mo turned to look and saw someone waving to him from the second floor of the Drunken Moon Restaurant next to him—it was Shangguan Yunfei, whom he had met once before.

"Mr. Chen, please come up for a talk; I have matters to discuss," Shangguan Yunfei called out from a distance, cupping his hands in greeting.

Chen Mo stepped into the Drunken Moon Restaurant and made his way to the private room on the second floor. Shangguan Yunfei rose to apologize, "Please don’t blame me, Mr. Chen, it’s really inappropriate for me to show myself in that situation outside."

He had long grown accustomed to such scenes and could do nothing to stop them; not intervening would be considered neglecting his duty, so he simply chose not to appear at all.

"Mr. Chen, I now realize you are a Hundred Households officer. If I have been disrespectful before, I hope you can be magnanimous."

Shangguan Yunfei was unaware of the internal affairs of the Sky Scale Guard and had only learned after inquiring that, even though Chen Mo held the post of General, he was actually given the salary of a Hundred Household Officer, making him a Standard Sixth Rank official, a whole level above his own position as an Investigator.

"It’s just a nominal rank, not worth mentioning."

Chen Mo waved his hand dismissively, his gaze drifting toward the window, curious, "Is this person from your Six Gates?"

Shangguan Yunfei nodded, "You could say Mr. Chen is acquainted with her; she is the Investigator from the government office, Lin Jingzhu."

Chen Mo came to a realization.

The title of the Four Great Constables was known to everyone in Tiandu City.

But Lin Jingzhu had another identity; her mother, Lady Jinyun, was a first cousin of the reigning Empress, a true royal and noble relative, one of the Noble Ladies of the Capital.

"Inspector Lin really is... um, unconventional," Chen Mo said, his tone tinged with amusement.

Shangguan Yunfei smiled helplessly.

Running a horse through a crowded market wasn’t usually a big deal, unavoidable during urgent duties, and shouldn’t be blown out of proportion.

But the man had whipped a child without restraint, revealing a vicious heart, so it was no wonder Lin Jingzhu lost her temper.

...

Bang!

Bang!

The "Chastisement" was nearing its end.

"...three, two, one."

And that was the end of it.

Lin Jingzhu shook the blood off her Black Stick, and with a flick of her wrist, accompanied by the clicking sound of gears shifting, the stick’s ends swiftly retracted inward, turning the five-foot Brow-Length Staff small enough to be palm-sized, which she hung on the leather belt at her waist.

As she looked at the battered man on the ground, she coldly said, "You should feel lucky that whip didn’t come down earlier; otherwise, it wouldn’t be as simple as fifty strikes."

"..."

The burly man trembled all over, enduring the pain as he struggled to his feet, his eyes darkly fixed on Lin Jingzhu, "I am an Imperial Guard Captain; to attack an official of the Imperial Army is an unforgivable serious crime!"

"You little bitch, you’ve gotten yourself into big trouble!"

He couldn’t bear to be beaten like this in public; if he didn’t get his revenge, he might as well not stay in Tiandu City!

This woman, dressed in tough clothes, reeking of alcohol, was likely to be a Jianghu person, presumptuously showing off her cultivation might. Just wait and see how I deal with you!

"What did you call me?" Lin Jingzhu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Hmph, you just wait and see!"

Knowing he was no match, the burly man did not want to entangle further. He was about to mount his horse, then suddenly remembered his backside was too battered to endure the jolting, so he could only lead his horse by the reins, hobbling away from Merchant Street.

Lin Jingzhu looked at the sugar figurine crushed on the ground, walked to a nearby stall, threw down a piece of broken silver, picked a new sugar figurine off the grass target, and approached the mother and daughter.

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Lin Jingzhu knelt down on one knee and handed the sugar figurine to the little girl.

"Thank you, big sister."

The little girl’s eyes twinkled brightly.

Seeing bloodstains on Lin Jingzhu’s face, she took out a small handkerchief from her bosom and earnestly wiped her clean.

Lin Jingzhu smiled brightly, stretched out her hand to ruffle the little girl’s braided hair, stood up and said to the woman, "Hurry along, that man might come back. Be careful not to invite trouble."

"Th-thank you, miss."

The woman’s face was pale; she did not dare to linger, picking up her daughter and quickly leaving.

Boom——

A muffled thunder rolled overhead, pressing the moisture out of the clouds, as raindrops the size of beans splattered down, washing away the remaining blood on the street bricks.

Lin Jingzhu leapt up, jumping directly into the second-floor private room through a window.

"After a little exercise, it feels quite refreshing. My salary really is going to be deducted until the year after next... hm? It’s you?"

Lin Jingzhu was momentarily taken aback, only to see the man who had intervened to save others earlier was sitting at the table.

Shangguan Yunfei introduced, "This is the Hundred Household Officer of the Sky Scale Guard, Mr. Chen Mo."

"You’re Chen Mo?"

Lin Jingzhu’s expression was one of astonishment, just having mentioned him earlier, she hadn’t expected to meet him here so coincidentally.

Looking him over carefully, she could see he was clear-spirited and noble, stunningly handsome as if he were a flawless piece of jade. Shangguan Yunfei also had a decent appearance, but compared to him, it was an entirely different style - Lin Jingzhu had never seen such a good-looking man before.

At the same time, Chen Mo was also observing her.

[Tiandu City Noble Lady·Frost Skin and Jade Bones·Lin Jingzhu]

[Rank: Sixth-rank Martial Artist]

[Cultivation Technique: Nine Revolutions Ice Soul Technique]

[Martial Arts: Azure Might, Flying Phoenix Feather, Spirit Void Wind Step]

[Favorability Rating: 0/100 (Locked)]

Dressed in a plain white martial robe, with a leather belt cinched around her waist outlining her slender figure, her black hair simply tied up with a red string, her skin was as white as porcelain, with deep eye sockets and limpid eyes like autumn waters, a high nose bridge, and a sharply defined jawline.

Beauty lies in the bones, not in the skin, and Lin Jingzhu was a typical example of "bone-deep beauty".

Even though she hailed from a prestigious background, she carried none of the aristocratic demeanor. Instead, her every movement exuded the unrestrained grace of someone from the Jianghu.

"Lin Catcher has been training under the Martial Arts Champion Xue Wukui for many years, so it’s inevitable she would adopt some of the Jianghu aura," Shangguan Yunfei said quietly.

Lin Jingzhu gave him a sidelong glance, "Can you not whisper behind my back? I’m not deaf."

"..."

Clearing his throat, Shangguan Yunfei spoke solemnly, "Now that Mr. Chen is here, let’s discuss the serious matter. The murder incident caused by the Demon Clan has had an extremely adverse impact. We have a strict order from above to solve the case within half a month!"

"Mr. Chen, you’re the main handler of this case, what do you think our next step should be?"

Shangguan Yunfei looked expectantly at Chen Mo.

From the Barbarian Slave Case, Heavenly Demon Case, to the Demon Clan murder case, it was clear that Chen Mo was meticulous and perceptive, an excellent investigator!

Furthermore, with his extremely sensitive detection of demon energy...

Whether we can solve this case hinges on this Mr. Chen!

Lin Jingzhu appeared curious, eager to know how he would make arrangements next.

After a moment of thought, Chen Mo suggested, "I propose we go to the Imperial Music Bureau."

Shangguan Yunfei’s expression brightened, "Does Mr. Chen mean to say that the Demon Clan might be hiding in the Imperial Music Bureau? Makes sense! The Imperial Music Bureau is a place of mixed repute, perfect for concealment!"

"And the varied identities of the visitors offer a good selection of prey..."

The more he analyzed, the more he felt it made sense, praising inwardly that it was no wonder Mr. Chen was the guiding light!

Chen Mo shook his head, "I mean, just drinking is kind of boring; we could go to the Imperial Music Bureau to have some fun."

Shangguan Yunfei: "..."