The Mirror Master

"Also, on the night she died, she suddenly used Witchcraft on the head of the Chen Family Martial Arts Hall. The motive and timing don’t quite add up, unless there was something more to her son Zhou Yu’s death."

Mo Tang said, "That would mean there might also be something suspicious about the ’accidental’ deaths of Lu Da’s family two nights ago."

He Liangzhi picked up the case file for Liuxi Town and looked it over again, running through a scenario in his mind. ’Could this be what happened? Lu Da’s family wanted to seize the inheritance, so they used Zhou Yu to get Madam Zhou to harm Lu Er’s family.

Lu Er and Chen Tieshan were close friends, and their children were betrothed. After the plot was exposed, Chen Tieshan took matters into his own hands that same night, killing Lu Da’s family to avenge Lu Er.

This enraged Madam Zhou, so she attacked Chen Tieshan that night, only to be killed by him in return, losing her own life.’

"It mostly holds together."

Mo Tang nodded. "However, Chen Tieshan was afflicted by Witchcraft that night and could barely protect himself. He wouldn’t have been able to kill Madam Zhou in retaliation."

DONG... DONG...

Mo Tang’s fingertips tapped lightly on the desk, her gaze deep. She spoke softly, "There must be a key detail missing, or a person. That’s why some of the details in the case file don’t line up, and we can’t connect the dots."

He Liangzhi smiled. "Maybe it’s not that complicated. Perhaps some expert was just passing by, saw what was happening, and took care of the Witch on a whim."

"Xiaohe."

Mo Tang said suddenly, "Pack your bags. You’re coming with me to Liuxi Town."

He Liangzhi froze for a second. "Ma’am, the case is already closed. Is it really necessary to go to all this trouble? Why don’t I go in your place?"

"If it were just some Yin Soul Little Ghost causing trouble, I’d let it go. But a member of the Witch Race appeared in this case. It needs to be investigated thoroughly."

Mo Tang continued, "After we’ve cleared this up, we’ll visit the Evil Extermination Bureau branches in All Counties. We’ll conduct an inspection to see if there’s any negligence or oversight. Oh, and remember to wear civilian clothes."

He Liangzhi was secretly speechless.

’A new broom sweeps clean,’ he thought. ’The new Morning Bell Ringer is suddenly going on an undercover inspection. I wonder what kind of stir this will cause.’

-----------------

When Lu Bai returned, numerous guards were stationed around the courtyard.

Upon seeing Lu Bai, the guards hurried forward to bow.

Lu Bai nodded, comforted his mother, then checked on Uncle Fu. Seeing that he was fine, he then returned to his room with Black Dog and looked at the ball of Level 2 Soul Light in the Ancient Mirror.

He now had an Inner Power Heart Method for the Inner Strength Realm, so he didn’t need to use the Soul Light for repair and comprehension.

Two choices remained before him: *Nine Netherworld* and the Ultimate Skill, *Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist*.

*Nine Netherworld* was currently at the Earth Tier. Using a Level 2 Soul Light to repair it would be a waste.

As for *Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist*, it was a Martial Technique. Even if he repaired it, he wouldn’t be able to comprehend it yet.

Besides, he didn’t have a pressing need for this Fist Technique at the moment. He could wait.

’A Level 2 Soul Light is quite rare. I’ll save it for later, just in case.’

After pondering for a while, Lu Bai lay on his bed and fell fast asleep.

The members of the Luo Family couldn’t sleep, but he had no such worries.

With Black Dog on guard, it would immediately detect the slightest disturbance.

After the ordeal last night, he hadn’t gotten much rest. He woke to find the sun already high in the sky.

Lu Bai had just left his room, planning to get something to eat, when he saw Luo Xiao running over excitedly.

"Brother Xiaolu, good news!"

Luo Xiao said excitedly, "This morning, my dad, First Uncle, and Second Uncle went to the Government Office to report the incident. Lord Li came over to check on Xiaoben and confirmed that his symptoms were caused by an evil entity entering his body.

Lord Li then went to the Prefect to get a search warrant and investigated the Sun Family. They found several items used for raising malevolent spirits right on the premises! Lord Li arrested everyone in the Sun Family on the spot and threw them in the main jail. All of the Sun Family’s shops have been shut down and sealed!"

"Oh?"

Lu Bai frowned and said nothing.

Luo Xiao continued, "The Sun Family members are still protesting their innocence! They’re all shouting that they’ve been framed and have never seen those items before. Hmph! The evidence is irrefutable. What room is there for them to argue?"

Seeing Lu Bai’s strange expression, Luo Xiao asked, "Brother Xiaolu, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing."

Lu Bai shook his head, but a trace of doubt flashed in his mind.

’If the Sun Family really was responsible for the Great Ghost last night, they should have expected someone to come knocking sooner or later.’

’From what Luo Xiao said, it sounds like the Sun Family wasn’t prepared at all, and the evidence was just found on the spot.’

’Did they think the Government Office wouldn’t handle it just because the Evil Exterminator Guard isn’t in the city?’

"Without the Sun Family causing trouble, we can focus on managing that Tier Two Profound Iron Ore mine. Dad said we might even be able to expand our business all the way to Jingzhou City in the future."

Luo Xiao said with anticipation, "Jingzhou City, the state capital! I hear it’s even more prosperous than our Bluestone City, and we might even get a chance to see a True Master of the Martial Dao in the Golden Core Realm.

I heard from Dean Feng that when an Innate Martial Artist condenses their Blood Qi, if the Blood Qi is strong, it will flow through their body like a tide, emitting all sorts of strange sounds.

And if someone reaches the Golden Core Realm, the Blood Qi of a True Master of the Martial Dao burns like a flame outside their body. Any Yin Soul or Little Ghost that gets close is instantly burned to a crisp!"

Lu Bai didn’t reply, lost in thought.

With the Sun Family in prison, a sense of inexplicable unease welled up in his heart instead.

-----------------

「Nightfall.」

Lu Bai once again made his way to the Underground Bazaar. Following the familiar path, he arrived at the entrance of a gambling den.

The Old Gambling Ghost had also just arrived, his stall not yet set up.

Upon seeing Lu Bai, the Old Gambling Ghost’s eyelid twitched. His earlier enthusiasm had vanished. He waved a dismissive hand. "Go browse somewhere else. I’m not open for business yet."

"No rush."

Lu Bai smiled and didn’t move.

With a stony expression, the Old Gambling Ghost slammed the tattered bundle from his back onto the ground.

He seemed to be in a foul mood, and the force was a bit excessive. The distinct sound of something porcelain shattering came from within.

Lu Bai remarked, "Careful you don’t break one of your Exotic Treasures in there, Old Gambling Ghost."

"Hmph!"

The Old Gambling Ghost said, "If it can be broken, it’s not an Exotic Treasure!"

"Makes sense,"

Lu Bai said with admiration. He crouched down and began to pick through the pile of Copper Coins.

He had better luck this time.

In a short while, he picked out a White Emperor Coin.

The White Emperor was from the first epoch of the Ancient Times, the most distant past, making White Emperor Coins even rarer.

As before, Lu Bai set the White Emperor Coin aside. He didn’t finalize the purchase immediately, pretending to continue his search.

"If you don’t want this one, I’m taking it back."

The Old Gambling Ghost’s eyes darted. Seeing Lu Bai put down the White Emperor Coin, he was about to grab it.

"I want it."

Lu Bai’s hands were fast. He quickly picked up the White Emperor Coin and said, "I’ll just pick nine more to make an even ten."

After a pause, Lu Bai suddenly said, "How about we make a deal? Sell me this whole pile of Copper Coins. How much silver would that be?"

"Not for sale!"

The Old Gambling Ghost refused flatly.

"Alright then."

Lu Bai picked out a few more, making a total of ten Copper Coins. He tucked them into his robe and handed over ten taels of silver.

The Old Gambling Ghost took the silver, but this time he didn’t immediately duck into the gambling den. Instead, he asked, "Kid, why don’t you check out the other stalls?"

"Weren’t you the one who said we have a fateful connection?"

Lu Bai grinned. "Besides, I’ve looked at the other places. Can’t seem to find any good treasures. Your pile of junk is the only thing that catches my eye."

"See you tomorrow, Old Gambling Ghost. Hope you win every game and clean them out."

Lu Bai said his goodbyes and got up to leave.

The Old Gambling Ghost’s face darkened as he watched Lu Bai’s retreating figure. He ground his teeth. "Treasure hunting, my ass! You brat, are you using my stall as your personal supplier?!"

While packing up his stall, the Old Gambling Ghost muttered, "Still, the kid’s words were nice to hear... We’ll see if I can turn my luck around today and shake off this bad streak!"

After tidying up, the Old Gambling Ghost roused his spirits and turned to enter the gambling den.

Ten breaths later.

A figure with a tattered cloth bag on his back stood at the entrance of the gambling den, his face a mask of bitter, melancholic defeat.

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