Chapter 135: Capturing the Traitor Within

Day had broken.

As the people in Luo Shutong’s courtyard gradually regained consciousness, they fell to their knees in a dense, shivering crowd that covered the ground.

After a night of recuperation and rest, Du Feng and Liu Zhi had recovered a significant amount of their vitality. At this moment, supporting the willow-leaf sabers at their waists, they stood in the courtyard and swept their gaze across the crowd with the fierce intensity of tigers eyeing their prey.

The three official horses even paced among the crowd, stepping forward to kick anyone who failed to kneel properly. Fortunately, they measured their strength well, using just enough force to knock people over without causing injury. Whenever they encountered someone who looked rebellious, the horses would thrust their faces forward, baring their teeth and letting out whinnies, daring anyone to strike back if they had the courage.

Yet, not a single person dared.

Seated upright in a chair, Shang Lu wore a stern expression and lectured them in a cold voice:

"I will send people to check on your conditions. You must properly purge yourselves of the poison. Do not think of finding other concoctions as substitutes, and do not dabble in other demonic or evil arts! If I discover anyone doing this, not only will I arrest him, but his neighbors, the village head, and the estate master of his community will all be arrested alongside him! If you discover anyone daring to do this, you are welcome to report and expose them. I will keep your identity confidential and grant you a reward..."

Listening to this, Du Feng and Liu Zhi exchanged amazed glances, thinking to themselves that until recently, County尉 Shang had been a mere bailiff just like them. They never expected that upon taking office as the County Commandant, he would handle tactics such as division, collective responsibility, mutual surveillance, and denunciation with such effortless ease.

Could this too be a talent?

How could they know that although Shang Lu had never used these methods before, he was intimately familiar with them. Who had not experienced such things during their school days? They were memories carved into the bone, never to be forgotten even across a transmigrational boundary, naturally brought into play when the need arose.

Kneeling in the courtyard, the people listened to Shang Lu's words and then cast guarded or scrutinizing glances at their surrounding companions. They were afraid the others would act recklessly, yet equally afraid that no one would.

Especially those village heads and estate masters; each of them looked at everyone else with suspicion.

Only the people from Luojiazhuang viewed Shang Lu's threats with utter disdain, restrained only by the sight of Liu Zhi and Du Feng, whose bodies were stained with blood and made them look like fierce gods of retribution, preventing the villagers from talking back.

Even so, some among them still muttered in low voices:

"What's there to be so arrogant about? Daring to threaten us—once we report this to the Divine Lord, we will surely wipe the lot of you out and turn you into a divine feast!"

Having muttered this, they did not forget to turn to the people from the other villages kneeling beside them and ask, "Am I right?"

They had expected these villagers to agree with them and join in cursing Shang Lu.

Instead, those people immediately turned them in:

"Official! I'm reporting this—the people from Luojiazhuang are dissatisfied with you and are speaking ill of you behind your backs!"

The people of Luojiazhuang were dumbfounded. They thought, weren't we supposed to be on the same side? Why did you turn traitor?

Having not gone to the earthen mound the previous night, they did not know that the Blood-Age Deity had already been subdued and captured by Shang Lu.

However, the people from the other villages had all witnessed that scene with their own eyes. At the time, although the influence of the rotting flesh had left their minds and bodies in a severely abnormal state, they were still aware of what was happening around them.

Upon hearing the reports, Shang Lu immediately instructed Du Feng and Liu Zhi to whip the Luojiazhuang people one by one. This served as a warning to the others.

Only after the punishment was administered did he inform them of the Blood-Age Deity's fate.

Only then did the people of Luojiazhuang realize that in a single night, the entire world had turned upside down. Consequently, they developed a burning hatred for the people of the other villages. Not only had those people failed to warn them, but they had also betrayed them—truly despicable villains!

Shang Lu said coldly, "That thing was nothing more than a demon. To think you actually regarded it as a deity—you truly are blind. This time, you are merely receiving a few lashes. If any of you dare to offend again, you will all be thrown into the county prison on charges of colluding with demons!"

Frightened at last, the Luojiazhuang people kowtowed repeatedly, protesting that they would not dare.

Having issued his warning and achieved the desired effect, Shang Lu did not linger in Luojiazhuang. He called out to Du Feng and Liu Zhi, led the official horses away, and departed.

Although the scabs had formed and the external wounds on Du Feng's and Liu Zhi's official horses had healed, the mounts were still not ready to carry riders, as friction could easily cause secondary trauma to the freshly mended injuries.

Not until the three of them had walked far away did the crowd kneeling on the ground stand up and scatter amidst the curses hurled by the Luojiazhuang residents.

After leaving Luojiazhuang and walking twenty or thirty miles, Shang Lu and his companions were intercepted by a local township head and his subordinates.

After all, the appearance of the three men was too terrifying. Although the bloodstains on their faces had been washed away with water at Luojiazhuang, there had been no time to clean their clothes, leaving them soaked in dried blood as if they had just committed murder and plunder.

Shang Lu produced his identity tablet and credentials, frightening the township head and his men into hurriedly bowing and offering greetings.

"No need for formalities. Has anything strange happened in your jurisdiction recently?"

Shang Lu first offered a few words of encouragement to the township head, praising his diligence and caution, before inquiring about the local situation.

The township head made a detailed report.

Hearing that no strange events had occurred here, Shang Lu nevertheless inspected the surroundings and instructed the township head to step up patrols, report any anomalies to the county office immediately, and refrain from acting rashly.

Lacking official robes and bailiff uniforms, the township head lent a few sets of casual clothes for Shang Lu and his men to change into. This spared them from walking around in blood-stained official robes, which was not only terrifying but also prone to causing trouble.

Over the next two days, the three men completed their patrols across the entire Luoshui County territory, and the bereavement compensation silver was successfully delivered to the families of the deceased.

During these patrols, aside from uncovering the grave-digging spies and the Blood-Age Deity, Shang Lu also discovered traces of other demons and ghosts, though he failed to apprehend them in person.

Even so, he recorded all these traces, intending to direct bailiffs and local braves to launch targeted investigations later on.

Upon returning to the county office, the three men noticed a considerable increase in new faces.

Over the past few days, the heads of the three bailiff divisions and the commander of the local braves had not been idle; acting on Shang Lu's instructions, they had recruited a sizable number of recruits.

Since very few people possessed the foundation of marrow-cleansing martial attainment, the leaders had been forced to lower their standards, recruiting individuals who were physically robust and had practiced martial skills.

While these men were incapable of dealing with demonic spies, they were fully competent for local security patrols and auxiliary defense duties.

Recognizing that these recruits lacked sufficient martial attainment, Constable Niu and the others held a discussion and decided to put the newcomers through a few days of training within the yamen, focusing particularly on battle array tactics and coordinated combat.

Though it was a last-minute effort, it was still far better than doing nothing at all.

Upon seeing the new recruits, Shang Lu immediately summoned the heads of the three bailiff divisions and the braves' commander to the County Commandant's office, instructing them to vet the candidates thoroughly and ensure no hidden spies managed to slip through.

At the same time, Shang Lu knew that relying solely on the bailiff heads and the braves' commander would make thorough vetting somewhat difficult.

He planned to deal with the internal traitors first before heading to the Shaman Temple to invite the shamanic officers of the Law Enforcement Department to assist.

Such matters were precisely the specialty of the Law Enforcement Department's shamanic officers.

"Du Feng, Liu Zhi, follow me to make some arrests."

A clerk brought over a brand-new set of County Commandant's robes, but Shang Lu chose not to change. Instead, taking along Du Feng and Liu Zhi—both still stained with blood—he rested his hand on his saber and marched straight for the Six Offices to make arrests.

Before long, word that Shang Lu was arresting people in the Six Offices reached the ears of the Principal Secretary.

The Principal Secretary flew into a rage.

Who within the yamen did not know that the Six Offices took orders from him? Today Shang Lu was arresting clerks from the Six Offices; would he be arresting him tomorrow?

"Utterly lawless! I want to see on what grounds he dares make arrests in the Six Offices!"

The Principal Secretary strode toward the Six Offices on the spot, determined to stop Shang Lu from challenging his authority.