The long saber let out a sharp, ringing hum as nine afterimages merged into a single, snow-white gleam.

VMM! Man and saber as one, he slashed through a distance of thirty feet.

The blade flashed like a ribbon of light, tearing through the air with the roar of a dragon and the cry of a tiger.

His strength completely spent, Su Mu dropped to one knee.

A few steps behind him, a head with messy, unbound hair rolled off its neck and tumbled to the ground.

Blood gushed like a waterfall.

The blood was as black as ink and gave off a sickening stench.

Just then, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from the mouth of the alley.

Zhao Ji burst into the alley, leading seven or eight constables.

The moment he saw the bodies scattered everywhere, his expression changed dramatically.

"Su Mu! What’s going on here?!"

Zhao Ji demanded.

Before Su Mu could answer, Zhao Ji spotted the pool of ink-black blood on the ground. A look of terror flashed across his face, and he instinctively took a step back.

He quickly composed himself, however, and asked with feigned calm, "What happened here? Why is there a demon?"

"A demon?"

Su Mu was taken aback. His image of a demon was still fixed on the fifty-foot-tall monster from that other night. While this killer had been strong, he was nothing compared to that creature.

’This killer was a demon, too?’

"Chief Zhao, I was on patrol with Li Fugui and the others earlier," Su Mu began. "We spotted a suspicious individual and pursued him here, but he suddenly attacked us."

Using his saber to prop himself up, Su Mu shakily rose to his feet. "We were caught completely off guard and suffered heavy losses. Li Fugui and the other three all died in the line of duty. I barely managed to kill the perpetrator..."

"You’re saying you killed a demon?"

Zhao Ji cut him off harshly.

"I can’t take all the credit. It was the five of us working together. I was just the lucky one who survived," Su Mu said.

"Bullshit! You think I don’t know what you’re capable of? The five of you kill a demon? Don’t make me laugh."

Zhao Ji sneered. "For all I know, you colluded with the demon to kill Li Fugui and the others, and then you backstabbed it!"

Zhao Ji pointed at the headless corpse, his face an accusatory mask that said, ’You can’t fool me’.

Su Mu was struck dumb by the accusation.

"In broad daylight, I conspire with a demon to kill fellow constables? What could possibly be my motive?"

Su Mu replied, exasperated. ’If you’re going to frame someone, at least make it believable.’

Zhao Ji realized his accusation sounded absurd.

"I’ll get to the bottom of this. If you really did it, I’ll be the one to bring you to justice."

Zhao Ji said, trying to save face.

"In that case, I wish you a speedy investigation, Chief Zhao."

Su Mu retorted, pursing his lips.

Zhao Ji ordered his men to secure the scene and sent someone to fetch the forensic doctor.

Su Mu, meanwhile, was treated as a suspect and ordered to the side.

He was happy for the respite. He sat down in a corner and focused on quietly recovering his strength.

Gazing at the bodies of Li Fugui and the others, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow for his fallen comrades.

One moment, they were living, breathing men; the next, they were all corpses.

In this world, not even an Official could guarantee their own safety.

’Only strength matters!’

’If I hadn’t achieved the first level of skin tempering and mastered the Submerging Wave Saber Momentum, my body would be one of the five lying on the ground right now.’

The forensic doctor was clearly an expert. By the time Su Mu had recovered most of his strength, the examination was already complete.

Li Fugui and the other three constables had been killed by the perpetrator’s claws; their bodies bore no blade wounds.

The wounds on the killer’s body, however, were all from a long saber.

This perfectly matched Su Mu’s account.

"Is it possible he colluded with the demon to kill the four constables, and then they turned on each other?"

Zhao Ji asked the forensic doctor, unwilling to give up.

But this forensic doctor was a veteran of the South City Bureau. He even had connections serving in the Inner City, so he certainly wasn’t afraid of Zhao Ji.

He rolled his eyes and snapped, "Chief Zhao, anyone with a bit of sense knows that’s impossible.

"Demons have no reason to speak of. While this person was only lightly infected with Demonic Qi, he would never cooperate with a human. In their eyes, humans are nothing but food."

He might as well have pointed at Zhao Ji’s nose and called him an ignorant fool.

Though irritated, Zhao Ji thought of the man’s connections in the Inner City and could only force an awkward laugh.

"Young man, on behalf of the people of South City, I thank you," the forensic doctor said to Su Mu before leaving. "If you hadn’t slain him, he would have become a true demon and brought great disaster upon our city."

A warmth spread through Su Mu’s chest. ’So the world hasn’t gone completely rotten. There are still reasonable people out there.’

He returned the gesture, cupping his hands in respect.

"Take Li Fugui’s and the others’ bodies back for burial! As for this killer, burn the corpse on the spot. Leave no trace!"

Zhao Ji commanded loudly, his voice tinged with annoyance.

With that said, he prepared to return and report to the Sima.

Suddenly, Su Mu grabbed his arm.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Zhao Ji snapped, his face flushing with anger. "Let go!"

"Chief Zhao, this demon was likely the perpetrator behind those recent massacres. Does the South City Bureau’s bounty still stand?"

Su Mu asked directly, ignoring the man’s anger.

"Hmph. If it’s yours, you’ll get it. If it’s not, begging won’t do you any good."

Zhao Ji shook off Su Mu’s arm and stalked away.

’He’s right about one thing. It is mine, and no one’s going to cheat me out of it,’ Su Mu muttered to himself, dragging his exhausted body home.

...

South City Government Office, the rear chambers.

"Hmm? So the killer was a man infected with Demonic Qi? And Su Mu is the one who killed him?"

Hu Yuxing asked, his brow furrowed.

Zhao Ji, bent over in a deep bow, hurriedly replied, "Yes. The forensic doctor examined the bodies. The manner of death for Li Fugui and the others was identical to the victims of the recent massacres."

"The killer was infected with Demonic Qi but hadn’t fully transformed into a demon. He wasn’t that strong, so Su Mu just got lucky."

"With so many witnesses, I can hardly go back on my word," Hu Yuxing mused, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

’The appearance of a demon is a major incident, but since it’s already dead, it’s a problem solved. In fact, preventing a demonic rampage can be spun into a political achievement for me.’

’But this Su Mu... he refused my offer of patronage before. He’s not one of my men. What’s the use in promoting him?’

"Very well. I am a man of my word," Hu Yuxing announced after a moment’s thought. "Give him the three hundred taels of silver. And give him the position of squad leader. Don’t just give it to him—do it with pomp and circumstance. Let every constable know that I, the Sima, keep my promises."

"Sima—is brilliant!" Zhao Ji said, though he hesitated.

"And now that he’s a squad leader, he’ll need to be in charge of security for his own district. Assign him to Guangfu Square," Hu Yuxing continued.

Zhao Ji froze for a second, then his face broke into a look of genuine admiration. "Sima, you are truly brilliant!"

Guangfu Square was the most lawless part of South City. It was teeming with vagrants, and fights broke out day and night. It had even been the site of a demonic rampage in the past.

Over the last few years, several squad leaders assigned to Guangfu Square had died on the job.

’Su Mu is just a young upstart with no connections. The gangs in Guangfu Square will never submit to him.’

’He’ll be dead in the streets within days!’

’What a brilliant move by the Sima—killing with a borrowed knife!’