"It was the discovery of this sheath that first made me consider the possibility that Hao Yongnian had gone to see a prostitute," Chu Qiguang explained. "However, that ultimately led to him being attacked by a fiend, which made me wonder if he had been lured there by a fiend disguised as a prostitute. Out of all fiends, fox fiends are the most skilled at seducing men.

“Fox fiends are lascivious by nature, and they like to cultivate by absorbing the life force of humans. Many of them are able to take on human forms at birth, and to the average person, they are almost indistinguishable from real humans."

"This is all recorded in "Fox Tales" right?" Daoist Master Law Origin asked.

"Exactly," Chu Qiguang replied. "It's also mentioned in Fox Tales that the blood of fox fiends has an arousing effect, and is often used as an ingredient in aphrodisiacs. All we have to do is collect a blood sample from the crime scene to see if the culprit was a fox fiend or not."

Daoist Master Law Origin's eyes instantly lit up at this proposal, while He Wenyan was less optimistic, asking with a hesitant expression, "Will the blood at the scene still have its aphrodisiac properties after so many days have passed?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Daoist Master Law Origin nodded as he replied, "The blood of fox fiends should be able to retain its aphrodisiac properties for a few days. In any case, it can't hurt to give it a try."

With a clear direction now in mind, He Wenyan immediately ordered some bailiffs to fetch some bloodstained items of clothing from the crime scene, then brought in a few dogs to lick the blood on the clothes.

It didn't take long for the dogs to fall into a mating frenzy, much to He Wenyan's delight.

"It seems like the culprit really was a fox fiend!" he exclaimed.

He Xian turned to Chu Qiguang with a hint of admiration in his eyes as he praised, "Both your deductive reasoning and knowledge of fiends are very impressive, Brother Chu."

Qiao Zhi was hiding on one of the rafters above, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation.

He was the one who set everything up, so of course he knows everything!

Ecstatic at this new lead, He Wenyan hurriedly asked, "Do you have any way to track down this fox fiend?"

"Of course," Chu Qiguang replied. "Based on the blood and paw prints left behind at the crime scene, the fox fiend must've sustained severe injuries during the fight, which likely forced it to revert to its true form. Given its injuries, it definitely couldn't have gotten very far away. If I can have access to all of the enforcers and officers of the county office, I guarantee that I'll be able to track the fiend down within a day."

"And what if you can't?" He Wenyan asked.

"If I can't capture this fox fiend within a day, then I'll withdraw from Wise Hero Academy," Chu Qiguang declared.

He Wenyan was taken aback by Chu Qiguang's resolve. For someone of Chu Qiguang's humble background, gaining admission into Wise Hero Academy was no small feat, so this was certainly a lot to be putting at stake.

With that in mind, He Wenyan praised, "Your courage is commendable."

Of course, he couldn't give Chu Qiguang full control over all of the county office's officers and enforcers, but he was more than happy to allow Chu Qiguang to participate in the official investigation.

Head Constable Gu Wei was sent out with all the bailiffs to search for the offending fox fiend, while Daoist Master Law Origin served as a supervisor, and Chu Qiguang was tasked with assisting in the search efforts.

Time was of the essence, so a meeting was quickly arranged between Daoist Master Law Origin, Chu Qiguang, and Gu Wei.

Gu Wei's attitude toward Chu Qiguang was cold, it was clear that he wasn't pleased with He Wenyan's decision to allow a random student from Wise Hero Academy take part in the official investigation.

Chu Qiguang approached Gu Wei and Daoist Master Law Origin with a smile, then reached out to shake their hands.

Handshakes were a form of greeting in this world as well, but they were usually only reserved for close friends. As such, both men found it rather strange that Chu Qiguang was being so familiar with them right from the start.

"I've heard much about both of you, Head Constable Wei, Daoist Master Law Origin. It's an honor to assist you in this investigation."

During the brief handshake, Gu Wei felt something heavy pressed into his palm. It was ten taels of silver.

Only then did a faint smile break through his cold facade, and he replied, "You're far too kind, Young Master Chu."

Daoist Master Law Origin had also received a silver ingot in the same manner, and his eyes instantly lit up.

He subtly tucked the silver ingot into his pocket, then nodded and said, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Young Master Chu."

Chu Qiguang didn't want to give them so much silver, but he didn't have any powerful connections in the county. In this society, giving bribes was so common that it was practically necessary if he wanted to get anything done.

Even the official servants responsible for collecting grain tax were treated to meals whenever they visited the Wang Clan Village, let alone someone like the head constable or a Daoist priest.

***

Did you have to give them that much money? Qiao Zhi complained. The Daoist priests of the Heavenly Master Religion are constantly killing fiends, scamming people out of money, forcibly seizing land, and hatching schemes to solicit donations from gullible people. All of them are despicable!

The Heavenly Master Religion is the national religion of the Great Han Empire, so we won't be able to avoid dealing with them in the future, Chu Qiguang replied. Besides, for someone like me who's colluding with fiends, it's even more important to stay informed about what the Heavenly Master Religion is up to at all times.

If it weren't for all the Heavenly Master Religion's rules, I would've already tried to Daoist priest. If all it takes is pretending to believe in the Profound Origin Dao Lord, then I'll be the most devout believer anyone has ever seen!

Qiao Zhi was speechless.

Also, if you ask me, the Daoist priests aren't necessarily worse than anyone else in this world, Chu Qiguang continued. This entire world is already rotten to the core, and everyone is terrible, whether it be the officials, the Daoist priests, or even fiends like you. If I were in charge of running the imperial court, I'd have this world looking completely different after just two or three decades of reform.

Ideally, I'd be able to find a way to travel back and forth between this world and Earth, Chu Qiguang added inwardly. If I can do that, I'd be able to develop this world and lead it to wealth and prosperity. If I can't go back, then I'll just have to reform this world myself. At the very least, I have to make it a more enjoyable place to stay.

In any case, if we want to climb up the ranks in this world, there are simply some compromises that we have to accept for now, Chu Qiguang continued to Qiao Zhi. Once we reach the top, the Heavenly Master Religion will be at our mercy.

Qiao Zhi nodded thoughtfully.