Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

It was very large, with beautiful landscaping and a square layout. Following the middle-aged clerk through the central hall and around the main hall, the two quickly approached the reception room on the side of the government office.

Meanwhile, in the reception room, five people were already waiting for Zuo Shaojun's arrival.

The gaunt man with a goatee, dressed in official robes and seated at the head of the reception room, was the master of this government office and the prefect of Kamakura Castle.

As for the remaining four, one was a bearded man dressed in purple, who should be a constable or something similar in the city. The other three were probably from a cultivation sect in the city.

"Young Master, I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner." The man with the goatee stood up and greeted Zuo Shaojun with a smile, cupping his fists in greeting.

"You're too kind, Prefect." Zuo Shaojun returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, then glanced at the group of people in the reception room before introducing Chu Xunfeng behind him.

"This is a friend I met on the road. His surname is Chu, Chu Mo."

"Your Excellency, my brothers, I, Chu, greet you." Chu Xunfeng clasped his hands and bowed.

With Zuo Shaojun's introduction, the others present responded in turn, and the connection was established.

The middle-aged clerk instructed the servants and maids to arrange seats for the two of them, dismissed the servants, and then walked to stand behind the prefect.

"Gentlemen, I won't bother with any unnecessary opening remarks." The prefect stroked his beard, a cold glint in his eyes. "Rumors are rampant in Kamakura, yet the authorities are still unable to find the culprits... If this continues, the people of the city may not be able to hold on any longer."

“Your Excellency the Prefect,” Zuo Shaojun replied.

Chu Xunfeng noticed that Zuo Shaojun was highly respected. The prefect clearly had something left unsaid, but Zuo Shaojun interrupted him. He showed no emotion, instead looking at Zuo Shaojun solemnly and saying, "Please speak, Shaojun."

"Brother Chu and I have a general idea of ​​what happened, but we only have a glimpse of the whole story. Could you please explain the facts to us?"

The prefect nodded knowingly, "It was I who was too hasty, but..."

Zuo Shaojun and Chu Xunfeng both noticed that the prefect seemed to be in a bit of a predicament, and exchanged glances with the others who had not yet spoken.

Finally, it was the bearded constable who clasped his hands and spoke up, "Young Master, there is something strange about this matter. Why don't I explain it? After all, I have been involved in the whole thing from the beginning until now."

"Mm." Zuo Shaojun nodded.

"Alright, since that's the case, let's start from the first incident nine days ago..."

Chapter Six, Bloody Eyes and Bloody Knife

"That 'thing' first appeared and caused trouble nine days ago."

“I was on duty at the yamen that night. The first one to be attacked was the night watchman of Kamakura Castle. I was patrolling the streets when I heard several screams outside. I rushed to the scene immediately. The night watchman was terrified and was shaking like a leaf. When I arrived, he was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.”

The bearded constable recounted the events of a few days prior in a rough, hoarse voice.

"You mean, this person isn't dead?" Zuo Shaojun raised an eyebrow at the head constable.

"Yes, I was terrified and fell seriously ill, almost losing half my life, but I did survive." The constable nodded vigorously. "Unfortunately, I didn't catch any trace of that 'thing' back then."

"This was the first time that 'thing' had appeared and caused a disturbance. Apart from the night watchman, only a few other people in the surrounding area heard the night watchman's screams when the incident occurred."

Chu Xunfeng frowned slightly but did not offer any opinion.

"According to the night watchman, the 'thing' that terrified him suddenly appeared less than three zhang in front of him. The night watchman had some cultivation, probably at the Copper Skin Realm, but that night he couldn't see any details of the figure at all, except for a pair of blood-red eyes and a blood-red knife."

“Blood eyes, blood blade,” Chu Xunfeng muttered to himself, finding the characteristics far too broad.

“But the moon was bright that night, and the night watchman was carrying a lantern. When I arrived, the lantern was lying next to him, and it was very bright.” The constable was silent for a few seconds. “So the only explanation is that the night watchman didn’t see anything because the figure concealed its identity.”

“A reasonable guess.” Zuo Shaojun nodded. “What was that shadowy figure trying to do by stopping the night watchman?”

"The night watchman claimed that the other party wanted to kill him." The purple-clad constable repeated the night watchman's words, but judging from his attitude, he seemed unwilling to believe the other party's statement.

"Continue." Zuo Shaojun sat in the chair, propping his cheek up with one hand and crossing his legs, seemingly immersed in the constable's story.

This person is acting unserious again.

"Okay, then seven days ago, that 'thing' appeared for the second time, still with blood eyes and blood blades. This time, it attacked a disciple of the Sogi-kaku in Kamakura Castle who was at the Enlightenment Realm. That disciple fought that 'thing' for seven moves and was almost killed. He was slashed in the side and escaped death."

"Still no distinguishing features other than blood eyes and blood blades?" This time it was Chu Xunfeng who asked.

The purple-clad constable glanced at Chu Mo and nodded.

"You didn't even sense the opponent's moves? Since they're using a knife, there should be some technique to follow, right?" Chu Xunfeng seemed to be asking the constable, but his gaze shifted to the three middle-aged men of different ages sitting opposite him and Zuo Shaojun.

He deduced that one of the three must be from the Shuangyi Pavilion.

"No, that disciple is usually unlearned, but he does have some knowledge. He bluntly said that the shadowy figure's moves had no set pattern, just slashing, but the strength was immense, and the figure itself seemed to be completely unaffected by the moves." Among the three, a man with a mustache and a rather old face sighed regretfully.

Chu Xunfeng's brows furrowed even deeper.

Zuo Shaojun, however, looked at the constable and asked, "You said you were involved in everything related to this thing, what about this time?"

“I found this disciple of Shuangyi Pavilion on Xun Street. If I had found him any later, he would have died from blood loss.” The purple-robed constable shook his head. “I followed the bloodstains to the scene of the incident, but found nothing.”

Zuo Shaojun frowned as well. "Continue."

The purple-clad constable nodded and continued speaking.

Since the attack on the Shuangyi Pavilion disciples, the matter has become somewhat mysterious. Moreover, the dark figure appeared twice in a row, so the prefect naturally began to send more people to the city.

Three cultivation sects also got involved.

However, nothing changed. In fact, after Blood Eye and Blood Blade mobilized more people in Kamakura Castle, they appeared even more frequently. The first and second attacks were at least a day apart, but the third attack, and subsequent attacks, were no longer separated by days.

The characteristics exposed by that blood-eyed, blood-bladed 'thing' were also exceptionally obvious.

It appeared abruptly, attacked abruptly, and then vanished without a trace. It had no set techniques, but possessed immense strength and was impervious to blades and spears. Blood and spiritual energy had no effect on the dark figure.

“That’s strange…” After listening to the purple-clad constable’s account, Zuo Shaojun pondered for a long time, then looked up at the purple-clad constable. “You seem to have never been attacked before.”

"Yes." The purple-robed constable nodded slightly. "My cultivation is at the Human Profound Realm. All those attacked, except for the night watchman at the beginning, are cultivators below the Fourth Profound Realm."

"My assessment is that the troublesome thing about the opponent is that they appear and disappear suddenly, and their strength is probably not very strong. They never take the initiative to attack cultivators above the fourth realm."

"As for ordinary people, night watchmen seem to be an exception."

The purple-clad constable's answer was flawless. Chu Xunfeng glanced at the people seated there, and none of them objected to the constable's words, so it seemed that this result was the result of their joint discussion.

"Then how did you determine that the Blood-Eyed Blood Blade is a member of the Ghost Clan?"

“Because of Yin Sha.” Sitting opposite Chu Xunfeng, the clean-faced middle-aged man answered Chu Xunfeng’s question in a low voice, “That thing appears frequently and always fails. It attacked my personal disciple.”

“My disciple held out for a long time. He deliberately made some noise to attract the people patrolling around at night. There were dozens of people present at the time, and everyone felt the lingering Yin energy.” The clean-cut middle-aged man said, turning to look at the middle-aged man wearing a round hat and Tang suit to his right. “Master Xiao was also present at the time.”

The middle-aged man in the round hat nodded. "Yes, it's the feeling of Yin and evil. The disciples below may not be able to judge it, but I have cultivated for decades and I would never mistake that feeling."

"So that's why you judged the other party to be a ghost?" Chu Xunfeng was silent for a while. "But as far as we know, the ghost race doesn't have anything like being invulnerable to swords and spears, or immune to blood and spiritual energy."

“Indeed.” The clean-cut middle-aged man nodded in agreement with Chu Xunfeng’s statement. “However, regardless of race, with the difference in cultivation level, the illusion of being invulnerable to swords and spears and impervious to power can be easily faked by using certain methods.”

Zuo Shaojun snapped his fingers. "That's why I said that thing was 'causing trouble,' right?"

"Hmm." The prefect with the goatee at the head of the table nodded. "We judge that the thing's purpose is entirely to 'stir up trouble'."

"A ghost with a twisted sense of humor?" Zuo Shaojun scoffed, then fell silent.

Chu Xunfeng was also pondering a question.

Motivation is needed to do things. For a ghost clan member who is extremely elusive and even knows how to "play tricks" to do such a thing would be a thankless task.

What is the purpose of this demon clan?

He must have a purpose, which is hidden behind the appearance of 'causing trouble'.

Chapter Seven, Honest Judgment

That night, Chu Xunfeng and Zuo Shaojun bid farewell to the group in the government office and headed towards the inn.

"Brother Chu, do you have any ideas?" Zuo Shaojun glanced at the young man who had barely touched his chopsticks or eaten much at the banquet tonight.

"No, there are a few things I don't understand." Chu Xunfeng raised his eyes and glanced at Zuo Shaojun. After looking away, the young man began to review the information about the Blood-Eyed Blood Blade Ghost Clan that the constable had described.

“First, what is the motive behind this oni’s rampage in Kamakura Castle?” Chu Xunfeng tapped his forehead lightly with his finger. “Although he attacks people, he has never killed anyone.”

"The purple-clad constable didn't believe the night watchman's story about the shadowy figure wanting to kill him, and I didn't believe it either."

Zuo Shaojun followed Chu Xunfeng's train of thought, "The Blood Eye Blood Blade later attacked cultivators. A cultivator at the fourth realm was crippled in seven moves and almost lost his life. If the Blood Eye Blood Blade really wanted to kill someone, one strike would be enough. When Lian Putou arrived at the scene, he could only collect the body for the night watchman."

"Hmm." Chu Xunfeng nodded. "Okay, then, the second point."

"Are you referring to techniques? Or identity?"

“Both.” Chu Xunfeng curled his lips, gazing at the wide, quiet streets of Kamakura Castle. “The characteristics of blood eyes and blood blades are quite obvious, but equally easy to disguise.”

"Above the Three Profound Realms, one's Qi and blood can flow through the body." Chu Xunfeng said, raising his right hand. A blood-red mist suddenly appeared, enveloping his right hand. As the young man clenched his fist, the blood mist suddenly dissipated, leaving only a faint smell of blood in the air.

"As for techniques, give me a knife, and I'm not just good at slashing, but if you want me to use any sophisticated sword techniques, I really don't know how." Zuo Shaojun gestured with his fingers in the air, mimicking a few strokes: slashing, chopping, horizontal pulling, diagonal slashing, and so on...

"I don't know if you noticed, but in that government office, only the purple-robed constable had marks on his hands from practicing swordsmanship. Of the other three sect leaders, two were body cultivators, and the third had no marks on his hands, so he was most likely a magic cultivator. The prefect had no cultivation, and only the constable had a sword at his waist."

Chu Xunfeng's words were too pointed, causing Zuo Shaojun to stop the childish gestures he was making.

Longquan Sword Master frowned and looked at Chu Xunfeng. "You suspect it's Constable Lian? But if Constable Lian is a military cultivator, he certainly wouldn't be Blood Eye Blood Blade."

"He couldn't possibly be pretending on purpose, could he?"

“No, on one hand, I’ve ruled out the possibility that he is Blood Eye Blood Blade, but on the other hand, I think he might not have told us everything he knows.” Chu Xunfeng shook his head and walked past Zuo Shaojun, who had stopped. “It’s getting late, let’s go back first. You and I are both above the Fourth Realm, even if we travel at night, that ‘thing’ won’t come looking for us.”

Zuo Shaojun stood still, gazing intently at Chu Xunfeng's retreating figure.

He keenly sensed that Leng Junzi hadn't told him some things. Tonight, not only Chu Xunfeng, but also the five people in the government office, had many hidden thoughts.

Zuo Shaojun is not good at analyzing events or intelligence, but as a rising star on the Human Ranking in recent years, he naturally has his own unique strengths.