I defeated the saint with a parry.

"This is all the information about the Li family within the Demon Suppression Division."

Xu Huaixu handed over a jade slip, saying that if he wanted someone to be his backer, he couldn't just rely on words: "Don't tell anyone, just keep it to yourself."

Then he waved his hand again, and an information jade slip about Li Xi and Li Yang appeared on the table.

"Information on Li Xi and Li Yang is rather scarce... You come from the border, so you should know how special the border is. The dead and the living don't leave much information; many people disappear once they go there, and it's very difficult to find them again unless they reappear on their own. The only clear point from the intelligence we got from the government is that their relationship with the eldest son of the Li family is very subtle. It's related to the Li family's ancestral land..."

"The Li family of Fancheng originated from the frontier."

"After Li Xi left Fancheng at a young age, he was sent to the ancestral land by the eldest son of the Li family, and then disappeared without a trace. Our people couldn't find the location of the ancestral land."

"After the death of the eldest son of the Li family, Li Xi appeared in Zhangye with Hou Le and asked you to escort him to Fancheng."

"Li Yang, on the other hand, has lived in Lijia Village since childhood. Because his background was concealed and his origins were unknown, he was often bullied by the villagers. His life became even more difficult after his adoptive parents died."

Xu Ling placed the jade slip on his forehead and memorized all the information.

Seeing that he had made a note of it, Xu Huaixu threw out the last item, a token.

Xu Ling had seen Shadow use it in front of the second master of the Li family.

"Take this for now. If the Li family doesn't cooperate, or if some other foolish person tries to stop you, then you can take it out. Don't tarnish my reputation..."

Only with this can you truly have a powerful backer.

Because the name Xu Huaixu was written on this garrison order.

Xu Ling almost couldn't suppress his smile, but he managed to hold it in. Just as he was about to bow in gratitude, Xu Huaixu said, "Don't be so happy yet. You'll have to pay it back after the case is solved."

"..."

uninteresting.

But that's enough, isn't it? In the territory of Fancheng, this thing is almost equivalent to an imperial edict.

Xu Ling looked at the shadow. The assassin who could use the Yin-Yang Path yesterday, the one who hadn't appeared yet, must have been killed by this big shot.

"I haven't asked how to address you, senior."

"I am Xu Huaixu's shadow."

The shadow chuckled softly: "Just call me Shadow."

A shadow that calls out its name directly?

interesting.

Xu Ling bowed and said, "Thank you for your help yesterday, Senior Shadow."

"It's a small matter, just a judge. Even if I don't make a move, Xu Huaixu will."

Tsk!

We have powerful backers now.

Once this matter was settled, he planned to leave, but Xu Huaixu stopped him.

"Wait a minute, I've discovered something interesting."

Xu Huaixu reached out to grab Xu Ling, and a spider-like sticky thread appeared in his hand. He flicked it lightly, and the thread broke and disappeared: "This is a demon clan technique. No wonder you spoke so recklessly yesterday. Someone deliberately made you let your guard down. It seems that Jin Yulou's assassination attempt on you yesterday was just the first move. The real counter-move is yet to come. Be careful."

"What is this?"

Xu Huaixu laughed and said, "The saliva left by the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan of the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom has a slow effect on people's minds, but it is not as direct as their charm magic. It may be less than one ten-thousandth of the effect, but it has a miraculous effect. If planted on a person and a wonderful method is used, it can make their mind relax when they are in a state of high spirits, making them easily impulsive and thus being led by the nose by the demons to do things, and you will not even notice it."

"Judging by how faint the mark is, it must have been planted when you were still in Zhangye, or on your way to Fancheng..."

Hearing this, Xu Ling was speechless. He had encountered all sorts of demons in Zhangye, and had also killed many foxes on the way to Fancheng. Who knew when a nine-tailed fox would sneak in and then get saliva on it?

The nine-tailed fox clan is notorious for its skill in disguise and illusion, using it to seduce and deceive humans—a skill they are born with, making it very difficult to guard against.

Xu Huaixu suddenly laughed and asked, "You didn't hire girls to keep you company at the brothel, did you? Otherwise, where does this surge of energy come from?"

The shadow laughed loudly: "Hahahaha!"

"My lord! We were merely having dinner last night!" Xu Ling's expression hardened. "Fabricating something out of thin air is slander!!"

He didn't even see the girl last night; he was just homesick. This old man is slandering her.

"Hahahaha," Xu Huaixu waved his hand, "I've erased that trick for you. If you have the chance in the future, you can pretend to use it to lure the snake out of its hole."

"Thank you, sir. I'll take my leave now."

Xu Ling left the town's small courtyard. When he passed the front yard, Zhang Li, with his sharp eyes, spotted him and immediately followed.

"Take care, Brother Xu!"

"Wait for me."

After having a drink together, the junior apprentice became a brother.

Zhang Li accompanied Xu Ling with a smile to the entrance of the Demon Suppression Bureau. The two lions were different from usual, and they even gave Zhang Li a friendly look.

"Don't worry, gentlemen, there will be more wine and meat tomorrow."

Hey.

He had just finished getting close to Lion King when he saw Xu Ling directly touch the lion's head and chin.

Zhang Li watched Xu Ling petting the "cat" and said with a hint of sarcasm, "These two lions were brought by our lord when he took office. His cultivation has reached the Sea-Gazing Realm. Where did you get the audacity to touch them?"

This is nothing.

Xu Ling thought to herself, "If I told you what I said last night, you would kneel down on the spot."

Zhang Li had no idea that Xu Ling was already close to the two lions. They had become familiar with each other after a few times, and now that he had Xu Huaixu's token on him, the two lions would be even less likely to refuse him.

Zhang Li wanted to try, but as soon as he raised his hand, he was stared at by two pairs of fierce, moon-like eyes, as if he would lose his arm if he actually made a move.

That's it!

From now on, treat him like a king.

With the Lion King and the Lion King together, Zhang Li could be considered to have found half a powerful backer in the government.

"The garrison commander told me to stay with you. Where are we going next?"

"The Song family."

Your enemies often know you best.

The Song family and the Li family are rivals, one new and one old. They have been fighting for many years among the prominent families of this bustling city. If you want to truly understand what happened to the Li family back then, the Song family is definitely a breakthrough point.

Don't forget how patriarch Song indulged Song Cai in his treasure hunting.

The person behind the White Snake, and the mastermind behind Li Xi's death, were both targeting the Li family.

This would inevitably leave some clues that a discerning person could discover, and the Song family was undoubtedly the one who might find those clues.

Xu Ling had just received the garrison order, so he decided to use the Song family as a practice target.

The person who commanded Jin Yulou... knew his whereabouts like the back of their hand, and might have even overheard his conversation with Zhao Yi without missing a single word... That's how they were able to time it perfectly and lure Jin Yulou here.

With the saliva of a nine-tailed fox present, figuring out his whereabouts wouldn't be difficult.

In other words, besides Jin Yulou and Yingzi, there was another person present at the scene yesterday who remained hidden the entire time, and even Yingzi didn't notice him.

Despite his high level of cultivation, he didn't personally confront Xu Ling, instead using only lowly ghost messengers to deal with him. Meanwhile, on the Shadow's side, a judge from the Golden Jade Pavilion was also entangled with him.

This confirmed Xu Ling's suspicions. Li Xi had been targeted since Zhangye, but after arriving in Fancheng, he lost his usefulness.

Subsequently, Xu Ling's investigation came into that person's view, and he was even dissatisfied with the progress, so he used Jin Yulou to give him a push.

This person must know the Li family very well. Perhaps he's not even human, but a demon…and all his methods are related to the demon race.

"I'd like to see what it is that would make someone like this care so much."

Song family.

They lived not far from the Li family, but their businesses were quite different.

They were in the business of making pills, and their backer was the renowned Danzong, a sect famous throughout the cultivation world for its alchemy. While their overall martial prowess was slightly inferior to those of the top sects, their alchemy and related techniques were absolutely top-tier (T0 level).

So when Song said, "Their family isn't short of people," he actually meant they weren't short of money...