Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 5 I Report

The county government office, the back hall.

After seeing Dou Changsheng off, Cui Shuyu plopped down in a large chair.

Wiping her face with a handkerchief, she asked, "Is everything arranged?"

The old steward said with a smile, "Master, rest assured, all other evidence has been eliminated. You are a member of the Cui family, and with the Great Chu in dire straits, you naturally don't want word to spread that members of the Cui family are colluding with the Qin state, as that would shake morale."

Cui Shuyu said with a sneer, "What a joke!"

"They usually don't take it seriously, making me a nobody in Lang County, but now they're starting to value the Cui family."

"As for the accusation of treason and collusion with the enemy, it's a fabricated charge. Getting me involved is nothing more than a conspiracy by the Qin Black Ice Guard, who want to use the Cui family's reputation to undermine the morale of the Chu state."

"But of all those Cuis, they chose me, isn't it because I'm easy to bully?"

Veins bulged on Cui Shuyu's face; he was furious to the extreme. Jin Yuwei could clearly see it, but chose to ignore it, not because there were truly treacherous traitors colluding with the Qin state, who were fueling the flames.

Fang Ziyu, the commander of the Jinyu Guard who was dispatched, also had a bad relationship with him and the two had conflicts. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he should be dealt with to the death.

The internal power struggle within the Golden Jade Guard is still ongoing. Whether it's treason or some other crime, it hasn't been truly decided yet. But one thing is certain: no one wants him to live.

The old butler sighed and said, "Master."

"You're not entirely innocent either."

"The Black Ice Guard's purpose is simple: to sow discord within the Chu Kingdom and prepare for its destruction. There is a reason for choosing you. The King of Qin is an unprecedentedly powerful ruler who cannot tolerate any dissent. The Black Ice Guard has the responsibility to eliminate demons. Although we have not yet conquered the Chu Kingdom, we are preparing to take control of it in the future."

"Your cooperation with demons on multiple occasions cannot be hidden from anyone. By taking your life, we not only shook the Chu Kingdom but also eliminated a hidden danger, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone."

Cui Shuyu panicked and quickly retorted, "I did it for the people. One person's death saves a hundred. Who dares to say it's a bad thing?"

The old butler interrupted, "It's useless to tell me; others have to believe it too."

He forcefully changed the subject, asking, "Could Dou Changsheng have arranged for Fang Ziyu to be killed with the help of the demon tiger?"

Cui Shuyu pondered for a moment and said, "As long as the demon tiger is prepared in advance, Fang Ziyu will definitely not survive. After all, the demon tiger has hidden its strength, and only we know this."

"Fang Ziyu has been spying on the demon tiger for several days now, and he must have noticed Dou Changsheng's special qualities. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure about Dou Changsheng either."

"We survived instead of being eaten by the demon tiger, while two of us died. It's unexpected, but it's not necessarily a bad thing."

"They fed the demon tiger on both sides, deliberately creating an opening so that Fang Ziyu could attack it. This has already been accomplished."

"If Dou Changsheng dies, it won't affect the overall situation. If he continues to live, then we can become close friends. The turmoil stirred up by the Black Ice Platform won't end so quickly. I need someone to help me through this crisis, and he is very suitable."

"Whether he is a cunning demon who values ​​himself or has the ability to play both sides, it doesn't matter. I need him, and he needs official support. Only when we, one in the dark and one in the light, rule Lang County can we achieve long-term stability."

The old butler wholeheartedly agreed, saying, "Master is right."

"The moment I saw Dou Changsheng, I knew he was a wicked seed, just like you, Master."

"He's very good at making demons happy. He even managed to subdue a fickle one like the Fierce Tiger. Grandma Hu is no match for him. With him around, there's no need for fighting and killing. We can make money peacefully."

Cui Shuyu patted the old butler on the shoulder with great satisfaction and said approvingly, "You finally said something sensible."

"Unfortunately, others have misunderstood me too much."

"You don't understand my heart!"

. . . . . . . . .

Outside Lang County.

A man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the county town in the distance.

Fang Ziyu was tall and handsome, with a face like jade. He raised his arm slightly, and his wide sleeves fluttered, revealing cloud patterns woven from golden silk threads, which were clearly the emblem of the Golden Jade Guard.

As a centurion of the Golden Jade Guard, he had come all the way from the capital to this remote place, Lang County, with an important mission.

Not long ago, the Golden Jade Guard cracked a major case involving a powerful figure who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country. At this time of conflict between Qin and Chu, the emergence of a traitor was intolerable. The Golden Jade Guard mobilized all its forces and began to dig deeper into the clues, determined to bring everyone to justice.

Many of the clues pointed to Cui Shuyu, the magistrate of Lang County. Normally, a mere magistrate would be arrested and imprisoned for being involved in such a major case. But what just happened was that this Cui Shuyu's surname was Cui.

The Cui family of Qinghe, one of the ten great families, was a truly prestigious clan. At this critical moment, the authorities did not want to kill them on charges of treason.

Therefore, he was sent to Lang County by his superiors to investigate Cui Shuyu and collect evidence of Cui Shuyu's illegal and disorderly conduct.

Fang Ziyu had received hints and understood the predicament of those above. If the Cui family of Qinghe were to collude with the Qin state, it would have a terrible impact on morale. Even if this Cui Shuyu was uneducated and incompetent, once the news spread, people would not bother to find out whether Cui Shuyu was a good person or not, but would only remember that his surname was Cui.

After Fang Ziyu secretly arrived in Lang County, he did not act rashly, but instead secretly gathered information.

At first, things went smoothly, but soon they encountered resistance. This made Fang Ziyu realize that he had been exposed and that someone had tipped off Cui Shuyu. Fang Ziyu was furious about this, but not surprised. As an elite member of the Golden Jade Guard, Fang Ziyu knew that the Great Chu was in grave danger and that it was inevitable that someone in the Golden Jade Guard would have such thoughts.

The tyrannical Qin dynasty conquered and destroyed five states, turning the world into darkness.

The Black Emperor's temples are scattered across the vast land, and the King of Qin enjoys the incense offerings from all over the world. Even the God of Taiyi is pessimistic about whether he can stop the Black Emperor, so one can only imagine the pessimism of others.

Fang Ziyu took a deep breath, suppressing his complex emotions.

That's for the big shots to worry about. Now, as long as the mission is completed, the most urgent task is to eliminate these treacherous officials and villains.

Thinking about the information he had gathered, Fang Ziyu felt annoyed. No matter how remote Lang County was, it was still a county town. Cui Shuyu, a dignified county magistrate, did not go to exorcise demons and monsters, but instead made peace with them.

To obtain conclusive evidence, we must capture the demon tiger. Recently, I went deep into Lang County to observe it. The demon tiger is unpredictable and violent. It even eats Cui Shuyu's people. The only person who has survived is a boy named Dou Changsheng.

Fang Ziyu acted swiftly and decisively, venturing deep into Lang County and successfully meeting with Dou Changsheng.

"Are you saying Cui Shuyu is trying to harm me?"