Chen Mo frowned, only to see the approaching constables from the government office rush over and surround them. The leader shouted, "Bold thieves! How dare you commit murder in the street? Surrender now!"

"Are you asking me?" Chen Mo frowned again, sensing something strange. From the start until now, only about a quarter of an hour had passed, yet the constables from the government office had already arrived. Moreover, constables in such a small county town typically dared not interfere in Jianghu vendettas, especially with the state of the world so chaotic now.

Given this, there were only two possibilities. The first possibility was that this team of constables happened to be nearby, not far from the dock, and were full of a sense of justice, so they quickly rushed over upon hearing of the murder.

The other possibility was that the government office and these people were in cahoots...

The leader inspected the bodies on the ground, all killed instantly with no superfluous moves, then squinted slightly, scrutinizing Chen Mo for a few rounds before saying, "Who are you people? How dare you commit murder in broad daylight! Do you not respect the law?"

"We are..." Wu Xin’Er stepped forward to reveal their identities, but Chen Mo stopped her, intending to see what tricks the other side had up their sleeve, saying, "We’re just tourists passing through. I don’t know why, but as soon as we got off the boat, someone tried to assassinate us."

The leader’s face subtly changed expression, then said, "I am Liu Xuan, the Chief Constable of Jianghe County. We received a report of a murder at the dock, so I brought people here to understand the situation. Everyone, it is my duty to bring you to the government office for a visit."

Wu Xin’Er glanced at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo shook his head, saying, "Alright, I will go with you."

He sensed Liu Yuan’s cultivation level and found him to be a Fourth Grade Martial Artist.

This surprised him somewhat. Although a Fourth Grade Martial Artist was not yet an Innate Martial Artist, their strength ranked among the top in the Great Song Dynasty. In the military, they would at least hold the position of a Camp Commander, so why was he content as a constable in such a small county town?

"Men, take the witnesses back to the government office." Liu Xuan waved his hand.

...

Jianghe County Government Office Back House.

"My lord, there’s trouble. A murder occurred at the dock. It seems to be a Jianghu vendetta. Chief Constable Liu has already brought them back to the government office." A minor official rushed in eagerly and reported to County Magistrate Cao Benyuan.

"Pfft..." Cao Benyuan, who was drinking tea, spat out a mouthful when he heard this, quickly got up, and headed toward the front office, muttering curses as he walked:

"How many times have I told that bastard not to get involved in Jianghu vendettas? Has he forgotten how Ying’Er died?"

The minor official hurriedly picked up the official hat Cao Benyuan had left on the table and followed him.

...

In the front hall of the government office, a plaque with "Justice is Fair" hung at the center, and the minor officials on both sides closely watched Chen Mo and the others in the middle.

Wearing his official hat, Cao Benyuan hurried from the back house to the front hall. Upon seeing Liu Xuan approaching to report, he glared at him immediately with a ’we’ll settle this later’ expression, then sat at the high seat, slapped the gavel, and proclaimed, "Court is now in session!"

"Majestic... Majestic..." The minor officials on both sides tapped their wooden staffs on the floor, chanting in low voices.

"Who are the people in court, and why do you not kneel before me?" Cao Benyuan displayed his official authority.

Wu Xin’Er frowned, wanting to reveal their identities.

Chen Mo said calmly, "Shouldn’t Your Excellency first inquire about what happened?"

"Then... let’s ask?" Cao Benyuan glanced at Liu Xuan.

Liu Xuan gave Cao Benyuan a ’you handle this’ look.

Chen Mo recounted the events that had transpired.

Cao Benyuan questioned the witnesses Liu Xuan had brought back from the scene.

The witnesses’ testimonies confirmed that what Chen Mo said was true.

It wasn’t Chen Mo who attacked first, but rather someone who wanted to kill Chen Mo and his group, with Chen Mo merely acting in self-defense.

Accordingly, Cao Benyuan declared on the spot that Chen Mo and his group were innocent and allowed them to leave.

"That’s it?" Chen Mo was a bit surprised.

Cao Benyuan, displaying an appearance of righteousness, said, "I will not wrong an innocent person, but I will not let a wrongdoer go unpunished. You are now innocent, and you may go."

Chen Mo was taken aback, as this was different from what he had expected. He had thought that those pursuing him were in league with the government office.

Liu Xuan brought him to the government office intending to act while inside.

At that time, he had planned to also straighten out the officials of Jianghe County as a contribution to the Imperial Court.

But now it seemed, this matter was just coincidental, and Liu Xuan was indeed driven by a sense of justice.

"Then could Your Excellency hand over the surviving assailant to me so I can find out who is behind it?" Chen Mo asked.

"Survivor?" Cao Benyuan was taken aback while Liu Xuan leaned in to whisper in his ear. Cao Benyuan pondered for a moment, then said, "I can’t hand him over to you; that would be against regulations. But you can observe while I interrogate him."

After speaking, Cao Benyuan waved his hand, "Bring the person up."

This survivor was not a death warrior trained by any organization; he confessed easily under questioning.

He didn’t know the identity of the person they were sent to assassinate, only that someone paid a high price, instructing them to act as soon as a person in such attire as Chen Mo disembarked, aiming for the Bronze Bell Chen Mo carried. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Bronze Bell!" Cao Benyuan’s gaze fell on Chen Mo; it seemed this was not a Jianghu vendetta but rather murder for treasure.

And Chen Mo realized the ’Bronze Bell’ mentioned by the survivor was indeed the Red Sun Bell he carried.

It appeared that the news of him coming to Jiangnan had already leaked.

Chen Mo’s expression turned somewhat grim.

"What is the name of the person who commanded you? What did they look like? Where was the meet-up point after the deed?" Cao Benyuan continued the interrogation.

"I don’t... don’t know. That person wore all black, with a face mask, so I couldn’t see what they looked like. They only said to place the treasure under the statue in the Daoist Temple on Konglong Mountain after the deed, and afterwards, there would be great treasure as a reward," the survivor said.

Cao Benyuan nodded, and as he was ordering the person to be taken away, Chen Mo interjected, "Master Cao, I want this person."

Upon hearing this, Cao Benyuan was somewhat annoyed. Precisely because he didn’t want to offend people from Jianghu, he hadn’t forced Chen Mo to kneel, hadn’t inquired about his identity, and allowed him to listen in on the interrogation. Yet Chen Mo was not satisfied and was getting excessive, so he immediately snapped, "Who do you think you are?"

Chen Mo took out a token from his bosom.

Cao Benyuan’s eyes widened suddenly.

Good heavens.

The person in front of him turned out to be Prince Zhen Nan...

Cao Benyuan broke into a cold sweat, his legs grew weak, and stepping down from his seat, he knelt directly before Chen Mo:

"Cao Benyuan, County Magistrate of Jianghe, pays respects to Prince... Prince Zhen Nan."

The officials in the hall, witnessing this, were also stunned. As low-level officials, they rarely even saw a governor, let alone Prince Zhen Nan, who stood at the pinnacle of power in the Great Song Dynasty. They were momentarily dazed, only after a while realizing the situation and kneeling one by one, not daring to raise their heads.