Afternoon.

Government Office, Main Hall.

Cups clinked and laughter filled the air, accompanied by the fragrant presence of graceful women.

Four beautiful women, dressed in fine silk and sheer fabrics, two of whom poured wine while the other two danced gracefully.

The desk Chen Mo usually used for handling cases was now used as a footrest by a middle-aged man wearing light armor. This man was Bai Shu, the Deputy Commander of the Tiger Swift Army. He had his legs crossed high, peeling peanuts, while a beautiful lady beside him sipped wine and fed him with her red lips.

On either side were a dozen elite soldiers of the Tiger Swift Army. Sun Meng and Zhao Daoxian sat below, warmly entertaining.

Having tasted the wine from the beautiful lips, Bai Shu continued peeling peanuts and casually tossed the shells on the ground, saying, "Your County Magistrate Chen has quite the airs. This Commander has been here for a while, and I haven't even seen a shadow of him. It seems he doesn't take General Yuan seriously. After all, you dared to kill even General Yuan's adopted son, so what else would you not dare to do?"

"We dare not." Zhao Daoxian put down his cup, dusted off his official robe, and solemnly bowed, "We truly did not know those few bandits yesterday were General Yuan's men. We thought they were some filthy lowlifes causing trouble from who knows where. Had we known he was General Yuan's adopted son, we would never have dared to act."

His words were so earnest that they could be considered exemplary.

"You're talking nonsense." Before Bai Shu could respond, a man behind him pointed at Zhao Daoxian's nose and cursed, "You're spouting lies. Yesterday, Commander He clearly identified himself, yet you still struck with a heavy hand, showing no regard for Marshal Yang and General Yuan."

Zhao Daoxian frowned deeply, and Sun Meng beside him drew his sword.

Bai Shu not only did not stop them but stroked the lady accompanying him and said, "Do you intend to rebel and declare war on my Celestial Master Army?"

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding." Zhao Daoxian forced a smile, signaling Sun Meng to put away his sword, just as he was about to say more.

Clop, clop, clop...

A sound of horse hooves resonated outside the government office.

Zhao Daoxian's heart tightened, knowing it was Chen Mo who had arrived.

Just then, a young soldier from the Tiger Swift Army hurried in from outside and whispered into Bai Shu's ear.

Upon hearing this, Bai Shu's face slightly changed, furrowing his brow. He put down his crossed legs and quickly got up to check outside.

On the street outside the government office, a young man dismounted from his horse. Surrounding him were hundreds of fully armed soldiers, each exuding an aura of dominance and authority.

The leading young man was dressed in black, tall and handsome, with a long sword at his waist. Under the gaze of the soldiers, he walked toward the government office.

The squad of Tiger Swift Army soldiers brought by Bai Shu couldn't stop them at all.

Bai Shu's face drastically changed, thinking the other party intended to cut their losses and rebel against the Celestial Master Army.

Just as he was getting ready, Chen Mo approached with a wide smile and said, "This must be Commander Bai. I was training outside and, upon receiving news of your arrival, rushed back swiftly. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

Hearing this, Bai Shu sighed in relief, sneered slightly, and looked sharply at the young man, "Are you Chen Mo?"

"Yes, I am." Chen Mo smiled slightly.

"I am Bai Shu, the Deputy Commander of the Tiger Swift Army, and also the Commander of the Personal Guard for General Yuan," Bai Shu said.

"I've heard much about you," Chen Mo cupped his hands and then smiled, "Shall we discuss matters inside?"

After saying this, Chen Mo was the first to head into the government office.

Zhang River followed with a group of men.

Upon reaching the main hall and seeing the four beautiful women, Chen Mo frowned. Sun Meng approached and whispered, "County Magistrate, these women are prostitutes they brought in from the brothel."

The government office is a legitimate place, especially the main hall, which should be even more solemn. Yet now it allowed brothel prostitutes to revel here.

Chen Mo felt displeased, but he said nothing, directly taking a seat at the head of the table, after which the two women who had been pouring wine for Bai Shu wisely left.

"Commander Bai, please sit," Chen Mo pointed to the seat below to his left and said.

"Boy, who do you think you are to have my commander sit below you?" The man who had stood behind Bai Shu spoke.

"Who do you think you are? When my lord speaks, what gives you the right to interrupt?" Zhang River shouted angrily.

"You..."

"Hey, show some manners. How can you be like those who have no upbringing or sense?" Chen Mo glanced at the man, pretending to be angry.

"You're right, County Magistrate." Zhang River stepped back.

"You... you..." The man's nose was nearly distorted with rage.

Bai Shu's face sank, refusing to sit, and he looked up at Chen Mo, saying in a deep voice, "Chen Mo, what do you mean by this?"

"Commander Bai, your question seems to lack foundation. I just sat down," Chen Mo patted the dust on the table and said to Sun Meng beside him, "How do you handle things? How did a dog come in?"

Sun Meng was puzzled, not understanding what he meant, and asked in surprise, "County Magistrate, there isn't one."

"There isn't?" Chen Mo frowned and said, "Then why are there dog paw prints on the table? How are you handling things?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Meng's expression slightly changed, nearly bursting into laughter, while Zhao Daoxian and others around suppressed their smiles. Sun Meng quickly said, "It was my mistake, County Magistrate. Please punish me."

"Forget it. Considering this as your first offense, I'll let it go this time. But if there is a next time, there will be no forgiveness."

"Thank you, County Magistrate."

Upon hearing the two of them playing along, Bai Shu's face darkened beyond recognition. The paw prints on the table were a blatant insult beneath the surface.

Bai Shu had never suffered such humiliation before and said, "Chen Mo, you're bold. How dare you insult me like this?"

Bai Shu's subordinates, too, were filled with fury. Seeing the tense atmosphere, the four brothel women quickly retreated.

"Insult you? Where does Commander Bai get this idea? I mentioned the dog's paw prints on the table; what relation does that have with Commander Bai?" As he spoke, Chen Mo suddenly seemed to realize something and said, "Commander Bai, could it be your dog?"

"You... you..." Commander Bai wanted to say those were his footprints on the table, but admitting it would mean confessing to being the dog, and placing his feet on the table was also inappropriate. He initially wanted to humiliate his opponent but ended up being humiliated instead.

He realized he couldn't continue this argument, pointed at Chen Mo, and angrily shouted, "Chen Mo, do you know your sins?"

"Commander Bai, why are you saying things I don't understand? What sin could I have committed?" Chen Mo said, instructing Zhang River to massage his shoulder.

Seeing that he was still pretending to be confused, Bai Shu directly said, "Did you kill six people yesterday?"

Chen Mo nodded, "Yes, there was such an incident. Those six people attempted to abduct a good family girl under my governance in broad daylight, resisted arrest, injured over twenty constables, and killed people. They deserved to die."

Hearing this, Bai Shu said, "Those six were from my Tiger Swift Army, and the leader was General Yuan's adopted son. How dare you kill him?"

"Really, how would I have known?"

"You're lying! Commander He clearly identified himself at the time, yet you still killed him. I saw it with my own eyes. Do you still want to argue?" one of the men who previously called Chen Mo a brat said.

"Bang." As soon as this man finished speaking, a teacup lid smashed onto his head. The man fell to the ground, head broken and bleeding, clutching his wound and wailing.

Bai Shu's subordinates drew their Great Sabers, ready for confrontation. Zhang River also stopped massaging and was prepared to signal the Divine Brave Guard inside the main hall for action.

The atmosphere became tense and confrontational once again.

Just as Bai Shu was about to question Chen Mo about this, Chen Mo spoke first, pointing at the man on the ground: "You vile creature, how dare you defame General Yuan? The person was clearly an impostor. I have great respect for General Yuan, yet that man committed crimes, was lascivious and perverse, a murderer. How could he be General Yuan's adopted son? What do you intend by placing General Yuan in such a position?"

Bai Shu's face went pale and then green; he was utterly unprepared for such eloquence from the opponent.

The comment left him unsure of how to respond.

But Chen Mo continued: "Commander Bai, he certainly saw wrong. General Yuan's adopted son would definitely not commit such acts."

Bai Shu: "..."

He was careless, originally thinking he had caught hold of the matter, able to corner the opponent, but never imagined it would develop like this.

Not only had he been humiliated, but the matter was not resolved.

Seeing the situation nearing unsuccess, Bai Shu took a deep breath and said, "He didn't see wrong. Indeed among those you killed last night was General Yuan's adopted son, though General Yuan was unaware, as he was somewhat neglectful in teaching this adopted son, leading him to commit such heinous acts."

"Ah?" Chen Mo showed a shocked expression, then sighed, "That's really a shame."

"Indeed, it's a shame."

"Then, Commander Bai, did you come here to collect their bodies?" Chen Mo asked.

Seeing the opponent unwilling to discuss how to settle the matter or compensation, Commander Bai's face darkened, and he began to negotiate openly, "County Magistrate Chen, although the opponent was at fault, he was General Yuan's adopted son. Now that you have killed him, you must at least provide an explanation, right?"

"Understood." Chen Mo waved a hand, and a clerk stepped forward. Chen Mo spoke a few words into his ear.

Soon, the clerk returned with a basket and handed it to Bai Shu.

Chen Mo said, "Out of humanitarian concern, buying a coffin is appropriate. This money should be enough."

One of Bai Shu's men stepped forward, checked the contents, and reported to Bai Shu, "Commander, it's a total of six thousand coins."

Six thousand, meaning one thousand coins per person.

It's only enough to craft a coffin, requiring one's own provision of the wood.

Chen Mo's gesture clearly held the attitude of dismissing beggars.

Bai Shu felt mocked and said, "Is this your explanation?"

Bai Shu was instructed by Yuan Youchun to extort Chen Mo heavily.

Yet this six thousand amount wouldn't even be enough for crumbs.

"I was careless." Chen Mo slapped his forehead and then said, "May I trouble Commander Bai to convey my regards to their families when you return?"

"Does Commander He's life value only this much money?"

"How much does Commander Bai want?"

"Commander He, an adopted son of General Yuan, although neglected in teaching by General Yuan, was also one of General Yuan's capable officials, a Seventh-Grade Martial Artist valued by Marshal Yang. At least you'd want one hundred thousand coins." Bai Shu stopped pretending and demanded openly.

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