Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu exchanged another look:
Was she really “eradicating evil for the people”?
She was just trying to clear the assessment, for heaven’s sake!
Once the Chief Astrologer was completely out of sight, Su Fu could no longer suppress her grin.
She realized she needed to broaden her perspective!
Why be a mere worker?
Aim for power instead!
Look, now she had a group of subordinates right off the bat!
More importantly, she suddenly thought of the biggest “bug” in all this.
Previously, the Divine Guidance had hinted at unlocking a new map: the City God’s Office.
The City God’s Office was the most important administrative hub at the boundary between yin and yang.
Whenever there was a leak of yin energy or ghostly disturbances, the City God’s Office was inevitably involved.
They held records of all wandering spirits and ghosts within the boundaries of Chang’an City.
If her position in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was high enough, could she collaborate with the City God’s Office?
Wouldn’t that mean she could operate freely in both the realms of the living and the dead?!
Not only could she investigate the living, but even if someone died and became a wandering ghost, she could still bring them back for questioning.
Take Yuliuli, for example.
If she hadn’t turned into a vengeful spirit devoid of reason, with the City God’s Office’s help, she could have simply been brought back to ask how she died.
Why bother painstakingly gathering evidence, following clues, and piecing together the case?
Seriously, is there anything faster than directly interrogating the victim?
Su Fu thought to herself that probably no one else realized the immense potential of the City God’s Office.
Honestly, if she could just establish contact with them now, at least eighty percent of the cases in this examination could be solved instantly.
Just summon the victims and ask:
Who killed you?
How did they do it?
Everything would be crystal clear.
Why even bother with the test?
She could just copy the answers directly.
The remaining twenty percent would be cases like the one Su Fu was handling-victims who had completely lost their sanity, making it impossible to get any useful information.
Ah, Su Fu couldn’t help but sigh.
If the examiners knew about this massive “BUG” called the City God’s Office, they’d probably slap themselves awake in the middle of the night, wondering what kind of flawed test they had designed-one that could be speedrun so easily.
But she doubted anyone else knew.
Forget the City God’s Office-how much did these people even understand about Chang’an City?
Moreover, the most crucial point was that this served as her contingency plan.
She had a nagging feeling that Yuliuli’s vengeful outburst wasn’t natural.
Could the two scheming old foxes from the Zongzheng family be behind it?
If they were targeting her, they probably wouldn’t let her investigation proceed smoothly.
How would they obstruct her?
By killing, of course.
If they couldn’t kill her, they could always kill those connected to the case.
Besides, Zongzheng Ye’s role was that of a Golden Guard-manipulating things would be child’s play for him.
They could easily cut off her path to the B-level cases.
But with the City God’s Office in play, things would be different.
Death wasn’t the end-the soul remained.
That’s what it meant to have a backup plan.
Thinking this, Su Fu felt pleased.
Though she still didn’t understand the cause of Yuliuli’s vengeful outburst, this twist of fate had unexpectedly connected her with the Chief Astrologer.
After all, high-ranking officials in the mortal dynasty carried weight even with the City God’s Office.
Otherwise, how could they expect to build more temples?
Secure more offerings?
Gain policy support?
Besides, who knew if the Chief Astrologer, who had accumulated so much merit in life, might become a colleague-or even a superior— after death?
There were plenty of precedents for that.
Tsk, tsk.
Su Fu weighed the Chief Astrologer’s token in her hand, marveling at the thought.
In the end, it all came down to connections and politics!
If she were just an ordinary person, trying to reach the City God’s Office?
Might as well forget it and go to sleep!
But then again, Su Fu wondered where exactly was the City God’s Office?
Well, no matter.
For now, she had more pressing matters to attend to.
The City God’s Office could wait.
She took out the newly bestowed compass from the Chief Astrologer a specially enhanced version with sensitivity increased by at least tenfold.
Under the moonlight, the bronze surface of the compass gleamed faintly.
As the incense burner was placed, the needle trembled slightly before quickly locking onto several directions.
Su Fu eliminated the directions of their trio and Yuliuli, finally settling on one bearing.
“Found it!” Su Fu’s eyes lit up.
“Let’s go meet this mysterious person!”
Meanwhile, at the City God’s Office.
“What’s going on? Why hasn’t Lord Zhong Kui arrived yet?” The green-robed Judge Zhang grew restless.
“Could he be occupied with urgent matters?” another suggested.
Judge Zhang stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“Since Lord Zhong Kui manifested in person, it must be something critical.”
“Then…” A clever ghost officer’s eyes gleamed.
“Should we take the initiative to check?”
He quickly added, “Ahem, I mean, offer our assistance. After all, this is Chang’an-our territory. We shouldn’t wait for His Lordship to ask, right?”
“Good point!”
“Absolutely!”
“Well said!”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
In the end, Judge Zhang led two ghost officers straight to Pingkang Ward.
But upon arrival, the three exchanged bewildered glances.
“Where is he?”
“Why can’t we see Lord Zhong Kui’s divine presence?”
“Could he… have already left?”
Judge Zhang sighed. “Ah…”
Their spirits deflated, even their ghostly forms drooping.
This was a rare opportunity, yet they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of His Lordship’s robe.
“His Lordship must be preoccupied with important matters,” one ghost officer rallied.
“Perhaps he’ll return later! We’ll just have to be quicker next time!”
“True,” another said, looking around before exclaiming, “Have you noticed? There isn’t a single wandering spirit in the vicinity!”
“As expected of Lord Zhong Kui!” Judge Zhang nodded repeatedly.
“So thorough and decisive!”
“Renowned far and wide!”
“Chief of Judges!”
“Terror of the Underworld!”
The three took turns praising, their admiration overflowing.
At that very moment, Su Fu, accompanied by Lin Mingxi, Jiang Qingyu, and twenty elite officers from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, had tracked their target beyond the city walls.
Under the moonlight, bamboo shadows swayed, rustling in the night breeze.
In the distance, the cawing of crows added to the eerie atmosphere.
“B-Boss…” Lin Mingxi clung tightly to his horse behind Su Fu, his voice trembling.
“Isn’t this place a bit too… creepy?”
Before he could finish, a sudden gust of wind swept past, violently shaking the bamboo grove.
“Ah!” Lin Mingxi shuddered, nearly falling off his horse.
Su Fu was about to speak when her expression sharpened.
She raised a hand, signaling everyone to halt.
Jiang Qingyu instantly tensed, gripping his bow tightly.
The next moment, a squad of black-clad figures emerged from the bamboo grove, swiftly surrounding them.
Dressed in martial attire with bronze badges at their waists, their cold, stern faces marked them as… Chang’an’s Buliang Ren?
Their movements were synchronized, hands resting on their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.
The Buliang Ren-one of Chang’an’s most enigmatic agencies.
Not under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple, they specialized in hunting down the most dangerous criminals.
Rumors claimed they could execute wanted felons without trial, wielding immense authority.
And among them, Su Fu spotted a familiar figure.
Zongzheng Wujiu!
Why was he here?
Wait…
He was a Buliang Ren?
And appearing now?
The only possibility was that he had come for revenge.
And his timing was far too precise-this couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.
So, when had he started watching her?
Could it have been from the moment the vengeful ghost appeared?
No, or perhaps… those vengeful spirits were his doing all along?!
The group of black-clad men encircled Su Fu and the others, their blades glinting coldly under the moonlight.
The leader stepped forward a tall, imposing figure with a stern expression.
A scar running from his left brow down to his cheek added to Truth be told, if not for the group of Imperial Astronomical Bureau personnel behind Su Fu, he would have already taken action by force.
Why bother with explanations?
Among the Buliangren ranks, Zongzheng Wujiu watched the surrounded Su Fu under the moonlight, thoroughly pleased.
“This time, you won’t escape.”
What mattered most in this trial?
Reasoning?
Clue-finding?
No-in this [Chang’an: Supernatural Invasion] scenario, the crucial thing was staying in character.
The moment these “anomalies” detected anything amiss, it meant instant death.
Thus, every examinee had to mind their words and actions, especially restraining their divine skills, the most glaring inconsistency that would expose them in this setting.
Yet fate had dealt Su Fu the perfect hand: her case involved vengeful spirits.
And coincidentally, his team included someone skilled in manipulating such spirits.
A heaven-sent opportunity.
Thus, the spirit uprising began.
Su Fu faced two choices: refrain from using divine abilities and perish, or employ them to survive-only to reveal her true nature.
A checkmate.
When he witnessed Su Fu activating her divine skill, he knew the moment had arrived.
He raced back to report to Officer Du at top speed.
Upon hearing the news, Du immediately mobilized the Buliangren network.
Messenger pigeons flew across Chang’an, swiftly gathering enough forces to surround Su Fu.
Observing the scene, Zongzheng Wujiu nearly laughed aloud.
Su Fu, oh Su Fu-weren’t you always so capable?
Always turning the tables at the last moment?
Let’s see you wriggle out of this one!
Wait…
What an impeccable scheme.
Indeed, from a legal standpoint, it was flawless.
But he had overlooked one thing: she was no longer a nobody now.
Su Fu produced the Overseer’s Token given to her by the Overseer, her voice cool and fearless.
“By the authority of the Imperial Astrology Bureau’s Overseer, I act with full jurisdiction in this case. Who among you dares to lay a hand on me?”
Du Jinyang’s pupils constricted the Overseer’s Token?
This was the highest-ranking official’s seal of the Imperial Astrology Bureau.
The bearer represented the Overseer himself.
He had thought he was just apprehending a minor clerk, but this was the Overseer’s trusted subordinate?
For a moment, he hesitated.
Should they… retreat?
There was no need to clash head-on with the Overseer’s confidant-this person had unshakable connections.
But just then, Zongzheng Wujiu suddenly spoke up.
“Sir, don’t be fooled by her!”
“This woman’s strangeness-my subordinate and I witnessed it with our own eyes.”
“The fact that she can produce the Overseer’s Token only proves that even the Overseer has been deceived by her! Her intentions are unforgivable!”
“If we let her go today, she will bring calamity in the future, and we will be held accountable!”
Du Jinyang pondered.
“You… make a fair point.”
Thinking of his superior’s temperament, Du Jinyang couldn’t help but shudder.
They absolutely could not let Su Fu go-the Overseer must have been tricked by her!
“Enough of your excuses!”
“Seize her at once!”
“You dare?!”
The members of the Imperial Astrology Bureau immediately stepped forward, and the two sides stood poised for battle.
Zongzheng Wujiu stood at the back of the crowd, watching the scene unfold, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The trap was set.
The Imperial Astrology Bureau excelled at dealing with ghosts and demons, but when it came to real combat skills, how could they compare to the Constabulary?
Not to mention, the numbers were already uneven.
Now, it was just a matter of whether Su Fu would be driven to desperation and use those forbidden divine techniques.
If she dared, it would only confirm the charge of “supernatural corruption.”
If she didn’t, she would be captured; if she did, it would be a death sentence.
Zongzheng Wujiu nearly laughed aloud.
Su Fu, where will you run to this time?