Chapter 663 - 207: Fighting a Celestial Spirit, Chasing Out of the City

"They say that once you’re struck, your whole body becomes infected with the poison from his hands. Even if you manage to escape, you’ll still die from the poison within a short time."

"Xinhua Academy..."

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "This doesn’t surprise me."

After such a long period of quiet, it was only natural that the Demonic Forces wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing. It looked like they were trying to stir up trouble for him.

But Shen Bai hadn’t expected them to make such a big move.

Now, a situation like this seemed to fall under the Observatory’s jurisdiction.

After receiving the report from the forensic doctor, Zhang Dao Ling scanned his surroundings, then said to the Chief Constable beside him, "Go and shut the doors. What happens next is not for the public to see."

The Chief Constable quickly complied, taking a few steps forward to the main entrance.

He first dispersed the crowd of onlookers before finally shutting the doors.

Once the doors were shut, Zhang Dao Ling had the forensic doctor and a few constables carry the body away. He then said a few words to soothe the victims’ families.

"Go and rest for now. Get your injuries treated. Rest assured, I will personally see that justice is done in this matter. Lianyun Medicine Mountain will not be closed down because of this."

With these assurances, the people, though still grieving, had no choice but to leave the main hall under the constables’ escort.

Before long, the only people left in the main hall were Zhang Dao Ling and his constables, along with Shen Bai and the men from the Observatory.

Zhang Dao Ling stroked his beard and said slowly, "Lord Shen, this matter is now in the hands of the Observatory."

"Demon Hand An Long is one of the Jianghu Demons. The Government Office has no jurisdiction over him."

Shen Bai didn’t refuse. He nodded. "The Observatory will take over and handle it by the book, just as you said, Lord Zhang."

Zhang Dao Ling said no more. It seemed he had no desire for further conversation with Shen Bai. After handing off the case, he prepared to leave.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Bai suddenly spoke. "Lord Zhang, might I be able to meet your son? I’m quite interested in him."

Shen Bai had recently sent men to investigate Zhang Dao Ling’s son, but they had come up with nothing.

All they knew was that Zhang Dao Ling’s son was also a Scholar, but he seemed to lack the good fortune to become an official. Despite taking the exams many times, he had never secured even a minor post. He could only handle assistive tasks for Zhang Dao Ling here in the Lingyun Dao Government Office.

Shen Bai couldn’t find out anything more.

Since he was already here, Shen Bai naturally wanted to meet the man.

After all, he was still puzzled by that inexplicable resentment he felt from him.

Hearing this, Zhang Dao Ling’s expression changed slightly. He shook his head. "My son is busy preparing for his exams and has no time for visitors. Furthermore, he’s recently come down with a cold. I’m afraid he might infect you, Lord Shen, so it’s best if you don’t meet."

His meaning was clear: the answer was no.

But Shen Bai wasn’t one to leave empty-handed. He shook his head. "Lord Zhang, let me meet your son today, and I won’t bother you again in the future."

He had to get to the bottom of this.

If he couldn’t, many aspects of the investigation would stall.

Zhang Dao Ling waved his hand dismissively. "Lord Shen, you will not see him today. Not unless you take my head first."

’See him? Why would he want to see him?’

Zhang Dao Ling knew exactly what his son was.

He knew better than anyone.

’If my son were to face Shen Bai’s Suppression and carelessly let something slip, then what awaits me would be the execution of my entire clan.’

’After all, I am a respected Daoist Order, yet my son has joined the Xinhua Academy—and I even helped him conceal it.’

Zhang Dao Ling felt that no torture would be too cruel a punishment for such a crime.

That was why he would never let Shen Bai meet his son.

Not even if it meant coming to blows with Shen Bai here and now.

Seeing Zhang Dao Ling’s unyielding attitude, Shen Bai stood up. "In that case, I won’t impose any longer. Farewell."

Zhang Dao Ling was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected Shen Bai to concede so readily; he had even been preparing for a fight.

Watching Shen Bai’s retreating figure, Zhang Dao Ling was lost in thought.

’This man isn’t just powerful. His temperament is as steady as a mountain, and he has more schemes in his head than a granary has grains of rice.’

If Shen Bai had been difficult and persistent today, Zhang Dao Ling felt he could have handled it.

But Shen Bai hadn’t hesitated at all.

This struck Zhang Dao Ling as very strange.

He refused to believe that Shen Bai was incompetent.

Zhang Dao Ling thought to himself, ’The only thing to do now is to report today’s events to the Xinhua Academy in detail. Hopefully, they can spot something out of the ordinary.’

Having made up his mind, Zhang Dao Ling didn’t linger in the main hall but headed deeper into the building.

...

After leaving the Government Office, Shen Bai walked down the main street, heading toward the Observatory.

An Observatory member at his side stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Lord Shen, that Zhang Dao Ling is definitely hiding something, and so is his son. Why didn’t we just arrest them by force?"

Shen Bai glanced back. "Zhang Dao Ling is an official appointed by the Court. If we arrest him without conclusive evidence, we risk bringing trouble down on our own heads. And if he doesn’t want us to see his son, forcing our way in is not a wise move."

Hearing this, the Observatory member nodded silently, thinking, ’My idea was too reckless.’

"Then what should we do next, Lord Shen?"

Shen Bai said slowly, "First, investigate Lianyun Medicine Mountain. There’s definitely more to that place than meets the eye. Once we have a clear picture, we’ll make our move. Don’t worry about anything else for now."

The Observatory member was taken aback. "And what about Zhang Dao Ling’s son?"

Shen Bai shook his head. "You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll handle it myself."