Sowhere.
An ancient-looking temple.
There were no gods or Buddhas in the temple, only a black statue with the body of a raven and the face of a human.
So raggedly dressed poor people, with numb and defeated expressions, knelt before the statue to pray, one after another, a continuous stream. The incense burner in front of the statue was also constantly alight with offerings.
In a corner, so gray rats squeaked, scurrying back and forth in the shadows.
Behind the temple, in a yard that was neither large nor small, many people in black, strange attire hurried back and forth.
"Vice Sect Hierarch, there's been a problem."
In the most secluded room on the farthest side, a mber of the Black Crow Sect, cloaked in black, was prostrate on the ground, reporting to a man also clad in black but with the silhouette of black crow wings embroidered in red silk thread on his clothing.
The Vice Sect Hierarch sat there, opened his eyes, and looked over calmly, saying, "What happened?"
"Among the people we captured this ti, there seems to be soone with a connection to a Head Constable of the City Defense Division..."
Prostrate on the ground, the mber cautiously reported the situation: "It appears to have alard them already, and that person is dispatching n to investigate the matter."
The Vice Sect Hierarch furrowed his brow slightly and asked, "Where is the person?"
The mber whispered his report: "Already sent over to the Main Altar."
After hearing this, the Vice Sect Hierarch showed a pensive look and said, "Then let's pretend we know nothing of this matter."
Once a person had been sent to the Main Altar, there was absolutely no possibility of letting them go again. Even a tiny leak of information from the Main Altar would be a huge problem. As for it involving a Head Constable from the City Defense Division... that wasn't really an issue.
If that certain thing could be accomplished, not to ntion a re Head Constable from the Ninth District, what would be the South City District Chief Officer's significance?
"Okay, don't tell anyone else about this matter, you may leave now," said the Vice Sect Hierarch, waving his hand.
The mber responded heavily, got up, and left.
...
Red Gold Gang's territory.
Compared to the twisting, narrow, and crowded alleyways where the thieves' gang resided, the Red Gold Gang's location was much more spacious. They occupied a large area, with several adjoining courtyards nearby.
When Chen Mu arrived with his n, he could even hear the shouting of people practicing their swordsmanship in the back courtyard.
The gang mbers outside, upon hearing Chen Mu's intentions, imdiately went inside to report. Monts later, soone ca out, respectfully led Chen Mu and his company into the courtyard, and then along the way to the west side, where a small courtyard was noticeably more exquisitely decorated.
"Lord Chen, truly a talent with impressive deanor, young and promising," said a man in a dark robe standing in the courtyard. Hearing the commotion behind him, he slowly turned around. He appeared to be around forty years old, with piercing eyes. He was Yin Hong, the Gang Leader of the Red Gold Gang.
As the leader of the largest gang in the Ninth District, commanding hundreds of mbers and a power comparable to the City Defense Division, with backing from the Inner City, his status was on par with that of Min Baoyi.
"I have long heard of the great reputation of Gang Leader Yin."
Chen Mu walked into the courtyard, signaling Liu Song and the others to wait outside.
The Red Gold Gang was evidently also very concerned with the matters of the Black Crow Sect. Upon hearing his purpose, Yin Hong, the Gang Leader, personally t him instead of sending a Deputy Gang Leader or soone similar, which was telling of the matter's importance.
Chen Mu didn't waste words, explaining his purpose in just a few short sentences.
After listening, Yin Hong pondered for a mont, then said, "If it has nothing to do with the thieves' gang and wasn't caused by anyone else, then it is most likely related to the Black Crow Sect. I won't lie, even my Red Gold Gang has had mbers disappear without a trace while investigating them."
"Oh?"
A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Mu's eyes.
After a brief mont of contemplation, Yin Hong said, "The Black Crow Sect has invented so 'Black Crow God' to deceive the public and extort money from them, which has always been looked down upon by us. Recently, there have been nurous disappearances vaguely connected to them, including relatives of my gang mbers.
Then, my subordinates went to investigate and they too vanished without a trace."
"Because of this, I personally went to negotiate with the Black Crow Sect, but they fobbed off. For the sake of peace in the Ninth District, I can't just start a fight with the sect since I have no real evidence."
Yin Hong said with so embarrassnt.
Chen Mu naturally took Yin Hong's words with a grain of salt. All that talk about peace in the Ninth District and having no evidence was just hot air; Yin Hong simply didn't want to engage in a destructive conflict with the Black Crow Sect that could leave both sides damaged and others taking advantage.
Yin Hong looked intently at Chen Mu as he continued, "The Black Crow Sect is audacious, daring to ddle with even the City Defense Division personnel. I suspect they have a greater conspiracy behind them. Lord Chen could report this to Prefecture Chief Min. If the City Defense Division steps in, my Red Gold Gang will surely cooperate in the investigation."
The intent behind those words was crystal clear.
Disappearances, conspiracies; these were probably nonsense. Yin Hong simply wanted to use this opportunity to join forces with the City Defense Division to clear out the Black Crow Sect's presence in the Ninth District.
The influence of the Black Crow Sect spanned several districts and was openly more significant than the Red Gold Gang. Even though the Red Gold Gang was supposedly backed by influential figures from the Inner City, in reality, they were just like dogs raised by those great figures—useful when needed and ignored otherwise. If Yin Hong wanted his gang to develop, he had to rely on himself.
If they could use this chance to provoke the City Defense Division into action, then the Red Gold Gang could easily follow suit and give the Black Crow Sect a severe beating, expelling them from the Ninth District.
"A conspiracy? That's hardly certain,"
Chen Mu was well aware of Yin Hong's intentions and was not about to be manipulated by a few words into becoming the Red Gold Gang's pawn. He responded flatly, "It's just a small sect involved in human trafficking. What impact could it possibly make?"
Upon hearing this, Yin Hong chuckled and said, "Lord Chen, being in the City Defense Division, you might not be as well-inford as us. Perhaps you haven't noticed that recently this city has had... an unusual increase in grey-skinned rats?"
Hmm?
A flicker of curiosity crossed Chen Mu's eyes upon hearing Yin Hong's remark.
As Yin Hong ntioned, Chen Mu had indeed noticed an unusual number of grey-skinned rats recently. They were not only nurous but also large and aggressive, daring to attack humans—very abnormal, although he had not connected this to the Black Crow Sect.
With a deep look in his eyes, Yin Hong continued, "Though my people have all mysteriously disappeared, they did manage to gather a bit of information. In the Black Crow Sect, besides worshiping the Black Crow God, there's an unknown 'Protector God,' whose likeness is that of a grey-skinned rat."
This revelation made Chen Mu's eyes flash with intrigue.
Disappearances,
Protector God,
Grey-skinned rats,
...
The information provided by Yin Hong seed mostly credible. If it were only one or two incidents connected to the Black Crow Sect, it would be less concerning, but the combination of the disappearances, grey-skinned rats seen everywhere, and the hidden so-called Protector God painted an ominous picture.
Especially regarding the grey-skinned rats, Chen Mu had seen them with his own eyes and understood their peril. In his previous world, they were often the source of nurous plague outbreaks.
If the Black Crow Sect planned to use these rats for so purpose, it would undoubtedly be a vile act.
Investigating the disappearance of Zhang Youying had unexpectedly led to such a revelation. It made Chen Mu unprecedentedly serious. After a brief period of contemplation, he imdiately bowed to Yin Hong, saying, "I will report all this to Prefecture Chief Min and take my leave now."
Yin Hong also raised his hand and smiled, "Then I'll await the good news. Please also inform Prefecture Chief Min that if there's any action from the City Defense Division, I will certainly comply."
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