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Chapter 417: The Gruesome Case

Chu Liang quickly helped them to their feet and urged them to tell him what had happened. The woman dressed in scarlet robes stepped forward and started explaining.

Back when they were alive, they had been locals of Wu\'an City. Most of them were daughters of ordinary families, with only two among them being courtesans. They had led separate lives, unconnected in any way, until they encountered the same devil.

The scarlet-robed woman continued,"That man is Su Wei, the son of Su Shengyan, who is the lord of Wu\'an City..."

As the city’s highest official, the City Lord held almost absolute power, with only the military out of his control. He was often addressed simply as "City Lord," and his son, Su Wei, was the most privileged of his generation.

Su Wei would abduct any woman he fancied, and after satisfying his desires, he would cruelly murder her. Over the past few years, more than ten women had fallen victim to his wickedness.

Some of the victims\' resentful souls lingered within the City Lord\'s residence, drifting aimlessly, their hatred and sorrow keeping them bound to the mortal realm. On the brink of fading into nothingness, they stumbled upon a hidden realm within a mysterious painting. This realm became their sanctuary, allowing their souls to anchor themselves. The spiritual qi within this hidden world nourished them, even granting them a touch of cultivation power.

However, time within this hidden realm flowed differently than in the outside world. While only a few days had passed inside, years had slipped by outside. The women dared not stray far from the painting, for fear that the cultivators within the City Lord\'s residence would discover their presence and destroy the last remnants of their existence.

It wasn’t until the other day when Tang Song attended a banquet at the City Lord\'s residence. While there, he noticed the painting and became fond of it. Su Shengyan, seeing Tang Song’s admiration for the artwork Ladies of the Eastern Suburbs, decided to sell it to him at a low price as a favor.

This unexpected turn of events gave the ladies a chance to appear before Tang Yu\'an, drawing him into the painting with hopes that he might help them seek justice. However, they didn’t anticipate that just expressing their gratitude would cause a whole day to pass in the outside world.

This led Tang Song to request the assistance of Mount Shu cultivators.

After briefly recounting their tragic fates, a few of the women began to sob.

"I see..." Chu Liang murmured.

It all made sense now—why the young master of the Tang family had vanished for a day without anything happening to him. The women had only emerged to seek help.

Looking at the blissful yet frail[1] Tang Yu\'an, Chu Liang couldn’t help but think that such deep gratitude from the lingering spirits was more than enough; there was no need for them to go to such lengths.

Tang Yu\'an then sincerely pleaded, "Young Hero Chu, since you are a disciple of Mount Shu with outstanding cultivation, you must help them! We can\'t let that villain go unpunished! Justice must prevail in this world!"

Seeing Tang Yu\'an\'s anxious expression and earnest tone, Chu Liang couldn\'t help but feel that Tang Yu\'an seemed more distressed than the victims themselves.

Chu Liang nodded thoughtfully. While the lingering spirits\' gratitude was perhaps unnecessary, it was certainly a powerful motivator.

"If what you say is true, I will make sure justice is served and these evil deeds are not buried," Chu Liang declared with conviction. He then turned to Tang Yu\'an, "Young Master Tang, come with me first so your parents won’t worry."

"Alright." Tang Yu\'an turned back to the woman in the green dress and held her hand as he said, "Xiao Cui, wait for me a moment; I\'ll be back soon."

Chu Liang couldn’t help but inwardly wonder, They’ve only just met, is there really a need to be so reluctant to part?

With a respectful bow to the women, he said, "Please wait here."

The woman in scarlet robes waved her hand, and a portal to the hidden realm opened before them. Chu Liang then led Tang Yu\'an through the portal and left.

They had been able to sense and enter this hidden realm because their souls, being incorporeal, could navigate more easily between different worlds. Over time, the lingering spirits had mastered the pathways within it.

For those with living, corporeal bodies, however, this perception was much weaker.

When it came to the understanding of the Great Dao of Reality and Illusion, those in the living world could never match the innate knowledge of ghosts. It was said that when Eminent Ones meditate on certain aspects of Dao, they would use techniques of out-of-body experiences to search for that sense of the unreal existing in the world.

Whoosh—

In a flash of light, Chu Liang returned to the painting collection room with Tang Yu\'an.

Immediately, his eyes fell on Jiang Yuebai\'s beautiful face, which was as calm and dark as still waters.

...

"Let me explain..." Chu Liang began, already suspecting that his sudden appearance in the painting earlier might have looked rather improper.

"There’s no need to say more, as long as the person is rescued," Jiang Yuebai responded, her expression stern. "Were the ghosts inside dealt with?"

"It’s not like that, this matter needs to be explained in detail," Chu Liang quickly clarified. "What you saw in the painting was just the first scene after I entered—it was an accident! Everything that happened afterward was not what you think. If you don\'t believe me, ask Young Master Tang."

"Yes," Tang Yu\'an chimed in, a nostalgic smile spreading across his face, "The joy that followed is beyond your imagination."

"..." Chu Liang was speechless.

If you keep talking like that, no one will come to save you next time, you know? he screamed inwardly.

Before he could say anything further, the Tang family members, alerted by the commotion, rushed into the room. As soon as Tang Song saw his son, he hurried over, fussing over him anxiously.

The room was suddenly filled with noise and confusion.

"Father, there\'s still important business to attend to!" Tang Yu\'an insisted, breaking free from his father’s grip. "We need to help those girls get justice."

"Leave this matter to us," Chu Liang finally managed to interject, taking the opportunity to recount what he had just witnessed.

"A hidden realm within a painting..." Jiang Yuebai mused after hearing the full story. "That court painter from the previous dynasty must have been a seventh-realm Eminent One, and also well-versed in both the Dao of Time and Space, to have created such a space within a painting."

"Yes..." Chu Liang nodded in agreement.

Currently, the known Great Daos related to time include the Great Dao of Years and the Dao of Infinity, while those related to space encompass the Great Dao of the World and the Great Dao of Distancelessness —each with its own unique focus. To craft such an exquisite hidden realm, one would need to master both the Great Dao of Years and the Great Dao of the World and seamlessly integrate them—a feat of immense difficulty.

Upon hearing about the atrocities committed at the City Lord\'s residence, Jiang Yuebai\'s expression darkened, her brows knitting together in anger.

"These poor girls..." Jiang Yuebai said solemnly. "We must help them."

"Owh..." Tang Song hesitated, his face showing clear discomfort at the idea. "The City Lord\'s son? That’s going to be difficult." "It doesn\'t matter who he is; now that we know about this, we can\'t just let it go," Chu Liang declared. "Even if he were the son of a marquess, I\'ve dealt with that before."

"I\'ve read about Young Hero Chu\'s heroic deeds in South Gate City on The Seven Stars Gazette," Tang Song admitted, "but... the chief official of Wu\'an City, Su Shengyan, is not someone a marquess can compare to. He’s being backed by...the current chancellor!"

"Hmm?"

Tang Song then began to explain about Su Shengyan.

Su Shengyan was a man who had climbed the ranks through flattery and cunning manipulation. He started as a poor scholar, failing the imperial exams repeatedly, and his family name was originally Lu. Desperate to change his fortunes, he married into a wealthy local family and took on the surname Yang. With his father-in-law’s influence, he secured a minor position in the local government, and within ten years, he had maneuvered his way up to become the chief official in the city, responsible for legal judgments—a key role in the government office.

He was essentially the third most powerful person in Wu\'an City.

But that was only the beginning. During a reporting trip to the capital of Yu, he managed to ingratiate himself with Su Qian, who had just become the new chancellor. Despite being a few years older, Su Shengyan brazenly knelt in front of Su Qian and asked Su Qian to adopt him as a son. After that, he changed his surname to Su and adopted the name Shengyan, riding high on his newfound connections.

With this powerful support, Su Shengyan returned to Wu\'an City and quickly ousted the previous city lord, seizing the position for himself. He divorced his wife, remarried, and ruthlessly orchestrated the downfall of his former wife’s entire family—people who had once treated him with kindness.

Today, in Wu\'an City, his word had become law and no one dared to oppose him.

"Good grief," Chu Liang muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "He really has drifted through life..."

"So, if you want to bring him down in Wu\'an City, it will be as hard as climbing to the heavens," Tang Song sighed deeply. "I’m not trying to dissuade you, but you need to be aware of the stakes. You must find concrete evidence and not act recklessly. Although the Mount Shu Sect is one of the Divine Nine, if he catches you on a technicality within imperial law, it will still be difficult to handle."

"Thank you for the reminder, Official Tang. We will be careful," Jiang Yuebai replied as she nodded.

Even without Tang Song’s warning, Jiang Yuebai wouldn’t have rushed to label Su Wei a criminal outright. No matter how convincing the wrongfully treated spirits might be, they were still presenting only one side of the story. Without solid evidence, it would be reckless to jump to conclusions.

She exchanged a glance with Chu Liang, and they both understood each other\'s thoughts without a word.

But then, as if remembering something, a flash of annoyance crossed Jiang Yuebai’s eyes before she quickly looked away, her expression tightening.

Chu Liang’s eyelids drooped slightly, letting out a quiet sigh. "Haaaaaa..."

1. The Chinese character used here is 虚 (empty) which tend to mean someone\'s energy being drained and emptied. Basically, he had his sexual energy happily drained. ☜