Chapter Forty-Four: The End

“Just now, in the midst of danger, I suddenly felt something stir within me, and before I knew it, I broke through.”

A voice slowly echoed through the air...

The gleaming blade radiated with fiery true energy, bathing the dense forest in a crimson glow.

Amidst the torrent of blades, Magistrate Zhang stood motionless; not even a scream escaped him.

Fang Mu turned, sheathing his sword.

Scarlet lines appeared across Magistrate Zhang’s body, blood erupting forth. In an instant, the once whole magistrate was reduced to a scattered heap of flesh, devoid of life.

Among the fragments, a severed head rolled to the ground—it was Magistrate Zhang’s.

“Dragon Gate! Dragon Gate!” His lips moved, as though he had not yet recovered from the shock.

Fang Mu stepped on the fallen head and said, “You seem quite surprised by my level.”

Magistrate Zhang said nothing, gazing into the empty space nearby, his vitality slowly ebbing away.

The remains and the head dissolved into blue smoke, leaving only emptiness.

Fang Mu stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Beside him, Qing Ruowu was utterly stunned.

In a moment of crisis, to break through a realm, then dispatch the enemy with ease—even achieving instant annihilation.

Qing Ruowu belonged to the Bureau of Heavenly Surveillance and had seen many prodigies, but not one could perform such feats.

Even the most recent talents she’d encountered paled before Fang Mu in temperament.

Lost in thought, Qing Ruowu stepped forward, her eyes full of confusion as she looked at Fang Mu.

He turned to her, calmly saying, “I’ve lingered at the peak of the Reverse Current realm for quite some time. This ordeal pushed me to my limits, and I broke through.”

As he spoke, his eyes reflected both the relief of surviving death and the joy of ascension; even his hand trembled slightly.

It was time for a mortician to show his acting skills.

Qing Ruowu scrutinized Fang Mu, pondering silently; she felt there was no reason for him to deceive her.

If he had broken through earlier, he wouldn’t have needed to flee with her.

Qing Ruowu glanced around at the forest, now returned to silence, the fiery glow gone.

Fang Mu turned to face her, as if weighing something.

“Are you going to kill me?” Qing Ruowu sensed his gaze and smiled bitterly.

Fang Mu shook his head. “No.”

She was taken aback, having thought he meant to silence her.

“Why, are you hoping I will?” he asked.

“No, just… why?” she shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Fang Mu tossed her the jade pendant and said lightly, “Your final choice saved you. I believe a good person shouldn’t die.”

At the crucial moment, Qing Ruowu had urged Fang Mu to escape first, staying behind to confront Magistrate Zhang herself. For such self-sacrifice, Fang Mu felt she did not deserve death.

He was no saint; when killing was necessary, he did so—like with Deng Zheng.

But he was not without principles. He would not kill the innocent. To slay someone undeserving was wanton murder.

Of course, there was another important reason: he needed someone from the Bureau of Heavenly Surveillance. Their vetting was strict, and he could not enter for now. Better to have an acquaintance inside.

“I will report everything truthfully,” Qing Ruowu said after a pause, her tone solemn. “This matter has nothing to do with you. Everything was Magistrate Zhang’s doing. I will report exactly what I saw.”

“Very well,” Fang Mu nodded. “Let’s go. It’s all over now.”

Qing Ruowu put away her talisman sword and followed him.

They spoke no more and left the forest.

...

After parting ways, Fang Mu did not remain in Meng County.

He left the aftermath for Qing Ruowu to handle; that was the Bureau’s specialty.

As for the incident in Jinglong County where Fang Mu fought the constables, Qing Ruowu herself wrote a letter for him to give to Magistrate Yu, confirming Fang Mu’s innocence.

Fang Mu did not linger in Meng County for a moment, setting out immediately on his return journey.

Though the trip seemed resolved on the surface, Fang Mu harbored other thoughts.

It was not so simple. Magistrate Zhang had acted far too strangely in the Phoenix Grove.

From start to finish, his words seemed rushed, as if he were shouldering everything himself.

Perhaps, he was merely talkative.

Someone utterly confident often tries to assert their sense of accomplishment this way, though Magistrate Zhang ultimately failed.

Yet something he said later made Fang Mu uneasy.

Magistrate Zhang claimed to have sent a sorcerer after him in the Ghost Market.

That sorcerer—the woman in black—had told Fang Mu she was in the Dragon Gate realm.

Meaning, even a Dragon Gate-level opponent had been slain by him. Magistrate Zhang should have known this.

But Magistrate Zhang himself was only at the Dragon Gate’s peak.

If Fang Mu could cut down a Dragon Gate with one blow, what made Magistrate Zhang so confident he could defeat him, being only at the peak?

Perhaps... Magistrate Zhang never knew Fang Mu’s true level. In other words, maybe Zhang was just another pawn.

If viewed from this angle, the mastermind might be someone else entirely.

First, they put forth Magistrate Zhang, making him take the blame for everything. There are two possible outcomes: one, Zhang succeeds in killing them, and all is well; two, he fails and is killed, but all responsibility falls on him, giving the illusion that the mastermind has been eliminated, while the real culprit remains at large.

Fang Mu hoped his suspicions were unfounded, but reality seemed to confirm them.

He did not linger in Meng County. After searching with Qing Ruowu, he left.

Their investigation yielded nothing; not a single clue was found.

Fang Mu reasoned that if there was a mastermind, he had already severed all ties to Meng County. Magistrate Zhang was merely a scapegoat.

Since he was meant to take the blame, he would bear it all at once.

Qing Ruowu had already reported the matter; Meng County would soon be investigated by the Bureau. A large organization was far more thorough than a lone individual, but Fang Mu had no desire to entangle himself further with them.

After resolving Magistrate Zhang’s case, dawn was breaking.

Fang Mu hurried along the mountain road, enjoying a tranquil journey.

Upon returning to Jinglong County, he heard a cock crow—the start of a new day.

He didn’t go home, but headed straight for the magistrate’s office.

By then, the office was already bustling with the day’s routine.

As the upright magistrate of Jinglong County, Yu was always diligent, rising earlier than his peers.

Fang Mu vaulted the wall, entering the living quarters behind.

The magistrate usually resided within the office, with a dedicated room.

“Who’s there?”

Yu, busy at his desk, caught sight of a figure and put down his official documents, rising to his feet.

“It’s you.”

Upon recognizing Fang Mu, Yu was visibly surprised.

Fang Mu handed him Qing Ruowu’s letter. “Read this, and you’ll understand. I’m leaving now.”

With that, he departed without further ado, leaving the office behind.