The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 44 The Secret of Supernatural Powers

"Xu Jingde agreed?"

Upon hearing this news, Shen Lang's spirits lifted.

He had just been pondering this matter. The murderer held a high position of power, and it was unlikely that the mere tassel of the jade pendant was enough to prove his guilt.

Now that the other crime scenes have been investigated, only Xu Jingde's house remains.

This person is, after all, a high-ranking official of the third rank, one of the Nine Ministers, so he must have some tricks up his sleeve.

Whether we can find more compelling evidence depends on this.

Shen Lang cupped his hands in greeting: "I didn't expect Lord Xu to agree so quickly. As expected, we still need the Princess's intervention. With that, I have even more confidence."

"Please convey my message to Your Highness that I will pay you a visit first thing tomorrow morning."

Princess Jing'an nodded and summoned her personal maid, He Xiang, instructing her to go to Xu Jingde's house immediately to deliver a message.

Then, he instructed Shen Lang, "This Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies has a very fiery temper. He chased away all the coroners sent by the Ministry of Justice to examine the bodies with sticks."

"You must be extra careful when dealing with him."

"He only has one daughter, whom he cherishes dearly. Now that this has happened, he's almost gone crazy. Please don't make any unreasonable demands."

Shen Lang nodded and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, respect for the dead is paramount, and I will not act recklessly."

After saying that, he said to Big Tiger, who was not far away, "Tell everyone to disperse and go back to their positions to guard their posts."

"Notify me immediately if anything happens."

"Yes, Lord Shen!"

After the guards left, Shen Lang said to Pei Ci:

"Brother Pei, I'm worried that this tiger demon may have accomplices. Could you please stay here and keep an eye on things for a while?"

"Don't worry, leave this to me!"

"Pei's eyes are his ruler!"

"If anyone dares to make contact, I will take them down!"

Pei Ci held his sword with both hands and responded proudly.

Unwittingly, he caught a glimpse of the fading crimson light in Shen Lang's eyes, paused for a moment, and then suddenly asked:

"Brother Shen, have you broken through to the eighth-rank martial artist realm?"

Seeing Shen Lang nod, he pressed on, "How old were you when you entered the ranks, Brother Shen?"

Nineteen years old.

"Hiss..." Pei Ci gasped, shocked.

"Entered the ranks at nineteen, reached the eighth rank at twenty-one?!"

"Do such people truly exist, capable of holding the sun and moon in their hands and plucking stars from the sky?!"

Shen Lang asked, puzzled, "Why is Brother Pei asking these questions?"

He discovered that this Pei Gongfeng's brain circuits were indeed somewhat abnormal.

They like to show off, but often can't help but overreact; they like to act serious, but will immediately change their expression if Mount Tai collapses in front of them.

The Prince's mansion is currently facing a life-or-death crisis, yet he still has the mind to ponder these trivial matters.

Even someone as perceptive and insightful as Shen Lang, who could see through subtle clues and understand people's hearts, couldn't see through his thoughts at all.

"It's nothing, I was just asking."

Pei Ci waved his hand, picked up his sword, and walked to the side, muttering to himself:

"The flowing water doesn't compete to be first, but to flow endlessly!"

"So what if I'm only twenty-one and hold the eighth rank? I, Pei, am exceptionally talented and have never been inferior to anyone in my life. I will surely rise from behind and catch up with you..."

After brainwashing himself in this way, Pei Ci's demeanor instantly returned to normal.

He held his longsword with both hands, his posture proud, his eyes scanning back and forth warily.

"What are you muttering about?"

Shen Lang gave him a strange look, ignored him, and turned to Princess Jing'an:

"Everything is alright in the manor. You and the princess are still not fully recovered, so please go back and rest early."

"I'll take care of everything, you don't need to worry."

Princess Jing'an rubbed her temples, yawned wearily, and said:

"I didn't sleep a wink last night, and I really can't hold on any longer."

Princess Changning nodded slightly and smiled faintly: "Then I'll have to trouble Lord Shen."

Shen Lang said, "Princess, there's no need for you to be so polite. It's my duty, and I can't shirk it."

After saying this, he cupped his hands in greeting, grabbed the orange cat by the neck, and strode towards the side courtyard where he had interrogated the thieves last time.

......

"I'm a little curious, I clearly severed your main energy channel, so why can you still change your form?"

Shen Lang's eyes flashed with a glint of light as he looked the orange cat, which was lying on its side on the ground pretending to be dead, up and down.

He could clearly see that there was not a trace of demonic energy within the orange cat's body at this moment.

So the question is, what kind of energy sustains it in this state?

"Not going to say anything?"

"Then I'll have to dissect you and study you myself."

Shen Lang smiled and said, "I've interrogated many people, but this is my first time interrogating a demon beast."

"Don't blame me if I accidentally break it later."

The orange cat's tail twitched slightly, and it said disdainfully, "Don't pretend in front of me!"

"Do you think I'm blind and can't see what color your eyes are?"

"Under the Demon Eye of Illusion, falsehoods have nowhere to hide, and all things are revealed."

"How could you not know my true nature?"

Shen Lang raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. He hadn't expected that this tiger demon would know so much about him!

"Where did the new feature of 'torture to extract confessions' LV15 come from?"

"Judging from this tiger demon's appearance, could this be a supernatural power unique to demons?"

Looking at the tiger demon's wary eyes and the instinctive fear hidden deep within them, Shen Lang felt that his guess was correct.

However, the next moment, he became even more puzzled.

"Although True Essence and Demon Essence differ by only one word, their natures are worlds apart."

"The cultivation methods of humans and demons are completely different; they are two entirely independent systems."

"How could I, a mere human, possibly master the supernatural powers of a demon?"

Shen Lang's thoughts surged, and he instantly fell into deep thought.

He had never really thought about this matter in detail before.

Looking back now, the professional skills of "apprehending criminals and investigating cases" and "using torture to extract confessions" seemed a bit off from the very beginning.

When he first joined the Lin'an County Government and before he even began to learn the ways of martial arts, these two skills were already in the system's skill list.

Initially, it could only be used to assist in investigations.

However, as his cultivation level improved, the opponents he faced became increasingly powerful.

These two professional skills seem to be constantly upgrading, with new characteristics emerging each time they break through the limits.

First came the virtual realm of "apprehending and investigating cases," followed by the demonic eyes of "torture and forced confession."

These two skills seem to be becoming increasingly mysterious.

The more Shen Lang thought about it, the more puzzled he became.

It concerns his health, so he can't afford to be careless.

Now that he has just captured a tiger demon who knows the inside story, he is determined to find out the truth no matter what.

Pulling himself back to reality, Shen Lang looked into the tiger demon's eyes, smiled casually, and said slowly:

I have a brother.

"He really enjoys drinking tiger penis wine. Since you are a powerful and intelligent demon, its effects should be even stronger than those of ordinary tigers, right?"

"I'll cut it off and give it to my brother; he'll be overjoyed!"

As he spoke, Shen Lang pointed his long sword diagonally and deftly twirled it.

Upon hearing this, the orange cat quickly changed its posture, hiding its little bell tightly, and then said warily:

"I was careless for a moment and narrowly lost to you by half a move, but a loss is a loss, and I have nothing to say!"

"If you want to kill me, just do it. Why humiliate me with words?"

"humiliation?"

Shen Lang chuckled softly, but there was no hint of amusement in his crimson eyes.

"You have committed numerous evils, so even if I were to skin you alive, it would be justified."

"What right do you have to negotiate with me?"