Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 25: The First Appearance of the Imagination Monster

One sentence was enough to enlighten County Magistrate Lin and Constable Wang.

He couldn't help but look at Dou Changsheng, his eyes filled with admiration. No wonder he could stand out at such a young age. Look at this sentence, it's very insightful.

If they push all the blame onto Magistrate Cui Shuyu, wouldn't their guilt be much less? They could even claim that they knew nothing, were unaware beforehand, and were simply following the magistrate's orders.

For County Lieutenant Lin, it was completely untenable to push the matter onto Dou Changsheng, because Dou Changsheng's status was too low. The clerk was of low rank but held great power, but he was not an official and had no official rank. In terms of officialdom, County Lieutenant Lin was definitely the most powerful.

But with Magistrate Cui Shuyu in charge, everything changed. He was the head of a county, a legitimate official.

County Magistrate Lin quickly said, "Let's go and congratulate the magistrate."

At this moment, County Magistrate Lin even called out "Master," which was enough to show his mindset. The three of them didn't need to be urged and walked faster than the other. At this moment, they only wished they had four legs instead of two.

Before long, they arrived at the county government office and went straight in, arriving at Cui Shuyu's door.

With a creak, the door was pushed open.

Dou Changsheng entered first and immediately offered his congratulations, saying, "Congratulations, County Magistrate! Congratulations, County Magistrate!"

"Under your wise guidance, we have successfully destroyed the thieves' lair."

County Magistrate Lin followed up, saying, "Your Excellency, after discovering the enemy, you were able to endure the pain, which is the main reason for your success in annihilating the bandits. There are very few people like you who remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses before them."

"The county magistrate deserves the greatest credit for the successful suppression of the bandits."

Dou Changsheng immediately objected, saying, "County Lieutenant Lin is taking credit for himself; it is clearly the county magistrate who deserves all the credit."

"It was the magistrate who discovered the enemy, it was the magistrate who mobilized the troops, it was the magistrate who summoned the sixth-grade forbidden talisman, it was the magistrate who personally commanded—everything was done by the magistrate. What has it to do with you?"

County Magistrate Lin looked ashamed and slapped himself repeatedly, apologizing, "It's my fault, it's all my fault."

"That's enough!"

A roar rang out.

Upon seeing Dou Changsheng, Cui Shuyu's anger began to rise rapidly. He then listened to Dou Changsheng and County Magistrate Lin talking nonsense, which sounded sarcastic and unpleasant to Cui Shuyu. Finally, Cui Shuyu could no longer tolerate it.

Dou Changsheng remained unfazed and waved to Constable Wang, saying, "Hand over the spoils of war to the magistrate."

Constable Wang stepped forward, his large hand emerging from his sleeve, and handed three waist tokens directly to Cui Shuyu. Cui Shuyu grasped the cold tokens and recognized them as those of the Golden Jade Guard with just a glance.

Cui Shuyu's anger dissipated completely, her furious expression stiffened, and she looked down at the waist tag carefully, examining it repeatedly. Dou Changsheng and the others did not interrupt her, letting time pass by little by little.

Cui Shuyu's actions were no different from theirs; they all planned to wipe their waist tokens before Dou Changsheng interrupted and said, "Guaranteed authentic."

Cui Shuyu gripped the waist token tightly with both hands, suddenly looked up, and stared intently at Dou Changsheng. He completely ignored County Magistrate Lin and Constable Wang.

What do those two know?

Jin Yuwei is dead. Cui Shuyu should be happy, but he can't be happy at all.

Because Jin Yuwei died in an inappropriate manner.

If Jin Yuwei died at the hands of demons, then his death was purely in vain. Even if the higher-ups thought it was wrong and wanted to investigate, they couldn't, because the testimonies of demons are never accepted and can be considered false evidence or a frame-up.

Unless you find irrefutable evidence, but the person has been eaten clean, leaving not even a bone fragment, how can you investigate?

But what about this time?

The Jin Yuwei were brutally killed by County Magistrate Lin and his men, which changed their mood. If they were just bandits, it would be easier to deal with, but the key issue is that County Magistrate Lin and his men are officials. This is an official killing an official. Even the Jianghu gangs know that infighting and fighting are a major taboo in the Jianghu.

Jin Yuwei could use this as an excuse to send people again to investigate this case.

Cui Shuyu gripped the waist token tightly and paced back and forth. Things had gotten complicated. Every time she looked at Dou Changsheng, she felt like she wanted to devour him whole.

Cui Shuyu had already destroyed all the evidence against him. Of course, old cases were out of the question, but the Golden Guards didn't have much time. They could only investigate Cui Shuyu's recent activities, so Cui Shuyu deliberately left an opening.

The Jin Yuwei sent to investigate the ferocious tiger.

Everything was proceeding according to Cui Shuyu's plan. Even if something was eventually discovered, the identity of the ferocious tiger was a trap. If it were to explode in the end, it would be enough to blow many people to pieces, and in the end, nothing would come of it. This allowed them to successfully escape a disaster.

Of course, Cui Shuyu also knew that things couldn't be taken too far. If things were truly spotless, it would put Jin Yuwei in an awkward position. So, Cui Shuyu introduced Dou Changsheng, and in the end, Jin Yuwei took down Dou Changsheng, which was a satisfactory conclusion.

However, this time the Jin Yuwei men did not die at the hands of the demons, but were killed by the officials of Lang County. This gave the Jin Yuwei an excuse to investigate openly and legitimately, and they had other weaknesses. They no longer needed to focus on the ferocious tiger line.

and many more.

Cui Shuyu's eyes widened as she stared intently at the official seal on the table.

With a short, chubby hand, Cui Shuyu gently rubbed his tiny, rice-grain-sized eyes. He looked at the table again. This was not his hallucination; the official seal that had been handed over had returned once more.

Cui Shuyu immediately exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?"

"Take it back, take it back right now, this isn't mine."

Enraged, Cui Shuyu jumped up and down repeatedly. Her body, which had been as fat as a ball, now felt light and airy, like a balloon.

"You are framing me."

"You framed me, didn't you?"

"I didn't do it. You did everything. It has nothing to do with me."

Cui Shuyu was very clear about the significance of the official seal. They weren't trying to drag him down, but rather to find a mastermind. He was the highest-ranking official, while County Lieutenant Lin could say he was acting on orders, and Head Constable Wang could say he was giving orders. After all, documents bearing the official seal couldn't be faked.

When he didn't have an official seal, Cui Shuyu could still make excuses, but now he's probably in a situation where he can't clear his name even if he falls into the Yellow River.

Cui Shuyu's reaction was intense, which was exactly what Dou Changsheng had expected. Although Cui Shuyu was incredibly audacious and dared to intercept and kill the Golden Jade Guards, that was when demons took action. This time, due to a series of unforeseen circumstances, the operation was extremely crude and full of flaws.

If Jin Yuwei really investigates, they will definitely find out the truth easily. Their current method of self-preservation, transferring everyone out of the county, is only to ensure temporary safety. Unless they kill all these people to silence them, but that is impossible, there are simply too many of them.

If so many people died at once, it would definitely shock Lang County and cause a sensation throughout the county. The prefecture would probably know about it and wouldn't be able to remain indifferent. They would send people down to investigate, and if they continued to investigate, they would eventually find out everything.

If we're going to silence them, we'll do it slowly. Let the demons eat a few, let a few die of disease, let a few die in accidents, and after a few years we'll be cleaned up and there won't be any more trouble.

Cui Shuyu doesn't want to be in the blame, so she definitely wants to push things away, but how can she do that?

They came here to shift the blame to Cui Shuyu. After all, Cui Shuyu isn't innocent. If it weren't for Cui Shuyu, the Jin Yuwei wouldn't have come to Lang County. Cui Shuyu is the root of everything.

Dou Changsheng did not speak immediately, but County Lieutenant Lin could not hold back and said urgently, "What is Your Excellency saying? If this official seal is not yours, whose is it?"

"If the county magistrate goes out and asks just anyone, they will all know that the official seal is in the hands of the county magistrate."

"The answer is the same whether you go to the prefecture, the state, or the imperial court."

County Lieutenant Lin panicked, because only by having Cui Shuyu take the blame could he reduce his own responsibility. So he immediately stood up and accused Cui Shuyu. County Lieutenant Lin's words were like a signal, and Constable Wang also accused him, saying, "Your Excellency, this document has your official seal on it. You cannot escape this responsibility."

"Even if you say that we have taken away the official seal, no one will believe you."

"Where in the world is there a Marquis of Baili so incompetent that he can't even protect his official seal? The court appoints county magistrates to protect their territory and ensure the safety of the people. Losing the official seal is worse than losing one's life."

Chief Constable Wang added, "So when the higher-ups find out, they will also think that you, the county magistrate, fabricated this whole thing to deliberately evade responsibility."

Dou Changsheng nodded and said, "Yes."

"Your Excellency, please pull yourself together. Don't lose face. Even if you admit it, what's the harm?"

"By showing courage and taking responsibility, you might be appreciated even more by your superiors."

This remark made Cui Shuyu laugh in anger. "Courageous enough to take responsibility? I'm afraid the sooner you take responsibility, the sooner you'll die."

Seeing the three of them working together in perfect harmony, completely aligned on the same side, Cui Shuyu had to admit that the puppet Dou Changsheng she had put forward was truly capable. In such a short time, he had already pushed her to the brink of disaster.

Constable Wang and County Lieutenant Lin were completely tricked by Dou Changsheng. Cui Shuyu didn't believe they would willingly kill Jin Yuwei. They both had families and businesses, so why would they risk killing officials? They were simply fooled and ended up on a pirate ship.

Dou Changsheng's move can be described as a stroke of genius, turning a dead end into a victory.

With the help of Constable Wang and County Lieutenant Lin, they had no choice but to follow Dou Changsheng to the bitter end. With their assistance, Dou Changsheng quickly established himself in Lang County, gaining both manpower and military strength.

By dragging two people into this power struggle, he's trying to implicate him. Cui Shuyu has to admit that Dou Changsheng has succeeded. The logic is very simple: one mouth can't out-argue three mouths.

Jin Yuwei believed the three men's unwavering conviction.

Damn it, that scourge should have been killed back then.

Now it has gained momentum and become a major threat to him.