"Administrator. The three cultivators have died in front of so many people. This female cultivator has butchered them in the middle of the crowd, and now, the people are in unease."
"Administrator. We have gotten a complaint from other Administrators, saying that their area has gotten a huge change after the murderer case."
"Administrator, what should we do with the cultivator in our place?"
The East District Administrator was bombarded with questions from his subordinates. Ever since the bloody night that claimed the lives of three cultivators, everything he had carefully set up had crumbled into pieces.
It wouldn't have been much of a problem if the three cultivators had died at the hands of the female cultivator. The real issue was that it had happened in plain view of so many people.
Due to this incident, the residents had grown restless, fearing that a rogue cultivator threatened the city. They lived in constant fear, not knowing when it might be their turn.
The Administrator couldn't help but recall what Hao Yu had said to him. Hao Yu had urged him to deal with this criminal promptly, but he had brushed it off, thinking it wasn't a significant issue.
Now, it had unfolded exactly as Hao Yu had predicted. The criminal had caused a major scene, and despite her lower strength, she had skillfully eliminated all three cultivators. It had been a completely one-sided fight.
The Administrator gritted his teeth, covering his face in frustration. "Argh."
He was at a loss about what to do at this point. On one hand, he could mobilize the soldiers to chase her away. On the other hand, he feared that the woman would retaliate and kill numerous soldiers.
He found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
Meanwhile, Hao Yu was walking down the hallway in his office when An Lei suddenly approached him. "Sir Hao Yu, it's just as you said. The criminal should have been dealt with a long time ago."
Hao Yu shook his head helplessly, pretending to be wronged. "She has already killed two cultivators before this incident, so we should have taken action to chase her away. But in the end, they took away my authority, so I couldn't do anything."
An Lei held a deep admiration for Hao Yu. As his direct subordinate, he had witnessed Hao Yu's efforts behind the scenes. While on the surface, Hao Yu didn't seek credit, An Lei knew how much he had contributed to the success of others. That's why he respected him so much.
He said, "That's right, Sir Hao Yu. They must not know anything about your efforts, or they wouldn't have dismissed you. Now, they are the ones suffering the consequences. They deserve it."
Hao Yu shrugged. "Whatever. We're governing the city together, so we'll help if they need us."
An Lei remembered something and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. The Magistrate wants to meet you as soon as you arrive at your office."
Hao Yu raised an eyebrow, not expecting the Magistrate to be involved in this matter. "The Magistrate? Alright, let me put down my things, and I'll head to the Magistrate's office."
"Yes, Sir. Please take your time," An Lei replied with a serious expression.
There was only one reason why the Magistrate called him, he must want to talk about the murders. It appeared that the Magistrate had been aware of what he had been doing.
And this made everything complicated. If the Magistrate knew that he had been doing all the work for the criminal, he might get dismissed and handed to the mass to pacify their unrest.
Hao Yu's body became tense even though he maintained the poker face.
Ultimately, Hao Yu had no choice but to comply and visit the Magistrate.
As he entered the room, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. While chaos reigned outside, the room was filled with an eerie calmness. Even the windows were tightly shut, blocking out any noise from the outside world.
Most importantly, the Magistrate's expression was dark, as if he knew everything and was contemplating what to do with Hao Yu.
"Hao Yu, Hao Yu... What am I going to do with you?" the Magistrate's voice was cold.
Hao Yu involuntarily shuddered. While he wasn't afraid of cultivators, he realized that this man had been a Magistrate for over two decades, and he knew many ways to make someone suffer. Moreover, he might be the only one who knew about the secret deal between Hao Yu and the cultivator.
"May I know what you're talking about, Sir?" Hao Yu tried his best to remain calm and act as if he had no idea.
"Do you think I don't know that everything happened because of you?" Han Shao snorted.
"What do you mean? My authority has been taken away by the East District Administrator," Hao Yu said, feigning confusion.
"Do you think that the Secret Guardian only tracks people? If you're referring to the Secret Guardian's first group, second group, and so on, then the answer is yes. However, there is one more group that none of you know about: the Secret Guardian Zero Group. It's a group directly under the Administrator's control, and it can track everyone, including officials."
Hao Yu tensed up. He had never known about the existence of such a group, not even from his teacher.
If the Magistrate had been observing him all along, everything would become much more complicated. After all, it meant the Magistrate had known everything from the beginning.
But then, Han Shao burst into laughter. "Pfft... Hahahahahaha! You truly have the best reaction. It must be because your teacher trained you to have an expressionless face, so the only thing I can see is your tensed body. But it's absolutely hilarious."
Hao Yu was thoroughly confused. He had no idea what was going on.
Han Shao produced a letter and tossed it to Hao Yu. "Read this. It's a letter from your teacher to me."
As Hao Yu read the message, everything became clear.
"Han Shao. You should take care of Hao Yu for me. If you don't, I'll come to your door with a sword in hand. He won't cause any trouble. Just give him a good scolding if you're angry. I'll allow that much."
The writing was indeed from his teacher, and the wording suggested that the Magistrate and his teacher were good friends. Otherwise, his teacher wouldn't have asked for such a favor.
However, it was enough to clarify Hao Yu's situation.
Han Shao smirked. "You must have realized it. I, too, share the same principles as your teacher. That's why I turned a blind eye to your actions all this time."
It turned out that Han Shao had wanted to eliminate cultivators like him and his teacher. Hao Yu had believed that Han Shao was just an upright official.
"The reason I called you here is not to scold you or anything like that. In fact, I won't tell you whether the Secret Guardian Zero Group exists or not," Han Shao raised two fingers. "I have two reasons for summoning you."
Hao Yu remained silent, not sure how to respond in this peculiar situation. It felt like a father was about to lecture his child.
"Firstly, your poker face is indeed quite good, but your body still tenses up. You need to learn how to relax your body so it doesn't reveal any answers. That's why I couldn't resist teasing you," Han Shao chuckled.
Hao Yu realized his mistake and took a deep breath to calm himself.
"The second reason is to let you know that since we share the same principles, it means we'll be working towards the same goal. However, your teacher must have told you that excessive action would expose our identities. So, while you're here, I won't take any action."
Han Shao had clearly stated that he would stop hunting down cultivators and allow Hao Yu to do as he pleased. After all, if they acted simultaneously, it would attract the sect's attention.
Hao Yu asked cautiously, "Why are you telling me all this?"
"I'm just curious about your progress. It seems like you're using the cultivator to eliminate more people... but I wonder if you have a more ambitious plan," Han Shao said with a sly smile.
"A more ambitious plan?" Hao Yu tilted his head in confusion.
Han Shao's smirk grew wider. "What about taking the cultivator as your wife?"
At that moment, there was a loud bang inside the room.