I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon

Chapter 1328: Chapter 513: Hiding a Beauty in a Golden House! Husband Takes You Courtesan House Visiting! (2)

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...

In the courtyard.

Lin Jingzhu placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes slightly narrowed, coldly staring at the two people in front of him, "Saintess Yu, intruding into someone else’s residence is a serious crime. I advise you to speak the truth; things won’t be so simple if you end up at the government office!"

Yu Hongyin frowned, saying, "I already told you, it was Chen Mo who asked us to stay here."

"Do you have any evidence?" Lin Jingzhu said in a deep voice, "This is a residence bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress. As a Jianghu person, you neither have a rental contract nor have you registered with the city clerk. You can’t just claim to live here based on mere words."

Yu Hongyin was at a loss for words.

Chen Mo only mentioned verbally that she could stay here, but indeed, no rental agreement was signed.

Lin Jingzhu continued, "If I’m not mistaken, you are probably not a local either? Foreigners staying in the Capital City require documents approved by the authorities or entry registration, otherwise they will be considered vagrants and should be expelled from the city in accordance with the law!"

"You’re spewing nonsense! We are not vagrants!" Qiao Tong’s little face flushed red with anger, glaring furiously at Lin Jingzhu.

"Whether or not you are vagrants is not for you to decide." Lin Jingzhu took a step forward, not even glancing at Qiao Tong, his eyes locked on Yu Hongyin, "If you have a clear conscience, why did you run the moment you saw me?"

"I..."

Yu Hongyin bit her lip tightly, lowering her head in silence.

She had only met Lin Jingzhu twice; the first time was at the Heavenly Element Martial Examination held by the court, when Chen Mo was still her nemesis. Knowing that Lin Jingzhu had a close relationship with Chen Mo, she decided to concede immediately, fearing retaliation.

The second time was after they eliminated the Blood Demon, when Chen Mo’s life was uncertain, and Lin Jingzhu almost lost his life traveling to the Southern Border because of it.

The matter originated from the Netherworld Sect, so facing Lin Jingzhu, Yu Hongyin felt somewhat guilty...

Just now, she ran into Lin Jingzhu leading a patrol on the street, and she instinctively turned to flee, which was noticed, and then pursued all the way here...

It wasn’t entirely Lin Jingzhu’s fault for making a big deal out of it, though.

This residence had been vacant for a long time with no occupants, and coupled with her sneaky demeanor, it was hard not to draw suspicion.

"Now you have two choices: either have Chen Mo come here to clarify things in person, or come with me to the government office for an investigation." Lin Jingzhu raised his chin and said, "If you resist, don’t blame me for being harsh!"

"Hmph, who are you trying to scare!"

Seeing the other party so aggressive, Qiao Tong was fuming, immediately rolling up her sleeves, ready to have a proper showdown with this woman.

However, Yu Hongyin stopped her with a gesture, looked up at Lin Jingzhu, and nodded, "Alright, I am willing to go to the government office with you."

"Huh?"

Qiao Tong’s face was full of confusion.

When did the Saintess become so meek?

Yu Hongyin whispered, "This is Mr. Chen’s residence; causing a scene might negatively affect him. Besides, we haven’t committed any crime. Don’t worry, we’ll just explain everything clearly at the Six Gates."

"Alright then." Qiao Tong nodded, saying no more.

Lin Jingzhu, seemingly surprised by the other’s cooperation, nodded slightly and said, "Alright, let’s go."

Just as she was about to leave with them, a tall figure strode in.

"Hold on."

"Hmm?"

Lin Jingzhu turned at the sound, a joyful expression appearing in an instant, "Husband!"

She quickly stepped forward, holding Chen Mo’s arm, her fair cheeks blushing like blooming peach blossoms, and said softly, "What have you been busy with lately? I haven’t seen you in such a long time~"

?

Qiao Tong and Yu Hongyin were both dumbfounded.

The Lin Catcher who was intimidating just a second ago suddenly switched to a tender, girlish demeanor. The change in attitude was too abrupt!

Meanwhile, the constables outside lowered their heads in unison, pretending to see nothing.

The relationship between the two was no secret within the government office.

Chen Mo, having overheard the conversation among the three, roughly pieced together what had happened and said, "Saintess Yu is a friend of mine; I indeed asked them to stay here."

"Friend?" Lin Jingzhu raised an eyebrow in confusion, "If I remember right, she almost cost you your life. How did your relationship become so amiable?"

"The Blood Demon incident wasn’t entirely her fault, and speaking of which, she helped me quite a bit in the Qingzhou Secret Realm, returning a favor..." Chen Mo briefly explained the past events.

"I see."

Realizing her own oversight, Lin Jingzhu didn’t make a fuss, immediately bowing slightly to Yu Hongyin and Qiao Tong, "I was prejudiced and didn’t verify things beforehand. If I caused any offense, I hope you both can forgive me."

"It’s not an issue; it’s just a misunderstanding," Yu Hongyin said nonchalantly.

Although Lin Jingzhu’s attitude was somewhat forceful, she was reasonable and not making arbitrary accusations, so Yu Hongyin didn’t take it to heart either.

"Mr. Chen, you’re finally here; the Saintess has been mentioning you for days." Qiao Tong glanced at Lin Jingzhu, intentionally saying, "Back in the Secret Realm, when you saved the Saintess’s life, she’s been grateful and even wished to offer herself... um..."

Yu Hongyin quickly covered her mouth, blushing, "Stop making trouble, when did I ever say such a thing?"

"Mmm mmm!"

Qiao Tong gave a look that said, "You know whether you did or not."

Yu Hongyin cautiously glanced at Chen Mo, relaxed only when she saw he wasn’t angry.

"Husband, it seems you really are quite charming, huh!" Lin Jingzhu fluttered her eyelashes, her expression full of emotions.

Clearly, these two were enemies not long ago, but in such a short time, they had developed to the point of "hidden beauties in a golden house!"

Come to think of it, it seemed that any woman associated with Chen Mo would eventually fall for him...

"Ahem." Chen Mo couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward, changing the subject, "By the way, what brings you here today? Patrolling the streets isn’t your job, right?"

Lin Jingzhu rolled her eyes but followed along with his change of topic, saying, "Didn’t you ask me to pay attention to any missing persons case in the city lately? Today, I got word that more than a dozen girls from the Jade Building in the southern part of the city disappeared recently. I came to investigate with my team and happened to spot Saintess Yu behaving suspiciously, so I chased her here, and then you know the rest..."

"More than a dozen? That many?" Chen Mo’s heart stirred, "Why was it only discovered today?"

In the Capital City, besides the government-run Imperial Music Bureau, there were many legitimate courtesan houses operating legally.

They are usually located in bustling areas and wealthy districts, away from government offices, and the Jade Building, just a block away, was known for its concentration of renowned bordellos and brothels.

The area had more than a dozen famous establishments, not counting the hidden alleys with clandestine brothels, always filled with music, vibrant with dresses, and lively night after night.

"The Jade Building is a place where different tradespeople mix, a chaotic blend of the three religions and nine schools. Some hidden brothels even use undocumented women, so when someone goes missing, they dare not report it to the authorities, thinking the girl slipped away on her own, having to accept the loss..."

"So the matter remained silent for so long until the number of missing girls rose too high to ignore, finally catching the attention of the Six Gates."

Lin Jingzhu explained.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you have any clarity on how the events unfolded?"

"I was worried about alerting them, so I didn’t arrest anyone. Instead, I opted for a covert approach," Lin Jingzhu said, "These missing girls were scattered across different courtesan houses, without any connection, all vanishing mysteriously during their work without leaving any traces behind. The statements of those customers were remarkably consistent, all saying the girl disappeared overnight..."

Chen Mo’s eyes glimmered.

The Creation Golden Pill’s refining was imminent, and the sudden occurrence of disappearance cases in the city was no coincidence; it seemed Wu Lie could no longer bear impatience...

"Oh, and come to think of it, these girls actually have something in common." Lin Jingzhu rubbed her chin with her finger, saying, "They are all under twenty years old, essentially the youngest in their places of employment."

"Oh?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, vaguely grasping something.

Lin Jingzhu inquired, "What should we do next?"

Chen Mo pondered briefly, "You’re right, investigating this openly will only alert them. To catch some leads, we need them to take the initiative..."

Lin Jingzhu had a moment of realization, "You mean to disguise as a customer and wait for them to take the bait? But you and I might stand out too much, and letting the government office’s assistant officers do it isn’t suitable either..."

Chen Mo’s lips curled into a smile as he looked at Yu Hongyin, "No need for us to step in; we have a ready-made helper here... Saintess Yu, are you interested in visiting a courtesan house?"

Yu Hongyin blinked naively, a bewildered look on her face, "Huh???"