The Empress's No.1 Lackey

The first to be burned to death... burned to death... Ma Yan was stunned.

At that moment, he stood in the chaotic courtyard, looking towards the burning house in front.

In the dark night, the fire illuminated a small patch of sky, casting him in a pale golden hue.

"How can this be... once a person dies, shouldn't Gu Huo disappear?" Lord Ma murmured softly, his past experiences and knowledge of the State Preceptor shaken by the reality before him.

Earlier in the day, at the tavern, he had mentioned this experience to Zhao Douan.

But now, the experience... had failed!

Then...

Had the Gu Huo power that Zhao Douan was tainted with been completely cleansed?

He suddenly felt uncertain.

"Lord? Lord?" Haitang's urgent voice pulled his thoughts back: "Did you rush here suddenly because another team encountered an accident?"

The female detective, skilled in unraveling cases, possessed a woman's unique sixth sense.

Ma Yan did not hide anything; he immediately recounted Kong Hanlin's death, and the faces of all present in Jinyi darkened.

Ma Yan took a deep breath, knowing that he, as Lord, must not panic at this time and had to stabilize the morale.

He scanned everyone, his long, cold face particularly three-dimensional under the alternating light and dark of the fire:

"However, this also successfully verifies the extent of that demon's abilities. Without showing himself, using puppets to perform Gu Huo, he can completely influence ordinary people to suicide. However, for cultivators at the level of the Deputy General of the Thousand Cows Guard, it can only have a limited effect."

The greatest human instinct is the will to survive.

The State Preceptor's intent to kill these three tonight must be strong enough, but he couldn't directly order the Deputy General to commit suicide.

He could only indirectly cause the Deputy General to go mad and kill, hoping to use the hands of the nearby Jinyi Captains to eliminate the crazed Deputy General on the spot.

This result indirectly proved that the effect on the Deputy General was not significant enough

—at least, nowhere near overpowering the survival instinct.

The strategy Ma Yan set for tonight also killed two birds with one stone.

If the State Preceptor couldn't bear to write off the puppet in one go and chose to "recycle" it, they could follow it.

If he didn't plan to "recycle" at all, they could also use the varied depths of the three individuals influenced by Gu Huo to gauge the State Preceptor's range of abilities, providing experiential support for subsequent captures or defenses.

Of course, this latter intention was something that had to be buried in the heart and not made public,

Ma Yan, nicknamed "King Yanluo," was never a kind soul; being in charge of a violent institution, he wouldn't genuinely place the lives of a few outsiders close to his heart.

"Fortunately... If Zhao Douan's Gu Huo influence during the day hasn't been cleansed, the impact remains limited then," Ma Yan comforted himself internally.

Haitang also steadied her mind and analyzed:

"Both of them encountered problems; it seems that demon was impatient, choosing to strike at multiple people simultaneously tonight. The Alchemy Dao Divine Officer Zhao, I fear, will not be able to escape, but with the Divine Officer's strength, his resistance must be much stronger than the previous two."

Ma Yan nodded, but still planned to continue to check, however, he suddenly heard the sound of hooves outside.

Immediately, a Jinyi Captain from Lihua Hall rushed in, stunned by the scene upon arrival, then quickly saluted Ma Yan:

"Lord, Master Zhao has discovered a suspected hiding place of the demon and requests your support!"

Ma Yan was initially startled, his gaze sharply intense: "What happened?!"

The Jinyi quickly explained the actions of Lihua Hall that evening. When he heard that Zhao Douan had led a team and unearthed a row of spies in just a few hours, almost revealing the entire intelligence network,

everyone present was bewildered.

Haitang's eyes widened, the female detective determined to triumph at the first hall incredulously said:

"How did we not know? Why was there no news before the action?"

The messenger Jinyi thought for a moment, uncertainly said: "Perhaps the Lord was worried that the action would leak."

Ma Yan was already too lazy to waste words, his large hand grabbing the man's collar, his cloak billowing as he turned his back to the burning scene:

"Lead the way!"

...

...

Rumble...

The streets at night were quiet, lit only by the splashes of moonlight, a carriage raced along the cobblestone road.

Apart from Hou Renmeng who was driving, the others were squeezed into the carriage, the curtains pulled back, as they looked with varied expressions towards the "Bafang Playhouse" in the darkness.

At this time, the playhouse was not receiving guests, but occasionally there were still rehearsals.

Thus, in that strangely styled octagonal building, a few lanterns were lit and hung high, strikingly conspicuous amidst the night.

"Sir, shall we go in directly after this? Or shall we wait for Lord and the others?" Qian Kerou's dark eyes harbored worry.

Zhao Douan smiled, teased: "Scared?"

Qian Kerou shook her head, then nodded again.

The little secretary of Lihua Hall, not so "prickly" a part of it, worried:

"According to the government office's rules, our action tonight should have been reported. Even if you were worried about leaking news, you should have at least informed the Lord alone first...

If there's just an actor within, it's still alright, we can handle him. But if the demon is also there, or even... who can say for sure how many people are inside?"

When she said this, she glanced at Yun Xi inside the carriage, her mistrust evident.

The message was clear:

Who knows if this female rebel is telling the truth? If she intentionally deceived, that could be troublesome.

Shen Juan and Zheng Laojiu also nodded in agreement. They weren't afraid of fighting, but they worried that rushing in might cause issues.

Additionally, they felt that their lord's actions tonight were somewhat rash. If it had been like before, with Gongshu Tianyuan acting together, and the Heavenly Master's Fifth Disciple and Zhao Douan joining forces, their high-level combat power was considered sufficient.