Chapter 290: Pursuit

"Kui, I think this kid Yang Zhen is likely in grave danger!"

"I went to his home in Wutong Lane, knocked for a long time with no answer, so I climbed in..."

"As it turned out, there wasn't a soul in the house. Right at the entrance of the main room, this barrier saber was dropped, and there are bloodstains on the tip of the blade..."

Zhu Baogui spoke like a machine gun, but he suddenly stopped mid-sentence because the corner of his eye caught a figure sitting in the corner behind him.

Zhu Baogui turned abruptly, stared at the person, and recognized Fan Yuanhai at a glance.

More than half a year ago, Fan Yuanhai had stayed in Xiangu County for several months and often frequented the County Government Office back then. This time, he was one of the Imperial Envoys overseeing the Talent Selection Meet.

Zhu Baogui was not blind.

Zhu Baogui raised his eyebrows and shot a glance at Liu Kui, implying that Liu Kui knew the Imperial Envoy was here yet didn't give him a heads-up.

Zhu Baogui bowed and cupped his hands toward the seat where Fan Yuanhai sat, saying, "This humble one pays respects to the Imperial Envoy! My eyes are dim, I beg your forgiveness, sir!"

Fan Yuanhai ignored him and just flipped through the autopsy report in his hands, leaving Zhu Baogui feeling rather awkward.

After a while, Fan Yuanhai closed the autopsy report in his hands. Liu Kui had already explained the key points to him at the morgue; this report was merely a more detailed elaboration.

Fan Yuanhai closed the autopsy report, then raised his eyes to look at Zhu Baogui and asked, "Who did you just say was in grave danger?"

Zhu Baogui's voice trembled slightly. "It is one of our colleagues, Constable Yang Zhen."

"Yang Zhen?" Fan Yuanhai's expression shifted. After a moment of thought, he asked, "The one who is Xie Daohan's follower?"

Zhu Baogui said, "Exactly!"

Fan Yuanhai had some impression of Yang Zhen; when Xie Daohan went to Huaying Pavilion to find him, Yang Zhen would stand guard at the door.

Yang Zhen meeting with an accident at this time—could it have something to do with Xie Daohan's affair?

Fan Yuanhai asked, "What do you mean by grave danger?"

Zhu Baogui's expression shifted.

"Imperial Envoy, please look!" Zhu Baogui held a barrier saber up in front of Fan Yuanhai.

Fan Yuanhai took it and carefully examined the saber.

The barrier saber was the standard-issue weapon for constables of the Qingzhou County Government Office; every constable could receive one upon taking office.

Zhu Baogui pointed to the hilt of the barrier saber in Fan Yuanhai's hand and said, "The barrier sabers in the office all have serial numbers. This hilt has the number eighteen engraved in it, which is exactly Yang Zhen's number. This saber was dropped at the entrance of the main room, and there are bloodstains on the tip, which indicates that a fight likely occurred in that room at the time. The room is empty, and Yang Zhen hasn't come to the office to sign in for two days. Perhaps he has already..."

Fan Yuanhai nodded, placed the saber on the small table in front of him, and suddenly said, "When I arrived, I saw that the door to Xie Daohan's head constable room was still locked?"

"Yes," Zhu Baogui replied. "Head Xie, he hasn't shown his face since he left at noon on the first day after the Talent Selection Meet ended. The next time we got news, it was that his body had been discovered in the Wild Lake behind the City God Temple!"

Fan Yuanhai suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the cramped constable room. In that instant just now, he seemed to have captured some very important information.

As he paced, Fan Yuanhai muttered to himself, "The first day after the Talent Selection Meet ended... hasn't shown his face since..."

Fan Yuanhai suddenly stopped, looked at Zhu Baogui, and said, "Open the door to the head constable room!"

"This..." Zhu Baogui was clearly hesitant. The key to the head constable room had been found on the body the day Xie Daohan's corpse was discovered.

While Zhu Baogui hesitated, Liu Kui suddenly said, "The Sect Emissary has the authority to make on-the-spot decisions regarding local affairs. Follow the Emissary's instructions and open the door."

By now, Shen Yanliu had already left Xiangu County, and it was unknown when the new magistrate would arrive. Liu Kui had long felt that if the Xie Daohan case continued to drag on like this, many clues would likely be lost. Now that Fan Yuanhai wanted to inquire about it, Liu Kui felt they should cooperate fully to find the murderer as soon as possible.

Zhu Baogui's eyes flickered; he took out the key and said, "Imperial Envoy, please!"

The three of them left the constable room together.

Zhu Baogui opened the door to Xie Daohan's head constable room, took a peek, and then stepped aside to the edge of the door.

Fan Yuanhai walked in slowly, while Zhu Baogui and Liu Kui poked their heads in from behind Fan Yuanhai; they also wanted to see if there were any clues in this room before Xie Daohan left.

But Fan Yuanhai turned around, looked at the two of them, and said, "You two go. I will call you if I need anything."

The two nodded in agreement and sheepishly dispersed.

Although it was daytime, the head constable room was still somewhat dim. Xie Daohan pulled out a fire folder and lit the lamp on the small table.

The lamp emitted a yellowish light. One could see a tea cup without a lid sitting next to the lamp; the tea inside had long since dried up, with a few tea leaves stuck to the bottom. It was unknown how long it had been sitting there to dry out like that.

Fan Yuanhai's gaze jumped; he saw several documents piled on the small table, all of which had been flipped through.

These were likely the things Xie Daohan was looking at before he left.

Fan Yuanhai immediately sat down at the small table and carefully picked up the document on top.

This document was actually the background check data for applicants to this session's Talent Selection Meet. Fan Yuanhai looked at the page where the document was opened and discovered it was the background check data for Duan Rong.

In this session's Talent Selection Meet, Duan Rong's humble origins and his achievement of the Great Success Realm were quite eye-catching, and Fan Yuanhai naturally remembered him.

It was just that Fan Yuanhai was a bit puzzled: why would Xie Daohan be looking at the background check data for Talent Selection Meet applicants before he left, and why was it opened to Duan Rong's page?

Fan Yuanhai carefully read through Duan Rong's data and then set it aside.

He then looked at another document underneath. This was detailed investigation data regarding members of the Whale Tiger Gang. He had once worked with Xie Daohan to investigate the Corpse Rot Poison, and he had even personally interrogated the evil doctor Shen Ping in the death row of the County Government Office.

Looking at the page where this document was opened, Fan Yuanhai's eyebrows could not help but knit together.

"Kong Bin... Zhang Zheng... Yuanshun Escort Agency... Miscellaneous Disciple...?"

"What kind of mess is all this?!" Fan Yuanhai irritably set this document aside.

The document at the very bottom of the small table was the autopsy report and case-closing document for the Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu Case, both of which were spread open. Fan Yuanhai was already very familiar with these two documents, so he just glanced at them and passed them over.

Fan Yuanhai looked at the four documents on the small table, his eyes flickering.

These four documents were what Xie Daohan had been looking at before he left, and three of them were related to the Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu Case.

Whether it was the autopsy report, the case-closing document, or the detailed investigation data on the Whale Tiger Gang members, they were all documents deeply related to the Xu Ruhu Case.

It was evident that in the time before his death, Xie Daohan had been investigating the Xu Ruhu Case, and it was very likely that he had made some discovery, which was why he took action.

"Xie Daohan, what exactly did you discover?"

Fan Yuanhai stood up and began to pace in front of the small table!

Since three of the documents were related to the Xu Ruhu Case, the background check data for the Talent Selection Meet applicants placed on top looked somewhat conspicuous.

Why would Xie Daohan look at the background check data for the applicants?

Fan Yuanhai picked up that document again and looked at the page it was opened to. "Duan Rong? Yuanshun Escort Agency?"

In an instant, Fan Yuanhai, like a flash of lightning or a spark from flint, pinched several loose ends together.

Was it after the Selection of Heroes Meeting that Xie Daohan suddenly started looking through these? What happened at the Selection of Heroes Meeting that provoked Xie Daohan?

Fan Yuanhai had already thought of how Duan Rong reached out and snatched those three flying knives that had been shot out on the stage!

To be able to catch three flying knives so miraculously in such a sudden moment—this shows the level of Duan Rong's mastery of hidden weapons! Perhaps it was from that moment on that Xie Daohan began to suspect Duan Rong!

And the Yuanshun Escort Agency? Fan Yuanhai suddenly pinched the information from the two scrolls he had just read together!

Duan Rong was a Miscellaneous Disciple who entered the Yuanshun Escort Agency in the same batch as Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng, and Kong Bin and Zhang Zheng were the offspring of key members of the Whale Tiger Gang!

Almost all the clues intersected on Duan Rong!

Fan Yuanhai picked up Duan Rong's investigation file again and went through it word by word, line by line.

He discovered that Duan Rong only entered the Yuanshun Escort Agency last year, and before that, he had never practiced martial arts at all!

In barely a year, he had achieved the Great Accomplishment realm! Such a cultivation speed could be called monstrous!

Fan Yuanhai calculated the timeline; when the cases of Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu occurred, Duan Rong had very likely already achieved the Second Layer of the Inner Breath Realm!

That is to say, at that time, Duan Rong already had the ability to commit the crimes!

But, even if the cases of Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu were done by Duan Rong, how did he kill Xie Daohan? Xie Daohan was, after all, an expert of the True Qi Realm!

If this contradiction could not be resolved, the deduction would once again fall into a dead end.

Fan Yuanhai looked at Duan Rong's detailed file again, and this time his gaze stopped on the three characters "Wutong Lane."

Wutong Lane was where that dilapidated old house of Duan Rong's was located, and also where the original body grew up from childhood.

Fan Yuanhai's brow suddenly twitched. He remembered that just now, when Zhu Baogui rushed in holding a saber, he had said that Yang Zhen's home was in Wutong Lane.

Yang Zhen and Duan Rong might have known each other since they were children! They were childhood friends!

People in this world were attached to their native land and rarely moved!

But Yang Zhen was also Xie Daohan's confidant!

What if the two of them joined forces to set a trap and kill Xie Daohan?

Fan Yuanhai pondered repeatedly, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt this was possible.

The reason Fan Yuanhai made this conjecture was because his line of reasoning had entered a dead end.

Duan Rong had suppressed his strength; when he encountered Xie Daohan, he had already achieved the Great Perfection realm.

But even if Duan Rong had achieved the Great Perfection realm, and also mastered the Plum Blossom Needle technique, and had the "First Grade Red" poison left behind by Shen Ping...

Even with all these added together, Duan Rong actually still could not kill Xie Daohan.

Just as Shen Yanliu and Fan Yuanhai concluded, the gap between major realms was like a natural chasm, impossible to cross!

The reason Duan Rong was ultimately able to kill Xie Daohan was because of the Soul Technique of the Womb Treasury Sutra!

If not for the ability of Divine Sense Envelopment to probe, he could not have discovered Xie Daohan's tracking at the first moment, and then used the Bone Shrinking Technique to lay a trap, only then piercing Xie Daohan's eyes and seizing the initiative!

But even at this point, Duan Rong still could not kill Xie Daohan; he was forced to use the Divine Soul Wave for the second time, finally shooting the Plum Blossom Needle, which had been quenched with First Grade Red, deep into Xie Daohan's throat, and ultimately killing Xie Daohan.

Even with a thousand methods, if Duan Rong did not have the Divine Soul Wave to shake the Divine Soul and create an opportunity for Xie Daohan to fall into a brief blank state, he would not have been able to succeed.

And the capabilities of the Womb Treasury Sutra's Soul Technique were unknown to both Shen Yanliu and Fan Yuanhai.

Everyone can only understand things within the scope of their own cognition. This kind of limitation is very hard to break!

Although Fan Yuanhai could not break through his own cognitive limitations, his intuition was very accurate. Relying on this intuition, he had stumbled upon the answer!

Thinking of this, Fan Yuanhai suddenly stood at the door of the Head Constable's room and shouted, "Zhu Baogui, come here!"

Zhu Baogui was chatting with Liu Kui over there, and when he suddenly heard Fan Yuanhai calling him, he panicked, immediately ran over, stood at the door, and respectfully cupped his hands, saying, "Imperial Envoy!"

Fan Yuanhai was deep in thought, then suddenly turned around, looked at Zhu Baogui, and said, "Has Yang Zhen lived in Wutong Lane since he was a child?"

Zhu Baogui was stunned for a moment and said, "Yes. He is currently living in his family's old house."

Fan Yuanhai paced a few steps and asked, "Zhu Baogui, I am asking you a question; think carefully before you answer me!"

Seeing Fan Yuanhai's grave expression, Zhu Baogui said solemnly, "Please ask, Imperial Envoy."

Fan Yuanhai said, "When Xie Daohan's corpse was discovered the day before yesterday, what was Yang Zhen's reaction? Was there anything unusual?"

This question from Fan Yuanhai made Zhu Baogui's heart skip a beat; the way Yang Zhen looked at Xie Daohan's corpse, that dazed expression, flashed through Zhu Baogui's mind.

Zhu Baogui pondered repeatedly and stammered, "Imperial Envoy, this... it's not easy to say..."

"Just tell me if Yang Zhen's reaction was normal," Fan Yuanhai said with some impatience.

"It seems... it was a bit unusual..." Zhu Baogui's tone was clearly uncertain.

"In what way was it unusual?" Fan Yuanhai pressed.

Zhu Baogui stammered, "He just stared blankly at the Head's corpse. It seemed he showed neither anger nor surprise! I didn't pay attention to these things at the time, but now that the Imperial Envoy has pointed it out, it does seem a bit unusual..."

Fan Yuanhai sneered and thought to himself: Of course he wouldn't be angry or surprised, because he himself was one of the murderers. It's a pity he didn't expect that he would eventually be silenced by someone else as well.

What a fine job of destroying the evidence!

Fan Yuanhai paced in front of the desk; he realized he had already sorted out all the loose ends of this case.

"What a Duan Rong! Truly, poor mountains and treacherous waters produce crafty people!" Fan Yuanhai muttered to himself, then suddenly turned his head to look at Zhu Baogui and said in a deep voice, "Find me a fast horse! I need to leave the city now!"

Zhu Baogui's heart jumped. He did not know why this young Sect Emissary acted so erratically; he was just asking about the case, and now he suddenly wanted to leave the city!

Seeing Zhu Baogui still standing there blankly, Fan Yuanhai suddenly flew into a rage and cursed, "Why are you still standing there? If you delay my time, I'll slaughter you!"

Zhu Baogui shrank his neck and immediately turned to run toward the stables.

A few breaths later, Fan Yuanhai rode a black steed, charged out of the County Government Office, galloped along West Street, and bumped into several pedestrians along the way, causing a commotion...

Just as Fan Yuanhai was riding the black steed, charging out of the East City Gate and heading away, Shi Kang of the Ximen Mansion slowly stopped a carriage beside the side gate of the Xia Mansion.

Ximen Yong held two wooden boxes, jumped off the carriage, and was preparing to walk to the main gate of the Xia Mansion to knock and pay a visit.

Ximen Yong also knew that Ximen Kankan had gone too far in this matter, but he and Xia Zhongyang were old friends of many years; as the saying goes, one does not hit a smiling face. He thought that if he visited a few more times, the rift could always be repaired.

Just as Ximen Yong jumped off the carriage, he saw a donkey pulling a flatbed cart coming out from the side gate, clippity-clopping along.

An old man was sitting at the front of the flatbed cart, and on the cart behind him was a human-shaped "blood gourd," its entire body beaten to a pulp, its facial features blurred, no longer looking like a human.

Ximen Yong stepped closer and asked in a low voice, "Dad, what happened here?"

The old man sighed and said, "It's that poor girl Xueqing! I don't know how she offended the master! She was whipped to death and ended up like this; it's truly a sin!"

Ximen Yong looked at the hair of the bloody mess and the blood-stained skirt, and it really did seem to be Xueqing.

Ximen Yong shuddered instantly, tightened his grip on the two wooden boxes he was holding, and hesitated in his steps; he turned back to the carriage, looked at Shi Kang, and said, "Let's go back first. We'll come again another day!"

Ximen Yong sat back in the carriage, let out a long, heavy sigh, and cursed, "That little brat, he really is a handful; he had to stir up such big trouble right before leaving!"

(End of chapter)