Chapter 463: Double Act

A carriage was traveling on the bluestone street of Shenyun Prefecture.

The wooden wheels, wrapped in animal hide, ground against the bluestone slabs, emitting a rumbling sound.

This carriage was not particularly conspicuous on the streets of Shenyun Prefecture; it could not be called luxurious, and was even slightly shabby.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Zhe lazily stretched his back, lifted a corner of the curtain, squinted at the street scene outside, and laughed, "I suppose it's good timing; I woke up just as we arrived."

Jiang Zhe lowered the curtain, looked at Liu Shushan, who was sitting opposite him looking somewhat restrained, and said, "Shushan, you should have been to Shenyun Prefecture before, right?"

Liu Shushan smiled with a slightly embarrassed expression and said, "I have been here in a hurry a few times."

In a corner not far from Liu Shushan sat an old man with a gloomy face. The old man had a "strangers keep away" expression and was sitting there with his eyes closed to rest his mind.

Having traveled all the way with him, Jiang Zhe and Liu Shushan had grown accustomed to the old man's eccentric temperament; the two chatted to themselves, acting as if the old man did not exist.

Jiang Zhe nodded and said, "Master asked me to bring you here to gain some experience, which also means he wants you to grow as quickly as possible. We have few hands at Qingling Peak, so put your heart into it; next time you come, perhaps you will be the one holding down the fort!"

Liu Shushan said respectfully, "Don't worry, Senior Brother, I will certainly put my heart into it."

"Mm," Jiang Zhe said. "Once we reach Dali Temple, watch more and speak less."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Not long after, this slightly shabby carriage stopped in front of the stone steps before the entrance of Dali Temple.

The pockmarked man, who was lying at a simple table not far from the stone steps and had been assigned to handle affairs for Outer Sect Disciples at Dali Temple, turned his head at the sound. He saw two young men in green shirts jump off the carriage, followed by an old man in wrinkled clothes who also jumped down, with a pitch-black iron box strapped to his back.

The visibly older young man instructed the servant driving the carriage, "Take the carriage to the post house."

"Yes, My Lord!" the servant coachman replied, then lightly flicked the horse's rump with his whip and drove away, accompanied by the rumbling sound of the wheels.

Upon hearing the words "post house," the pockmarked man's eyes swept over the faces of the two young men even more intently.

At the entrance of Dali Temple, a middle-aged clerk had long been waiting there. Seeing two young men and an old man jump off the carriage, he was slightly stunned, because Chen Shanmeng had instructed him that there was still a Lord Jiang Zhe who had not yet arrived, and told him to welcome him at the entrance.

Chen Shanmeng had spoken of one Lord, yet here came two people, plus an old man.

The middle-aged clerk hesitated only slightly before quickly walking down the steps with a clatter. He bowed to the waist toward the two young men and asked respectfully, "May I ask, has Lord Jiang Zhe arrived?"

"I am Jiang Zhe."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged clerk immediately prostrated himself and knelt, calling out, "This humble one welcomes My Lord."

"Get up!" Jiang Zhe said. "Have Lord Yang and Lord Lu arrived yet?"

The middle-aged clerk stood up and replied, "The two Lords have already arrived. They are in the main hall."

Jiang Zhe said, "Then let's go, lead the way."

"Yes!" The middle-aged clerk glanced at Liu Shushan, who was standing behind Jiang Zhe, and then walked up the steps. Jiang Zhe, Liu Shushan, and the old man all followed the middle-aged clerk into Dali Temple.

Although Chen Shanmeng said one had not yet arrived, there were two others who were clearly brought by Lord Jiang, so he could not manage that and naturally brought them all into Dali Temple.

Even though the old man looked strange, he did not dare to stop him indiscriminately.

After all, he was only a small clerk in Dali Temple, and these were personal disciples of the Sect—people whom even Wang Maochun and Chen Shanmeng would have to prostrate and kowtow to upon seeing; how could he manage them? Even if Lord Jiang had brought a stark-naked woman, he would have brought her into Dali Temple without a word.

Whose turn was it for him to manage the affairs of the Lords?

The middle-aged clerk led Jiang Zhe and his party to the entrance of the main hall. He stood at the entrance, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "My Lords, we have arrived at the main hall!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Jiang Zhe had already stepped inside.

The middle-aged clerk waited a moment before straightening his back and retreating.

In the main hall of Dali Temple, the original high-backed desk had been removed and replaced with a longer table, with three grand chairs placed behind it. At this moment, Yang Yi and Lu Geng were already seated in the left and right grand chairs, leaving only the middle one empty. Upon seeing Jiang Zhe enter, Yang Yi immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and laughed, "Lord Jiang, a pleasure to meet you!"

Lu Geng also stood up and said, "Brother Jiang, I trust you have been well!"

The two had slightly different ways of addressing Jiang Zhe, which was truly because their statuses were different.

Although Yang Yi and Lu Geng represented the Ruling Sect Justice Division and the Inner History Department respectively,

Lu Geng, like Jiang Zhe, held the status of a personal disciple.

Yang Yi, however, was actually nothing more than a Registered Disciple. That year at the Yougu test, he hadn't even crossed the White Line; it was only because he was the nephew of Yang Sixuan, and Yang Sixuan had not yet taken any disciples, that many matters were handed to him to handle. Though his status was low, he held considerable real power. Seeing Jiang Zhe, according to protocol, he naturally had to address him as "My Lord."

Below the judgment desk in the main hall, Chen Shanmeng, Ge Hengtai, and Lin Yuan were sitting on two rows of grand chairs. Seeing Yang Yi and Lu Geng stand up, they knew Jiang Zhe had arrived and immediately stood up to kneel and kowtow.

Jiang Zhe acted as if he hadn't seen the three people prostrating on the ground at all, walking straight to the front of Yang Yi and Lu Geng, cupping his hands and laughing, "Two brothers, I have arrived late!"

"Not late, just in time," Lu Geng said with a smile, gesturing toward the center seat, "Brother Jiang, please take your seat!"

Jiang Zhe laughed aloud and said, "Brother Lu, you are roasting me over a fire! How could I possibly sit in the center seat of this hall?"

Jiang Zhe glanced at Yang Yi and said, "After all, this is a trial! Among the three offices—the Ruling Sect Justice Division, the Inner History Department, and the Office of Transmission—the Ruling Sect Justice Division handles the major cases of the Sect. I think it is most appropriate for Brother Yang to sit in the center seat."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi immediately waved his hands repeatedly and said, "If Lord Jiang says so, I wouldn't even dare to sit in these side seats."

Although Yang Yi was only a Registered Disciple, Yang Sixuan was a trusted aide of Chu Qiushan; on this point alone, no one dared to look down on him.

Lu Geng, however, said, "Brother Jiang, if we keep pushing each other like this, we will only be making a laughingstock of ourselves in front of our subordinates."

Jiang Zhe glanced at the three people prostrating on the ground below the hall, smiled slightly, and said, "Fine, since I am the one who arrived late, I deserve this punishment."

As Jiang Zhe spoke, he stepped to the center seat. Standing there, he looked at the old man with the pitch-black iron medicine box on his back at the entrance and said, "Pharmacist Guo, I must trouble you to sit there and wait for a while."

Upon hearing this, the old man said nothing and sat down in one of the grand chairs.

Lu Geng had already scanned the old man several times, especially the box he was carrying on his back, which looked strange no matter how he looked at it. Only when he heard Jiang Zhe call him a Pharmacist did a light go on in Lu Geng's heart.

Only then did Jiang Zhe lift his robe and sit in the center seat of the main hall, after which Lu Geng and Yang Yi also took their respective seats.

Sitting there, Jiang Zhe took a look at Liu Shushan, who was standing below the hall, and instructed, "Shushan, you may sit below; put your heart into it."

"Yes, Senior Brother!" Liu Shushan said, cupping his hands, and sat in the grand chair closest to the entrance.

Lu Geng and Yang Yi had been wondering who the young man who came in with Jiang Zhe was. Now, seeing him call Jiang Zhe "Senior Brother," they immediately understood; Ge Rusong had only just taken a disciple over two months ago, and it was said his talent was quite good.

After Liu Shushan sat down, Yang Yi looked at the three people prostrating on the ground and said, "The three of you may rise; it is time to discuss the matter."

"Yes!" Chen Shanmeng, Ge Hengtai, and Lin Yuan then stood up and sat down hunched over.

Yang Yi looked at Chen Shanmeng and said, "Lord Chen, Dali Temple should have already conducted a preliminary investigation into the Li Shensi case. Is there a document with the preliminary investigation results?"

Chen Shanmeng immediately stood up, took three documents out of his sleeves, placed them one by one in front of the three people at the judgment desk, stepped back several paces, bowed, and said, "These are the results of the preliminary investigations by Dali Temple, the Advisory Office, and the Guanglu Prefecture. Please examine them, my three Lords."

Jiang Zhe, Lu Geng, and Yang Yi picked up the documents and quickly browsed through them.

Jiang Zhe said: "Lord Chen, this preliminary investigation has no conclusion?"

Chen Shanmeng said: "This subordinate is dull and has not discovered the cause of Li Shensi's death."

Jiang Zhe pressed: "Then what about the deduction?"

"This..." Chen Shanmeng hesitated.

Jiang Zhe said: "Lord Chen is also a veteran of criminal law for decades. As for that nonsense, that Li Shensi died because he offended the Rhinoceros Immortal... Lord Chen surely doesn't believe such absurd remarks, right? After an investigation, you surely don't have even a single thought! It doesn't matter if it isn't written in the document; now we are deliberating, Lord Chen need not have any concerns, you can just say whatever thoughts you have."

Chen Shanmeng stood there, already breaking out in a cold sweat. He took a deep breath, but still boldly cupped his hands and said: "Reporting to the three lords, although the death of Li Shensi is extremely suspicious, Chen truly has not found any clues, let alone any deductive direction for investigation. I hope the lords will forgive my crime."

As Chen Shanmeng spoke, he prostrated himself on the ground again.

Jiang Zhe looked at Chen Shanmeng kneeling there, his expression suddenly becoming very ugly.

Although Chen Shanmeng's etiquette was respectful, his words were very firm; this person had clearly resisted his pressure in the hall.

At this moment, Ge Hengtai suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice: "Three lords, this subordinate has something to report!"

Jiang Zhe's expression eased slightly, and he looked at Ge Hengtai: "Lord Ge, please speak!"

Ge Hengtai said: "The talk of the Rhinoceros Immortal is purely street gossip. In this subordinate's view, Li Shensi was poisoned by some kind of toxin, which caused him to go mad and jump off the cliff to his death."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhe nodded slightly. Yang Yi and Lu Geng, however, both looked at him with expressionless faces.

Ge Hengtai continued: "It is just that Li Shensi was at the True Qi Realm Fourth Layer; ordinary worldly toxins could not possibly penetrate his protective True Qi. The only explanation is that the toxin came from beneath Changliu Mountain, from the Dark Forest in the Underground World. Only the toxins in the Dark Forest can erode True Qi, and some toxins can even penetrate vital energy."

As Ge Hengtai said this, the old man who had been sitting in the corner with his head down without speaking suddenly raised his head and stared straight at Ge Hengtai.

The expressions of Yang Yi and Lu Geng were also somewhat strange. Ge Hengtai was merely a worldly figure; the details of the Dark Forest were secrets within the Sect. How could he know them so well and speak of them so definitively at this time?

These words were clearly taught to him by someone!

Jiang Zhe said: "What you say makes sense! If Li Shensi wasn't poisoned, could he really have been killed by some Rhinoceros Immortal? How can the dignified Dali Temple be so absurd!?"

When Jiang Zhe said that last sentence, he glared at Chen Shanmeng, who was prostrate on the ground not far away.

"The lord is wise!" Ge Hengtai cupped his hands and said: "Moreover, at the time of Li Shensi's murder, there was a personal disciple of the Sect lurking in Shenyun Prefecture. Ge highly suspects that this person is connected to Li Shensi's death."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhe cleared his throat, glanced sideways at Lu Geng beside him, and said: "Brother Lu, as far as Jiang knows, the person Lord Ge is talking about should be your Disciple Duan Rong, right?"

Lu Geng sneered. The double act of Jiang Zhe and Ge Hengtai really made him feel a bit like vomiting. However, he suppressed the nausea in his heart and said solemnly: "That is correct. My Disciple Duan Rong did indeed enter Shenyun Prefecture a few days ago, but he was acting under the orders of my master to secretly investigate spies within Shenyun Prefecture. He has absolutely no connection to the death of Li Shensi."

A flash of anger crossed Jiang Zhe's face, and he mocked: "Brother Lu, you really are a master of divination! I think you should just set up a fortune-telling stall at the street corner and tell fortunes for people."

"You..."

Jiang Zhe said: "Just because you say there is no connection doesn't mean there isn't! Why do I think your Disciple is highly suspicious!"

Before Jiang Zhe came, Ge Rusong had instructed him to bite onto Duan Rong, confirm the charges, and drag out Zhu He behind him. From the moment he entered, he had no intention of speaking properly with Lu Geng.

Lu Geng sneered: "Brother Jiang, we are trying a case, not biting people. You can't just rely on suspicion; you must have evidence."

Jiang Zhe said: "Well said! Evidence will be had once we try the case."

After Jiang Zhe finished speaking, he suddenly looked at Chen Shanmeng, who was still prostrate before the desk, and shouted: "Lord Chen, take your men from Dali Temple and bring Duan Rong here for trial!"

Hearing this, Chen Shanmeng let out an "ah" sound, his eyes hesitant, not knowing how to respond.

Lu Geng said: "Wait! My Disciple is on a mission; how would he have time to play games with you? The document says the Coroner of Dali Temple has already examined him, and Li Shensi was not poisoned at all."

Jiang Zhe said: "How could a worldly Coroner detect the poison from the Dark Forest? I have already brought a Pharmacist from the Sect."

Lu Geng said: "Since you have brought a Pharmacist, then let's verify the poison first."

Lu Geng knew that Duan Rong had said the poison on Li Shensi's body had already evaporated completely, so even a Pharmacist could not possibly detect it. That was why he said this, to avoid Duan Rong being brought here to be humiliated.

Jiang Zhe said: "Since there is suspicion, try the case first, then verify."

Lu Geng said: "Verify first, then try!"

The two argued without reaching an agreement and looked together at Yang Yi, who was sitting to the side. "Yang Yi, you speak!"

After all, the three of them were in charge of this case. Since the two held different opinions, it depended on whom Yang Yi agreed with.

Seeing the two looking at him, Yang Yi was unhurried. He had followed Yang Sixuan and tried countless cases. Although his cultivation was not great, his thinking was very clear.

Yang Yi turned his head to look at the old man sitting in the corner and asked: "Pharmacist Guo, may I ask, how long does it take to verify the toxins from the Dark Forest and get a result?"

Seeing someone asking, the old man opened his eyes, but his gaze was fixed on the void in front of him. Without even looking at Yang Yi and the others, he said: "If it's fast, it can be verified in a moment. If it's slow, it will take at most one hour."

Yang Yi smiled slightly, looked at Jiang Zhe and Lu Geng, and said: "I think it would be better to let Pharmacist Guo verify it first. It will only take at most one hour."

Seeing Yang Yi say this, Jiang Zhe sat there with a straight face, not saying a word.

Seeing that Jiang Zhe and Lu Geng were both silent, Yang Yi had no choice but to look at Chen Shanmeng and say: "Lord Chen, where is Li Shensi's corpse?"

Before Chen Shanmeng could speak, Ge Hengtai snatched the words and said: "Reporting to the lord, Li Shensi's corpse was brought back to the Ya Men of Dali Temple that very day and sealed in the ice cellar! People from Dali Temple, the Advisory Office, and Guanglu Prefecture are jointly guarding it there."

Yang Yi said: "That is excellent. Then Lord Ge, lead the way, and we will go with Pharmacist Guo to see Li Shensi's corpse. We can't have been trying the case for half a day and not even have seen the body, right?"

Yang Yi was also a long-time investigator on the front lines at the Ruling Sect Justice Division, and he really disliked the style of Jiang Zhe and Lu Geng, who just used documents to engage in verbal warfare.

As Yang Yi spoke, he turned his head to look at Jiang Zhe and Lu Geng and asked: "Lord Jiang, Lord Lu, shall we go together?"

Hearing this, Jiang Zhe and Lu Geng rose with Yang Yi, and the group left the main hall together.

After the crowd left, Chen Shanmeng slumped. At this moment, a hand suddenly supported him; it was Lin Yuan, the Director of the Privy Council.

Lin Yuan helped up the somewhat limp Chen Shanmeng and said: "Lord Chen, you did well today!"

Chen Shanmeng's forehead was covered in fine sweat, and he smiled bitterly: "Lord Lin, there is no 'well' or 'not well'; Chen could only do this. One cannot afford to touch the whirlpool of these two sides fighting at all!"

Lin Yuan sighed: "Indeed! It is truly impossible to touch it at all."

"Like walking on thin ice!" Chen Shanmeng said while wiping the fine sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Lin Yuan said: "Although one can stand firmly on the shore, if one stands in the wrong place, one will die miserably. Although this ice looks dangerous, as long as one knows how to skate, one won't die, right?"

Chen Shanmeng chuckled and said: "You see it clearly! You see it clearly!"

(End of chapter)