Chapter 28: Case

Zhang He, flung backward, clutched his face and dared not speak.

The man in blue hurried forward to mediate, saying:

"My lord, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on the Young Master; the Six Fan men had long planned this—it was truly impossible to guard against."

Gao Changrui slowly calmed himself, glared fiercely at Zhang He, then turned his gaze to Guan Shanxue.

After a moment's thought, he instructed the man in blue:

"Zhu Zhi, go notify the Six Fan—they'll handle this woman. Let this matter end here."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhi frowned in confusion and hesitated to ask:

"My lord, are we really just letting this go?"

"What else can we do? The Seventh Imperial Prince still languishes in the Heavenly Prison; the Ministry of Revenue is now leaderless, and the Minister is barely holding on amid the infighting among those princes."

Gao Changrui sighed, a deep weariness settling on his face, and said:

"Everything must wait until the Seventh Imperial Prince's affair is settled. Under these circumstances, siding with any faction would be unwise."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Zhi and patted his shoulder:

"We must tread each step with utmost caution—lose but one step, and we'll fall into irredeemable ruin."

"Remember: from now on, be extra careful in all matters. Go."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhi nodded and said nothing more, turning to leave.

Gao Changrui did not linger either, walking out of the room at once.

But as he passed Zhang He, he kicked him hard:

"Get the hell out of here!"

"Big Uncle, I'm wrong—I won't dare speak out of turn again!"

Zhang He cowered, shouting as he scrambled away on hands and knees.

Yet the instant he turned his head, a faint, venomous malice flashed across his face.

……

The headquarters of the Six Fan stood at the central axis of Zhu Que Avenue, its gate triple-arched with six doors total.

The towering crimson lintel, the bronze-cast gates, the stern, imposing martial lions before them—all radiated solemnity and deadly menace.

Every commoner passing by was awed into silence, keeping respectfully distant.

As one of the Three Great Institutions directly under Emperor Yuanwu's command, the Six Fan's duties extended beyond capturing thieves and investigating crimes—it was also responsible for overseeing all martial sects across the realm.

This granted it a pivotal position within both court and underworld.

Some even in the martial world jokingly called the Six Fan the Fifth Great Sect, after the Four Major Sects…

At this moment, Ji Feiyun dismounted before the Six Fan headquarters and strode inside with long, swift steps.

The Constables on duty at the gate bowed respectfully; Zhou Chuan and Guo Ning'er followed closely behind him.

Once inside the headquarters, Zhou Chuan, his face grim, spoke in a low voice:

"Chief, I messed this up—I accept any punishment."

Ji Feiyun walked straight through the front courtyard without glancing aside, waving a hand:

"This isn't your fault. Had it not been for Guan Shanxue, you might have succeeded."

As he spoke, Ji Feiyun entered an official office hall and sat before a desk.

He swiftly penned a letter, handing it to Guo Ning'er standing before him:

"Ning'er, take this letter to Chief Lin at the Fifth Imperial Prince's residence."

Then he scanned the three before him and said:

"After today's events, Gao Changrui will be on guard—don't waste time on him for now."

Here, Ji Feiyun paused in thought, then turned to Zhou Chuan:

"Can you follow someone for me?"

"Who, Chief?"

Zhou Chuan asked quickly—he excelled in concealed weapons and lightness arts, and was always the best at tailing people.

Within the Six Fan, he was known as "Meteor Leg"; Ji Feiyun entrusted him with tracking precisely because of these skills, and Zhou Chuan hoped to redeem himself.

"You saw the young man beside Cang Yin Yue today—I want you to follow him."

Ji Feiyun spoke slowly; Zhou Chuan blinked in surprise, puzzled why he'd be assigned to tail a complete stranger.

Ji Feiyun clearly saw his confusion, tapped the desk with a finger, and said:

"Based on my years in the Six Fan, I feel this man is no ordinary fellow. He was far too calm facing both Guan Shanxue and me."

"I suspect he possesses not only formidable martial cultivation but also an extremely potent body movement martial art."

Then he shook his head and chuckled:

"Then again, I'm doing this for Brother Fu's sake—this man appeared out of nowhere beside Cang Yin Yue, and he's absurdly handsome. We can't afford to ignore him."

Hearing this, Guo Ning'er covered her mouth and giggled, looking at Ji Feiyun:

"Chief, your bond with Brother Fu is like brothers. But someone as formidable and outstanding as Brother Fu is rare in this world—I think Cang Captain knows how to choose."

"I hope so. Let's just hope she doesn't do something foolish."

Ji Feiyun's eyes subtly narrowed, then he waved his hand:

"Enough. Go do your tasks."

Hearing this, Zhou Chuan and Guo Ning'er replied and turned to leave the hall.

The remaining giant, Cao Po, scratched his head and spoke up:

"Chief, got any task for me?"

Ji Feiyun rose from behind the desk, his gaze sharpening:

"Naturally there is a matter, and it is no small one. In a while, you will go with me to the Aurora Pavilion."

Hearing this, Cao Po's face immediately showed a look of surprise:

"Has something happened to the Aurora Pavilion?"

As he spoke, he shook his head on his own again:

"But the Tianjin Guard is stationed there, with guards严密 on the inside and outside; according to reason, this should not be the case."

Ji Feiyun let out a cold sneer, and while walking out of the hall, he spoke:

"Last night, in a single night, five people suddenly died in the Aurora Pavilion. The Tianjin Guard could not find the cause, so they handed it over to our Six Fan Gate."

"Originally, the Divine Constable required Elder Brother Fu to go personally, but he is investigating another case and cannot free himself for the moment, so this matter has fallen to me."

Upon hearing this, Cao Po hurriedly followed, his gaze shifting, and said:

"Now almost the entire Imperial Capital is watching the Aurora Pavilion. If the Chief can solve this case, it will not only be a great achievement, but in the future, he will likely become famous throughout the Imperial Capital!"

Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Ji Feiyun's eyes, but he quickly shook his head again and said:

"The Tianjin Guard are not there to eat dry rice; even they cannot handle this case, so this matter is estimated to be very不简单."

Just in the gap while Ji Feiyun was speaking, the two had already arrived at the courtyard of the yamen.

But the next moment, Ji Feiyun suddenly stopped and looked toward the main gate.

He saw two Constables carrying a stretcher walking in hurriedly, and the person lying on the stretcher was none other than Guan Shanxue.

(End of this chapter)