Chapter 169: Ledgers, Silencing!

With Ma Yunfeng's tiger skin pulled as cover, Jia Simou had no choice but to cooperate with Chu Danqing in the investigation.

They first searched Lou Yuesheng's room, hoping to find some trace of evidence.

The truth proved that Chu Danqing, not trained in criminal investigation, found no useful leads.

It was the constable and the constables who confirmed that Lou Yuesheng's room was the primary crime scene.

They also reconstructed part of the sequence, though it was rather crude.

The final conclusion was that the killer was a master.

This conclusion was as good as saying nothing—Chu Danqing already knew that without them telling him.

"Young Master Chu, catching the killer will be difficult," the constable said the moment he finished clearing the scene, delivering a blow to morale.

If it were an ordinary person, there might still be a chance to catch them, but a master? They come and go unseen—there's simply no chance.

"Why not summon all the masters in the city for questioning?" the constable offered, having no better solution.

In normal times, the constable would never say such a thing—anyone who cultivates has some family backing.

Especially someone who has reached this level—likely worth ten thousand taels of silver, with tangled connections, far beyond what he could afford to offend.

But now, with Chancellor Ma Yunfeng involved, he had some backbone.

"You handle it—go get an order from Master Jia," Chu Danqing said, not intending to pursue this direction.

He suspected someone from Jia Simou's Provincial Governor's office had done it; the constable wouldn't dare summon those people.

"Yes," the constable replied, puzzled internally—why go to Master Jia?

"Where did this come from?" Chu Danqing found a familiar scroll in Lou Yuesheng's sack.

It depicted a yellow, scaled, horned dragon, its form centered on musical notation.

This was one of the Nine Tripod Scrolls—by the dragon son's traits, it should be the Qiuniu Scroll.

"My lord, this is the tune Lou Yuesheng was most skilled in, passed down in his family," the constable immediately said.

Chu Danqing narrowed his eyes: "Aren't you confiscating it?"

"I'm not sure," the constable replied—he had no idea whether to seize it.

In the past, they'd always looted first and asked later, but they knew their limits.

Now was not the time to be greedy.

"I'll take this. Consider it a gift to the Chancellor," Chu Danqing said, slipping it into his pocket.

Ma Yunfeng had already agreed to let him leverage his influence—Chu Danqing had no intention of being polite.

No one dared object; they merely thought internally that this man truly seized every opportunity.

They "understood" Chu Danqing's intent—if it was meant as a gift to Chancellor Ma Yunfeng, who would dare say no?

In truth, they had no real desire for it—even if Chu Danqing didn't take it, it wouldn't end up with them.

"Alright, get back to work. Notify me immediately if you find anything," Chu Danqing said, then left Mei Xiang Garden.

Honestly, he had little confidence in this side quest.

Without the Imperial Guard or the Secret Service, he couldn't expect to uncover anything on his own.

"I wonder if Guo Ming has any ability in this area," Chu Danqing muttered, staring at the Nine Tripod Scroll.

【Qiuniu Scroll · Literary Lineage】

【Type: Equipment · Scroll】

【Quality: Excellent】

【Durability: 100/100】

【Harmony of Ritual and Music (Passive): Equipment and skill cooldown reduced by 3 seconds】

【Fleeting Youth (Passive): Healing effects received reduced by 30%】

【Equipment Requirement: None】

He glanced at it and shoved it into his storage space—his equipment and skills had no cooldown.

Summoning skills mostly lack cooldowns, not because they're overpowered, but because they're rarely used.

Most require mana to sustain them—even Chu Danqing's only active skill, Bodyguard, could only be cast twice consecutively at full mana.

Other types of Acolytes release skills far more frequently, hence the need for cooldowns to protect themselves.

Cooldowns aren't restrictions—they're the Paradise's protective mechanism for Acolytes and their equipment.

Otherwise, high-frequency, high-intensity use would inevitably cause damage.

Under normal conditions, as long as cooldowns are respected and no external attacks occur, equipment durability declines extremely slowly.

You might use it through multiple iterations without any drop at all.

Swords and close-combat weapons are different—they're constantly clashing head-on.

"Another useless item," Chu Danqing knew the Qiuniu Scroll was useless to him, but not necessarily to other Acolytes.

Three seconds isn't much, but not all skills have long cooldowns.

"Then the other Nine Tripod Scroll must be connected to Lou Yuesheng's death."

"I've essentially collected part of the side quest reward in advance," Chu Danqing muttered.

He didn't know if this was good or bad, but he was certain the Nine Tripod Scrolls were likely tied to the Great Shuo Emperor.

"Man, black, woman," Da Bao spoke up.

The female Acolyte who called herself Lian Yun stepped out from a corner.

This time, she wasn't the sultry, alluring figure she'd been in Liu's mansion—she was wrapped up tightly as before.

Chu Danqing ignored her outright.

The road is wide; each walks their own path.

No conflict of interest existed—Chu Danqing wouldn't approach her, nor provoke her.

Each completed their own assessment tasks—nothing to discuss.

Lian Yun's target wasn't Chu Danqing, but the Acolyte who had joined the Provincial Governor's faction.

They were the true enemies; Chu Danqing was neutral.

Lian Yun knew this, which was why she hadn't attacked him.

One enemy Acolyte was already enough to give her headaches—if she angered Chu Danqing too, she'd be dead for sure.

"Liu Bai asked me to deliver a message to you," Lian Yun hadn't appeared here by chance—she'd waited specifically to pass on the message to gain faction contribution.

Joining a faction, activating the faction shop, required contribution as currency to purchase items.

The Driver Acolyte halted the carriage only after receiving Chu Danqing's permission.

"What's the message?" Chu Danqing turned to her and asked.

"I don't know—it's written inside," Lian Yun said, tossing a silk pouch at Chu Danqing.

The Zhi Ge Acolyte reached out first and snatched it.

"I understand. Anything else?" Chu Danqing didn't open it immediately.

"Yes," Lian Yun said: "Interested in cooperating to kill—"

Before she finished, Chu Danqing signaled the Driver Acolyte to leave.

Chu Danqing knew what she was going to say—cooperate to kill the Provincial Governor's faction Acolyte.

Seeing this, Lian Yun turned and walked away—she'd expected this outcome.

On the other side, Chu Danqing returned directly to his rented residence and had the Driver Acolyte open the pouch.

Inside was a single slip of paper, its message simple.

"Ironclad Guard Commander Deng Cheng secretly entered the city last night and is temporarily staying at the Provincial Governor's office?" Chu Danqing narrowed his eyes: "Arrived so quickly."

"Only the first day, and the vanguard's already here."

"Qi Qianshan hasn't come yet—he's preparing a killing blow," Chu Danqing said, igniting the paper with his Fire Elemental Spirit.

As he pondered how to proceed, Wei Chu knocked on the open door and said: "Big Brother Chu, what are you up to?"

"Thinking about Lou Yuesheng's death," Chu Danqing replied.

Wei Chu stepped in and said: "I've uncovered some leads."

Chu Danqing frowned: "Didn't I tell you to disband the intelligence network?"

"Of course I listen to Big Brother Chu—they don't do this anymore," Wei Chu smiled: "But my luck's just that good."

"It's the White Tiger Hall."

"On the night Lou Yuesheng arrived, the White Tiger Hall moved something out of Mei Xiang Garden."

"According to Chen Asi, it was about a dozen large chests—the cart tracks weren't heavy."

"Probably books or paper."

"I suspect it's the Four Great Sects' ledgers—they moved them from Yichun Pavilion to Mei Xiang Garden."

"Then, with Ma Xiang's arrival, they had to move again," Wei Chu said: "I sent Zhou Xiaoqi to follow the trail—he traced it to the White Tiger Hall."

Chu Danqing stared at him with a blank, bewildered expression.

"You're sure this is luck???" Chu Danqing didn't believe it for a second—it was too detailed, almost replicated.

"Yes, it's luck," Wei Chu insisted: "Chen Asi is the night-soil collector; Zhou Xiaoqi is the night watchman."

"Next time, stick to your jobs. Don't get involved," Chu Danqing warned, then sighed: "Alright, what else did your 'luck' turn up?"

Since he'd already gathered the information, Chu Danqing wasn't going to ignore it.

"I suspect Lou Yuesheng learned something he shouldn't have—and was silenced."

"Though Lou Yuesheng was brought here by Jia Simou, he arrived suddenly—the White Tiger Hall may not have received word."

"So they made a mistake and killed him—otherwise, if they meant to kill him, they'd have waited until after hosting Ma Xiang." Wei Chu didn't care about Chu Danqing's emphasis on the word "luck."

Chu Danqing glanced at the sky and said, "I'll go to White Tiger Hall tonight."

Nightfall is not far off; I won't go during daylight.

Because he knew that this time he went, he would have to exterminate the entire clan.

Not seeing him, one could pretend ignorance—but seeing him, sometimes one simply cannot tolerate it.

"I need to inform Ma Yunfeng first. You go deliver the message for me."

"Don't rush back—strengthen your ties with him before returning," Chu Danqing added.

Wei Chu now handled many affairs and naturally understood Chu Danqing's meaning: he wanted Wei Chu to build connections.

"That doesn't seem right," Wei Chu hesitated, not wanting to associate with such high officials.

"There's nothing wrong with it—you can't follow me forever," Chu Danqing said bluntly. "You must think for yourself."

"I can support you only so much. How far you go depends entirely on you."

"I, this—" Wei Chu's mind was muddled; he had never considered how to go on without Chu Danqing.

His confidence came entirely from Chu Danqing's presence.

(End of Chapter)