Chapter 12: The dust has settled! A scare but no harm!

Silence!

Deathly silence!

The white-clad youth's sudden burst caught Qin Shuo off guard.

Qin Lan beside him was terrified and burst into tears on the spot.

"Big… sir, my brother wouldn't kill anyone… sob… he wouldn't kill anyone…"

The two gatekeepers heard the shout and rushed in; their gaze at Qin Shuo was stern with a hint of strangeness.

"Damn! Really that coincidental?"

Qin Shuo's heart churned with shock, but his expression didn't change at all.

The white-clad youth stood with hand on sword, his whole body like a tiger bursting from a gate, aura overwhelming, pressing Qin Shuo so hard he could barely breathe.

"Wrong! Wrong! He's tricking me.

"It's absolutely impossible for such a coincidence! I won't be fooled!"

Qin Shuo forced himself to calm down, quickly analyzing the situation.

An ordinary person, under such continuous high-pressure interrogation, suddenly startled like this, if they really had a guilty conscience, would surely not be able to hide it.

But Qin Shuo is different; the more nervous and flustered he gets, the calmer his heart becomes.

Just like that day on Old Ginseng Mountain, the more perilous the situation, the more it stirred his will to survive, letting him calm down quickly.

"Big… sir, I'm innocent!"

Qin Shuo bent his waist further, trembling as he spoke:

"That Li Lao Shi is lying; I went into Black Wind Valley that day and didn't see him at all, please investigate, sir."

Now there's nothing for it but to insist Li Lao Shi lied.

Whether Li Lao Shi really went to Black Wind Valley or the white-clad youth fabricated it, I still have room to maneuver.

Moreover, Qin Shuo suspects that Li Lao Shi's presence in Black Wind Valley that day was mostly fabricated by the white-clad youth.

Otherwise, why did he show no reaction when I first mentioned Black Wind Valley?

Only when I was asked why I returned late did he suddenly challenge me.

This is clearly a spur‑of‑the‑moment ploy to catch me off guard.

Damn it!

Which bastard said ancient people aren't smart?

This white‑clad youth before me not only wields high‑pressure interrogation like a pro, his grasp of a criminal's psychology comes as naturally as breathing.

Had Qin Shuo read two years less and watched fewer police‑interrogation TV dramas, he might really have fallen into this white‑clad youth's hands today.

"Grandma's bear! Are these ancient constables all this treacherous?"

Qin Shuo muttered to himself.

"Are you sure you didn't see Li Lao Shi?"

The white‑clad youth raised his voice another notch, his eyes as sharp and frightening as a blade, turning Qin Lan's face pale with fear.

"Certain."

Qin Shuo's tone was firm.

"I lingered outside Black Wind Valley that day for a long time; if he'd been there, I'd surely have seen him."

"Sir… Li Lao Shi is lying; the killer must be him."

Qin Shuo turned the tables.

Regardless of whether Li Lao Shi really went to Black Wind Valley, first we must lock down our story.

"Whether Li Lao Shi lied or not, I will investigate it myself."

"But if you're lying…"

The white‑clad youth's tone paused, a flash of icy menace crossing his eyes.

"I, a commoner, dare not!"

Qin Shuo hastily lowered his head.

"Do as you please!"

The white‑clad youth eased his aura, turned and strode toward the door.

The two constables followed closely behind and left.

Only after leaving the courtyard did the white‑clad youth's expression gradually relax.

"Could it really not be this youth?"

He Mingjing muttered to himself.

Among all the hunters he had investigated, Qin Shuo was the biggest suspect.

He was certain the killer wasn't some demon but a hunter…

Because he found traces of opposing arrows in the forest outside Old Ginseng Mountain.

That crime scene had been carefully cleaned up, but thanks to his years of investigative experience he still noticed a clue.

"Forget it, investigating cases isn't my forte; this case has nothing to do with demons, so let the county yamen handle its own headache—getting the real work done is what matters."

He Mingjing sighed inwardly.

He came for demons, but this case is clearly man‑made, not a demonic calamity, beyond his jurisdiction.

If Qin Shuo knew what He Mingjing was thinking right now, he'd surely curse his mother.

"Hey, you're not even good at investigating cases? I'm about to be scared to death by you!"

The two constables closely followed He Mingjing out of Yellow Mud Alley.

All the way to Locust Tree Square, the slightly shorter constable finally spoke, bewildered:

Lord He, Li Lao Shi from Langqiao Street didn't leave the city five days ago, did he? Why...

He hadn't finished speaking when another constable interrupted him,

"Stupid, Lord He is tricking that kid, you can't even tell?"

"Ah?"

The short constable opened his mouth wide, then immediately looked enlightened.

"Well... if it's not that young man... could it really be a demon?"

When mentioning demons, the short constable unconsciously shrank his neck.

"What demons are there in this world? Don't scare yourself."

The other constable scolded.

"Lord He, are there really no demons in this world?"

The short constable was unwilling, but still voiced the doubt in his heart.

It was clear that He Mingjing's status was not low, making both constables feel reverent.

"Even if there really are demons in this world, it couldn't be a demon that killed those three hunters and ginseng pickers."

After deciding not to concern himself with this matter anymore, He Mingjing lost the sternness he had when at Qin Shuo's home, instead giving off a gentle, refined impression.

"Why?"

This time, the one who spoke up was not the short constable, but the tall one.

He had always been very curious about Lord He.

His origins were mysterious; even the County Magistrate treated him with great respect, not daring to defy him in the slightest.

After he arrived, all the bailiffs in the county office had to follow his orders.

But when they asked about Lord He's background, the County Magistrate said nothing, only telling them to obey orders and not ask further.

This made all the officials and bailiffs in the county office extremely curious about Lord He.

"Demons aren't that bored to attack ordinary people for no reason. Even if they did, they wouldn't use bows and arrows."

He Mingjing shook his head, said no more, and strode toward the county office.

Seeing off the white-clad youth and the others as they left.

Qin Shuo closed the gate, and a large patch of his clothing on his back was soaked with sweat.

That white-clad youth was really troublesome; he almost exposed him.

"From now on, when we meet him, we should keep our distance."

Qin Shuo secretly warned himself, placing that white-clad youth in the danger category.

But after this incident, Qin Shuo also understood that the matter of Old Ginseng Mountain was completely settled.

The white-clad youth finally let him off with a casual remark, indicating that the other side had found no substantive evidence and was merely trying to trick him.

As for Li Lao Shi's statement that day in Black Wind Valley, that too was just a casual fabrication by the white-clad youth.

Otherwise, the other side would definitely have arrested him and taken him to the county office to confront Li Lao Shi face to face.

Sigh~

A scare but no danger!

Qin Shuo took a long breath, properly comforted the frightened Qin Lan whose soul had almost left her body, then went into the kitchen to light the fire and cook.

After dinner, Qin Shuo proceeded with his archery training as usual.

【Ingredients: Iron Fetal Bow】

【Current refinement progress: 40%】

Looking at the progress bar that was about to exceed halfway, Qin Shuo felt full of motivation.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The Old Ginseng Mountain demon calamity was completely quelled.

Days once again returned to their former tranquility.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In the courtyard.

Qin Shuo drawing his bow was like a thunderclap.

Each time he drew the bow, the bowstring was pulled taut like a full moon, nearly reaching its limit.

Back when he first borrowed this bow from Zhang Xiong, he could only pull it back one-third of the way.

Since he began refining the White Jade Ginseng King, his arm strength has increased every day.

Now, pulling the Iron Fetal Bow presents no difficulty for him; he can easily draw it to a full circle.

And his arm strength has reached an astonishing level, easily lifting stone weights of several hundred jin over his head, his strength amazing.

However, after over ten days of refining, the White Jade Ginseng King has also been consumed by more than half.

From originally over a foot long, it has shrunk to the length of chopsticks, and the ginseng body, once as thick as an arm, is now only as thick as a rolling pin.

His daily number of bow draws also increased from three hundred per day at the start to eight hundred per day now.

At this rate, in just a few days he will be able to fully refine the Iron Fetal Bow, gaining the abilities of 【Piercing Willow from a Hundred Steps】 and 【Shooting Stone and Drinking Feather】.

【Ingredients: Iron Fetal Bow】

【Current refinement progress: 58%】

……

【Current refinement progress: 59%】

……

【Current refinement progress: 60%】

End of the day's training.

Qin Shuo only felt himself spirited and full of strength, not feeling any fatigue.

"Tomorrow I'll take the iron-fetal bow into the mountains; with this divine bow's help, maybe I can hunt a few yellow goats and soon earn enough money to study martial arts."

Qin Shuo made up his mind.

These past few days, his daily income has been around four hundred wen, already far surpassing that of other hunters, but it's still not enough.

To raise fifteen taels of silver to enter the inner city and study martial arts, he must bag some big game; otherwise it will be hard to save enough money in a short time.

"Perhaps we can try entering Blackwind Valley."

Qin Shuo pondered.

Dragon Tree Gully, Lion's Den, Northview Slope...

He has already traversed all these places.

He has caught plenty of pheasants and hares, but big game like wild boars, roe deer, and yellow goats are rare.

The roe deer and wild boar he had encountered once in Dragon Tree Gully have not appeared again since.

"That's settled then!"

Qin Shuo has never been one to hesitate; when he thinks of something, he just does it—win or lose, he'll talk about it after doing it.