Chapter 341: Floating Gauze Face

Seeing Pei Ye looked at this sword. There was only silence all around, and the cold mist surging under the peak seemed to stick to his skin. It just lay there on the table, the faint candlelight reflecting a cold, dark metallic luster.

But it finally did not float into the air as imagined. This was the prison of an autumn night, and no supernatural events occurred.

Seeing Pei Ye released the hilt, walked up slowly, grasped the handle, and drew it out with a "clang."

The white blade was as bright as water, with a green hilt wrapped in silk. The sword cast for Kongdong was naturally of top quality, and all the details were proper and solid. Seeing Pei Ye's gaze swept over it inch by inch, but he could not find anything that exceeded a common sword.

A sword could naturally move without being in someone's hand, as long as it was supported by True Qi or Mystic Qi, but the essence was still controlled by a person; it was just that the hand holding the sword had changed from a tangible hand to an intangible one.

That day, Inspector Wuhe had caused a 【Zhe Fengting】 to appear in the Qijiao Manor from four miles away in the Xianren Tower, which was also essentially relying on the connection of Mystic Qi to use the Mystic Scripture.

But this sword before him had been gripped by a Law Enforcement Hall elder at the very first moment of the incident, and it was precisely because it had been tested and found to have no traces of Mystic Qi that it was temporarily placed here so casually.

Of course, relying on some specific program, such as array patterns or magical artifacts, a sword could also use pre-set sword techniques. But like the precise sword strike aimed at the battle situation during the day, it must only come from a human hand.

Because only humans have spirit; if one says a sword has spirit, that only applies to famous swords. This was also the reason why Seeing Pei Ye had not taken Kong Lanting's "living sword" theory too seriously.

But, before him was indeed a sword that had been replaced.

Seeing Pei Ye sheathed the sword, picked it up, and turned back toward the prison. At this moment, footsteps sounded behind him. Seeing Pei Ye turned his head; the person coming was slender and had a calm demeanor. It was precisely that person who was the number one in sword path below the Kongdong crowned men.

Xi Tianji was slightly surprised: "Young Master Pei?"

"Brother Xi." Seeing Pei Ye did not explain his origin, his gaze first falling on the person's robe.

Xi Tianji lowered his head, tugged at his Law Enforcement Hall uniform, and smiled: "The first disciples of each peak must serve in the Law Enforcement Hall for two years—today is not my shift, but the ones left at Caiwu Peak are all children. Before the crime is determined, I came to see the situation."

"You have worked hard." Seeing Pei Ye nodded, and the two went to the prison together, "Brother Xi, have you heard of a 'living sword'?"

"..." Xi Tianji raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Is it what I am thinking of?"

"It is that story that urges your sect's disciples to practice the sword." Seeing Pei Ye said, "Brother Xi, do you know the origin of this saying?"

"... I haven't paid attention to it." Xi Tianji smiled again, his gaze falling on the second sword in Seeing Pei Ye's hand, and he realized, "Does Young Hero Pei feel..."

"Does Brother Xi feel it is possible?"

Xi Tianji was silent for a while, then smiled, gently but firmly shook his head: "That is too much of a fantasy."

"But this sword has been replaced."

"What?"

"This sword is not the one Zhang Jingbi took before going on stage." Seeing Pei Ye handed it to him seriously.

Xi Tianji frowned, took it, drew the sheath to look for a while, but laughed: "This is his sword."

Seeing Pei Ye tilted his head.

"I fear it wasn't 'replaced', he changed it himself." Xi Tianji smiled, "That overly decorated sword was not suitable for sparring, so he changed to the common sword he uses daily—Jingbi has been practicing very diligently these days and has always used this sword. Most likely, he is just used to it."

"..."

Xi Tianji turned the sword in his hand and examined it several times, then said gently: "Young Hero Pei can ask Jingbi, or ask Uncle Gan to have the Law Enforcement Hall examine this sword in detail. I think there is no problem with this section."

"... I changed it myself." Facing Seeing Pei Ye's questioning gaze, Zhang Jingbi raised his head blankly, a bit nervous, "I use the sword roughly on weekdays and couldn't bear to use that one. I am more used to this one."

Seeing Pei Ye remembered that this was also his own sword-using habit: "... How long have you used it?"

"Almost, almost two years."

"Do you feel that this sword has any difference from others when used?"

"It's just... more handy."

Seeing Pei Ye was silent for a while and asked the last question: "Do you still remember where it came from?"

"..." Zhang Jingbi paused, as if recalling the distant fragments made it a bit difficult for him. He lowered his head, "It seems... it seems it was just found randomly in the peak."

Seeing Pei Ye left here with the sword.

"He doesn't really know how to lie." The black cat said suddenly.

Seeing Pei Ye nodded.

"I didn't expect you not to expose him."

"I won't get anything." Seeing Pei Ye said, "That doesn't look like a place where a deadly secret is hidden. I think he is also being kept in the dark."

"Yes, I mean I didn't expect you to calm down when facing such an obvious clue." The black cat said, "Very good. Since he doesn't want to tell us the origin of this sword, then we will go and investigate its origin."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded, looked at the sword in his hand, and walked to the other side of the stone cave.

"I definitely didn't instigate it, why would I instigate it!" The woman's sharp voice refracted several times on the stone wall and vaguely reached his ears.

Seeing Pei Ye walked inside, and the voice became clearer: "Destroying a person's pulse tree is harder than killing him! How could Jingbi possibly do such a thing?!"

"So we suspect this power comes from you."

Seeing Pei Ye turned the last corner.

In the space before him, there were only a few simple tables and chairs, and nothing else besides pens, ink, and candles. Gan Zifeng and another elder were sitting before the case files, while Xu Shang stood leaning against the wall. Her sword had been confiscated, her lips were cold and white, and her hair was slightly messy. For a master who had not been injured, this appearance was indeed rare.

"I am a fucking idiot!!" Xu Shang hissed.

It was indeed hard to imagine that a Peak Master would fall into such a situation during an interrogation. What Kong Lanting said about "barely holding the position, the lowest among the peaks" became clear in Seeing Pei Ye's heart at this moment.

Gan Zifeng picked up a pen to record two lines: "Do not be agitated, Peak Master Xu, everything speaks with evidence."

"Then what if there is no evidence?" Xu Shang looked at them hoarsely, "Will you release Jingbi?"

The two deacons looked at each other: "If there is no other evidence, naturally it is your son maiming a fellow disciple out of personal grievance. Depending on the specific circumstances, it will be an eye for an eye, and three years of repentance on the lonely wall."

"Hehehehe..." Xu Shang covered her face and leaned against the wall, as if she had known this result long ago, and was even powerless to refute it.

When Seeing Pei Ye came before her, he heard her low, hoarse hiss: "This kind of inexplicable framing... Meiqing walked away unclearly back then..."

"Peak Master Xu." Not caring about other people's gazes, Seeing Pei Ye interrupted, "I think your son's matter has something to do with this sword. Can I go to Caiwu Peak to have a chat tomorrow?"

Xu Shang raised her head blankly.

Eight hundred miles away from Kongdong.

The sun was about to set.

Outside Yinzhou City, the largest lake in Northern Shaolong lay there without a ripple. On the south bank of the lake, a huge manor stood there, both deep and high. The Qijiao Manor in Bowang City could only serve as a side courtyard here.

However, the manor was not decorated with exquisite mountain scenery, nor was it a place for leisure. The deep and vast land was fully utilized. The towering courtyard walls, stacked goods, coming and going laborers, and lined-up ships almost looked like a sub-city outside Yinzhou.

Jin Jin Yuzhai, which deals in jade, luxury goods, calligraphy, painting, porcelain, and brocade, is one of the top ten large merchant associations in the entire Shaolong. The top layer of their business is rare materials for array and artifact paths, and they have long established their reputation over decades.

At this time, the sky was already dark. A figure swept across the sky above all this busyness, green lapels hunting, gray hair wielding a sword, ignoring those gazes that suddenly looked up, and fell straight into the deepest courtyard.

Six or seven vigorous figures surrounded him in an instant. At the same time, the old man raised his waist token without expression, not even stopping his forward footsteps: "He Jian Wudong of the Xianren Terrace, handling official business. Those who disturb will be punished by law."

The next moment, the room door under the eaves was pushed open from the inside, and a man in magnificent clothes greeted him, smiling: "Inspector Wuhe, why are you in such a hurry? I just received your post, but I really can't get away right now, so I sent a note to meet again tomorrow. I didn't expect you to not receive it..."

"I received it." Wudong said without expression, "That's why I came immediately."

"..." The man restrained his smile, "Does the Inspector have any urgent business?"

Wudong bypassed him and continued inside: "I want to see all your account books from December of the Renxu year onwards, both public and private."

"This is afraid... not very appropriate."

Wudong paused his steps, and a pair of sharp, bright falcon eyes stared at him coldly: "Oh? Say it again?"

"... Inspector Wu, it's not that Jin Jin Yuzhai wants to hinder your official business." The man smiled immediately, "But the account books for twenty years... are too difficult for any merchant association..."

He glanced at Wudong's expression: "Inspector Wu, look at what you want to check, we will help you flip through it immediately, and we will definitely be complete and truthful!"

"Words must be asked, but I must check the accounts myself. I will not say it a third time." Wudong glanced at him, "Wei Mingfu, right? It is said that you have been the chief manager of Jin Jin Yuzhai for eighteen years. Twenty years ago, Qiao Changyue of the Instrument Bureau fell from power. Do you know that during his two-month tenure, only Jin Jin Yuzhai moved a batch of heart amber goods."

Wei Mingfu was stunned for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh! This matter, your terrace also sent a letter to ask a few days ago. Inspector Wu, we have been purchasing six to ten jin of heart amber net material at the beginning of the year for the past thirty years. Whether Master Qiao was in office for those two months or not really has nothing to do with us—you should be able to find the records at the government office. Before and after Master Qiao's tenure, we have always purchased and sold heart amber like this."

"I know." Wudong said, "No one knows the first-hand destination of all heart amber produced in the past twenty years better than me. Now I ask you, where is your second-hand destination?"

"... This, various kinds, and many are inconvenient to disclose..." Wei Mingfu said in a dilemma, "Inspector Wu, we have been purchasing legitimately all these years, with complete official documents, exactly the same as others. Why are you targeting us?"

"Since obtaining permission, Jin Jin Yuzhai has purchased heart amber twenty-nine times. In the nine times before the Renxu year, your manager had no extra dealings with the Instrument Bureau, but in this Renxu year, your manager and Qiao Changyue sat alone for an afternoon in Pavilion No. 7 of the Jia character in Changmen Tower." Wudong held up a yellowed piece of paper, "Ordered very few dishes and wine, and also packed the two adjacent pavilions. Since that year, the heart amber business has indeed not changed much, but I believe this meeting must have changed something."

"Because Qiao Changyue's fall from power is also very strange." Wudong lowered his head and put away this piece of paper, "It's a pity that I didn't investigate the case back then. I always feel that he was playing with fire and burning himself, and was used by the Huan Si Lou."

Wei Mingfu was stunned and speechless. He really couldn't imagine how this person dug out this secret trace from a case that had been concluded for twenty years. Judging from the news received, this person had only been back to Shaolong Prefecture from Bowang for two or three days.

"This is all my explanation." Wudong lowered his head, and the wrinkles on his exposed neck were like a withered tree, "Now back to my first sentence, bring it here."

"... This is really not that we are not cooperating, Inspector Wu." Wei Mingfu showed a bitter smile, "Since you must check, we have no choice but to suffer some grievances, but it just so happens that the heart amber matter... is really gone."

"A few years ago, an unknown villain sneaked into Jin Jin Yuzhai to commit misconduct, also for heart amber, and the account books were all burned." Wei Mingfu said sincerely, "We tried our best to trap and kill him, and his bones are still in the Broken Dragon Stone."

Bowang City.

Night had completely fallen.

The colder the night, the clearer it became. Most of the clerks in the government office had left before dusk, and this tall government office appeared a bit empty.

When Shen Yao walked out with the final results, the plane tree covering the courtyard above her head was blown by the wind with a clatter.

Before the stone lamp was that slender green skirt, a group of cold orange candlelight, only illuminating the front half of this figure, gradually weakening, and the lower skirt was already submerged in the darkness.

Shen Yao walked over, and the young girl turned her head when she heard the sound. Her long hair, simply tied behind her head, embraced a clear, white face. She held a fine pen in her mouth, and a book was spread out before her on the railing, and she was writing something at a steady pace with another pen.

The sharp, fluttering brows and eyes were really like a Luan bird hiding in the night.

"Everything has been checked. Yu Chaocai did purchase five jin of heart amber back then, and the account of two hundred and eighty taels of silver can still be found." Shen Yao stood still half a zhang away and said softly, "But there is indeed no record of it entering the warehouse... How should we check next?"

Li Piaoqing took the fine pen from her lips and chuckled softly without much sound: "Isn't that right then."

"... Right?"

"This is the result I want." Li Piaoqing restrained her expression, "The 'Bengxue' entered the government warehouse but left no record. Master Sui said that there was an old rule for officials to exchange items back then—now the five jin of heart amber that should be in the warehouse have disappeared."

"..." Shen Yao was stunned for a moment. No wonder the young girl was not in a hurry despite no progress these days.

"He came here back then." The young girl lowered her brows and dipped her pen in ink again, "And he was an official. I am writing a letter to Inspector Wuhe and Seeing Pei Ye. You stand for a while, and help me deliver it later."

"... Okay."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 342 =====