Chapter 17: The Mo Fu Murder Case: My Lord is My Lucky Star! (Seeking Monthly Votes)

That night, Gongsun Yi and his wife moved out of Mo Fu.

The next morning, the smell of blood at Mo Fu soared to the heavens.

A passing merchant saw the main gate of Mo Fu wide open and went in to check, only to see corpses strewn everywhere, and rushed to report it to the authorities.

The bailiffs of the County Government arrived at the scene first, judged it to be the work of a Martial Artist, and immediately transferred the case to the Jing'an Guard.

The government generally does not concern itself with common Jiang Hu feuds or the fighting and killing between Martial Artists, but if they dare to kill within the city, and kill ordinary people at that, the government must intervene, with the local Jing'an Guard directly responsible for hunting down the culprits.

Under the vast heavens, all is the King's land; to the shores of the earth, all are the King's subjects. If Martial Artists were allowed to slaughter the common people at will, where would the majesty of the imperial court be? Where would the majesty of the Emperor be? Would that not be encouraging Martial Artists to act recklessly and shake the foundations of the regime?

"Preposterous! Since I took office, aside from the assassination of the County Magistrate by the Xuanhuang Sect rebels two years ago, such a shocking murder case has never occurred in Tongzhou!"

When Zheng Xuancheng learned of this matter, he was having breakfast with his family; he flew into a rage on the spot, stood up in a fury, and slammed his bowl upside down on the table.

His family members were all so frightened that they fell silent, not daring to speak.

"What is there to eat? All of you, get out!" Zheng Xuancheng waved his hand dismissively with a gloomy face, driving away his wives, concubines, and children.

It was already July, and in a few months it would be the end of the year. If such a murder case occurred in his jurisdiction and he failed to catch the culprit in the end, it would inevitably affect his year-end performance review.

Two years ago, he had lost his chance for promotion because the case of the Xuan Sect assassinating the County Magistrate remained unsolved. How could he not be furious that such a bloody case had suddenly occurred again this year?

Moreover, daring to kill so wantonly in his jurisdiction showed that they did not take him seriously at all.

Those with high skills are bold; they must be very difficult to catch.

After everyone had left, Chen Zhongyi, who had come to report, bowed and said in a low voice, "My Lord, there is actually no need to be so furious. This is different from the Xuan Sect official-killing case from two years ago. Regardless of the outcome, whether the true culprit is caught or not, the blame will not fall on you."

"Oh?" Zheng Xuancheng was startled, then suddenly realized, "Let Pei Shaoqing be responsible for this case?"

"My Lord is wise!" Chen Zhongyi flattered him with a fawning face, then said with a light laugh, "No matter what, he is the son of the Weiyuan Marquis. Although he was expelled for committing an offense, he was not removed from the family genealogy. Aside from us small characters who are forced into a corner, no one should want to offend him."

"So, letting him be responsible for this case, even if the investigation is unfavorable in the end, the higher-ups will not hold our Hundred-Household Office heavily accountable. At most, it will be a slap on the wrist; they won't be too serious about it to the point of affecting your performance review, My Lord."

He paused for a moment, then added with some imbalance, "Besides, didn't he just take over the position of Flag Officer? It is exactly the time for him to perform. If the case is not solved, it is his responsibility; if the case is solved, then it is entirely due to your keen eye for talent and excellent leadership, My Lord!"

Damn it, it took him a full ten years to climb to the position of Flag Officer! How many asses had he licked, how many stinking feet had he held, how many times had he risked his life, and how much money had he spent? How could he not feel unbalanced in his heart?

"In that case, the kid is a pretty good scapegoat. If it weren't for the pressure from the Consort and the fact that there is no turning back, I really wouldn't want to kill him." Zheng Xuancheng stroked the small mustache on his chin, narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "Order Pei Shaoqing to come see me."

"Yes!" Chen Zhongyi cupped his hands and replied. Having walked two steps, he remembered something he hadn't said yet, so he stopped. "By the way, My Lord, Pei Shaoqing arrested two people last night."

"I know about this." Zheng Xuancheng waved his hand.

He not only knew why Pei Shaoqing had arrested those two, but he also knew that Sun Youliang had gone to see Pei Shaoqing in the middle of the night for this reason. However, aside from instructing Chen Youfu to strictly monitor them and report at any time, he had not taken it to heart.

……………………………

The mastermind behind the Mo family murder case, Pei Shaoqing, was sitting in his study admiring his spoils, holding a jade pendant carved with various beast patterns and observing it closely.

Li Jiangjun was lying on one end of the desk licking its fur.

Below, Sun Youliang, Gongsun Yi, and Liu Yuheng all stood quietly with their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.

"Is this the Immortal Relic?" Pei Shaoqing withdrew his gaze from the jade pendant and looked at the three people below.

Gongsun Yi hurriedly looked toward Sun Youliang.

Sun Youliang immediately replied, "My Lord, I personally interrogated this out of the mouths of the Mo family."

Pei Shaoqing did not answer and waved his hand.

After the three performed a salute, they all exited the door.

"My Lord, could it be that you were deceived by them?" Li Jiangjun, having finished licking its fur, raised its head and asked suspiciously.

"They shouldn't dare." Pei Shao shook his head. Thinking of the various novels he had read in his past life, he immediately placed the jade pendant flat on the desk, bit his finger, and dripped a drop of blood onto it.

The man and the cat stared intently.

However, nothing mysterious happened.

Pei Shaoqing frowned. Damn it, this damn cultivator didn't even bother to include a product manual.

"My Lord, let me try." As Li Jiangjun said this, it bit its toe and stepped on the jade pendant.

The jade pendant instantly bloomed with a faint light.

Li Jiangjun was overjoyed, "My Lord, look!"

Without it needing to say, Pei Shaoqing had already seen it.

It was clearly some kind of metaphysical reaction.

Soon, Li Jiangjun's blood was completely absorbed by the jade pendant, and the light it emitted gradually disappeared.

Pei Shaoqing immediately turned his head to look at Li Jiangjun.

"My Lord, this is a Storage Magic Treasure of my Demon Clan ancestors. Only I can use it. I ask for the Lord's reward!" Li Jiangjun said with great excitement.

Sure enough, the Lord is my lucky star!

Pei Shaoqing's face turned black. I went through all that trouble to obtain an Immortal Relic, only to make a wedding dress for you?

Li Jiangjun hurriedly added, "My Lord, there are things inside the jade pendant; I can take them out."

"Then hurry up. The items belong to me, the jade pendant belongs to you." Pei Shaoqing's furrowed brows relaxed.

The next second, a robe that was primarily black with red accents, as well as a nameless book, appeared on the table.

Pei Shaoqing stared at Li Jiangjun: "That's it?"

"That's it." The Li Hua cat shook its round head.

Pei Shaoqing narrowed his eyes, "Really that's it?"

"Really that's it! With the Lord above, how would I dare commit the crime of deceiving the ruler?" Li Jiangjun became anxious, stood up on its hind legs, and beat its chest, saying, "How can the Lord doubt my full loyalty? It truly chills a cat's heart!"

"Alright, alright, get lost." Pei Shaoqing waved his hand in disappointment. To think there were only these few things; it seems this "Immortal" didn't do very well while alive.

"Many thanks for the Lord's reward, I take my leave!" Li Jiangjun picked up the jade pendant in its mouth with a grin, jumped off the desk, and ran outside.

Pei Shaoqing ignored it, drew his blade, and tentatively poked at the robe. It didn't move, and he couldn't even leave a mark. He was immediately overjoyed, realizing it was a good item; wearing it would provide at least +100 defense.

No longer would he have to worry about being easily hacked to death.

Then he looked at the book that had no cover or title, or more accurately, should it be called a notebook?

Hmm, he likes reading booklets.

He immediately picked it up and flipped to the first page.

"Jiuzhou Calendar year 528, May 6th. It is the 3rd year since I accidentally ate a spirit pill and took human form. Relying on the advantages of a human body, I successfully joined the Heavenly Demon Palace and was taken as a disciple by the Heavenly Fire Elder of the outer sect. Having embarked on the path of cultivation, I decide from this day on to record everything that happens every day."

So it was a diary.

Who writes a diary these days if they are a decent person?

Oh, it wasn't written by a human, so that's fine.

Pei Shaoqing briefly flipped through the thickness; the owner of this diary was quite short-lived, having only written a few hundred entries in total.

However, it could still help him get a glimpse into the cultivation world of several thousand years ago and satisfy his curiosity.

Just at this moment, the voice of Sun Youliang suddenly came from outside the door, "My lord, the Centurion has sent someone to summon you."

"Mm." Pei Shaoqing responded with a sound, then took off his own magnificent brocade robe, put on that black robe suspected to be a defensive magic treasure, and left the room with the diary.

Gongsun Yi hurriedly spoke up: "My lord..."

"Your disciple will come out soon; you and your wife wait for me in the mansion." Pei Shaoqing interrupted his words.

The Gongsun couple breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, my lord!"

Sun Youliang, meanwhile, quickened his pace to follow his superior.

Pei Shaoqing first found Li Jiangjun to place the diary inside the jade pendant, and only then did he take the heroic and spirited Ye Hanshuang, who was dressed in white and clutching a long sword, to the Zheng Mansion.

(End of this chapter)