Chapter 34: Inquiry

However, on this day, before Lu Yuan could officially begin the stage of Refining Essence into Qi.

It was afternoon.

"What? People from the Jingwu Division have come to find us and Master to question us about the situation?"

Hearing the news, Lu Yuan, who had been called to Li Junxian's small courtyard, furrowed his brows:

"Why are they looking for us? Could it be that they suspect Kundu's death has something to do with us?"

Xu Erhu's expression was slightly grave:

"I'm not sure. It's possible someone around Kundu knew he had a grudge against us, so they came to inquire. The people from the Jingwu Division have methods far superior to the useless sacks of wine and rice at the prefectural office; we must be careful."

Xu Dahu, however, was indifferent:

"What is there to fear? Kundu brought this upon himself by doing so much evil. It has absolutely nothing to do with us. Can they really turn black into white?"

Li Junxian remained as steady as Mount Tai, slowly rising from his rattan chair:

"Enough, come with your master and let's go see."

Lu Yuan said no more and immediately followed Li Junxian out of the back garden, arriving at the competition arena in the front garden.

At this moment, the vast arena was empty. Upon arriving at a side hall in the corner, they saw Protector He Xiong and three lean men, wearing embroidered wolf uniforms and carrying firearms and long blades, waiting inside.

As soon as they saw Li Junxian and the others enter, He Xiong stood up immediately and introduced them:

"This is the manager of our back garden, Li Shu, Li Junxian. These three are his disciples, Xu Dahu, Xu Erhu, and Lu Yuan. Li Shu, these three are officials from the Jingwu Division, saying they have matters to inquire about."

"Manager Li, I have long heard of your Great Name."

Among the three officials, the leader, a man with a cold expression, stood up and said:

"This official is Commandant Yu Xianting of the Jingwu Division. I have come here today to find Manager Li because there are some circumstances that need to be understood."

Only a Martial Master at the Three Realms Bone Forging level could serve as a Commandant of the Jingwu Division; his status was certainly not low. Li Junxian raised his hand to signal:

"Commandant Yu, please sit. We have always been law-abiding; I wonder what matter brings you to us?"

Yu Xianting's gaze swept over Lu Yuan and the other two, his eyes sharp:

"I wonder if Manager Li has heard that the night before last, the eldest son of the Feng'en General Mansion, Kundu, was killed by having his throat slit in his own room?"

Li Junxian nodded:

"This matter has caused quite a stir, so naturally I have heard of it. It is said that after committing the crime, the murderer even left the name 'Qingyike' on the wall. Such conduct is truly lawless and extremely arrogant."

"That is indeed the case."

Yu Xianting also casually remarked, then shifted the topic:

"However, I heard from the head of the guards at the Feng'en General Mansion that Manager Li's three disciples seem to have some grievances with Young Master Kundu?"

Xu Dahu's expression changed first:

"What does Commandant Yu mean by this? What grievances could we three possibly have with him?"

Yu Xianting glanced at him and said slowly to Li Junxian:

"The Jingwu Division is not comparable to those useless sacks of wine and rice at the yamen. This official has already learned that four months ago, Kundu brought a Mongolian servant to participate in the ring match and was beaten to death on the stage by Manager Li's disciple, Lu Yuan;

This matter made Young Master Kundu quite dissatisfied, so the following month he brought another contestant to the Boxiyuan to compete, wanting to regain face. Unexpectedly, the contestant he brought also lost to your disciple Lu Yuan, and for this, he even lost a wager of nearly two hundred Silver Yuan."

"These two incidents caused Young Master Kundu to hold a deep grudge against your three disciples. And just two months ago, one night, the three of them were attacked by gunmen and were not lightly injured. After the Constable Li Hongda arrived upon receiving the report, you claimed this might be Kundu's retaliation against you and requested Constable Li to investigate. Is this true?"

In just a few words, Yu Xianting laid out the matter clearly, having obviously conducted a detailed investigation.

Li Junxian, however, remained calm and said peacefully:

"That is correct, such a thing did happen. However, we only suspected it at the time and had no substantive evidence. Does Commandant Yu think it was my three disciples who carried out the retaliation afterward? The Feng'en General Mansion has a prominent status, while the three of them are just poor wretches making a living at the Boxiyuan; how could they have the guts to retaliate against Kundu? Moreover, after being attacked last time, the three of them spent two months recovering from their injuries, so how could they be involved in this?"

Xu Dahu also felt as if he were being slandered and cried out in grievance:

"Commandant Yu, to be able to sneak into the General's Mansion and slit Kundu's throat without making a sound, one would at least need Martial Arts at the Bone Forging level, right? You are overestimating us too much. If we had such ability, why would we still be fighting in the ring here?"

Yu Xianting was noncommittal and said indifferently:

"You certainly do not have such ability, but it is said that Manager Li was once a veteran of the Qinglong Gang; surely your level of Martial Arts is more than just Bone Forging?"

Li Junxian's eyes narrowed instantly:

"After all this, is Commandant Yu suspecting an old man like me who has one foot in the grave? I have not made a move in a long time since coming to this Boxiyuan. If I were to make a move, Kundu would certainly not have died in such a way. I am afraid you have suspected the wrong person."

"Moreover, as far as I know, Kundu was notorious in this East City area. Given his actions, it is not strange at all that he offended some righteous expert who then assassinated him, is it?"

Yu Xianting's gaze was like a hawk's, staring straight at Li Junxian, before he said expressionlessly:

"Manager Li need not overthink it. This official is merely conducting a routine inquiry, and the truth will naturally be uncovered later."

Following this, he asked a few more questions. After Li Junxian finished answering, he stood up:

"Thank you for your cooperation. I may have to come here to disturb you again in the future. This official will take his leave."

Having said this, Yu Xianting cupped his hands casually and left with his two subordinates.

"That bastard..."

After the other party left, Xu Dahu immediately showed a worried expression:

"Master, he won't really suspect you are the murderer, will he?"

"Those who can become Commandants are capable people; it is normal to have suspicions. If he had no suspicions at all, he would be no different from a piece of trash like Li Hongda."

Li Junxian smiled faintly:

"However, this matter was indeed not done by your master, so there is no need to worry. Your master has managed some connections in Fengyang Prefecture for these many years; even the Jingwu Division cannot frame people at will without evidence."

In this day and age, no matter what business one is in, it is impossible to grow large without offering tribute to certain high-ranking and powerful figures.

Like the Boxiyuan, it was not entirely owned by Li Junxian and the Qinglong Gang; there were also shares held by several powerful figures in Fengyang Prefecture.

It was precisely because of this layered connection of interests that they could guard against the open spears and hidden arrows of other wolves.

Hearing this, Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu both relaxed and nodded repeatedly.

Lu Yuan remained calm on the surface, but felt a bit uneasy in his heart:

"It seems this has backfired."

In truth, Lu Yuan had not expected that the investigation by the Peace Martial Bureau would first cast suspicion upon Li Junxian.

Although that Yu Xianting did not have any evidence, his master was clearly a person who had possessed a different identity and past experiences, and if the investigation were to go deeper, it was hard to say whether there would be a risk of his identity being exposed.

For more than half a year, Li Junxian had treated him very well, so Lu Yuan naturally would not sit by and watch such a situation occur.

Fortunately, as his thoughts raced, he quickly thought of a perfect solution, his eyes flickering slightly:

"If it is like this, there should be no problem."

(End of this chapter)