Chapter 51: Sensation

Only half an hour later.

Under the cover of night, a luxurious carriage stopped before the tightly sealed Qin Fu.

Subsequently, Superintendent Suo Helie of the Jingwu Division stepped off the carriage with a gloomy expression.

"Greetings, Lord Superintendent. We subordinates failed in our guard duty; we beg for your punishment!"

Before the gate, Yu Xianting and a group of the division's elites knelt on the ground, heads hung low, proactively pleading guilty.

The Daoist Yu also completely lost his calm and detached demeanor, stepping forward to bow with hands joined:

"Lord Suo, this poor Daoist has failed your trust; I am truly ashamed."

Glancing at this nominal guest he had specifically invited from Youxian Temple, Suo Helie said nothing, only looking coldly at Yu Xianting and the others: "Take me to the scene!"

"Yes!"

The group of bailiffs dared not even breathe loudly, hurriedly leading the way, guiding Suo Helie into Qin Fu and arriving at the room where Qin Wuhui was murdered.

The brightly lit room was still filled with a nauseating stench of blood; Qin Wuhui's corpse, eyes wide with lingering resentment, lay on the bed just as it had been, while the wailing family members had long since been driven to other rooms.

Suo Helie stepped forward indifferently, observing for a long while before saying:

"Has anyone touched the body?"

Yu Xianting immediately replied: "Reporting to you, my Lord, we arrived here the moment we heard the gunshot and sealed the scene. The body of the Ju-ren Qin has remained exactly as it was; no one has touched it."

Suo Helie looked at the Daoist Yu again, saying gloomily:

"Judging by the traces of the death, it is clear someone reached the bedside and shot him dead from the front. Where was Daoist Yu at that time?"

The Daoist Yu's expression was also one of extreme frustration; he could only reply:

"I will not hide it from you, my Lord; I was meditating in the room next door at the time."

Hearing this, Suo Helie laughed in a low voice instead:

"As the Deputy Temple Master of Youxian Temple, Daoist Yu is already a mid-level mage who has refined his essence and spirit. Your five senses are so sharp that even I cannot compare. How did you let Qingyike reach this Ju-ren Qin's bedside without a sound?"

This question, containing hidden fury, made the Daoist Yu fall silent for a moment before he sighed deeply:

"Lord Suo, please calm your anger. It is not that this poor Daoist neglected his duty; it is simply that this matter is too bizarre. You should know that we practitioners of Daoist Arts have exceptionally sharp minds even when in a state of meditation; any movement within several zhang can be sensed.

But before the Ju-ren Qin was shot dead, this poor Daoist did not sense anyone entering the room. Furthermore, the moment the gunshot rang out, I rushed here from next door, and during that process, I still did not discover anyone fleeing from this room, so..."

"Oh?"

Suo Helie said expressionlessly:

"You mean to say that this Qingyike appeared in this room out of thin air, and then vanished into thin air?"

The Daoist Yu fell into silence, seemingly unable to answer this question.

To the side, Yu Xianting tentatively said:

"My Lord, we had tight security deployed around the courtyard where Qin Wuhui lived, yet from beginning to end, we did not discover anyone entering or leaving. Could it be that the Illusion Technique of that Qingyike has reached an unfathomable level, deceiving both us and Daoist Yu?"

"That theory is far too absurd."

Facing such questioning, the Daoist Yu said with an ugly expression:

"This poor Daoist has practiced Daoist Arts for over thirty years; it is impossible that I would not know if I had been caught in an illusion."

Suo Helie swept a cold gaze over him:

"Then how does Daoist Yu explain this situation?"

The Daoist Yu fell into silence again, and only after pondering for a long time did he sigh:

"If there truly is someone who can deceive this poor Daoist with an illusion without my knowledge, then their Daoist Arts have reached an unimaginable level, one that even the Temple Master of my Youxian Temple cannot compare to.

Such a figure is at the very least a high-gong mage who has stepped into the Sixth Realm of Spiritual Wisdom; without a great expert of the same level to contain them, ordinary means are almost unable to stop them."

"Sixth Realm high-gong mage..."

In Suo Helie's eyes, gloomy rage burned.

He actually did not know much about Daoist Arts; at first, he only guessed that Qingyike was a Daoist expert around the Fifth Realm, and he felt it would not be difficult to ferret him out and capture him.

But if it were the Sixth Realm... as a Great Martial Master of the Refining Blood Realm, he was not afraid in the slightest, but unfortunately, his subordinates were all useless sacks of grain; they were of no use at all.

And if Qingyike could not be caught, as the situation fermented and the news spread back to the General Division or even the Imperial Court, he, as Superintendent, would be unable to shirk responsibility and would surely be reprimanded.

"Investigate, keep investigating for me!"

Suo Helie looked at the crowd, unable to contain his rage, and said with a stern voice:

"That Qingyike also needs to wear clothes and eat; he will always leave traces in this city. I want you all to put down everything you are doing, mobilize all informant channels, and use every available means to find this villain for me. If you cannot find him within three months, then you will all be stripped of your skins and sent back to farm the fields!"

In the blink of an eye, a restless night passed.

By the very next morning, the news of Qingyike's reappearance and the killing of the Ju-ren Qin and his steward in the dead of night swept through the East City.

As the news spread, the commoners of the entire East City were stirred into a frenzy; many busybodies heard the news and came to surround the entire Qin Fu, just to hear the first-hand intelligence.

Although the Jingwu Division still kept Qin Fu sealed, as the dejected bailiffs investigated through various means, the news leaked out, letting many people know the inside story of last night.

"What? Qingyike has appeared again? The Jingwu Division was actually lying in ambush in this Qin Fu the whole time, and Alin Sao kowtowing on the street was also guided by people they arranged?"

"Hiss... what a sinister scheme, it's truly unthinkable!"

"But the Jingwu Division set up a net of heaven and earth, yet this Qingyike could still kill people right under their noses; that is just too terrifying!"

"Who's to say it isn't? I heard the Jingwu Division arranged a very powerful figure to guard right next to the Ju-ren Qin, and yet Qingyike blew the Ju-ren Qin's head apart with a single shot right under that person's nose, and none of the Jingwu Division elites ambushed in Qin Fu could discover his tracks. You tell me, isn't that eerie?"

"There is such a thing? Then is this Qingyike a human or a ghost?"

"Hehe, who knows? Anyway, we don't have to be afraid; now all the masters in the city won't be able to sleep anymore..."

As the news spread, all kinds of discussions became rampant, sweeping rapidly.

Including at this moment, on the busiest bustling street in the East City, the ragged, half-mad Alin Sao was still kowtowing on the long street, completely unaware.

At the end of the street, someone who had just learned the situation came running over, shouting loudly:

"Alin Sao, good news, good news! You've kowtowed for so long, your wish has finally been fulfilled!!"

"That Qingyike appeared last night and killed the Ju-ren Qin and the steward of Qin Fu together; it counts as having avenged your Asheng!"

Alin Sao, who had always been foolish and oblivious to the outside world, froze in her tracks upon hearing these words.

Her dull eyes seemed to regain a glimmer of light, as if she had suddenly recovered a shred of sanity, and she turned her head to look at the person who had come, her lips and her entire body trembling:

"Wh, what?"

"It's true, may I die a horrible death if I'm lying to you!"

The messenger was a kind-hearted soul and swore an oath on the spot, while many others nearby who had just heard the news spoke with certainty, chiming in:

"Alin Sao, he is not lying to you; the Qingyike you have been looking for has indeed appeared!"

"Last night, the Magistrate Qin and the steward who harmed your entire family both died; there are many people surrounding Qin Fu right now, if you don't believe it, go and see for yourself!"

"This time, Heaven has finally opened its eyes!"

Hearing this, Alin Sao trembled all over.

The dullness and madness in her eyes faded, and she scrambled to her feet like a madwoman, running toward Qin Fu while tears gushed from her eyes like a spring:

"Heaven has opened its eyes, Heaven has truly opened its eyes."

(End of this chapter)