Chapter 110

“No, we actually found out who killed him a long time ago—it was a cook named Feng Qi.” Zhan Xiongying said.

Bao Junyi immediately looked enlightened.

He’d always thought the Neijian Office couldn’t be that slow.

“But when we searched Feng Qi’s home, we didn’t catch him. Instead, we dug up a corpse buried beneath his floor—it had been dead for over a year.”

“Only by tracing his bloodline through his nephew did we confirm that the corpse was Feng Qi himself.” Zhan Xiongying said.

Bao Junyi’s eyes widened in shock.

“The Feng Qi who poisoned Sima Xuan was an imposter?”

“That’s our suspicion too. But who exactly is impersonating Feng Qi?”

“During our first investigation, we hit a dead end here—because we never found the real killer!”

“During our second investigation, we encountered this Feng Qi again—in another case. This Feng Qi must’ve been too convenient, so the real killer kept reusing this identity. We followed the trail all the way to the last person in Xiancheng who had contact with Feng Qi.”

“He said that on the very day Sima Xuan died, this Feng Qi left the city.”

“But that’s impossible. As soon as Sima Xuan’s death was confirmed, the Police Inspector’s office sealed off the entire Lord’s Mansion. During the initial inspection, this Feng Qi was present.”

“What?” Bao Junyi frowned tightly. “That doesn’t add up. One was inside the Lord’s Mansion, the other left the city. Which gate did he exit through? Did any city guard see Feng Qi leave?”

“Yes. The last person who had contact with Feng Qi was a soldier assigned to guard the eastern gate. He personally saw Feng Qi leave through the Dongcheng gate on the afternoon of Sima Xuan’s death. Because Feng Qi frequently passed through that gate, he recognized him.”

“He was on duty that very day Feng Qi left.”

A chill surged through Bao Junyi’s body.

“This guy’s a master—he’s been playing us for fools.”

“The third time we encountered this Feng Qi was four months ago. Four months ago, a major case occurred just outside our neighboring Xiancheng—hundreds of cultivators were brutally slaughtered in Jiugu Mountain.”

“Among the dead was a man named Feng Qi. Coincidentally, those who knew him in that Xiancheng confirmed he was still a cook—even though his face had changed.”

Zhan Xiongying said.

Bao Junyi’s skin crawled.

“Is this thing a man, a ghost, a demon, or a monster?”

“We don’t know. You understand—whether human, ghost, demon, or monster, all of them are planting moles, infiltrating our sect’s secure zones in droves,” Zhan Xiongying said. “Our sect’s territory is too vast. Don’t harbor delusions. From the day we joined the Police Inspector’s Office or the Neijian Office, we should’ve known anything bizarre could appear within our secure zones.”

“Only by eliminating these anomalies can we truly safeguard the internal security of our sect.”

Bao Junyi’s head throbbed.

“So this time, have you found Feng Qi’s trail again?”

“No. We came here just to casually look into the real killer behind Sima Xuan’s poisoning and the mastermind behind it.” Zhan Xiongying said.

“Investigate. Whether you find him or not, as long as this remains an unsolved case, we must keep pursuing it,” Bao Junyi insisted stubbornly. If even we give up, who will speak for Sima Xuan’s injustice?

We can’t let a current Lord of our sect die so dishonorably.

Who would dare serve the sect after that?

“Get me some breakfast quickly—I haven’t eaten since leaving the sect. Let’s eat while we talk. Tell me the specifics of your situation here.” Zhan Xiongying said.

Bao Junyi immediately ordered breakfast set up.

He’d already eaten, but he had no objection to joining his senior for another meal.

While sending someone to arrange the meal, he lowered his voice to his side: “Alright, I’ve been here a short time, so I haven’t fully grasped the situation in this Xiancheng. There are twenty-eight cultivation clans here, each established for over three hundred years.”

Only twelve appear clean. The other sixteen all have some kind of issue.”

“Also, the Lord, Xu Yi, has only recently taken office.”

“This guy is also deeply mysterious.”

“Anyone who becomes a Lord is no ordinary person,” Zhan Xiongying smirked.

Bao Junyi smirked too, then continued speaking…

Meanwhile, outside the Dongcheng gate.

Su Hanlin and An Qian were haggling with a young cultivator named Feng Qi.

Feng Qi had a youthful face and clearly wasn’t old, yet he already owned a flying cart, specializing in transporting people and goods outside the city.

“We’re only going to Zhanggu Forest. Such a short distance—three spirit stones is more than fair,” An Qian said.

“No, no, five spirit stones minimum. Even if it’s close, I still have to haul you for half an hour,” Feng Qi stubbornly insisted. “You’re two full-grown people—doesn’t my little horse get tired pulling you and the cart?”

“You—” An Qian was about to argue further.

But Su Hanlin spotted Su Jian bringing Su Jin over. “Fine, five spirit stones.”

“No, no, three is perfect. Five is too much,” An Qian, ever frugal, refused to pay extra. “Besides, if he won’t take us, plenty of others will.”

“You’re too stingy. Hmph. I won’t take you then.” Feng Qi glanced at An Qian and Su Hanlin, turned, and pulled his cart away to find other customers.

Su Jian saw this and burst into laughter.

Not only did he laugh—he gave An Qian a thumbs-up.

“Exactly. Pay only what’s fair. Not a single spirit stone more.”

An Qian blushed and brushed her hair.

“I’m not targeting him—I just think we should spend spirit stones reasonably.”

“We all think that way. We’ll just find another cart willing to take us.”

“Alright, I’ll go find one now.” An Qian turned and went to contact other waiting carts; Su Hanlin followed closely behind.

As they walked away, Su Jin tugged at Su Jian’s sleeve and whispered: “Big brother, that driver was dangerous.”

“How do you know?” Su Jian froze, then lowered his voice.

Su Jin looked at the thin gold bracelet on her right hand. “It… was Xue Chiluo who told me.”

Actually, it was Busa Tan on her hand who told her.

Last night before sleeping, she entered Xiao Wu Tian and Jin Tong told her Busa Tan had recovered—she should take it out and place it beside Xue Chiluo, so Xue Chiluo could train the new recruit.

As soon as Busa Tan emerged, it transformed into a slender gold bracelet resting on her palm.