Chapter 45: Someone Is Framing Me

Xie Jinhuan stopped, turned to look at his own courtyard with white walls and green tiles, sniffed the air, but detected no abnormal scent, causing his brows to furrow.

Lin Wanyi looked slightly bewildered and glanced left and right as well:

"What is it?"

"There seems to be blood-evil qi in the courtyard. Did you notice?"

Blood-evil qi is usually produced by stripping blood and qi through cruel means; whenever it appears, nine times out of ten it is related to demons and evil spirits.

Hearing the question, Lin Wanyi frowned tightly, sensed carefully, and said in confusion:

"Is there?"

Xie Jinhuan could not sense it, but if the Night Great Succubus said there was, then there certainly was; he immediately shook the personal maid on his shoulder:

"Get up and work."

"Gooji?"

Meiqiu opened her large eyes sleepily, glanced left and right, then spread her wings and flew high into the sky to scout.

Xie Jinhuan placed his hand on the Tian Gang Mace, listened outside the wall, confirmed no one was ambushing inside the courtyard, then quietly leaped into the yard.

Lin Wanyi followed closely, landing in the front courtyard; she could see everything in the yard was normal, save for a few fallen leaves:

"Nothing special. Could it have come from the Princess's Manor?"

Xie Jinhuan initially thought so too, but the Ghost Wife had already appeared by his side; following the source of the blood-evil qi, he quickly arrived at the sleeping room and pointed beneath the four-poster bed:

"It's here."

Xie Jinhuan approached, glanced briefly, then lifted the bare bedboard, revealing a small box beneath the bed.

Inside the box were several letters and a yellowed booklet; the cover of the booklet read "Medicinal Human Scripture," recording the medicinal effects of various human organs.

The drawer also held several medicine bottles; one of them seemed uncapped, with dark red liquid seeping from the rim.

Lin Wanyi leaned in to inspect closely, her face changing slightly:

"Blood Essence? Why would you be hiding this?"

Blood Essence is blood and qi essence refined from living creatures by secret method; while its medicinal value is high, it is also a necessity for demon cultivators refining high-grade Hua Yao Dan, strictly forbidden by the imperial court, and available only at places like the Medicine Hospital and the Imperial Pharmacy.

Xie Jinhuan frowned tightly, picked up the letters to examine, and found they were all inquiries about health and well-being from "him and his master," with subtle mentions of handling affairs in Danyang...

"These are not my things. Someone is framing me, falsely accusing me of being involved with demon bandits!"

"Ah?"

Lin Wanyi was baffled: "You, with such thick eyebrows and bright eyes, could be a demon bandit? Who is so bored to frame you with these things?"

Xie Jinhuan was also pondering who would frame him.

Bao Fei of Jinghua Villa might seek revenge...

He investigated the Li family; the Li family might also obtain forbidden medicines and books...

The demon bandits, because he destroyed the corpse cave, knowing they were wrongly accused, might also repay him in kind...

Xie Jinhuan could not yet determine who framed him, but for setting up such a scheme, the government office officials would surely arrive shortly.

Once the government office found this, they would be required by regulation to conduct a thorough inside-and-out inspection to rule out suspicion.

The only reason he had not been suspected until now was entirely due to Yang Dabiao staking his life on him, plus his constant efforts to punish evil and eliminate injustice without seeking reward.

In reality, if they truly investigated, he could not explain his recent resume, exactly where Fengling Valley was, or who his master was, and so on.

Then he would be listed as a prime suspect, the great demon of Mount Zihui would be caught on the spot, the Li family and the demon bandits' crisis would resolve itself, and he would probably just hear "Lord Xie's righteousness" and have extra paper money burned for him...

Xie Jinhuan realized the situation was dire, stood up, and said:

"Since this is a frame-up, the government office people could arrive at any moment. We must dispose of these first."

Lin Wanyi did not believe Xie Jinhuan was involved with demon bandits and asked in confusion:

"You are being framed. Destroying evidence would only make it look like you are trying to cover it up. I can testify for you..."

Xie Jinhuan understood the situation better than those framing him; he was not innocent in the slightest:

"You are of the Wu Sect; you fear exposure yourself. How can you testify for me?"

Lin Wanyi thought this was true: "Then I should return first? You have nothing to fear if your back is straight; even if investigated, it will be fine."

How would it be fine for me? Xie Jinhuan said earnestly:

"I do not know the identity of the person plotting against me. If it is someone from the imperial court framing me, who can find fault when they wish to accuse? Even if I am completely honest, I will still lose a layer of skin, and might even expose your identity."

Lin Wanyi thought this was true as well and said worriedly: "Then what do we do? The items can be discarded, but you cannot hide the blood-evil qi. The government office will smell it and arrive soon."

Xie Jinhuan knew this thing was hard to remove; he did not know the arts of the Mystic Gate, so he could only glance sideways at the floating ghost nearby.

Ye Hongshang sat sideways on the bed with her legs crossed, appearing to be in deep thought, but soon gave an answer:

"The blood-evil qi originates from blood and qi essence forcibly stripped from the body. You can use 'upside-down candle pouring' to reverse the blood and qi, forcing the essence blood out of the body to fabricate a scene.

"However, relying solely on this explanation is too rigid; the government office might still keep an eye on you and investigate your background.

"Additionally, under normal circumstances, the person framing you must be the one guiding the government office; they should be among them when they arrive.

"You must go with the flow and act the part. I will observe expressions and help you root out the person framing you."

Lin Wanyi noticed Xie Jinhuan suddenly zoning out, staring at the empty bed, and immediately grew suspicious; she turned her head to look toward Ye Hongshang's direction:

"What are you looking at? Is someone here?"

"How is that possible? I was just thinking."

Xie Jinhuan came back to his senses, placed both hands on Lin Wanyi's shoulders:

"Wanyi, we are grasshoppers on the same boat. So I must trouble you; later, act in a play with me."

?

Lin Wanyi, held by the man on both sides of her shoulders, curled her hands to her chest, and her eyes grew tense:

"What do you want to do? Pretending to lose one's virginity won't work; that has no blood-evil qi, and the government office won't believe it..."

Breaking the melon?

No wonder he's a Physician; his angle on thinking is truly unusual! Xie Jinhuan frowned and said:

"Why would I break your melon? It's just a dramatic scene; I won't let you sacrifice your looks. In a moment..."

He leaned close to whisper in her ear.

Lin Wanyi felt the man's breath washing over her face; her heart tightened slightly, but soon her willow brows furrowed lightly:

"How can this be? Pretending to be your beloved confidante—if the news spreads, how can I marry later? Last time I bathed in your room, I still haven't explained that clearly..."

Xie Jinhuan said solemnly, "I have already gained the Dan King's appreciation; last night I even heard the Dan King discussing with someone what reward to grant me. I plan to accumulate a bit more merit first, then directly ask for the Martial Dao Divine Scripture.

"Wanyi, you wouldn't want this matter to ruin the Dan King's impression of you and cause your scheme to fail, would you?"

"..."

Lin Wanyi looked at the 'Double-Headed Dragon' right before her eyes; her robe bulged and she wanted to refuse, but after holding back for a long time, she finally chose to compromise, warning in a deep voice:

"I am a Wu Sect demoness; if you dare to bluff me, do you believe I will cast a curse on you?"

"I believe it, I believe it."

Xie Jinhuan patted her fragrant shoulder:

"If I deceive you, I will buy you ten sets of magical artifact undergarments."

"Tsk~ Who wants you to buy such things?! You must obtain the Martial Dao Divine Scripture within a month! Otherwise, there is no discussion on this matter."

"I will try my best. Hurry and pack your things..."

——

Wencheng Street.

Li Gongpu led the horse walking slowly; a three-foot sword hung at the horse's side, and a wine gourd hung at his waist; his appearance looked more like a common drunkard.

This old man, who served as Vice-Principal at the Academy, had an approachable personality; many students who did not know his background liked to call him 'Old Man Li'.

But anyone with a bit of experience would understand how deep the seniority of a figure who could serve as Vice-Principal at a top Confucian academy must be.

Zhou He followed behind, his words daring not to show the slightest negligence, yet also revealing a thread of anxiety:

"Mr., you and the current Li Gong both come from the Hualin Li clan; several hundred years ago you were considered one family. Now that you teach at the Academy, the Li family has always treated you with utmost respect. Now the Li family is in trouble..."

The Hualin Li clan is one of the prominent families of Great Qian, with descendants spread across the north and south.

Counting strictly, Li Gongpu and Li Gongpu indeed share one ancestor, but there are no fewer than several hundred people in Danzhou alone who share this same connection.

Facing the request from the Red Scale Guard, Li Gongpu's tone was casual:

"I am a man of the Jianghu; serving as Vice-Principal at the Academy is all due to Mr. Mu's favor. The Academy's duty is to teach and educate people; the petty schemes of the court are not matters the Academy should concern itself with."

Zhou He nodded repeatedly: "Mr. is right. But the Li family was indeed falsely accused by demon bandits; Young Li Lao's body is weak and simply cannot withstand severe torture. Confucianism advocates 'virtue as primary, punishment as auxiliary; compassion and caution in punishment.' If the government office uses severe torture to force confessions, false confessions may result. Mr. Li, as a Confucian elder, should not turn a blind eye..."

Li Gongpu completely rejected this line of reasoning and responded directly:

"Everyone knows the Confucian sages are learned, yet they overlook that Confucianism advocates 'the six arts of the gentleman; mastery of both civil and military affairs.' Among the wise masters whose names are recorded in the books, not one is a harmless fellow.

"This scholar studies literature to reason with people; he studies martial arts so that those who refuse to reason will sit down and listen to you reason.

"If the Li family is wronged despite speaking reason, the Academy will not sit idly by. But if the Li family speaks nonsense, hides and evades, seeking only to escape guilt, according to the Academy's custom, they will be beaten until they admit their mistake."

Under heaven there are many schools and hundred philosophies, but Confucianism, Mohism, and the Military School differ only in philosophical thought; they are not divided by cultivation techniques.

The main purpose of Confucianism is not cultivation to seek immortality, but it advocates students 'barbarizing their bodies and civilizing their souls,' so most Confucian disciples are martial artists, with some also involved in the Immortal Dao.

Where could Zhou He's verbal skills compare to these Confucian martial artists whose moral bottom lines are infinitely flexible? At this moment he showed signs of being at a loss for words. Just as he was brewing his wording, he suddenly frowned slightly and took out a palm-sized compass from his waist.

The compass's formal name is 'Demon-Seeking Compass'; it can detect changes in the Yin-Yang and Five Elements qi, track the movements of demons and ghosts, and is a magical artifact used by the Red Scale Guard to pursue evil spirits.

Several rotating needles were in the center of the compass; at this moment, two of them swayed slightly, pointing toward the streetside.

Li Gongpu frowned, stepped back half a pace, and examined carefully:

"Imbalance of the Five Elements must bring calamity; dual movement of Water and Yin often breeds evil qi. This is the appearance of Blood Evil."

After speaking, he looked toward the Princess's Mansion on the streetside.

Zhou He's expression became solemn: "Old Man Li, could there be demon qi over there?"

Because the Blood Evil qi was too faint for Li Gongpu to sense directly, he immediately took the Demon-Seeking Compass from Zhou He's hand and tracked according to the direction.

Zhou He followed closely behind and urgently instructed his attendants:

"There is something strange here; notify the government office immediately."

"Yes!"

The accompanying Red Scale Guard, having received the order, immediately ran back...

(End of this chapter)