Chapter 19: Take Your Hands Off Me!

A moment ago, the yamen.

"What did you say!?"

Shi Xue held her blade against the County Magistrate's neck, a sharp, fierce glint appearing in her eyes.

"My second uncle was here? And you let him take the witness away!?"

The County Magistrate, hands raised, was backed into a corner; he signaled to those on either side not to approach, then shrank his head and gave Shi Xue an awkward smile:

"……Uh, yes."

Thud!

The hilt of the blade slammed hard into the wall beside his ear, startling the County Magistrate into a violent shudder.

Hmph!

"Where did they go? Speak!"

Looking at the fierce-eyed Shi Xue, County Magistrate Liang made a prompt decision:

"Zuixian Small Pavilion, they went to Zuixian Small Pavilion…… Miss Shi, please don't tell General Shi that I was the one who told you!"

Bang!

The main door was kicked open with force, and the figure in red rushed out, shouting without looking back:

"County Magistrate Liang, don't think you're off the hook; I'll settle this with you when I get back!"

Shi Xue bent her legs and pushed off, leaping directly onto the eaves, and disappeared from view within a few flashes.

A group of Constables stood by the door, watching that solitary figure head into the distance, all at a loss for words.

Should they follow?

But they couldn't keep up!

"Ahem! Is the show I put on for the County Magistrate good to watch?"

County Magistrate Liang, who had been timid and submissive before Shi Xue a second ago, was not the least bit weak in front of others; he struck out with heavy blows at the subordinates who had been watching the spectacle!

He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and raged:

"A bunch of useless things, what are you all standing there for? Why aren't you going to assist Constable Shi yet!"

"Yes!"

Watching the Constables walk away, County Magistrate Liang tidied his upper garment in a leisurely manner and sat back down on his stool with composure.

The County Vice-Magistrate, who had been waiting to the side, leaned in and whispered:

"My Lord, what do you think of this matter? Should we intervene? If they start a commotion in the city, the commoners will..."

But County Magistrate Liang shook his head and said indifferently:

"Leave it alone. Let the uncle and niece handle it themselves. They have their own sense of propriety; I am not getting involved."

One was a young lady parachuted into his team to "gain experience" at the grassroots level, and the other was a big shot from the Imperial Court who claimed to be passing through but had stayed without leaving.

Either way, he couldn't afford to offend either of them, so he might as well let them play on their own.

"Besides, that Zuixian Small Pavilion isn't easy to deal with either, so what is there to manage?"

He had intended to lie down peacefully, but remembering the threat Shi Xue made before leaving, County Magistrate Liang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, stood up, and coughed:

"I am claiming illness for a few days; I probably won't be back until they have left."

"Little Wang, you take charge of more things during this period; make sure not to neglect them."

Vice-Magistrate Wang, standing behind County Magistrate Liang, looked as if his face had turned green, his lips moving incessantly behind his superior's back.

Just before the County Magistrate turned his head, he bowed and cupped his hands, saying respectfully:

"Yes, My Lord. Please rest well; your subordinate will certainly report to you at any time."

"Mm."

……

……

Leaping rapidly across the eaves, Shi Xue's expression gradually shifted from anger back to seriousness.

In all fairness, Shi Xue was not a willful person by nature.

Being able to voluntarily leave the protection of her family to come to a small place and serve as a Constable, she also held some dreams in her heart.

Although the current situation was still quite different from the complete anonymity she had imagined, she was already satisfied.

The only dissatisfaction was that what she encountered daily were only minor trifles, far removed from the life of her dreams.

And just as she was about to lose heart, the corpse of a Fox Demon was discovered in Xianhu Temple.

A Golden Core Fox Demon that fed on Incense, and one that had suffered extremely inhumane torture before death—there was clearly a story here.

A big case!

This was the first major case she had taken on in the half-year since she arrived here, and she valued it immensely.

Among the four dynasties, the Beigan Dynasty had the most tolerant attitude toward the Demon Race.

In some places, it was even permitted for certain city gods to be served by demons appointed by the Imperial Court.

It was precisely because of such customs that Xianhu Temple had been able to remain peacefully in Chongzhou City for so many years.

Since they committed no crimes, no one came to investigate specifically, and everyone treated it as a formally appointed Daoist Temple.

But after this incident occurred, Shi Xue discovered during her investigation that this temple had actually been established for over sixty years!

In the earliest records, the Fox Demon worshipped in this temple was even an Auspicious Beast beloved by the villagers.

In fact, whether the Fox Demon was kind or not was not the point.

Shi Xue had no intention of helping this Fox Demon clear its name; the only thought in her mind was to uncover the truth of this matter.

How exactly did the murder happen?

And where was the murderer now?

Shi Xue held a different view from her second uncle; she did not believe it was done by a Demon cultivator for the sake of practicing a technique, but rather a simple vendetta.

Not only were the essence blood, fur, and bones—which are essential for a Demon cultivator's practice—not taken, but judging from the details remaining on the Fox Demon, there was not a single fatal wound on its body.

Every time she recalled the conclusion given by the coroner, Shi Xue could not help but feel a sense of absurdity.

"A Golden Core Fox Demon died of terror..."

It was scared to death!

Is it terrifying?

Yes, it is very terrifying.

Every step the murderer took was to inflict the maximum amount of pain through the most minimal wounds.

Only someone with a profound understanding of the Fox Demon's physical structure could precisely achieve such a degree.

And this inhumane torture lasted for over twelve hours, until the Fox Demon suffered a total mental collapse.

Shi Xue found it hard to imagine that if the murderer did not have a bone-deep hatred for it, what kind of madness that would be...

A cultivator who has Fallen into Demon is even more terrifying than a Demon cultivator who knows how to endure!

And after finishing all this, the other party actually had no intention of covering it up at all, just casually discarding the remains here!

Such an act of total disregard for the law was even more intolerable.

Such a dangerous individual cannot be allowed to remain at large within the Beigan Dynasty!

No matter who he is, he should receive the discipline he deserves.

And just as Shi Xue continued to flip through the files to look for clues, her second uncle actually took away the only witness related to this incident.

And he even closed the case on this matter!?

Huh?

Then what have I been busy with all this time for?

Rushing to the Zuixian Small Pavilion without stopping, before even entering the main hall, Shi Xue saw the back of her second uncle sitting in the center from far away.

"Hmm!?"

He was actually holding a long-haired woman!!?

Anger rose in her heart, and malice grew from her gall!

Already feeling displeased, Shi Xue was overcome with fury, and regardless of what place this was, she kicked the door open directly.

Bang!

"Take your hands off her!"

But just as Shi Xue prepared to rush up and pull the two apart, she suddenly felt that something was wrong.

Although there was still the sound of strings and bamboo in the Zuixian Small Pavilion, it was strangely quiet.

The playboys who usually couldn't wait to rot here were nowhere to be seen; sitting around the two were not idle guests, but circles of fully armed men in black.

This group of people didn't even take off their masks while eating and drinking, instead picking up the food and sliding it under their masks, and at this moment, they were all staring at her expectantly.

Moreover, what was more important was that the long-haired figure with their arm around Shi Anqi was not the woman she had imagined.

"Ahem!"

Waving her hand at the men in black to signal them to continue, she put on a stern face toward her second uncle and said stiffly:

"Didn't Aunt tell you that you aren't allowed to drink anymore!"

"Put the wine down!"