Chapter 321: Chapter 224: Antong County (Part 3)
"Please forgive my limited knowledge, could you explain this official token, sir?"
Having assumed that all officials in the Great Tang were aware of the Qixingjian, Qin Yuesheng was taken aback to find that the county magistrate before him did not know of it. Left with no choice, Qin Yuesheng said reluctantly, "I am the deputy of Lord Xun Sheng, the governor of Cyan Yang City, Qin Yuesheng."
"Ah, so you are Lord Qin. I’ve admired you for a long time," Ning Houbo hurriedly said, cupping his hands in respect.
Inside, Qin Yuesheng felt disdain; there was no such position as deputy in Cyan Yang City, so what was there to admire?
"I am here under Lord Xun’s orders to find someone. Ning Houbo, have a group of officials dressed in government uniforms visited your Antong County before?" Qin Yuesheng asked.
"Indeed, that happened. However, those men claimed to be officials from Qixingjian, but I have never heard of it in the Great Tang, so I only casually met with them."
Qixingjian’s uniqueness made it unsurprising that small county magistrates like Ning Houbo were unaware of it. Qin Yuesheng then asked, "Do you know where those men went afterward?"
"They said they were investigating the matter of water ghosts harming people. After asking me a few questions, they went to the Wujiang Dock."
Qin Yuesheng queried, "Is the Wujiang Dock often haunted by water ghosts?"
"Not really, the Wujiang Dock is an abandoned port. It was once consumed by a mysterious fire from the sky that killed many. Those men found it suspicious and worth investigating. After that, I never saw them again in Antong County."
Qin Yuesheng nodded, realizing that this was an extremely important clue. The disappearance of Qixingjian’s personnel might truly be connected to the Wujiang Dock.
Speaking thus, Qin Yuesheng was preparing to bid farewell to Ning Houbo and head to the Wujiang Dock.
But he then remembered something and asked, "What exactly do you mean by a mysterious fire descending from the sky?"
Ning Houbo’s face immediately revealed a trace of fear: "It happened half a year ago. That night, in the deep silence, a sudden blaze lit up the sky, almost illuminating the entire Antong County. Woken up by the commotion from my servants, I stepped out of the house to investigate.
There, in the sky, a blazing fire was rapidly descending, eventually crashing into the Wujiang Dock, instantly turning it into a fiery inferno. The boatmen living at the dock had no time to escape, and many were burned to death that night.
The next day I brought people to inspect the Wujiang Dock. Sir, you cannot imagine the scene; everywhere lay charred corpses that perished in agony, resembling a hellish landscape."
"Such a thing occurred in Antong County?" Qin Yuesheng was quite shocked. "Did you not report this incident for record in Cyan Yang City?"
"Indeed, I wrote a letter and promptly dispatched a courier to Cyan Yang City the very same day," Ning Houbo replied.
"Oh." Qin Yuesheng thought to himself; having been an official for only a month or two, it was only natural that he was unaware of an event that occurred half a year ago, especially since Xun Sheng wouldn’t spread such news to the populace, as it would only incite panic among them.
Unlike modern-thinking people, the common folk were still very superstitious. Any celestial anomaly could easily stir up fear, making them worry that an enraged deity from the heavens might have struck.
After bidding farewell to Ning Houbo, Qin Yuesheng immediately left the county office and hurried towards the Wujiang Dock.
Unlike ordinary residences, the Wujiang Dock was extremely easy to locate; by simply heading to the riverbank and walking north half a mile, one would arrive, without needing a guide.
With the swiftness afforded by the Carefree Heavenly Travel Skill, the ruinous Wujiang Dock soon appeared before Qin Yuesheng’s eyes.
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