The County Magistrate, nearly terrified out of his wits by Yan Ling's daunting presence, was extrely efficient. In just the ti it took to brew a pot of tea, he had already brought all of the files Yan Ling wanted to review. He issued an order for Wang Anfeng to take a set of constable's vermilion clothes. After Wang Anfeng ate so food, he went to change into them.
Yan Ling spread out the dossier on the table in front of him and began to examine it carefully.
Although this case had already been reported to Fufeng's Ministry of Punishnt a few days earlier, the dossier sent was only the final part of the investigation, and was not as comprehensive as the one here, which might contain more clues.
The ti when the murder was discovered.
The initially determined ti of death.
The state of the corpse when it was found.
The key to cracking countless challenging cases could be hidden in these seemingly trivial details that people tended to overlook.
As he was intently reviewing the dossier, he heard light footsteps. Lifting his eyes, he caught sight of Wang Anfeng approaching in a set of vermilion clothes.
The young man usually wore modest blue garnts, giving one the impression that he was easy to converse with. But now, dressed in vermilion, the color brought out the whiteness of his teeth and the rosiness of his lips; his bearing beca more heroic and impressive. Indeed, he looked every bit the arresting officer, with a clean-cut appearance. Yan Ling's eyes lit up slightly, and he chuckled, saying,
"Not bad at all."
"Wear this outfit when we go to the charity estate later. It will facilitate our actions."
Wang Anfeng nodded in agreent, his hand gripping a saber commonly used by officials from the Ministry of Punishnt—it had quite so heft to it. After so thought, he didn't strap it to his waist but, like the wooden sword, he slung it over his shoulder, one on each side. He appeared like an arresting officer skilled in using both swords and sabers in combat.
Yan Ling exchanged a few more lighthearted words with him before once again focusing intently on the dossier, his brows furrowing slightly.
Wang Anfeng, however, remained calm and composed, adjusting the position of the sword and saber on his back to ensure that, should an ergency arise, he could draw the weapons in the shortest ti possible.
Suddenly, rapid footsteps could be heard.
Wang Anfeng looked up to see the County Magistrate, dressed in dark green official robes, hurrying over from a distance, bouncing along like a plump ball, surprisingly fast, with three constables—each tall, imposing, and evidently skilled in External Cultivation—following him.
It seed that these were the local constables.
Wang Anfeng speculated in his mind, then noticed that although the few constables appeared quite respectful, there was a hint of disdain and even so annoyance in their expressions, causing his eyebrows to pinch together slightly.
Had they beco too accustod to their authority in this place?
Since ancient tis, it's said that King Yan is easy to deal with, but his underlings are troubleso. If these n harbored resentnt, they could be obstructive during the investigation, potentially causing considerable trouble.
Glancing at Yan Ling, who seed still imrsed in the case, Wang Anfeng sighed softly to himself, his eyes half-closed, as the aura around him shifted, evoking the lethal presence of sword and saber, and spread around his body.
The County Magistrate stepped inside, sighing a profound sigh of relief.
That was close, too close.
Thankfully, those folks hadn't spent any of the Silver Coins yet; otherwise, it would have been a real headache.
While the thought ran through his mind, he plastered a smile on his face and looked up, about to speak, when he felt a sudden tightness in his chest and his eyes widened. He saw the official, Yan Ling, with furrowed brows, ticulously flipping through the dossier, his expression stern—as if he hadn't seen anyone approach. He then saw the young arresting officer, who had previously looked approachable, now seated on a redwood carved chair, eyes slightly closed.
The crossed swords behind his back made his posture rigid, and a formidable sense of cold sharpness almost physically assaulted the Magistrate, giving him the sensation of a knife's edge against his skin.
The County Magistrate's steps hesitated briefly.
Just as the young arresting officer opened his eyes, it was as if thousands of arrows were suddenly unleashed. The Magistrate's corpulent body shook, his heart nearly ca to a halt, and the three patrol officers behind him almost thought they had entered a tiger's lair, their bodies rigid and their faces pale, beads of cold sweat forming on their foreheads. The plan they had devised earlier was instantly forgotten.
They felt as though they were about to drop dead on the spot.
Ti seed to drag on indefinitely, and even the sun outside had begun to shine on their backs. Eventually, Yan Ling finished reviewing the dossier once more, and his furrowed brows relaxed. Just as he was about to look up, Wang Anfeng retracted his imposing aura at the very sa mont, his eyes narrowed just right. He spoke up in a perfectly tid manner,
"Yan Ling, the County Magistrate has arrived."
Yan Ling was slightly taken aback, noticing the County Magistrate about to step through the doorway, followed by the three arrest officers. Without suspicion, he simply said,
"Perfect timing, co in."
The County Magistrate forced a smile, wiped the sweat from his face, and couldn't help but grumble inwardly,
"We've been here for quite a while..."
Yet, looking over at the red-clothed youth on the other side who had his eyes slightly closed and a faint smile on his lips, the cheeks twitched violently, spurred by an impulse from within but daring not to speak out, he could only offer an apologetic smile and say:
"Yes, indeed, it's quite the coincidence…"
"Lords, these three n are the most capable constables in Fengyue City, and they are in charge of dealing with this case. And these items," he continued, "were found at the scene of the cri…"
As he spoke, the County Magistrate stepped forward, placing the objects he was holding on the table in front of Yan Ling.
There was a longsword, and a blue bundle that, when placed on the table, made a few clinking sounds, which indicated that there were so tal objects inside. Yan Ling opened it to find silver coins and a jade pendant and looked up deeply at the County Magistrate, until the man's face turned slightly pale and he could barely maintain his smile. Only then did Yan Ling look away and said indifferently,
"For that, I must thank the County Magistrate…"
"It's only right, only right…"
The County Magistrate heaved a big sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and with a fully apologetic face, he added, "Mainly because in these past few days, there have been quite a few thefts in the city; even the storehouse was nearly infiltrated by thieves. Thus, these items had many additional guards, difficult to take, difficult to take… Ha, it took quite a lot of ti, I hope the lords don't bla us, no bla ah…"
Yan Ling's facial expression remained unchanged, and he casually asked:
"Oh? Cases of theft?"
"County Magistrate, if you wouldn't mind elaborating further."
The County Magistrate was slightly startled, but since Yan Ling had spoken, he naturally would not let down the latter and recounted the incidents that had happened over the past few days. According to him, thieves had indeed been rampant during this period, causing not just the people to suffer, but so constables had also fallen victim, losing many belongings.
Yan Ling's expression turned pensive, and after a mont of thought, he looked again at the people in the hall and said:
"Do any of these three have thefts in their hos as well?"
The County Magistrate said flatteringly:
"Your judgnt is as perceptive as ever, it is indeed so…"
"Indeed so."
"To even dare to target the people from the governnt, these thieves truly have no small amount of nerve."
Yan Ling was already forming so judgnts in his mind but did not show it, only saying casually before putting the items from the table into the bundle and nonchalantly tossing the longsword to Wang Anfeng, then looked at the County Magistrate and said:
"County Magistrate, as you have many official duties, I will not trouble you further."
"I would also ask the three to take to the charitable house, as I would like to see the deceased in person."
The three Patrol Officers, who had been terrified by Wang Anfeng's earlier display, naturally did not dare to say much at this point, simply responded in a low voice and turned to lead the way. Yan Ling and Wang Anfeng followed them out.
The youth held the longsword in his hand and casually drew it, with a clanging sound the silver-bright blade sprang from its scabbard, seemingly lowering the temperature around it slightly. The blade, with its fine patterns, radiated chilly light, clearly not sothing an ordinary martial artist could afford.
On the hilt were protrusions resembling dragon scales, preventing slippage; the whole sword looked plain, yet within Fufeng, it would be considered a fine weapon. It was just a pity that the hilt was slightly small for Wang Anfeng's hand, making it a bit uncomfortable to hold.
The deceased was a martial artist? And a female?
A look of inquisitiveness rose in Wang Anfeng's eyes.
For soone to wield a sword of this quality, the deceased must either have had an extraordinary status or possess high martial arts skills.
And such a martial artist was stabbed in the throat with a sword, without making any sound, only to be found the next day. The person who struck had Qinggong and swordsmanship that was surely out of the ordinary, not to ntion the Green Bamboo Sword and the Bi'an mask. Even from his own perspective, if it wasn't because he was the so-called 'murderer,' he would find it very likely to be the work of Yi Nanping.
Wang Anfeng grew even more vigilant in his heart.
And then, there was the sword.
The youth's brow furrowed slightly as he casually sheathed the longsword, eliciting a crisp sound. The longsword was slender and sharp, embodying a profound aura.
He seed to have seen this sword before.
That familiar feeling was extrely strong, yet he just couldn't rember at the mont.
Where exactly had he seen it before?
PS: Here is the first update of the day…
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