Chapter 248: Search

Chapter 248: Search

Deacon Zhou pondered aloud. “Now, it seems that the simplest and most direct way is to directly search the Xiang Residence. That should reveal some clues.”

The assistant major was from the Green Phoenix Guard, which was part of the Imperial Court, so he had more factors to consider. “Master Xiang is a Juren Scholar, and his grandfather has some connections with the Imperial Court. Scholars always like to stick together with their peers. We need to be confident in finding evidence of wrongdoing if we search this place. Otherwise, we will be in trouble if this place is found to be clean.

“Furthermore, Master Xiang is now unconscious. If we search his house without consent, he might hold us responsible for certain missing items. He’s not an ordinary civilian, so it won’t be easy to brush him off. Also, we can’t guarantee there isn’t a kleptomaniac among our subordinates. By then, it’ll be his word against ours.”

Deacon Zhou hissed. “This is indeed a bit tricky.”

He looked at Qi Xuansu for advice. “Brother Wei, what do you have in mind?”

Qi Xuansu wanted to push it back, but he thought about it and suggested, “Why don’t we invite the local magistrate over? He’s in charge of the local affairs in the county, so we can invite him here to be a witness for the search.”

“Brother Wei, this is a good idea!” The assistant major clapped his hands. “If the county magistrate is willing to bear witness, we can prove that we didn’t act without authorization even if we don’t manage to find anything in the search. If he refuses to bear witness to this search, then he will be held accountable for the consequences.”

Qi Xuansu thought to himself, People in officialdom sure know how to cover for themselves. Although this assistant major has a military background, he has quite a good foresight for handling various scenarios.

The assistant major continued, “I will go in person to invite the county magistrate over.”

Deacon Zhou reminded him. “Tell the county magistrate that representatives of the Daoist Order, the Black Robes, and the Green Phoenix Guard have all arrived. He’s the representative of the local civil affairs, so he must be present as well. If he shirks responsibility this time, he needs to be able to explain it to the higher-ups when the time comes.”

“Right.” The assistant major nodded with a smile and strode away.

After about half a day, Xiang Rulin finally woke up. The local magistrate and assistant major arrived soon after.

The Great Xuan Dynasty did not emphasize literature over martial arts. The Six Arts of Gentlemen, which included etiquette, music, archery, riding, mathematics, and calligraphy, were also popular. Therefore, although the county magistrate was a civil official, he did not sit in a carriage. Instead, he rode on horseback, braving the wind and snow.

Although the magistrate was somewhat reluctant to get involved, he was left with no choice. If something went wrong, he would certainly be held responsible. However, if the case could be solved, he would also gain a share of the credit.

Thus, the county magistrate conveyed the decision to search the Xiang Residence to the owner of the house. Xiang Rulin protested, but to no avail. His vision went black as he fainted again.

Deacon Zhou had some medical knowledge, so he examined Xiang Rulin. He stroked his beard and remarked, “Master Xiang fainted due to overwhelming emotions, but his constitution is weak with a deficiency in yang energy.”

The assistant major snickered. “Huh, it doesn’t occur to me that a man of his age can still be so unrestrained in bed to the point he lacks yang energy.”

Deacon Zhou said helplessly, “Having a deficiency in yang energy doesn’t mean that he is a virile man. Yang energy and yin energy are opposing forces. When these two forces meet, one is bound to overcome the other. Only the Daoist Sages can truly achieve a balance of yin and yang.”

The assistant major was a Martial Arts Practitioner, and the county magistrate was a Confucian disciple, so they were not as proficient in the study of yin and yang as Deacon Zhou.

Deacon Zhou and the county magistrate looked at each other before saying, “It seems that the only option is to break down the door.”

Qi Xuansu, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke. “Since this happened because of me, let me do the honor of breaking down the door.”

The assistant major immediately agreed.

Qi Xuansu did not waste any time. He took two steps forward and stomped one foot into the ground to stop his forward momentum. His body leaned forward, and his fist at chest level pulled back as if he were pulling a bow. Then he abruptly unleashed a punch like a shot arrow. His joints created sounds of a firecracker as he completed the whole action in one breath.

“Nice punch!” The assistant major, who was also a Martial Arts Practitioner, knew this technique, his eyes lighting up with admiration.

The moment Qi Xuansu’s punch landed on the door, an illusory ripple spread across the door. However, faced with a punch with a combination of blood qi and innate qi, this simple formation only lasted for a moment before collapsing. The door to the small exploded into pieces, filling the sky with sawdust.

Seeing this scene, the county magistrate and Deacon Zhou could not help but shrink their heads instinctively. They secretly thought that if this punch had landed on their bodies, they would have been critically injured, if not dead.

Qi Xuansu clenched his fists and walked into the cemetery first.

The other three followed closely behind. The group of Green Phoenix Guards, civil servants, and Daoist priests trailed their bosses.

As soon as they entered the cemetery, they could not help but gasp in horror.

This was indeed a cemetery. A solitary gravestone stood in the middle, but all around it were scattered bones. At a glance, it was easy to identify them as human bones.

This place was abandoned and eerily silent—a chilling sight, especially with exposed human remains everywhere.

Deacon Zhou came to a white bone that was obviously different from the surrounding bones. It had a light jade-white color, so it should be the remains of a cultivator. Next to this piece of bone was a damaged magical weapon that resembled a Bagua[1].

Deacon Zhou sighed softly as he pointed at the bones. “This should be the Diviner who drew the talisman on the wall of the guest room. He was indeed murdered.”

At this time, the county magistrate knew that he had to make a decision. He ordered in a stern tone, “Arrest Xiang Rulin immediately and seal off the Xiang Residence. No one is allowed to leave without permission!”

The assistant major waved his hand as a signal to his subordinates.

The cadets under the local magistrate and the Green Phoenix Guards immediately dispersed to do their jobs, creating more cries and chaos in the Xiang Residence.

The rumors earlier suddenly became true.

1. The Eight Trigrams defined as a set of eight symbols used to represent the fundamental principles of reality and the natural world. ☜