After sleeping for less than an hour, several officers rushed into the room shouting: “Lord Wu! Lord Wu! Something terrible has happened!”

Wu Dingyuan was drowsy from sleep. Seeing his subordinates in such panic, he couldn’t help but feel his anger rise and scolded: “What terrible thing! You don’t even know to knock on the door, always making a big fuss over nothing – how can you solve any cases!”

The officers were reprimanded by him and were all frightened into silence. After a while, Wu Dingyuan’s anger subsided slightly and he said: “What exactly happened to make you so reckless? Xiao Jin, you speak clearly – tell me!”

Xiao Jin said: “This morning the brothers got up early to investigate the case on the streets, hoping to share Lord Wu’s burden and let you have a few peaceful days. This was all the brothers’ filial intention…”

Xiao Jin was about to ramble on with idle chatter when Wu Dingyuan grunted and said: “Skip all this nonsense! What exactly happened!”

Xiao Jin smiled apologetically: “Yes, yes, your subordinate talks too much and angered Lord Wu. Everyone got up early today to investigate the case everywhere, regardless of being exhausted from last night. We thought the net of justice is vast and wide, leaving no loopholes – perhaps with good luck we might encounter the bandits who murdered and robbed the escort.”

He was about to continue his nonsense when he saw Wu Dingyuan’s face turn ashen and quickly changed his tone, smiling apologetically: “Who knew that halfway there, suddenly the night watchman Old Ma came running in panic, his face pale and out of breath, saying ‘Officers! Something terrible has happened! This is awful!’ That Old Ma has always been timid and fearful – everyone knows this. Old Chen laughed and said ‘Old Ma, which man has your daughter run off with again! Look how scared you are.'”

Hearing this, Wu Dingyuan snorted heavily and said angrily: “That damned Old Chen! I usually tell you all to be polite to the common people – do you treat my words as passing wind? Where is Old Chen? Call him to see me!”

Seeing the constable in an extremely bad mood, all the officers were too frightened to make a sound. Xiao Jin said fearfully: “Old… Old Chen is out on a case and hasn’t returned yet.”

Wu Dingyuan waved his hand impatiently: “Alright! Alright! What happened next?”

Xiao Jin said: “Old Ma wasn’t angry after we teased him a few times. He stammered and said ‘My daughter is fine, you gentlemen are joking. You must quickly go to the blacksmith Tong San’s shop – don’t delay!’ Seeing Old Ma’s agitated state, we thought something really had happened and didn’t dare joke anymore. We hurried to the smithy and when everyone looked – oh my! Good heavens, it was terrible! That Tong San… Tong San…”

Wu Dingyuan said in a deep voice: “Don’t be so hesitant – speak quickly.”

Xiao Jin said: “Yes, yes, I… I was probably too scared. When we reached the smithy, we saw Tong San’s head hanging at the entrance of his own shop, but his body was nowhere to be found. With deaths occurring for two consecutive days, we were all scared senseless and hurried back to report.”

Wu Dingyuan jumped up and shouted: “Quickly prepare the horses!” Without time to wash and change, he spurred his horse and galloped toward Tong San’s shop in the city.

That Tong San was just an ordinary blacksmith, about fifty years old, with no wife or children, living alone in the city. Except for his love of drinking, he never quarreled with anyone. Why would someone want to kill him? It was probably some petty thieves who saw money and murdered for profit. Otherwise, it was Tong San who, while drunk and causing trouble, made enemies with someone.

When Wu Dingyuan reached the smithy entrance, several hundred people had already gathered to watch. Seeing Wu Dingyuan arrive, everyone called out: “Constable Wu is here! Constable Wu is here! With Constable Wu here, this case will definitely be solved!” Wu Dingyuan had solved several famous major cases in recent years and was always well-loved by the people of Xiliang.

Wu Dingyuan smiled slightly and waved to the people before walking into the smithy. He saw the shop was extremely tidy, with hammers and tools of all sizes hanging neatly on the walls, showing no signs of struggle – it really didn’t look like a crime scene. Wu Dingyuan looked up and saw Tong San’s head still hanging from the door beam. It seemed the perpetrator must have had deep hatred for Tong San, but this old blacksmith was just a small person – he didn’t know what kind of person would have such deep enmity with him.

Old Li said: “Reporting to Lord Wu, the brothers checked earlier – none of the shop’s valuables or silver is missing.”

Wu Dingyuan nodded. Since no silver was missing and no property was lacking, looking at it this way, this case must be revenge killing. As long as they investigated Tong San’s usual associations, the case could naturally be solved.

He ordered someone to take down Tong San’s head. The door beam was extremely high, so several officers set up a ladder by the door. An officer slowly climbed up, and he was seen fumbling and stumbling as he took down Tong San’s head.

Wu Dingyuan was slightly puzzled. The door beam was so high – he didn’t know how the murderer had hung it up there. Could it be another martial arts expert’s handiwork?

Wu Dingyuan’s brow furrowed as he thought: “The Yanling case is already troublesome enough – this murder case must not be the work of jianghu people, otherwise with two cases colliding, how would I deploy people to handle them?” He took Tong San’s head and examined it carefully. Who knew that upon seeing it, his heart immediately felt ominous – the cut was extremely smooth with no connected flesh and blood, clearly severed by someone with a heavy weapon. The blade work was extremely clean and efficient – it seemed the perpetrator was not only no ordinary person but probably an expert with the blade.

Wu Dingyuan shook his head and sighed. As he had guessed, it was indeed the work of jianghu people. The Yanling Escort Agency case already had him at his wit’s end, and at this critical moment, another murder case had to emerge.

Soon, Master Huang Ji the coroner also heard the news and hurried over. With two consecutive murder cases, the entire city of Xiliang was in chaos everywhere. Though Huang Ji had retired, he could no longer stay out of it.

After Huang Ji examined Tong San’s head, he quietly conferred with Wu Dingyuan. Wu Dingyuan said in a low voice: “Master Huang, what do you think – who did this?”

Huang Ji frowned: “Constable Wu, to be honest, this murderer used Shaolin Temple blade techniques.”

Though Wu Dingyuan knew the murderer was a jianghu person, he never expected it to be a Shaolin Temple expert. He was shocked: “This… how do you know this?”

Huang Ji said: “When the murderer severed Tong San’s head, that strike first cut down several inches, then forcefully sliced upward. This method of exerting force is quite unique. According to my knowledge, in the martial arts world, apart from Shaolin Temple’s ‘Demon-Subduing Blade Technique,’ there’s no second blade technique that uses force this way. In Xiliang, except for the Qi father and son of Yanling Escort Agency, no one knows this martial art.”

Wu Dingyuan’s face turned pale as he ordered his subordinates to bring the night watchman Old Ma over. Old Ma had been waiting outside – a man in his fifties or sixties who was always honest and got along well with people.

Seeing his frightened expression, Wu Dingyuan first comforted him a few words before saying: “Uncle Ma, when did you see Tong San’s head?”

Old Ma said: “This morning when I passed by here, I saw Tong San’s head hanging here. I happened to meet these officers on the road and asked them to come and investigate.”

Wu Dingyuan nodded and asked again: “When you were making your rounds last night, did you see anything suspicious?”

Old Ma’s expression was hesitant, as if he wanted to speak but held back. Wu Dingyuan saw his strange expression and said to the officers: “You all go down first.” Everyone complied and left the smithy.

Wu Dingyuan said in a low voice: “Uncle Ma, there’s no one else here – you can speak freely.”

Old Ma still looked around restlessly. Wu Dingyuan frowned: “What difficulty do you have in speaking? Or is there something unspeakable?”

Old Ma was shocked: “Constable Wu sees clearly! I’m completely innocent – how could I have anything unspeakable! It’s just… it’s just…”

Wu Dingyuan was somewhat impatient: “Uncle, speak more clearly – don’t drag it out.”

Old Ma sighed repeatedly, scratching his head and face, lowering his voice: “Last night around the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), I saw… saw Young Master Qi from Yanling Escort Agency…”

Though Wu Dingyuan had guessed part of it, he was still shocked and hurriedly asked: “Are you certain of this?”

Old Ma said: “Absolutely certain, not a single false word. Last night Young Master Qi brought three or four people out of the small alley. I greeted them, but no one noticed me. I felt it was strange at the time – I didn’t know what urgent matter Young Master Qi had, not sleeping in the middle of the night. So I secretly followed them for a while and saw them go straight to Tong San’s smithy.”

Wu Dingyuan said: “Uncle Ma, are you sure you didn’t mistake the person?”

Old Ma said: “The leader had a tiger’s back and bear’s waist, carrying a large blade – it was definitely Young Master Qi. I might mistake others, but with Young Master Qi’s imposing physique, who would mistake him?”

Wu Dingyuan knew this was the case and felt his mind in turmoil, ordering his subordinates to take Old Ma back.

Wu Dingyuan called over Huang Ji. The matter was of great importance, so neither dared speak loudly.

Wu Dingyuan said in a low voice: “This is strange. If it really was Qi Bochuan who did it, why would he kill an insignificant old blacksmith? Could it be… could it be this old blacksmith has some connection to the Yanling massacre?”

Huang Ji shook his head: “Unless we make another trip to Yanling Escort Agency, I’m afraid no one can answer that.”

Wu Dingyuan nodded: “Exactly! Today it must be done!”

Wu Dingyuan had been startled by the strange visitor last night, and today encountered such a major incident. If it were someone else, they would have been terrified, but he became more courageous when faced with setbacks. Until the case was completely solved, he would never give up.

Wu Dingyuan shouted loudly: “All officers listen to orders! Prepare your weapons and advance on Yanling Escort Agency!” He then took out the prefect’s token and ordered Old Li to lead three hundred soldiers to surround Yanling Escort Agency from the back door. The group split into two routes and set out in great force.

The officers marched with great swagger, deliberately seeking to avenge yesterday’s capture. Everyone was in high spirits and eager to try. When the group arrived at the escort agency, they saw the vermillion gate tightly locked. Wu Dingyuan smiled coldly – though Yanling Escort Agency had a prestigious reputation, it still had to be governed by Xiliang Prefecture. How could they fight privately and kill at will? Did they think that sending a gift last night would buy off the government office? He immediately ordered Old Li to carry his calling card to request a meeting, determined to be courteous before using force.

Old Li knocked on the door for a long time, but no one came to answer. Wu Dingyuan snorted and said coldly: “Do they think hiding their heads will solve everything? Men, break down the door for me!” The officers raised a large log and forcefully broke open Yanling Escort Agency’s main gate with a thunderous sound. Still, no one from the escort agency came out to respond – they seemed truly frightened.

Wu Dingyuan led everyone to dismount and shouted: “Everyone go in together! If we don’t capture Qi Bochuan today, Wu Dingyuan will take your surnames!” Everyone held their weapons and swaggered into the escort agency’s main gate, washing away yesterday’s humiliation.

Wu Dingyuan walked into the courtyard and shouted: “Chief Escort Qi, your son killed someone – hiding is useless! A real man acts straightforwardly! Why hide and skulk!” After a long while, still not a single person was seen.

An officer laughed and cursed: “Could it be that this Yanling Escort Agency, knowing trouble had come, fled with the entire household without a trace?”

Wu Dingyuan became suspicious, thinking: “This Qi Runxiang is an old jianghu hand. Even if his son committed murder, he wouldn’t flee in panic. Could some major incident have occurred?”

Wu Dingyuan waved his hand and said to everyone: “Everyone wait here – let me go in and explore first.” He ordered everyone to stay at the entrance and not enter without his signal.

He walked alone into the escort agency’s front courtyard. This Yanling Escort Agency had dominated Xiliang for decades with a grand foundation and vast mansion grounds. Wu Dingyuan walked for quite a while without even entering the front hall.

While walking, he suddenly stumbled as if something had hit his ankle. Wu Dingyuan was puzzled and quickly looked down to see a leg lying across the courtyard path, with the upper body hidden in a nearby flower bed.

Wu Dingyuan’s heart tightened, and he stepped back, shouting: “Who’s there?”

But that person still lay motionless in the flower bed.

Wu Dingyuan sensed something was wrong and quickly bent down to investigate. He grabbed that person’s calf and dragged it out of the flower cluster, immediately pulling out a person. Upon seeing this, despite Wu Dingyuan’s skilled martial arts and years of case experience, he couldn’t help but scream in horror – where was this still a person? It was half a male corpse! Only the lower body remained – the upper half was nowhere to be seen.

Wu Dingyuan’s heart was greatly alarmed, knowing something had happened in the agency. He quickly took out his Flying Silver Shuttle for protection and gave a long whistle toward the sky to signal the large force waiting at the entrance. Fighting for time without waiting for everyone to arrive, he immediately ran toward the main hall. He peered inside, but there wasn’t a single person – the hall was as usual with nothing unusual.

Wu Dingyuan pondered for a while, immediately left the hall, and soon walked to the back kitchen. Seeing the back door ajar, he slipped inside.

Who knew that upon entering, he immediately collided with someone. Wu Dingyuan, fearing an ambush, immediately used grappling techniques to grab that person’s waist, then moved his fingers like flying, consecutively striking three major acupoints on that person’s body.

Wu Dingyuan shouted: “I am Constable Wu of Xiliang – quickly surrender!” Before his words finished, that person’s body had already gone limp and collapsed into Wu Dingyuan’s arms.

Wu Dingyuan felt that person’s body was ice-cold. His heart suddenly felt ominous, and he quickly examined that person’s face – it was a small maid, fifteen or sixteen years old, quite pretty. Wu Dingyuan knew he had grabbed the wrong person and was about to release her when he suddenly saw that the little maid’s two arms had been removed by someone and she had been dead for a long time.

Wu Dingyuan’s heart was both shocked and pained, knowing that criminals had already been here. He quickly lifted his steps and ran toward the inner hall.

While running, he suddenly stumbled again. At first glance, Wu Dingyuan nearly collapsed. It turned out this small kitchen was filled with more than twenty dead bodies layered upon each other. Among the deceased were seven or eight-year-old children and white-haired old women. Some mother and child were embracing each other, pierced through by swords, while others were decapitated with severed limbs. From their clothing, they were all servants like household staff and maids. It seemed they had first been gathered here, then slaughtered together.

Wu Dingyuan’s heart ached – he had handled many major cases but had never seen criminals so vicious as to not spare even innocent servants.

His mind was in chaos, full of questions: “Who exactly did this? These people should be jianghu experts – why didn’t they spare even a small maid? Yesterday they killed eighteen escort masters, and now they’ve taken so many more lives – what matter is worth such great effort?”

He had originally come to arrest Qi Bochuan, but who knew he would encounter another murder case? He couldn’t help but sigh heavily.

Walking all the way to the inner hall, Wu Dingyuan deeply feared the bandits were still in the house. He gripped the “Flying Silver Shuttle” tightly, his whole body full of martial energy. But at this moment his mind was in chaos, his thoughts fluctuating. Turning his thoughts again, he wondered: “Last night Qi Bochuan had just killed Tong San, and this morning Yanling Escort Agency suffered this disaster. Exactly which group has it out for Yanling Escort Agency? Where did all those experts in the escort agency go? Where are the Qi father and son? Why did they kill Tong San?”

At this time his mind was greatly disturbed. Since taking the position of constable, he had never seen such a major case and was momentarily somewhat panicked.

Wu Dingyuan rushed into the inner hall and immediately heard low moaning sounds coming from the western wing room. That sound was extremely muddy, like ghostly night crying or the mournful howling of wild beasts. His heart tightened as he slowly walked toward the west side – that was where Qi Runxiang’s family members lived. They must not have met with foul play.

Wu Dingyuan’s heart was uneasy. As soon as he walked into the inner courtyard, he couldn’t help but feel his hair stand on end and nearly cry out loud.

The courtyard was filled with corpses – men’s bodies separated from heads, hands and feet broken, human heads rolled all over the ground, fresh blood splattered throughout the entire courtyard. The women’s clothing was torn, some with their lower bodies exposed, lying face up or down – all had suffered violation before being killed.

Wu Dingyuan had never seen such brutal murder scenes – he was stunned.

In the center, a man lay on his back facing the sky, still moaning. His face was covered with blood, his skin peeled off piece by piece, flesh and blood mangled, both ears cut off leaving deep ear holes. The skin on that person’s hands and feet had many wrinkles – he appeared to be advanced in age. Wu Dingyuan quickly held him up and with difficulty recognized that person’s appearance – with his broad forehead and tiger mouth, wasn’t this Qi Runxiang?

Wu Dingyuan quickly examined his wounds and saw that Qi Runxiang’s hand and foot tendons had been severed, making him a cripple. He was only barely holding on to this moment relying on his deep internal energy.

Wu Dingyuan reached out to pinch his philtrum. Qi Runxiang’s facial skin had been peeled off, and he immediately awakened in pain, moaning: “You… you…”

Wu Dingyuan quickly said: “Master Qi, I am Wu Dingyuan – hold on!”

Qi Runxiang wanted to reach out but couldn’t move. Wu Dingyuan quickly pressed acupoints on his body to reduce his pain.

Qi Runxiang was severely injured and said with difficulty: “My… my family members?”

Wu Dingyuan said in a low voice: “They are all safe – don’t worry, I’ll stop your bleeding first.”

Qi Runxiang gasped a few times and said: “Call them to see me – I have some last words to tell them.”

Wu Dingyuan remained motionless, his face showing great pity.

Qi Runxiang said miserably: “They… they’re all dead, aren’t they?”

Wu Dingyuan hung his head without speaking. Qi Runxiang’s heart was greatly grieved, tears streaming down his face, mixing with blood and splashing onto Wu Dingyuan’s clothing.

Wu Dingyuan held Qi Runxiang and said in a deep voice: “Master Qi! What exactly happened? Tell me!”

Qi Runxiang first showed an expression of extreme hatred, then looked at Wu Dingyuan’s body and suddenly showed a slight smile: “Heaven be blessed – fortunately the item wasn’t lost… Constable Wu… you… you…”

Wu Dingyuan said strangely: “What item wasn’t lost? Master Qi, speak more clearly!”

Qi Runxiang gripped Wu Dingyuan’s hand and used his last breath to say: “Go… go find Wang… Wang… send Zhou… Zhou…” He shouted loudly and suddenly called: “Avenge… me!”

Unable to catch another breath, his head tilted and he died.

Wu Dingyuan repeatedly called: “Master Qi! Master Qi!”

But Qi Runxiang remained motionless. Wu Dingyuan checked his pulse – it had long stopped beating.

Wu Dingyuan thought to himself: “This is bad! Now that Qi Runxiang is dead, how can this case be investigated further?”

He recalled Qi Runxiang’s last words – what item wasn’t lost, what Wang, Wang, Zhou, Zhou – not a single sentence was clear.

At this time the officers had arrived at the inner courtyard. Everyone seeing the horrific scene had heavy expressions, and for a long time no one spoke.

Everyone examined the corpses – there were various causes of death. Some were killed by heavy objects, some were hacked by long swords, showing that the perpetrators were numerous. Everyone counted the bodies but found Qi Bochuan missing. Wu Dingyuan’s heart leaped with joy, thinking: “It seems Qi Bochuan’s martial arts were strong enough to escape this disaster. As long as we find him, this case won’t be difficult to solve.” He immediately ordered his subordinates to transport the dozens of corpses back to the government office.

An officer asked: “Lord Wu, how should we handle those eighteen coffins in the hall?”

Wu Dingyuan sighed deeply: “Take them all back.”

That night the government office was filled with ghostly wind. All the officers looked pale. Huang Ji reported: “Constable Wu, I have thoroughly examined the corpses. All the old and young of Yanling Escort Agency were killed last night. Only Qi Runxiang, relying on his deep internal energy, held on until this morning before dying.”

Wu Dingyuan’s face was miserable as he cursed: “These beasts worse than animals – they didn’t even spare small children! If I catch them, I won’t rest until I cut them into ten thousand pieces!”

Huang Ji continued: “Qi Runxiang had many wounds on his body, and his arms also had strange blood holes like those eighteen escort masters yesterday.”

Wu Dingyuan nodded: “The perpetrators were the same group. They first killed eighteen escort masters, then killed all the old and young of Yanling Escort Agency. Naturally their methods would be the same.”

Huang Ji said: “Some people’s causes of death were the same as those eighteen escort masters, while others were quite different. The perpetrator was definitely not one person, but these people’s techniques and methods of exerting force were roughly similar. They should be from the same school.”

Wu Dingyuan heavily struck the table and said angrily: “This group is lawless! What exactly are they after? What are they after?”

Huang Ji suddenly said: “Constable Wu, I heard last night the government office was quite unsettled. The officers all said they saw ghostly shadows in your room – is this true?”

Wu Dingyuan was suddenly awakened and understood, immediately laughing coldly: “This reminds me – last night someone broke into the government office and turned my room upside down. It was probably the same group that killed Yanling Escort Agency.”

Huang Ji was shocked: “Calculating by this timing, that group had just committed the bloody massacre and then ran to the government office to cause trouble! This… this is simply too lawless!”

Wu Dingyuan had a flash of inspiration and suddenly thought: “Qi Runxiang said the item wasn’t lost! Ah! So this group of thieves ran to my room last night to search for something!”

Instead of anger, he laughed and said in a deep voice: “What a group of crafty thieves! I see these beasts, after committing the massacre last night, still couldn’t find what they were looking for, so they suspected me and came to the government office to search here and there.”

Huang Ji sucked in a cold breath and said tremblingly: “There are actually such arrogant bandits in the world.”

Wu Dingyuan snorted: “These criminals committed murder and arson definitely for some treasure. It seems if we want to solve this case, we must first find out what this escort was carrying, otherwise even if we spend years, we won’t know where it will end.”

Huang Ji, hearing these words, repeatedly agreed.

Wu Dingyuan calculated carefully. At that time, Qi Runxiang had used his last breath to tell him “the item wasn’t lost.” It seemed that as long as this group of criminals couldn’t find it, they would definitely make a big fuss searching everywhere for Qi Bochuan’s whereabouts. His own forces must get there first, otherwise this case would definitely be hopeless.

His mind stirred as he thought: “When Qi Runxiang gave his last words, he told me to find some Wang and some Zhou – perhaps there are other clues in this.”

Wu Dingyuan immediately summoned the officers and ordered everyone to use all their familiar jianghu contacts. Anyone who could find information about Qi Bochuan’s whereabouts would be heavily rewarded. Additionally, special attention should be paid to jianghu people surnamed Wang or Zhou. Everyone worked day and night tirelessly. Wu Dingyuan himself held down the government office, coordinating intelligence reports from all directions.

On the third day, Prefect Lu Qingzheng summoned Wu Dingyuan. This prefect had only been in office in Liangzhou for one year but had already dismissed many old officials. Though honest in governance, he was extremely strict with subordinates. Wu Dingyuan was not familiar with previous prefects, and with such a major case occurring under his jurisdiction while he had no results, he couldn’t help feeling fearful.

Entering the prefect’s study, he saw Lu Qingzheng reading with his head down the case files he had sent, which detailed the whole story of the Yanling Escort Agency massacre. Wu Dingyuan stood waiting at the side. After a long time, Prefect Lu Qingzheng finally raised his head and said to Wu Dingyuan: “Sit down and speak.”

Wu Dingyuan bowed in thanks and had just sat down when he saw the prefect’s expression was unfriendly. He knew this was bad and secretly groaned. Sure enough, he heard Lu Qingzheng say: “Constable Wu, how many days has it been since this case occurred?”

Wu Dingyuan steeled himself: “It has been three days now.”

Lu Qingzheng raised his eyebrows: “How is it that you’ve been in the government office these past few days without going out to pursue the criminals? Do you already know who the murderers are?” His tone was stern with obvious blame.

Wu Dingyuan said: “Your subordinate has been planning the pursuit of criminals these three days. It’s just that the timing isn’t right – it’s not convenient to alert the enemy.” He couldn’t tell the prefect plainly that he still had no leads and no confidence in solving the case, so he answered this way.

Lu Qingzheng, upon hearing this, immediately became furious and shouted: “You are a government official! Three murder cases have occurred under your jurisdiction with eighty-three lives lost, and you still say it’s not convenient to alert the enemy? How do you conduct your duties!”

Wu Dingyuan hurriedly stood up and said fearfully: “Your Excellency’s instruction is correct – your subordinate knows his guilt.”

Lu Qingzheng snorted: “In your case file you mention escort robbery – exactly what item were these bandits looking for?”

Wu Dingyuan said: “Your subordinate also doesn’t know – it should be something extremely important.”

Lu Qingzheng snorted: “Have the items you searched and seized from Yanling Escort Agency been catalogued and stored?”

Wu Dingyuan said: “Yes, your subordinate has already registered everything.”

Lu Qingzheng’s expression calmed slightly as he nodded: “Quickly present the registry!”

Wu Dingyuan ordered someone to bring the record book and present it to the prefect. Lu Qingzheng quickly flipped through it and asked: “Are all the items on the registry?”

Wu Dingyuan replied: “All are on the registry!”

Who knew Lu Qingzheng suddenly became furious and heavily slammed the table.

Wu Dingyuan was shocked: “Why is Your Excellency so angry?”

Lu Qingzheng sternly said: “Bold Wu Dingyuan! You are corrupt and pervert justice, privately hiding confiscated property – what crime should this be!”

Wu Dingyuan was shocked and fell to his knees, hurriedly saying: “Your Excellency sees clearly – your subordinate has always been honest, handled cases fairly, and never dared do anything against his conscience!”

Lu Qingzheng snorted heavily: “Men, bring them all up!” Several personal guards immediately brought out three large chests – all the clothing Qi Runxiang had sent.

Lu Qingzheng sneered: “What is this?”

Wu Dingyuan felt cold sweat on his forehead and said tremblingly: “These are clothing items sent by Yanling Escort Agency. Since your subordinate cannot use them privately, I ordered my subordinates to store them properly, not daring to fail in my duties.”

Lu Qingzheng nodded: “Stand up and speak – I was just testing you.”

Wu Dingyuan stood up in fear and trepidation, only hearing Lu Qingzheng clear his throat and say: “In future, whenever you seize any items related to Yanling Escort Agency, you must report to this official.”

Wu Dingyuan dared not say more and could only repeatedly agree, bowing as he prepared to leave.

Lu Qingzheng suddenly said: “Wait!”

Wu Dingyuan, hearing he had more instructions, quickly stopped and said: “What orders does Your Excellency have?”

Lu Qingzheng said: “If you find Qi Bochuan, immediately bring him to see me.”

Wu Dingyuan saw how seriously he took this case – he was actually going to personally intervene in the interrogation. He could only say: “Your subordinate obeys.”

Leaving the prefect’s residence, Wu Dingyuan was soaked in cold sweat. Which previous constable didn’t cleverly create pretexts to extort merchants? Only he never did such things – unless people sincerely sent small gifts would Wu Dingyuan dare accept them. He didn’t expect to still be severely reprimanded. He touched the jade belt at his waist, feeling very indignant.

Two more days passed with still no progress on the case. The prefect sent people daily to inquire about the case with increasing reproach. Wu Dingyuan felt deeply exhausted. Huang Ji had always been learned, and seeing he was in mortal danger, advised him: “Constable Wu, why don’t you make a trip to White Dragon Temple?”

Wu Dingyuan slapped his thigh in delight: “Right! How did I not think of Master Zhi Guan of White Dragon Temple?”

Though White Dragon Temple was a Buddhist temple, the abbot Zhi Guan came from Mount Wutai and was from a martial arts lineage. His Buddhist knowledge was profound and his martial arts cultivation was also considerable. Consulting him about jianghu matters was most appropriate. But Master Zhi Guan was gentle in nature and liked tranquility by disposition. Wu Dingyuan didn’t want many officers to disturb him, so he went alone, which would also show respect for Master Zhi Guan.