NOVEL NEXT Chapter 34 - Unexpected Rewards
Chapter 34: Unexpected Rewards
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shopkeeper Qian seemed to be extremely sad and angry. They sounded as if he could not wait to kill Zhou Heng right now in order to avenge Zhao Yuan.
After hearing his words, Zhou Heng was a little stunned.
‘Darn it! How dare my top suspect be that arrogant?!”
Nevertheless, before Zhou Heng could respond to him, Meng Xing shouted in his deep voice, “Qian Buduo, stop your nonsense. You’re also a suspect!”
After hearing his words, Shopkeeper Qian immediately lowered his head and dared not speak another word.
Meanwhile, Zhou Heng threw Meng Xing a look of surprise. He asked in puzzlement, “Is Shopkeeper Qian a suspect too?”
‘Is Qian Buduo brought over here just because he’s considered a suspect too?’
He did not speak his mind out.
“Humph! I really wonder how you constables handle cases!” Shopkeeper Qian shot a disdainful look at Meng Xin. He said, “I’m innocent and Zhao Yuan is also a friend of mine from the same martial arts school. How could I possibly kill him and have you guys actually suspecting me?”
“You’d better be honest!” A young constable stood beside him, kicked Shopkeeper Qian, and snorted, “How dare you talk to Meng Xing like this?! Do you know the rules?!”
“Wang, take this guy inside first. Ms. Li’s already inside.” Meng Xing put on a cold-looking face and said coldly, “If he talks nonsense again, teach him a lesson!”
“Noted!” The young constable hurriedly nodded and immediately dragged Shopkeeper Qian inside the Five Auspicious Martial Arts School.
“I’m sorry to have you watch this comedy, Mr. Zhou.” Meng Xing looked at Zhou Heng. But this time, he put on a gentler expression and said, “Please follow me, Mister. Someone is already waiting at the crime scene.”
The speed at which his face jumped from varying expressions stunned Zhou Heng.
He thought to himself, ‘Did he learn those tricks from the Sichuan Opera? His face-changing is at the ultimate level!’
‘But, why were the head of constables and his subordinates being so kind to him?
‘Something’s weird!
‘Is it really because I’m too handsome?’
The crime scene was the bedroom where Zhao Yuan was murdered.
Everything else remained unchanged, except that Zho Yuan’s dead body had been removed.
The line of bloody words remained.
[The murderer is Zhou Heng!]
When Zhou Heng and Meng Xin came to the scene, they found Shopkeeper Qian and Constable Wang were already there.
There was also a young lady.
She looked to be in her twenties, wearing a pale yellow dress, with fluffy hair, delicate features and cold eyes. She stood alone in the corner of the bedroom. She did not speak a word. Her presence was barely noticeable.
When Shopkeeper Qian saw Zhou Heng, he smirked. “Zhou Heng, open your eyes. Do you see what’s written there?! If you’re not the killer, who else could it be?”
“Shut up!” Meng Xing glared at him and said to Zhou Heng, “Mr. Zhou, you can simply look around here. Leave the rest to us.”
Zhou Heng fell silent. He frowned and was confused by what Meng Xing was up to. ‘Can they really identify the murderer just by letting the suspects look around the crime scene casually?
‘That’s so unrealistic.’
Of course, he would not miss this opportunity to observe the crime scene himself.
If a ghost were indeed behind this, there should be residues of ghostly aura here.
Ever since he came into contact with the ghost aura from Cheng Jiangjian, Zhou Heng had developed a certain sense to detect ghost aura. However, it was only limited to the ghost aura left behind in a normal person or object.
He utilized the one-point increase of his insight to give a complete sweep of the bedroom, but did not discover any suspicious areas. There were no traces of ghosts at all.
‘Perhaps ghosts did not do this?
‘Or is the ghost good at hiding his traces, so I wouldn’t find any footprints?’
Zhou Heng was puzzled. As he was about to end his observation, his eyes met with the young lady standing in the corner. He saw a pair of eyes, as crystal clear as clear spring.
“I’m done.”
At that moment, the lady abruptly opened her mouth. She shifted her gaze, lifted her finger at Shopkeeper Qian and said, “Constable Meng, have this man under your control first. His expression was suspicious when he looked around. He’s a major suspect.”
“What?!” Shopkeeper Qian was immediately stunned. He said in puzzlement, “T-This is impossible, I’m innocent. I’m innocent. Y-You’re simply accusing people!”
“Arrest him!” Meng Xing ordered directly.
“Noted!” Wang hurriedly nodded.
At the same time, three constables rushed in from the outside and subdued Master Qian within a second.
“What are you doing?!” Shopkeeper Qian was horrified and shouted, “You can’t do this!”
“Take him away! Put him inside the cellar first and wait for his sentencing!” Meng Xing said in his low voice.
Shopkeeper Qian was taken away by four constables, Wang included. The bedroom became quiet again.
Zhou Heng fell silent. He had some guesses which he kept to himself. At the same time, he was also very puzzled. He looked at Meng Xing and asked, “What’s going on, Constable Meng?”
“Well, here’s how it is… Come, allow me to introduce her to you.” Meng Xing walked to the lady standing in the corner, and said to Zhou Heng, “Mr. Zhou, she’s Li Jingxin, Ms. Li.
“She can judge a person’s psychological activity by observing one’s changes in facial expression. Just now, she noticed something off with Shopkeeper Qian’s expression. Therefore, she determined that he’s highly suspicious.”
“Is that how it works?” Zhou Heng could not help but freeze at his words. ‘That’s amazing.’ “So, does that mean there was nothing wrong with my expression just now?”
“No.” Li Jingxin was very careful with her words and said nonchalantly, “You only looked for clues, and your eyes had no panic, no fear and no surprise.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll send Mr. Zhou back first.” Meng Xin smiled as he said.
“That won’t be necessary,” Zhou Heng shook his head as he said, “I can go back by myself.”
He had a feeling that Meng Xing was overly attentive to him to the point of being ridiculous. This was especially after seeing how he treated Shopkeeper Qian. The contrast had been huge.
“How can I do that?” Meng Xing replied, “I’m really sorry for having you make a trip down here. If I don’t send you back personally, I’ll be upset. Allow me to do this for you.”
“Alright. Thanks then.” Zhou Heng had to agree.
Despite this, he intuitively felt that the development of this incident had been extremely peculiar. Yet, he could not quite put his finger on it.
While they were on the way back inside the horse-drawn carriage.
Zhou Heng, who originally looked like he was resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and his face became extremely pale.
“What’s the matter, Mr. Zhou?” When Meng Xing noticed him, he asked in puzzlement.
“Nothing. I’ve just had a nightmare,” Zhou Heng shook his head and continued, “Constable Meng, please stop at the gold shop in the front. I can go back by myself.”
“Mr. Zhou, are you going to exchange gold?” Meng Xing asked in surprise. He had heard once that Mr. Zhou was financially tight.
“Hum, for some special purposes.” Zhou Heng nodded with a bitter expression.
On the way, he had been bored. So, he was in his mind gaining insights from Thunder Palm, a Daoism technique, in case it came in handy.
Although he did not feel the ghost aura just now, Shopkeeper Qian had been arrested. He still felt some uneasiness in his heart. It would be safer to learn the Daoism technique.
The progress was fast. It did not take him long to learn the Daoism technique.
Thunder Palm seemed to be a type of Daoism technique specifically for ghosts. Although he was still at a novice level, the technique could cause severe damage to the ghosts. When one perfected the cultivation of the technique, it would exterminate ghosts.
However, immediately after, he came upon a horrifying revelation.
That Daoism technique of Thunder Palm actually required him to spend money!
Whether it was for practice purposes or actual performance of the Daoism technique, gold was needed to cast spirit guides.
One tael of gold was needed each time.
That was as painful as taking his life away!
“Mister, if you’re in need of gold, I’ve some with me.” Suddenly, Meng Xing took out a cloth bag from his arms and unfolded it. There was a piece of gold. He passed it to Zhou Heng and smiled as he said, “Take this and spend it first.”
Zhou Heng fell speechless.
Zhou Heng looked at Meng Xing with a dumbfounded expression. Then, he took a look at that gold metal, and said in a puzzle, “Constable Meng, what is the meaning of this?”
“Mister, you’re highly valued by the mayor and will certainly have a bright future. I just wanted to befriend you while I’m here with you. I’ve no other motives,” Meng Xing simply spoke his mind bluntly. “Please accept this, Mister.”
Zhou Heng fell silent.
Zhou Heng gave a small smile in silence after hearing his words. He hesitated for a moment, then he nodded and accepted it. He replied to him, “Thanks.”
‘Money is indeed something good.’
At the administrative office in the city, the mayor Wu Zhongshan was dealing with administrative affairs. A door knock from the outside was heard abruptly.
“Come in,” he said nonchalantly.
The door of the room opened.
Meng Xing walked in. He made an obeisance respectfully and said, “Greetings, Lord Mayor. Regarding the case of Zhou Yuan’s death, the master of Five Auspicious Martial Arts School, I’ve some updates.
“I’ve followed your suggestion by having both Shopkeeper Qian and Zhou Heng at the crime scene and having Ms. Li observe their expressions. Eventually, it was determined that Shopkeeper Qian was the prime suspect.
“He has been detained in the cellar, awaiting for your ruling.”
“Keep him locked up first.” Wu Zhongshan said indifferently, “No one is allowed to open the cellar door without my orders.”
“Huh?” Meng Xing was puzzled when he heard his words. He asked, “How about his meals?”
“Once a day at noon,” Wu Zhongshan replied.
“Noted!” Meng Xing gestured to an obeisance, and was about to bid farewell and leave.
“Hold on.” Wu Zhongshan opened his mouth abruptly and asked, “How did you behave when you summoned Zhou Heng?”
“How can I forget your orders, my lord?” Meng Xing hurriedly answered, “I obeyed your words and treated Mr. Zhou politely without hesitation.”
“Good.” Wu Zhongshan nodded gently and said, “You may leave now.”
After Meng Xing departed, a silhouette in a pale yellow dress with fluffy hair was spotted from behind the room divider inside the study room. It was the observer from the previous crime scene, Li Jingxin.
“Godfather, why did you have me proclaim Shopkeeper Qian as the major suspect?” Li Jingxin frowned and said, “Actually, I didn’t find anything unusual with his expression.”
“This is for the sake of Yellow Wood City.” Wu Zhongshan sighed lightly. Then, he shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said, “Jingxin, is this answer satisfactory to you? Go home and get some rest early.”
“Hum. Godfather, please rest early too.” Li Jingxin nodded and bade farewell.
Wu Zhongshan was the only one left inside the study room.
He took a deep breath and turned to a bookshelf. He gave a mechanism a twist. Immediately, a hidden compartment opened.
There was a stack of apricot-yellow papers, a brush and a box of vermillion.
The outermost paper had a text written in vermillion on it.
“Traces of ghosts are discovered and suspected to have appeared within Yellow Wood City. It may be of seventh-class strength, with the special ability to hide its trails and seal spaces. Please have the Star Messenger from the Realm of Sunday Heavenly Guardian to come over to exterminate the ghost.”
A blank area was spaced out below the paragraph.
Just then, a silver bright light that shone like the stars slowly formed the word “Noted!” on that yellow paper.
The moment Wu Zhongshan saw the word, he felt as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden and heaved a long sigh of relief.
Under the dungeon of Five Auspicious Martial Arts School, it was dark and cold. No one was around.
Shopkeeper Qian sat in a corner, looking very calm, without the slightest trace of chagrin. After seeing the moonlight shining into the cellar through the gap at the entrance, the corners of his mouth slightly curled upward to reveal a faint smile.
‘Wu Zhongshan, do you really think you can confine me just like this? I expected all this. I knew that you would suspect me and so. It was my plan to have you lock me up.
‘You must be thinking that just because I’m locked up here, the situation outside will be secure so that you can safely seek help from the Realm of Sunday Heavenly Guardian and wait for them to kill me.
‘Unfortunately, you don’t know much about ghosts. I’ve completely entered the “controlling” stage. How can a small cellar like this hold me back?
‘I haven’t fully “taken over” this body and the devouring process will expand some of my Yang energy. But since things have come to this, I no longer care.
‘I must leave before the people from the Realm of Sunday Heavenly Guardian arrive!
‘Zhou Heng, you tasty meat sack of Yang energy, here I come. Hahaha!”
The current Shopkeeper Qian was no longer Qian Buduo.
After muttering to himself, the smile on his face turned cold. He shook his body. In an instant, his body deflated and became flat.
The form settled into the shape of a shadow that seemed to have no form!
The shadow wandered up along the cellar wall, passed through the gap at the entrance of the cellar with ease and escaped.
At that moment, three young constables were napping.
Constable Wang was among them.
That shadow suddenly swooped down and instantly enveloped the entire body of Constable Wang.
Within the time of a few breaths, the shadow had devoured and absorbed him. After that, it continued to drift on the ground and left.
The entire process had been silent. The other two constables did not even notice that Constable Wang had been killed.
Both of them were still napping.
In a wasteland on the outskirts of Yellow Wood City.
Zhou Heng held half of the gold, which was exactly one tael in his right palm.
Meanwhile, he pinched the air with his left hand.
It was a thunder seal!
At the same time, he regulated his internal qi and transferred it to his right palm.
He began to move along the way of Thunder Palm to catalyze half of the gold metal in his palm.
This was the preparation process for the Daoism technique.
The entire process would have taken a few breaths.
But Zhou Heng’s internal breath was rather weak and it was his first time cultivating the Daoism technique. He was not familiar with the movement of qi technique and thus, he was taking a much longer time.
After an hour, a few thin arcs of electricity appeared on half of the gold metal. They were barely thicker than strands of hair.
After another hour, the gold metal finally melted into golden liquid and gathered into a small ball which was about the size of a quail’s egg. Dense electricity light wrapped the surface of the ball.
‘It’s Thunder Palm!
‘It’s done!
‘Finally, it’s done!
‘Hahaha! Finally, it’s done!’
Zhou Heng could not help but laugh. He looked at the golden electric ball, his heart pounding.
The sensation of possessing thunder was indeed very cool!
At the same time, beneath the hazy moonlight, a shadow wandered over, approaching Zhou Heng, ready to pounce and devour him.
“Such a pure Yang energy, so dense! No wonder I’m attracted to this place. Such Yang energy is second only to Supreme Yang Divine Soul. That’s fantastic. Indeed very fantastic!
“Although devouring him in my current state will expand some of my Yang energy, it will also most likely enable me to break through my current level, which is on par with a human’s sixth-class!
“A great chance! A great chance! My delicious meal, here I come!”
Shopkeeper Qian, currently a shadow, was extremely thrilled and already anticipating a bright future.
At that moment, Zhou Heng lifted his right hand abruptly and threw out the Thunder Palm in his hand.
“Nine heavenly mysterious kills, transform into thunder light! Brilliant heavenly power leading with gold!”
Zhou Heng shamelessly gave a series of incantations for his Thunder Palm. This was because it was his first time performing a Daoism technique and thus, it had to be ritualistic.
Thump!
Palm Technique exploded and issued a deafening roar. Dazzling golden lightning shone more than a hundred feet across its surroundings. For an instant, it became as bright as day and as scorching hot as an approaching firestorm.
Before that shadow even had time to react, it was disintegrated by the sudden attack of thunder and electric lightning. It barely gathered itself into one piece and immediately fled.
From the beginning until the end, Zhou Heng had not noticed the existence of that shadow.
“You have successfully delivered Daoism technique, Eighth-Class Palm Technique. The level of proficiency increased by 5.”
The system prompted Zhou Heng’s mind.
The increase in the level of proficiency made him heave a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the performance of that technique did not increase his level of proficiency by a cartoonishly low rate, so it came as a consolation.
Immediately after that, another notification appeared.
“Congratulations! You have defeated an invincible enemy, Seal Wraith, and will be rewarded three Silver Lucky Bags.”
‘Huh?!’
Zhou Heng was dumbfounded. ‘What triggered this?’