NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65: A Visit
Gloomy autumn rain had been falling for two or three days straight.
In an alleyway in the outer city.
"Constable Li, we've investigated thoroughly. Huang Gun stayed in that courtyard for two days… then someone went in. It looks like it was searched, but there are no signs of a fight…"
Li Yuancheng squatted in the alley, an Express Squad constable reporting the situation from the courtyard behind him. He paid no mind to the words of his disciple, Tong Xiaowu, who stood nearby. Instead, Li Yuancheng was absorbed in caressing the packed-earth bricks at his feet. Several of them were cracked…
CRACK!
Li Yuancheng's fingers tensed like an eagle's talons, prying up several of the packed-earth bricks. Beneath them, yellowish-black traces were visible, already melded with the soil.
"What is this?" his disciple, Tong Xiaowu, asked.
"Corpse-dissolving powder."
A sharp glint flickered in Li Yuancheng's eyes. "This must be where the body was destroyed and all traces obliterated. We can conclude that two people fought here. The one who died was most likely Huang Gun…"
Tong Xiaowu subconsciously asked, "But why, Master?"
Li Yuancheng, not hiding anything from his newly accepted disciple, rose to his feet and analyzed, "If the other person had died, Huang Gun's house wouldn't have been ransacked so thoroughly. Even if Huang Gun intended to flee the county town, he would have only concealed the traces of his stay here. Why would it be like this?"
Tong Xiaowu pondered for a moment. "So, Master, you mean someone ambushed and killed Huang Gun at the entrance to his small, detached courtyard, then used corpse-dissolving powder to eliminate his body, leaving us with no traces? If that's the case, why would they intentionally search his courtyard and leave traces of that search?"
Li Yuancheng sighed. "Traces of a search only prove that Huang Gun was indeed killed by someone else. But after the corpse-dissolving powder eliminated the body, how Huang Gun was killed, with what weapon, using which sect's Martial Arts, or even the opponent's Cultivation level… all these remain unsolved mysteries. With only the traces of a ransacked courtyard, there's simply no way to begin."
"Then can't we investigate the origin of the corpse-dissolving powder?" Tong Xiaowu asked without thinking. "That kind of Poison is complex and shouldn't be easy to buy."
Li Yuancheng glanced at his disciple. "Corpse-dissolving powder is indeed hard for ordinary people to obtain. But… don't forget who Huang Gun was. And who reported the case, insisting that we arrest Huang Gun? Furthermore, these past few days, a few of my informants in the black market told me that someone has put a bounty on Huang Gun."
Tong Xiaowu shivered. "Medicine King Hall?"
Li Yuancheng took a deep breath. "Say no more… This case isn't major to begin with. If it involves the people behind Medicine King Hall, it's not something a Deputy Constable like me, or a few young constables like you, can investigate. Don't bring trouble upon yourselves."
"Then what do we do?"
"Return to the county government office. Report the on-site intelligence and analysis to the County Magistrate in full detail, and await his decision. If the County Magistrate wishes to investigate further, it will become a case for the Blade King himself."
There were certain things Li Yuancheng found difficult to explain clearly to his disciple. For instance, Baojiao County's annual tax revenue came primarily from three major sources: Medicine King Hall, the Fish and Dragon Association, and the Firewood Iron Shop, along with commercial taxes from other guilds. Medicine King Hall alone contributed seven hundred thousand taels in taxes each year. If Medicine King Hall was truly just cleaning its own house, the County Magistrate would likely turn a blind eye and close the case. After all, why would the county government go to bat for someone like Huang Gun and launch an investigation into Medicine King Hall?
Moreover, rumors circulated about an Imperial Envoy, Tan Chongrui, commissioned by the Imperial Court. He was supposedly coming to Baojiao County to pilot reforms and seemed determined to target its unified officials, gentry, and major clans. At such a critical time, the officials and major Shopkeepers in the Yamen were too busy banding together for mutual protection to even consider turning on one another. How could they provide Tan Qingtian with an opening?
"Wait, Master, if the County Magistrate really closes the case just like that, I'm afraid Huang Muxia, the 'Golden-faced Tiger' from the Twin Rivers Guild—one of the Top Ten Experts of Baojiao County and a member of the Dragon Tiger Leopard group—won't let it go so easily…"
After Tong Xiaowu finished speaking, the legend of the Golden-faced Tiger made him instinctively shrink his neck.
In Baojiao County, the top echelon comprised a handful of powerful and capable individuals. They naturally branched out among the large families and, holding high positions, brought along their kin and friends, formed cliques, and attracted followers. The Huang Family and the Twin Rivers Guild, although not comparable in status to the three major giants in the county, were, in a sense, indispensable middlemen for all families and households.
The so-called Twin Rivers Guild referred to merchants from the Jiangnan and Jiangdong regions, south of the Daji Dynasty. These merchants traveled north to various provinces, prefectures, and counties to conduct business, their presence spanning all thirteen provinces of the Daji. They united fellow townsmen and established trade hubs, also known as guildhouses, to consolidate merchants for external trade. They were also known as the "Broker Guild" or "Intermediary Guild," terms signifying their role as middlemen.
This Guild Leader, Huang Muxia, hailed from Jiangdong. Over a hundred years ago, his grandfather, Huang Wenlin, came to Baojiao County with fellow clansmen to do business. Later, his grandfather went bankrupt, and the family fell into poverty; they were not from a martial arts lineage. It wasn't until Huang Muxia was twelve that he accidentally became a disciple of an Escort at the local Mingyuan Escort Bureau, thus embarking on the Martial Path. After three years, he completed his apprenticeship. Due to his exceptional Talent, he then became a disciple under the renowned boxer 'Divine Hand Yu Zhankui' of Qiu Dragon Mansion, acquiring the Divine Hand Ultimate Techniques.
After turning twenty, dissatisfied with his current achievements, he left Qiu Dragon. He wandered south and north, honing his craft by visiting renowned masters. He successively learned the martial arts of nine famous experts, eventually merging and mastering all these skills. Finally, at the age of thirty-one, he returned home in glory. That same year, he became the Head of the Huang Family. Afterward, he often sparred with the leaders of other martial arts gyms and remained undefeated, further enhancing his Skill and reputation. He eventually took control of the Twin Rivers Guild, the trade hub connecting various guilds in Baojiao County, and became its Sect Leader.
He was known as the Golden-faced Tiger, Huang Muxia, ranked eighth among Baojiao County's top experts—a rare practitioner at the Meridian-Opening Realm.
Li Yuancheng, hearing his disciple's muttering, placed a hand on his Sharp Blade. "That's business between Medicine King Hall and the Twin Rivers Guild. It has nothing to do with us. Don't aim for the sky when you're small. Pack up."
Despite saying so, he couldn't help thinking of his younger brother-in-law. I must find an opportunity to caution him. After all, my return as Deputy Constable was largely thanks to Chen Ku. He taught me that if the two families clash, I must be extremely careful to protect myself. It wasn't easy getting out of the countryside.
Meanwhile, Li Yuancheng dismissed his team and returned to file an investigation report.
「Not long after.」
Inside Medicine King Hall, Chen Ku was in the pharmacy. Having obtained the scent of a bait mouse, he had let Skinny Dog out the previous night. With his Cultivation Realm now significantly advanced, he could let Skinny Dog roam for a full day and night without it tiring. If the dog pushed itself, it could even last two days. He was just waiting for Skinny Dog to cross the border and bring back a few more bait mice.
He had inquired about the price of a bait mouse on the black market. Since the outbreak of typhoid fever in the countryside, the price had already risen to over Three Hundred Taels. In a few more days, it might increase further. Originally, Chen Ku was also worried about his relatives in the countryside. If he could get more bait mice, it would be sufficient. He could either sell them, keep them as lifelines for his own family, or use the money earned to buy a large mansion in the Inner City and relocate his entire family there.
Just as Chen Ku was taking the opportunity to study pharmacology.
BOOM!
A sudden, loud crash echoed from the main hall outside the Medicine King Hall, as if something had collapsed. Immediately after, the agitated voices of shop attendants spread through the various courtyards.
"Something big has happened! Chief Huang from the Twin Rivers Guild has arrived with his disciples for a visit…"