Ironclad Case

The Jade-Faced Killing God is dead! This time, it is set in stone.

Chen Wu watched as Old Liu pulled strings, ensuring not only that the Jade-Faced Killing God was dead beyond any doubt, but that Chen Wu himself was officially commended by the Great Shun Dynasty as a righteous citizen.

Immediately after the commendation from the Great Shun court was issued, the Yanhe Daily took the initiative to conduct an exclusive interview with Chen Wu and published an article about him.

That article was written with such flowery prose it was as if golden lotuses were springing from the earth.

In short, after reading the piece, even Chen Wu began to believe that he was a loyal subject, a man of red-blooded integrity devoted to the Great Shun and the Emperor.

The kind of loyalty that defies description!

It just goes to show how formidable the pen of that editor, Lu Yuantu, truly is.

"Old Liu!" Chen Wu held the copy of the Yanhe Daily featuring his own deeds and asked, puzzled, "You went to such lengths—what exactly is the meaning of all this?"

"To whitewash your identity, of course!" Old Liu replied. "Or do you actually enjoy living in the shadows?"

"But was there any need to make it so complicated? Wouldn't it have been the same without applying for this 'righteous citizen' title?"

"Different! It is absolutely different!" Old Liu spoke with the tone of a seasoned veteran, imparting his wisdom to Chen Wu. "If you hadn't applied for this title, there would still be a chance for the case to be reopened. But once this commendation is issued, it becomes an ironclad verdict!"

"How do you figure?"

"You don't understand! Since the Great Shun court has approved you as a righteous citizen, the process has gone from the Chief Constable of Yan'an Prefecture all the way up to the Prefect, the Governor of Shaan Province, and even the high officials in the Police Department and the Ministry of Rites—perhaps even the old Emperor himself had to approve and review it!"

"That is what makes it an ironclad verdict!" Old Liu laughed. "If someone were to overturn it, wouldn't that make this entire chain of officials lose face? Therefore, once this title is issued, those people are riding a tiger and cannot get off!"

"Believe me, even if you ran to the Constabulary Office right now and shouted that you are the real Jade-Faced Killing God, no one would pay you any mind."

Oh—

Chen Wu suddenly realized the truth; it seems there is still much to learn from the elderly.

Yan'an Prefecture, Constabulary Office.

"Chief Constable!" the young constable Li Zheng said to Wu Ze. "I still feel there is something fishy about this 'Jade-Faced Killing God.' Why won't you let me investigate further?"

"What is so fishy about it?"

"Since Chen Wu killed a Concentrated Spirit Realm expert and a Mystic Realm expert in less than half an hour, his martial arts should be terrifyingly powerful. Yet, when we surrounded him that day, while his skills were high, he wasn't that strong, and he ended up dying at the hands of a Pulse-Opening Realm cultivator—it was quite pathetic."

"That doesn't count as fishy!"

"How could it not?"

Seeing Li Zheng refusing to let it go, Wu Ze felt utterly helpless and had to lay it out plainly.

"Li Zheng! How long have you been in my Constabulary Office?"

"Thanks to your promotion, Chief Constable, it has been nine years."

"In these nine years, how have I treated you?"

"Your kindness is as heavy as a mountain."

"Then, if only for my sake, let this matter rest!" Wu Ze said.

"Chief Constable, I remember when I first joined the Constabulary Office, you told me that in all things, one must seek truth and be pragmatic, because if we make a small mistake here, it causes a chain reaction of errors below." Li Zheng grew even more confused. "Why are you saying this now?"

"Sigh—" Wu Ze sighed. "Today, I will teach you the second lesson."

"Please, Chief Constable, enlighten me."

"In matters below, we must seek truth and be pragmatic, but when it involves matters above, you must learn to be 'rarely confused'!"

"In lower matters, we seek truth because our Constabulary Office holds great power; a single oversight could ruin the lives of common folk. In higher matters, we choose to be 'rarely confused' because we cannot withstand the clashes of gods, and for the sake of self-preservation, we have no choice but to play the fool."

Li Zheng listened, lost in thought.

"I know you strive for progress, but sometimes, you must know when to shrink back. Whether this man is the 'Jade-Faced Killing God' is no longer important; the key is that the people above need him to be."

"Only if he is the one can this series of cases be pinned on someone, providing an explanation for those above and below, and preventing the situation from shaking the very foundations of the state."

"But..." Li Zheng was still unconvinced. "What if this man isn't the 'Jade-Faced Killing God,' and the real one appears to commit more crimes? Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?"

"Hahaha!" Wu Ze laughed instead. "You, you are still too young!"

"Copycat crimes have existed since ancient times. Who is to say this newly emerged 'Jade-Faced Killing God' is the real one? Do you think Wang Jiuyuan of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower is going to run to our office to testify?"

Wu Ze spread his hands, and Li Zheng suddenly saw the light!

Seeing that Li Zheng finally understood, Wu Ze nodded and said, "You have performed a great service this time. I have already reported your merits to the Police Department, and your rank will soon be greatly elevated, allowing you to enter the ranks of the police inspectors. Once that happens, many things will be easier to handle."

"I will retire in a few years, and this burden will sooner or later fall onto your shoulders. If you truly want to carry it steadily, you cannot just charge ahead blindly; you must learn to assess the situation."

"Thank you for your cultivation, Chief Constable!"

Hearing such an obvious hint—no, a clear instruction—Li Zheng was overjoyed. As for the "Jade-Faced Killing God," he had already cast that to the back of his mind.

"Hey, hey, hey—" Wu Ze waved his hand and said sternly, "It is the court's cultivation and your own performance."

"In a few days, Duke Chen, who is standing in for the Grand Patriarch to preside over the sacrifices at the Imperial Temple and the Merit Temple, will be arriving. You must ensure the protection is flawless this time; there can be no mistakes."

"Rest assured, Chief Constable!" Li Zheng said, his fighting spirit soaring.

Ever since the Jade-Faced Killing God died, Chen Wu's life had suddenly become much more peaceful.

Every day, aside from practicing his cultivation, he could stroll through Yan'an Prefecture to relax, spending his time in a state of extreme leisure.

Chen Wu had tried almost every snack in Yan'an Prefecture, from the rolled noodles to the oily buns. While eating, he would occasionally run into Li Zheng, the patrol officer from that day, and exchange a few pleasantries.

Ever since Old Wang pointed out the issues with Chen Wu's Concentrated Spirit, Chen Wu had focused his cultivation efforts entirely on that aspect during this period.

After all, Chen Wu's Concentrated Spirit was borrowed, not something born from the sublimation of his own soul. Not only was it stiff to use, but it would eventually become a hindrance, blocking the rise of his own Concentrated Spirit when he reached that realm.

Chen Wu scoured the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method and discussed it with Old Wang many times, eventually reaching a conclusion.

This borrowed Concentrated Spirit had to be shattered once to completely erase the characteristics of its previous owner, turning it into a pure force of Concentrated Spirit so that it would not affect the manifestation of his own in the future.

As for the method to shatter the Concentrated Spirit, even Old Wang was stumped. The Yongjiu School did not specialize in the intricacies of the Concentrated Spirit, excelling instead in the circulation of energy; when it came to research on the Concentrated Spirit, none could compare to the School of Heavenly Principle.

However, even Old Wang could not be certain whether the School of Heavenly Principle possessed such a method for shattering the Concentrated Spirit.

After all, something as bizarre as the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method was clearly the whimsical conjecture of some individual; it was likely that no one had ever encountered such a situation before, nor would they have any need to shatter a Concentrated Spirit.

Unable to think of a solution, Chen Wu had no choice but to temporarily practice the nourishing secret technique given to him by Xu Songnian to better control his own Concentrated Spirit.

On this day, Chen Wu had just returned from eating buckwheat noodles and was heading to Jinheng Watch Shop to chat with Old Wang.

To his surprise, before he even reached the door, he saw a carriage blocking the entrance of the watch shop.