An Ironclad Case

"Jade-Faced Killing God" was dead! This time, it was set in stone!

Chen Wu watched Old Liu work his magic. Not only was "Jade-Faced Killing God" dead beyond a doubt, Chen Wu had also become a righteous citizen commended by the Great Shun court.

Soon after the Great Shun court's commendation came through, the Yanhe Daily even took the initiative to interview Chen Wu and write an article about him.

The article was so lavishly written, it made flowers rain from the heavens and golden lotuses spring from the ground.

In short, after reading it, Chen Wu himself had begun to believe that he was a loyal subject, devoted to Great Shun and the emperor, with a heart of burning devotion.

So loyal, words could hardly describe it!

That showed just how powerful the editor Lu Yuantu's pen was.

"Old Liu!" Chen Wu held the Yanhe Daily, which had published his exploits, and couldn't help asking, "What exactly do you mean by doing all this?"

"Why, to clear your name!" Old Liu said. "Do you really like skulking around in the shadows?"

"But there was no need to make such a production of it, was there? Wouldn't it have been fine if I simply hadn't applied to be named a righteous citizen?"

"It wouldn't! It definitely wouldn't!" Old Liu spoke like a man who'd been around the block, imparting some hard-earned wisdom to Chen Wu. "If you hadn't applied to be named a righteous citizen, this case could still be overturned. But once that commendation comes through, the case is set in stone!"

"How so?"

"You don't understand! Since the Great Shun court approved your commendation as a righteous citizen, everyone from the chief constable of Yan'an Prefecture to the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture, the governor of Shaan Province, the bigwigs at the Police Department and the Ministry of Rites, and even the emperor himself, all have to approve and review it!"

"That's what makes it an ironclad case!" Old Liu said with a grin. "If someone overturns the case, wouldn't that make this whole chain of people lose face? So once the commendation goes through, they'll all be caught between a rock and a hard place!"

"Believe it or not, even if you went to the Constabulary Office right now and shouted that you were the real 'Jade-Faced Killing God,' nobody would pay you any attention."

Oh—

Chen Wu suddenly understood. It seemed he still had a lot to learn from his elders.

Yan'an Prefecture, Constabulary Office.

"Chief Constable!" the young constable Li Zheng said to Chief Constable Wu Ze. "I can't shake the feeling that there's something suspicious about this 'Jade-Faced Killing God.' Why won't you let me investigate anymore?"

"What's suspicious about it?"

"Since Chen Wu supposedly killed a Concentrated Spirit Realm expert and a Mystic Realm expert in less than half an hour, his martial arts should be terrifying. But when we surrounded him that day, his martial arts were strong, sure, but not that strong. In the end, he even died at the hands of someone in the Pulse-Opening Realm. It was a pretty pathetic way to go."

"That doesn't count as suspicious."

"How does it not?"

Seeing that Li Zheng wouldn't let it go, Wu Ze gave up and decided to lay it all out.

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

"Thanks to your promotion of me, Chief Constable, it's been nine years."

"How have I treated you during those nine years?"

"You've been as kind to me as a mountain."

"Then for my sake, you should let this go!" Wu Ze said.

"Chief Constable, I remember that when I first joined the Constabulary Office, you told me we had to seek truth and be practical in all things. If we made even one mistake, it could lead to a whole string of mistakes below us." Li Zheng grew more and more confused. "Why are you saying something different now?"

"Alas—" Wu Ze sighed. "Today, I'll teach you your second lesson."

"Please enlighten me, Chief Constable."

"When it comes to matters below us, we must seek truth and be practical. But when matters involve those above us, it's better to be deliberately obtuse!"

"We seek truth and act practically in matters below us because our Constabulary Office holds great power and authority. The slightest mistake could leave ordinary people at the bottom of the ladder with their homes shattered and families ruined. We stay deliberately obtuse in matters above us because we can't withstand the gods fighting each other. To protect ourselves, we have no choice but to turn a blind eye."

Li Zheng listened, lost in thought.

"I know you're eager to get ahead, but sometimes you need to hold back. Whether this man was 'Jade-Faced Killing God' doesn't matter so much anymore. What matters is that the people above need him to be."

"Only if he is can someone take responsibility for this whole string of cases, and everyone from top to bottom can give an explanation. Otherwise, the whole place will be shaken to its foundations."

"But..." Li Zheng still wasn't entirely convinced. "What if this man wasn't 'Jade-Faced Killing God,' and the real 'Jade-Faced Killing God' comes out and commits another crime? Wouldn't that make things even uglier?"

"Hahaha!" Wu Ze laughed. "You're still too young!"

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

Wu Ze spread his hands, and Li Zheng immediately understood!

Seeing that Li Zheng had finally caught on, Wu Ze nodded. "You've done a great service this time. I've submitted a commendation to the Police Department, and your rank will soon rise considerably. You'll be entering the ranks of the police. Once that happens, a lot of things will be easier to discuss."

"I'll be retiring in a few years. Sooner or later, this burden will fall on your shoulders. If you really want to carry it steadily, you can't just charge ahead blindly. You also have to learn to read the situation."

"Thank you for your guidance, Chief Constable!"

Hearing such an obvious hint—no, an outright declaration—Li Zheng was overjoyed. He'd long since forgotten all about "Jade-Faced Killing God."

"Hey, hey, hey—" Wu Ze waved a hand and said solemnly, "It's the court's patronage, and your own performance."

"In a few days, Duke Chen will arrive to preside over the sacrifices at the Imperial Temple and the Merit Temple in place of the Grand Patriarch. This time, you must protect him well. Nothing can go wrong."

"Rest assured, Chief Constable!" Li Zheng was brimming with fighting spirit.

Ever since "Jade-Faced Killing God" died, Chen Wu's life had become a lot more peaceful.

Apart from practicing his martial arts every day, he could also stroll around Yan'an Prefecture to relax. For a time, he led a leisurely life.

Chen Wu had tried nearly every local snack Yan'an Prefecture had to offer, from rolled wheat noodles to oil-fried flatbread. Every now and then, he'd run into Constable Li Zheng from that day while eating, and they'd exchange a few pleasantries.

Ever since Old Wang pointed out that there was something wrong with Chen Wu's Concentrated Spirit, Chen Wu had focused most of his cultivation on it.

After all, Chen Wu's Concentrated Spirit had been borrowed; it hadn't emerged from the ascension of his own soul. Not only did it feel awkward to use, it would become an obstacle when he eventually entered the Concentrated Spirit Realm, blocking his own Concentrated Spirit from ascending.

Chen Wu had pored over the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method and discussed it with Old Wang many times. In the end, they reached a conclusion.

The borrowed Concentrated Spirit had to be shattered once, completely erasing the previous owner's characteristics and turning it into a pure force of Concentrated Spirit. Only then would it not interfere with Chen Wu's own Concentrated Spirit emerging in the future.

As for how to shatter a Concentrated Spirit, even Old Wang was stumped. The Yongjiu School wasn't skilled at refining Concentrated Spirit; it excelled at circulating qi and cultivating inner energy instead. When it came to researching Concentrated Spirit, the School of Heavenly Principle was second to none.

But even Old Wang couldn't say for certain whether the School of Heavenly Principle had a method for shattering Concentrated Spirit.

After all, a bizarre text like the Heaven-Intercepting Dao-Exposition Method was clearly one person's fanciful conjecture. It was probably something no one had ever encountered before, and no one would have needed a way to shatter Concentrated Spirit.

With no solution for the time being, Chen Wu could only practice the secret method Xu Songnian had given him for nurturing it, so he could better control his own Concentrated Spirit.

That day, Chen Wu had just returned after eating buckwheat heluo noodles and was on his way to the Jinheng Watch Shop to talk with Old Wang.

Unexpectedly, before he even reached the door, he saw a carriage blocking the entrance to the shop.