Chief Steward

Iron Horse Manor counted as one of Qingfeng County's major powers.

It was not located within Qingfeng County's seat, but south of the city, on Iron Horse Mountain.

Zhao Zhi drove the carriage slowly along the uneven mountain road. Looking up, he could see the great manor halfway up the mountain in the distance.

"Zhao Zhi, are we really going to Iron Horse Manor?"

Luo Dashan gazed at the distant Iron Horse Manor, his grip on the whip tightening.

For Iron Horse Manor to occupy South Mountain in such troubled times and remain untroubled for decades, its strength and methods were far beyond those of other factions.

The Fan Family was indeed one of Qingfeng County's great gentry families, but the Fan Family of today was wholly incomparable to the Fan Family of old.

Had the Fan Family not produced Fan Zhenyu, who displayed remarkable martial talent and met a powerful patron after venturing out, the Fan Family would likely have fallen into the ranks of second-rate families, unable to compare with the Su Family or the Tao Family.

From what Luo Dashan had learned, Iron Horse Manor alone had nearly fifty guards, every one of them a skilled fighter with formidable strength.

The two of them, mere constables, were heading to Iron Horse Manor like sheep walking into a tiger's maw.

Zhao Zhi was strong enough to easily defeat even Dou Rong, who had reached Initial Xiantian.

But Iron Horse Manor's lord was a Greater Xiantian martial artist. His horse-slaying saber had killed countless foes, carving out a resounding reputation in the martial world.

"Of course we are."

Zhao Zhi smiled, showing no sign of concern.

The reason he insisted on going to Iron Horse Manor was not merely to seek justice for the people, but to uncover the manor's true circumstances.

When the previous owner of this body's father had still been alive, he had mentioned that Iron Horse Manor was secretly colluding with County Magistrate Lu Guangyi, seemingly plotting something.

Zhao Zhi needed to get to the bottom of it.

Less than half an incense stick later.

The carriage leisurely arrived before Iron Horse Manor's gates.

Zhao Zhi got out of the carriage and signaled for Luo Dashan to help Wang Cuihua, the middle-aged woman seeking justice, down. He then strode toward the manor.

Two burly guards stood at the manor entrance, their gazes sharp as lightning.

The slight bulges at their temples and their rough hands revealed that both were skilled fighters, outstanding even among Houtian Warriors.

"Stop."

The guard on the left raised a hand to block him.

Zhao Zhi remained composed. "Qingfeng County Constable Zhao Zhi. I wish to see the manor lord. Please announce me."

"A constable?"

The left guard looked Zhao Zhi up and down, particularly the blue constable's uniform he wore. A trace of contempt surfaced deep in his eyes.

Just a blue-clad constable.

Still, he was a constable.

"Wait here."

The left guard spoke coldly. After exchanging a glance with the right guard, he headed into the manor.

A moment later.

The left guard returned, accompanied by a man who appeared to be around fifty, with graying temples and faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

Iron Horse Manor's chief steward, Yuan Suwang.

A smile tugged at his lips, but there was not the slightest warmth in his eyes. After sizing Zhao Zhi up, he said, "So you are Constable Zhao Zhi, who has become so renowned of late. May I ask what brings you to Iron Horse Manor, Constable Zhao?"

Although Iron Horse Manor stood on South Mountain, it was not completely cut off from the outside world. Many of the manor's daily necessities had to be purchased from Qingfeng County.

Therefore.

Iron Horse Manor could obtain information about what happened in Qingfeng County.

What Zhao Zhi had done in Qingfeng County was no small matter. How could Iron Horse Manor not know? Though Yuan Suwang, the chief steward of Iron Horse Manor, had never met Zhao Zhi, he knew the name.

Zhao Zhi rested a hand on the hilt of his constable's saber. "I am here over a case."

"A case?" Yuan Suwang narrowed his eyes slightly before swiftly returning to normal. "May I ask what case Constable Zhao is investigating?"

Zhao Zhi looked toward Wang Cuihua as she approached. "This woman is named Wang Cuihua. A month ago, her son entered Iron Horse Manor to work. Seven days ago, she came here looking for him, only to be told that he had died and had not even left behind a body. She came to this constable, hoping I would uphold justice for her."

Yuan Suwang glanced at Wang Cuihua, his expression barely changing as his tone remained calm. "That did happen." After a pause, he continued, "Constable Zhao, her son came to Iron Horse Manor to assist us in gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains. Half a month ago, while gathering herbs, he unfortunately encountered a black bear.

"When Iron Horse Manor's guards found the traces he left behind, all they found was a numbered herb basket. There was no sign of him.

"I fear her son has already perished in the black bear's jaws, leaving neither flesh nor bone."

Yuan Suwang glanced at Wang Cuihua again. "When this woman came a few days ago, this humble one already explained it clearly to her. She simply refused to believe it."

"Impossible! My son could never have died in a black bear's jaws." Wang Cuihua clutched Zhao Zhi's sleeve tightly, her eyes filled with misery as she cried out. "My son was a hunter. He had been entering the mountains ever since he learned to walk. How could he possibly have been eaten by a black bear? My lord, please seek justice for this commoner."

Zhao Zhi looked at Yuan Suwang, a faint smile appearing on his face. "And what does Iron Horse Manor have to say?"

Yuan Suwang's expression remained calm. "Constable Zhao, this woman is merely babbling nonsense from the pain of losing her son. She cannot be trusted. Moreover, the manor's guards and servants can all testify that her son died in a black bear's jaws."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

The two simply looked at each other.

"If Chief Steward Yuan says this woman is babbling nonsense, then she is babbling nonsense." As Zhao Zhi spoke, his tone suddenly shifted. "On the third day of the sixth month the year before last, Wang Cai, a tenant farmer from Wang Family Village, came to Iron Horse Manor to work. A month later, it was said that he died in a jackal's jaws. On the twelfth day of the eighth month, Wang Yong, a tenant farmer from Wang Family Village, came to Iron Horse Manor to work. It was likewise said that he died in a jackal's jaws, with no body to be found. On the twenty-third day of the ninth month, Li Er of Azure Mountain Village...

"On the tenth day of the third month last year, Li Daniu of Azure Mountain Village; on the fifteenth day of the fifth month, Yao Xing of Yao Family Ravine...

"On the fifth day of the fourth month this year, Zhang Tieshan of Great Stone Village..."

Zhao Zhi listed one name after another.

How could he have come to Iron Horse Manor without making preparations?

He also knew that acting against Iron Horse Manor based on Wang Cuihua alone would be difficult. Thus, Zhao Zhi had asked Luo Dashan to search through the old cases concerning Iron Horse Manor that had piled up in the yamen.

This investigation.

Left the two of them horrified to discover that, over the past three years, more than thirty people had entered Iron Horse Manor and died without leaving a body behind. Nearly all of it had been suppressed by County Magistrate Lu Guangyi.

Such an answer was anything but simple.

As Zhao Zhi recited name after name, Chief Steward Yuan's expression gradually darkened, and the false smile vanished from his face without a trace.

"Chief Steward Yuan." Zhao Zhi stared directly at Yuan Suwang. "Quite a few people have died in the jaws of beasts at Iron Horse Manor over these past years."

Yuan Suwang said, "A coincidence, nothing more."

"Whether it is a coincidence or not can only be determined after an investigation." Zhao Zhi smiled. "Would Chief Steward Yuan allow me to enter the manor and investigate?"

A gleam flashed through Yuan Suwang's eyes. He turned slightly to the side. "Constable Zhao, please."