Bright Sun Overhead, Storms on the Way

Bright Sun Overhead, Storms on the Way

Amid the drifting wind and snow, Yu Chen stood in an unnoticed street corner, a little paper man pinched between his fingers, watching as Ji Family's Three Brothers were hauled into the constabulary.

Only then did he feel at ease and turn to leave.

The ghost of Zhang San'er that Lin Yi had seen earlier had naturally been transformed from a paper man as well.

After watching Zhang San's life-flashing-before-his-eyes lantern, Yu Chen had silently slipped into the constabulary with the Paper Man and Paper Horse Art, found Lin Yi, and told him everything.

The case had happened on Linshui Street, and Lin Yi was Linshui Street's constable. Coupled with his earlier experience of "seeing ghosts," he had naturally been the best choice.

And judging by the outcome, Yu Chen had not chosen the wrong man.

Less than an hour after hearing of Zhang San'er's plight, Lin Yi had led men to seize those three bullies.

—Murdering someone was a capital crime. Once their heads fell to the ground, Zhang San'er's ghost should be able to rest in peace.

With that thought in mind, Yu Chen climbed Qingfeng Mausoleum.

After going up the mountain, he spread open the Scripture of Deliverance.

Zhang San'er's ghost knelt by the Yellow Springs River, his eyes vacant as he muttered, "Have they paid with their lives... Have they paid with their lives..."

Yu Chen sighed. "Rest easy. It won't be long now. Constable Lin Yi is an upright man. He will give you justice."

He could not meddle in the affairs of the yamen, but the death sentences of Ji Family's Three Brothers were surely set in stone.

Within Weishui City.

Constable Lin Yi immediately compared the two boots. The result was, of course, that they were the damned same pair.

Not only did their style match, even the wear on the soles and the degree to which the uppers had warped matched perfectly, one by one!

At this, Lin Yi's heart leapt with joy. They could not run now—it was the three of them!

He immediately interrogated the three wicked brothers of the Ji Household!

Yet what he had not expected was that, faced with evidence as solid as iron, Ji Family's Three Brothers refused to admit a thing.

When asked where they had been on the night Zhang San'er died, they said they had all been drinking and sleeping at home. When asked about the boots, they said one had been left outside to air, and when they woke up, one boot was gone. They even thanked the constabulary for helping them recover it...

In short, they flatly denied any involvement in Zhang San'er's death and refused to acknowledge anything!

Even so, Lin Yi did not lose his temper.

—In this world, it was not as though refusing to admit it meant no one could convict you!

Though he had interrogated them for most of the afternoon without getting anything useful, Lin Yi remained completely confident about the case against Ji Family's Three Brothers.

Of course, that was provided the three bastards stayed locked in the constabulary before their conviction, and were not released halfway through like last time.

As night fell, Lin Yi stepped out of the constabulary and happened to encounter Weishui's chief constable arriving with his men.

Lin Yi's heart immediately turned cold. He remembered it clearly: in that case of assault in broad daylight, it had been this chief constable who had released Eldest Ji early.

This fellow had not come early, nor had he come late, but had chosen precisely the moment Ji Family's Three Brothers were arrested. What else could he possibly be here for?

Sure enough, the moment Weishui's chief constable arrived, he launched into a furious tirade at Lin Yi, saying Lin Yi had arrested people blindly without evidence, ruined the constabulary's rules, damaged the yamen's image in the eyes of the common folk, and so on. In the end, he demanded that Lin Yi release Ji Family's Three Brothers at once!

Lin Yi did not argue. Before all the clerks and bailiffs, he let the man curse and allowed him to rebuke him.

Only after Weishui's chief constable had tired himself out and was panting for breath did Lin Yi have someone bring out the two boots and lay the evidence plainly before him!

In an instant, the chief constable's expression became as ugly as though he had swallowed a fly.

All those words with which he had rebuked Lin Yi earlier now felt like slaps landing across his own face, burning hot with pain!

"Chief Constable, you hold a high position and command the whole picture. Naturally, you cannot be bothered with such minor details."

As Lin Yi blocked the constabulary entrance, he said in a strange, mocking tone, "It was I, Lin Yi, who neglected my duties by failing to report to you immediately, Chief Constable."

On the surface, he was admitting fault, but anyone with a brain could hear that he was mocking the chief constable for occupying his position and drawing his salary while doing nothing!

For a moment, the clerks and bailiffs wanted to laugh but did not dare. They could only force themselves to hold it in.

The chief constable's face flushed crimson. With a cold snort, he flicked his sleeve and left!

Lin Yi watched his retreating figure coldly and said to the clerks and bailiffs under him, "Remember what I said at noon today! Whoever dares release someone without cause, I'll take his head!"

"Yes!" The clerks and bailiffs trembled as they answered.

But the chief constable, who had not gone far, knew full well that Lin Yi was making an example of him!

He was furious, yet helpless. Lin Yi had been personally appointed by the county magistrate. Though Lin Yi was one rank beneath him, so long as he made no mistake, he had no reason to fear the chief constable.

At once, his expression became even uglier.

The night passed without words, but not without deeds.

Many things happened that night.

For instance, after Weishui's chief constable left the Linshui Street constabulary, he went to the Skybridge area and entered an unmarked residence. Half an hour later, he came out.

For instance, at the Linshui Street constabulary, a masked figure dressed in black silently climbed in through the skylight, then silently departed again a quarter of an hour later.

For instance, Lin Yi was still using the cover of night to investigate, going door to door from Zhang San'er's home all the way to where his body had been dumped, asking whether anyone had seen Ji Family's Three Brothers—though the boots were enough to convict them, more eyewitnesses would be even better.

As for Yu Chen, atop Qingfeng Mausoleum, he waited both for news of Ji Family's Three Brothers appearing in court and for news from the Zhengqing Gang.

And the Corpse Mover, who spent every day dealing with corpses, slipped through the back door into a magnificent manor in the north of the city after nightfall.

With the body of an Innate Realm cultivator, the pairs of patrolling soldiers could not detect him at all. He walked straight into a study deep within the manor.

The study was brightly lit.

A fat man in a loose robe sat bent over his desk, carefully examining the books upon it. At times he frowned, at times he raised his brows, looking exceedingly serious.

But one closer look revealed that there was nothing proper on that desk at all. They were all lurid, fragrant-and-sensual picture books!

Only when he saw the Corpse Mover enter did the fat man sigh and put away the things on his desk. "How many times have I told you? Make a sound before you come in."

The Corpse Mover ignored him. Sitting down before the desk, he said, "Today, I went to see that child again."

The fat man raised his head. "How was he?"

The Corpse Mover frowned, then finally said, "The same as always."

At this, a thread of pain flashed through the fat man's eyes. "What a sinful fate for that child... Forget glory and riches; at the very least, he should have grown up like a child from any ordinary family. Back then... it was all my fault... all because I was useless..."

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and suddenly asked, "Next summer, he'll be twenty, right?"

The Corpse Mover nodded.

"Good." The fat man nodded, determination filling his eyes. "Fifteen years ago, I could not protect his parents. Fifteen years later, even if I have to throw away this old life, I cannot let him truly be exiled."

The Corpse Mover fell silent and did not answer.

"With the year-end approaching, the triennial provincial inspection is finally coming. How is the matter I entrusted to you?" Waving a hand, the fat man changed the subject.

"Most of the materials are ready. We only lack one decisive piece of evidence," the Corpse Mover replied.

The fat man nodded and said nothing.

The Corpse Mover rose to leave, but before he did, he added, "Oh, and lately, the chief constable has been getting quite close to those people from the Blackwater Gang."

The fat man sharply furrowed his brow.

At that moment, it was as if the temperature of the entire room had dropped by several degrees.

"Good."

That was the only word he said, ending the brief conversation.

The Corpse Mover pushed open the door and left. He departed through the back door, still unnoticed by anyone, just as he had arrived.

The next day, the morning sun rose in the east, and the golden rooster heralded dawn.

After endless wind and snow, Weishui finally welcomed a long-awaited clear day.

A clear day with blazing sunshine overhead, while wind and rain gathered on the horizon.

(End of Chapter)