Silencing a Witness

Wei Yuan waved his hand, signaling his two adopted sons to leave the Haoqi Tower.

Once you get angry, you get used to it. Nangong Qianrou was too lazy to complain or mock, and left without saying a word.

Yang Yan stood at the bottom of the building, waiting for his godfather and Xu Qi'an to finish their conversation.

Only the two of them remained in the tea room. Wei Qingyi turned an upside-down teacup over and poured tea for Xu Qi'an: "About the Heaven and Earth Society?"

"This humble servant did indeed receive a message from the Heaven and Earth Society, from the Gu Clan of Southern Frontier." Xu Qi'an accepted the tea, somewhat flattered, took a sip, and found it slightly bitter at first, but with a sweet aftertaste.

"Number Five within the Heaven and Earth Society is a member of the Gu Clan and holds some position. Yesterday, a message was sent via the Earth Book, saying that the Gu God in the Abyss has shown signs of revival."

Wei Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Before the Sixty-Year Demon Purge, the Gu God was suppressed by the Gu Clan and the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, so there was no problem. Now that the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons has been destroyed, Buddhist temples are everywhere in its homeland, and there are not many top experts left. If the Gu God really wants to revive, I'm afraid the Gu Clan alone will not be able to resist it."

As he spoke, a look of worry flashed in his eyes. The leader of the Earth Sect had fallen into demonic possession, the Gu God was showing signs of resurgence, and the pure aura of the Cloud Deer Academy was soaring into the sky. All of these things foreshadowed something bad that was about to happen.

Turmoil in various regions often signifies a year of great chaos.

"In recent years, the Buddhist School's ambition to expand has grown stronger and stronger," Wei Yuan sighed.

Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "Did the Buddhist School destroy the demon kingdom back then for the purpose of spreading their religion and expanding their territory?"

Wei Yuan sneered, "Could it be for the sake of the common people?"

He paused, then asked, "What do you need to report to me?"

Xu Qi'an straightened his Orthodox God and said, "This subordinate has already investigated the sealed artifact beneath Sangbo. This matter involves a secret from five hundred years ago, and it may cause a great disaster. This subordinate's strength is too weak to conceal anything."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan's eyes flashed with a strange light, but he skillfully concealed his shock and tentatively asked, "A sealed artifact?"

"It's the Supervisor, the first Supervisor." Xu Qi'an lowered his voice, as if sharing a great secret and being careful to prevent it from being revealed. "The first Supervisor is sealed beneath Sangbo Lake. When Emperor Wuzong usurped the throne, he relied on his virtue. The first Supervisor did not support Emperor Wuzong. After Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, there were no further records of the first Supervisor in the historical books."

Wei Yuan listened calmly, then nodded slightly. "Your analysis makes a lot of sense."

Xu Qi'an pressed his advantage. "Emperor Yuanjing has not yet announced the situation, and everyone is kept in the dark. However, if the first supervisor clashes with the current supervisor, the capital..."

He didn't continue, believing that with Wei Yuan's wisdom, he would understand his meaning.

Wei Yuan held the teacup, staring at the blue and white porcelain decoration, and inexplicably changed the subject. "Have you been feeling any distension or pain in your Dantian lately?"

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, wondering how Wei Yuan knew.

During this period of time, he Qi Refinement breathing exercises and always felt an uncomfortable swelling in his Dantian, as if there was a fire burning in his stomach. He wanted to expel something, but he felt that he couldn't. He even thought about asking Miss Fuxiang for help another day, but he had heavy tasks and couldn't find the time to go to the Imperial Academy of Music.

"Not bad," Wei Yuan nodded, "This means you have already entered the Qi Refining Realm. In the future, this throbbing pain will surge to the middle Dantian, and then to the upper Dantian. At that time, you will be able to step into the Spirit Refining Realm."

"I'm alright at studying, but not so good at martial arts. However, I've accumulated some experience and can offer some guidance."

"Once the swelling and pain shifts to your middle Dantian, I will have someone send you a visualization method, which will help you enter the Spirit Refining Realm faster."

"Once you reach the Spirit Refining Realm, you'll need to rebuild your physique and strive to have complete control over your body—that's a matter for later."

Although Wei Yuan was exceptionally intelligent, he had no talent for martial arts? Heh heh, feeling somewhat at ease with Xu Qi'an's moved expression. "Thank you for your guidance, Duke Wei. I will serve you with my life, even unto death."

Wei Yuan chuckled, "You're not exactly a hothead, but sometimes you're even more clueless than a hothead."

This isn't being stubborn; it's principle, it's faith. Learn about Marxism-Leninism. Xu Qi'an thought to himself, while also feeling a pang of sadness, "This is also the gap between me and this era."

"There's something else I think you should know. His Majesty issued a decree today to lift the city's lockdown." Wei Yuan looked at Xu Qi'an with a strange smile, a mix of teasing, joking, and mockery.

"???"

Xu Qi'an's face stiffened.

This is unreasonable, this is impossible!

Emperor Yuanjing's attitude was problematic. With the first supervisor out of trouble, the first to be affected would be the current supervisor and the imperial family. Under such circumstances, shouldn't the normal course of action be to shut the door and beat the dog to prevent future troubles?

What's the meaning behind opening the city gates? Is it a gesture of goodwill towards the first superintendent, a call for peaceful coexistence?

Impossible. Although Emperor Yuanjing was an incompetent emperor, he was not a fool. Moreover, the current supervisor would not agree to Emperor Yuanjing betraying the revolution.

Yes, that old geezer, the supervisor, had a very strange attitude. The master has already risen from his coffin, shouldn't you lead your Warlock, step on the coffin lid, and shout, "Men, help your master hold down this old man's coffin lid!"

It turns out he was faking illness!

Could there be a deeper purpose behind this? For example, the first supervisor was sealed away for five hundred years and is no longer at his peak, so he is hiding somewhere to recuperate.

Was the deliberate opening of the city gates intended to lure out the enemy, providing a convenient opportunity to shift the battlefield out of the capital?

"Little friend, do you have a lot of questions?" Xu Qi'an smiled wryly as he left Haoqi Tower. "Yes."

Xu Qi'an gathered his men and issued three orders. The first order was that Chu Caiwei of the Bureau of Astronomy was responsible for finding out the whereabouts of the magical Law Artifact that concealed its aura.

The second instruction was that Min Shan and Yang Feng, the two silver gongs, would continue to be responsible for verifying the Ministry of Works's gunpowder production and usage records.

The third order was to proceed to the government office and interrogate the magistrate of Taikang County.

The first two instructions were fine, but the third one left everyone puzzled.

Xu Qi'an explained, "Don't you find it strange that the Demon Race knew there were saltpeter mines in Mount Huang?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

"Right? Could it be that the Demon Race is lurking in the Gray Village mining?" Xu Qi'an sneered. "Of course, someone is conspiring with the Demon Race. Mount Dahuang is within the territory of Taikang County, so the county magistrate is definitely in the wrong."

The three silver gong players and more than a dozen bronze gong players stood in solemn respect.

Xu Tongluo is meticulous and experienced; the gold medal was not bestowed upon him for no reason.

The three parties parted ways at the entrance of the government office, each completing their respective tasks.

As Xu Qi'an watched Chu Caiwei's back bouncing on horseback, he suddenly felt that one day, being on the ground would also be a delightful sight.

"Boss, why don't you think His Majesty summons the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy to question each of the court officials?"

"You just asked Caiwei to investigate the magical Law Artifact that blocks the Qi-Watching Technique." Li Yuchun glanced at the person who was originally his subordinate but was now the subordinate of his subordinate.

He paused, then added subtly, "Warlock are human too."

Anyone can be bribed. Ordinary small cases are fine, but when it comes to high-ranking officials, it certainly can't be done with just Warlock's words. Emperor Yuanjing is both suspicious and has a strong desire for power. Xu Qi'an nodded slightly.

Song Tingfeng, who was standing nearby, found an opportunity to interject, saying, "Ningyan, you're quite familiar with Caiwei from the Bureau of Astronomy, aren't you?"

Xu Qi'an nodded.

Song Tingfeng said, "I have a friend who has been feeling a bit weak lately, and I'd like to ask him for some medicine to tonify his kidneys and enhance his virility."

Xu Qi'an didn't expose the fabricated story, and said with a smile, "Tell your friend to play Russian roulette less."

Li Yuchun frowned, his face full of confusion. "What Russian disk?"

Xu Qi'an, Zhu Guangxiao, and Song Tingfeng exchanged a smile.

At the Cloud Deer Academy, Dean Zhao Shou concluded a lecture that had lasted over two hours. After admonishing the students to study diligently, he gently waved his sleeve and said, "We came from where we came, and we will return to where we came from."

His figure vanished abruptly.

The students were already used to it and found it unsurprising, so they started discussing the major events that had recently occurred in the capital.

"How could Sangbo be bombed? The place where the Great Feng Dynasty attained enlightenment has been destroyed by petty villains. As expected, they are all a bunch of useless fools. If our Cloud Deer Academy had been stationed in the capital, this would never have happened."

"This is intolerable!"

The students were filled with righteous indignation, habitually criticizing everything and everyone, and looking down on all those who were not scholars.

Xu Xinnian packed up his books and prepared to leave when a student behind him called out, "Cijiu, let's go for a spring outing and mountain hike!"

"Going on a spring outing in the dead of winter, are you going to starve?" Xu Xinnian shook his head, then turned back and admonished, "One who doesn't study hard in youth will regret it in old age."

Having said that, just as he was about to leave, he heard a sarcastic voice behind him say, "Xu Cijiu is now at the Self-Cultivation Realm, and is no longer the same as us. He probably disdains to associate with us."

Xu Xinnian looked back and saw that it was Zhu Tuizhi who had spoken. It was Zhu Tuizhi who should have received the jade pendant from the great Confucian scholar Ziyang when he sent Layman Ziyang to Qingzhou that day.

Unfortunately, I got myself involved in the mess.

In addition, this person and I have a bad relationship; we used to exchange insults at each other in previous years.

Xu Erlang sneered, "In broad daylight, don't wrong me. When have I ever been your ally?"

Zhu Tuizhi flew into a rage. "Xu Xinnian, don't think that just because you've become an eighth-rank official, you can look down on everyone. You've only taken a step ahead of time."

The students of the academy were both envious and jealous of Xu Xinnian's ability to help everyone enter the Self-Cultivation Realm.

Xu Erlang said calmly, "I entered the Self-Cultivation Realm effortlessly, am I arrogant? I visited the Princess a few days ago and gained her favor, am I arrogant? I'm going to consult my teacher later to consolidate my cultivation and listen to the wonders of the Seventh Rank Realm, am I arrogant?"

He scrutinized Zhu Tuizhi's face and suddenly let out a sneer.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhu Tuizhi glared at him angrily.

Xu Cijiu said disdainfully, "Some people's faces are as ugly as a miscarriage of justice."

The other students felt offended.

Zhu Tuizhi immediately erupted in anger and lunged forward to duel Xu Xinnian, but was firmly stopped by his classmates.

"Retreat; why argue with him?"

"Xu Cijiu's words are as powerful as a warrior's knife; let's not argue with him."

"Don't be impulsive. You're no match for him, neither verbally nor physically."

Xu Xinnian left with pride.

These people think they can cause a ruckus if you ignore them for a while.

When it comes to arguing, Xu Cijiu was second to none throughout his life.

The Capital Prefecture governed fifteen counties surrounding the capital, and the magistrate of Taikang County was imprisoned in the dungeon of the prefectural government office.

Xu Qi'an led his men into the government office and went straight to the Vice Magistrate's Hall. The Vice Magistrate was not there, and the clerk left inside frowned and asked, "What brings you here, gentlemen?"

Song Tingfeng said, "The official being interrogated is Magistrate Zhao of Taikang County."

The official then asked, "Is there a letter from the Prefect?"

Song Tingfeng shook his head.

The person in charge immediately became impolite. "Please leave."

To try and arrest a prisoner without a written order? Aren't the Nightwatchers being a bit too arrogant? Outside, we have to give you some leeway, but this is the government office, after all. Do you think you can just take someone in for interrogation whenever you want?

"You bastard!"

Shao Yin, who happened to be returning, overheard the conversation, his expression changed slightly, and he strode over, giving Shao Yin a stern scolding.

Then he ordered someone to take Xu Qi'an and the others to the dungeon.

"Lord Shao Yin," the official in charge said, somewhat aggrieved, "This is against the rules."

"Nonsense, you're already dead, why bother with these things?"

What does Your Excellency mean?

"That man's name is Xu Qi'an, the Xu Qi'an who killed someone in the street in front of the Ministry of Justice. He's a madman. Do you want to be buried with him?"

"Thank you, sir, for saving my life."

Xu Qi'an had lived in the dungeon of the government office before, and had some acquaintance with Jerry and Xiao Qiang here.

Led by the jailer, they arrived at the dungeon where Magistrate Zhao was imprisoned.

"Get up, an official has questions to ask you." The jailer banged on the bars with his stick.

Magistrate Zhao, dressed in prison garb, lay on his side on a tattered straw mat, his back to the crowd, motionless, seemingly oblivious to everything.

PS: Requesting monthly votes.