Xu Qi'an Without a Weak Point

Without saying a word, Zhang Kaitai rushed back to the front hall first. Xu Qi'an also wanted to rush back with Zhang Jinluo, but he was not as fast as Zhang Kaitai.

When he arrived at the front hall at lightning speed, he saw Zhang Kaitai using his finger as a sword to cut the last paper figure in two.

At this moment, the ground was covered with many scraps of paper, and there were nearly ten paper figures in the distance. In addition, two teenagers lay on the ground, their throats slashed open with sharp blades, blood splattered everywhere, already dead.

"What happened?" Xu Qi'an asked in surprise.

"Suddenly, many paper figures emerged from these two, intending to kill them to silence them, but we stopped them," replied the silver gong guarding the prisoners, but the person he was addressing was Zhang Kaitai.

"How is the prisoner?" Zhang Kaitai asked, glancing at the middle-aged man in brocade robes who was huddled in a corner, protected by several men with gongs.

He crouched in the corner, his head in his hands, his face turned towards the wall, obscuring his features.

"Hey, it's alright now." The man with the gong next to him kicked him, and the middle-aged man slumped to the ground, limp and weak.

The crowd's expressions changed slightly. The guard in charge of guarding the area rushed over, checked the patient's breath and neck, and his face turned grim. He hurriedly clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"This humble servant failed in his duty of guarding; please punish me, sir."

Zhang Kaitai suddenly turned grim, veins bulging on his forehead. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly exhaled and said, "This isn't your fault."

He walked to the corpse, grabbed the middle-aged man by the collar, and with a gentle shake, the clothes tore into pieces with a ripping sound.

The middle-aged man's naked body was exposed to everyone's eyes, and there was a bright red mark on his chest.

"This is a sorcerer's curse. By taking a person's hair, blood, fingernails, and other substances, and adding their birth date and time, it can kill them invisibly." Zhang Kaitai shook his head.

This is unpredictable, especially against a system like the Wufu, which is only skilled in violence.

"What about the paper figure?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Zhang Kaitai squatted beside the corpse, pondering for a long time. "These paper figures made me think about some things. The methods of the Witch God Cult are unpredictable. They have curse killing techniques, dream killing techniques, and the ability to manipulate ghosts and corpses."

"These paper figures are possessed by ghosts, driven to serve the caster."

Xu Qi'an, being a very intelligent person, instantly understood Zhang Kaitai's meaning and exclaimed in surprise, "That well in the backyard is used by the sorcerers of the Witch God Cult to raise ghosts."

This also explains why it was a ban, rather than a complete cleanup.

"That wizard is likely nearby."

"But he's gone now. Our surprise attack caught him off guard, so he lay in wait nearby, using magic to kill and silence witnesses. He's dead now, and he won't stay in the vicinity any longer."

"Zhang Jinluo, you couldn't even sense this paper figure? You didn't even notice it was hidden on these teenagers."

"First, a martial artist's Divine Sense can only warn of things that pose a threat to themselves; second, the paper figure is both an object to which a ghost resides and a seal that can shield perception; third, the paper figure does not possess great destructive power and is usually used for tasks rather than killing enemies."

Xu Qi'an suddenly flew into a rage, cursing "useless trash." He drew his black-gold longsword, its sharp blade slicing through the beams of the hall. Broken wood and tiles crashed down, causing the women and boys to scatter in all directions, screaming.

From the shadows across the street, one could see the collapsed rooftops in the distance, and the commotion caused by them made a cold laugh. The person hidden in the shadows chuckled and then fell silent again.

The Office of the Minister of Ministry of Works.

In the master bedroom, the Minister of Ministry of Works, whose wife had passed away many years ago and who had never remarried, was fast asleep, embracing his concubine.

A paper figure drifted into the courtyard on the night breeze, landing lightly on the ground. A few seconds later, it got up and struggled to squeeze itself through the crack in the door.

It carefully avoided the charcoal brazier, took awkward steps to the bedside, and rode a gentle breeze to float onto the bed, landing beside the Minister of Ministry of Works ' pillow.

The paper figure wobbled to its feet on the pillow, mustered all its strength, and rammed its head into the face of the Minister of Ministry of Works.

The Minister of Ministry of Works frowned, slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing the paper figure on his pillow, he instantly became alert.

He first observed his concubine to make sure she was sleeping soundly before picking up the paper figure, getting out of bed, going to the table, lighting the candle, unfolding the paper figure, and squinting as he read the tiny characters on it.

Not long after he finished reading, the Minister of Ministry of Works ' expression suddenly changed drastically, and his beard trembled. After he finished reading, he let out a sigh of relief and regained his composure and ease.

After burning the paper effigy with candlelight, the Minister of Ministry of Works returned to his bedside. Looking at his sleeping concubine, he hesitated for a moment, then slowly picked up a pillow and covered her mouth and nose.

The next day, the Ministry of Justice.

The Minister of Ministry of Justice, who got up early, arrived at the yamen and personally went down to the prison to inspect the Nightwatchers detained there.

The corruption case involved 46 Nightwatchers, ranging from those with the highest gong to those with the lowest gong, all of whom were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice.

Originally, according to the rules, the three departments should have each taken custody of the detainees and interrogated them separately. However, the Wang faction lost two core members in the tax silver case and the Sangbo case, and was irreconcilably opposed to Wei Yuan. The Ministry of Justice was even more enthusiastic about kicking someone when they were down than the Minister of Justice of the Dali Temple of the Qi faction.

"Heaven is watching what people do. Do you think you can escape the law by remaining silent?" The Minister of Ministry of Justice shook his head with a cold laugh.

"I have already investigated your assets and drafted a report. Once His Majesty has reviewed it, none of you will be able to escape."

"Of course, I am still willing to give you a chance. Who instructed you to embezzle silver and oppress the people? Was it Wei Yuan?"

No one answered him.

Suddenly, someone sneered, "Embezzlement? Your Excellency, please tell me how much silver I've embezzled? I've been a night Nightwatchers for over a decade, and I haven't embezzled a single copper coin."

Hmph, still trying to outdo me with words. The Minister of Ministry of Justice followed the sound and saw the man who had spoken. But his first glance wasn't at the man; he was drawn to the tidy prison cell.

The dirt and withered grass on the ground were all swept into the corner, the cobwebs in the corner of the wall were gone, and the straw mat was still tattered, but it was neatly attached to the bed, and every detail was in good order.

The Minister of Ministry of Justice was puzzled as he scrutinized the man who had spoken. He was a stern-looking Nightwatchers, but despite wearing prison clothes, he gave off a clean and tidy impression. His hair was neatly combed, and his sleeves were rolled up symmetrically.

Looking at the man and the cell, several officials from the Ministry of Justice, including the Minister of Ministry of Justice, felt a strange sense of relief.

"What is this man's name?" Minister Sun asked, standing with his hands behind his back.

Li Yuchun.

"How much silver did you embezzle? How many houses do you own in the inner city?"

The official opened the booklet and looked at it for a while, remaining silent for a long time. Only after being glanced at by Minister Sun did he speak in a low voice:

"He had a simple courtyard house in the inner city, where he lived with his elderly mother and a pregnant wife. The Ministry of Justice only found fifty taels of silver in his house."

"Fifty taels of silver?" Minister Sun was shocked. A high-ranking official like himself only had fifty taels of silver in his possessions.

"How did you investigate?" Minister Sun felt that the Ministry of Ministry of Justice was being careless in its work.

The official whispered something in his ear for a moment. After listening, Minister Sun fell silent, seemingly too lazy to pay any more attention to this clean-freak man, and turned to leave.

In the now quiet prison, Jiang Luzhong leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Old Jiang, what are your plans?" Jinluo from next door knocked on the wall and asked.

"What plans could I possibly have? After being dismissed, I'll find another way to make a living. I'm not going to become an undercover agent; my wife and children are in the capital," Jiang Luzhong said irritably.

"Hey, I have no children, so I might as well take a trip through the martial world. I'm tired of staying in the capital," said the man with the golden gong.

"Bullshit." Jiang Luzhong sneered, "You said a while ago that you planned to get married, have children, and settle down in the capital. I just regret not having amassed enough wealth over the years, only taking petty profits. Otherwise, this jail time wouldn't be so unjust."

"Ha, then go become a bandit after you get out of prison."

"Roll."

The worst outcome would be dismissal, but at least his life wouldn't be threatened. High-ranking military officers, unless they committed a major offense, would not be subject to the death penalty by the court.

A high-level martial artist who goes berserk can cause considerable destruction.

"Sigh!" Another sigh followed, then a long silence.

Upon leaving the prison, the Minister of Ministry of Justice asked, "Where's that little bastard surnamed Xu?"

"They appear to have escaped," the official replied.

Has an arrest warrant been issued?

"It's already drafted; it can be released once the government office stamps it."

Minister Sun nodded in satisfaction. "How much silver did that boy embezzle?"

"Yesterday, we sent people to search the Xu Residence, and they only found a few hundred bolts of silk and satin, but not much silver," the official said.

Minister Sun grunted in agreement. "Put away those silks and satins for now, and distribute them to the officials in the yamen once this matter is settled."

"We didn't dare confiscate those things," the official said in a low voice.

Minister Sun's gaze sharpened. "Hmm?"

The official said with a wry smile, "That was bestowed by His Majesty; no one dares to accept it. Otherwise, Xu Pingzhi might file a complaint with the Emperor."

"I heard that fellow frequents the Imperial Academy of Music?" Minister Sun sought another avenue.

"Yes, we sent someone to inquire with the Imperial Academy of Music. It turns out that this Imperial Academy of Music slept with eight courtesans in just two months, and was also having an affair with Fuxiang of the Shadow Plum Pavilion."

"Isn't that it?" Minister Sun with a hint of excitement, "So all the money was spent on women's bellies. The testimonies of those women from the Imperial Academy of Music can also be used as evidence."

The official said with difficulty, "But the women's testimonies are all very consistent."

Minister Sun looked at him with a questioning gaze, and the official said indignantly, "Those women said they admired Mr. Xu's talent and volunteered to serve him without accepting a penny."

Minister Sun swayed, nearly overwhelmed with anger.

"You scoundrel! If there's no flaw, create one for him; if he's short of money, send him money!" Minister Sun said in a deep voice.

"I will never let this little bastard get away with this."

He stormed back to the hall, gulped down a mouthful of warm tea, and before he could even sit down properly, a clerk rushed in and reported:

"Your Excellency, a message has come from the palace: His Majesty summons you."

Minister Sun glanced at the water drain in the corner. At this time, the morning court session was already over. If His Majesty summoned him, it was either for a specific matter or for a smaller court assembly.

Why is Your Majesty so diligent? You summon your ministers for meetings every few days. The Minister of Ministry of Justice nodded and said, "Prepare the sedan chair!"

P. S.: It's been a while since I asked for monthly votes. The competition is fierce, so please vote for a few chapters to help this book stay in the top ten of the monthly vote rankings for the first month. There's an achievement for that. I've been writing for so long and I've never gotten this achievement before. Please help!