Xu Qi'an: I Didn't Do It

The inn, inside the room.

"Yang Chuannan, you and the Qi faction, led by the former Minister of Ministry of Works, colluded with the Witchcraft Cult, secretly supporting mountain bandits, supplying them with military provisions, and nurturing bandits to enhance your own power. What exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Governor Zhang, speaking sternly and harshly, threw the account book at Yang Chuannan's face.

The ledger fell to the ground with a clatter. Spread out, Yang Chuannan glanced at it a few times, his expression changing slightly.

Jiang Luzhong bent down to pick up the account book, glanced at Governor Zhang expressionlessly, and thought to himself that the guy surnamed Yang had just added fuel to the fire, and all the evidence he had finally found was gone.

Fortunately, he had dealt a severe blow to his opponent beforehand. For a short time, Yang Chuannan, whose heart meridians had been shaken, was no different from an ordinary person. In fact, he was even weaker than an ordinary person.

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext." Yang Chuannan said coldly, sitting on the edge of the bed in shackles and chains, looking dejected.

"Lord Yang, please don't speak such high-sounding words." The speaker was Xu Qi'an, the only person standing in the room in the capacity of a gong.

Except for the three white-robed Warlock.

"Did you find this ledger?" Yang Chuannan stared at him.

The day after the governor's entourage arrived in Yunzhou, Li Miaozhen told him that there was a gong player named Xu Qi'an who was one of the important figures in the governor's entourage.

It could even be said that Yang Chuannan's fate was, to some extent, in the hands of that gong.

Yang Chuannan took Li Miaozhen's words to heart and did not underestimate the little gong named Xu Qi'an. However, he never expected that before he could make any response, the little gong would preemptively determine the outcome.

Caught off guard!

"It's me." Xu Qi'an nodded.

"Impressive, impressive," Yang Chuannan shook his head and chuckled. "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. When Miaozhen spoke of you, I didn't underestimate you, but I was ultimately careless."

"No, not just you, I am too," Governor Zhang silently echoed in his heart.

No one could have imagined that Xu Qi'an's professional skills were this strong.

Yang Chuannan scrutinized Xu Qi'an, "Trying to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm?"

"Hold head high!"

Xu Qi'an nodded, thinking to himself that the Commander-in-Chief was indeed more discerning than that woman, Number Two. He, a respectable cultivator, was being suspected of being a lecherous woman who indulged in excessive sexual activity.

It seems that no matter the time or place, dark circles under the eyes have a bad reputation.

Governor Zhang and Jiang Luzhong stood by with their hands behind their backs, neither urging nor interrupting, showing Xu Qi'an the utmost respect.

"Lord Yang is a member of the Qi faction, is there any doubt about that?"

After a brief chat, Xu Qi'an got straight to the point, taking over from Governor Zhang to begin the interrogation.

Yang Chuannan nodded. "My father was from Qi. When he was working in the Ministry of War, he was promoted by the then Vice Minister of War and thus joined the Qi faction."

Xu Qi'an looked at Governor Zhang blankly.

Governor Zhang explained, "The Qi faction is a political party composed of people from the Qi region. During Yang Chuannan's father's time, the Qi faction controlled the Ministry of War, but that was decades ago."

Yang Chuannan continued, "My father was always a marginalized figure in the Qi Party, and it remained the same for me. It wasn't until I was transferred to Yunzhou that I accumulated numerous military achievements over the past ten years and slowly climbed to my current position."

"It is true that the Qi faction played a role in mediating for me in the court, but I am not close to them. Apart from when I go to the capital to report on my duties, we only have contact when Yunzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital. We only maintain our relationship through those few ties."

Governor Zhang nodded slightly.

Yang Chuannan rose through the ranks based on his military achievements, which is why the charge of harboring bandits for personal gain was established, and it also aligned with the Nightwatchers's Office's assessment of him.

"But to say that I supplied military supplies to the Qi faction and colluded with the Witch God Cult is truly an injustice to me." Yang Chuannan shook his head.

"I am already the Commander-in-Chief. Is there any higher official in Yunzhou than me? Supporting bandits to enhance one's own power, ha! If it weren't for wanting to do something for the people of Yunzhou, I would rather be transferred away from this godforsaken place."

These words sound beautiful and high-sounding; in the movies and TV shows I watched in my past life, they were just a way to whitewash oneself. Xu Qi'an chuckled inwardly.

He didn't believe a single word of it, only the evidence he had in hand.

However, as a competent interrogator, he knew how to steer the conversation, and smoothly asked, "According to Lord Yang, is there something else going on behind this matter?"

Yang Chuannan looked at Governor Zhang, "Does Your Excellency think that I am the only member of the Qi faction in Yunzhou? Is it true that I am the mastermind behind the Qi faction's collusion with the Witch God Cult and the supply of military provisions?"

"Among the commanders of the capital region, am I the only one from the Qi faction?"

Governor Zhang shook his head. "Commander-in-Chief, it looks terrible."

All of this sounds like Yang Chuannan's sophistry, and indeed it is sophistry. Sophistry is simply making things up without evidence in an attempt to evade responsibility.

As the Commander-in-Chief, who bears the greatest responsibility for supplying military provisions to the mountain bandits? It must be him, the highest-ranking officer.

There is no doubt about that.

"Lord Yang, there's a traitor among you." Xu Qi'an also felt that he was making excuses, but he didn't jump to conclusions.

Yang Chuannan seemed to sense their distrust, paused, and said, "The Qi faction did indeed do these things, but I only belatedly realized the whole story after Zhou Min's death."

"It's obvious that I'm just a scapegoat used by the Qi faction. The real collusion with the Witch God Cult and the support of the bandits is someone else. I originally wanted to secretly find the evidence and destroy it to protect myself. Unfortunately, you beat me to it."

Was this a step ahead? No, it's like I've already pushed up the high ground before you've even left the fountain. Xu Qi'an turned to look at the two men in white.

The three Warlock, who had been idly observing for most of the past two weeks, finally had a chance to prove themselves, as they had been using their Qi-Watching Technique to observe Yang Chuannan.

"It seems he wasn't lying," a white-robed Warlock replied.

"Seems?" Xu Qi'an stared at him unhappily.

Faced with Young Master Xu's questioning, the Warlock became somewhat anxious and hurriedly said, "We are sixth-rank Feng Shui Master, and this commander is a fifth-rank one. Logically speaking, our Qi-Watching Technique should not be wrong."

"However, this is not 100% certain. First of all, if Lord Yang has cultivated his Primordial Spirit diligently and has a firm will, then we will not be able to see through his lies. For example, once you, Young Master Xu, step into the Spirit Refining Realm, then ordinary eighth-rank Warlock will not be able to see through you; only Warlock of the same rank or even a rank higher will be able to."

"Secondly, there are magical Law Artifact that can conceal one's aura. Of course, Lord Yang has already searched him and found no Law Artifact."

"Finally, both the Witch God Cult and we Warlock possess Law Technique to alter memories. If Lord Yang made preparations beforehand, then what he's saying now is indeed the truth."

"Modify memories?" Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

This was the first time he had ever heard of the possibility of altering memories.

"That's Law Technique that only high-level experts can master," the white-robed Warlock explained.

Considering the vast gap between high-level and low-level powerhouses in this world, Xu Qi'an understood.

Low-level masters are merely low-level martial arts practitioners, while high-level masters are comparable to Gods and Devils. The Divine Monk within him is a prime example; he was sealed in Sangbo for five hundred years, and despite being incomplete and with severed limbs, he remains indestructible.

Oh right, I also have a Divine Master inside me. I almost forgot about it myself. Xu Qi'an mentally made a fuss about it.

This monk was sealed away for five hundred years, and his vital energy was greatly damaged. He was nourished by this body and has been sleeping ever since.

If it involves memory alteration, then the case will be difficult to solve. Ordinary investigative methods are ineffective; only a martial arts master can defeat another martial arts master. Xu Qi'an frowned. He should have applied to have Song Qing or the King of Force accompany him instead of three mere Feng Shui Master.

Yang Chuannan stared at Xu Qi'an: "Lord Xu, with your abilities, you are qualified for me to call you Lord Xu. You may as well investigate whether what I say is true or false."

"Ha, this is also a backup plan I have as a last resort."

"Use the enemy to defeat the enemy?" Xu Qi'an thought irritably.

"Why should I help you? I'll just kidnap you and take you back to the capital, and that'll be the end of it," Xu Qi'an sneered.

"That works too!" Yang Chuannan closed his eyes.

Starting today, the post station will be patrolled in three shifts. Regardless of day or night, no one is allowed to leave or enter the post station without the governor's approval.

The Tiger Guards were in high spirits because the culprit had been captured, and it was foreseeable that their return to the capital would not be far off.

The South is such a dreadful place, cold and damp. When you're on night duty, the wind blowing down your neck makes you shiver involuntarily.

Although the cold in the north is several times that of the south, those who are used to living in the north find it completely impossible to adapt to the damp cold of the south.

"Lord Xu is truly a genius! He's only been in Yunzhou for a few days, and in just over half a month, he's already solved such a major case."

"Hey, not surprising at all. We heard of his great reputation back in the capital. The Sangbo case caused quite a stir, but he was the one who solved it."

"Yes, he'll probably become a big shot again when we return to the capital. We should try to get closer to him on the way, so we can at least have someone to rely on in the future."

The Tiger Guards felt honored, and while on duty, they would gather together to discuss and praise Lord Xu's brilliant judgment in solving cases.

Those with quick minds were already thinking about how to curry favor with Lord Xu while he was still a lowly official, so that this bond would be even more precious as Lord Xu's status rose.

It doesn't require a deep emotional connection; just making sure the other person remembers your name is enough.

"Come on, Lord Xu wouldn't like someone like you who's greedy for small sums. Let me tell you, Lord Xu is a man who hates evil as if it were his enemy. Back in the capital, he almost killed his superior with a single blow because he was unhappy with the way the superior bullied a woman."

"Bah! Do you think Lord Xu would like someone like you who frequents brothels?"

As they were chatting, they suddenly saw a figure appear at the entrance of the post station.

Who is it?

The Tiger Guard on duty gripped the hilt of his sword and shouted in a deep voice.

At the entrance stood Li Miaozhen, clad in silver armor and a high ponytail, her beautiful oval face solemn. The cold wind ruffled her ponytail, giving her an air of heroic defiance against the world.

"General Li Miaozhen requests an audience with the Governor," Li Miaozhen announced loudly.

"Let her in," Jiang Luzhong's deep voice rang out.

The Tiger Guards made way, and Li Miaozhen nodded slightly, stepped into the courtyard of the post station, took a few steps, and turned back to say:

"Stop dawdling, keep up!"

A few seconds later, a stunningly beautiful woman reluctantly walked over, fidgeting and saying, "Master, these are all annoying martial artists here. Their Qi and Blood are too strong, and they're making my whole body ache."

When Su Su was in the military camp, she mostly stayed in Li Miaozhen's tent and rarely went out. The military camp was fine, but the post station was like a volcano to her.

The fourth-rank martial artist's Qi and Blood was too vigorous, making it difficult for the ghost to withstand.

Li Miaozhen took out a talisman, flicked it with her finger, and stuck it on Su Su's chest.

She immediately went into the yard happily, skipping and jumping, no longer afraid of the Qi and Blood heat.

"Master, let me tell you, there are two Nightwatchers here who are completely infatuated with me," she chattered on.

Crossing the courtyard and arriving at the main hall, Li Miaozhen met Governor Zhang, as well as Jiang Luzhong and Xu Qi'an. The other Nightwatchers were not in the main hall.

Li Miaozhen stood ramrod straight in the hall, clasped her hands in greeting, and said, "Your Excellency, do you have any evidence to support your arrest of Commander Yang Chuannan?"

"Is this what you mean?" Jiang Luzhong held the ledger in his hand and waved it.

"The evidence is conclusive," Governor Zhang said with a gentle smile.

Li Miaozhen immediately looked at Xu Qi'an, her expression complicated, and asked for confirmation, "Did you do it?"

Including Jiang Luzhong, the rest of the people were out inspecting the local conditions and had no time to investigate the case. Apart from Xu Qi'an, she couldn't think of anyone else.

This was different from what Li Miaozhen had expected. She had come to test the waters. If Governor Zhang had made the arrest by force without any evidence, she planned to join forces with the army to put pressure on the governor and demand that he release Yang Chuannan.

However, if the other party really has evidence, then rescuing Yang Chuannan will be extremely difficult.

"I didn't do it," Xu Qi'an shook his head in denial, then added, "But I found it."