A tangled mystery

Damn it. The moment Xu Qi'an saw the dog shop owner, that was the only word left in his mind. After a long while, he felt bewildered, angry, and slightly scared.

Confusion stems from not understanding why things turned out this way; anger arises from feeling insulted in terms of intelligence; and lingering fear comes from the possibility that the other party might have had malicious intentions, and that one could have easily fallen victim to their scheme.

"This man is called Liang Youping. Unlike Zhou Min, he is a native of Yunzhou. According to Yang Chuannan, he got involved with the Qi faction through Yang Chuannan's connections," Li Miaozhen said.

"The experience and authority of the Regional Military Commissioner are the same as Zhou Min's." Governor Zhang seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he questioned, "Why didn't you and Yang Chuannan contact me earlier and be frank with each other?"

Li Miaozhen sat ramrod straight, her posture unchanged from the beginning. She simply turned her wheat-colored, oval face and said calmly:

"During the year of the Capital Evaluation, factional strife in the court was fierce. Who knows if Wei Qingyi intends to take this opportunity to remove officials from the Qi faction in various regions?"

"As an official acting on behalf of Heaven, I should be diligent in my duties, treat the people well, and severely punish corrupt officials, so as not to betray His Majesty's trust and the trust of Duke Wei," Governor Zhang said in a deep voice.

Li Miaozhen curled her lip, her face full of disdain.

Even the damned Emperor Yuanjing Xu Qi'an, could guess what Number Two was thinking at that moment.

He let out a weary sigh, tapped the table, drawing the attention of the three men, and said in a low voice, "I know this person!"

The three of them were taken aback.

Xu Qi'an stared at the portrait and asked, "Was he a cripple?"

"Yes, Liang Youping fell off a cliff and broke his leg during a bandit suppression operation," Li Miaozhen replied.

You can't believe a single punctuation mark that guy says; I was even moved by him back then. Xu Qi'an felt the urge to curse again.

At the same time, he realized that his mental state was really bad, because he hadn't even thought to use his Qi-Watching Technique to see if what the person said was true or false.

Normally, he wouldn't make such a big mistake.

"What happened?" Governor Zhang couldn't help but ask.

Xu Qi'an waved his hand while pinching his brow. "Your Excellency, my mind is in a complete mess right now. Hmm, please allow me to go somewhere, and I'll explain everything to you properly later."

As he spoke, he looked at Jiang Luzhong: "Jiang Jinluo, shall we go together?"

Jiang Luzhong glanced at Governor Zhang and shook his head. "Duke Wei's order is to follow and protect the Governor at all times."

"Well, that makes sense. What if we come back and find the governor's head has been ripped off and used as a football? That would be quite a surprise, "Xu Qi'an said.

"Then call two silver gongs to accompany me, and lend me thirty Tiger Guards."

He wouldn't admit he was a little scared; it was all for the sake of playing it safe.

"I'll go with you!" Li Miaozhen responded enthusiastically.

Xu Qi'an immediately changed his mind. "Jiang Jinluo, I want three silver gongs."

Li Miaozhen: "."

This little brat didn't trust her, so Li Miaozhen revealed a bit of her feminine side and glared at him fiercely.

A moment later, Xu Qi'an, accompanied by three silver gongs, thirty Tiger Guards, Li Miaozhen, and Su Su, rode out of the post station and headed towards the black market on Huangbo Street.

Having experienced the impulsive actions of the main force not long ago, the patrolling soldiers, upon seeing the Nightwatchers's uniform, did not stop him but instead made way for him.

The governor's entourage from the capital has the authority to act expediently.

After leaving the inner city, they soon arrived at Huangbo Street. A group of Tiger Guards in bright armor rushed into the black market, arousing the vigilance and hostility of passersby, who all retreated.

Xu Qi'an led his team to shop number 15, only to find the door locked, the windows and doors dark, and no lights on inside.

His heart sank. He waved for the Tiger Guards to surround the shop, intending to force their way in.

"Wait!" Li Miaozhen called out.

She took out a brocade pouch from her waist pouch, opened it, and wisps of smoke rose out, seeping into the shop through the cracks in the doors and windows.

"A perfect spy," Xu Qi'an praised.

Li Miaozhen gave a reserved "hmm".

The Daoist Daoist School is truly fascinating. The Three Pure Ones are formed from the One Qi, and the cultivation paths of the Heaven, Earth, and Human sects are completely different. The Earth sect cultivates merit, the Heaven sect cultivates the absence of emotions, and the Human sect goes against the grain, turning a beautiful Daoist nun into a vixen. While Xu Qi'an was inwardly criticizing this, he suddenly thought of something.

The Celestial Person and Human sects are sworn enemies; could it be precisely because of their opposing cultivation paths?

The Earth Sect cultivates merit and virtue, remaining uninvolved with both sides. Therefore, it maintains a relatively good relationship with both sects, harboring no enmity or resentment, and exchanging pleasantries with them when they meet.

Otherwise, Li Miaozhen, the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, would not have been able to join the Heaven and Earth Society.

Even the Daoist Master Luo Yuheng wouldn't give pills to Daoist Jinlian.

Indeed, being able to please both sides is the key to success. Just like me, caught between Lin'an and Huaiqing, I can please both and flirt with both.

Huh!

Perfect.

At this moment, a few wisps of smoke gracefully returned, whispered in Li Miaozhen's ear for a moment, and then disappeared back into the brocade pouch.

"There's no one in the shop, and no ambush," Li Miaozhen said.

Xu Qi'an immediately waved his hand and led three silver gongs to break down the door and search the shop from top to bottom. Everything in the shop was kept as it was and had not been damaged.

There were even twenty taels of silver in the locked drawer, which Xu Qi'an chose to confiscate and put into his own wallet.

There were no signs of a struggle, no signs of looting. It seemed the shop owner had only temporarily left after Xu Qi'an's fruitless search, and then led his men out of the shop to the shop owner next door who had come out to watch the commotion.

This shop also sells dog meat.

"Come here, I have something to ask you."

The owner of shop number 16 obediently walked over, head bowed and eyes lowered. "Sir."

Where did the owner of shop number 15 go?

"It's been a few days since we opened. The girls he keeps in his shop have all come to my shop to make a living." The owner of shop number 16 answered every question but didn't say anything unnecessary.

"When did you close?" Xu Qi'an asked again.

Three days ago.

Three days ago... right after I left? Xu Qi'an's eyes flickered slightly as he continued, "Is the owner of shop number 15 the one with the limp?"

"It's him, but not the original boss."

It wasn't the original owner. Xu Qi'an's suspicion was confirmed. "Where's the original owner? When did the lame new owner take over the shop?"

"Shop number 15 changed owners about ten days ago, and I don't know where the original owner went."

Xu Qi'an asked the owners of other shops in the vicinity and received similar replies. The shop owners in the vicinity were also very surprised that shop number 15 had suddenly changed owners.

However, the black market is cold and indifferent; nobody takes it to heart.

On the return journey, the horse moved slowly, and Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Li Miaozhen turned her head to look at him, her voice possessing the magnetic quality of a mature woman, "You seem to be exhausted."

"That way you'll know I'm not a lecher," Xu Qi'an said. "General Li seems to have a misunderstanding about me, thinking I'm a lecherous man. Otherwise, why would he send Miss Su to seduce me?"

"Isn't that right?"

Faced with Xu Qi'an's abrupt attack, Li Miaozhen chose to confront him head-on.

"I'm trying to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm, and I haven't slept for a long time," Xu Qi'an explained.

He did not specify how many days.

Breaking through to the Spirit Refining Realm? Li Miaozhen slightly widened her beautiful eyes, scrutinizing him.

It was only then that she realized she had been misunderstanding all along. Anyone would subconsciously assume that Xu Qi'an, with his dark circles under his eyes, was indulging in excessive sexual activity.

Instead of prioritizing the breakthrough to the Spirit Refining Realm, Xu Qi'an later gained further recognition within the Heaven and Earth Society after hearing the First Member's assessment that he was a lecherous scoundrel and addicted to Imperial Academy of Music.

Even if this is a change brought about by breaking through to the Spirit Refining Realm, it doesn't change the fact that you're a lecher. You'll never know how well I know you. Li Miaozhen thought to herself.

However, she was a little curious: how long had this kid been staying up?

Li Miaozhen didn't know much about the martial arts system, after all, she had only been training down the mountain for a few years and had never encountered a martial artist who was just about to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm.

Someone as experienced as Yang Chuannan could tell at a glance that Xu Qi'an was attempting to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm. That's the insight of someone who's been through it all.

"If I remember correctly, the limit for breaking through to the Spirit Refining Realm is ten days?"

"General Li doesn't seem to understand the military system very well."

Why should I know?

"You seem to look down on warriors."

Li Miaozhen replied with a touch of humor, "I am not alone."

Xu Qi'an: "."

He couldn't help but think of the proud white-robed Warlock and Confucian School scholars, who also looked down on warriors. The hierarchy of contempt in this world was that no one was willing to submit to anyone else, but everyone unanimously despised warriors.

Xu Qi'an used to only know that the most disgusting form of discrimination in the world was "anti-prostitution and anti-gang campaigns," but now there's another one: thugs.

Aside from Warlock and warriors, all major systems have beings who transcend rank, or have had beings who transcend rank. However, Warlock play a far greater role than warriors, Warlock are more likely to be respected.

I wonder when the martial arts system will produce a martial god.

"This is infuriating!" Xu Qi'an said.

Upon returning to the post station, Governor Zhang and Jiang Luzhong were no longer in the main hall, leaving only a Tiger Guard to wait. The guard informed Xu Qi'an and Li Miaozhen that the governor was waiting in his room.

After knocking on Governor Zhang's door, Xu Qi'an and Li Miaozhen entered the room.

"The person General Li drew was the black market shop owner who kept Zhou Min's evidence. I deciphered the code Zhou Min left behind, found my way there, and finally obtained the ledger."

Xu Qi'an told Governor Zhang and Jiang Luzhong what had happened.

After listening, Governor Zhang's expression turned grave. "Could that original owner have been the real person who kept the account books?"

Xu Qi'an nodded and said, "It's most likely true, and if I'm not mistaken, they've probably already been silenced. The shop owner I met later was Liang Youping in disguise."

Jiang Luzhong stroked his stubble and asked, puzzled, "How did they find the black market?"

"Do you remember what I said when I was analyzing the case?" Xu Qi'an pinched his brow. "We found out about Black Market Shop No. 15 through Yang Yingying's clue. But this clue wasn't given to us, it was given to Lord Yang, the Provincial Governor of Qingzhou."

"In other words, the clues Zhou Min originally left for us were deciphered beforehand."

There are plenty of smart people in the world.

Li Miaozhen shook her head. "Don't you find it strange? Now that we've found the ledger, why not just destroy it? Why leave it here for you to find and then hand it over to you?"

Jiang Luzhong was taken aback. "The ledgers have been switched; we received fakes?"

"No!" Governor Zhang shook his head. "If the account books are fake, I will go to the Military Commandery tomorrow to check the accounts, and I will quickly find the flaws. Then what is the point of them sending fake account books?"

Jiang Luzhong frowned even more. "But sending the real account books is even more outrageous! They killed the real dog meat shop owner who was actually contacting us, and then returned the account books to us intact?"

"Indeed, whether the ledgers are real or fake, it doesn't make sense." Xu Qi'an pinched his brow and paced around the room.

Let's take a closer look at this case.

"Zhou Min discovered that Yang Chuannan was secretly supporting the mountain bandits and wrote a secret letter to report to the government. When Qi Dang found out, he immediately launched an attack on the Nightwatchers's office, fabricating a corruption case in an attempt to force Duke Wei to compromise."

"Subsequently, through a series of fortuitous opportunity events, I uncovered the secret plot by which Qi Dang colluded with the Witchcraft Cult and secretly supported bandits. Only then did the imperial court realize the seriousness of the matter and send me..."

Governor Zhang coughed forcefully.

Xu Qi'an changed his mind and said, "Send the governor to Yunzhou to investigate the case."

"I just inquired at the black market, and the original owner of Ding No. 15 was murdered ten days ago. At that time, we were still on the border of Qingzhou. General Li, when did Yang Chuannan receive the secret letter from the capital?"

"The letter was received about six days ago; it was from a close friend of Lord Yang," Li Miaozhen said.

"That's right. We've taken the fastest route. Even if the Qi faction is faster than us, they can't possibly be more than ten days ahead." Xu Qi'an nodded. "Whether it's killing Zhou Min to silence him or killing the dog meat shop owner, it shouldn't have anything to do with the Qi faction in the capital. Our real enemy is in Yunzhou."

"In that case, there are only two possibilities: First, this whole thing was a ruse orchestrated by Yang Chuannan. Second, there's a mastermind behind it all, preparing to push Yang Chuannan out as a scapegoat. They started plotting and scheming as soon as the secret letter was sent back to the capital. They killed Zhou Min, searched for the hidden evidence, and tried to make Yang Chuannan take the blame."

"If the ledger is genuine, then the first scenario is unlikely, because it would be tantamount to voluntarily handing the butcher's knife to us."

"If the ledger is fake, then it's even more meaningless. Yang Chuannan has neither cleared his name nor been truly convicted. Liang Youping's voluntary handing over of the ledger to us has only aroused suspicion and indirectly saved Yang Chuannan."

Li Miaozhen astutely spotted a logical flaw. "In other words, the ledger must be real. According to your deduction, the ledger is real; there is a mastermind behind it all who wants to push Yang Chuannan out as a shield."

"Then Liang Youping's act of killing the dog meat shop owner and personally handing over the account books to you is unreasonable."

Yes, assuming the ledger is genuine, the mastermind only needs to wait for the governor's team to find it, and Yang Chuannan will be unable to defend himself.

Liang Youping's actions were unnecessary.

Governor Zhang pondered for a moment and said, "Perhaps there is a problem with the ledger. The ledger is genuine, but it has some kind of problem that will lead us to point the finger at the real mastermind. Therefore, they have to rack their brains to find it and destroy the flaws in it."

"Then they'd impersonate the owner of the dog meat shop, waiting for us to come to them so they could hand over the account books."

Jiang Luzhong nodded first, then shook his head. "How did they know there was something wrong with the ledgers? Weren't these ledgers made by Zhou Min?"

Governor Zhang smiled and said, "Zhou Min was able to find the evidence because he was an officer in the Military Command, in charge of the warehouse and distribution; all military equipment had to pass through his hands. And that Liang Youping, he was also an officer."

Xu Qi'an suddenly said, "There's something I don't understand."

"Hmm?" Li Miaozhen looked over.

"Why is Liang Youping the one responsible for handing over the ledgers to us?" Xu Qi'an glanced at the three men. "Don't you find it strange? Liang Youping has already been exposed. Once we catch Yang Chuannan, after some interrogation, he will definitely try to prove his innocence and will tell us everything he knows."

"Under these circumstances, as long as we compare our portrait with Liang Youping's, we would have this meeting today."

Li Miaozhen frowned and said, "Because only Liang Youping could find the problems in the ledgers?"

Jiang Luzhong glanced at her. "They have plenty of time to find the problems hidden in the ledgers, and then they can just replace the person in the disguise. There's no need to keep Liang Youping there. If Ningyan hadn't seen your portrait, he wouldn't have realized that the dog meat shop owner was a fake."

"In other words, as long as that person isn't Liang Youping, we won't find out. It looks like we deliberately exposed our weakness."

As for disguise, with Xu Qi'an and the others' sharp eyesight, they could easily see through the disguise at close range.

Zhu Guangxiao woke up from his dream with a start, feeling his bladder swell, so he got up to use the outhouse.

As I left the room and walked down the corridor, I suddenly saw a woman in a white dress sitting at a table in the hall.

She had a head of beautiful, jet-black hair. From this angle, Zhu Guangxiao could only see the woman in the white dress in profile. Even just that profile was breathtakingly beautiful, making one's heart flutter.

Su, Su Su girl, no, it's that female ghost!!

Zhu Guangxiao's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

P. S.: It's been a while since I asked for monthly votes. Please, for the sake of this long chapter, give me a few!