Chapter 127 - 120 Ordered to Investigate the Case! (Added for Alliance Hierarch Dafang, the Little Nurse Book Friend)

Chapter 127: Chapter 120 Ordered to Investigate the Case! (Added for Alliance Hierarch Dafang, the Little Nurse Book Friend)

Chen Yuan smiled:

“Indeed, there is much hope placed on him.”

“Don’t disbelieve, Lord Zhang’s character is cold and indifferent; he seldom takes much interest in others. I reckon it’s also because not many catch his eye. After all, it’s normal for someone with an extraordinary background not to.”

“Extraordinary background?”

Chen Yuan was startled, somewhat surprised.

It was not surprising about Zhang Xuan’s background. He had already learned from Su Ziyue that Zhang Xuan’s father was a big shot in the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, but Su Ziyue did not elaborate on how influential,

though it must be quite substantial.

What he found strange was how Yue Shan also knew about this. Could it be that Lord Zhang publicized his own background after he was transferred here?

That shouldn’t be right,

Chen Yuan saw Lord Zhang as the very cautious type.

“I’m telling you this, but you mustn’t tell others…” Yue Shan whispered.

Chen Yuan: “…”

Normally, those who say such things clearly can’t keep a secret themselves. Still, he nodded:

“Rest assured, Chen is not one to gossip.”

“That’s good, because I also suspect that our Lord Zhang has an extraordinary background…”

“Be more specific.”

“First off, the Green Envoy of Nanling Prefecture treats Lord Zhang differently from the other Heavenly Patrol Envoys. The other envoys were punished for their misdeeds in the past,

but once, Lord Zhang killed a high-ranking official in a moment of passion and got away with it scot-free. Supposedly, it was the Green Envoy who covered for him. Plus… the Green Envoy is not young anymore. After a battle with a mighty member of the No-Life Sect that injured his foundation, it’s estimated he’ll be reassigned to the Capital soon, to some idle position.”

“Why do you think our Lord Zhang has been investigating some cases so urgently these days? What for…”

Yue Shan did not finish his sentence, giving Chen Yuan a look that said ‘you know what I mean.’

“Heh… You do have a point.”

“Don’t let this slip; fewer than five people in the Heavenly Patrol Bureau know about this, and that includes you.”

“Couldn’t it be that the Green Envoy simply values Lord Zhang? Not everything has to be about one’s background…” Chen Yuan said with a smile.

“You’ll understand in time…”

Yue Shan didn’t say more, seemingly feeling it was inappropriate to say too much. Of course, it might also be that he didn’t know that much.

“Hey, by the way, do you like pickled vegetables?”

Chen Yuan quickly shook his head. Who likes eating feet skin?

Ever since he saw that exposé in his past life, Chen Yuan couldn’t help but feel nauseated at the sight of pickled vegetables.

“What a pity. I was thinking if you liked them, I would send some your way…” Yue Shan sighed, feeling that Chen Yuan’s tastes weren’t quite in line with his own.

“Chen has never been particularly keen on indulging culinary desires.”

“I know, you prefer going to brothels,” Yue Shan recalled their encounter at Yanyu Building in Ping’an County.

“Is this the courtyard that Lord Zhang mentioned?”

Instead of answering directly, Chen Yuan followed Yue Shan and halted his steps.

“Yes, this right here.”

Yue Shan pushed open the gate and entered. Inside it was quite clean and orderly; the courtyard was rather nice, with a dozen rooms and a fairly large backyard.

“This was a residence that was confiscated from an official. Originally, Lord Zhang wanted to live here himself for some peace, but he’s been too busy recently. Apart from me having someone clean here occasionally, outsiders have basically never been here.”

Chen Yuan’s gaze swept over the courtyard and he nodded:

“It is indeed quite quiet.”

“I’ll have someone arrange some things for you in a bit.”

“Alright.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to the few colleagues under Lord Zhang’s command…”

“Alright.”

After spending a while in the residence, Yue Shan left. Soon after, he sent a few people to thoroughly clean the entire place, ensuring that Chen Yuan could move in that night.

The stars were sparse.

Having practiced his daily cultivation, Chen Yuan sat on the rooftop looking at the sky, falling silent.

Today, he had officially joined the Heavenly Patrol Bureau and become a formal Heavenly Patrol Guard. According to what Yue Shan had said, although a Patrol Guard didn’t have the authority to act unbridled in a county like an arrest officer,

the power they held was not at all insignificant, and promotion was swift. As long as one had enough merit, they could exchange it for a vast amount of cultivation resources within the bureau.

There had been many instances where an ordinary Patrol Guard earned enough merit and exchanged it for highly precious Spiritual Objects to further their cultivation, eventually stepping into the Gang Condensation Realm.

Furthermore, as long as one had enough silver, they could purchase Elixirs needed for cultivation from within the bureau with virtually no restriction.

Of course, there were downsides as well as upsides. The downside was the danger.

The death rate was extremely high for those in the bureau carrying out assigned missions. Without sufficient courage, one simply couldn’t survive in the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

Joining the Heavenly Patrol Bureau had its pros and cons.

For Chen Yuan, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages.

His goal was the pinnacle of Martial Arts, eternal life. He had almost reached his limit in the small corner of Ping’an County; the limitations there were too great, leaving him without the resources to reach higher realms.

Throughout the night, Chen Yuan pondered a lot.

He also made a preliminary plan for his cultivation, with the first step being to obtain the Supreme Mysterious Scripture as soon as possible, then to find the next person blessed with Qi Fortune.

The guidance from the Qi Fortune Altar was immensely helpful to Chen Yuan…

The night passed without incident.

Chen Yuan rose early, performing his daily routine of drawing his saber a thousand times and practicing the Six Harmonies Saber Technique.

It goes without saying, the saber that Zhang Xuan had given him was of great help to Chen Yuan. He tested it on a tree half as thick as a man’s waist in the backyard, and the result was that without much force, he could slice the tree smoothly in half as if it were cutting through tofu.

The cut was exceptionally smooth.

But no one dared to openly provoke him. Even if some were envious of him, they took no action, or at least, refrained from doing so publicly.

This left Chen Yuan’s initial plan to establish his authority falling through.

The Heavenly Patrol Bureau had protocols against starting conflicts with colleagues, but if the other party struck first, self-defense was permissible…

Following the description provided earlier by Yue Shan, Chen Yuan found the archive room within the Heavenly Patrol Bureau. After displaying his waist token, he managed to search through the records with ease.

Clearly, Zhang Xuan had made arrangements in advance.

Having someone in high places smoothing the path was indeed extremely comfortable.

Chen Yuan first checked some basic information about Nanling Prefecture, memorized it, and then began to comb through the case Zhang Xuan had mentioned. Indeed, there had been many deaths involved—some of them were even related to Ping’an County, and the Blood Pond was also mentioned.

Later, Chen Yuan came across the confessions that detailed the relationship between Yang Wanlou and the former Prefecture Chief. The more he read, the more furrowed his brows became, seeing that the statements were one-sided narratives without any evidence.

No wonder Zhang Xuan hadn’t immediately arrested anyone. Arresting without evidence was feasible, but if concrete proof wasn’t found afterward, a severe demerit would be recorded, and in serious cases, criminal charges could follow.

This was also why the higher-ups did not wish for the Heavenly Patrol Bureau to wield excessive power and cause unrest within the court.

Having skimmed through the entire dossier, Chen Yuan pondered for a while before standing up. He decided to visit the Yang Family.

…

…

City East.

Yang Family.

When Chen Yuan arrived at the entrance of the Yang Family residence, there was not a single sound of mourning inside, as if no one had died at all, and everything appeared calm.

The doors of the Yang Family were wide open. Chen Yuan walked in confidently, displaying no change in expression. As soon as he entered, an elderly man approached to block his path:

“Who are you, and why are you intruding into the Yang Family home?”

The elder scrutinized Chen Yuan from head to toe with a suspicious gaze, not recalling any instance of an arrest officer daring to approach the Yang Family’s doorstep.

“From the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, on official duty to investigate a case.”

Chen Yuan took out his waist token and displayed it, his voice as calm as ever.

“Investigate a case, I…”

The elder hadn’t finished speaking when a middle-aged man behind him interrupted:

“May I ask, my Lord, what case are you here to investigate in the Yang Family?”

His tone was more polite than the elder’s, apparently recognizing what Chen Yuan’s attire represented.

Chen Yuan: “Who might you be?”

“The humble house steward of the Yang Family, Wu Bo. You may continue with your tasks. I will entertain this Lord…” The middle-aged man gestured to the elder.

Not a fool, the elder quickly understood from the steward’s behavior what he should do and promptly stepped back.

Chen Yuan did not object:

“Is Lord Yang Wanlou at home?”

“Does the Lord need to see the Master regarding some matter?”

“As I said before, to investigate a case.”

The expression on the middle-aged man’s face changed, and he squeezed out a smile:

“Could it be that the Lord has come to the wrong place? What kind of case could my Yang Family possibly be involved in?”

“A homicide case.”

“Lord, please do not make unfounded accusations. How could the Yang Family be connected to a homicide case?” The middle-aged man hastily protested.

“On the previous night, the Heavenly Patrol Bureau received information that the daughter-in-law of Lord Yang suffered an untimely death. Chen Yuan has therefore been specially dispatched to investigate. What now… do you intend to obstruct me?” Chen Yuan demanded coldly.

The middle-aged man’s pupils contracted sharply, and just as he was about to say something, a sigh came from behind him:

“Sigh, to think that we would alarm the members of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau. I hadn’t intended to air our dirty laundry in public.”

Chen Yuan looked up and saw a middle-aged man in official robes approaching. Square-jawed with an innate authority, his hair and beard were touched with gray. It was Yang Wanlou.

“Greetings to Lord Yang.”

Chen Yuan gave a respectful bow.

“This Patrol Guard looks unfamiliar. May I ask your name?”

Yang Wanlou gently stroked his beard as he inquired.

I Have A Qi Fortune Altar