Where the wind chimes sound, there is a god

Chapter 15: County Magistrate Promoted to Prefecture
When Magistrate Fu heard this, a figure popped up in his mind, so he said cautiously: "I do know that there is such a strange person.

There was a disciple who fled from the north in this county. He was a very low-key person and he did know the art of controlling snakes, but he passed away a month ago. "

Qi Hong had an idea and was about to ask if this person had any disciples, but being a cautious person he did not ask. If the magistrate wanted to investigate, he would naturally continue talking.

He was just an ordinary employee of the Rain God Department with no foundation. If he offended any force by mistake, he would be in endless trouble.

However, his colleague Zhu Wenhuan did not have so many reservations and asked, "Has the magistrate heard of any other extraordinary people?"

Magistrate Fu shook his head and said, "There are many talented people hiding in the city, and I don't know how many there are. But you can set a bait and wait for the fish to take the bait."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Wenhuan asked curiously.

"I am about to inform the whole county that rebuilding the city wall is a huge undertaking that will require countless manpower and resources, as well as the power of gods and spirits!" Magistrate Fu stroked his long beard and said, "In addition to recruiting civilians, we also need to recruit talented people, such as those who can move the temple to offer sacrifices to the gods, and those who can explore the river and drive away snakes, insects and beasts. Villagers can also recommend them and they will be rewarded."

"This is a great idea!" Qi Hong agreed immediately. It seemed that the magistrate had some shameful secret or wanted to make some money from it, but he did not expose him but cooperated with him.

Zhu Wenhuan frowned upon hearing this and said, "But what if the murderer doesn't come out?"

The smile on Magistrate Fu's face faded a little. "Are you two sure that the murderer is the snake driver?"

"Well..." Zhu Wenhuan hesitated for a moment and then said truthfully: "We are only making inferences based on the objects, and we cannot really solve the case."

"Then please take the time to investigate. If you find anything else, please inform me immediately." Magistrate Fu said solemnly, "This land temple tragedy is the biggest case in our county in more than ten years. We must investigate it carefully and not let go of any clues."

"Yes! Your lord!"

The officials and servants nearby all claimed that they were the ones who deserved it. Qi Hong and the other two bowed and saw Magistrate Fu off. Their official rank was only ninth rank and could not compare to that of a seventh rank magistrate.

Zhu Wenhuan looked a little unhappy but he held it back. He was born into the Zhu family of Tongshan and had always lived a life of luxury. He had seen many prefectural magistrates, not to mention county magistrates. But today, he was treated like a mere county magistrate.

"Brother Wenhuan, don't worry about it. County Magistrate Fu is just anxious to solve the case." Qi Hong advised.

"Anxious to solve the case?" Zhu Wenhuan sneered: "Do you think he looks like he is in a hurry to solve the case? Just wait, even if the case is solved, I will report him and end his official career." The last sentence was obviously whispered, so low that only Qi Hong could hear it.

"Are we still going to check these physical evidences?" Qi Hong could only change the subject and pointed at the items placed on the ground, including the two steamed buns that had already gone a little rotten.

"Investigate, of course!" Zhu Wenhuan said with a smile, "Let these officials investigate one by one, and report back after they have thoroughly investigated."

……

In the Tingyu Pavilion, which is shaded by green trees, there is a young man in blue holding a sword like Feihua and a Broken Yang Seal Sword. The cold light is flashing, and the sword blade is as flexible and casual as a snake, turning and moving. At one moment, it is like the waves of a river or the sea, with great momentum and a deep abyss. With a flick of the sword, the blade escapes from his hand and pounces on the standing stake, instantly splitting the wood and shattering the stake.

He performed a set of sword techniques smoothly, from the beginning to the end of the sword, his breath was not disordered. Even though he did not have internal energy, his physical agility and strength were greatly enhanced and obviously would not be much different. If he added the Kanshui true qi, it would be even more terrifying.

Now that he has the ability to protect himself, he can finally let go of his worries. Chen Beimo put away his sword and threw it on his waist. The soft sword turned into a curved belt and was fastened to his waist. He then used a specially sewn cloth strip to cover the blade. In this way, even if he had nothing, he could immediately draw out the soft sword on his waist to fight the enemy when facing danger.

Today is five days since the night of the killing, and the fear in the city has gradually dissipated. The government has issued an order to recruit a large number of farmers and workers to build new city walls. Since it is the slack season and there is a lot of idle labor, thousands of people have been recruited to build a new city outside the city.

That’s right, Jincheng is going to set up new towns and markets!

The county magistrate wanted to open a new block outside the East Block, which was equivalent to rebuilding a new city district, which was probably much larger than the 12 streets of the West Block. The original East City Wall was also converted into an inner wall, and the East Block became the market of Jincheng in the future. Many refugees, criminals, and foreigners from the north had to stay in the East Block.

The East Block, where the nobles originally lived, was changed into the Central Block, the most magnificent, luxurious and gorgeous place in the city. All of these would become the political achievements of County Magistrate Fu.

At the same time, an imperial edict that shocked everyone even more was passed down. Emperor Jing ordered that Jincheng be renamed Yunzhou City, the capital of Yunzhou Prefecture, with six counties under its jurisdiction. The former Jincheng county magistrate was promoted to Yunzhou prefect, and he was promoted to the fifth rank and many other appointments.

Jincheng had originally been suspected of offending the imperial title, but it was not renamed in previous years because of leniency towards the newly acquired territories. Now that the people of Jincheng have settled down and adapted to the rule of the Jin Dynasty, it is natural that the name should be changed.

The unhappiness of the people of Jincheng over the change of the place name disappeared in an instant, and turned into surprise, because the establishment of a government and a city meant that their real estate and property in Jincheng could increase several times!
The world is bustling with people all for profit, and now with such great benefits, who wouldn't be excited? The so-called name change of the village and city was changed.

After hearing this, Chen Beimo began to understand why Mr. Qi was in such a hurry to buy his house. Such a large house could be converted into a villa or used as a workshop.

Originally, two or three hundred taels of silver could buy this house, but now it is probably difficult to buy it with five hundred taels. At the same time, there are more people who would covet this house. No wonder in ancient times, when a rich man died, his descendants would lose his house and money and be unable to preserve his ancestral property.

Chen Beimo glanced at the sky. The sun was setting and it was time to practice.

These days he practiced sword skills in the morning and cultivated Dharma in the evening. He occasionally sat in the corridor to watch the rain and savored the earthy tea. He lived a very comfortable life.

He practiced the Kanshui Sutra and also integrated it into his mind. Every day he could actually practice one more round of exercises than before. As a result, after only five days, he had stored nine strands of Yin water inside him.

This method has different practices for Yin and Yang. Yin methods emphasize slow practice and accumulation, while Yang methods emphasize rapid progress. Yin and Yang are harmonized to transform Li into Kan and cultivate true Qi. And each time, at least nine strands of Yin water must be accumulated before practicing Yang methods, and Yang water from mountains, rivers and lakes can be introduced.

The sun's shadow in the sky gradually slanted until the moon rose above the branches. Beichen Jun also crawled into the yard and looked up to practice. One man and one snake faced each other, the man sitting while the snake lying, the moon shining on the sparse stars.

Until the door of the backyard alley was knocked, which woke up Chen Beimo who was practicing Qigong. He had to disperse the Qi in his body to stretch his whole body, then he opened his eyes and stood up to the back door, asking through the door: "Who is coming to the door in the middle of the night?"

A servant came from outside the door and said in a low voice: "Is this Master Chen Beimo?
The prefect invites you!"

"Mr. Prefect?" Chen Beimo was shocked. Could it be that the tragedy had already happened and the consequences were traced back to him?
"Why did the prefect come looking for me in the middle of the night? And why did he act so secretly?" Chen Beimo did not panic and took the opportunity to ask back.

"My prefect said that if you don't come tonight, the ones who will come tomorrow will be officials and military officers!" the servant whispered again.

Chen Beimo thought for a moment and quietly opened the backdoor door. In the moonlight, he could see that it was a young boy dressed as a servant. As soon as the door opened, he took out the official token to prove his identity and stated that he was indeed a government official.

"What have I done wrong that requires the prefect to send people to arrest me?" Chen Beimo pretended to be confused.

"I didn't say that the prefect wanted to arrest you. I was ordered by the prefect to invite Master Chen to come to the mansion for a chat!" The servant said with a smile, "Master Chen, please come in!"

Chen Beimo bowed and said, "Let me turn off the lights and close the windows, and then come back after getting the key."

The servant naturally did not refuse. He waited outside the door for a while and saw this noble young man walking up the long street with his hands bare.

On the way, Chen Beimo asked a few questions, but the boy just shook his head and smiled, saying he didn't know, and asked him to ask after he saw the prefect.

When they walked out of the alley, they saw a carriage. When the coachman saw them, he lifted the curtain and invited them in.

The servant beside him also smiled and bowed, saying, "Please get in the car, sir!"

The coachman took a wooden stool from the front of the carriage and placed it under his feet, without any domineering attitude.

Seeing this, Chen Beimo felt relieved. It was impossible for him to be so polite to a prisoner. If Prefect Fu really wanted to arrest him, he would not have gone to so much trouble.

The carriage made crisp hooves as it drove onto the bluestone road of the long street. This carriage looked ordinary, but it was not something that ordinary people could own. He sat in the carriage and watched from outside the curtains that the carriage was indeed heading towards Beifang. After leaving Xifang and entering Beifang, the buildings instantly became majestic and tall. The county government was not just a courtyard house, but an area.

Today, Yunzhou City is no longer what it used to be, so the prefect's residence will naturally have to be expanded a lot. It can be seen that construction and soil turning are going on in many places.

After half an hour, the carriage finally came to a stop and Chen Beimo was asked to get off. Riding in a carriage was not a pleasant experience. The constant shaking in the carriage reminded him of the feeling of motion sickness.

Standing on the flat and open road, he looked up and saw the side door of the prefect's house. The servant led him inside. The prefect's yard really had a scene every three steps and a view every five steps. There were pavilions and terraces, like palace walls. It was so magnificent that Chen Beimo couldn't help but take a closer look. It seemed that the rumor that the prefect was a greedy person was true.

With his current perception, he could also sense that there were many servants in the mansion, and even some martial artists with extraordinary energy and blood. Chen Beimo was led into a brightly lit study room, where the four treasures of the study were placed, as well as a middle-aged man with a long beard wearing a black patterned robe. His pair of weathered eyes showed that he was not an easy person to deal with.

"I greet the prefect!"

Chen Beimo bowed and saluted. Common people do not need to kowtow when meeting officials unless they are involved in a lawsuit.

"Chen Beimo, do you admit your guilt?" Prefect Fu, who was writing with a pen, did not raise his head, but asked while writing.

"I don't know what crime I have committed!" Chen Beimo replied calmly.

"In the massacre at the Tudi Temple outside the West City Gate, seventeen people were killed, including a Miao woman. The two Fengyun demons who killed people without blinking an eye also died at your hands!"

The prefect seemed to be making light of it, but he raised his head and looked down at him with a sharp gaze, and a sense of oppression from a superior came over him.

"Your Excellency the Prefect, how could I be such a vicious demon who kills people without blinking an eye?" Chen Beimo hurriedly defended himself. No matter how stupid he was, he would never admit it himself.

"Okay, since you said no, let's put it aside for now. Have you seen the notice I issued?" The prefect put down the plush brush in his hand and slowly sat down on the armchair.

"Since it is your Excellency's personal order, I have naturally read it." Chen Beimo replied.

"Your master passed away suddenly last month. I was thinking how unfortunate it was that his magic skill of controlling snakes was lost.

It was not until this time that I realized that this old man Wang Xian really taught a good apprentice, who is even better than his master! "

Magistrate Fu's face showed no expression, he just said: "You still don't plead guilty?"

"I don't know what crime I should admit!" Chen Beimo continued to deny.

"One of my elders fell ill a few months ago and needed a herbal remedy to save his life."

Prefect Fu suddenly changed the subject and continued, "I am worried and anxious, but someone is rushing to cause trouble."

As he spoke, there was anger on his face. He turned around and flicked his sleeves, and the papers on the table happened to be rolled to the ground. Chen Beimo happened to see it with his head lowered.

On a piece of light yellow rice paper were written the four characters "Hundred Years of Dragon Robe" in wet ink, and on the other was a silver note of five hundred taels from Guangfeng Silver Shop.

Prefect Fu seemed not to notice the two pieces of paper on the ground, and continued, "In the past half month, Mr. Qi sent people to see me three times, and I was angry every time, so I didn't like him.

"

Chen Beimo's heart was startled. Mr. Qi was giving money to the prefect. Did he really want his Tingyu Pavilion?

"Your Excellency is devoted to serving the people and the country, so how can you have time to care about those money-grubbing businessmen?
I think your elder is a lucky person, and the medicine will cure his illness in just a month!"

He picked up the two pieces of paper on the ground, with the silver note at the bottom and the rice paper at the top, and held them in both hands and presented them to the prefect.

"Hahaha, you are worthy of being Wang Xian's disciple. It seems that I have been too suspicious recently. Go back and I will review this case again. It will only take 20 days to catch the real culprit and seek justice for those who died tragically!"

Prefect Fu took the two pieces of paper he handed over with one hand and saw him off with a smile.

Chen Beimo bowed, said goodbye and left.

After he left the study, Fu Zhiliu placed the piece of rice paper on the candle and lit it. He then put the five hundred taels of silver into the secret compartment under the table and called out, "Someone come!"

"master!"

Immediately a servant came in and respectfully obeyed the order.

"Go to Mr. Qi's house and tell him that we will know the result in 20 days!"

"Yes, sir!" The servant hurried to make the announcement in the middle of the night.

After the servant left, a shadow fell from the roof beam, "Sir, even if this kid really knows some strange trick of driving away snakes or is a martial arts master, with Huang Chao Yi in hand, he can suppress both immortals and mortals. It will only take you a word to catch him. For such a big case, isn't it better to finish it as soon as possible?"

"Haha, do you think this case is a big one?" Prefect Fu chuckled and shook his head, "The royal family is thousands of miles away, so any big case here is just a drizzle when it comes to the upper class.

But this hundred-year-old snake skin is hard to find. I will use it to exchange for a bright future for me. Even if it was really done by this kid, I will let him off for Wang Xian's sake. If he is found, he will be my guest of honor."

……

Chen Beimo was walking alone on the long street, thinking in his heart, Fu Zhifu had obviously suspected him a long time ago, this was one of his handles, Qi Yuanwai also gave money to the Zhifu to buy a house. This was also his handle.

The prefect wanted to find the hundred-year-old dragon robe, which was the skin shed by a hundred-year-old snake. Dragon robe is a common Chinese medicinal material, but the dragon robe shed by a hundred-year-old snake is rare in the world.

It was impossible for ordinary people to find it, only his master or an extraordinary person like himself could find it. He was given 20 days. If he couldn't find it, he would have to use himself to close the case and use Tingyu Pavilion to fulfill Mr. Qi's request.

If he found it, he would be the prefect's guest of honor, transcending the class shackles of commoners and nobles, and all difficulties would be solved. This was an exchange with more benefits than disadvantages.

But don't think that this is a world where you can do whatever you want with force. If you become a prisoner, even if you escape from prison, you will face endless pursuit when you go in and out of the city or across borders. The suffering of being on the run is a true portrayal of those criminal exiles.

As a prefect, he holds the rank of a fourth-rank official, with the laws of the dynasty in his hands and the might of the army at his side. Not to mention that he has the power of life and death over mere strangers in the martial arts world with just a word, even if there really is an immortal descending to the earth, with his majestic aura, the country and the people would probably have to think twice.

If he was really convicted of murder, not only would his property be confiscated, but even his fellow apprentices would be implicated. Even if he wanted to escape, he would have to flee to a foreign country or hide in the mountains and forests without showing up.

Chen Beimo didn't want to live a precarious life. Before he truly embarked on the path of cultivation, his status as a good citizen in the secular world could bring him many benefits.

He believed that there were other practitioners in this world. If the imperial court did not have the means and strength, would these immortals hide in the world like this? Don't underestimate any era called a dynasty. The mainstream of each era has great power.

Chen Beimo remained cautious in the face of the unknown. He had no idea how the power behind the dynasty would check and balance the immortal way. If he imitated the characters in the picture books and foolishly killed the prefect at night, what would happen then?

Then there was chaos in Yunzhou, and the government and the public were shocked. Facing and challenging the authority of a dynasty, he might have died before he could escape into the mountains.

There is no logic in this world. The civilians who died in the land temple were not killed by him, but killed by Gu. He killed the Miaojiang female Gu Master to avenge them, but he was still suspected of being the murderer.

There are many truths in this world that can be explained with words without the need for force. In the end, I am still weak.

Being weak is a sin.

When a person is extremely weak and has no value to be used, naturally no one will care about him. Taking his life can be done with just a few words.

When a person is extremely powerful, the whole world is afraid of him and no one dares to threaten him.

Only those who are stronger than ordinary people but not extremely strong are the easiest to be controlled.

When my master was alive, he once said that County Magistrate Fu was a good official. He also knew my master's background, and because my master said he was a good official, he went for a walk in the mountains.

A hundred-year-old dragon robe? I think there is one in the Eight Hundred Miles Cloud Bamboo Mountain.

(End of this chapter)