I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 125 New Case
Nan Ya Kaifeng Prefecture.

Jiang Ping looked at the letter asking for help in his hand and frowned.

There have been a series of major cases in Bianliang city recently, and these younger generations under his command are already exhausted. They finally have a few days' rest, but something unexpected happens outside the city again.

He looked at the Southern Hero Zhan Zhao beside him and asked:

"How about I go over there for this matter?"

Zhan Zhao smiled and said:

"Brother Jiang, I know you are known as the 'River Rat' and are an excellent swimmer, but you are already this old, do you still want to go there in person?"

Jiang Ping sighed helplessly and said in a shrill voice:
"What can we do? Recently, Mr. Bao has arranged for Xiao Liangzi to carry out a secret mission, and he can't get away at all. Yunrui is a landlubber, and no matter how high his martial arts skills are, he can't help much. Besides, Bianliang City still needs a master of sufficient weight to take charge of the overall situation. Maybe I, an old man, will have to take people there to take a look."

As he spoke, he patted his waist and said, "I haven't used this pair of Emei Spears for many years. If I don't use them again, they will get rusty."

Zhan Zhao looked at his old friend whose beard had already turned white, but he still had to run around everywhere. He felt sorry for him, so he said:

"Well, I have nothing to do, so I'll go with you. I'm not as good as you in swimming, but I can do it. If we two are together, we can look after each other."

Jiang Ping heard this and shook his head:

"If you and I are gone, I will feel uneasy without an old man at home. You should stay and look after the house, and I will call Fang Shuan to follow us. He is smart and can help."

As they were talking, they heard a noisy sound coming from outside, so they looked at each other and stood up at the same time to check.

There was a commotion outside. Li Qingyun, who was soaking wet, walked in first, followed by a group of patrol soldiers wearing red clothes and white official hats, who carried an unconscious man in fancy clothes and carefully placed him on the ground.

Zhan Zhao and Jiang Ping were startled and quickly walked up to ask:
"Qingyun, what's going on?"

When Li Qingyun heard the two people asking questions, he briefly recounted the incident of rescuing people in the Bian River just now.

Zhan Zhao was shocked when he heard this, and hurried forward to check. He immediately recognized that the drowning person was Cao Jingzhi, the youngest of the Cao family, and said:

"I heard that the third son of the Cao family had been missing for several days. The Queen was extremely worried and asked the Inspection Office to search for him everywhere. How come he drowned in the Bian River today?"

Jiang Ping sighed and asked Li Qingyun:
"Why did you bring him to Kaifeng Prefecture? Since you saved him, why don't you just send him back to Cao's Mansion and let his family handle it?"

Li Qingyun saw that Jiang Ping's reaction to this matter was very cold, unlike his usual image of a chivalrous knight who was eager to help others. He felt a little strange, but still replied:

"Well, he wasn't in his right mind when he woke up, so I wanted to bring him here for Fourth Brother Lu to have a look."

As he was talking, Lu Zhen heard the noise and came over. Seeing Cao Jingzhi lying on the ground, he couldn't help but frowned, and there was a hint of indifference in his ethereal voice:
"The third son of the Cao family? What happened to him?"

Seeing him coming, Li Qingyun briefly recounted the whole story and then asked:

"Fourth brother, can you take a look at what's wrong with his mental state?"

Lu Zhen looked at him, pondered for a while, and then snorted helplessly:
"Well, for your sake, I'll take a look."

As he spoke, he leaned down, gently pressed his hand on Cao Jingzhi's forehead, cast a spiritual spell, and began to check Cao Jingzhi's spirit body.

After a moment, he stood up and said:

"It's nothing serious, just a shock. He will probably regain consciousness after a few days of rest.

“But his spirit was severely damaged, and his death is not far away.

"It's the law of nature after all. This guy has done a lot of bad things, and it's time for him to get his comeuppance."

Jiang Ping heard this and waved his hand as if to shoo away a fly:
"In that case, quickly send him to the Cao family, so that the people from the Prince's Mansion won't blackmail us."

Lu Zhen nodded and ordered his men to follow Qin Feng from the Inspection Office to take away the unconscious Cao Jingzhi.

……

Just after finishing the work here, Jiang Ping suddenly remembered something and asked Li Qingyun:

"Qingyun, the water in the Bian River is very fast, and it's not easy to save people. It seems that you are a good swimmer?"

Li Qingyun didn't know what he meant, so he put on a humble expression and said:

"It's just barely okay. Why is Fourth Uncle asking this?"

Jiang Ping smiled slightly, took out a letter from his pocket and said:
"Since you can swim, I have a case for you to handle. I originally wanted to go there by myself, but I couldn't let go of the things in Kaifeng Prefecture, so I have to trouble you to go there for me.

"You have made many contributions recently, but you still lack the feat of leading a team to solve a case on your own. When I come back this time, I will report to Lord Bao and ask for a position of lieutenant for you."

Seeing Jiang Ping's sincere face, Li Qingyun thought for a moment and said:
"Since Fourth Uncle has spoken, I will do my best to handle the case."

Jiang Ping's cultivation was not high, and he had been stuck at the second level, unable to make any progress. The cases he dared to handle personally were definitely not very dangerous.

Moreover, as long as the case is investigated, there will be a vacant position of the lieutenant of Kaifeng Prefecture waiting for him, so this deal is quite a good deal.

Jiang Ping smiled with satisfaction and waved at him:
"You come with me."

The two of them went to the backyard and found a secluded room to sit face to face. Jiang Ping said:
“Fifty miles outside of Bianliang City, there is a town called Huojiaji, which has less than a thousand households. A river monster has been appearing there recently.

"The monster is not very powerful, at most it is a second-level great monster that has just transformed, but it is very cunning and has good swimming skills. Huojiaji originally had a 'City God' of the incense and fire sect in charge, but every time they wanted to deal with the river monster, it would hide in the water and then come out to cause trouble again not long after.

“Many lives have been lost in this way, so the Huo family asked us for help and wanted to send a master who is good at water to deal with the monster.

“In fact, with your current strength in the Spirit Refining Realm, you don’t even need to go into the water to fight the river monster head-on. As long as you find the opportunity for it to come out to cause trouble, you can ambush it and attack it from the side. You will definitely be able to kill the monster with one blow.

"Well, I will send Fang Shuan to you this time. Although his martial arts skills are not strong, he is experienced and smart, and he can be very useful sometimes.

"Well, this will be your first time leading a team alone, and you will be investigating a case on behalf of Kaifeng Prefecture. How is it? Are you confident?"

After listening to Jiang Ping's introduction, Li Qingyun felt that this case was not complicated or difficult, so he nodded and said:
"Don't worry, Uncle Four. I promise to complete the task." Jiang Ping nodded with satisfaction:
"Okay, you should leave now. Go and come back quickly. We have a lot of things to do here."

……

Along the banks of the Bian River, the path meanders like a thin ribbon, leading to the misty green mountains in the distance.

Two horses walked leisurely on the ancient stone road, the sound of their hooves was light, like the breeze blowing through the mountains and forests.

The horses were covered with long white tassels that fluttered slightly with their steps, adding a bit of fairy-like air to their appearance.

Li Qingyun sat on the horse, chatting with Fang Shuan while rushing towards Huojiaji.

I have to say that although Lao Fang is incompetent, lazy, has an unpleasant voice and has difficulty speaking, he is definitely a first-class chat partner.

Not only does he know a lot of underworld secrets, but he also tells stories vividly, with every detail so incisive that people can't help but immerse themselves in them.

Halfway through the journey, Li Qingyun thought of what happened this morning and became curious, so he asked Fang Shuan:
"Lao Fang, do you know Cao Jingzhi?"

Fang Shuan seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled meaningfully:
"You want to ask why Grandpa Jiang and Uncle Lu both look at the little uncle of the Cao family with disdain, right?"

It’s easier to talk to a smart person like you, Lao Fang... Li Qingyun nodded to show his agreement.

He was very interested in the affairs of the Cao family, because from the perspective of a time traveler, this Cao Jingzhi might very well be one of the Eight Immortals of the future, Cao Guojiu.

Fang Shuan said proudly:
"You should ask me about this matter, Lao Fang. There is nothing I don't know about in Bianliang City.

"The Cao family consists of three siblings from the same mother. The eldest sister's maiden name is 'Jing Shu' and she is the current emperor's queen.

"The second son is named Cao Jingxiu. He has a good reputation among people. He is usually kind and generous, and treats people humbly. He is quite famous.

"The third one is Cao Jingzhi, the one you saved. This kid has always been rampant in Bianliang City, bullying men and women, and doing a lot of bad things. But his status is special, and no one can punish him."

Li Qingyun said curiously:
"Even Mr. Bao can't do anything to him?"

Fang Shuan sneered:
“Humph, the ancestors of the Cao family fought together with Emperor Taizu to conquer the world. They were originally the most prestigious family in the Song Dynasty. Their power is deeply rooted and far more powerful than they appear.

"Think about it, Empress Cao was not favored and had no children, but she was able to stay in the Eastern Palace for decades and firmly hold the position of Empress. How could it be that simple?
“Moreover, Cao Jingzhi’s brother Cao Jingxiu is said to possess magical powers and has close ties with some Taoist masters. Even the lawless Grand Tutor Pang Ji has to give them some leeway.

"Mr. Bao wanted to execute Cao Jingzhi several times, but with the imperial decree of Empress Cao and the guarantee of the emperor, he could not be touched.

"Originally, he disappeared without a trace this time, and we all thought that Bianliang City had lost a threat, but we didn't expect that you would save him, so... hehe... you know it now."

When I saved him, I didn't know that he was a scum of the world... Li Qingyun shook his head helplessly, smiled at himself, and put away a strand of hair that was wrapped around his finger.

He had secretly pulled this off Cao Jingzhi's head. He had originally wanted to divine the whole process of his disappearance and fall into the water, and treat this as a case.

But since he is a scumbag, there is no need for me to waste my time and energy investigating the matter.

But I didn’t expect that the Cao family actually had two uncles-in-law. It seems that Cao Jingzhi’s elder brother Cao Jingxiu is the uncle-in-law of Cao who will be as famous as Lu Dongbin in the future.

Li Qingyun asked curiously:

"Cao Jingzhi's brother, um, that great uncle, is he really a god?"

Fang Shuan shook his head:
“I don’t know if he is a deity or not, he has never shown his abilities in front of outsiders.

"But Cao Jingzhi once committed a serious crime. It is said that he fell in love with a decent girl. In order to get her, he killed her husband and imprisoned and tortured the girl for several days. As a result, this matter was found out by my uncle and uncle. He was so scared that he hid in the prince's mansion and didn't dare to go out for a month.

"At that time, my uncle wanted to sneak into the Prince's Mansion at night, kidnap the man, and then hand him over to Lord Bao to be beheaded directly, without asking for permission later. Guess what happened later?"

Li Qingyun hurriedly asked:

"what happened?"

Fang Shuan sneered:
"Humph, my uncle was stopped by Lord Bao. He said that the Prince's Mansion is unfathomable and more terrifying than a den of dragons and tigers. Once my uncle goes in, his life will be in danger and he will be charged with assassinating the king. His death will be in vain.

"Hey, think about it, Mr. Bao said so. Uncle Cao's strength is at least in the fifth realm. Otherwise, with my uncle's skills, even if he is defeated, how could he not even have a chance to escape?"

Li Qingyun didn't expect that he actually saved such a villain, and asked quickly:

"So Lord Bao and Brother Yunrui just let it go like this?"

Fang Shuan shook his head:

"What else can we do? Later, the Cao family sent someone to throw the young lady into the well and drown her. The only witness is gone, so how can we try her? And even if we have evidence, it's useless. Empress Cao has already asked the emperor for a golden medal of immunity from death. Even if we can catch Cao Jingzhi, the most he will do is to beat him with a few sticks and lock him up for a few days. What's the point of that?"

That Lu Dongbin is bloodthirsty and would wipe out entire families at any time. Cao Guojiu condoned his brother's crimes. It seems that these Eight Immortals are not good people... Li Qingyun muttered in his heart and nodded, putting the matter behind him for the time being, and asked Fang Shuan about other unknown secrets in the city of Bianliang.

Fifty miles is not far at all. The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at a small town.

This is on the bank of the Bian River. The entire town is built beside the water, with houses along the river. Several families have even built stone roads leading to the Bian River for the convenience of fetching water and washing.

It is noon now, the wild flowers on the shore are in full bloom, smoke is rising from the town, children and yellow dogs are playing in the fields, poultry and livestock are leisurely walking and looking for food by the fields. At first glance, it is a peaceful and harmonious pastoral picture.

Li Qingyun reined in his horse and stopped. Grayish-white mist slowly surged in his eyes, forming strange runes. The divination power's premonition method was quietly performed without being actively activated.

He suddenly had a strong intuition in his heart, as if the small town before him contained an important opportunity that he could not give up and absolutely could not miss.

With his mind racing, Li Qingyun dismounted without hesitation, handed the reins to Fang Shuan, and walked forward to find a passing villager and asked:

"Excuse me, bro, where is this place?"

"This is Huojia Market." The villager, wearing a mourning scarf on his head and a hemp rope tied around his waist, looked haggard and sad. Hearing this, he said, "There's going to be a funeral in the town now. You two are outsiders. Do you want to stay and attend?"

……

(End of this chapter)