Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 669 Upright and Honorable
Qi Tongwei picked up the purse from the ground, his expression strange for a moment. He weighed the purse in his hand, then leaned closer to Xiao Ran and asked, "What exactly do you want to do?"

"Just making a living and getting by is enough. Otherwise, I can't stand you always watching me." Xiao Ran's helpless expression made Qi Tongwei immediately realize that it was his surveillance of the day that had caused the kid to suffer a huge loss.

Qi Tongwei thought for a moment and said, "Since we are just looking for food and clothing, I certainly have no intention of not giving people a way to live. Aren't you a coroner? We happen to be short of a coroner, so you can stay by my side for the time being. As long as I have food to eat, you will definitely not go hungry."

"Well, I..." Xiao Ran's gaze darted away, seemingly caught off guard by Qi Tongwei's suggestion.

Qi Tongwei's sharp eyes caught the look on Xiao Ran's face and the panic in his eyes, making him even more determined to bring the boy to his side. He immediately grabbed Xiao Ran's wrist: "It's decided then."

"me……"

The more Xiao Ran tried to resist, the tighter Qi Tongwei gripped her hand. In the end, she was simply pulled away by Qi Tongwei and left the inn without even having a chance to say goodbye to Jin Chanzi and the others.

Only after Xiao Ran was pulled away did Jin Chanzi and the others smile, as this outcome was entirely expected.

Qi Tongwei, a man of principle who turns evil, is not so easily fooled. Xiao Ran did the opposite, voluntarily exposing herself to Qi Tongwei. Qi Tongwei would never let Xiao Ran leave so easily.

Especially after Xiao Ran has demonstrated her value, they wouldn't let her leave if they were in her shoes.

This was precisely one of the methods Xiao Ran used to gain access to the government office and get to the heart of the town's problems.

"No, what do we do next?"

Xiao Ran was pulled away, and Huang Le looked at Jin Chanzi with a blank expression.

“Amitabha Buddha.” Jin Chanzi placed one hand on his chest and said, “Of course, it is to punish evil and promote good, and to eliminate harm for the people.”

Huang Le didn't understand, but Dai Long seemed to get it. He thought for a moment and said, "Tonight, the Li family on the east side of town is having a birthday banquet..."

"Then I'll go to the west side. Widow Zhang's house is lively at night. I'll join in."

Jin Chanzi slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and walked out.

"Oh, no, what about me?"

Seeing this, Huang Le quickly called out to Jin Chanzi and pressed him for an answer.

Jin Chanzi turned around and glanced at Huang Le: "You kid, just wander around North and South Streets and find something to do. Qinghai, you come with me and don't follow him. Let this kid make his own way in the world."

"it is good."

Qinghai shrugged at Huang Le, looking helpless, and then followed Jin Chanzi out of the inn.

"You'd better find a safe place to stay, because this town probably won't be so safe anymore."

Dai Long got up and walked out, reminding Huang Le as he left.

"Huh?? Stay somewhere safe?? Where am I supposed to go? I can't fly!"

Huang Le looked completely bewildered, having no idea what they were going to do. He sat speechlessly on the table for a moment before slowly getting up and walking out.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xiao Ran had already arrived at the county government office with Qi Tongwei and the others.

As Xiao Ran stepped into the county government office, a chilling and eerie feeling instantly washed over him.

This feeling doesn't come from danger and can't be directly described in words.

Xiao Ran looked up and saw that the guards standing in the yamen were all standing straight, their eyes like bells staring straight ahead, their expressions solemn and their posture dignified.

"Wow! I've never seen anything this orderly in a military compound."

If Xiao Ran's mental strength weren't so powerful, ordinary beginners, or even professionals, would likely have been intimidated by the solemn and imposing aura emanating from the government office if they suddenly walked in.

Although Xiao Ran felt no harm in her heart, she still put on a very cooperative look of being terrified, her whole body stiff and her face completely bloodless.

Qi Tongwei's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Ran, and seeing his disheveled appearance, he felt a sense of relief.

He thought to himself, "You think you're so eloquent? You think you're so persuasive? You think you're so capable? Well, once you're in my office, you'll be the one to cower and lie low, no matter what. Let's see what kind of trouble you can cause."

"Come on, follow me to see the lord!"

"Ah!! I'm seeing an official?"

As Xiao Ran met Qi Tongwei's gaze, she shuddered, her legs trembling so violently that she almost collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, Qi Tongwei kept his eyes on Xiao Ran. He reached out and grabbed Xiao Ran's arm, saying with a forced smile, "What's wrong? It's not that hot today, why are you all sweaty?"

"Please forgive me, Your Honor. This is my first time in a courtroom, and I am not used to it."

"Hahahahaha."

Qi Tongwei laughed and pulled Xiao Ran inside.

As soon as he entered the courtroom, he heard a voice from inside: "Qi Tongwei, why are you laughing so loudly?"

The voice was clear and resonant, full of energy.

Xiao Ran stared intently.

The plaque above the courtroom, inscribed with the words "A Clear Mirror Hangs High," suddenly burst forth with dazzling golden light.
Xiao Ran felt an instant urge to open her eyes. Behind the official's desk in the backlight, a figure seemed to have been forged from a bronze furnace into a golden statue. Every thread of the simple official's robe seemed to be radiating a dazzling light, and even the plain gold beads on both sides of the official's hat seemed to have solidified into two small suns.

Xiao Ran's eyes flashed with a shimmering light. He activated the power of retrospection, and his gaze pierced through the brilliant light in front of him, revealing the county magistrate sitting upright in the hall. His face was as handsome as jade, but his eyebrows reached his temples, and he had three long wisps of beard on his chest. A righteous aura surrounded him.

"Good heavens, even if Bao Zheng were reincarnated, he probably wouldn't be this good."

Xiao Ran was startled. The more she looked, the more uneasy she felt. It seemed to be a righteous aura, but under Xiao Ran's retrospective gaze, she felt that this righteous aura was so righteous that it made her scalp tingle, more sinister than any evil spirit.

He pretended to be intimidated by the magistrate's aura and stood there in a daze for a while.

"Sir, this man is a bodyguard from Ruzhou. He lost his goods and has no money for travel. I heard that he used to be a coroner, so I want to recruit him to work in the yamen."

Qi Tongwei stepped forward to explain the reason and recounted how, with Xiao Ran's help, he had solved the poisoning case at the restaurant.

After saying that, Qi Tongwei glanced sideways at Xiao Ran, who was still standing there dumbfounded: "Why don't you pay your respects to the lord?"

Xiao Ran seemed to wake from a dream, and cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble subject, Xiao Zizai, pays his respects to Your Excellency."

The magistrate, stroking his beard, chuckled and said from his high seat, "Hmm, since you are a bodyguard, do you know martial arts?"

"He naturally knows some martial arts techniques."

"Very well, very well. In that case, you may stay and serve as a coroner." The magistrate's face was serene, but after speaking, his tone suddenly changed: "But now that you have entered my service, you must remember not to bend the law for personal gain, not to embezzle or accept bribes, and not to bully others by abusing your power. You must uphold justice in all matters. If you commit any misconduct, I will execute you without mercy!"

The magistrate's voice was like a resounding bell, each word like golden light, enveloping Xiao Ran.

Suddenly, Xiao Ran felt a force trying to drill into her ears. Startled, she quickly activated her mind to seal her ears.

But soon this force changed direction and began to try to penetrate into its nostrils, eyes, mouth, and even every pore.

Realizing that the golden light had locked onto her, Xiao Ran simply gathered all her energy back into her mind, clenched her hands into a ball, and let the power seep into her body.

Soon, countless golden rays rushed into Xiao Ran's sea of ​​consciousness, transforming into a plaque with four large characters clearly written on it.

Upright and honorable

The golden plaque hung high in his mind's eye, like a steel stamp of thought, constantly flashing with dazzling golden light.

"Hey, I was wondering why Qi Tongwei and his officers were all wicked in disguise. So that's what they're like."

Xiao Ran suddenly realized that she had thought these people were affected by some kind of strange tale, but it turned out that their personalities had been forcibly washed away by this spiritual force.

I must say, this ability is quite good. Instead of persuading people to do good, it's better to start from the root cause. A set of personality transformation techniques is simple, direct, and saves trouble.

In other words, Xiao Ran's own consciousness was no longer as loose as that of an ordinary person; it had condensed into a single thought and was completely unaffected by this thing.

If he wished, he could even use soul cultivation techniques to instantly transform this spiritual imprint into nourishment for his own spirit.

However, there's no need to worry about it for now. This thing has no effect on me, so I'll keep it for now to avoid alerting the enemy.

Xiao Ran straightened his back, his whole body radiating energy. He straightened his expression and adopted the demeanor of a model opera performer: "I will remember the master's teachings!"

Seeing Xiao Ran's expression and demeanor, the magistrate's smile gradually became kind, but his gaze immediately turned to the outside of the hall, and his eyes became serious again.

The gavel on the desk struck automatically with a loud "snap!" without any wind: "Bring in the criminal!"

Xiao Ran stood to the side with Qi Tongwei.

Soon the woman who had poisoned her husband that day was brought to the main hall.

Two rows of bailiffs, each wielding a fire-and-water stick, shouted in unison, their voices like thunder: "Majesty!" The sound shook the dust that had accumulated on the beams, causing it to fall in a flurry.

The woman who poisoned her husband staggered and knelt down as soon as she entered the door.

The magistrate's eyes were like torches, and the gavel struck without being struck. The righteous aura in the courtroom solidified, pressing down on the woman and making her head droop.

"You audacious woman, how dare you poison your own wife! There's no evidence to prove it, do you know your crime?!"

The magistrate's voice, accompanied by golden light, entered the woman's mouth and nose, causing her to tremble all over. She immediately could not withstand it and prostrated herself on the ground, revealing everything she had done.

Upon hearing this, the magistrate gestured to his clerk to have her sign and affix her seal.

Xiao Ran watched from the side and noticed that after the woman signed and sealed the document, there seemed to be wisps of red smoke that were invisible to the naked eye coming from her body.

The plume of red smoke was quickly drawn into the plaque bearing the inscription "Upright and Just" behind the county magistrate.

After inhaling the red smoke, the plaque seemed to gain even more righteous energy.

As a result, the county magistrate himself also seemed to have benefited.

"So that's how it is! I thought it was some kind of evil spirit causing trouble, but it turned out to be a plaque!"

Xiao Ran suddenly realized the problem and now the only question was: "How do we take this plaque down?"

(End of this chapter)