Minglong

Chapter 4 Isn’t this the end?
At night, the county lieutenant was in prison.

Dampness and stench permeated the dim cell. The faint light of torches in the distance cast shadows through the railings. Next to the blackened thatch pile was a foul-smelling toilet. The cracks between the bricks in the corners of the wall had become a paradise for lice and cockroaches.

Seeing such a familiar scene, Xie Jinhuan felt like he was back home.

But before he was standing outside the railing, this time he was squatting inside.

"Brothers, what a misunderstanding..."

"Shut up! If you dare to move, you will be killed!"

The two jailers, who were facing a formidable enemy, raised their air-breaking crossbows and aimed them at the prison cell. Their arms were sore after a long time, but they still did not dare to be careless.

Xie Jinhuan had his hands tied behind his back and sat facing the wall in the corner, watching the lice fight.

Although he could easily untie this kind of restraint, he had already accidentally injured the police. If he resisted arrest and escaped from prison, he would become a real gangster. For this reason, he cooperated from beginning to end.

Although Meiqiu was not tied up, he had been well-behaved since he was young and sat obediently in the corner on the other side. Maybe he was hungry after half a day, so he opened his mouth and ate whatever he could get.

“Don’t eat!”

"Gu..."

"Don't talk!"

"it is good."

……

After an unknown amount of time of confrontation, there was finally movement outside the cell.

The two jailers turned their eyes and saw Lieutenant Yang Dabiao walking towards them quickly. They felt relieved and put away their broken air crossbows.

"Master Yang, this person keeps saying he knows you..."

"Hold it up first!"

Yang Dabiao was shocked when he saw the scene in the alley at noon.

At this time, he still didn't dare to be careless. He asked the jailer to continue to intimidate him and carefully came forward to take a look.

Xie Jinhuan was afraid that an arrow would fly towards him if he turned around, so he said calmly:

"Brother Yang, it's me, Xie Jinhuan. Two years ago, my father was transferred to southern Xinjiang and passed through Danyang. You even walked him seven or eight miles away..."

Yang Dabiao used to work in the capital under the command of Xie Wen, the county magistrate of Wan'an, and was very familiar with Xie Jinhuan.

I didn't throw Xie Jinhuan directly into the dungeon today because I felt that he was the son of an old friend. However, men change a lot when they grow up, and I can't afford the consequences of the female Bodhisattva getting hurt, so I don't have time to verify it during the day.

"Turn your face around so I can see."

Xie Jinhuan turned his head and showed a harmless smile:

"I haven't seen you for a few years. Brother Yang has become much stronger. His chest muscles look so impressive."

Yang Dabiao subconsciously raised his head and chest, carefully checked, and confirmed that it was the son of an old friend. He was a little happy, but also had doubts:
"Jinhuan, where have you been these years?"

Xie Jinhuan didn't know where he had been. He had acquired martial arts skills inexplicably, and he couldn't explain his resume, which made it easy for misunderstandings. He could only make up stories with a smile:
"I went to learn martial arts. Three years ago, my father went to southern Xinjiang and met a hidden master on the way. He said I was gifted and took me to the mountains to learn martial arts. I just came back recently."

Yang Dabiao looked up and down through the railing, half believing and half doubting:
"Your kung fu cannot be taught by ordinary people. Where did you learn it from?"

Xie Jinhuan said casually, "Fengling Valley, a sect that follows the lineage of the Hidden Immortals, Brother Yang probably hasn't heard of it."

Yang Dabiao had indeed never heard of it, but he didn't ask any more questions and said:

"You mean, you don't know about your father?"

Xie Jinhuan came here to inquire about his father's whereabouts. Seeing that Yang Dabiao looked unhappy, his smile faded.

"What's wrong with my dad?"

Yang Dabiao was silent for a moment and sighed softly:

"Three years ago, Lord Xie rushed to southern Xinjiang. When he reached Weizhou, he encountered a monster and all twenty of his companions died. I thought you had met with disaster as well, but luckily you escaped."

When Xie Jinhuan heard this, his heart skipped a beat.

But he remembered encountering the monster.

The specific situation at that time was that the team arrived at Sanchagang, Weizhou, and the accompanying officer shouted in panic, saying that there was a monster. He saw a dark shadow running in the woods from the car window.

He realized that something was wrong, so he rode his horse with his father and tried to break out of the encirclement, with the monster chasing them from behind.

After that, the experience is hard to recall.

According to his guess, there were indeed some casualties among the guards at that time, but he had all escaped, so it was impossible for his father to die in Sanchagang.

You have to know that he was riding a horse and escaping with his father who was over fifty years old.

It's impossible that he felt like a burden halfway through and kicked his father off the horse and ran away alone, right?
He could admit that he was a pervert, but he really couldn't do such a thing.

Xie Jinhuan turned around, ignoring the jailer's alarm, and asked at the railing:
"Are you sure? Were the bodies found at that time?"

Yang Dabiao sighed and said, "Thank you, sir, for your kindness. I asked the officer in charge of the case at the time, and they only found some nearly eaten body parts at the scene, making it difficult to identify the identity. After searching for nearly seven days without success, they closed the case as a death in the line of duty."

"Who investigated this case at the time?"

"The victim was an official appointed by the imperial court. Duan Gang, a captain of the Red Scale Guard, personally went to Weizhou to investigate the case. There should be no doubts."

The Chilin Guard was the personal guard of Emperor Daqian, with a structure roughly equivalent to that of the East Factory or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Duan Gang was a thousand-householder, in charge of ten hundred-household units and commanding more than 1,100 soldiers. He was no small figure in the capital.

It is indeed unlikely that anything would be missed if such a person took action personally.

But Xie Jinhuan was with his father at that time, and he is still alive now. The Chilin Guards haven't found out. Isn't this suspicious?
This conclusion is too hasty...

Xie Jinhuan didn't think his father had died in the line of duty. He exerted force with both hands, and the ropes that bound him suddenly broke.

"I have to go back to the capital and investigate this matter thoroughly."

The jailer, who had just let down his guard, was frightened when he saw this and quickly raised his air-breaking crossbow.

Yang Dabiao was startled and took a step back:

"Don't move! You can't leave yet!"

"Brother Yang, you're still keeping me in custody even after recognizing me? This is all just a misunderstanding..."

At this point, Xie Jinhuan's body trembled, and he asked in a low voice:

"That big brother I accidentally injured, he couldn't be saved, right?! I just touched him lightly..."

He was knocked unconscious along with his armor, and you call that gentle?!
Yang Dabiao wanted to complain, but now was not the time to do so. He looked solemn:
"He's fine. You can't leave, it has nothing to do with this matter." Xie Jinhuan saw that it wasn't because of an accidental injury to his brother from the government office, and he couldn't help but wonder:

"Why is that?"

Yang Dabiao looked around, leaned closer and whispered:

"Recently, Danyang's demonic bandits have been causing trouble, resulting in several murders. The government is investigating, and today, in Dongcangfang, they discovered a large amount of medicinal herbs, account books, and one of the murderers, who can be confirmed to be a hired hand of the demonic bandits. Unfortunately, you killed us all the time we arrived..."

"Eh eh eh?!"

Xie Jinhuan was stunned and quickly raised his hand:
"Brother Yang, I'm not trying to silence you! I went to Dongcangfang to look for you and happened to run into some thieves. They wanted to silence me, so I acted in self-defense. Didn't I leave you alive? Didn't you try it?"

Yang Dabiao was busy rescuing Lord Linghu and had no time to care about a few bandits. By the time he sent Linghu Qingmo to the clinic and ran back to rescue him, Chen Yuan probably had finished drinking the Mengpo soup.

This was clearly a dereliction of duty, and Yang Dabiao was a little embarrassed:
"The situation was chaotic at the time and we couldn't save him. I definitely believe you, but the superiors..."

Xie Jinhuan was speechless and spread his hands, saying, "This matter really has nothing to do with me. I just arrived at noon. The old boatman at the dock and the county magistrate's office can all testify..."

Yang Dabiao raised his hand. "I've heard from the concierge, and I know it has nothing to do with you. But last night, a sudden downpour fell deep in Zihui Mountain. The seniors from Zihui Mountain, Danwang Pavilion, and Danyang Academy all sensed a surge of bloody evil energy..."

"..."

This matter is obviously related to Xie Jinhuan, and it is very serious.

Xie Jinhuan even knew that this bloody evil that was rising into the sky came from the demon-suppressing mausoleum where he woke up, and that a female demon in red might have escaped from it!
Xie Jinhuan didn't know why he went to Zihui Mountain, so he certainly didn't dare to tell the truth. He immediately put on a serious expression:
"Is there anything else going on?"

"Ah."

Yang Dabiao held onto the railing, his thick eyebrows and big eyes full of worry for the country and the people:
"The bloody evil energy must be related to demonic spirits. After the witch cult rebellion, no demonic spirits in Daqian could reach the first rank. However, the bloody evil energy that appeared this time, according to experts, may have originated from a 'super-rank demon'."

"Superb?!"

"Yes. The prince has issued an iron order to block the main roads in and out of Danzhou. No one is allowed to leave until the truth is revealed. All counties are to conduct strict investigations. If anyone is suspicious, they will kill the wrong person rather than let him go, to prevent the evil from resurfacing and bringing disaster to the people of the world..."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan didn't expect the situation to be so serious.

If it were an ordinary little demon, the imperial court might not invest too much manpower, but when it comes to super-level demons, the threat level is equivalent to an enemy country invading the border.

If the imperial court discovered that he had left the Demon Suppression Mausoleum, he wouldn't be able to explain his past...

Isn't this a fool's errand?
"Brother Yang, you don't think I'm a demon, do you? If I were, would I have walked into a trap and come here to stay?"

Yang Dabiao patted his shoulder across the fence:

"I didn't say you were a demon, but you were indeed involved in a case today. Does anyone know if the demon bandits in Dongcangfang are connected to the demonic energy behind Zihui Mountain?
"Now is a critical moment, and there are no survivors in Dongcangfang. What if you are summoned for questioning?
"Until this case is over, you must cooperate with the investigation and cannot leave without permission. Otherwise, I may not trust you, but the higher-ups may not."

Seeing that he was just cooperating with the investigation, Xie Jinhuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to scan the cell:

"Does that mean I have to stay here for a while?"

When Yang Dabiao was in the capital, he was taken care of by Xie Jinhuan's father a lot, otherwise he would not have been sent seven or eight miles away when he was transferred.

It is obviously unfair to lock up the orphan of an old friend in jail now.

"Thank you, sir, for your kindness. I also know that you came to see me today and happened to encounter bandits. I will guarantee you and let you go first, but you must promise to come when you are called and don't run away. If the superiors come to ask about the case, I won't be able to find anyone..."

Although Xie Jinhuan felt guilty, he believed that he had nothing to do with the demon, so why would he run away? He immediately bowed and said:

"Thank you, Brother Yang. I promise to be there whenever you call."

……

It’s stuck~
A moment later, Yang Dabiao opened the cell door and asked the jailer to fetch a weapon and hand it to Xie Jinhuan. However, when he got the 'Zhenglun Sword', he looked at it carefully:

"This sword...how come it's exactly the same as the demon-suppressing sword used by the Taoist priests of Zihui Mountain? Have you also learned Taoism in the past few years?"

Xie Jinhuan's heart tightened, and he said calmly:
"Brother Yang knows me well. I've learned everything at home since I was little. I know a little bit about astronomy, geography, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. In recent years, I've also dabbled in Taoism."

"is it?"

Yang Dabiao knew how high the threshold to enter the Taoist sect was, so he asked curiously:

"Show me a trick."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan took a deep breath, raised his right hand and took a deep breath.

Huhu~
A breeze suddenly appeared in the prison, blowing away the thatch on the ground.

Yang Dabiao felt that the energy was flowing like a storm tide, as if he was trying to use some kind of Zhuxian magic. His face changed a little and he subconsciously took half a step back.

But after holding it in for a long time, he heard two "da da" sounds, and a few tiny bluish-white arcs of electricity emerged from Xie Jinhuan's palm, flashed away, and there was no movement anymore.

"..."

The two jailers who were watching from behind fell silent.

Yang Dabiao waited for a long time, but saw no follow-up, and couldn't help scratching his forehead:
"Uh... is this the end?"

"Ah."

Xie Jinhuan was a serious martial artist, skilled at creating small sparks with his hands, all thanks to his previous years of training. He responded in a serious tone:
"This is called 'Palm Thunder'. When fully cultivated, it is incredibly powerful, capable of destroying mountains and boiling seas. My current cultivation level is still a bit low."

"Oh... this thing is good for lighting my dad's cigarette. If I practice well, it will definitely come in handy in the future."

Yang Dabiao patted his shoulder to show encouragement and changed the subject:
"There's too much going on at the government office, so I won't keep you company. We can catch up later when we're free. By the way, do you have a place to stay? My wife and children are too noisy, otherwise..."

"It's okay, I'll find a place to live by myself. Where is Brother Yang's home? I'll live nearby, so it's convenient for me to call him."

"Qingquan Lane is nearby. Xiao Wang, can you show me the way?"

After Xie Jinhuan finished his conversation, he was about to leave when he suddenly felt something was missing. He turned around and looked at the cell:

"Coal briquettes?"

"Goo?"

Coal Ball had fallen asleep. When he heard the sound, he jumped out and landed on his shoulder.

"Haha~ I haven't seen you for a few years, and this little bird has gained weight again."

"Gooji!"

……
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New author and new book, thanks to everyone for supporting or2!

(End of this chapter)