Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 196 The Mystery of the Dragon's Shadow
The atmosphere in Qinghe County was somewhat subtle, with everyone casting their gazes towards the county government office.

The county magistrate's death, the appearance of a dragon, and the freezing of the county government office—any one of these news items would be a major event if released, not to mention the presence of important figures today and the sealing off of the surrounding area.

The people of QH County mostly applauded Liao Yonghuai's death, as the county magistrate was known for his greed and was not popular. As for why this happened, many people said that Liao Yonghuai had collected too much treasure, which aroused the dragon's greed. Others said that Liao Yonghuai was greedy for money and stole the dragon's treasure, which led to the dragon coming to take revenge. There were many different opinions, but no one knew the truth.

"So, when Liao Yonghuai died, everything he owned disappeared..."

Inside the frozen county government office, surrounded by utter silence, Qi Xiuning remained indifferent, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger.

However, as someone who had always been by Qi Xiuning's side, Yu Jinshui knew that Qi Xiuning was truly angry this time.

"Your Excellency, I have personally searched the county government office and found a secret room in the backyard. However, everything has been taken away and all traces have been erased. It must be the work of Jiaolong."

With his head down, Yu Jinshui recounted the relevant intelligence one by one.

He had left the county government office to meet Qi Xiuning, but on the way he received news of the attack on the county government office. He immediately turned back despite the danger, but he was too late. By the time he arrived at the county government office, the dragon had already left, leaving only a mess.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuning remained silent.

"My lord, a dragon wouldn't attack the county government office for no reason. Besides, the timing is too coincidental. Do you think it could be the Taiping Sect? After all, they have mastered the art of skinning, and they could easily disguise themselves as a dragon to transform into a demon."

Seeing the silent Qi Xiuning, Yu Jinshui hesitated for a moment before expressing his thoughts.

This happened by such a coincidence. Although reason told him that the possibility was unlikely, he couldn't help but suspect the Taiping Sect and Jiang Chen.

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiuning frowned slightly, but ultimately shook his head.

“At the time of the incident, Jiang Chen was playing chess with me. I am certain that he was the real Jiang Chen, not some kind of fake. He didn’t have time to attack Liao Yonghuai at that time, unless he had the ability to create clones, it would be impossible.”

"As for the Taiping Sect's skin-wearing technique, I also know about it. It is indeed somewhat mysterious, but it is ultimately just a minor technique. It is not so easy to transform into a dragon. Most importantly, it has been proven that no matter who attacked Liao Yonghuai, he had the strength of a perfect Qi Refining cultivator."

A chilling aura lingered, taking in the entire scene inside the county government office. Qi Xiuning let out a sigh.

To be honest, not only Yu Jinshui, but even he had doubts about Jiang Chen. After all, Jiang Chen had a grudge against Liao Yonghuai and had enough motive and strength to kill Liao Yonghuai. But at the time of the incident, Jiang Chen was indeed with him and could not possibly have appeared in Qinghe County, let alone break the formation and kill Liao Yonghuai.

There may truly be a magical technique for creating clones in this world, but that is definitely not a power that a Qi Refining cultivator can master.

Upon hearing Qi Xiuning's words, Yu Jinshui opened his mouth but was unable to refute them. He also knew that his suspicions were somewhat inexplicable.

Qi Xiuning ignored Yu Jinshui's reaction and carefully sensed the chill around him. He had some guesses about the identity of the dragon.

"News came from Changfeng County that a dragon had emerged there. It not only killed Zhuang Tianxing, the patriarch of the Zhuang family, but also caused a great disturbance in Wujin Mountain. It was fierce and powerful. Every time it made a move, it liked to use the Frost Technique to fight its enemies, leaving behind a ground covered in frost. How similar it is to today."

"Not to mention that dragons are rare demons, it's impossible for two to appear in succession, and both of them have the strength of Qi Refining Perfection and are skilled in Frost Techniques." With these thoughts colliding, Qi Xiuning roughly confirmed the identity of the Frost Dragon, but he still couldn't understand why the Frost Dragon didn't stay in Changfeng County and act arrogantly, but instead went to Qinghe County to kill Liao Yonghuai.

"Could it be related to the secrets surrounding Liao Yonghuai? Or is there a long-standing feud between the two?"

Having confirmed the identity of the person who made the move, Qi Xiuning began to have new guesses, but none of them came to any substantial conclusion.

"Theoretically speaking, Frost Dragon should have no connection with Liao Yonghuai or Jiang Chen, but it would be different if Frost Dragon was not born in Changfeng County but in Qingyuan River."

At one moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Qi Xiuning, and once this thought arose, he could no longer remain calm.

"Old Yu, were there rumors about a dragon appearing in Qinghe County before?"

Turning around, Qi Xiuning cast his gaze at Yu Jinshui, his eyes filled with solemnity.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jinshui was slightly taken aback. He nodded. He had indeed heard this news when he was investigating Qinghe County, but he hadn't paid much attention to it. After all, real dragons were rare, but similar rumors were everywhere.

Hearing Yu Jinshui's affirmative answer, Qi Xiuning became even more certain of his guess.

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense."

"The Frost Dragon was born in Qinghe County and at least stayed here for a period of time. It was during this time that it made contact with Liao Yonghuai. The two may have become enemies, or it may have discovered Liao Yonghuai's secret, so it chose to target Liao Yonghuai."

"Of course, there is another possibility, that is, it has some kind of connection with Jiang Chen, and it made a move for Jiang Chen this time. However, this possibility is not very high. After all, dragons are the most arrogant and will not take human cultivators seriously at all. This is their nature rooted in their bloodline and is extremely difficult to change. A cultivator who has reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, even a sword cultivator, could not possibly enslave a dragon that has reached the Perfection of Qi Refining."

By piecing together the clues, Qi Xiuning gained some understanding of the truth of the matter. He thought of Jiang Chen's collusion with the dragon, but quickly dismissed the idea. The Taiping Sect was famous for its skin-wearing technique, and such a sect could not possibly collude with demonic forces.

"Old Yu, carefully investigate the news about the dragon appearing in Qinghe County before. Don't miss any clues. I always feel that the dragon hasn't left Qinghe County yet."

The words drifted away, as if Qi Xiuning had seen something, and then he gave the order.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jinshui bowed and agreed. He had not handled Liao Yonghuai's matter well, and this matter could not be allowed to go wrong again. Just then, Qi Xiuning's voice rang out again.

"While you're at it, investigate the Taiping Sect and see if they're colluding with the Flood Dragon."

Although the possibility was slim, after a slight hesitation, Qi Xiuning decided to investigate. Liao Yonghuai had some extraordinary opportunities that might help him build his foundation, so he naturally wouldn't let them go easily.

Upon hearing this, Yu Jinshui nodded solemnly.

(End of this chapter)