I attained immortality through meditation in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Chapter 74 Autopsy

"Can you tell what kind of spiritual root that guy surnamed Zhao has?"

"The distance was too far, and he deliberately concealed himself, so it was impossible to see clearly."

Uncle Quan shook his head.

"It's alright."

Young Master Wang closed the folding fan.

"The game is only just beginning."

He looked at Uncle Gui.

"Uncle Gui, put some pressure on the county government. I want to see if he can remain as calm as he is now once he gets there."

"Yes."

Uncle Gui nodded.

"As for us..."

Young Master Wang looked at Uncle Quan.

"Go and investigate this Zhao Zian's background. When did he appear in Liuxi Town? Who did he associate with? I need to know everything about him."

"Especially his clinic, what's it called... Jishetang? Yes, that's it. Keep a close eye on it."

"I'm curious about the clinic run by a Qi cultivator. Does he sell medicine for ordinary people, or... pills for cultivators?"

After saying that, he strolled out of the alley.

Quan Bo followed behind him.

The young master came down the mountain this time on the orders of the family head to investigate a secret concerning the family's fortune.

I was just passing through Liuxi Town, intending to stop for a rest, but I never expected things to turn out this way.

But based on his understanding of the young master, he knew that this man never did anything in vain.

He may seem to act on a whim, but every step he takes is actually meaningful.

Young master is probably suspicious.

This Zhao Zian is related to the purpose of their trip.

......

The county jail.

The innermost cell was almost too clean.

The ground was covered with thatch, and in the corner burned a pot of smokeless silver bone charcoal.

A cotton quilt was laid on the wooden bed.

Zhao Zian sat cross-legged.

The cell door opened, and Zhang Jing walked in carrying a food box.

"Brother Zhao, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Zhang Jing placed the food box on the table.

"Those people outside are pressuring me, and I have no choice but to ask you to stay here for a few days."

Zhao Zian sat down at the table.

"Brother Zhang, you flatter me. You've already done a tremendous favor by bringing me warm clothes and a hot meal at this critical time. I appreciate it."

Black Tiger was a notorious thug in Willow Creek Town; he deserved to die.

But he died after a conflict with Zhao Zian.

"Brother Zhao, I'm useless."

Zhang Jing picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Those people are too powerful, I..."

"Brother Zhang."

Zhao Zian interrupted him.

"The innocent will clear themselves. I believe you, brother, will handle this matter impartially."

He paused.

"However, simply sitting here isn't a solution. We have both witnesses and physical evidence; to overturn the case, we need to start from the source."

Zhang Jing's eyes lit up.

"Have you got a clue, bro?"

Zhao Zian put down his wine glass.

"I want to examine Black Tiger's body myself."

Morgue.

Two constables stood at the door, not daring to approach.

Zhang Jing also frowned.

Zhao Zian stepped forward and lifted the white cloth.

The corpse began to show signs of livor mortis, its face contorted in a grotesque manner, and its eyes wide open.

Zhao Zian bent down and began to examine it.

"What did the coroner's report say?"

Zhang Jing took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read it aloud.

"The deceased, Black Tiger, male, thirty-two years old. There were no obvious external injuries on the body, except for a red spot on the neck, which is suspected to be a mosquito bite. The preliminary conclusion is that he died of a sudden heart attack and died of shock."

"Died of fear?"

Zhao Zian sneered.

"What a 'dying of fear'!"

His finger stopped at Black Tiger's neck.

"Brother Zhang, come and take a look."

Zhang Jingqiang suppressed his nausea and moved closer.

"What...what is this?"

Zhang Jing's voice trembled slightly.

"That's his fatal flaw."

Zhao Zian was certain.

"The wound went straight through here, severing the central nervous system. The victim didn't even have time to scream before he died."

"The murder weapon is no ordinary object."

"This wound was not caused by a sword or hidden weapon. Look at the burn marks around the wound; this is a characteristic left by an extremely concentrated burst of energy that pierced through the human body."

"energy?"

Zhang Jing was completely confused.

"Yes, a power that mortals cannot comprehend."

"To be more precise, it's spiritual power. Fire-attribute spiritual power."

"Spiritual...spiritual power?"

Zhang Jing was just an ordinary county magistrate, but he had heard of the existence of cultivators.

Those immortals who could fly and disappear into the earth were always just myths to him.

Zhao Zian continued to explain.

"To be able to condense fire-attribute spiritual power into such a thin, sharp line and kill with precision in one strike without leaving any trace, the killer's cultivation level is definitely not low."

Zhang Jing's back was soaked with cold sweat.

"Brother Zhao...you..."

He wanted to ask, since you know so much, are you also...?

Zhao Zian covered the body with the white cloth.

"Brother Zhang."

"There are some things that knowing won't do you any good."

Zhang Jing wasn't stupid; he understood the weight of those words.

Zhao Zian looked at him.

"It's not too late to back out now. I can figure it out myself. You just need to lock me up here and claim to the outside world that you're handling things impartially, and no one will blame you."

Zhang Jing's heart pounded.

quit?

What will happen to Zhao Zi'an if I abandon him now?

"Brother Zhao, what are you saying!"

"You saved my mother's life, so you are my benefactor! I will investigate this case to the end!"

Zhao Zian looked at him.

"it is good."

"But you must remember, from now on, anything concerning spiritual power and cultivators will be known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me. If a third party finds out, the lives of both our families will likely be in danger."

Zhang Jing nodded.

"I see!"

Zhao Zian said no more and went straight to the point.

"To solve the case, we need to find the murderer. Since he used spiritual power, he must have left traces. These traces are invisible and intangible to mortals, but they do exist."

"Then...how do we find it?"

Zhang Jing asked.

"I have my own way."

Zhao Zian smiled slightly.

"But I need a helper."

"Who? Any constable from the yamen, pick one!"

"Neither."

Zhao Zian shook his head.

"Bring me the little white fox I brought back."

"fox?"

Zhang Jing was stunned.

"Brother Zhao, this is no time for jokes. What can a beast do?"