Ghost Immortal

His face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and he could barely speak.

Li Feng secretly surveyed his surroundings.

The yamen courtyard was brightly lit, with two rows of bailiffs holding torches and standing on either side of the steps in front of the hall. The flames burned straight upwards without the slightest tremor.

The main hall's doors were wide open, and above the lintel hung a black plaque with gold lettering that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High."

The most intense aura of Legalism and punitive discipline emanated from the plaque, like the upright eye of Heaven looking down upon everyone below.

This is also the official road.

Among the three religions and nine schools of thought, Confucianism stands out as the most prominent.

In Confucianism, the path of officialdom is the most orthodox way of cultivation.

Cultivate a noble and righteous spirit, connect with the righteous spirit of heaven and earth, and use the virtue of a gentleman to govern all kinds of skills.

When an official is honest and upright and has outstanding political achievements, his righteous spirit will naturally increase, and his moral character will also improve accordingly.

The county magistrate of Qingyan City is at least at the Qi Refining stage.

Li Feng secretly became wary.

Although his concealment technique could fool cultivators of the same level, he wasn't sure if he could hide from experts in the Qi Refining stage.

"Bring all the suspects up!"

A deep, authoritative shout came from the main hall, like a muffled thunderclap rolling across the entire courtyard.

The madam was so shocked that she trembled all over and almost collapsed on the spot.

Two bailiffs dragged her into the main hall. Li Feng followed her in, head down, looking terrified.

The main hall was brightly lit, with four constables standing on each side, holding fire and water sticks and carrying knives at their waists. Each of them was expressionless, their eyes downcast.

Above the main hall hangs a larger plaque with the four characters "正大光明" (upright and honorable).

Below the plaque is a sandalwood gong table, on which are placed a divination stick container, a gavel, an official seal, and the Four Treasures of the Study.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man dressed in a blue official robe.

Li Feng glanced at it briefly before immediately looking down.

This man was none other than Magistrate Wang Yuantai.

He looked to be in his early forties, with a thin face, slightly graying temples, but very bright eyes.

He sat upright behind the desk, his back ramrod straight.

The naturally emanating righteous spirit made the main hall feel cool and refreshing.

Li Feng realized that he indeed couldn't fathom the true nature of this county magistrate.

The gap between the Spirit Root stage and the Qi Refining stage is like a stream and a great river.

No matter how swift the stream, it cannot reach the depth of the river.

"Kneel down!"

With a sharp shout from Constable Sun, two constables simultaneously kicked Li Feng in the back of the knee.

Li Feng knelt down, his knees hitting the bluestone floor tiles, making him wince in pain.

The madam was also forced to kneel beside her; she no longer had the strength to even howl.

Sweat soaked through her clothes, as if she had been pulled out of a steamer.

Wang Yuantai sat upright behind his desk, his gaze sweeping over the two men before questioning Constable Sun.

"Officer Sun, what's going on with this case?"

Constable Sun bowed respectfully and reported the events that had occurred in the alley.

Wang Yuantai listened while reviewing the case files.

He picked up the gavel and slammed it on the table.

"Snapped!"

The sound was so loud that it seemed to shake the entire main hall.

The madam shuddered and almost fainted on the spot.

"Zhao Laosan has been dead for at least ten days, yet he has been moving around the city as usual and even going to brothels to drink and have fun. There must be something fishy about this case; we must interrogate him carefully!"

He stared intently at Li Feng, his righteous aura pressing down on him like flowing clouds: "You're the new night watchman?"

Li Feng dared not resist and quickly kowtowed: "Your Excellency, I am Li Feng, the nephew of Zhang Gengtou. Today is my first day on the job, having just taken over my uncle's position."

"Zhang Gengtou's nephew."

Wang Yuantai raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze lingering on Li Feng for a few moments.

Li Feng felt a righteous aura flowing through him, sweeping over him from head to toe.

He used his full power to suppress the vortex of energy in his dantian to the minimum, keeping the fluctuations of spiritual energy at around four inches of spiritual root. He looked like a country boy who had just stepped into the threshold of cultivation.

Wang Yuantai's gaze lingered on him for a couple of moments before quickly shifting away.

Li Feng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that the Concealing Breath Technique is also effective against Qi Refining stage cultivators; at least this county magistrate did not see through his true cultivation level.

Wang Yuantai then asked, "How did Zhang Gengtou die?"

Li Feng repeated the same words he had said to Wang Pozi and Zhao Tiezhu.

"Your Excellency, my cousin was old. He fell on his way home from night watch the other night and never recovered. By the time I found his house, he was already dead."

Wang Yuantai did not press further, but simply nodded slightly.

The death of an insignificant nobody is not worth his attention.

"On your first day of work, you stumbled upon a murder case. You were quite responsible, not panicking and running away, but knowing to stay where you were and wait for the officers to come and question you."

Li Feng honestly replied, "I may not be very capable, but I know right from wrong. When it comes to murder cases, I will naturally wait for the officials to come and investigate."

Wang Yuantai was fairly satisfied with his answer.

But then Constable Sun suddenly spoke up: "Sir, Li Feng was caught red-handed at the crime scene. According to the rules, he should be given thirty strokes of the rod before being interrogated."

Li Feng's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, "You son of a bitch, you're too ruthless!"

Thirty strokes of the rod to intimidate the enemy.

The beating stick used in the yamen was no ordinary stick; it was an ironwood stick soaked in medicine. One blow would tear the skin and flesh apart, and after thirty blows, even if the person didn't die, they would be badly injured.

Moreover, he is currently suppressing his cultivation level. If he were to take thirty blows, he would either expose his strength or suffer serious injuries from enduring the blows.

Upon hearing the words "disciplinary rod," the madam trembled like a leaf.

She quickly pulled a small cloth bag from her sleeve, presented it with both hands, and said, "Sir, sir, this old woman is innocent! I really didn't harm Zhao Laosan. This is a clue I know. Please, sir, investigate!"

Constable Sun took the cloth bag, opened it, glanced at it, his pupils contracted, and he quickly handed it to the official desk.

The cloth bag contained three low-grade spirit stones, which gleamed with a milky white light under the candlelight.

Wang Yuantai calmly glanced at the spirit stones and accepted them expressionlessly.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Zhao Tiezhu strode in from outside, first bowing to Wang Yuantai, and then frowning slightly when he saw Li Feng kneeling on the ground.

"Sir, Li Feng is a watchman I just registered today. I've investigated his background; he's a distant nephew of Zhang the Head Watchman. He's a country boy who just came from Huangshi Town. He's timid and honest, and doesn't seem like the type to have the guts to kill."

He pondered for a moment, then added, "Besides, Zhao Laosan's body has been decomposed for at least ten days, and Li Feng only entered the city today, so the timing doesn't match up."

It seemed that Zhao Tiezhu had some influence. After listening to Zhao Tiezhu's words, Wang Yuantai smiled and nodded: "What Constable Zhao said is true. This case is indeed unrelated to this night watchman."

He looked at Constable Sun and ordered, "In that case, let's refrain from the disciplinary rod for now!"

Constable Sun bowed and agreed, then stepped aside.

Zhao Tiezhu gave Li Feng a wink, signaling him to relax.

Li Feng felt a warmth in his heart.

Although this Constable Zhao appears cold on the surface, he is actually a kind person who is willing to help others.

"Li Feng, since you were there, tell me what you saw again."

Wang Yuantai picked up the gavel and tapped it lightly on the table.

Zhao Tiezhu whispered, "Don't miss any detail."

Li Feng agreed and then recounted everything he had seen in the alley from beginning to end.

Wang Yuantai pondered for a moment, then asked the madam, "Madam Zhou, when Zhao Laosan came into your building, was there anything unusual?"

The madam quickly replied, "Sir, Zhao Laosan has been like this for the past few months. Before, when he had some money, he often came to see Hong'er. But for some reason, the wages at the quarry have been decreasing, and he's been coming less and less."

"He suddenly came over tonight, reeking of alcohol, saying he wanted to see Hong'er. The old woman saw that he had no money, so she told the girls to ignore him. He was unwilling to give up, so he sat downstairs and drank alone. As he drank, he started smashing the table. The old woman was furious and ordered two pimps to drag him out and throw him away."

Wang Yuantai narrowed his eyes slightly and waved to the constable: "Summon Hong'er for questioning."

"Yes!" The constable accepted the order and left.