Sixty years of blacksmithing, a single hammer blow forging a celestial being.

But unexpectedly, Steward Wang disappeared without a trace.

I thought Li Ping'an had also disappeared, but I didn't expect him to come back.

That's why we came to investigate so quickly.

After all, this matter concerns a head steward who has worked as a menial servant in the inner sect for many years.

That would be no ordinary case.

"You mean he tried to kill you, but failed, right?"

Liu Jinhu stared intently at Li Ping'an with his tiger-like eyes.

He said, as if trying to see through him.

"How did you escape from Steward Wang? Why hasn't Steward Wang returned to the sect yet? Do you know where he went?"

Li Ping'an told the truth before, but now he's going to lie.

Lying in front of this meticulous law enforcement officer.

Li Ping'an mentally encouraged himself and forced himself to calm down.

He seemed to be recalling what happened in those two days.

"That day, the steward of the king, without distinguishing right from wrong, tried to kill me in the mountain path. I ran for my life, using all my skills, but I couldn't escape his pursuit. Then, halfway there, I suddenly encountered two cultivators."

"Those two cultivators were highly skilled; one was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and the other at the seventh level. They weren't disciples of our sect; they seemed to be rogue cultivators from the surrounding area who happened to witness this scene. I originally thought those two rogue cultivators would help me, but it turns out they didn't want to get involved and just wanted to leave as quickly as possible."

Liu Jinhu nodded and said,

"Continue. What happened next?"

Li Pingan said.

"Afterwards, Manager Wang saw that I was unable to escape, but for some reason, he suddenly drew his knife and slashed at the two rogue cultivators. So the three of them got into a fight, and I took the opportunity to escape."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jinhu was somewhat surprised.

That doesn't make much sense.

If Manager Wang's target was Li Ping'an, why did he suddenly turn his blade on the two cultivators before killing Li Ping'an?

This is neither reasonable nor scientific.

Seeing the suspicious look in Liu Jinhu's eyes, Li Ping'an knew that his statement was full of holes.

However, he was speaking based on the facts of that day.

Because he knew that the two cultivators had been fighting with Steward Wang that day.

Manager Wang only killed one of the cultivators; the other cultivator had already escaped.

From the perspective of the two cultivators, it was indeed true that Steward Wang had inexplicably launched an attack on them.

It was only because Li Ping'an had used the "Great Dream Guiding Divine Technique" to control their vision.

That's why they witnessed this scene.

If the sect wants to find the surviving cultivator for investigation at that time.

Then it will match up with your own statement.

Once the testimonies match, it will be easier to clear one's name of suspicion.

So he said,

"Yes, I don't know why Manager Wang suddenly went so crazy. I remember the three of them fought for quite a while. Manager Wang killed one of the cultivators, while the other one escaped."

"Did the other cultivator escape?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jinhu immediately perked up.

If Li Ping'an's words are true, then this matter has taken a turn for the better.

Once the escaped monk is found, the situation in the case will become much clearer.

"Yes, the monk escaped."

Do you know his name?

Li Pingan shook his head and said,

"I don't know, but I do know that the cultivator who was killed was called Brother Zhang."

"Brother Zhang? A cultivator surnamed Zhang?"

Liu Jinhu murmured, "I've reached the seventh level of Qi Refining."

Images flashed through his mind rapidly.

Those were all cultivators surnamed Zhang who had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining near this sect.

Could it be him? Zhang Yu?

A name flashed through Liu Jinhu's mind: Zhang Yu.

Among the rogue cultivators in this area, those at the seventh level of Qi Refining are considered to have relatively high cultivation levels.

And he did indeed travel with another cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining for many years.

Suddenly, Liu Jinhu instructed one of the disciples of the Enforcement Hall.

"Disciple is here!"

The disciple from the Enforcement Hall answered respectfully.

"Take some men down the mountain now and investigate Zhang Yu's cave. See if Zhang Yu has recently perished."

"Also, find his brother. If I remember correctly, his brother's surname is Wang. If we can bring him back, I want to question him myself."

The disciple from the Enforcement Hall accepted the order and left.

"Alright, continue. After Steward Wang killed that cultivator surnamed Zhang, how did you manage to escape his pursuit?"

Liu Jinhu scrutinized Li Ping'an, paying attention to his every move and every glance.

Li Ping'an said calmly.

"Those two cultivators have greatly slowed down Steward Wang's pace, and I have already escaped quite far."

"Manager Wang chased after me as I fled, and I eventually escaped into the vicinity of the market, but he still caught up with me. Then he severely humiliated me, broke my legs, and beat me until I was covered in injuries. That's why I recuperated in the market for more than a month before returning."

"Get to the point! How did you escape from Steward Wang's clutches? Or did you ultimately kill Steward Wang?"

Liu Jinhu stared at Li Ping'an with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'an chuckled and said...

"Steward Liu, what kind of joke are you talking about? I, Li Ping'an, am just an old, decaying servant. How could I possibly kill Steward Wang, who is at the late stage of Qi Refining? Isn't that a fantasy?"

Liu Jinhu nodded; that was indeed the case.

No matter how hard he racked his brains, he still couldn't believe that Li Ping'an could kill Steward Wang.

In fact, it would be difficult for Li Ping'an to even hurt a single finger of his.

That's right.

Li Pingan took a deep breath and said.

"Then a burly cultivator suddenly emerged from the market. He was tall, with red hair, a voice like thunder, and eyes like copper bells; he looked exactly like a man-eating demon."

"Although he looked fierce, he had a certain sense of justice. When he saw Steward Wang humiliating me, he immediately spoke up to stop him. Steward Wang was afraid when he saw that he was highly skilled. I took the opportunity to escape into the market. As for what happened after that, I don't know."

After asking all the questions, Liu Jinhu had already guessed the general idea.

If Li Ping'an's words are true, then Steward Wang was very likely killed by that cultivator.

However, all of these were fabrications by Li Ping'an.

There is no idea whether this even happened, and there are no witnesses or physical evidence.

It seems we still need to interrogate Li Ping'an thoroughly.

Liu Jinhu made up his mind to take Li Ping'an back to the Enforcement Hall for a thorough interrogation.

We'll talk about it when the truth comes out.

Just then, a disciple from the Enforcement Hall rushed over.

He said to Liu Jinhu,

"Steward Liu, a man from the market town down the mountain has come to your door, saying he has something important to report to you."

"Who is it?"

Liu Jinhu frowned and said,

"Can't you see I'm handling a case?"

The disciple said,

"That person is Zhao Tiezhu from Wanbaoge. He said he might be related to Manager Wang from our sect."

"Zhao Tiezhu?"