Chapter 50: Head Constable Jiao Keeps His Mouth Shut

It was about the middle of the mao hour, and the sky had not yet fully brightened.

Night Contain was woken up by the noise outside. Before she even opened her eyes, she felt a slight pain where her thigh was being pressed down.

…

Turning her head, she saw the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar face next to her pillow, and Night Contain suddenly flipped over and sat up.

The person beside her was none other than her nominal lover, the colleague she had kissed, and the partner she had shared a bed with. He was currently sleeping sprawled out, one leg pressing down on her thigh.

She tried hard to recall. Did she get drunk last night?

No, her alcohol tolerance wasn’t that bad. But if she wasn’t drunk, why did she suddenly lose consciousness?

After all, the food and drink last night all came from Pinshu Pavilion; there shouldn’t have been any problem.

Night Contain pursed her cherry lips. Taking advantage of Ding Suian’s deep sleep, she scrutinized him. He was quite handsome, but the more she looked, the angrier she became.

“Hey! Hey!”

After calling out several times, Ding Suian rubbed the sleep from his eyes, opened them, and looked around blankly. His hazy gaze finally settled on Night Contain’s face.

A few breaths later.

“Ah!”

A man’s shriek.

This was immediately followed by Night Contain’s angry, low-voiced question, “I haven’t screamed yet, why are you screaming!”

“My… my virginity is gone?”

“Who cares about your virginity!”

“Then how did you end up sleeping in my bed?”

“This is my bed! You got drunk last night!”

“Uh…”

“Move your leg.”

“Oh, why is it so noisy outside?”

“I just woke up too, I don’t know.”

An incense stick later, Ding Suian hastily washed his face and rushed out of the Hehuan Cage.

The back courtyard of Pinshu Pavilion, which served as the VIP reception area, was originally an extremely quiet place, but now it was in chaos.

The patrons rushed anxiously toward the corner gate; some hadn’t even finished dressing, pulling up their trousers as they ran.

Ding Suian casually grabbed someone and asked, “Brother, what’s going on?”

The person initially didn’t want to bother with him but couldn’t break free from the arm holding him, so he had to reply, “Didn’t you hear a loud bang at the second quarter of the zi hour last night?”

“Ah? I was hungover last night and slept soundly…”

“Someone said that the Tiandao Palace in the south of the City was struck by Heavenly Thunder. The Yamen just issued an order: starting from 7-9 am, the entire City is locked down! No one is allowed on the streets without reason; stay home and await questioning! Let go of me quickly, or I won’t be able to get back.”

The three-story Sucking Star Pavilion was the tallest building inside Pinshu Pavilion, used to host distinguished guests, and it was also Ruan Guofan’s residence.

‘Thud~’

As soon as Ding Suian knocked, Ruan Guofan pulled open the door. “Uncle—”

After shouting the first word, Ding Suian couldn’t help but freeze. Ruan Guofan, the master of masters in his eyes, had black and purple bruises around his eyes, which were swollen shut, leaving only slits where his handsome eyes used to be.

What seductive, silken eyes!

Was he… was he hammered twice right in the eye sockets?

Just looking at it felt satisfying!

“Aunt is here in City?”

Ding Suian blurted out.

“Cough, cough~”

Ruan Guofan covered his embarrassment with a cough and simply said, “Come in and talk.”

After the two sat down in the small hall, the atmosphere was awkward. Ruan Guofan’s glances were complex, a complexity that couldn’t be described by three parts resentment, three parts helplessness, and three parts admiration.

Ding Suian was also secretly glancing at his panda eyes, full of gossip. The old bastard might be a little scheming, but his martial arts were genuine.

If his wife hadn’t arrived, who could beat him up like this?

“Uncle, I heard the Tiandao Palace was struck by Heavenly Thunder last night!”

Ding Suian was the first to break the silence.

“Oh.”

Ruan Guofan responded noncommittally, his face sullen.

As if someone owed him money.

Ding Suian enthusiastically offered a suggestion, “Uncle, aren’t you going to send someone to check out the scene?”

Ruan Guofan looked over upon hearing this. His silken’seductive eyes’ seemed very angry, but he ultimately didn’t flare up, only saying coolly, “Go back quickly! In another half hour, the entire City will be locked down, and no one will be allowed to walk on the streets.”

“Oh.”

This old bastard is a bit strange today.

Leaving Shouzheng Alley, Lanyang Prefecture City under the continuous fine rain looked like the end of the world.

Countless citizens who had just received the notice hastily wrapped themselves in clothes and knocked on the doors of various shops.

Lamp oil, salt, groceries, firewood. Anything they could buy for daily use, they bought and took home.

They didn’t know how many days the lockdown would last, so they stocked up first.

Long queues formed in front of the rice and grain shops.

Walking to the intersection of Fuqian Street, he happened to see Head Constable Jiao maintaining order there.

“Head Constable Jiao!”

“Squad Leader Ding!”

Head Constable Jiao probably hadn’t slept all night. He looked tired, yet there was a faint hint of joy between his brows.

“Head Constable Jiao, what exactly happened last night?”

Ding Suian and Head Constable Jiao walked to a secluded spot at the street corner and asked in a low voice.

“Alas! After you got drunk last night, we dispersed. Just as I burrowed into bed and hugged a girl, something happened at the Tiandao Palace.”

“Just now—” Ding Suian looked left and right, asking mysteriously, “I heard someone say the Tiandao Palace was struck by Heavenly Thunder? Is that true?”

Heavenly Thunder has always represented the unpredictable divine punishment of Haotian.

A lawsuit might be wrongly judged, but anyone struck by lightning is definitely not a good person. This is the simple moral view of most common people.

The Tiandao Sect claims to embody the Heavenly Dao; wouldn’t it be ridiculous if they were struck by lightning?

“Hah! Don’t listen to nonsense,” Head Constable Jiao also lowered his voice. “When we heard the loud noise in the south of the City last night, Lord Li immediately took us to the scene. It’s a shame you weren’t there—there was a lot of silver on the ground! Some citizens nearby had already arrived when we got there.”

Remembering the scene of everyone picking up silver side-by-side last night, Head Constable Jiao suppressed his excitement.

After calming his emotions, he continued, “Although there were bursts of Heavenly Thunder last night, in my opinion, the Tiandao Palace was not struck by Heavenly Thunder.”

“Not Heavenly Thunder?” Ding Suian looked slightly confused, then shocked, his voice trembling slightly. “Brother Jiao, are you saying the destruction of Tiandao Palace was man-made? Who has the audacity to do that? Are they tired of living!”

“How would we know that! But there was a huge crater at the scene, the surroundings were scorched black, and tiles were flung dozens of feet away. Anyway, Lanyang Prefecture is going to be lively now.”

More than lively—within three days, countless big shots from the State Religion and the Imperial Court are sure to personally visit City to investigate this matter.

That was a place for the State Religion to preach!

And it was just wiped out like that.

“Scorched black, tiles flung dozens of feet away.”

Ding Suian repeated Head Constable Jiao’s description of the scene, subconsciously saying, “Listening to Brother Jiao’s description, it sounds like a Daoist…”

“!”

Head Constable Jiao suddenly turned his head. Ding Suian realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly shut up.

“Brother, what about the Daoists?”

“I was hungover last night, my head is cloudy. Brother, don’t take it seriously…”

“Tsk! You don’t treat Old Jiao as a brother! Anyway, it’s just the two of us here, just say whatever you have to say.”

“Uh, alright then. These words leave my mouth and enter your ears, but you must not tell a third person.”

“Don’t worry! Old Jiao might not have other skills, but keeping my mouth shut is my greatest strength!”

“It just suddenly occurred to me—the situation at the scene, as described by Brother, fits the Daoist technique of Lightning Summoning Art.”

“Lightning Summoning Art!”

“Yes, they say the Daoist School is skilled at using various Thunder Techniques, such as Palm Thunder and Lightning Summoning Art. I heard that when the Thunder Techniques of a great Daoist master pass through, everything is scorched black, and bricks and stones are like paper. Coincidentally, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculated some time ago that there would be spring thunder on the night of the seventeenth of the first lunar month.”

Head Constable Jiao folded his arms and fell into deep thought.

“Brother Jiao, it’s almost 7-9 am, I need to rush back to the Prince’s Estate! Please, don’t mention what I just said to anyone else!”

“Don’t worry! Old Jiao, I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

Inside the Second Hall of the Lanyang Prefecture Yamen, Li Fengrao sat looking utterly miserable.

All he wanted was to safely get through his term, so why was Lanyang Prefecture so troublesome!

Last night, the Tiandao Palace was destroyed, and the Immortal Masters, Cultivators, and protectors were all wiped out. Not a single complete corpse has been put together yet.

That was the State Religion!

It was foreseeable what kind of storm Lanyang Prefecture would face next.

As the local chief official, he was undoubtedly sitting on a volcano.

While he was feeling depressed, Head Constable Jiao suddenly rushed in recklessly.

“Don’t you know how to announce yourself! Get out!”

Li Fengrao, who was already furious, immediately exploded. However, Head Constable Jiao didn’t retreat; instead, he reported excitedly in a low voice, “My Lord! After thinking about it all night, your subordinate has discovered an important clue for this case!”

“Oh?”

Li Fengrao’s anger instantly vanished. He subconsciously leaned forward, urgently asking, “Come closer and speak. What clues have you found?”

“After viewing the scene last night, your subordinate pondered deeply. This morning, it suddenly occurred to me that the Daoist School is skilled at using Thunder Techniques! Not only Palm Thunder, but also Lightning Summoning Art, and ten days ago, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau predicted spring thunder for last night. If all this is a coincidence, it’s far too convenient…”

After Head Constable Jiao’s vivid description, which lasted nearly half a quarter hour, Li Fengrao gradually realized that the events of last night might be more serious than he had imagined.

“Head Constable Jiao, did you… think of all this yourself?”

Li Fengrao looked at Head Constable Jiao, regarding him with newfound respect.

“Haha~” Head Constable Jiao smiled humbly and said clearly, “Reporting to My Lord, your humble servant has long been in criminal litigation, and my insight is sharper than others. But ultimately, it is due to My Lord’s excellent guidance!”

“Good, you are excellent! If we can safely get through this, I will record a great merit for you!”

“Thank you, My Lord!”

“This matter is extremely important; you absolutely must not mention it to anyone else!”

“Don’t worry, My Lord! Old Jiao, I’ll keep my mouth shut!”

After sending Head Constable Jiao away, Li Fengrao sat in his official chair pondering for a moment, then suddenly got up, spread out paper, and ground ink.

‘Your subject, Li Fengrao, Prefect of Lanyang, secretly reports with a bow regarding the destruction of the Tiandao Palace in Lanyang and the deaths of over twenty people, including the Leader of the State Religion and the Immortal Masters and protectors. I humbly request the Holy Imperial Glance.’

‘…After your subject personally inspected the scene and connected the clues, your subject has the following findings: The Daoist School is skilled at using Thunder Techniques.’

I might as well release all three chapters today.

I’ve been writing at least seven thousand characters every day recently, and my saved drafts are running low.