Chapter 2: Supernatural Scapegoats

                       

Xu Xinnian frowned. "What do you need this for?"

I want to solve the case… Xu Qi An said in a low voice, "I want to know the details of the incident. If I'm to die, I want to die with a clear understanding. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest in peace."

Xu Qi An chose his words carefully, knowing that if he directly mentioned solving the case, Xu Xinnian would probably think he'd lost his mind. After all, the original Xu Qi An had always been stubborn and unyielding—not known for his investigative acumen.

Xu Xinnian pondered for a moment before saying, "I've reviewed the case files. I can tell you about them…"

Over the past few days, Xu Xinnian had been running around tirelessly for the Xu family. The case was too big, the stakes too high—no one dared to help. Feeling helpless, he'd changed his approach, trying to break the deadlock by recovering the tax silver himself.

Relying on the Xu family's original connections, relationships cultivated at the academy, and some monetary persuasion, Xu Xinnian had bribed an official at the Capital Prefecture to copy the case files for him.

However, lacking any experience in criminal judgment or investigation, he'd given up in frustration after days of fruitless analysis.

Xu Qi An raised his hand to interrupt. "Go write it down. Oral recitation is pointless."

All the crucial details of the case were in the text, needing careful consideration and systematic analysis. If he had to divide his attention to listen, his brain wouldn't be able to think and analyze calmly, methodically.

Xu Qi An's logical reasoning skills had always been unparalleled in his previous life, making him the top student in his grade at the police academy.

In the past, Xu Xinnian wouldn't have bothered with such a request, but considering this might be their final parting, he agreed to his brother's last request and said quietly, "Wait a moment."

He hurried away, his footsteps echoing as they faded down the corridor.

Xu Qi An sat down, leaning against the iron railing, his heart a turbulent mix of anxiety and complexity. He wasn't confident about turning the situation around—the odds were astronomical—but the desire to solve the case was real, as was his bone-deep unwillingness to accept defeat.

This was the only method of self-preservation he could think of, and he had to at least try, to struggle until the very end, until his last breath.

In modern criminal investigation, crime scene investigation, surveillance, and autopsy were three indispensable components. The tax silver disappearance case had no deaths, ancient times had no surveillance, and he was trapped in prison—unable to access any of these three elements.

Fortunately, the case files could, to some extent, reconstruct the crime scene through witness testimony and physical evidence.

While digesting the memories of his predecessor, he forced himself to eliminate all negative emotions. Only a calm mind could maintain clear thoughts and complete rigorous reasoning.

"Life or death, it all depends on what happens next…" he muttered, closing his eyes to center himself.

As the time of an incense stick burning passed, Xu Xinnian hurriedly returned, handing him several sheets of paper with still-wet ink bleeding slightly at the edges.

"Time's up, I have to go," Xu Xinnian hesitated before adding, "Take care of yourself."

Xu Qi An didn't respond, his attention already drawn magnetically to the writing on the paper.

Given the time constraints, the characters were written in cursive script—flowing, abbreviated strokes. If Xu Qi An hadn't studied at a private school for several years, he wouldn't have been able to decipher these scribbles at all.

"Studying does have its uses. If the original Xu Qi An had been illiterate… game over," Xu Qi An said self-mockingly.

The details of the tax silver disappearance case were as follows:

[Three days ago, at the second quarter of the Mao hour (around 6:30 AM), Xu Pingzhi was escorting a batch of tax silver into the capital. At the first quarter of the Chen hour, as they reached Guangnan Street and had just crossed the bridge, a sudden strange wind arose, startling the horses, which plunged into the river by the street.

Moments later, a deafening explosion was heard, and the river water erupted to a height of six zhang, with turbid waves surging violently.

The soldiers responsible for escorting the tax silver jumped into the river to search for the silver, but only recovered 1,215 taels. The rest of the silver had vanished without a trace…]

Besides the incident details, there were also testimonies from passersby and the escorting soldiers meticulously collected by the Capital Prefecture.

Among a series of testimonies, Xu Qi An noticed a sentence highlighted in red cinnabar: Mischief of supernatural creatures!

"Mischief of supernatural creatures?!" Xu Qi An's pupils constricted, his heart sinking to the bottom like a stone.

This was a cultivation world. There were actual supernatural creatures. This changed everything.

---

Capital Prefecture, rear hall.

After three consecutive days of running around, the three main officials responsible for the tax silver disappearance case gathered in tense conference.

Prefect Chen Hanguang of the Capital Prefecture, holding a white porcelain blue and white teacup, lightly tapped the cup rim with the lid, his expression grave as carved stone.

This fourth-rank official, wearing a crimson robe embroidered with clouds and wild geese, sighed heavily: "We have two more days. His Majesty has ordered us to recover the tax silver before Xu Pingzhi's beheading. Gentlemen, we must hurry."

The two individuals Prefect Chen referred to were a middle-aged man wearing a black uniform with a dark cloak, his nose bridge high, eye sockets slightly sunken, and pupils a light brown color, indicating half Southern barbarian ancestry.

The other was a young woman in a yellow dress, with picturesque features, skin like congealed cream, and eyes full of mischievous spirit. She held a sugar cane in her hand, with a small deerskin pouch and an Eight Trigrams feng shui compass hanging at her waist. Below her skirt were a pair of small, embroidered cloud-patterned boots, swinging gently and carelessly.

These two were assisting with the case. The middle-aged man was named Li Yuchun, from an organization greatly feared by Great Feng officials: the Night Watchmen.

The "Night Watchmen" organization was involved in investigation, arrest, interrogation, and other activities. They also participated in gathering military intelligence and persuading enemy generals to defect during wartime.

They didn't belong to the Six Ministries or the military system.

It was the royal family's intelligence organization, and also the guillotine hanging over the heads of all officials—the Emperor's personal enforcers.

All officials in Great Feng had heard the saying: Don't do anything unconscionable during the day, and you won't fear the Night Watchmen at night.

The young woman in the yellow dress was from the Court of Astronomical Affairs, holding a not-low position as the disciple of the Chief Astronomer—a prestigious lineage.

The middle-aged man with a silver gong embroidered on his chest glanced at the sugar cane residue scattered carelessly at the feet of the young woman in the yellow dress. He frowned slightly, then with a twist of his palm, the airflow rolled visibly, gathering the sugar cane residue in one neat place.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, showing a fleeting pleasure at the restored order.

Then, with a grave expression, he replied to Prefect Chen: "This case is shrouded in mystery, quite strange. Perhaps our direction is wrong."

"What makes Lord Li say this?" Prefect Chen frowned deeply. The case analysis so far had determined that supernatural creatures were behind the theft of the tax silver—it seemed obvious.

"We don't have much time left. What we should do now is to quickly capture the mischievous supernatural creatures, not think about these messy theories," Prefect Chen said, his frustration evident.

In recent years, with the national treasury empty and frequent famines ravaging various regions, the 150,000 taels of tax silver were equivalent to a year's tax revenue for an ordinary county—a devastating loss.

His Majesty's anger was entirely understandable. He was already desperately short on money, and now this mishap—it was enough to drive one mad with rage.

Prefect Chen had diligently taken on this case, and the crushing weight on his shoulders had been preventing him from eating and sleeping well lately. Dark circles had formed under his eyes.

The middle-aged man shook his head, not arguing, but instead asked, "Any new findings from Xu Pingzhi?"

Prefect Chen shook his head dismissively: "He's just a brute, only capable of constantly claiming innocence. He doesn't even know how the tax silver was lost."

The young woman in the yellow dress said calmly, "I've observed his 'qi'. He's not lying."

Li Yuchun and Prefect Chen nodded, not continuing to discuss this person. As the prime suspect, Xu Pingzhi had been the first to undergo investigation and interrogation. His interpersonal relationships and financial situation had all been thoroughly examined with fine-toothed precision. Combined with the Court of Astronomical Affairs' mystical qi-observing technique, he had now been cleared of suspicion.

Of course, with the tax silver lost on his watch, Xu Pingzhi was guilty of dereliction of duty and couldn't escape the death penalty—someone had to pay.

The middle-aged man and Prefect Chen wore serious expressions, their moods heavy with the weight of impending failure.

Only the young woman in the yellow dress, under the least pressure as a consultant, was carefreely chewing on her sugar cane, seemingly unbothered by the crisis.

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and a yamen runner hurriedly entered. His right hand held a small bamboo tube, while his left hand carried a greased paper bag containing steaming meat buns, their aroma filling the room.

The runner first offered the bamboo tube.

The young woman in the yellow dress didn't take it, her starry eyes glancing meaningfully at the meat buns instead.

The runner, understanding the situation immediately, changed the order. The young woman happily began munching on a meat bun before taking the bamboo tube. She pulled out a slip of paper, unfolded it with one hand, and read aloud:

"My people say that within twenty li along the way, no supernatural qi was detected in the river, and there were no traces on the banks."

"Bang!"

The suppressed atmosphere finally exploded. Prefect Chen angrily slammed the table, his face ashen with rage: "Where could 150,000 taels of silver be taken? It must come ashore at some point. It's been three days, and we haven't even found a trace of the culprit.

"Damn it! What supernatural creature dares to intercept Great Feng's tax silver? This official will ensure its destruction!"

If the tax silver couldn't be recovered, he would have to take the blame—become the scapegoat. His Majesty wouldn't care whether he was wronged or not—sitting in this position meant taking responsibility when things went wrong.

This was how officialdom worked. It took years of grinding effort to climb up, but falling was all too easy—one misstep and you plummeted.

The middle-aged man, Li Yuchun, let out a weary sigh and resumed his previous topic: "Could it be that our investigation is heading in the wrong direction? Maybe it wasn't the work of supernatural creatures."

Prefect Chen looked at him, taking a deep breath to suppress his mounting irritation: "If not supernatural creatures, where did that strange wind come from? How did the silver disappear into thin air after entering the river? How did it cause water to surge several zhang high, cracking both banks?"

These weren't rhetorical questions—they were the core mysteries that had stumped everyone for three days.

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