In the cold prison, Chao Zhixin and his father Chao Hongsheng were roughly pushed into the cell by the jailer. The iron door was closed in front of them. The jailer just looked at them with a sneer.
"Let me out, as long as you open the door, I'll give you as much money as you want!" Chao Zhixin clung to the iron railing and roared at the top of his lungs. This was the first time in his life that he had suffered such a big change.
The jailer picked out his ears with his right hand and pretended not to hear: "What did Mr. Chao say? I am a little tired, so I will take a nap first." After saying that, he lay leisurely on the chair and squinted his eyes.
Chao Zhixin became angry: "You! You are finished! If I know your name, I guarantee that you will die badly!"
The jailer was not in the mood to pay attention to him. Instead of trying to please the trapped beast in the prison, he would rather flatter the general of the Jinwu Guard under the sun - Qiao Wutong.
I don't know how many hours passed before Chao Hongsheng opened his eyelids and scanned the surroundings casually. He didn't have the arrogant temper of his son. He just sighed and continued to close his eyes in despair.
Qiao Wutong first settled the woman in the private house, and then came to the prison. As soon as the jailer saw the tall and majestic body, he opened the door flatteringly and pulled out Chao Zhixin.
"Sit down." Qiao Wutong's voice was as calm as water, making it difficult to understand his mood.
After several hours of detention, Chao Zhixin became calm. He came out of the cell and sat on a chair.
Qiao Wutong sneered: "What? Are you no longer arrogant?"
"No, no, no, I'm just a mayfly."
"I'll ask you a few questions to see how you behave." Qiao Wutong twitched her lips when she saw his dejected appearance.
Chao Zhixin seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw: "I said, I said everything, I know everything you ask!"
"I haven't asked yet." Qiao Wutong waved his hand.
Qiao Wutong tapped the table with his index finger: "First question, what is that private house used for?"
"This..." Chao Zhixin lowered his head.
"Didn't you say that they all confessed?" Qiao Wutong's tone became a little more serious.
"Yes, I paid for the private house to keep... the girl." Chao Zhixin's voice sounded like a mosquito.
"There's more!" Qiao Wutong slapped his palm on the table, and the energy he released caused the entire table to crack.
Chao Zhixin seemed to be struggling mentally.
"It's used to hide."
"Who is hiding it?"
"they."
Qiao Wutong held her forehead: "Who are they?"
"I don't know. I only exchange letters with them and have never met them in person."
"That's all. Let me ask you the second question, were you responsible for the Dongshi Shuijing case? Who are the other accomplices? Including those who have been in contact with them, all of them must come forward. The more complete the better."
Chao Zhixin swallowed his saliva, his eyes wandered, and finally fell on Chao Hongsheng, but Chao Hongsheng was still sleeping at this time. He turned around and continued to look at his insteps: "There are a group of people with us, the two heads of household department, There is a foreign minister named Duzhi Yuan and a minister of the Ministry of War."
"That's all?" Qiao Wutong expressed doubt.
"That's all I know."
Qiao Wutong nodded: "You lock him in again, and I will arrest him now."
"I'm done, let me go!" Chao Zhixin kept struggling.
"Who said I would let you go?" Qiao Wutong left only his back.
Chao Zhixin's eyes were full of despair, his hair was disheveled, and he was in a trance.
In the twelfth year of Yongping, September 20th.
More than three days have passed since the Dongshi Shuijing case occurred. Qiao Wutong ran around in many ways, but in the end he only caught Wai Lang, a member of the Du branch, and the Minister of the Ministry of War, while the head of the household department disappeared.
Chao Zhixin and Chao Hongsheng were also imprisoned in Tianlao, awaiting sentencing.
Emperor Long Yan was furious. When he learned about this during the court meeting, he was so angry that he kicked the desk and scolded the officials below. Finally, he hastily retreated from the court. Almost all the princes knew about it. The whole capital spread the news. Chao Hongsheng He was the first group of important ministers to collude with the demon clan and harm the compatriots.
Especially when General Zhenguo learned that his daughter had been molested by Chao Zhixin, he beat him half to death in the cell.
Gu Danqing also accepted the appointment and asked to lead the Dingming Division to search several people's homes to find more evidence to facilitate conviction. Because this matter has a close relationship with the demon clan, it is most appropriate to hand it over to the Dingming Division.
Of course, the Yao clan was not without action. Most of the evidence was destroyed. Jing Yu and the others only found a few letters and bribes.
Four people were sentenced to be beheaded at the Meridian Gate, and their entire family members were exiled to the border for three years.
The emperor ordered various departments to strictly guard the area to prevent the infiltration of demon spies.
The Dongshi Shuijing case did not end so quickly. Those monsters that eat carrion have not yet appeared. According to Song Qian's judgment, this monster is called a ghoul. It has the same origin as the mandrill. It appears at night and usually acts in groups.
The rotting corpses were all taken away for cremation, and the wells were being cleaned now. Jing Yu felt that the ghouls would come out again, so he took Qiao Xu and Song Qian to Dongshi to stay there.
"It's a squat again. Don't call me next time. I want to sleep, okay?" Qiao Xu pouted, with a dissatisfied look on her face.
Jing Yu complimented: "Master Qiao, I can't do it without you. I am a very weak person, and I will die if I am caught by a monster. You are so generous and can help me a little, and I will treat you to the restaurant within a week."
"Where did you get the money?" Qiao Xu's mouth watered when he heard about the delicious food.
"Gu Danqing gave it to me, saying it was a reward from the imperial court."
Song Qian took this opportunity to meditate and nourish his mind, and did not pay attention to the conversation between the two.
The time has come to Xu hour. Today, the sky is filled with dark clouds and there is no moonlight. Because the water well case has not been concluded in Dongshi, a curfew has been implemented to ensure the safety of residents. Other places are still lively and festive.
It was pitch black all around. Jing Yu waited until his eyes adapted to the darkness before he could see some scenery. The three of them squatted in the haystack and stared at the vicinity of the well.
A creature that resembled a humanoid but had long limbs, a short body, and a purple body ran from a distance. It had no hair and moved extremely fast.
That was the ghoul. It first stopped at the well, looked around warily, and then put its head into the well and found that it was empty.
When the other ghouls saw that the explorer was still not coming back, they all walked out. There were about fifty of them.
"Holy crap, what's going on?" Jing Yu whispered.
Song Qian squinted at the scene in front of him: "That's not right. There are no more than ten ghouls in a group. How come there are fifty of them together?"
Jing Yu pulled out the musket from his back, stretched out the haystack, and aimed at the first ghoul.
"Don't shoot yet, let's see what they are going to do?" Song Qian held down the barrel of the gun.
Fifty ghouls gathered near the well and found that the stored "food" was missing. They roared angrily, giving Jing Yu goosebumps all over his body.
They spread out and rummaged around, and some even planned to break into houses.
"They will eat people if we don't shoot." Jing Yu's tone was a little anxious.
Song Qian was the first to rush out: "Act!"
He pulled out his long sword and used his sword control skills. His true energy burst out, making the ghoul notice Song Qian.
Jing Yu set up the musket and pulled the trigger. The spiritual energy turned into a beam of light and shot out, piercing one of the ghouls.
Qiao Xu was pushed awake by Jing Yu and joined the fight.
Jing Yu's marksmanship is quite accurate, all thanks to the fact that he often played games in his previous life. Song Qian's flying sword disappeared without a trace, and streaks of cold light seemed to appear out of thin air, easily cutting off the ghoul's head. Qiao Xu condensed his true energy into his fists, and could blast the ghoul's body with one punch.
The three of them cleared out all the ghouls without even using a stick of incense.
Jing Yu retracted his gun and was just about to take a rest when he heard the sound of applause in the distance. Who else could be there at such a late hour?
It was a humanoid creature wearing a black cloak. There was no light, so his size could not be clearly seen. The hat of the cloak was very wide, just covering the entire face, and two snow-white fangs were exposed on the lower jaw.
"Very good, I just used a little temptation and caught three big fish." The cloaked monster clapped his hands and applauded.
Song Qian stopped Qiao Xu and protected her behind him. He held the flying sword and pointed it directly at the cloaked monster.
Song Qian reminded the two of them in a low voice: "His aura is not low. He is above the fourth level. You two can run away if you can."
Jing Yu and Qiao Xu didn't know Song Qian's realm, so they decided to find the Jinwu Guard who was patrolling the night. It happened that Qiao Wutong was on duty today, and he was patrolling the streets two or three miles away from Dongshi.
The cloaked monster chuckled and said, "Could it be that you know you are outmatched and want to save a few more people?"
"Who told you that you are invincible? One sword from me is enough for people below the sixth level." Song Qian made sword fingers with his fingers together, slowly rubbing the sword body, and the flying sword lit up with green light.
Then the flying sword hung in the air on its own, began to buzz, and fifteen flying swords were separated from the first one.
"From Shushan? He's very good at learning." The cloaked monster still didn't take Song Qian seriously.
Song Qian waved his hand and placed several flying swords in front of him.
The cloaked monster put his palms together, and a ball of black flame condensed between his palms. He tapped the ground with his toes and quickly ejected five feet away from Song Qian. With a thought, Song Qian stabbed the cloaked monster with all his flying swords.
The cloaked monster released black flames and swallowed the flying sword. However, the gap in realm was too large, and he fell into a disadvantage in just a few breaths.
Song Qian casually picked up a flying sword, leaving an afterimage, ducked behind the cloaked monster, and cut it in half with one sword strike.
Qiao Wutong arrived late, and he froze on the spot. Jing Yu saw him stop suddenly and stepped forward, almost petrified.
It took such a short time to solve it, but he still underestimated Song Qian's strength.
Song Qian turned his head, his black hair dancing: "I thought you really ran away, but you went to ask for help."
"What is your strength?" Jing Yu asked the question in everyone's mind.
Song Qian felt that the time had come and acted like a master: "It's just a sixth grade, I'm ashamed of myself."
When Jing Yu saw him like this, he cursed in his heart: You are pretending to be an idiot.
On the surface, he still deserves a few words of praise, so he hooked up with Song Qian and said, "The two of us are really killing each other. I am responsible for the killing, and you are responsible for the killing."
In the rainbow fart that Jing Yu had learned all his life, Song Qian became more and more confident the more he listened, and he could not close his mouth at all.
Qiao Wutong didn't care about Song Qian's strength: "You killed someone, why should I ask?"
"..." Song Qian froze on the spot.
The four returned to Dingmingsi, and Qiao Wutong arranged for the Jinwu Guards to clean up the corpses of the ghouls.
"A token and a flute were found on the cloaked monster. The flute must be used to drive the ghoul. The token is an object that proves the identity." Song Qian analyzed.
Jing Yu fiddled with the token. There was no mechanism on it, so it was engraved with gold paint with the big character "She".
Qiao Wutong thought for a while and left first: "I'll leave the things here for you. I'll clean up the body first."
"Why did Qiao Xu stand there crouching as soon as he came back?" Song Qian pointed to the hard-working figure in the yard.
"I'm so excited by you." Jing Yu rolled his eyes at him.
Song Qian smiled awkwardly and said, "It's a good thing for Wufu to enter the physical training realm as soon as possible."
Jing Yu got up when the sky was just turning white. This was the earliest time he got up this month. He wanted to ask Gu Danqing. After all, Gu Danqing was a demon clan and knew a lot.
Inside the tower.
"I don't know. I haven't seen it before. If nothing happens, get out." Gu Danqing said in three short sentences.
Damn you... Jing Yu suppressed the anger in his heart and forced out a smile: "Have you really never seen it before? Is this token the password of an intelligence organization?"
"Maybe." Gu Danqing maintained a cold attitude.
"Teacher Gu, can you reveal something?" Jing Yu followed closely.
Gu Danqing raised his eyebrows: "Why do you call me teacher?"
"Teacher Gu must have read a lot of poetry and books, and is rich in knowledge, so he can be a teacher."
Gu Danqing could hardly hold back his words: "Hey, I'll talk to you then."
Jing Yu didn't expect to get hit. He saw Gu Danqing wearing a Confucian shirt every day. He must be very obsessed with being a scholar, so choosing his weak spot to attack would be miraculous.
Gu Danqing calmed down and said, "Do you know why the imperial court chose me, a demon clan, as a high official?"
"Uh, diplomacy? After all, you are Hongluqing." Jing Yu said his reasoning.
"A little bit, the bottom line is that Dalin wants to fight the demon clan. The war in the north is almost over. If the demon clan is swallowed up, Dalin's territory will expand to a terrifying level."
Jing Yu followed the trend and said, "Then I will choose a demon clan as an official. You can learn from the barbarians and learn skills to control the barbarians."
"I have nothing to give you 'teacher'. I just want to get some secrets about the demon clan from my mouth." Gu Danqing looked at the imperial city in the distance, his eyes blank.
"I do know that Da Lin's intention of swallowing the demon clan is not that simple." Jing Yu said casually.
Gu Danqing became interested in this topic: "You tell me."
"Demons are generated by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so the dynasty where the demon clan is located must have abundant spiritual energy. If the demon clan is swallowed up, this geomantic treasure land will belong to Da Lin. By then, Da Lin will be the real overlord." Jing Yu analyzed Clear and logical.
After thinking about it, Jing Yu felt that it was difficult to move again: "Right now, Da Lin has not made any move, but the demon clan in the west is staring at our territory eagerly, and keeps biting our flesh. Although it only bites a little bit each time, but It accumulates over a long period of time, and it is a big piece, and their strength has penetrated into the capital, so it is difficult to guard against it."
"Smart, I kind of want to accept you as my disciple." Gu Danqing walked to the window sill with his hands behind his back, feeling the cool wind blowing in the early autumn.
Gu Danqing turned around and said, "Okay, today's chat is over. The tea I just made has gone cold. You can go."
Jing Yu stood up and was about to leave, but was stopped by Gu Danqing.
"The emperor asked you to go and receive the reward at noon. It's a few dozen taels of silver, so you can go."
Jing Yu felt his eyes go dark, and he returned to the first floor of the tower.
…
In the imperial study room, Jing Yu was sitting on his knees on the ground. In front of him was the emperor of the dynasty, who was the core of the entire Da Lin.
Rongkang looked at the handsome and upright young man in front of him, and raised the corner of his mouth: "You must be the new Dingming Si Cheng Jingyu, you are really a young and talented man with a handsome appearance. If my country is full of people like you, why worry about it?" It cannot last forever!”
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. I don't dare to take it seriously. It's just that my thinking is sharper. Besides, I am already a senior official, not even a young man." Jing Yu said respectfully.
The eunuch next to the emperor was very satisfied with Jing Yu's attitude: "We think Master Jing's martial arts would be perfect if he were higher, but it's a pity."
When Jing Yu heard about martial arts, he almost vomited blood. Recently, he asked Qiao Xu and Song Qian for help. Their Qi gathering methods were all useless, and his meridians are still dim until now.
"I'm sorry for my inability to do this. Maybe it's God's will."
"How could it be? If our family introduces some experts to you, wouldn't it be the icing on the cake?"
"I would like to thank Eunuch Guo for this." Jing Yu felt that since it was free, the more the better.
Emperor Yongping spoke at this time: "Eunuch Guo's good intentions should end here. I called Jing Sicheng here today to reward him."
The elder eunuch ordered several younger eunuchs, then took out several boxes of silver and placed them in front of Jing Yu.
"Your Majesty will reward you with eighty taels of silver, and you will also transport a few bolts of silk to Dingming Division later. Lord Jing, please work hard!"
"I would like to thank Your Majesty for your kindness. Long live Your Majesty." Jing Yu's legs were almost sore and he just wanted to moisturize them as soon as possible.
When the imperial study room was completely out of sight, Jing Yu made an excuse to go to the latrine. He had studied the route of the palace before coming, pulled out a piece of talisman paper, turned into a wisp of smoke, and flew towards the royal treasury.
As soon as Jing Yu stepped into the door, he passed by a girl. The girl was gorgeously dressed, especially the hairpin on her head with a huge orb on it.
He turned around, and the girl also turned around by mistake. The two met their eyes, but the girl just looked at him briefly and left in a hurry.
Being prepared, Jing Yu put on his gloves and rummaged through the archives area. Time was tight, so he had to look for the archives of the concubines in the harem. Unfortunately, there were no portraits and their experiences were unclear, so he could only sneak away as soon as possible.
Qiao Xu, who was sitting cross-legged on a stool, watched Jing Yu return with several boxes of shining silver, followed by several servants, each holding a wooden box containing silk in his hand.
"Wow! Now I can eat in restaurants every day!" Qiao Xu shouted.
Jing Yu stretched out a finger: "I said, I'll cover it for one week."
"Tsk." Qiao Xu sat back on the bench, "Stingy."
Song Qian asked in a low voice: "What did you find when you went in this time? Are there any clues about my sister?"
"It's too difficult. I think it might be in the harem, but it's a pity that I can't enter that place." Jing Yu felt helpless.
Qiao Xu put the money on the table and counted it.
Eighty taels of silver was enough for three people to live comfortably for several days.
The life of extravagance and extravagance makes people want to stop, especially Qiao Xu. Recently, he has been eating meat and his mouth is full of oil, but he is also worried about whether his body will become fat.
On this day, Qiao Xu received an invitation from his family, which also invited Jing Yu. It seemed that the word was written by his second brother Qiao Wutong.
"What's the matter?" Jing Yu took the invitation and read it carefully.
"The border war is victorious. My eldest brother came back first to announce the good news. My father decided to hold a celebration banquet. My sister-in-law has a close friendship with you all, so I hope you will appreciate it."
"Oh, your eldest brother won the battle. I heard that the barbarians in the north fled a lot. Your eldest brother is really like a god with his troops." Jing Yu flattered him.
Qiao Xu looked unhappy: "It's certainly a happy event for eldest brother to come back, but I don't want to see my father."
"Hey, your father? I often hear you bragging about your second brother and eldest brother, but you don't mention your father's affairs."
Qiao Xu said: "I didn't tell you before, but my father is the general of Zhenguo. He is now retired and retiring at home, but he is still the most valued general in the court. Unfortunately, I don't like him, so I came to Dingmingsi. Okay No need to live at home.”
"Damn it, that's from the second rank. Why didn't you tell me earlier when you came from a distinguished family? It's so easy for me, sister, I don't want to work hard anymore." Jing Yu said enviously.
Qiao Xu was sensitive to the word thigh, which may have been caused by her last experience. She frowned: "I didn't practice martial arts originally. What I dreamed about most at that time was to study in an academy with a rich lady, so that I could become a A literary girl, but my father forced me to practice martial arts. Alas, there is already a generation gap between me and my peers."
"So you hold a grudge?" Jing Yu asked.
Qiao Xu nodded and said nothing more.
But complaints are complaints, and she had to go to the eldest brother’s celebration party. In Qiao Xu’s impression, the two brothers were very concerned about her arrival. They gave her the best since she was a child and relied on her in everything. Only her father was stubborn. He looked dissatisfied.
Song Qian received the invitation alone because he revealed his identity last time and revealed that he was the disciple of the leader of Shushan. His deeds of killing the cloaked monster were also reported, and he has now become a slightly popular figure. .
There is a martial arts list in the Central Plains, ranking the top 100 masters in the world. Shushan was originally closed to the public, so naturally no one was on the list. Now Song Qian's name is written on it, ranking sixty-fourth.
This is the first time Jing Yu has come to Qiao Xu's house as a guest. The General's Mansion is different, like a castle, very grand.
Song Qian and Jing Yu were assigned to the same table, while Qiao Xu, as a young daughter, was placed at the master's table.
The people sitting around were all well-known people, almost all of whom had friendships with Father Qiao or the two brothers. The room was very noisy, including martial arts men with drunken faces, and scholars who were drinking and reciting poems.
Jing Yu was immersed in the meal and did not talk to others, but Song Qian was drinking with great interest.
"Hey, little brother, you're a bit unfamiliar. I've never seen you before." A rough voice came from behind Jing Yu.
Jing Yu put down his chopsticks and turned around to look. Sitting behind him was a rough man carrying a pair of axes, chewing pieces of meat in his mouth.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Qiao Xu's new friend." Jing Yu decided to toast the big man with a glass of wine.
The big man quickly refused: "You're welcome. We are all friends. You are so reserved and you make me a little embarrassed."
He put his arm around Jing Yu's shoulders and asked, "I've always heard that Miss Qiao's beauty is as beautiful as a flower, and it turns out that she is so beautiful when I see her today! Little brother, I see that you are also a beautiful girl. How do you feel about her? Do you have feelings for her?"
This sentence stumped Jing Yu. He recalled Qiao Xu's usually violent temper and shook his head. It was okay to raise him as a daughter, but he would not be peaceful if he married someone else.
"Don't be shy. Many men fall in love with Miss Qiao when they see her. She's young, so it's normal to be a little hazy." The strong man didn't seem to understand what Jing Yu meant.
"..." Jing Yu didn't know what to say for a moment.
Seeing how embarrassed he was, the strong man didn't ask any questions, and went to eat the meat on the table.
In the middle of the banquet, Jing Yu came outside to get some air. He saw the girl he met in the palace at noon again. At this time, she put on her regular clothes and stood in front of the osmanthus tree, bathing in the fragrance of the flowers.
But Jing Yu didn't look much and turned his head. He wanted to end the banquet as soon as possible. (To be continued)
