Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 683 Zhongcheng
The ideal of killing the Immortal King is not the step for him to join the Fate Dog. Joining the Fate Dog is his means to kill the Immortal King.

Coming to the center of the Tang Dynasty, learning swordsmanship, pursuing immortal power, and understanding this world are all preparations for this goal.

Since he woke up in a daze on that rainy night, too many things have happened that are engraved in his heart, but so far no enemy and no scene has been more terrifying than the day when he was running in the small town of Fenghuai with the dark blue rain pouring from the sky.

Everything in the world is so fragile and meaningless, and He can easily turn it all into something in His hands.

Every time Pei Ye woke up from this dream, he would think... How could such a thing exist in the world? With it around, wouldn't the world never be at peace?

Li Yan did not speak. He looked at the young man for a long time before he said softly, "A respectable wish—please."

There was no fluctuation in his tone, and he seemed to have nothing to say about this ideal. He just raised his hand, indicating that the boy could leave.

Pei Ye hoped that the old man could offer some words, but since he said nothing, it was for two reasons - either he knew nothing about the name and had nothing to say; or he thought that the boy's cognition was too far away from the real world and that it was meaningless to speak.

No matter which one it was, it was difficult to ask further, so Pei Ye left this round sky and square earth space.

Going down all the way, out of the entrance, Xing Zhi had already gone to work. But she had already explained the layout of this government office to him. Pei Ye climbed up the west building that seemed to be the busiest according to his memory. The wooden steps under his feet were dark and smooth, and they squeaked when he stepped on them, all of which were pickled by time.

Pei Ye climbed to the eleventh floor in one breath.

The noisy sounds were all left below, and there were only scattered figures walking on this floor. Pei Ye identified the direction and saw the old corridor that Xing Zhi mentioned. It extended deep into the corridor, and there was a half-open window on the side wall. The wind from high altitude was whistling in.

There was really only one room at the end of the corridor.

Pei Ye lowered his head to examine the case file in his hand while walking towards the room. When he passed the window of the corridor, the wind blew his mouth and nose, so he paused and closed the window with a click.

Then he went forward and knocked on the door, and a voice came from inside: "Come in."

Pei Ye pushed open the door. There was no fire in the room, and it was even colder than outside. He closed the door with his backhand and bowed: "Greetings, Lord Zhongcheng. I am Yanjian Pei Ye."

It was a very spacious room, filled with books and case files. Opposite the door was a long and large desk. An old man behind the desk was looking at him with a slightly raised brow. He had a very sharp and capable look, as if the gray hair on his chin would never affect the precision and agility of his thinking. At this moment, when the eyes in the eye sockets looked at him, Pei Ye could not help but subconsciously straightened his back.

"It is indeed more polite." The old man said something somewhat inexplicable, "It is worth it that I have transferred you all the way to the capital. Nice to meet you. I am the current Zhongcheng Zhang Siche, and he is Changshi Fu Zaiting. Are you here to surrender?"

"Hello, Inspector Pei Yan." The calm man next to him stood up and bowed properly.

As soon as he spoke, Pei Ye was stunned and turned his head to look - he had heard this voice before, and even though four or five months had passed, he was still able to recognize it. When he had just arrived in Beijing and woke up from the Southern Court Prison, the man who represented the Immortal Platform had this voice.

Fu Zaiting had no intention of hiding anything. He smiled at the young man and sighed, "Young Master Pei is more perceptive than the rumors say. If you become his enemy, I'm afraid you will feel like you have nowhere to hide."

Pei Ye quickly clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, Mr. Chang, for rescuing me at that time."

He stood up and said, "I just came from Master Li, and I have three things for Zhong Cheng to handle."

"Bring it here."

Pei Ye stepped forward and said, "First, Master Li gave me a 'Bing Yi' card, which required me to register with the Zhongcheng."

Zhang Siche was not very surprised. He just looked up at him for a while and took the sign: "You are the youngest now."

"What about the second?"

"The second is the Mingyue assassination case that I led earlier. It has now been closed and needs to be filed here with the Zhongcheng." Pei Ye placed the old case file and the new case closing note on the desk together.

This time, Zhang Siche really read it for a long time, flipping through the pages carefully, and then handed it to Fu Zaiting beside him: "Let's sort it out first - there are many details in this case, and I will ask Prosecutor Pei He to talk to Zaiting in detail later."

"Yes, Zhongcheng."

"What about the third one?"

"The third is this piece of paper." Pei Ye handed the warrant he got from Li Yan to the table, "The master said that since the case of [The Assassination of the Bright Moon] has been concluded, we can use this as a basis to open a new case. [The Assassination of the Princess in Zhujing Palace], he said that he wanted to uncover the 'Mirage City'."

Zhang Siche took it and smiled: "This is what we are waiting for - OK, I will file the case immediately. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I have accepted the case. I came to the Zhongcheng's office to learn more and ask for some arrangements."

"...You just got promoted. Can't you take some time off?"

“I can’t rest.”

Zhang Siche didn't say anything, but leaned back and looked at him thoughtfully. Pei Ye stood in front of the desk motionless, accepting the scrutiny of these sharp eyes. After a while, Zhang Siche gently tapped the desk and said, "I got it, just in time, you can do what you are best at."

"what?"

"Assassination."

The wind whistled against the window leaves. Zhang Siche said that the cold could make people clear-headed, so he had never lit the stove in all these years.

The door of the corridor was locked, prohibiting a fourth person from entering. Pei Ye sat at the desk, flipping through several files handed over by Zhang Siche, and the appearance of northern Beijing gradually emerged in his mind.

"Starting about thirty-three years ago, some traces of strange events began to appear in the water system of 800 miles near Shenjing, and many water clan boat gangs were affected one after another. At that time, the country was in turmoil, and only a small part of it was passed down as legends, which are difficult to trace.

"Starting about twenty-five or twenty-six years ago, this shadow behind the scenes gradually took shape, and the Eight Waters and the surrounding water systems were basically under their control. The Mingyue Assassination case that later shook the capital was enough to prove their maturity at the time. After that, its appearance gradually emerged, and it no longer completely concealed its reputation as before. All the prominent water gangs in the Chang'an water system knew the saying 'I would rather cut my neck and die than disobey Qingfeng', and they kept it a secret. But still, no one knows where they are or how many people there are. They always come and go in a flash, and their whereabouts are mysterious, which is the impression they leave on everyone."

"They started smuggling mermaids about eight or nine years ago. You are also in charge of this case, so you should know this. According to the report from the crane inspectors outside the city, they have a way to control these mermaids, probably to make some moves in the mirage." Zhang Siche looked at the boy flipping through the pages on the opposite side of the table, "But the entire mirage outside the city is still a huge black box to us. They have spent 30 years exploring it, but we know almost nothing about it."

Pei Ye paused at this time: "I think the way they control the mermaids is related to the immortal power [Que Shou]."

Zhang Siche paused for a moment: "What?"

"I think they have some ability to control the mind. When I met those mermaids in the mirage of the palace, I had a feeling... just like meeting the ghosts in Shaolong."

Zhang Siche was surprised at first, but after a moment his expression calmed down and he said to himself, "That makes sense, and it's the same as what the host said."

He did not continue the topic: "You can keep it in mind, but don't take it too seriously. There will be no Happy Death Building in Shenjing."

He said it with certainty and as a matter of course, and then brought the topic back to the topic: "But starting from ten days ago, we noticed that the entire 800-li water system began to move."

"What do you mean everything is moving?"

"All the waters around Chang'an, including the Yellow River, the Eight Rivers, the six large lakes, the countless tributaries and deep pools, the numerous 18 major docks, and the 76 large and small gangs, were all mobilized and gathered. Large ships sailing thousands of miles on the river and small boats crossing the river through the reeds were all coming and going between the water systems." "What are you doing?"

"Fishing."

"Fishing...?"

"Fishing. According to all the informants, that's what they've been doing for the past ten days. They've been transporting tens of thousands of pounds of smuggled goods from small boats to large ships. They can't stop fishing even in the rain. But there's a common saying among the gang members, which is said to be the same as offering sacrifices to temples."

"What?"

"It is said that this is a grand event held once every thousand years to welcome the 'Water Lord' to the throne."

"..."

"People who often make a living on the water always have to rely more on God's will. In my opinion, this is of course the work of the Mirage Realm behind the scenes. As for their purpose, I still don't know." Zhang Siche said, "But they are a little anxious. There are probably two reasons. One is that they probably can't bear the failure of the assassination in Zhu Jingdian. The other is that our inspectors have been forcing them in the past few months. Since you have taken over this case, you should start from here."

"You just said, assassination?"

"Yes."

"Kill who?"

"I don't know."

"Not sure?"

"After you leave this room, you have three hours to prepare. We will change your appearance, and Xing Zishou will equip you with some necessary things. During this time, we will deliver messages to those who should know you so that they can cooperate." Zhang Siche said, "Then you can rest tonight. Tomorrow morning at 3:00 pm, you will leave Beijing according to our plan. After 300 miles to the north, there will be a small boat waiting for you."

"There will be five to seven people on that boat. You don't know each other because you are all strong men transferred by the Qinglu Gang to help. This is a very common thing. The water gangs live in the local area and are familiar with each other in the village. When the fishing is not busy, you often take on some errands for the water gangs to supplement your family income."

Pei Ye nodded slightly.

"According to the rules of the underworld, the Qinglu Gang is considered a subordinate of Yanwu. Yanwu has five small and medium-sized water gangs under it, and they control a 40-meter-long ship. Tomorrow is the last day of their preparations. The next day, which is the day after tomorrow, these water gangs and shipyards will really start to act. You can understand it this way: they have been slaughtering pigs and sheep and preparing tributes in the past few days, and the day after tomorrow, the sacrifice will begin."

Pei Ye nodded again.

"Within the first two days, you will board this ship - this is a relatively easy task - and then you will meet the owner of Yanwu. Remember him. After that, on the second night, you will meet a person who the owner of Yanwu is extremely afraid of." Zhang Siche said, "That is your goal. Kill him."

"...I know nothing about him?"

"Very little, very limited information."

"What state is he in?"

"There is a small chance that it is Yeque."

"How can I guarantee success? Accidents can happen at every stage."

"Those who are already there will cooperate with you. You don't need to know their appearance or identity, or even sense their help."

"What's the point of me doing this? What happens after I'm done?"

"Because they need someone who is strong enough to draw the sword, and they have paved the way for you." Zhang Siche said, "After you go in, you will have a more up-to-date and accurate understanding of the situation than I do. Every feather inspector knows what they should do, so what I say is meaningless."

"……it is good."

Zhang Siche looked at him again and nodded, "Very good then. I will be the first to deliver the new and unstoppable sword of the Immortal Terrace."

Pei Ye smiled.

"Any questions?"

"Gone."

"it is good."

The room was quiet. After a while, Zhang Siche suddenly said, "I have a question."

"Ok?"

"I met with Master Xu a few months ago and chatted with her for a while. She said that Zhu Gaoyang often impersonates me outside." The old man turned his head and looked at the young man. "She said that the source of this information came from you, right?"

Pei Ye was silent for a moment, then looked at him firmly: "It's absolutely true."

"Okay, not bad."

Zhang Siche's expression didn't change.

"Well, please keep it a secret for me, Zhongcheng."

"This is natural. Protecting witnesses is what Xianrentai should do."

Pei Ye clasped his fists in admiration.

About a moment later, Fu Zaiting sorted out the case files in his hands and invited Pei Ye to come over for detailed inquiries. There were countless details in this case, and countless questions in the details. Prosecutor He could write the closing note according to his habits and preferences, but a solid case report was always a thick stack and needed to be carefully sorted out by the clerk.

The only two people who have access to case files of this level are Zhongcheng and Changshi.

Fu Zaiting asked questions one by one, and Pei Ye answered them one by one, describing details at length from time to time. When dealing with such cases, it is often necessary to sort out and supplement them many times in the future, and just describing them once is obviously not enough.

But it was enough to complete the preliminary filing. About an hour later, Fu Zaiting finally put down his pen and pressed his seal on it. After sealing it, he handed it to Zhang Siche, who pressed two seals, "Zhaoshi Xianrentai" and "Xianrentai Zhongcheng Zhang Siche", on it.

The volume of [Mingyue Palace Assassination of the Queen] was finally closed, and Pei Ye also left his closing note inside.

He took one last look at the case file. The header of the file was [Third month ninth of the fourth year of Suolin, Mingyue Palace, Crane character A, Yue Muzhou], and the signature at the end was [February 26th of the twenty-eighth year of Suolin, Zhujing Palace, Goose character B, Pei Ye], with a fresh case-closed seal on it.

(End of this chapter)