I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 267 Even the wicked need the wicked to grind them down (Part 2)

After Kong Youde's body was given a proper rite of passage, Xu Qing learned the art of horse grooming.

The term "horse groom" refers to the skill of training horses, treating their illnesses, and breeding them.

Xu Qing had previously learned the art of judging horses from the old crown prince Zhao You. However, the old crown prince held a prestigious position, and although he had played the role of a groom, he had never actually done the job of tending horses.

Kong Youde was a genuine groom from a family of grooms. His grandfather raised horses, his father raised horses, and he grew up with horses. He had a long family tradition of horse grooming, and his skills in horse grooming were also very proficient.

However, Xu Qing wasn't very interested in the art of grooming horses. He had never cared about the funeral horses at the coffin shop, feeding them whatever he could find. Several years passed, and the horses were still alive and well, even possessing decades of cultivation, seemingly on the verge of becoming spirits.

Furthermore, what immortal would go and tend horses? Being a stable boy is lowly enough as a human; if you cultivate immortality and still have to tend horses, then all that immortality is for nothing!
And it would be embarrassing if word got out, wouldn't it?
Xu Qing snapped out of his thoughts, looked at the two people in the coroner's office, and said, "The corpse is heavy and difficult to move. Liuqing Street and Tanggu River are on opposite sides, separated by seven or eight streets. The body of the deceased was buried under the willow trees in Liuqing, but the head was thrown into the Tanggu River. Do you think that's the reason?"

Song Tu suddenly realized, "The deceased must have been someone from the vicinity of Liuqing Street. In order to avoid the body being recognized, but also because it was difficult to move the body, or because they were afraid of complications during the transport, the murderer deliberately cut off the head and carried it to the Tanggu River to throw it into the river."

“The head is easy to hide and carry. If this is done, even if someone finds a body under the willow tree one day, they will not be able to identify the deceased based on a headless corpse. Once the body decomposes, the case will become an unsolved mystery.”

Shang Shaoyang said, "This is easy to handle. Tomorrow, we will have Constable Zhao and the others post portraits on Liuqing Street and investigate the identity of this person. If he is really in the vicinity of Liuqing Street, we will surely be able to find clues."

Xu Qing didn't speak. The Qiao family lived in Dongdaokou Hutong, which was located east of Liuqing Street. If a notice was posted tomorrow, they would surely be able to find out the origins of the little girl and Kong Youde.

But he didn't want the real culprit to get away with it; the truth needed to be clarified by the authorities and brought to light. At the same time, Xu Qing also wanted the deceased to get what he wanted and for the real culprit to receive his due punishment.

This is because it is a vow that Baosheng Temple accepts.

It was past midnight, outside the yamen (government office).

Xu Qing walked slowly forward, with a little girl following closely behind him.

"Your surname is Qiao, and your father, Qiao Fang, named you Tian. You live in Dongdaokou Hutong, Liuqing Street. Your mother's surname is Ye, right?"

The little girl stared at Xu Qing with her big, dark eyes, completely bewildered. She could barely remember the name of the alley at the east entrance of Liuqing Street, yet this person knew it better than she did.

“I know that you petitioned at Baosheng Temple, hoping that the Goddess Baosheng would appear and help you.”

Xu Qing stopped and waved his hand forward, and a dappled horse appeared out of thin air.

He turned his head to look at the shocked little girl and asked, "Do you want to take revenge yourself, or have Baosheng Temple do it for you?"

"I...I want to find my mother."

Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "If your mother saw you like this, she would probably not be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife."

"Do you wish to cultivate yourself?"

"Cultivation?" The little girl looked bewildered.

"Just like the Goddess Baosheng, she sought the Dao and cultivated immortality."

"Will I be able to see my mother if I become a deity?"

"Perhaps, but unfortunately my cultivation is too low to know the methods of immortals."

Xu Qing mounted his horse, while the little girl clung to his back as if possessed.

On the dark, moonless streets, ghosts ride zombies, and zombies ride horses at breakneck speed.

Upon arriving at Baosheng Temple on Ziyun Mountain, Xu Qing summoned Bai Xiaoxian and asked her to act as an intermediary, guiding the little girl to worship at the temple and be included in the family register.

After the girl's body was removed from the burial site, her spirit became increasingly faint and would completely dissipate within a few days.

However, as long as one enters the Baosheng Temple beforehand and becomes a deity worshipped there, one can stabilize their spiritual body and simultaneously embark on the path of spiritual cultivation.

The little girl was very obedient and well-behaved. After performing the formal kneeling ceremony, Xu Qing took out the Mother Qi Bottle and sprinkled it with his finger. As the water in the bottle dripped down, pure vitality merged into the spirit body, and the little girl's body immediately radiated a bright white light.

Xu Qing said, "From this day forward, you will be the child-protecting maiden of Baosheng Temple. I will give you a new Taoist name, Shiyue. The character 'Shi' means to plant seedlings and nurture seedlings, which symbolizes new life. Shiyue is taken from the meaning of ten months of pregnancy. What do you think?"

The little girl was completely confused, but after hearing Xu Qing's gentle question, she nodded subconsciously.

Let alone September or October, even if Xu Qing gave her a name like a cat or a dog right now, she would nod and agree.

Although the little girl didn't understand why the Goddess of Life Protection was a man, it didn't stop her from believing in her.

The reason is simple: under the blessing of the Blood Lake Dharma Realm, the young man in front of them was bathed in a holy radiance. Not to mention Shi Yue, any child would be unable to resist the natural desire to get closer.

Xu Qing was completely unaware until the two walked out of the temple gate and prepared to return home, when the little girl suddenly said, "You look like my mother."

Xu Qing glanced at Xiao Shiyue, then looked down at his own nearly eight-foot-tall frame. How could he resemble the frail and delicate Ye Shi in any way?

"From now on, Shiyue should call me Headmaster or Master. Don't think about any unrealistic titles."

Shi Yue nodded and said "Oh". Seeing that the little girl seemed even less bright than Xuan Yu, Xu Qing hesitated and said, "In that case, call me by my name and let me hear it."

The tiny girl, barely taller than Xu Qing's legs, raised her head and looked at the mountain-like young man, her eyes clear as she said, "Master."

"."

Alright, putting them together isn't a bad idea. At least it proves that this girl has a good memory and a promising future.

After being blessed by the incense at Baosheng Temple, Xiao Shiyue can now manifest a physical form and choose whether or not to be observed by people. However, Xiao Shiyue has never known that she has become a ghost.

The little girl's understanding was still limited to being abandoned by her family and her father not wanting her.

When her father, Qiao Fang, returned to Linjiang County from Tianjin, and passed by the street where the big locust tree was, Xiao Shiyue ran around him, tugging at his clothes and trying to get him to look at her. But he seemed to ignore her and refused to look down at her.

Even at this point, the little girl didn't realize she was dead. She only felt that her father had abandoned her and that she had become a homeless wild child.

Xu Qing, carrying the little girl he had just adopted, traveled non-stop until they returned to Linjiang County, when it was still dark.

Passing by the big locust tree, Shiyue stepped forward, knelt down and kowtowed several times. Although the child's understanding was still limited, she knew who was good to her and who had done her a favor.

Xu Qing didn't urge her. After she finished paying her respects to the old locust tree, Shi Yue turned around and walked to the street corner, to the outside of a food stall diagonally opposite.

She stood there staring at the shop door for a long time.

Xu Qing approached and asked, "What's wrong?"

The little girl tugged at Xu Qing's sleeve, looked up, and said, "Heads, food."

A meal made with human heads?
A sentence that comes out of nowhere, let alone Xu Qing, even if a god came, he wouldn't be able to guess what it meant.

Xu Qing asked carefully, but the little girl gestured for a long time and couldn't explain anything except that she was hungry and needed food.

Well! I guess I'll have to enroll this kid in a class soon.

While pondering the child's education, Xu Qing also thought about what the little girl had said.

Although the child lacked expressive ability, Xu Qing was able to piece together some things.

The head is probably just a literal meaning, and Shi Yue's hunger and the fact that someone is giving her food is also just a literal meaning.

It is common for ghosts to eat offerings and incense. Earlier, when Xu Qing served mung bean porridge to Chen Liuer and Xiao Shiyue, the porridge in front of Xiao Shiyue went bad and spoiled because the "life force" in the porridge was absorbed.

But combining "human head food" and "eating" creates a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Xu Qing asked her, "When you were hungry, did the people at this food stall ever bring you food?"

Xiao Shiyue nodded.

So now you want to thank the other person?

Xiao Shiyue nodded and then shook her head.

"."

He's gone.

Finally, just when Xu Qing was at a loss, Xiao Shiyue came up with a new sentence.

Taking care of kids is so tiring!

Xu Qing understood what Shi Yue meant by "gone". After Ye Shi died, whenever the little girl mentioned Ye Shi, she would always say that her mother was gone.

The translation is: The person who brought the little girl food is dead.

A person who delivers food to ghosts? Xu Qing became interested. He took out his corpse-finding compass and walked back and forth around the food stall in front of him.

As long as the body is not transported to a distant place for disposal or burial, it cannot escape the search of the body-finding compass.

A moment later, the body-finding compass pointed to a certain direction.

Xu Qing climbed over the outer wall and came to the backyard of the food shop. In a vegetable garden, there was a patch of land that clearly showed signs of being recently turned over.

Moreover, while other parts of the vegetable garden were planted with various seasonal vegetables, this particular patch was completely barren.

Xu Qing took out a shovel and became a diligent gardener.

When they dug to a depth of three feet, a corpse wearing a short jacket appeared before Xu Qing's eyes.

"."

Xu Qing was silent for a moment. Was it a trend to kill and bury corpses lately? Including the two bodies from the Qiao family, this was the third body he had dug up.

So his funeral shop was a waste of money; people stopped hiring him as a funeral director and started teaching themselves how to perform burials!

Xu Qing jumped into the pit, reached out and covered the corpse, determined to see what had happened.

This kind of unhealthy practice that disrupts supply channels must not be allowed to continue!
Turning the page of the Sutra of Salvation, the corpse before him was nothing special in life; he had been a waiter at this restaurant.

The restaurant was small, with only one waiter who took care of all the customers and did all the chores, including cleaning the rooms.

That day, the shop assistant was busy until late at night. Just as he was about to close the shop door, he heard what sounded like children's voices coming from the street.

"Mom, where are you? Be a good girl."

Upon hearing this, the waiter immediately felt compassion.

It's so late at night, and a child has gotten lost. It would be terrible if he were kidnapped by a kidnapper!
I think I should take her to the food shop and wait for her master to come looking for her before letting her go back.

The waiter put down the door panel and followed the sound. When he arrived at the old locust tree, he could vaguely see a slender, translucent figure of a girl moving back and forth in the moonlight.

The man was stunned for a moment, then realized that he had encountered a ghost! That wasn't a lost child; it was clearly a mischievous little ghost!
Just as the waiter turned around, intending to run back to the food stall in one breath, the voice changed again.

"Hungry, so hungry, I really want to eat."

The shop assistant didn't dare turn around and ran back to the shop, holding his breath.

After a sleepless night, the shop assistant, with dark circles under his eyes, sneaked up to the big locust tree the next day with a few steamed buns, an incense stick, and some paper money. He kowtowed and prayed:
"No matter what kind of ghost or immortal you are, consider this meal on my behalf. If you've eaten your fill, please have some mercy and wander off somewhere else. Don't stay here."

The shop assistant thought the little devil was targeting him and spent the whole night thinking about how to solve the problem. Now that he had burned paper money under the old locust tree, he indeed didn't hear the child's voice again for the next few nights.

During the daytime, a little boy with a topknot sat under the locust tree, talking to himself.

The waiter thought the ghost had returned, but when the shopkeeper heard this, he slapped him on the head.

"What Hu Qin! That's the young master of the county magistrate's mansion."

"But why is he sitting there talking all by himself?"

"What's wrong? He's the son of the county magistrate. Even if he were mute or an idiot, his life would still be more precious than yours!"

After scolding the shopkeeper for a few minutes, he suddenly said, "The shop is short of money this month. Wait two more months for your firewood allowance, and I'll give it to you then."

"Shopkeeper, I've been waiting for my wages for half a year."

"Wait a little longer. It's not like I won't give it to you. Besides, what do you need the money for? We're not short of food or drink. Just work hard, and when you need the money, I'll naturally give it to you!"

That night, the shopkeeper finished checking the accounts and was about to leave when he heard a loud bang outside the door.

He asked the shop assistant to check, and the assistant was carrying a package. He said, "It's a cloth bundle, and it's quite heavy. Maybe someone left it behind. I'll go out and look for it."

Upon seeing this, the shopkeeper immediately stopped him, saying, "Wait, let me take a look!"

The clerk obeyed the order and turned back. The shopkeeper picked it up and found it to be a heavy package. Could it contain something valuable?
The shopkeeper couldn't wait to unwrap the cloth, and what he saw was astonishing!

What a huge head!

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he quickly ordered his staff to throw it as far away as possible.

The guy had never encountered anything like this before, so he had to go out and search for it, eventually losing it somewhere.

However, early the next morning, before dawn, someone came to the food stall. The person made a shocking statement, saying, "I already know about your murders and disgraceful deeds!"

"Jiang Konglou, what nonsense are you spouting? Who killed anyone?"

The newcomer was none other than Jiang Maocai, also known as Jiang Konglou, a fisherman who had fished out a head from the Tanggu River!

This man has no proper job; all he does every day is wander around extorting money from people or go fishing by the river.

In Tianjin, he would be a complete literary scoundrel.

He doesn't rob or steal, nor does he break into houses; he just likes to play tricks and schemes, making it impossible for people to guard against him.

"Hey! Manager Yu, if you don't want to admit it, fine. I'll take my men and that head to the yamen right now and have the constables handle this!"

"But let me make this clear beforehand: regardless of whether you were responsible for the death or not, the head will have passed through your shop. If others find out about this, I'm afraid no one will want to eat here anymore."

Manager Yu's expression changed repeatedly. He regretted his actions. If he had listened to his employee and not brought the package containing the head into the shop, he would never have gotten into this trouble!

"That head definitely doesn't belong to our shop."

“It’s no use talking to me. My brothers and I saw it.”

"Jiang the scoundrel! You just want to extort money from me, name your price!"

In the end, the shopkeeper spent ten taels of silver to settle the matter, but after closing the shop door, he found that the waiter was always staring at him.

Why are you looking at me?

The waiter's eyes darted around, and he mustered his courage to say, "The manager owes me more than six months' wages."

What can I do if I don't give it to you?

The shopkeeper had just lost money and was feeling uneasy when he suddenly heard the shop assistant demanding his wages. His eyes immediately blazed with anger!

"If the shopkeeper doesn't give it to me, I'll tell everyone about that head." Wow, that's putting what I've learned to practical use!
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper thought, "It's one thing for Jiang Konglou to try and extort me, but who do you think you are to try and extort me too!"

Since you are unkind, don't blame me for being unjust.

I'll kill you, and you and your wages can go to hell together!

The shopkeeper, driven by greed, was filled with resentment. The humiliation he suffered at Jiang Konglou's hands, his miserly nature, and the sudden defiance of his habitually bullied employee, all combined to ignite his anger and cause him to completely lose his temper.

"Alright, alright, come over here and get it from the counter yourself!"

When the shop assistant walked up to the counter, the shopkeeper grabbed the wooden bolt on top of the door and smashed it down on the back of the shop assistant's head.

"You've gone too far! You've really defied the heavens!"

The shopkeeper killed the waiter, believing he had covered his tracks perfectly, but he didn't see a little girl watching the scene in horror from the corner of the restaurant's main hall.

After performing the ritual to guide his companion's body to the afterlife, Xu Qing remained silent for a long time.

He then recalled what Lord Yuan had said.

The underworld is sealed off, and wandering souls cannot enter it. The human world is like a purgatory, a time of turbidity and evil, a time when demons run rampant.

Now it seems that this demon is not the same as that demon; the demon in people's hearts is also terrifying!
Xu Qing remained silent for a moment, then buried the food shop assistant in the vegetable garden exactly as he had done.

The next morning, at the Qiao family mansion.

Xu Qing, carrying the incense-infused baby, arrived at the Zhang family's courtyard.

Qiao Fang was heartbroken after losing his wife and children, and did not live with Zhang.

Now, Zhang is sitting in her room, dressed in her finest clothes, doing her makeup in front of the mirror.

On the bed, Qin An, who was getting dressed, was still uttering vulgar and offensive remarks.

Just then, the door creaked open, and two figures, one tall and one short, walked in.

The large figure, with a male body and female features, wore a five-phoenix crown, a round-necked, wide-sleeved robe, and a jade-like cloud-shaped shawl. The edges of the robe were engraved with intertwined flowers and patterns of longevity mountains and seas of blessings. The skirt was engraved with the character "保" (protect). It was truly awe-inspiring and solemn, not of the ordinary.

When Zhang saw the god-like figure, she was clearly stunned for a moment, but when she caught sight of the little girl next to him, she screamed instantly.

"Ghost! Ghost!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing's expression darkened, and his aura suddenly spread outwards. When Zhang Shi and Qin An came to their senses, they saw that the surrounding area was filled with the scene of the Blood Lake Dharma Realm.

"Who are you! Where is this place?"

Qin An was slightly bolder than Zhang Shi, and he questioned Xu Qing with a fierce but weak expression.

Xu Qing didn't even glance at Qin An. He led the little girl by the hand to the Blood Lake, looked at its reflection, and said:
"I am a deity of the Baosheng Temple, and people in the world call me the Goddess of Baosheng." Xu Qing paused, then suddenly turned his head and said, "Zhang, do you still remember what you said when you killed and harmed a mother and daughter?"

Zhang tried to recall the events with fear and unease, but she couldn't remember anything.

Xu Qing recalled for her, "You said that if the Ye mother and daughter wanted to clear their names, they needed the Goddess of Life to appear, right?"

"Now that I have arrived, your wish has been fulfilled."

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and said again, "That Ye family member is kind and virtuous, and has already entered the ranks of immortals. This little girl is well-behaved and sensible, so I will take her as my disciple. It will not be difficult for her to attain immortality in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhang went into a frenzy, exclaiming, "How could that hussy possibly become an immortal! It must be this little slut causing trouble!"

With a whoosh, a flash of cold light appeared as Xu Qing flung out his scorpion-tail hairpin, which struck Zhang Shi squarely in the body.

The snake's tongue flies out, the wasp's stinger pierces its tail.

The scorpion-tail hairpin is a manifestation of the poisonous and harmful heart of a person. Anyone poisoned by this hairpin will suffer unbearable pain, yet have no way to die.

Xu Qing ignored Zhang's cries of pain and went to Qin An, saying, "There are gods watching over you. Your actions have been discovered by the authorities. When the truth comes out, you will not escape death and will be despised by everyone!"

After retrieving the scorpion-tail hairpin and pinning it to Qin An, Xu Qing said to Zhang Shi, "The Ye family mother and daughter have become immortals, but you will be reduced to beasts after death. Do you know what happens to a hen that doesn't lay eggs?"

Xu Qing laughed and said, "All your scheming has been in vain. It's still others who will enjoy happiness and longevity. It's a pity that you won't be able to see Qiao Fang sharing the family business with his other wives and concubines."

"That's my family business!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang coughed up a mouthful of blood and fainted.

Xu Qing frowned. People like this only suffer because they fail to harm others.

However, Xu Qing still didn't feel at ease.

If it weren't for wanting to vent his anger for the little girl, he would have killed such a person as soon as possible to clear his mind!

Liuqing Street.

After Constable Zhao and his constables posted portraits of Kong Youde and Guaiguai on Liuqing Street, within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, someone revealed the identities of the two.

Officer Zhao rushed to the Qiao family home without stopping, and upon entering, he saw Zhang Shi talking nonsense in a mad manner.

"I am a god, I am the god! You little wretch deserve to die, I'm going to strangle you!"

One moment Zhang was talking about becoming an immortal, the next she was pouncing on a maid and trying to commit violence.

Upon seeing Zhao Zhonghe and the others approaching in their black police uniforms, Zhang cried out in terror, "Don't arrest me! Don't arrest me! Qin An killed him! Arrest him instead!"

At this moment, Qin An's eyes were glazed over as he ran around aimlessly at the street corner, trying to escape Tianjin, unaware that he had been running in circles around the old locust tree the whole time.

Looking at the chaos before him, Zhao Zhonghe's mind went blank and he exclaimed, "Take them all back to the yamen!"

The Qiao family members walked out in two lines, looking like prisoners. Among them, only one cook named Zheng Dadan was the happiest. He said cheerfully, "Son, are you really cured?"

The man referred to as the son was about twenty years old, wearing a bib and with two buns on his head, unlike the usual attire.

Upon hearing his father's question, Zheng Ersha replied, "Alright, this morning, Miss brought over a pill. There were people outside saying that if you take this pill, you will become smarter."

"Miss? Which miss?"

"Of course, she is the daughter of the second mistress. She is the only daughter in the mansion."

Upon hearing this, even Zheng Dadan, who was known for his boldness, felt a chill run down his spine.

Zheng Ersha continued, "Miss saved me, so I must repay her. Back then, in the woodshed incident, Kong Youde tricked me into taking off my clothes and going in with a roast chicken. Second Madam was framed. This shouldn't have happened."

As Zhao Zhonghe led the Qiao family past the big locust tree, someone pointed to Qin An, who was running laps under the tree, and said, "That's Qin An!"

Good heavens! All those constables spent so long searching the Qiao family's house, only to find out the other party came here for morning exercise!

Take it all with you!
Upon arriving at the yamen (government office), the court convened and proceedings began.

Many people witnessed Zhao Zhonghe escorting the Qiao family along the way. People in Tianjin love to watch a good show, and as soon as they heard about a major case, they all rushed over to see it, as if they were watching a free show.

Xu Qing brought Xiao Shiyue, who had once again concealed her identity, along with a companion holding a child.

With Chen Liuer pressed against his neck, Shang Shaoyang asked, "Brother Xu, if you want to observe this case, why don't you go inside and take a look?"

Xu Qing shook his head: "The atmosphere of the government office is too tense, I'm afraid it will frighten the children. It's fine to watch it here."

Shang Shaoyang looked up at Chen Liuer, who was riding on his shoulders. The mischievous boy was watching his godfather, the county magistrate, conduct a trial with great excitement.

After hearing all the testimonies and clarifying the truth, Chen Guangrui threw out a green scepter in court and ordered his men to remove Zhang Shi and Qin An's clothes, throw them onto benches, and said that only severe torture could appease the public's anger.

"Look! This is my godfather!"

Outside the hall, Chen Liuer turned his head to look at the top of Xu Qing's head, his face beaming.

Beside Shang Shaoyang, Xu Qing had a little girl riding on his shoulders.

The young girl remained silent as she watched the county magistrate presiding over the case and her enemy being tortured in the courtroom.

With Zhang Shi and Qin An sentenced to be paraded through the streets and beheaded at Caishikou, the wrongful conviction of the Qiao family was finally brought to light.

However, there are still many things that have not been clarified, such as the pills that the witness Zheng Ersha took, Qin An's confession about the miracle of the Goddess of Life, and the fact that the victim's body did not decompose.
These unresolved issues have ironically become the most popular topics of conversation among Tianjin residents during their leisure time.

Linjiang County Government Office.

Just as everyone was about to catch their breath after finishing the Qiao family case, a brand-new complaint was nailed to the gate of the yamen with an arrowhead.

The complaint was only a few words long, describing how a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of the martial arts world) intervened to right an injustice, witnessing a fisherman, Jiang, frame and falsely accuse someone of embezzling money, resulting in the untimely death of a worker at a family's restaurant. The restaurant owner then hid the body in the vegetable garden and remains at large to this day.
What I'm saying is, do these chivalrous passersby have four eyes? How come they can see everything?

Upon seeing the letter, Zhao Zhonghe immediately exclaimed, "What did I tell you before? What decent person would sit on the shore and continue fishing after getting their head caught? This Jiang Konglou probably has a lot of cases on his hands!"

"Alright, stop resting! Let's finish this case, and I'll treat the brothers to drinks afterwards!"

Meanwhile, at Yu's Food Shop.

Shang Shaoyang was taking Chen Liuer to freeload at Xu Qing's house when they tasted something stale before they had even taken a few bites!

"Waiter! What's wrong with your food? How can you try to fool us with leftovers from the previous day? This food is all spoiled!"

The waiter took a bite, realized something was wrong, and hurriedly apologized: "Please don't be angry, sir. I'm new here and in a bit of a flurry. I may have picked up the wrong plate. Please wait a moment, I'll bring you a fresh table of dishes right away!"

Beside Xu Qing, the little devil who hadn't eaten for several days let out a burp, finally filling her stomach.

"Isn't the food at Zhai's Restaurant better? Why does Brother Xu insist on coming here?"

Xu Qing took a sip of tea and asked, "Brother Shang, what do you see outside the door?"

The group was seated in a very convenient spot. As soon as Shang Shaoyang turned his head, he saw the big locust tree on the side of the street.

"Good heavens? Is she still under the locust tree?"

Upon hearing Shang Shaoyang's words, Chen Liuer immediately corrected him, "Be good and sit next to Uncle Xu, don't be outside."

"."

Before Shang Shaoyang could speak, four or five constables rushed in from outside the door.

The moment Zhao Zhonghe saw Shang Shaoyang, he knew the letter at the yamen gate had found its owner!

In the entire Linjiang County, only Young Master Shang in front of us would do something like this!

Since everyone knew each other, after exchanging pleasantries, Zhao Zhonghe called over a waiter to take a look at the vegetable garden in the backyard.

The waiter dared not stop them, so he led the group to the backyard.

Shang Shaoyang loves watching a good show, and Xu Qing understands his personality; otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to invite him to dinner.

As soon as Shang Shaoyang set off, Xu Qing naturally followed.

When the group arrived at the vegetable garden, Zhao Zhonghe immediately noticed the patch of land devoid of green leafy vegetables.

Those who have been constables for many years are very experienced. They know that places with obvious signs of disturbance and where the crops grow differently from the surrounding area are the most likely places to hide valuables or bury corpses.

"dig!"

The constables quickly and efficiently unearthed the former employee's body.

"Where is your manager?!"

The new clerk was terrified and said, "The manager is in the shop!"

Zhao Zhonghe searched back and forth but couldn't find the shopkeeper. However, he did discover the ajar back door of the food shop.

The shopkeeper had already fled at the mere sight of the enemy!
"Chase!"

The group walked through the back alley, but once they came out of the alley, there were pedestrians on both sides, so they couldn't find any trace of the shopkeeper!

“He can’t have gone far! Ge Xiu, you take two men and search along the streets, the rest of you come with me to Tanggu River.”

As Zhao Zhonghe walked, he said, "Jiang Maocai is acquainted with the owner of Yu's restaurant, so he probably knows where the owner has fled to."

"Jiang Konglou? Isn't that the guy who can fish for heads but can't catch any fish?"

Shang Shaoyang had heard about this from the coroner and it left a deep impression on him.

Xu Qing glanced into the distance and suddenly laughed, "It might be a good thing that Jiang Konglou never catches a fish in his life. If he really does catch one, it's hard to say whether it will be a blessing or a curse."

Shang Shaoyang didn't understand. With nothing else to do, the two of them each took a child and strolled to the Tanggu River as if taking a walk.

Zhao Zhonghe inquired along the riverbank, and during this time, a fisherman said he saw Jiang Konglou heading towards his own boat.

Following the directions of a group of fishermen, the group wandered around until they arrived at the mouth of the Tanggu River, where they saw Jiang Konglou and the owner of the food shop arguing about something on the riverbank.

Upon seeing the bailiffs rushing towards them in the distance, Manager Yu handed a package to Jiang Konglou.

The latter took the package, opened it, and stopped arguing.

By the time Zhao Zhonghe arrived at the riverbank, Jiang Konglou had already poled the boat and sailed away into the distance.

"Where do you think you're going!" Zhao Zhonghe shouted as soon as he saw the thief trying to escape. He stepped on the river and caught up with the boat in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Konglou was dumbfounded. He was a literary scoundrel who made his fortune with his words. He had never seen such an unreasonable person before!
Shang Shaoyang clicked his tongue and said, "Old Zhao's kung fu is almost as good as mine, he's really amazing!"

Xu Qing glanced at Shang Shaoyang, who was praising himself.

These two combined might be able to withstand a few more moves from Sha Zhu.
Once the boat landed, both Jiang Konglou and Manager Yu were arrested on the spot by the constables. At this time, Jiang Konglou was still pleading and shouting for mercy.

However, he wasn't asking for leniency from the constables, but rather—

"Officer Zhao, your kung fu is superb, you can overcome any skill with sheer force, I admire you from the bottom of my heart! But you can't just take me back like this, you have to let me take the fish from the net with me. Today is the first time in my life I've caught such a big fish, if you don't let me take it with me, I won't die in peace!"

Seeing Jiang Konglou's face flushed and his neck thickened, looking like he was about to die, Zhao Zhonghe suddenly had a bright idea and said, "How about this, you tell me about all the cases you've committed in the past, one by one. As long as you confess the truth, I'll take the fish with me, and we'll even walk around the bustling city three times. What do you say?"

"."

Seeing Jiang Konglou fall silent, Zhao Zhonghe raised an eyebrow and ordered, "Zhao Yuan, go and release the fish on the boat!"

"Wait! I'll confess, I'll confess everything!"

　I'll combine the two parts and add last night's chapter into one.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)