Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

In the main hall of the supervisory office, Fang Zheng had someone bring Sun Xianrong out.

Sun Xianrong looked bewildered. Fang Zheng told him that he was to be transferred to the state magistrate's office.

Sun Xianrong didn't say anything; he wasn't in a position to make demands now.

As he was leaving, he turned back to look at Fang Zheng and said, "Lord Fang, I entrust my family to you."

"Don't worry." Fang Zheng nodded.

Sun Xianrong followed Fan Wensong away, and Lü Zhengfeng looked at Fang Zheng: "What are you planning to do next?"

Fang Zheng replied, "We already have Sun Xianrong as a witness. If we can find corroborating evidence from other cases involving Zhu Hongcai, we can arrest him."

But now that the Prefectural Magistrate's Office has taken him away, I reckon that after they find out what happened, their next step will be to arrest Zhu Hongcai directly.

Guan Tieyi remained there indignantly, saying, "This is a case that we supervisors worked so hard to investigate. Are we just going to let the prefectural governor's office reap the benefits?"

Lü Zhengfeng ignored the burly man, staring at Fang Zheng for a while before suddenly asking, "Fang Zheng, why did you hand over Sun Xianrong so readily just now? Did you have something on your mind?"

Fang Zheng said solemnly, "With orders from my superiors and instructions from my supervisor, I, as a subordinate, will naturally obey."

Lu Zhengfeng shook his head and laughed, "Don't bother with this kind of bureaucratic formality in front of me."

Share your thoughts.

Fang Zheng then said, "Besides these reasons, there is another aspect: going with the flow."

Zhu Hongcai is backed by the county magistrate, who has deep roots in the county and is not easy to touch.

If the county magistrate refuses to hand over the person, the two government offices will be at odds, which will inevitably affect the overall stability of Yongqing County and the people's and the prefecture's perception of us.

Now that the state magistrate's office is willing to take the lead, we can leverage their strength to better investigate this case thoroughly.

Anyway, we have arrest warrants and interrogation records, which are enough to prove that we were one step ahead of the state magistrate's office.

Lu Zhengfeng nodded, stroked his beard, and smiled, "That's right, that's exactly what I think."

He didn't say much, but he was already extremely satisfied with Fang Zheng in his heart.

Before he arrived in Yongqing County, his superior, the prefectural supervisor, specifically instructed him to pay attention to maintaining stability.

Investigating the case is important, but we must not let it disturb public morale.

This young man is so adept at the ways of officialdom that it's hard to imagine he came from a poor family and was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

Lu Zhengfeng offered a few more words of encouragement to Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi, then told them to go and rest.

Everyone is exhausted today; even a tough guy like Guan Tieyi couldn't keep up.

Fang Zheng himself wasn't much better off; he went back to the supervisor's quarters and fell asleep immediately.

But this sleep was not peaceful.

He had only slept for less than 15 minutes when Guan Tieyi woke him up.

"Brother, something's happened." Guan Tieyi's face was grim as he handed over a damp cloth.

Fang Zheng wiped his face, trying to clear his head: "What's wrong?"

After Guan Tieyi explained the situation, Fang Zheng's expression darkened, and he got up and walked out.

"I can't believe those people are so bold," Guan Tieyi said indignantly.

Fang Zheng waved his hand: "Let's go see Prisoner Fan first."

The two walked together toward a room.

Several guards from the governor's mansion stood at the entrance, covered in blood, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Inside the room, Fan Wensong, the ninth-rank prison clerk of the prefectural governor's office who had been arrogantly taking away prisoners just a quarter of an hour earlier, was now as white as paper, leaning back in his chair.

His body was wrapped in gauze, and bloodstains could be seen seeping through several places on his robes, indicating that he was seriously injured.

As Fang Zheng entered, Fan Wensong looked up at him, a hint of shame on his face, and sighed, "Sun Xianrong has been kidnapped."

Fang Zheng has already heard the news from Guan Tieyi.

Previously, Fan Wensong took Sun Xianrong away to escort him back to the prefectural governor's office, but something happened on the way.

The other side had at least three people: two eighth-rank martial arts practitioners and one seventh-rank Daoist practitioner, all dressed in black and masked, who suddenly launched an attack.

Fan Wensong was injured in the first exchange, and another ninth-rank prison guard and several guards who were with him were also injured, but fortunately no one lost their lives.

Sun Xianrong was naturally abducted, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Fang Zheng's expression also turned sour after hearing this.

If someone dares to ambush and kill the prison clerk of the prefectural governor's office on the way and kidnap a wanted criminal from the imperial court, then the nature of the matter changes.

He glanced at Fan Wensong's injuries and asked, "How strong are those three?"

Fan Wensong's expression darkened, and he shook his head: "If they want to kill, I'm afraid none of our team will survive."

Fang Zheng nodded. Fan Wensong was wounded in the shoulder, pierced by a sword.

His strength was similar to Guan Tieyi's; he was an eighth-rank martial artist with a ninth-rank official position, and he practiced external martial arts.

To injure him like that in one move, one must be either a martial arts master at the seventh-grade Qi Sea Realm or a magic master at the seventh-grade Night Wanderer Realm.

Fang Zheng leaned towards the latter because he had been attacked by a seventh-rank evil cultivator at the He family residence.

In a remote place like Yongqing County, a seventh-grade cultivator is already a top expert.

It's highly likely that the one who attacked Fan Wensong tonight was that seventh-rank evil cultivator.

As expected, Fan Wensong's statement was consistent with Fang Zheng's guess.

"The other side has a Daoist cultivator at the Night Wanderer Realm who attacked from over thirty feet away," Fan Wensong said through gritted teeth, his face ashen. "We haven't even figured out where he is yet, and we've already been caught in the crossfire."

Fang Zheng sighed inwardly. That's how frustrating it is for a martial artist to encounter a Daoist cultivator at a higher level.

He comforted him, saying, "Prisoner Fan, there's no need to blame yourself too much."

Taoist arts are naturally superior to martial arts.

Even other eighth-rank martial artists might not have been able to withstand that sword strike.

This is not just a polite remark.

Night Wanderer cultivates the primordial spirit, and his flying sword technique is extremely domineering, making it impossible for ordinary martial artists to defend against.

Fang Zheng didn't say anything more; blaming was pointless.

Moreover, if the prefectural governor's office hadn't been in a hurry to take him away, and Sun Xianrong was still imprisoned in the supervisory office, even the boldest group wouldn't have dared to rob him.

Ultimately, Fan Wensong has to take the blame for this.

Fang Zheng offered a few more words of comfort, then took his leave to go find Lü Zhengfeng.

Lu Zhengfeng had already received the news. When Fang Zheng entered the room, Lu Zhengfeng was standing by the window with his hands behind his back.

After listening to Fang Zheng's words, he did not speak immediately. He remained silent for a moment, then slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to jump up and fall back down.

"The Prefectural Magistrate's Mansion is a bunch of useless trash!"

He cursed fiercely, his voice echoing throughout the government compound.

But after venting, we still have to face reality.

When Lü Zhengfeng turned around, his expression had returned to normal, and his tone had become serious.

"At present, Sun Xianrong, the witness, is gone, and only a statement remains."

"Based solely on that confession, it's far from enough to convict Zhu Hongcai."

Fang Zheng nodded: "So I thought I'd contact Lu Qingyun and ask the judicial officer to help investigate the physical evidence."

On the other hand, we need to find a breakthrough ourselves.

The burned case files in the He family massacre case are a thread running through them.

Lu Zhengfeng glanced at him and nodded: "Do as you say."

Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then added, "Sir, the county magistrate will definitely make a move tomorrow, so you must be careful."

Lu Zhengfeng nodded with a stern face, then turned around and warned Fang Zheng: "Those people behind the scenes are desperate and capable of anything."

You will be staying in the supervisor's quarters for the next few days. Be careful.

Fang Zheng responded and pushed open the door, his heart heavy.

……