Set a goal, and the system takes over the body.

Pang Qing had been plagued by the Black Wind Stronghold for some time and had also lost his son. He was already seething with hatred and now was the perfect opportunity to work with the government and the people to deal with the Black Wind Stronghold. Naturally, he would not go against the tide and immediately stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"My lord, the entire Zhentian Martial Arts School is ready to fully support you in suppressing the bandits, even at the cost of our lives!"

The chief镖头 (chief镖师) of Changhong镖局 (Changhong Escort Agency) sitting next to him also stood up.

"Our Changhong Escort Agency has suffered from banditry for a long time, and we have long been afflicted by Black Wind Stronghold. We are willing to follow you, sir, to suppress the bandits and serve you with utmost loyalty!"

Xia Chengyan, the master of Baqiang Martial Arts School, hesitated for a moment.

A while ago, Shen Feiyi led a group into the mountains to kill demons, but the casualties were heavy. The temple was short of manpower at the time, but he could not refuse the prefect's request, so he had to stand up and express his opinion.

"Our Baqiang Martial Arts School recently suffered some losses, and we don't have many capable disciples right now. However, suppressing bandits is a noble cause for the country and its people, and our Baqiang Martial Arts School is willing to do its part to help you, sir."

Zhao Yanzong nodded slightly, then glanced at the other martial arts schools, finally lingering on Qi Xiuyuan for a few more seconds.

That stance clearly indicated they were being forced to make a statement on the spot.

Qi Xiuyuan remained quite calm.

Black Wind Stronghold has the Bone-Relieving Pill. Although it's not absolutely necessary for him, it would be nice to get it by chance.

Furthermore.

The mysterious person behind Black Wind Stronghold always made him feel uneasy.

It's good to take this opportunity to find out more about their background.

Since Zhao Yanzong was willing to take the lead and be the first to speak out, he was naturally happy to follow along and pick up the scraps.

"My lord, my father and second uncle have been in seclusion for many days. Although the Qingshan Martial Arts School is currently limited in combat strength, we will certainly lend a helping hand to this righteous act for the country and the people."

"Excellent! Young Master Qi is a man of great principle, which aligns perfectly with our intentions!"

Zhao Yanzong stroked his beard and nodded.

Although the people from the other martial arts schools frowned and were unwilling, they knew that they couldn't refuse in this situation.

If you dare to say no, you'll find it hard to move an inch in Tianfu City from now on.

We have no choice but to agree to this.

Before long, everyone had expressed their opinion, and without exception, they all supported the suppression of the bandits.

"Thank you all for your strong support. In addition, our government has invited the Qingcheng Sect's successor, the renowned swordsman Huang Jing, also known as the Swift Wind Swordsman. Tomorrow, Master Huang will arrive in Tianfu City, and at that time, we will officially launch an attack on Black Wind Stronghold."

Zhao Yanzong added.

Many martial arts practitioners from martial arts schools and security escort agencies breathed a sigh of relief.

The Qingcheng Sect is one of the three major sects in the Yizhou region.

Profound heritage.

The disciples in the sect are all known for their swift swordsmanship.

Huang Jing, the master swordsman, was renowned throughout Yizhou.

Having such a master as an assistant is certainly the best thing.

After the banquet ended, it was already late at night.

Zhao Yanzong returned to his study in the backyard of the government office. The candlelight flickered on the desk, casting his shadow on the wall, swaying back and forth.

In the corner of the study stood a dark figure, its presence unknown, its aura perfectly concealed, like a lifeless statue.

"Lord Zhao, I've heard you plan to unite with all the martial arts schools, security escort agencies, and merchants in the city to wipe out my Black Wind Stronghold?"

The shadowy figure spoke slowly, its voice hoarse and low.

"Come……"

Before the last word "person" could be uttered, the dark figure had already swept over like a ghost, its hand as hard as an iron clamp, and suddenly gripped Zhao Yanzong's neck.

Zhao Yanzong was lifted up with one hand, his feet dangling in the air. He kicked desperately, making strange hoarse noises in his throat, his face turning red.

But the shadowy figure's hand remained completely still, its strength astonishing.

No matter how much he struggled, it was all in vain.

In no time, his eyes widened, his limbs went limp, and he died completely.

"Hmph! You think you can wipe out my Black Wind Stronghold?"

Qin Heilong casually tossed Zhao Yanzong's body on the ground, treating it like a piece of junk, without giving it any thought.

He turned and walked to the window, then flipped out in a flash, disappearing into the deep night with a few leaps, leaving only the windowpane creaking and swaying in the wind.

Early the next morning.

Just as dawn was breaking and the morning mist had not yet dissipated, a series of urgent knocks came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Senior Brother, get up quickly! Something terrible has happened!"

Qi Xiuyuan sat up with a frown, rubbed his sleepy eyes, put on an outer robe, and went to open the door.

Xu Yi stood outside the door, his face solemn and anxious.

"Senior Brother, something terrible happened last night! The Prefect is dead!"

"What?!"

Qi Xiuyuan was startled, his sleepiness vanished instantly, and his mind cleared up immediately.

"What's going on? Tell me in detail."

Xu Yi took a breath before saying, "I don't know the specific details, but this morning, the yamen was in an uproar. There were constables everywhere, searching house to house. I was passing by when I inquired and learned that the prefect was murdered in his study last night."

Qi Xiuyuan frowned slightly.

"Set a goal: find the murderer who killed the prefect."

[Target detected: Find the murderer of the prefect]

[Method 1: Go to Black Wind Stronghold, capture Qin Heilong, and interrogate him to find the murderer.]

[Method 2: Go to the crime scene at the government office, examine the body and investigate the scene to obtain Clue 1; use Clue 1 to go to Qingyu Pavilion to find the person to obtain Clue 2; use Clue 2 to go to Black Wind Stronghold to arrest and interrogate the person to find the murderer.]

Please select a method to complete the objective.

Qi Xiuyuan didn't choose any of them.

This is already quite obvious.

The killer is either a member of Black Wind Stronghold or the mysterious person hiding behind Black Wind Stronghold.

"The prefect had just declared his intention to wipe out Black Wind Stronghold when he died in the study of the prefectural government office. The waters of Tianfu City are indeed much deeper than they appear."

"With this commotion, the plan to annihilate Black Wind Stronghold will most likely have to be put on hold."

He shook his head inwardly.

Originally, I was hoping to take advantage of the chaos and see if I could get my hands on the Bone-Ringing Pill, and also find out about the mysterious person's background.

It seems that we need to take a longer-term view.

Before he could ponder it for long, the government constables came knocking and took Qi Xiuyuan and Xu Yi to the government office for questioning.

When they arrived, the heads of various martial arts schools, the head镖师 (bodyguards) of the镖局 (escort agencies), and the merchants who had attended the banquet the day before were all standing in the government office, each with a solemn expression. They were all pulled away one by one for separate questioning.

Unfortunately, no matter how many questions they asked, they didn't get any useful clues.

They all went straight home after attending the banquet, so no one had the opportunity to commit the crime.

"There's no need to question them anymore."

Zhu Ju walked in from outside the government office and stood on the steps in front of the hall.

"Based on the clues provided by Miss Xiao Cui of Qingyu Pavilion, and combined with my understanding of Black Wind Stronghold, the murderer who killed the Prefect is none other than Qin Heilong, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtyard.

"What?! It's Qin Heilong?!"

"As expected of the Chief Constable, he found the murderer so quickly!"

"How dare he attack an official appointed by the imperial court? Could it be that he knows the prefect is going to wipe out his Black Wind Stronghold, so he's striking first? We all expressed our support for the bandit suppression yesterday, so won't we also become his targets for revenge?"

"What should we do?"