That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

"I...I don't know! When our bosses are discussing business, it's not our place to eavesdrop."

The sword sheath applied slightly less pressure, and the bandit clutched his throat, gasping for breath.

Seeing Xie Yunqi's expression, he quickly added.

"All I know is that he's a big shot we can't afford to offend! It's less about business and more about us having no choice but to do this."

The bandit swallowed hard. He didn't know if the other party would believe him, but it was indeed all he knew.

From this perspective, it seems that they had no way out from the moment that important figure set his sights on them. It's chilling to even think about it.

Jiang Jingming lowered his eyes, deep in thought.

The Divine Capital Guards didn't know much about this matter either. So, could it be that this matter has nothing to do with the Righteous Alliance?

No, we still don't know whether Xie Yunqi is representing the Divine Capital Guard's stance or simply acting out of her own curiosity.

Thinking of this, Jiang Jingming couldn't help but glance at Lu Zhao, who was leaning against the ground.

He was seriously injured and hadn't uttered a word since the beginning, his head hanging down as if he were asleep.

Jiang Jingming, holding the knife, turned his head and exchanged a clueless look with A Qing.

However, upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope rekindled in the shopkeeper's heart.

"Did you poison the food and drink tonight?"

As long as he can prove that he has nothing to do with Master Fu's poisoning, the other things that the Divine Capital Guard wants to investigate are naturally not of much concern to ordinary people like him.

"What poisoning?"

The bandit raised his head in bewilderment.

"Perhaps Master Fu is the important figure you've been dealing with. You're afraid he'll recognize you, so you acted beforehand!"

Detective Xie Yunqi began her reasoning.

"No, I didn't!"

The bandits were sweating profusely with anxiety.

"That important person is definitely not Master Fu!"

How can you prove it?

Detective Xie Yunqi is aggressive and confrontational.

"Master Fu usually keeps in touch with the village, so my brother wouldn't call him some unspeakable big shot. A few days ago, the brothers even helped him intercept a bride from the next village and send her to his residence..."

"..."

For a moment, everyone present fell silent.

Not only did he bully men and women in the city, but he also had dealings with bandit gangs. This man truly deserves to die.

"So you don't know what kind of poison he was given?"

Jiang Jingming tentatively asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time.

After the innkeeper described his symptoms, the bandit shook his head in confusion.

"I've never heard of such a poison. The only ones our gang usually uses are sleeping pills, aphrodisiacs..."

"Spring what?!"

Xie Yunqi glared at him fiercely.

The bandit shrank back, no longer daring to speak, fearing that the sword would be at his neck again.

"Um, sir!"

The person in charge suddenly spoke.

When everyone looked up, they found that he had retreated far away and was hiding behind a pillar, with only his terrified head showing.

"What are you doing?"

Xie Yunqi frowned and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Lu Zhao sat on the ground, panting heavily, his exposed skin an abnormally red from congestion.

North.

Everyone realized what had happened.

The poison in Master Fu's body was transmitted to him.

The shopkeeper and the waiter ran to the location of the person in charge, howling and screaming.

Only the bandit remained kneeling on the ground, looking confused and not realizing what had happened.

So it seems he wasn't lying; he really didn't poison her.

Based on the timing of the poisoning, the perpetrator must have poisoned the victim not long ago, meaning it was most likely someone present at the scene.

Jiang Jingming had a general idea in mind and took a half step back.

Lu Zhao raised his head, his expression a mixture of madness and pain, veins bulging and eyes bloodshot.

He grabbed the sword that had fallen to the side, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

In an instant, swords flashed and blades clashed, producing a clanging sound.

While everyone was still in shock, Aqing had already made her decision.

Her sleeve dagger was only half an inch away from Lu Zhao's heart, but the tip of the dagger struck Wu Jiu's scabbard.

Jiang Jingming reversed his grip on the knife and blocked what was originally a fatal blow.

Aqing paused for a moment, then sheathed her sword and pulled it back into her sleeve.

She didn't ask why, she just quietly stood beside him.

Jiang Jingming stepped forward, sword in hand, blocking the crowd, and spoke calmly.

"Get a rope and tie him up first."

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Fang Zhiyi

Lu Zhao's entire body was convulsing abnormally, and his face was contorted in rage.

With the wound on his shoulder, it would have been impossible for him to hold a sword again, but now he picked it up without any hesitation, his bloodshot eyes darting around unconsciously, as if searching for a target to attack.

"What do we do now? Does he still have a chance to regain consciousness?"

Xie Yunqi bit his lip, his hand holding the sword trembling slightly.

Jiang Jingming did not answer, but simply took the rope that the shopkeeper trembled as he handed it to him.

The thick hemp rope, about the thickness of a wrist, was probably used to tie up cattle; it was very sturdy.

Jiang Jingming knew that indecisiveness was not a good habit, but he couldn't kill Lu Zhao as decisively as he had killed Master Fu.

After all, it seems that he was just an innocent person who was dragged into this. He really was just here to investigate the case of the massacre of the bandit gang. Even Xie Yunqi knew more about other things than he did.

"No matter what, subdue him first."

Jiang Jingming tossed the rope to Aqing, telling her to act according to the situation.

After all, given her swordsmanship skills, it's quite possible that she might lose control and turn a temporary subjugation into a complete one.

Xie Yunqi took a deep breath and drew his sword first.

Faced with her dazzling offensive, Lu Zhao slightly bent his knees and squatted down, adopting a starting stance that used minimal force to deflect a powerful attack.

Xie Yunqi's sharp sword seemed to pierce into the lake water; no matter where he attacked, it had little effect.

Lu Zhao's rationality was clearly waning, and each of his sword strikes was heavier and more powerful than usual.

Xie Yunqi's swordsmanship relied on skill to win, but he couldn't gain the upper hand against a berserk monster that was unafraid of injury. His wrist ached from the powerful and heavy sword energy that came at him.

She was panting heavily when she belatedly realized that everyone she had sparred with at the Divine Capital Guard had been holding back.

A bunch of liars!

Xie Yunqi gritted his teeth in resentment.

She could no longer catch his attacks without hurting him, so she turned her sword and tried to attack his left shoulder.

Lu Zhao's body twisted into a strange arc, and he raised his sword high with both hands, slashing down like an executioner!

Xie Yun didn't have time to sheathe her sword and parry. She held her breath, but she wasn't afraid.

Because she had already seen the person appear behind her.

The jet-black scabbard struck the sword hilt in a perfect arc, sending the sword spinning as it was knocked away, half of it embedding itself in the pillar where the leader was hiding, causing the group to let out another strange scream.

Jiang Jingming chose to attack the blade rather than the hand holding it because he had probably completely lost the ability to feel pain at this point, and even if his entire hand were chopped off, he would not let go of the sword.

Losing his weapon left Lu Zhao momentarily bewildered. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Jingming swung his blade horizontally, gripped Lu Zhao's neck tightly, and slammed him to the ground.

Xie Yunqi caught up, knelt on the sword, and pressed down hard on his right arm.

"Aqing!"

Before Jiang Jingming could finish speaking, Aqing had already skillfully wrapped the rope around his neck.

"...I didn't mean for you to strangle him."

Jiang Jingming glanced at her, both amused and annoyed.

Aqing pursed her lips slightly, seemingly a little embarrassed.

She quickly untied the knot, wrapped the rope around his arms and shoulders, and tied him up tightly.

During this time, Lu Zhao kept roaring and struggling like a mad bull, his face turning blue and purple, looking extremely terrifying.

Only after they were certain he was unable to move did the group of people hiding behind the pillar cautiously emerge.

"This...this is poisoning?"

The bandit was also quite frightened; although he was a bandit, he had never seen such a scene before.

When the waiter came out, he tried to pull the sword stuck in the pillar to defend himself, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it, so he had to give up the idea.

"He looks worse than before."

Xie Yunqi raised his head and looked at Jiang Jingming with some panic.

Losing the ability to move did not seem to alleviate the effects of the poison; instead, it made Lu Zhao even more miserable. His whole body turned red, and he was drenched in sweat as if he were in a steamer, making a hissing sound from his throat.

"Amitabha Buddha, may the Buddha protect you!"

The shopkeeper, with a mournful face, clasped his hands together in prayer.

If he can get through today safely, he will spend the rest of his life eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and doing good deeds.

"If anything happens to Lord Lu, I won't be able to explain myself..."

The official in charge knelt down helplessly to the side, as if he had seen the end of his official career.

Lu Zhao's groans sounded like someone pulling on a broken bellows, with a few indistinct mutterings mixed in between.

Jiang Jingming squatted down and leaned over to listen.

"what did he say?"

Xie Yunqi held his sword, hesitatingly speaking.

"Kill me."

Jiang Jingming looked directly at her, his tone indifferent.

After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

Lu Zhao was still struggling, and bright red blood gradually dripped from his eyes, like a demon suffering from the fires of hell.

Finally, Xie Yunqi stood up, drew his sword, and stood with his head bowed.

"The Divine Capital Guardian's teachings: Heaven hangs the mirror, I burn myself."

The candlelight flickered around them, and everyone's expression was as solemn as if they were attending a funeral.

“His name is Lu Zhao, and he is nineteen years old. He has now sacrificed his life for the cause, doing everything in our power. His glory will last both before and after his death.”

Looking at her expression, Jiang Jingming guessed that she had probably seen many such scenes before, but the feeling of actually carrying them out herself was different.