Chapter 10 Investigation

The leather waist pouch was small. Li Shiming tried to open it, only to find that the opening was fake; there was no way to open it at all.

It was precisely because of this that he realized the leather waist pouch might be an item for cultivating immortality. With a slight movement of his mind, he tucked the leather waist pouch into the mechanical room space.

"I have seen the young master. This place is very dangerous. Please wait on the side, and we will report to you after the inspection!" Guard Zhang and a group of guards arrived and, upon seeing Li Shiming arriving at the scene first, hurried forward to speak.

"Alright, I'll go check on my father!" Li Shiming nodded and said.

This place was not so simple to inspect; constables from the government office would come here to investigate and document the findings in official records.

Li WenYuan was working in the government office. After hearing the explosion, he immediately asked about Li Shiming's safety and only felt relieved after learning that Li Shiming was unharmed.

He did not immediately go to the scene as the inspection was to be conducted by professionals; his presence would bring a crowd that might disturb the evidence.

When Li Shiming arrived at the government office where Li WenYuan was, he saw Li WenYuan pacing back and forth in the room, looking very preoccupied.

"Shiming, you were startled, weren't you?" Li WenYuan saw him come in, put on a smile, and asked.

"Father, I went to see the scene. It was not damage that ordinary people could cause!" Li Shiming replied solemnly as he bowed.

Li WenYuan was very pleased with Li Shiming's composure, but he still had some objections to him going to the scene personally.

"A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. In such situations, let the subordinates inspect first, and go over only when it's safe!" Li WenYuan said sternly.

"Yes, father!" Li Shiming answered.

"The damage not caused by ordinary people suggests it was the work of someone cultivating immortality. I just don't know why they would cause such a commotion in the family garden!" Li WenYuan continued.

"What are the plans for handling this?" Li Shiming was curious about how officialdom would deal with matters related to immortality practitioners.

"I have already reported this urgently to the Central Capital. Matters involving cultivation are handled by them. It's fortunate that this concerns immortality; otherwise, I would also be in no small trouble!" Li WenYuan said as he shook his head, thinking of recent events.

As the Magistrate of Nanling Prefecture, more than thirty people had been killed under his jurisdiction, and even the government office had problems.

If it were seriously investigated, he might not be able to keep his position as Magistrate.

But matters involving immortals were different. Immortality practitioners were beyond human capabilities, so the government could not be blamed for incompetence.

"Will the Central Capital send immortals here?" Li Shiming then asked.

"Immortals are not something the Central Capital can command. We have not encountered this situation before, so who knows!" Li WenYuan was unable to answer this question.

The father and son sat for a while until Chief Zheng arrived.

"I have seen the lord, and the young master!" Chief Zheng halted before entering the room and bowed to them both.

Li WenYuan nodded slightly, and Li Shiming returned the greeting with a Confucian salute.

This was the first time Li Shiming had truly met Chief Zheng, who was the foremost expert of Nanling Prefecture.

Chief Zheng gave him a feeling of oppression, making him very uncomfortable. Noticing this, Chief Zheng quickly restrained his aura.

He had just heard that there was trouble in the backyard and had been angry, failing to control his aura for a moment.

"Chief Zheng, have you found any clues?" Li WenYuan asked sternly.

"My lord, I was just about to report this to you. At the scene, the forensic doctor found shattered flesh and blood remains, as well as fragments of a white fabric of an extremely peculiar texture!" Chief Zheng said as he handed over a small piece of white fabric.

Li WenYuan took the white fabric, which was the size of a palm and had scorched dark edges as if burned, yet it seemed like ordinary white cloth.

"What's so special about this white cloth?" Knowing that Chief Zheng and the forensic doctor would not lie, he directly asked.

"Please allow me to use a knife!" Chief Zheng bowed and requested permission.

This was the Magistrate's office, and he needed approval from the Magistrate to draw a weapon.

"Granted!" Li WenYuan waved his hand.

Chief Zheng drew his knife from his waist, brought the blade close to the fabric, and applied a slight force. The blade moved the cloth but failed to cut through it.

Without needing Chief Zheng's explanation, Li WenYuan's expression had already turned grave.

Although Chief Zheng's blade was not an extraordinary weapon, it was not an ordinary knife either. Even without force, normal cloth would be sliced into two.

This seemingly ordinary white cloth possessed extraordinary protective power.

"We suspect that this fragment of white cloth came from the person in white from Tianxiang Building that day. I also examined the flesh at the scene; its blood contained a mysterious energy, completely different from that of martial artists, which supports my judgment!" Chief Zheng continued.

Li Shiming sighed inwardly, appreciating the abundance of talent in Nanling Prefecture. In such a short time, they had nearly unraveled the situation, almost touching on the truth.

"Does this mean someone in the garden killed the person in white?" Li WenYuan looked at the cloth in his hand, asking incredulously.

The reason he found it hard to believe was that he was certain that the person in white was an immortal practitioner; how could such a being die so easily.

One should know that the seven dart heads from Weiyuan Escort Agency and Chief Escort Wang, who had the strength of a grandmaster, had no chance of fighting back against the person in white.

"Lord, this is the opinion shared by the forensic doctor and myself. We will later submit the detailed results in writing!" Chief Zheng replied confidently.

"Could it be this person in white's foe? Is there another immortal in Nanling Prefecture?" Li WenYuan muttered to himself, puzzled.

Li Shiming remained silent, as too many unexplainable things were involved, and he could not disclose his own actions to his father.

He also thought of Chief Escort Wang's corpse and considered finding a place to dispose of it soon, as it was uncomfortable always keeping it in the mechanical room space.

Although he had acquired the "Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique," "Introduction to Runes," and that wooden sword, he had not studied them.

The reason he had not was because he feared that studying items related to immortality might attract the attention of immortal beings.

Now that the immortal was dead, he thought about researching his newly acquired items once he got back.

"Shiming, the mansion will be somewhat noisy these next few days. I will try to keep them away from your courtyard so as not to disturb your studies. You also look tired; go back and rest first!" Li WenYuan, thinking his son was shocked, said.

Li Shiming took the opportunity to take his leave since it was already known here that the immortal had died, and the subsequent matters would no longer be troublesome.

The entire Nanling City was affected by the explosion. The government sent Government Officials to soothe the citizens, and government soldiers patrolled the streets, putting Nanling City under martial law.