Lord Wen Daofu was truly astonished.
He really, thoroughly despised Yun Zhonghe, regardless of the rumors stating that he was the one who cured Jing Wubian.
Such a charlatan like him would only be capable of swindling and abducting. He could only be ignorant and incompetent, as he lacked both learning and practical abilities. His idle lifestyle deemed him incapable of producing anything of worth.
As for Wen Daofu, he was of a Jinshi background in the Great Northern Kingdom and was most traditional in his line of thoughts. He abhorred such charlatans the most.
In the years where he had assumed office as the Torn Gust Decree, he had never gone soft on any of these charlatans during the various crackdowns on them.
And now, Yun AoTian, this charlatan, actually wanted to be an official? What fool's talk! Today, he had fallen into Wen Daofu's hands, who would definitely see to it that he had a layer of skin ripped off of him before he was expelled from the City of Torn Gust.
But he had not expected this Yun AoTian to be capable of putting on such an excellent performance.
Just now, he had deduced that the former adviser of the judicial department had committed suicide. That was already no simple feat.
And now, just by the unusual appearance of the wound, he had actually deduced that the real murderer was Mr. Wenshan. Though it was only speculation, it was already impressive enough to make everyone see him in a different light.
This child before him was truly a diamond in the rough, a genius as precious as jade.
Wen Daofu could not help but feel love for Yun Zhonghe's talents rising within him.
Yun Zhonghe then added, "There's still one more thing. This Mr. Wenshan is Lord Wen's trusted aide. His status is very high, far beyond me. And Lord Wen, you simply dislike me with all your heart, so there was no need for him to personally receive me at all. This was, in fact, a kind of hint. This was why, from deep within your heart, you are also most eager for a beggar like me to create a miracle and crack this case."
At that point, Wen Daofu had looked towards Mr. Wenshan and asked, "What do you think, Biren?"
After hearing Yun Zhonghe's words, Mr. Wenshan first fell into a momentary daze, where he was unable even to react.
It was only after a long moment that he broke into a bitter smile, and with a self-deprecating expression, he bowed towards Yun Zhonghe.
"A stoke across the heart makes the Bi character. And it so happens that my name carries a Bi character. How coincidental." Mr. Wenshan sighed and said, "Such meticulous judgment. Even I myself am in awe."
This was a real master!
He did not retort nor disapprove using any arguments. He merely gave a bitter smile and even complimented Yun Zhonghe.
It was really a good show of politeness and courtesy. Just now, he had been speaking up for Yun Zhonghe, and now, even after Yun Zhonghe turned against him with such an accusation. It really seemed like the latter was a dog that bit the hand that fed it, where he was mistaking a good man for a bad one.
A few warriors suddenly could not hold back any longer. They bowed and said, "Lord Wen, this is just a coincidence. How can Mr. Wenshan possibly be the murderer? The former adviser of the judicial department had clearly committed suicide out of fear of facing punishment for his crime."
Mr. Wenshan was extremely popular and well-liked in the bureau. He would help his brothers whenever he could, and he was never one to put on airs. Everyone was incredibly supportive and protective of him.
That was why, at that point, the warriors were glowering at Yun Zhonghe, as though they could not wait to slay him in a frenzied knife attack.
Mr. Wenshan made no rebuttal, nor did he say anything in his defense. Instead, to Yun Zhonghe, he said, "Mr. Yun AoTian, you were born into the life of a beggar and a ruffian, right?"
Yun Zhonghe replied, "That's right."
Mr. Wenshan said, "You have never learned any criminal investigation skills?"
Yun Zhonghe said, "Not at all."
Mr. Wenshan said, "Then that's strange. You have an extremely keen observation. Not only have you spotted how the wound in the heart of the former adviser of the judicial department was slanted upwards, but you also saw how he had exerted more force on the dagger when he stabbed himself in the heart. And then, you deduced the character, Bi, from these observations. Such acuity, such associative strength, these are really far beyond that of the average person. I guess the spies of both the Order of Black Dragons and the Order of Black Ice were really not much of an eye-opener, then."
This person was so cunning and evil.
He had not said anything that worked to his defense. Instead, he alluded to Yun Zhonghe as a secret spy agent of an enemy country.
This was him turning the tables on Yun Zhonghe.
The City of Torn Gust had zero tolerance for spies of enemy countries. Once discovered, they would be tortured straightaway. Then, they would be punished with the agony of a thousand cuts, which eventually led to them being brutally killed.
Sometimes, it was better to kill someone by mistake than let anyone off the hook.
He was trying to sentence Yun Zhonghe to death.
Lord Wen Daofu said, "Yun AoTian, Mr. Wenshan is my trusted aide. He has always been loyal and sincere, benevolent and just. And he was always kind to others. Now you are actually saying that he is a murderer and has forced the former adviser of the judicial department to commit suicide. You better show us some evidence. If not, I will have to charge you with the crime of falsely accusing an official of wrongdoing."
As soon as this was said, several warriors were delighted and said, "Lord Wen, this beggar is just wagging his tongue too freely without careful thoughts. We will commence with the punishment right away. We have to interrogate him to find out who the hell sent him here to frame Mr. Wenshan and undermine the unity of our Bureau of Torn Gust."
With that said, a few warriors were already eager for action and were just about to close in on Yun Zhonghe to arrest him.
And at that moment, Yun Zhonghe only had one thing on his mind, and that was, 'This nasty old man is really evil.' He clearly had the answer in his heart and had even obtained relevant evidence ages ago. But he pretended not to know anything at all. This was him taking things a step further to put Yun Zhonghe to the test.
Originally, Wen Daofu had indeed thought of wrapping things up when he saw enough of what he wanted to see. But it was really like a hunter's instinct upon seeing its prey, and he could not help feeling this interest in him being awakened. He could not help himself from wanting to further pressure and squeeze something out of Yun Zhonghe.
He wanted to see what other skills Yun Zhonghe had, or what different kinds of genius abilities he possessed.
So, he had actually pushed the latter out onto the ring and pitted him against Mr. Wenshan, the crafty old fox.
"Yun AoTian, you said a stroke across the heart gives us the character, Bi! This was the hint that the former adviser of the judicial department was giving me, to tell me that the murderer is Wen Biren. This speculation is extremely amazing, but it is, nonetheless, only speculation. When we solve cases, we need concrete evidence," Wen Daofu said. "This is why you need to produce some evidence that will directly prove that it was Mr. Wenshan who murdered the former adviser of the judicial department."
Crap!
This was really a tall order to fill, wasn't it?
This was not a direct murder, but rather, an indirect one.
And Yun Zhonghe had zero understanding of the former advisor of the judicial department or of this Mr. Wenshan standing in front of him, so where could he find evidence?
"Yun AoTian, whether or not you can prove that you are qualified enough to be an officer of the judicial department, the moment's now. Evidence! It's the evidence that matters!" Wen Daofu said. "If you can find evidence to show that Mr. Wenshan is the murderer, I will go straight to the residence of the castellan without further ado to claim credit for your meritorious deed, and let the Lady Castellan know how outstanding you really are."
Slapping Jing Zhongyue in the face by proving her wrong?
This felt really good.
If you went easy on women, they would get out of hand. This was akin to sparing the rod and spoiling the child.
She had initially wanted to make Yun Zhonghe face a significant problem, beat half the life out of him, and then expel him from the City of Torn Gust.
But now, this man, he had actually solved this great big problem with such ease? Her teacher had even personally come to claim credit for Yun Zhonghe. This was really going to be a great big slap in the face, was it not?
Just thinking about it made him feel good.
But, how should he go about finding the evidence?
Yun Zhonghe closed his eyes and racked his brain!
That scene from earlier on replayed in his mind, over and over again.
That was the scene that the former adviser of the judicial department saw right before his death. The entire process was extremely brief and only lasted a few seconds.
If Yun Zhonghe wanted to find evidence to show that Mr. Wenshan had committed a murder, he could only gather it from this scene that lasted just a few seconds.
Soon, he found two points that could possibly be used as evidence.
Firstly, when the former adviser of the judicial department committed suicide, his blood splattered onto Mr. Wenshan's face.
Of course, by now, he would definitely have washed off all traces of bloodstains. But shining ultraviolet rays (also known as UV rays), those traces could still be revealed.
But where could Yun Zhonghe find UV rays in this world?
Secondly, at that time, Mr. Wenshan was wielding a knife as he held the son of the former adviser of the judicial department hostage to coerce the former adviser into submission. His expression was hideous, and he was repeating the same thing over and over again.
Yun Zhonghe slowed down the scene playing in his mind, and then, he read the words off Mr. Wenshan's lips.
"Where is the name list? If not, I will kill your son!"
This… This case was getting complicated.
He had actually said, 'where was the name list?' instead of a ledger. Then this did not fall within the scope of a simple case of corruption. This could possibly involve a case of espionage.
It was entirely possible that this Mr. Wenshan standing in front of him was a spy sent by another country.
Wen Daofu said, "Yun AoTian, you will need to have evidence before you can arrest people. You can't do so just based on speculations. Otherwise, that will constitute a false accusation, and I will have to charge you with the crime of making a false accusation."
"Someone, light an incense stick."
This time, it was a standard incense stick, one that could burn for half an hour.
"Because you said that my trusted aide is a murderer, before this incense stick burns out completely, you must find the evidence of his crime, or else I will send you to prison," Wen Daofu said in a cold voice.
This was really a huge problem presented to Yun Zhonghe.
Suddenly, Yun Zhonghe laughed and said, "This is easy. To be honest with you, my lord, your humble subject here still has one very remarkable skill. That is, I am psychic!"
Instantly, Lord Wen Daofu's face quivered.
Psychic?!
That's bullsh*t!
Yun Zhonghe said, "I can talk to the dead, and then have the dead possess my body to tell me what's on their mind and identify the murderer."
This… This was seriously childish and simply absurd.
Wen Daofu said, "Then you should show us."
Yun Zhonghe got down to the side of the corpse and whispered, "My lord, who killed you? Tell me, and I will seek justice for you."
Seeing this scene, the crowd grew even more disdainful of him. He could not find any evidence, so here he was, putting up a show, pretending to be something he was not?
Then, Yun Zhonghe's body shook violently.
As though a ghost had really possessed him, the first thing he said made everyone around him shudder in fear.
"So long as I die, my family will be safe. Hahahaha! Ah…"
This voice actually sounded exactly the same as that of the former adviser of the judicial department.
Mr. Wenshan, in particular, was scared to the point of allowing his facial expression to change drastically.
He was never one to believe in the tricks of charlatans. Be it being possessed by ghosts, or possessed by ancestors, these were all nonsensical talk.
But now, this was simply too frightening.
Mimicking the voice of the former adviser of the judicial department was not a big deal itself. The key lay with the words that were said, which were the final words the former adviser of the judicial department spoke before he died. And these words were directed at him, Wenshan.
At that time, only the two of them heard it, so there was absolutely no one who could possibly tell this beggar, Yun AoTian, anything about it. And there was absolutely no second person who knew about it. Could it be that he was really possessed by a ghost?
Then, Yun Zhonghe, who was being possessed by a ghost, said something that was even more frightening.
"Name list. The name list that you want… Hahaha, it's in a place where no one can find it!"
Name list?
Wenshan felt a sudden shudder.
Because this list held the names of dozens of sleeper agents, the moment they were exposed, the consequences would be dire.
It was because of this name list that Wenshan had resorted to using the life of the former adviser of the judicial department's son to convince him to hand over the list.
Even though he knew that in doing so, he might be at risk of being exposed.
But the moment that name list was exposed, not only would dozens of sleeper agents have to die, the forces that had remained dormant for more than a decade's worth of time, waiting to ambush, would all be destroyed within a day.
"This list is at… the list is at…" Yun Zhonghe, who was being possessed by a ghost, trembled for a split second. Then he let out a piercing scream as he cried out, "Don't hurt my son. The lot of you, you shall all die terrible deaths, you shall all die terrible deaths…"
Then, Yun Zhonghe opened his eyes as if the ghost had already left his body.
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
They did not believe that someone could be possessed by a ghost, for those charlatans simply had too many tricks up their sleeves.
However, the voice that Yun Zhonghe had spoken in just now sounded way too similar to that of the former adviser of the judicial department.
And the most crucial thing was that the words he said were the final words that the former adviser of the judicial department had spoken before he died. This was really bizarre. He, Wenshan, was the only person who had heard those words.
Could it be… really the possession of one's body by a ghost?
And right at that moment, Yun Zhonghe suddenly picked up a dagger and rushed towards the corpse.
Several warriors rushed forward as well, at an even faster pace, to stop Yun Zhonghe.
"Hold it, let him be," Wen Daofu said.
Yun Zhonghe rushed forward, and without warning, he sliced open the stomach of the former adviser of the judicial department and began rummaging through his stomach.
Everyone was watching all of this happen with ashen faces.
Wen Daofu was no exception. His beard was also trembling slightly as he held his breath.
Yun AoTian really seemed like he was psychic. Could it be that the dead adviser of the judicial department has already told him that the name list was inside his stomach?
If that was the case, then it was just as horrifying. For the sake of secrecy, he had actually sealed the name list in a wax pill and swallowed it into his stomach.
This Yun AoTian was also ruthless enough to disembowel the dead so directly!
"Found it, found it…"
Yun Zhonghe cried out in alarm, and then inside the stomach of the former adviser of the judicial department, he found a wax pill, which was as big as the size of a thumb.
Pinching open the wax pill, a piece of paper was found inside.
This… This was the name list.
This was the wax pill that the adviser of the judicial department had protected at the cost of his life.
This was the wax pill that Lord Wenshan had tried several ways and methods to get his hands on.
For the name list inside this pill implicated dozens of sleeper agents. It involved a secret spy network.
If that was the case, then Yun Zhonghe had really made an immense, meritorious contribution.
Yun Zhonghe unfolded the piece of paper and was about to read out the names on the list.
Yet, at that very moment!
Mr. Wenshan suddenly leaped to his feet, and then, as fast as a bolt of lightning, he pounced on Yun Zhonghe. He wanted to kill him without further delay.
Yun Zhonghe was alarmed and instinctively tossed out the wax pill that he was holding in his hand.
Mr. Wenshan immediately did a twist in the air to face the opposite direction, fast and swift like a sparrow hawk, and caught hold of the wax pill.
Mr. Wenshan was unversed in martial arts, was he not? At that point, he was actually so powerful?
"Catch him, catch him!" Lord Wen Daofu ordered in a stern voice.
Suddenly, four warriors rushed towards Mr. Wenshan at top speed.
Without warning, Mr. Wenshan crushed the wax pill. He also crumpled the slip of paper inside until it was nothing but shreds. Then in one handful, he tossed everything into his mouth.
Very quickly, the four warriors pressed Mr. Wenshan to the ground.
Wen Daofu looked at Mr. Wenshan with falcon-like eyes and said, "I never thought that it would really be you, my most trusted aide. You've been by my side for more than ten years, right? And which country are you a spy for?"
"Hahaha…" Mr. Wenshan let out a shrill laugh.
"My loyalty is to His Majesty, to the Empire. You want to betray them, that's impossible!"
"I'd rather be torn to pieces and die, for I absolutely have no wish of exposing my fellow officers to danger."
"Ah…" Suddenly, Mr. Wenshan bellowed without warning.
"He's going to kill himself, stop him, stop him..."
But it was too late.
Horrifying dark blood gushed out quickly from every orifice in his head. Mr. Wenshan had committed suicide.
Yun Zhonghe said, "That wax pill was not a genuine one. I shaped one out on the spot. And that slip of paper inside did not contain any name list. It was fake. I was just cheating you. I really have no idea where that name list is."
"I know, I know..." Mr. Wenshan said, "But even if it's just the slightest possibility, I'll destroy anyone, even if it meant that I would be fighting to my death. I am more than willing to be smashed to bits and pieces, so long as I could protect my brothers and sisters from harm."
Yun Zhonghe felt his heart shake violently.
"Yun AoTian, you have become an enemy of the Empire. Soon, someone will come for you, hahaha..." As these words had been mouthed silently, no one, other than Yun Zhonghe, could hear them.
Then, Mr. Wenshan twisted his head and died.
He passed content that he had died for a worthy cause. He died in a most courageous manner.
Just then, Wen Daofu, who was standing nearby, began to clap.
Then, everyone in the room began to clap.
"Mr. Yun AoTian, you have performed so well that it far exceeded our expectations. I'll bring you into the residence of the castellan to claim credit now!" Wen Daofu said.
And at that moment, a voice was heard from outside.
"The Lady Castellan has arrived!"
Jing Zhongyue had arrived?
Wen Daofu took Yun Zhonghe's hand and said, "AoTian, you are simply so outstanding, I'm going to take you to ask for credit for your meritorious work, haha!"