The man who arrived was, of course, Wang Hu—Wang Long’s younger brother, Gang Leader of the Iron Tiger Gang, and a Dark Force Powerhouse!

Compared to the brutish-looking Wang Long, Wang Hu was far more "refined."

He looked to be in his thirties and could be considered quite handsome, but he had a pair of tiger-like eyes, their piercing gaze creating a sense of pressure.

At this moment, his expression was sinister, making his aura all the more imposing.

Behind him followed a group of equally grim-faced men, more than a dozen of them, each exuding a powerful aura.

Upon entering the courtyard, he saw Wang Long’s body on the ground. His steps faltered for just a moment before he continued forward.

He remained expressionless as he looked down at Wang Long’s body, staying silent for a long while.

Finally, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In that instant, the rage and terrifying killing intent brewing within them were visible.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had returned to its sinister state. Only then did he turn to Zhao Xing and Zhou Xing. He took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and spoke. "Mr. Zhao, Chief Zhou, I’ve troubled you both... Have you found anything?"

Zhao Xing waved his hand dismissively, his tone flat. "Just official business, no trouble at all. As for what we’ve found... nothing of value yet."

Zhou Xing, however, said nothing.

Seeing Zhao Xing’s indifferent attitude, Wang Hu did not grow angry. He nodded slightly and asked, "If there’s any way we can be of use, please just say the word... In any case, I must trouble you both to find the killer and bring justice for my brother."

"It’s our duty. Nothing more needs to be said," Zhao Xing replied, his tone still cool.

"However, I do have a few questions for you," he added after a pause.

"I’ll tell you whatever I know," Wang Hu said calmly.

"Has Wang Long offended anyone recently?" Zhao Xing asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wang Hu paused for a moment before replying calmly, "My brother was always charitable and generous, a most warm-hearted man. He shouldn’t have offended anyone."

"Wang Long? Charitable and generous?" Zhao Xing scoffed.

Wang Hu said nothing.

After a moment, Zhao Xing continued, "This was clearly a revenge killing. The perpetrator came specifically for Wang Long and his men. If we don’t know the motive, it will be very difficult to investigate."

Wang Hu frowned, sinking into thought.

The scene fell silent.

After a long moment, Wang Hu finally said calmly, "In that case... I’ll have to trouble you both to investigate thoroughly and see if my brother might have unintentionally offended someone after all."

Wang Hu was clearly unwilling to say more.

Zhao Xing watched him for a moment, then nodded. "If that’s how it is... fine."

He glanced around before saying, "We’re more or less done here. That’s all for today. If we find anything else, I’ll come looking for you... Let’s wrap it up."

At his command, the constables began to pack up. A couple of them brought over stretchers, preparing to transport the deceased back to the Government Office.

But Wang Hu stopped them.

"My brother has already passed. There’s no need to trouble Mr. Zhao with his body. Please, let him be buried and find peace."

Wang Hu said calmly.

"In a murder case, we have to take the body back to the Government Office for examination. We might find some clues. He can’t be buried yet," Zhao Xing said with a frown.

"Then please have Chief Zhou conduct the examination here... My sister-in-law and nephew are just outside. I cannot let them see my brother in this state," Wang Hu said, shaking his head gently.

Zhao Xing turned his head and only then noticed that the gang had brought a coffin with them when they arrived. It was currently sitting by the gate.

Zhao Xing frowned and instinctively glanced at Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing said calmly, "There’s nothing more to find on the body. I’ve already examined everything I needed to."

Hearing this, Zhao Xing furrowed his brow, but ultimately didn’t argue. He waved his hand, and the government constables with the stretchers abandoned their attempt to take Wang Long’s body.

Zhao Xing was still vexed. He let out a cold snort and said, "Wang Hu, you reap what you sow... Your Iron Tiger Gang... had better watch its step."

Wang Hu’s expression remained unchanged. He bowed and said, "Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Zhao."

Zhao Xing gave Wang Hu a long, hard look. Without another word, he waved his hand, and the government constables departed.

Outside the gate, they encountered Wang Long’s middle-aged, plump wife.

She was standing there in a daze, holding a child, her thoughts a mystery.

"Brother Hu."

After the constables left, one of the men beside Wang Hu finally spoke in a low voice.

Wang Hu’s face was cold and grim. He stared at Wang Long’s body for a moment before asking calmly, "With such a huge commotion last night, did no one really hear anything?"

"The neighbors all heard it."

Someone whispered, "But they were too scared to stick their necks out."

Wang Long was dead, and then the constables had arrived; naturally, the neighbors had long since been alerted.

In the midst of it all, one of Wang Hu’s men had gotten the truth out of a neighbor... they had all heard the commotion last night.

But...

"That Wang Long was from the Iron Tiger Gang. God knows who he offended, so how would I dare go outside? I just didn’t think something this bad would actually happen..."

In times like these, it’s best not to get involved.

Wang Hu said flatly, his expression numb, "I want to know what he heard last night."

"And then?" his subordinate asked in a low voice.

"And then?... He didn’t come out while my brother was dying. He won’t need to come out ever again."

Wang Hu said coldly, staring at Wang Long’s body.

A cold glint flashed in the subordinate’s eyes. After bowing to accept the order, he took several men and left.

Wang Hu looked at Wang Long’s body and said nothing.

"Could it have been the Four Seas Gang?" someone beside Wang Hu whispered, speculating.

"If it was Cao Zhen, it wouldn’t have been this convoluted... Qiu Jin said the killer murdered someone in Lan Gui Fang, then escaped using a ploy of self-inflicted injury. That’s not Cao Zhen’s style," Wang Hu said, gently shaking his head.

"Then..."

Everyone frowned, at a complete loss.

"Investigate what my brother has been up to recently," Wang Hu said in a heavy tone, closing his eyes.

Although Wang Long was his older brother, his Cultivation was lacking, so Wang Hu generally kept him away from important gang affairs.

Because of this, Wang Hu really wasn’t sure what his brother was usually involved in.

"And that Bald Li... What’s his story? Investigate him for me as well."

Wang Hu stared at Wang Long’s body. "He died at the entrance to the alley, also killed by Darts. He’s obviously connected to this."

"Yes."

...

The constables were unaware of Wang Hu’s subsequent actions.

After returning to the Zhi Lu, Zhao Xing instructed the others to organize the case files while he headed into the main Government Office, intending to report to the magistrate.

Eight lives had been lost. Even though the dead were all local thugs and gang members, it was still eight lives. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a shocking, high-profile case.

It was just that... there had been far too many cases in True Martial County lately.

The refugee uprising alone had resulted in hundreds of deaths, and the situation was still a chaotic mess with countless loose ends.

But regardless, a case of this magnitude still had to be reported to the magistrate.

Zhao Xing left to find the magistrate.

Meanwhile, Zhou Xing and the other government constables continued to sort through case materials, organize evidence, and fill out the morgue reports...

But before long, Zhao Xing returned, his brow deeply furrowed.

Zhou Xing looked up, saw his expression, and paused. He then frowned and asked in a low voice, "Not in again?"

Zhao Xing let out a soft sigh and nodded.

"The higher-ups will probably be here soon. The magistrate has likely gone to figure out a solution... Sigh, I just don’t know if he’ll be able to escape blame this time."

Zhao Xing said with some worry.

The magistrate he spoke of was, of course, the County Magistrate of True Martial, Yang Zhenwu.

The recent events in True Martial County were too significant: relief grain burned, refugees in open rebellion... These were matters that would reach the highest levels of government.

As the County Magistrate of True Martial, Yang Zhenwu would bear the brunt of the blame.

Though he was rumored to have powerful backing, this incident was so massive it was hard to say if even he could escape unscathed.

Now that word was spreading that the refugee rebellion had been suppressed, a reckoning was likely to follow.

An imperial envoy could arrive in True Martial at any moment...

Yang Zhenwu had been making himself scarce lately, likely pulling strings behind the scenes.

In a way, Yang Zhenwu was innocent; it was obvious someone had been orchestrating these events from the shadows.

But the higher-ups wouldn’t care about any of that... They only cared about the outcome.

And the outcome was that the relief grain allocated to True Martial had been burned, leading tens of thousands of refugees to rebel.

As the one with primary responsibility, Yang Zhenwu’s guilt was likely inescapable.

Zhou Xing sighed as well. "The heavens protect the virtuous... We can only hope it doesn’t come to the worst."

When it came to matters of this scale, minor figures like him and Zhao Xing were naturally powerless to help.

They could only pray.

"Ah, forget it. Let’s set it aside for now. It doesn’t seem like Wang Hu wants us to investigate anyway... Let the dogs tear each other apart. Alright, that’s enough. We’ve been busy all morning. Let’s go get something to eat."

Zhao Xing had decided to just wash his hands of the whole thing.

Having been busy all morning, the constables immediately perked up at the mention of food and tidied up their things with brisk efficiency.

They were just about to head out.

"Master Zhou, Master Zhou..."

Suddenly, a constable appeared at the entrance, peeking his head into the Zhi Lu. He spotted the group about to leave, paused for a second, and then called out to Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing was surprised for a moment when he saw who it was, but his expression quickly shifted to a smile. "You’re here? We were just heading out to eat. Want to join us? We can talk over the meal."

"No, no, I can’t." The constable waved his hands in refusal, then lowered his voice. "Master Zhou, could I have a word in private...?"

Seeing the man’s expression, Zhou Xing paused. His brow furrowed slightly as he realized this was likely bad news. He nodded, then turned to Zhao Xing. "You guys go on ahead. I have something to take care of."

Zhao Xing paused for a moment. He recognized the man—he was a clerk from the Household Department.

Though he was curious what business Zhou Xing had with the Household Department, Zhao Xing was smart enough not to ask. He simply nodded. "Alright, be quick. We’ll be at the usual spot."

"Got it."

Zhao Xing and the rest of the government constables left to eat, while Zhou Xing and the clerk from the Household Department stepped outside the Zhi Lu.

The clerk wrung his hands, finally letting out a soft sigh. "Master Zhou," he said in a low voice, "I’m sorry. That matter you asked me to handle... I’m afraid it can’t be done for the time being."

’Just as I thought.’

Hearing those words, Zhou Xing’s brow furrowed tightly.

"What’s going on? It’s just registering a refugee for citizenship... Is there some kind of problem?"

"Well... it’s Chief An’s decision... As you know, processing a registration requires his approval. But Chief An said that with the aftermath of the refugee rebellion still not settled, we must be exceptionally careful when registering refugees, to prevent any rebels from using it to escape justice. So..."

The Household Department clerk spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

"An Changyu?"

Zhou Xing’s brow immediately tightened.

"Chief Zhou, as you know, I can’t go against Chief An’s wishes... so... I’m sorry. Since I couldn’t get it done, I really can’t accept your payment. Here..."

As he spoke, the clerk pulled an Identity document and a few pieces of silver from his robes, intending to return them to Zhou Xing. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zhou Xing exhaled softly and stayed the man’s hand. "What are you doing? It’s not your fault it didn’t work out... I saw how much you were running around for me on this. It’s just a small token. Keep it and buy yourself a drink."

"But..." The clerk looked embarrassed.

After Zhou Xing offered a few more words of reassurance with a smile, the clerk finally said in a low voice, "About this... I think you’ll have to speak to Chief An yourself... or get an order from the magistrate... Well, Chief Zhou, I’ll let you be. I have some business to get back to, so I’ll be taking my leave."

"Alright. Thanks for your hard work."

"No trouble at all..."

The clerk from the Household Department left.

Zhou Xing, however, remained, his brow deeply furrowed as he stared at the somewhat grimy Identity document in his hand.

His expression gradually soured.

’Master had finally entrusted him with a task, and he’d gone and botched it...’

"An Changyu..."

His brow was knitted tightly.

After a moment, he let out a breath, turned, and walked out of the Government Office entrance.

Even though the matter wasn’t settled, he still had to inform his master.

He first bought two jin of wine and had a few jin of beef sliced before heading to his master’s place.

A short while later, he walked into Huichun Hall.