Above the Great Dao
Chapter 417 - 202 Hu Village_2

Chapter 417: Chapter 202 Hu Village_2

"Archivist Zhuge, Archivist Zhuge... Zhuge Jian!"

Marquis Zheng called out to him several times, and when he got no response, called out his real name, demanding, "What are you daydreaming about? Is there anything else?"

Zhuge Jian steadied his mind and bowed, replying, "Reporting to Marquis Zheng, the murderer has cultivated something akin to a golden body through a spell. Although it’s not as invincible as the Vajra Body, it’s not much weaker than a golden body. His cultivation is still in the Golden Core Realm; he has not achieved Nascent Soul..."

The Chief of Punishment interrupted him, asking, "How do you know the murderer hasn’t reached the Nascent Soul Realm?"

Marquis Zheng’s gaze fell upon him, and Zhuge Jian suddenly felt an immense pressure, responding, "Sir, the Golden Body from the Great Baoguo Temple couldn’t possibly be fully passed on to a brothel prostitute like the victim; hence, she didn’t achieve the true Golden Body. With the murderer’s strength, if he had achieved Nascent Soul, he wouldn’t have needed to resort to breaking the Golden Body to kill her; he could have simply used a profound spell to shock her to death. Therefore, I speculate that he is of the Golden Core Realm."

Marquis Zheng and the Chief of Punishment each frowned.

To confront a formidable opponent in the Nascent Soul Realm and break their Golden Body in one encounter, such an act was excessively tyrannical!

"Where has the murderer taken these virgin prostitutes?"

The Chief of Punishment pressed on, "How could he leave Yudou with so many virgin prostitutes right under our noses?"

Zhuge Jian said, "When he killed the fourth woman, he stored her body in an incredibly small space. If he can use such a spell to kill, he can also use it to hide people. There are over twenty juvenile prostitutes here, and for him, a box the size of a palm is all he needs to conceal them."

The Chief of Punishment frowned and muttered quietly, "If we can’t crack the case, how do we explain it to the Young Master?"

Zhuge Jian felt a chill in his heart and bowed deeply, "The Young Master most likely knows who the murderer is; the officials need not worry."

Marquis Zheng nodded slightly and said, "After all, this matter is our officialdom’s fault; we still need to inform the Young Master and apologize. This office will personally contact the Young Master and discuss this matter."

He paused, then said, "Zhuge Jian, you too have benefited from the Young Master. If you know any clues about the murderer, you must not conceal them."

Zhuge Jian bowed even lower, "This subofficial dares not."

At that moment, several men in short coats and long straight pants pushed through the crowd into the courtyard, looking rather menacing. Seeing Marquis Zheng and the others, they were startled and their bravado dissipated as they bowed, "We have seen the officials."

Marquis Zheng glanced over these few people and sneered, "Since when has the Lu Ban Sect become involved in crimes that occur in Rouge Lane?"

The foremost man hurriedly kowtowed, "Humble citizen Situ Wen, at your service, Marquis Zheng! And you too, Chief of Punishment!"

The Chief of Punishment smiled and said, "Get up, Situ Wen. We know you and the victim were close; her death pains you more than anyone else. But this crime is a matter for Yudou Prefecture; you should not interfere."

Lu Ban Sect Leader Situ Wen’s face changed slightly as he half-bowed, "This matter isn’t only concerning the Yudou Prefecture; it also concerns the Young Master! The Lu Ban Sect must get involved!"

"You!"

The Chief of Punishment was about to speak further when Marquis Zheng raised his hand to stop him, saying, "I need to return to Zheng Mansion first and contact the Young Master. You all stay here and continue the investigation."

The Chief of Punishment agreed.

Marquis Zheng departed, and as he walked out of Rouge Lane, his brows suddenly furrowed, and he sighed.

"Caught between the Child Scholar and the Young Master, two taboos; why must I be in the middle?"

His head throbbed with pain. Others may not know that the murderer was Chen Shi, but he was well aware. Before entering the city, Chen Shi had sent birds to scout the geography of Yudou, and even let them into Zheng Mansion. The one who lifted his hand and brought down all the birds was none other than Marquis Zheng.

He knew all of Chen Shi’s details.

Zheng Mansion’s stance towards the Western Capital had always been non-interference, non-involvement. While not part of the Thirteen Families, they were still well-informed of the world’s affairs. No one knew Chen Shi better than Marquis Zheng.

"If he were to die in my Yudou, the citizens of Yudou would have to be buried with him!"

With this thought, his head grew heavier and more painful.

Upon reaching Zheng Mansion, Marquis Zheng intended to contact the Young Master but was informed by the head butler, "Marquis, I have already contacted the Young Master."

Marquis Zheng raised an eyebrow, replying sarcastically, "Manager Zhang Ji, you did well. However, you are the head butler of Zheng Mansion, not the Young Master’s."

The head butler Zhang Ji bowed, "Serving Marquis Zheng is no different from serving the Young Master."

Marquis Zheng was a bit angry and waved him off, saying irritably, "Get out."

"As you command," said the head butler Zhang Ji as he withdrew.

"Come back!"

Marquis Zheng called him back and with a flicker in his eyes, asked, "What are the Young Master’s instructions to you?"

The head butler Zhang Ji answered, "The Young Master is in Massachusetts, visiting the Xu Family. Having heard about this incident, he is quite angry. The Young Master said we should make our own decisions; Marquis need not inquire further. Marquis can still contact the Young Master, and he will certainly inform you."

Marquis Zheng said indifferently, "No need. Get out."

"As you command," the head butler Zhang Ji bowed and left.

Marquis Zheng watched him go, sighed, and murmured lowly, "Does this Zheng Mansion belong to the Zheng family, or to the Young Master... Nevertheless, this matter concerns the lives of millions in Yudou, I cannot ignore it."

In the carriage, Chen Shi and Hu Feifei were seated, with Nannan keenly watching Black Pot, who had been hurrying ahead of them. The little girl was puffy with anger, convinced the dog was an Evil Spirit and waiting for it to reveal its true form.

Hu Feifei held a compass, directing the wooden cart, periodically calling to Black Pot to help navigate.

After about half an hour, they had traveled over a hundred miles away from Yudou City, finally arriving at a mountain village of modest scale.

The geography of this mountain village was quite peculiar, surrounded by mountains on three sides, a branch of the Henggong Mountain range enclosing them, and in the middle of the flat ground, there suddenly rose an isolated hill.

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