Could it be that I am the cruel villain?
Chapter 61 Exposure

Chapter 61: Chapter 61 Exposure

"Lord, Xue Ming’s body has been found, indeed on the mountain!"

The footsteps running swiftly.

A few hundred meters of mountain road, yet it took less than thirty seconds to run down, not out of breath, just from these movements one could tell they were extraordinary; then, he bowed slightly to the Lord County Magistrate.

But surprisingly, upon hearing this news, there was no sign of surprise on Mr. Sun, the County Magistrate’s face, as if he had long known that Xue Ming died on the cemetery.

To be precise, he died in front of his wife and child’s grave.

This morning, chaos erupted in the Xue family, as it was noticed the master of the house was getting up later than usual, hence they went to call him to rise, only to find Xue Si and a few personal guards mysteriously dead, killed by a sword through the throat.

And their own master also mysteriously vanished, whereabouts unknown, and in urgency, they decided to report to the officials immediately.

There were no signs of struggle at the scene; those guards appeared as if they stood foolishly to be killed, highly peculiar, even the family door was found to be opened from the inside.

However, upon their arrival at the government office, they were shocked to find that Mr. Sun, the County Magistrate, had known the news even earlier than them.

"Indeed, the claims of that note weren’t false, but who actually left that clue for me?"

He nodded at the Government Official, signaling him to lead the way.

Today, he too found such a note on his desk as he rose at dawn, detailing how Xue Ming was cruelly murdered, and even listing the murderer’s name and the method used.

But when he saw this note, a chill ran down his back, a cold dread rising from his feet, making him still feel very apprehensive now.

Because this mysterious person had actually sneaked into his own government office without anyone noticing!

His intentions aside, just the skill set was enough to make one’s scalp tingle, considering one needs to be quite capable to hold a ground in this sort of border city.

There were at least five to six body refined guards inside his office, plus two more who had started Qi Refinement, and although not of very high realms, the fact that they were virtually unchallenged in this small border city was something to reckon with. If needed, he could even request aid from a few genuine cultivation masters from the State City.

But that someone could leave a note without waking him up explained a lot of things; saying they could have easily killed him instead was no exaggeration, he indeed had a narrow escape from death.

What shook him more was the name and method of murder left on the note.

"It’s not possible, it definitely can’t be him."

The local officials headed up to the cemetery, which was also where locals placed their ancestral graves, hard to imagine someone committing murder here, but despite his unwillingness to believe, Xue Ming’s death was a fact.

Until he saw the corpse himself.

For a moment, Mr. Sun, the County Magistrate, fell silent.

Because the corpse in front of him matched the description on the note exactly, from the manner of death to the method of murder, including... the smile on Xue Ming’s face.

The coroner was carefully examining the body, trying as much as possible to preserve the crime scene, yet his face was also full of sighs.

After all, in just one month, the family destroyed and father and son both dead; the once illustrious Xue family would probably begin to disappear from Qingshui County from today.

Quickly, the coroner noticed a clue.

"Lord."

As if having discovered some clue, the somewhat elderly coroner stepped forward and lowered his voice, "Just like the last time when Xue Wu and his servants were killed."

"Although the weapon is different, a dagger or short knife of some sort was used this time, but the method is identical, stabbed and then the weapon was twisted and withdrawn immediately. The murderer is likely the same person and highly skilled."

He silently nodded.

Then he suddenly turned and asked a question to the Government Official standing beside him.

"Recently, I have had people keeping a close watch on Jiang Feng. How has he been lately?"

"This..." Looking confused, although not understanding why Lord County Magistrate suddenly shifted the topic to Jiang Feng, he still honestly answered.

"Lately, he’s been the same old self, engrossed within the Ethereal Violet Pavilion, often not coming out for several days, and even when he does come out, he just hurriedly returns home once then dives back in..."

"Say something useful!"

The suddenly intensified tone caught people off guard, it was also the first time seeing impatience and irritability on Lord County Magistrate’s face.

The newly arrived Government Official in front of him clearly didn’t know how to respond, but those old-timers who had been on the job for decades immediately understood the County Magistrate’s intention, suspecting this matter might be connected to the future son-in-law of the Yan Family.

Then he took a step forward voluntarily.

"Mr. Sun, there indeed has been something strange about Jiang Feng recently."

"It’s less than a month until his grand wedding, yet this guy spends his days in the brothel, and his movements are elusive and unpredictable. Even though the ladies from Firework Alley can testify, his character has changed drastically before and after."

"Moreover, from my observations, it seems Jiang Feng has already shown signs of starting his training."

Upon hearing this, the corners of County Magistrate Sun’s mouth twitched.

Although he was reluctant to believe it, it corresponded exactly with the description on that note.

"People found numerous traces of medicinal herbs in the trash he discarded, which seemed normal at a glance. After all, he fell into a ravine few months back and was injured all over, it made sense to use a large amount of medicinal herbs."

"But this time, the herbal residues seemed familiar to me. Embarrassingly, when I was in my Body Refining phase, I couldn’t find a good opportunity. After exhausting considerable funds, I finally found a formula for Body Refining, and several of the herbs in it looked similar."

"A person recovering from severe injuries could definitely not use these kinds of herbs."

People always think differently based on established facts or from an objective and fair perspective.

Initially, they were watching Jiang Feng not out of suspicion, as they had known this young man for a long time, just a very ordinary local resident, the youngest Scholar in Qingshui County. Although not as outstanding as Lady Yan, this marriage had nothing to do with them.

Instead, County Magistrate Sun was worried about Xue Ming going mad because of Jiang Feng’s offense against the Xue family, hence he secretly arranged for them to give support, after all, he would be the future son-in-law of the Yan Family.

Yan Zhongxu is already over forty years old and in a few more days, his energy and capability might diminish significantly. Having a son-in-law to help stabilize the family business was naturally a good thing, and power would gradually fall into Jiang Feng’s hands.

For County Magistrate Sun, his way of investing was actually about favoritism and protection, providing help when Jiang Feng was still weak - to get the greatest return with the smallest investment...

But now, he felt like an actor on a stage.

Simply put, a clown.

"And recently, those responsible for handling the swill at Ethereal Violet Pavilion also found quite a lot of herbal residues."

"The smell is pungent and suffocating, likely also used in Body Refining, another thing, why does Jiang Feng go only to Ethereal Violet Pavilion."

"Considering there are dozens of brothels on Firework Alley, it’s indeed odd to only visit this one."

This didn’t surprise the County Magistrate too much. As the local magistrate, he knew some information and understood that brothel and its women were no ordinary matters, and everyone just had an unspoken mutual understanding.

"The last point..." The experienced Government Official hesitated for a moment, looking uncertain.

"But it’s okay to say, even if it’s just a guess."

"Yes." With the County Magistrate’s permission, he finally spoke his mind.

"In recent days when I saw that young man, I noticed his body had more vitality, his behavior and manners were vastly different, and the Sword Qi emanating from him was quite astonishing."

"I’m afraid I wouldn’t stand a few moves against him."

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