Is This Such an Inconvenient Matter

The sudden violent death of a court official caused the entire Zhaoping Commandery to tremble!

When immortal clans slaughtered each other, or when mortals were killed or injured, as long as the situation remained within certain bounds, the imperial court would only turn a blind eye.

After all, what the court required was the long-term stability of the realm and the peaceful livelihood of the populace. Though immortal clans fought and declined, and mortals perished in the crossfire of cultivation struggles, for the Zhao Kingdom and the human race as a whole, prosperity continued.

It was not that the imperial power did not care for mortals, but rather that their concern was for the collective, not any single family or individual.

This was why Demonic Cultivators slaughtered mortals for cultivation, and why clan warfare persisted for years without escalating too far; it remained within the tolerances established by the human upper echelons.

Demonic cultivation produced strong individuals; clan warfare forged spirited fresh blood in the fires of conflict. While both had their drawbacks, they served to strengthen the human race as a whole.

But the violent death of a court official was a direct contempt for the laws of the land and a provocation against the majesty of the imperial throne.

Laws existed for a reason, and if even government officials could be killed at will, the rules governing the Zhao Kingdom would become a joke, trampled into the dust!

Therefore, whenever an official was murdered, it inevitably stirred up a bloody storm, sometimes even leading to the total annihilation of an entire immortal clan.

In Qingshui County, two figures stood in midair. They were the two Executors of the Immortals' Directorate.

"Executor Wang, where shall we begin our investigation?" Executor Cao asked the gaunt, sinister-looking old man beside him, his tone tinged with reverence.

Though Wang Kongyun shared the same cultivation realm, he had been a notorious Demonic Cultivator before his recruitment by the Immortals' Directorate. His lethal methods far outstripped Cao's own, necessitating a respectful demeanor.

"First, investigate who Zhu Zhen has crossed in recent years," Wang Kongyun said slowly.

"Understood. I shall go and make inquiries; Executor Wang may find a place to rest in the meantime."

Cao Qianyuan transformed into a streak of light, descending into Qingshui County. Wang Kongyun remained aloft, scanning the earth below. From his sleeve, he produced an ancient banner wreathed in demonic qi, and he flew toward a distant forest.

He was an expert in killing, but wholly ignorant of the subtleties of tracking. His presence was merely a precaution, and since he had nothing to occupy his time, he decided to hunt wild beasts in the mountains to bolster the spiritual essence of his Dharma Artifact.

As Cao Qianyuan entered the mansion of the deceased, he found Zhou Chang'an and others waiting respectfully on either side, with Zhu Zhen's body lying in the center.

"My Lord, Magistrate Zhu succumbed suddenly to a violent illness. We feared disturbing the scene, so we left everything as it was."

Huang Yuancheng, a sturdy man with sallow, pockmarked skin-known to locals as 'Pockmark Huang'-spoke with a bowed head.

Cao Qianyuan ignored him entirely, walking straight to the corpse. "When did the Magistrate perish?"

"Reporting to you, sir, it was yesterday at the hour of Xu," Secretary Bai replied, his voice heavy with grief.

There was no formal position of secretary in the county office; he had lived comfortably only by attaching himself to Zhu Zhen. With the Magistrate dead, he was once again a mere commoner.

Cao Qianyuan nodded, manifesting a pristine white orb in his palm and channeling his spiritual energy into it.

Immediately, flickering images shimmered upon the surface of the orb. It replayed the scene: Huang Yuancheng and the others appeared, then the moment Zhu Zhen suddenly vomited blood and collapsed. The orb was clearly replaying the events surrounding the death.

Zhou Chang'an and the others watched in shock, secretly relieved they had not disturbed the scene upon their arrival.

Observing that the vision only reached back to the moment Zhu Zhen returned to his residence, the onlookers realized the artifact likely had a limit of twelve hours.

Cao Qianyuan reviewed the sequence but found no immediate red flags, so he knelt to examine the body.

"Black chicken soup, lotus seed pudding... No wonder he died. Such a vicious scheme," Cao Qianyuan murmured.

Zhu Zhen had not been killed by a blade, but through a long-term, subtle poisoning. The yin and yang of his daily meals had been carefully manipulated to conflict, slowly ravaging his internal organs over months without ever showing outward symptoms.

Even a master physician would have struggled to detect the poison without constant monitoring of his diet.

"Where did he eat regularly? Was there a set menu?"

"The Magistrate mostly dined at home, always the same few dishes. He occasionally went to Yichun Tower or Wangchun Tower to improve his meals."

Cao Qianyuan fell into deep thought. Someone had clearly mapped out Zhu Zhen's habits, allowing them to poison him with absolute silence.

"In the last half-year, did he develop a taste for any new dishes?"

"He began craving the black chicken soup from Wangchun Tower five months ago, and the lotus seed pudding from Yichun Tower three months ago. I am not certain of the others," Secretary Bai replied truthfully.

"Wangchun Tower, Yichun Tower..." Cao Qianyuan muttered to himself. He pointed to Secretary Bai and said, "Come with me. Tell me everything that has transpired in the last three years."

"My Lord..." Secretary Bai hesitated.

"Do not worry. With me here, no one dares harm you."

Cao Qianyuan led him to a side courtyard. Secure in the promise of protection, Secretary Bai recounted everything he knew.

"The Magistrate had long sought to make political achievements to secure a promotion, but the Huang family is too powerful. Every effort he made interfered with their interests, so they blocked him at every turn."

"Seventy percent of the shops in this city belong to the Huang family, including Wangchun Tower and Yichun Tower."

"A year and a half ago, the Lin family was promoted to an immortal clan. They enslaved the local people, causing dozens of deaths. The Magistrate punished them, and they have been outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant ever since."

"A year ago, he attempted to host a gathering in Linfeng Town, but was obstructed by the County Assistant because the area fell under the jurisdiction of the Zhou family's commercial firm."

"Half a year ago, the young master of the Lu family offended the Magistrate, only to be beaten to death by thugs that night. The incident was framed to make it look like the Magistrate's doing, causing a blood feud between them."

After an incense stick's time, Cao Qianyuan understood the situation clearly. In Qingshui County, the immortal clans held the true power, and imperial authority had withered away, with the Huang family reigning supreme.

All four families had motives to kill the Magistrate, making it difficult to pinpoint the culprit immediately.

"Tell me more about that incident with the Lu family."

"My Lord, it was riddled with suspicion. The thugs involved knew nothing; the only person who knew the truth was killed by the Lu family's young master himself in the chaos, leaving it an unsolved case," Secretary Bai said bitterly. Had it not been for that event, Zhu Zhen would never have been at odds with the Lu family.

"That Lu family cultivator doted on his son. His death made him hate the Magistrate with a passion. I believe it is highly probable he was the one who did this."

Cao Qianyuan remained silent. While the Lu family was the most suspicious, it was just as likely that another family had committed the murder to frame them-or perhaps it was a ploy by the Lu family to hide in plain sight.

"Are the remains of those thugs still around?"

"The Lu family cultivator came and, in his rage, sliced them all into mincemeat. They were buried in the mass grave outside the city."

"I am asking about the ringleader."

Secretary Bai shook his head. "He was also carved into meat."

Cao Qianyuan felt his head throb. He decided to start from the source. "Summon all the cooks from the mansion, and those from Yichun and Wangchun Towers. Not a single one is to be missed."

"The mansion's cooks are present, but the chefs at the towers have rotated frequently over the last six months. It is impossible to summon them all," Secretary Bai said, lowering his head.

Just then, a black shadow descended from the sky. Wang Kongyun appeared, his presence radiating a thick, cloying stench of blood.

"What have you found?"

Cao Qianyuan shook his head and relayed everything he had gathered.

Wang Kongyun sneered. "You have cultivated for decades, yet it seems your wits have all gone to the dogs."

He pulled out his Soul Banner, which erupted in dense, roiling black mist, filled with the wailing and shrieking of countless resentful spirits.

"Is this such an inconvenient matter? Watch as I break it open."

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