Chapter 156: No Matter Where You Are, There Are Only Five Elements of Investigation!

Yan Jing ate his wontons unhurriedly. Steam rose from the broth, carrying the faint, stinging spice of chili oil against his face.

A light sweat beaded on his forehead.

For this county magistrate election, there were twenty-four ballots in Bianliu County, held by twenty-four different factions.

To become the county magistrate, one first needed at least four ballots just to become a candidate.

Anyone keeping an eye on the Young Master of the Luo Family would soon learn—if they hadn't already—that he was now backed by Crop Plains.

As a result, his every move would likely draw attention.

His activities today at Wanhua Fang and with Old Monkey would quickly spread as well.

And this was exactly what he wanted.

Because both of those encounters had ended in failure.

Everyone would see that Young Master Luo, despite gaining the support of Crop Plains, was hitting brick walls everywhere in his attempt at staging a comeback.

What they wouldn't see, however, was that Yan Jing couldn't care less about this so-called county magistrate election.

County magistrate?

That was something Eldest Young Master Luo cared about.

Not something "Young Master Yan" cared about.

To him, only two things mattered right now.

First, protect this yellow-quality role character—which currently seemed to have great potential—at least until the next Dungeon began.

Second, and most importantly, clear the next Dungeon. Furthermore, he needed to pass Stage A with the highest possible rating, allowing his original body to step into the Second Stage.

Thus, he had eliminated Wei Bufan—the biggest destabilizing factor threatening the character's life—and conveniently secured Crop Plains as a relatively safe backer to keep other factions from knocking on his door.

That was why he went to Wanhua Fang.

Not for breakfast, nor was it for a County Magistrate Ballot.

First, to ensure the news of his failure spread.

Second, so Old Master Liu would witness Luo Sheng suffering humiliation right in front of him.

They hadn't seen each other in three years. It wasn't strange for a person to change a little.

But if a person changed drastically, there had to be a reason.

Yesterday, Old Master Liu had seen two people aggressively come looking for him one after another. Today, he watched him face rejection at the hands of a former subordinate at Wanhua Fang.

This provided the perfect excuse:

Before you returned, old man, there were things I had long stopped wanting to endure, but I had to. Now that you're back, I don't feel the need to endure them anymore.

After that, he came to see Old Monkey, just as Eldest Young Master Luo used to do.

Only this time, he played a card Eldest Young Master Luo had left behind.

Namely, the secret that Old Monkey loved to eat Hand Fish.

Eldest Young Master Luo had originally intended to hold this card for the right moment to recruit Old Monkey.

But Yan Jing felt the card lacked the necessary weight for recruitment. Using it here, however, was just right.

With this setup...

Though outsiders would see his every move, his true motives were the exact opposite of his actions. Everything was perfectly balanced.

Finishing their wontons, Yan Jing wiped his mouth and stood up.

“I'll remember what you said just now, Old Monkey. Whenever you want to eat Hand Fish again, just give me a shout, and I'll have some sent over.”

“Then I must thank you, Young Master Luo.”

Old Monkey loosely clenched one hand into a fist in front of his chest and slowly bowed.

It was a gesture of respect toward Yan Jing.

Yan Jing nodded and led Old Master Liu outside.

“Where are we off to now, Young Master? Blessing Road?”

The old man asked.

There was still a long time before dark, and they couldn't just sit around waiting for dinner.

Blessing Road was the territory of Beggar Cultivators.

Blessing meant begging for fortune—referring to the Beggar Cultivators begging away the good fortune of passersby.

Old Master Liu figured that Yan Jing wanted to tour all the former Clan businesses today—thieves, beggars, and prostitutes—to see if he could scrounge up a ballot.

To his surprise, Yan Jing shook his head.

His planned agenda for the day was mostly complete. He wanted to use the remaining time to see if he could find any unexpected gains.

“Let's just sit by the roadside and chat, Master Liu. It's been a long time.”

Yan Jing said.

“Alright.”

Old Master Liu nodded.

The two found a quiet spot by the street and sat down.

Old Master Liu looked at Yan Jing with confusion, unsure of what he wanted to discuss.

“Do you remember what I told you about someone trying to kill me, Master Liu?”

Yan Jing looked up at the sky and spoke slowly.

“Of course I do, Young Master.”

“Before you returned, I lived in fear day and night, Master Liu.”

Yan Jing's voice was laced with deep exhaustion.

“I didn't tell Xiao Yu about this, afraid she might do something impulsive.”

“I understand, Young Master.”

Old Master Liu nodded. “I will absolutely not breathe a word of it.”

“One day, before you came back...”

Yan Jing continued slowly.

“After having dinner at a friend's house, I went to see Wei Bufan. I originally wanted to reject my cooperation with him, but his attitude was incredibly forceful. I couldn't outright refuse, so I told him I needed more time to think it over.”

“Besides him, I had previously approached several other external Domains aside from Baile Manor, but none gave a very positive response.”

“Then, I took a trip to Wanhua Fang and chatted with Sister Hua for a bit. After that, I went to Blessing Road and spoke with Dagai, who is in charge there. They both brushed me off with perfunctory rejections.”

“After that, I headed to East Street to ask Old Wu, the sugar-figurine vendor on the corner, about the situation of some other factions. I also swung by the Soul-Burning Workshop and talked with their boss.”

“After dinner that night, I went to listen to the newly arrived Wang Family Theatrical Troupe for a while, and finally made a trip to Feinan Temple to offer incense.”

“By the time I got back to my front door, I found this in my pocket.”

Yan Jing pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.

He held it out to Old Master Liu.

“Withdraw from the election, or your death is certain.”

The handwriting on the note was exceptionally elegant, looking like a girl's penmanship.

Yet the murderous intent behind the words, even after so much time had passed, practically bled through the paper.

“Master Liu, out of everyone I just mentioned... who do you think wants to kill me?”

Yan Jing asked slowly, his gaze profound.

Old Master Liu took the note, staring at the words as he sank into deep thought.

After a while, he looked up with a bitter smile.

“Forgive my limited capabilities, Young Master, but you simply named too many people.”

It didn't just include Bianliu County and the major Domains nearby; even several minor factions were mixed in.

However, seeing Yan Jing's furrowed brow, Old Master Liu's fingers tightened around the note. He suddenly spoke.

“Young Master, do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, Master Liu.”

Yan Jing gave a helpless smile.

“Otherwise, why would I tell you? To be honest, you are the very first person I've shown this to.”

[Loyalty Level +1]

“Good!”

Old Master Liu slapped his thigh, a surge of imposing momentum suddenly radiating from him.

He glanced around nervously, then, as if pulling out a priceless treasure, fished a small notebook from his pocket and set it stealthily in front of Yan Jing.

He lowered his voice.

“Young Master!”

“My time away these past few years wasn't for nothing. Besides making a bunch of close friends, I also obtained this.”

Staring at the familiar little notebook, Yan Jing blinked, his tone confused.

“This notebook is...”

“A secret manual!”

For the next hour or two, Old Master Liu meticulously described the scenery of Old Sin City to Yan Jing.

The styles of clothing they wore, refrigerators, the Amusement Park, their speech habits, gas stoves...

Then he moved on to the similarities between Minhu and Old Sin City.

There were tall buildings, small cars, and neither place could use electricity very conveniently...

“That place is quite similar to the Lake, though slightly more advanced. Compared to our Bianliu County... it's leaps and bounds ahead.”

The old man let out a long breath after finishing his explanation.

“Young Master, do you truly believe me?”

Yan Jing looked dumbfounded, completely taken aback. Finally, he nodded.

“I believe you, Master Liu!”

[Loyalty Level +1]

“Good!”

Old Master Liu clenched his fist in triumph, then carefully unfolded the notebook in his hands.

“Right here is the ultimate secret to finding the killer! This contains the distilled essence of the lifelong knowledge of multiple master investigators!”

“Master investigators? You mean investigator cultivators?”

“...You could understand it like that.”

With that said, Old Master Liu checked the contents of the notebook, then stole a glance at Yan Jing. Seeing the youth's grave and serious expression, he instantly felt energized and spoke deliberately.

“There are only five elements to solving a case!”

“Motive, method, time, location, and the murder weapon!”

“As long as you figure out these five elements, absolutely any killer can be caught!”

Hearing Old Master Liu's words, Yan Jing nodded.

“Tell me in detail.”

“First, the motive!”

Old Master Liu looked at his little scribbled notes in the booklet, pondered for a moment, and his eyes lit up. He immediately shot Yan Jing a serious look.

“Why do you think the person who wrote this note wants to kill you?”

“Hmm... that's hard to say.”

Yan Jing blinked.

“Going by what the note says, it seems they don't want me to run in the county magistrate election. Maybe they think I'm in their way?”

“Wrong!”

Old Master Liu suddenly extended a finger and wagged it.

“This is a classic trap!”

Suddenly, a Smoking Pipe materialized in his hand. He placed it in his mouth and took a drag. Wreathed in smoke, his expression was indescribably serious.

“Young Master, if you think like that, you've fallen right into his trap!”

“Think about it. If that person considers you a threat in the county magistrate election, it means there's a high probability they are also a candidate. Just think, what kind of candidate would possibly view you as a threat?”

Reaching the climax of his excitement, Old Master Liu continuously waved his Smoking Pipe.

Not bad, old man. You've improved quite a bit.

In his heart, Yan Jing gave Old Master Liu a thumbs up, but on the surface, he acted as if he had just had a revelation.

“It's a little harsh to hear, Master Liu, but it makes sense.”

“Indeed, others shouldn't see me as a threat. No one under me even acknowledges me right now. So what if I have the Wei Faction's support? It just takes up a spot.”

“Hmph.”

Old Master Liu sneered coldly.

“Young Master, to be honest with you, if I were a candidate, I absolutely would not think about killing you before the election even starts.”

“Think about it: you need at least four ballots just to participate in the election. Why wouldn't I keep you around? You probably won't get a single ballot anyway, and keeping you alive would just waste the resources of the faction supporting you.”

“If you actually got lucky and managed to secure four ballots, it wouldn't be too late for me to kill you then. You aren't some high-tier powerhouse, and you have no one protecting you. You're practically just serving your head on a platter!”

“Finally, if there really was some candidate out there who coincidentally felt that you, Young Master, were so gifted and brilliant that you possessed even the slightest chance of contending for the position...”

“Then he still shouldn't have sent you a note! Wouldn't it be easier to just kill you directly and get it over with?”

At this moment, Old Master Liu was fully immersed in the villain's perspective, completely lost in his own deductions.

Finally, he spun the Smoking Pipe in his hand and pointed it lightly at Yan Jing.

“Therefore, this is a smokescreen. I'd bet my life that this guy definitely didn't target you because he saw you as a threat to his mayoral bid!”

“To put it bluntly, you aren't a threat at all!”