Why do I have so many masters?-Chapter 427 - 99 The Shangguans from County City (2/2)

Yan Ling looked at the county magistrate sitting at the top seat.

He wore the vermilion clothes typically donned by patrol officers, with a Great Qin broad saber strapped to his waist.

His right hand’s five fingers grasped the saber’s hilt, merely pulsating slowly.

A chill seemed to rise within the room.

He had always been a restrained person, never responding with harsh words even to criminals who committed offenses.

He was just a person, and he understood this very clearly. It should be the law itself that punished them, not ’himself’, not his own emotions and anger.

The Great Qin was known for its strict and harsh laws, its authority so immense that it was unrivaled under heaven, and those tasked with enforcing the law must always remember that they were merely people, just like those being tried before them, ordinary citizens of the Qin, otherwise, it was too easy to be deluded and stray into wickedness.

He constantly reminded himself of this.

Yet at this time, as he looked at the plump county magistrate before him, the restraint he’d maintained over his heart began to show signs of breaking.

Clutching the hilt of the saber, he nearly wanted to pull out the broad saber at his waist like he did in his younger years when he accompanied his master traversing the lengths of the realm for trials, to deliver a slash to that fat pig, to beat him until he lay on the ground, holding his head in acknowledgment of his errors, to beat him until he could no longer act wantonly, so that he might vent the surging frustration in his heart.

The county magistrate, noticing that Yan Ling had not spoken, furrowed his brows slightly, and with a posture of self-importance, poured himself another cup of tea. He blew lightly on the steam rising from the teacup and said calmly and deliberately:

"If there’s nothing else, you may please leave."

"This official is quite busy with public duties and truly lacks the energy to entertain you both..."

After speaking, he raised his cup to drink, his demeanor and gestures carrying a faint air of official authority.

Yan Ling couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his eyes like unsheathed broad sabers, conveying an intimidating chill as he said:

"Public duties are keeping you busy?"

"What an excuse of being preoccupied with public duties!"

The county magistrate frowned slightly, sensing something amiss, but before he could speak, he heard a dull whoosh through the air. It was too late for him to retreat.

A loud bang.

The table before the county magistrate trembled violently. Many scrolls were laid out upon it, and with this tremor, they were scattered all over, fluttering up like stirring butterflies, and among these fluttering pages with black characters, a token was now thrust inverse into the mahogany table, inlaid with a bronze tiger and divine beast biting each other.

Above the token, the word ’Punishment’ was inscribed with austere authority.

The county magistrate’s eyes bulged instantly, spitting out the tea in his mouth as he coughed incessantly, his demeanor severely flustered. Yet, he dared not show the slightest disrespect and scrambled towards the lower hall, bowing grandly to Yan Ling and Wang Anfeng with a pale face and said:

"Subordinate, Fufeng County Magistrate Qi Xing’an, greets the two lords."

"Unaware of your arrival, I failed to receive you from afar, I beg for forgiveness, for forgiveness..."

At this moment, his heart was extremely terrified. As he spoke, his lips quivered noticeably; indeed, he resembled an enlightened fat pig. Yan Ling’s brows were tightly locked as he gave him a cold glance and said:

"I am here following the orders of the Ministry of Punishment’s Chief Arrestor Zhu, to review a case of death from half a month ago."

He stepped past the trembling figure of the county magistrate.

His right hand held the hilt of the broad saber, which seemed to be drawn out an inch, revealing its forbidding blade.

The chill within the room grew even more piercing.

The county official could only nod meekly, unable to utter a word. Yan Ling didn’t bother with him further. He walked slowly to the table, lifted the Ministry of Punishment token that was thrust into the table, and placed it back at his waist, securing it with a strap. His eyes, sharp as blades, swept over the dispersed scrolls on the table.

Seeing that most of the cases had been processed and, while not exceptional, at least appeared to be handled correctly without any major mistakes, his expression softened slightly. He turned around, looked at the county magistrate, and spoke again:

"Bring the records of that case here, and also call the constables responsible for the matter."

"I need to question each of them face to face."

The county magistrate, of course, agreed meekly.

Yan Ling spoke up again:

"Additionally, bring the deceased’s belongings."

"I suspect there may still be some clues among them."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate’s complexion became even paler. He lifted his gaze to Yan Ling and said with a forced smile:

"Report, my lord, the case has already been closed, and the items have been stored in the city’s warehouse."

"This..."

Yan Ling raised his gaze, speaking indifferently:

"So, you cannot take them out, is that it?"

The county magistrate’s heart nearly skipped a beat. In that instant, he could barely distinguish whether the young man in vermilion clothes before him was an exotic beast from the Punishment token, as sweat streamed down his forehead more profusely. He quickly changed his tone, chuckling dryly:

"Not at all, not at all. It’s just that there are many complicated matters involved and it will take some time, I’m afraid the lords might not have the patience to wait."

"So, may I know where the lords are staying at the moment? I’ll attend to this matter right now, retrieve those scrolls, and personal effects, and then send, no,"

"I myself will accompany the patrol officers to deliver them to the lords to avoid any further delay."

Yan Ling responded flatly:

"You and I are officials of the Ministry of Punishment, cases should naturally be handled within the Ministry’s offices. To go to an inn, what would that look like?"

"I can wait."

The County Magistrate lifted his sleeve to wipe his sweat and constantly offered an apologetic smile, saying,

"Yes, yes."

"It was the undersigned who was shortsighted. Your Excellency truly is a role model for our rank. The undersigned admires, admires..."

This sycophantic, ingratiating manner made Yan Ling feel as if he had swallowed a large chunk of greasy pork fat, filled with revulsion. He closed his eyes, unwilling to see that face which disgraced the image of the Ministry of Punishment, and said,

"You may leave."

The County Magistrate breathed a sigh of relief internally, and it was at this moment that Yan Ling suddenly recalled something and spoke up again, saying,

"Wait a moment."

"Does Your Excellency have any other instructions?"

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Yan Ling pressed and massaged the space between his eyebrows before saying,

"The belongings of the deceased are not urgent at the moment. You should first bring the case files to me. Also, at this time, the kitchen of the government office should still have the fires burning; fetch a set of fitting Patrol Officer attire for this young brother on my behalf, and have the cook send over a basket of meat buns and five bowls of plain noodles."

The County Magistrate was startled, almost thinking he had heard wrongly.

Five bowls?

It is known that most in the government office are Martial Artists, and the meals prepared by the internal kitchen are both hefty and generous. Speaking of those plain noodles alone, an ordinary rugged man can’t even finish one bowl without feeling so stuffed he can’t walk; five bowls of plain noodles, plus an entire basket of meat buns, these two gentlemen certainly have quite the appetite.

Yan Ling raised his hand to tidy up the scattered case files, saying nonchalantly,

"Anfeng, go ahead and eat first; if it’s not enough, we’ll talk then."

"Heh, I’ll feel sleepy after a full meal and we still have to investigate the case, so I’ll just drink some tea..."

His voice trailed off, and Yan Ling raised his eyes to see the County Magistrate’s actions had frozen. Seeing the latter looking slightly rigid, he frowned slightly and said,

"Aren’t you going to hurry?"

"Yes, right away..."

.....................

That County Official ran out as if fleeing for his life.

Only after dashing more than ten zhang away did he come to a stop in the courtyard, letting out a long breath. His chest felt somewhat hollow now, and he glanced back at the side room with a sense of reverence. The room, which he had personally selected for its perfect exposure to the sun, was most comfortable in winter but now projected a gloomy and oppressive atmosphere.

It felt just like the young man he had encountered a moment before.

Oppressive, authoritative, with eyes that held not a trace of emotion as they looked upon him.

At that time, he could hardly distinguish whether he was looking at a human or a Divine Beast like the one depicted on the Ministry of Punishment’s token.

Such an encounter made him tremble involuntarily, overwhelmed with discomfort, a feeling he had only experienced once before, when he first stepped into the Ministry of Punishment’s office and visited the prison holding serious offenders. He could still remember that cold, oppressive atmosphere, causing him to break out in cold sweat whenever it crossed his mind.

But what he saw back then was an entire prison, whereas today, it was just a young man.

Recalling what the young man had just instructed him to do, the County Magistrate dared not linger and fled as if his feet were on the wind. His expression was tense with an unmistakable hint of panic.

He hoped that those bastards hadn’t spent the items acquired from the female corpse yet.

Otherwise, it would be a disaster.

Thinking about the consequences that the incident would lead to, the County Magistrate’s chubby face nearly lost its last trace of color.

Inside that room.

Yan Ling bent down and started picking up the scattered case files, one by one. Although he had just displayed an imposing attitude that showed a master’s grace, this mess was now his to clean up, and his martial skills were far from being able to wave a hand and put these scattered documents back in order automatically.

Wang Anfeng was helping to tidy up. Suddenly, he laughed and said,

"Yan Big Brother, you sure were impressive just now..."

Yan Ling let out a laugh as he placed the case files together, saying,

"Are you teasing me, too?"

His voice paused and he continued,

"That was a necessary move."

"When Master took me on travels throughout the land, he once said, ’A rat has its path, a snake has its way; in human affairs, one must be flexible. Being too rigid will only lead to a deadlock in the case.’

"If I had severely punished him just now, he might maintain respect on the surface, but inside, he would likely harbor resentment, and during the investigation, he might secretly obstruct by withholding a clue or two, which would only make the case much more difficult."

"Moreover, we don’t have time to deal with his issues at the moment. However, if he fails to bring the belongings noted in the records before I have finished reviewing the case files, he shouldn’t blame me for not being polite."

His voice paused as Yan Ling’s eyebrows knitted together, showing a hint of authority.

Wang Anfeng heard this and laughed, understanding that Yan Ling had also noticed the County Magistrate’s unnatural reaction when the topic of the belongings was mentioned. He felt reassured, thinking to himself that if he could see this, then Yan Ling surely saw it even clearer.

Reflecting on the recent change in Yan Ling’s aura, which subtly influenced the phenomena of Heaven and Earth around the Ministry of Punishment, he felt a sense of admiration.

Only those whose hearts are undistracted can march straight ahead.

It seems that in not too long a time, the Fufeng Ministry of Punishment will have a new Sixth Rank Chief Arrestor.

PS: The second update for today...