Chapter 290: Chapter 14: Three Corpses in Fury
At dawn, fishermen on Dragon Abyss Lake discovered a drifting boat and naturally found the corpse on it.
Given the attire of the corpse was unlike that of an ordinary person, the fishermen immediately reported it to the government.
Soon afterward, two residual shadows flashed by, revealing two figures dressed in blue, each with an iron token hanging from their belts.
The iron token was carved with a majestic heavenly gate surrounded by cloud patterns that seemed to flow faintly as the token swayed, resembling real clouds, quite mystical in appearance.
Onlookers on the shore, recognizing the attire and the token, promptly shouted, "Divine Travel Grand Protector has arrived."
Then, everyone made way, clearly familiar with the identities of these two men.
Divine Travel Grand Protector, belonging to the Southern Heavenly Department apart from their duty of delivering messages, also had members performing other roles, such as investigating homicides and pursuing criminals.
It couldn’t be helped, who else could move as fast as the Divine Travel Grand Protector?
Feng Yunjie straightened his clothes, his face covered in stubble yet severe, and followed by the youth, he boarded the small boat to examine the corpse.
The youth accompanying him appeared to be around twenty years old, but his actions were extremely practiced, clearly not a novice. After boarding the boat, the youth took out a booklet and quickly flipped through it, finally stopping on a page.
"’Ghost Shadow Whip’ Chu Jiang, Seventh Grade Realm, originally a notorious river bandit later recruited by our department as an external member," the youth read aloud.
Feng Yunjie glanced at a broken whip on the boat and said, "It should be him."
"This... was recruited into the Southern Heavenly Department by Zuo Shushi," the youth remarked with a look of surprise.
Privy Council Chief Executive, holding a high position in the Southern Heavenly Department, only attainable by fifth-rank individuals, and indeed a prominent figure in the world.
The two had truly not expected this former river bandit to be related to the Privy Council Chief Executive of the Southern Heavenly Department.
"No wonder Master has come..." the youth felt a sense of enlightenment.
Meanwhile, Feng Yunjie had already begun a meticulous examination of the corpse.
Yet no matter how he inspected, he could find no visible injuries; even infusing True Qi into the body revealed no internal injuries.
"It doesn’t seem to be due to being subdued by a powerful aura," said Feng Yunjie softly.
If there is a significant disparity in strength, it is possible to be crushed alive by the opponent’s aura, but most victims show signs like burst liver and gall, dilated pupils, and traits of being scared to death, which can be discerned by those who frequently deal with corpses.
That essentially ruled out the possibility of a crude Martial Artist being involved.
Thus, the only option left was magic that harmed the Divine Soul.
"Has Judge Cui from the Yin Law Department returned?" Feng Yunjie asked.
"Not yet," the disciple shook his head. "The Chief is still in Yong Province, and Judge Cui has been detained there continuously, not having returned yet. Recently, the Yin Law Department has been unwilling to cooperate with us in investigations."
Saying this, the disciple revealed a wry smile.
This time, the Chief indeed intended to suppress the Yin Law Department, which should be a good thing for the Southern Heavenly Department, but not necessarily for those who usually interact with the Yin Law Department.
For such homicide cases, it used to be enough to get into a good relationship with the Yin Law Department, let Judge Cui inform about the location of death for a good start. Not like now, where even estimating where the death occurred is uncertain.
Dragon Abyss Lake is so vast; who knows where this small boat drifted from.
"Then we’ll have to investigate on our own."
Feng Yunjie pulled out a storage bag, securely stored the corpse, and then suddenly swung his palm, pushing the boat away from the shore.
"Master, where to?"
"Iron Pillar Temple."
Feng Yunjie said, his robust True Qi propelling the boat at a swift pace towards Longevity Mountain in the distance. It was an electrifying journey, and soon they arrived near the lake.
Various boats, large and small, also entered their line of sight, and not far away, the Iron Pillar Temple’s front was bustling with shadows, lively despite it being early in the morning.
"Master, it must be for Young Master Jiang," the youth whispered.
Overnight, the arranged duel between Jiang Li and Yuan Zhen had become the talk of Divine Capital, stirring conversations in every street and alley.
Ordinary people were unaware of the undercurrents in Divine Capital, and even some descendants of noble families and officials might not know. Upon hearing this news, many naturally wanted to witness the elegance of both parties.
Especially since this year Divine Capital’s flowers bloomed in all four seasons, a spectacle not seen in centuries, attracting scholars and gentlemen from all over, making it even more lively.
"Master, what should we do?" the youth asked.
"Let’s keep away."
Feng Yunjie, grasping his disciple’s shoulders, turned into a blurred residual image, and in an instant, crossed a substantial distance in a straight line, arriving at a secluded corner of Iron Pillar Temple, scaling the wall effortlessly.
The outer Array of Iron Pillar Temple had been forcibly breached by Jiang Li and was yet to be repaired, allowing Feng Yunjie easy entry.
He never considered making a proper visit, especially since Jiang Li was in the midst of preparing for battle, and the Iron Pillar Temple was closed to visitors, blocking any conventional means of entry. He had to use a slightly unorthodox method.
However, this approach was likely to sour relations with Jiang Li.
With Feng Yunjie’s experience in Jianghu, he should have foreseen this, and it seemed he preferred to risk alienating Jiang Li to conduct this investigation.
The youth understood his master’s intention, secretly braced himself, ready for any sudden changes.
However, before they could take any action, a little Daoist boy hurriedly ran over. Upon seeing them, he came up, performed a traditional obeisance, and said, "Infinite Heavenly Venerate, I am Qingfeng, tasked by Fellow Daoist Jiang to invite you both to Baopu Hall for a meeting."