Chapter 1403: My Path

For a skilled coroner,dissecting a corpse is a simple matter.Little different from carving pork.But if that corpse is one's closest kin...It's hard not to have trembling hands.Who can be heartless?

Regarding Jiang Wang's question,Lin Youxie was silent for a while, then closed the wooden box, putting it back into her storage pouch."I forgot to drink it," she said calmly.

Zheng Shangming didn't know Lin Youxie suffered from phobia, so he couldn't grasp the emotion in this exchange.He simply asked, "Deputy Envoy Lin, are you finished examining?""Yes, it's done," Lin Youxie said."Are there any clues?" Zheng Shangming asked."Do you truly wish to know?" Lin Youxie asked."Of course," Zheng Shangming replied, "What, is it inconvenient to say?""The deceased had seven wounds on his body; only one could be considered fatal. That is the piercing wound to the skull, likely caused by a finger-wind technique, specifically the index finger.The remaining six wounds were clearly inflicted after death, and the cuts are very irregular, likely caused by a type of scavenger fish called 'Chongxi' found near Haimen Island.I believe his true cause of death was the collapse of his divine soul, and only after death did his golden body and jade marrow disintegrate. The blow to the skull was merely added later to mislead.I have ample reason to suspect that the person who killed him is not from the outer seas, and Haimen Island was not his primary death site..."Lin Youxie spoke in one breath up to this point, then looked at Zheng Shangming, "After I've said all this, will the Northern Division investigate the Tian family of Daze?"

Zheng Shangming paused, then forced a smile, "This... depends on the will of those above."Lin Youxie said nothing further, merely turning and walking away.

Jiang Wang silently followed behind her.Neither of them spoke, and they walked out of the Northern Division in silence.Those who had greeted the coffin earlier had already dispersed, as if the sorrow that enveloped the entire Northern Division only occurred at the moment of seeing Uri's body.

"Why are you following me?" Lin Youxie suddenly asked."When a person is irrational, they are prone to making foolish choices," Jiang Wang said, "Having worked together, I do not wish you to die in the name of a fool.""It's all over," Lin Youxie said.Even a famous constable like Uri is dead; the clues regarding Gu Xing on Baja Island will only be hidden deeper.Even if there were some before, they must have been erased by now.Without conclusive evidence, no matter how much one suspects, how much one analyzes, no matter how reasonable those analyses are... it is all in vain.There is nothing more cruel than this.

The assassination case of Consort Lei has been seventeen years ago.Uri and Lin Youxie have also pursued it for seventeen years. In these seventeen years, they have certainly made some gains, but they have been unable to approach the core truth.They fought alone, making slow progress.It wasn't until Feng Gu's sudden death this time, leaving clues that pointed directly at the current Empress,that the sealed truth vaguely surfaced in the water.Only one step away...Clearly only the final step away from the truth, but this step, they cannot cross.

When Uri's body silently floated on the sea, what was his mood?He must have felt great regret, surely?But as Lin Youxie said, it is all over.Any rational person should understand that this farce is over.Feng Gu is dead.Gongsun Yu is dead.Uri is dead.Continuing the endless investigation will only result in more deaths.And the truth will not be revealed.More people will simply die meaninglessly.Among the more people, of course, can be Yang Jing, and also Lin Youxie, and even Jiang Wang.

Lin Youxie is still alive now only because of her official position.As a Deputy Inspector and having worn the Azure Plaque for many years, killing her is tantamount to provoking the dignity of the state.But if it truly comes to a point where she must be killed, the person behind it will not be merciful.After all, even Consort Lei died; what is a mere Deputy Inspector that cannot be killed?

"Yes, it seems everything is over," Jiang Wang said, "But you won't give up."Lin Youxie continued walking forward, not speaking.Jiang Wang followed behind, continuing, "You said you have a heart as steadfast as mine. So I know you won't give up.""What can not giving up accomplish?" Lin Youxie said.Jiang Wang said, "Life is long, there can be many possibilities in the future...""Rest assured, I won't do anything foolish," Lin Youxie raised a hand to stop him, then waved it."Please return, Lord Jiang," she said, "I wish to be alone."

Jiang Wang then stopped, watching her silently as she walked away.Linzi is vast, with many people, and this slightly slender figure simply walked into the bustling streets, quickly disappearing from sight.The more prosperous Linzi is, the more lonely the people ignored by this city become.Look at this surging crowd, so ordinary.However, every drop of water in the crowd is a life that has journeyed for a long time. Everyone has their own story, their own choices, their own difficulties.Who in the world does not suffer?Hence, the Buddhists say, this is the sea of suffering.

Jiang Wang composed himself, about to turn and return to his residence, when suddenly a voice transmission gently exploded in his ear—"Lin Kuang's death that year was indeed suicide. I can only say this much."This voice was clearly disguised, very neutral, indistinguishable as male or female, completely concealing its true sound.The Immortal Voice skill instantly activated; Jiang Wang almost immediately traced the source of the sound, turning his head to look, only to see a back disappearing around the street corner.

A street ran horizontally in front of the Metropolitan Inspectorate's gate. Across the street was a high wall. Behind the high wall were clusters of houses built specifically for Azure Plaque constables; many constables lived there, and the environment was quite good.The long street extended to both sides, and at both ends, long streets cut vertically through, roughly forming an inverted "工" shape. The Northern Division was located north of this inverted "工".Apart from the street in front of the Metropolitan Inspectorate's gate being somewhat deserted, the streets on both sides were very lively.Lin Youxie walked the west street, and the mysterious voice sender walked the east.While capturing the source of the sound, Jiang Wang tapped his toe, the Azure Cloud Shattering Step initiated, he strode gracefully, and had already reached the east street at the fastest speed, but saw only bustling pedestrians at both ends of the street. Crowds of people pushed and shoved, everyone busy with their own lives.How could he find any trace of that mysterious person?

Who was it?And why did they specially run over to say this sentence?Was it out of a sense of simple justice, or pity for Lin Youxie, or a deliberate hint from some faction unwilling to let the case reach a dead end?

Jiang Wang now deeply understood Lin Youxie's state all these years, and understood the phrase in Feng Gu's suicide note—"Looking around, everyone is suspect."Du Fang could be considered half a disciple of Lin Kuang, yet it was he who threw Lin Kuang's body in front of Lin Youxie.He, a dignified Third-Grade Golden Gourd Warrior and Fourth-Grade Azure Plaque Constable, following procedures strictly, went to the autopsy room to examine a corpse, and someone followed, concealing their identity.Taking the Northern Division's carriage on a mission, the driver was one of their subordinates.Gongsun Yu said nothing, revealed no information, yet died immediately after.Uri, a famous constable of his generation, a Divine Attainment expert, finally found floating dead on the sea...As long as it involved the assassination case of Consort Lei that year, everyone, everything, became complicated.

Therefore, even though this voice transmission carried a strong hint, Jiang Wang was still very cautious.

However, to say it again.If what this mysterious person said is true, that Lin Kuang indeed committed suicide back then...Then, why?A person like Lin Kuang, the most outstanding Azure Plaque Constable in history, a figure who took the Azure Plaque as his lifelong honor... how could he commit suicide? How could he choose such an undignified end?

The answer is actually quite clear...

When he returned to his residence, Chong Xuan Sheng was also there.This胖子 (fat man) was holding an unsharpened broadsword, sparring back and forth with Fourteen.There was nothing particularly wrong with that, the only issue was...The place they were sparring was the courtyard where Jiang Wang resided.

"Can't you spar somewhere else?" Hearing clanging and banging the moment he entered the door, Jiang Wang couldn't help but frown, "The layout of this courtyard cost money."Chong Xuan Sheng threw a sentence back without turning his head, "I'll compensate you double if anything is broken."Jiang Wang immediately stopped talking.They were all friends; there was nothing to quibble about.Anyway, he could close the bedroom door, block out the sound, and cultivate; he wasn't afraid of disturbances in the first place.Truly diligent and hardworking cultivators should have the composure to cultivate in a bustling marketplace!

"Here, take this," Chong Xuan Sheng, amidst the dazzling sword light, casually tossed over a small booklet, "Gongsun Yu's investigation results."Perhaps he had been waiting for Jiang Wang here all along, and practicing his blade was just a side activity.Jiang Wang reached out to catch it, muttering, "You're trying a bit too hard, it's not like you."Chong Xuan Sheng, in his busy state, angrily retorted, "You cultivate in front of me every day as if you're rushing for your life; how can I be lazy?!""Alright, alright, don't get excited, you two continue."Jiang Wang didn't provoke his temper for now, standing by the courtyard gate, and amidst the sword and blade light filling the courtyard, silently read the intelligence.

The intelligence report investigated by the Shadow Guard roughly outlined Gongsun Yu's movements after leaving the Palace of Longevity.Information from multiple sources can corroborate that the Palace of Longevity had indeed been secretly investigating the Consort Lei case, but it suddenly stopped last year.This information completely aligned with Jiang Wang's own deductions — Jiang Wuqi had indeed discovered the truth and then chose silence. Gongsun Yu also chose to cut out his tongue to protect this secret.

He put away this intelligence report and drew out Chang Xiang Si with a backhand.As the sword's cry began, Chong Xuan Sheng seemed to receive some signal, leaped out of the fray, sheathed his sword behind him, and looked at Jiang Wang with vigilance, "What are you doing?""A saber isn't used this way," Jiang Wang's expression was very sincere, "Good brother, I've discovered some problems with your saber technique."Chong Xuan Sheng directly put his saber into his storage pouch, sat down on the stone chair with a thud, and even rolled his eyes in passing, "Mind your own business?"His whole body of fat jiggled, looking like, "I'm unarmed right now, if you have no moral bottom line, come and chop me."

Jiang Wang felt a bit regretful, but could only sheath his sword regretfully. While grumbling, he said, "You're too un謙虛 (unassuming/modest). You'll progress very slowly this way."Objectively speaking, Chong Xuan Sheng's saber technique was definitely not bad, and could even be said to have quite remarkable skill.But he was indeed a bit short of the pinnacle of this realm.It wasn't just his saber technique; Chong Xuan Sheng's various Daoist arts, secret arts, fist and foot techniques, movement techniques... all had high attainments, but none of them had reached the absolute peak.He was too clever, so clever that he could touch a very high level without any effort.But to reach that step of absolute peak, it wasn't something that could be achieved by cleverness alone. It required consistent effort, full dedication, and in the daily practice, capturing fleeting inspiration...In short, he was too distracted.

Chong Xuan Sheng understood this himself.However, an opponent at Jiang Wang's level, while they could help him a little, the effect would be very limited without the possibility of a life-and-death situation. He would never give Jiang Wang a legitimate opportunity to beat him up.He was very clear about where his path lay; only the official path could integrate all his talents.Of course, this path should start with the title of Marquis of Bowang... which could save decades of hard work.

Chong Xuan Sheng slumped on the stone chair, pouting, "You don't even want the position of Northern Division Commandant, you'll progress even slower that way!""Too lazy to bother with you," Jiang Wang scoffed, walked around him, and headed straight into the room."See, you don't like hearing this, do you?"Jiang Wang turned his head, "Then say something I'd like to hear?"Chong Xuan Sheng said, "Our Desheng Chamber of Commerce is doing very well this year, and there will be a lot of dividends at the end of the year."A trace of a smile appeared on Jiang Wang's tense face."But the two of us won't divide it, we still have to invest it to expand the business," Chong Xuan Sheng said."If you ask me, Fourteen shouldn't spoil you," Jiang Wang said indignantly, "Do you know that Fourteen's sword technique is already much stronger than yours? She's just suppressing her strength to be able to spar with you properly. And you still think you don't need guidance every day! Not humble at all, completely unaware!"

Compared to Chong Xuan Sheng, it was Fourteen's sword technique that had touched the pinnacle of this realm. Who knows how much painstaking effort this girl, who was constantly hidden beneath iron armor, put in behind the scenes.However, Fourteen has not been able to unleash her Divine Ability to this day, which is a point of innate deficiency.

"Really?" Chong Xuan Sheng turned his head to look at Fourteen.Fourteen finally said softly, "Just a little bit better than you.""You're too good, how are you so excellent?" Chong Xuan Sheng smiled so much his eyes disappeared, "I don't need to work hard at all!"Jiang Wang's old face was wrinkled up, "The intelligence has been delivered, and we've sparred. If you ask me, if there's nothing else, go back to your own courtyard, alright? Don't affect the cultivation of the number one heavenly pride of Great Qi!"He deliberately pointed out Fourteen's progress in sword technique to shame this fat man.But how did this fat man show any sign of being shamed?He was almost hugging the iron lump and gnawing on it!He could only chase them out.Fourteen also took a step back as if covering something up...

"Cough!" Chong Xuan Sheng coughed lightly, showing no embarrassment, and said solemnly, "Let's not get involved anymore, Lord Jiang?"Jiang Wang did not speak.Chong Xuan Sheng continued, "You are only responsible for supervising the progress of the case and can withdraw at any time. This is the step the Son of Heaven has given you; if you don't take it now, when will you?He gives you an opportunity, you don't want it. He gives you a step, you don't take it. What do you want to do?How much tolerance do you think the Son of Heaven can have for you?"Jiang Wang retreated into the bedroom, laughing and scolding, "Mind your own business?"He closed the door.