Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 27 Xu Mou Loves Reading

"Oh dear, Master Li, Senior Brother Li, it's not that I don't want to help you, but criminal cases require proper methods. The constables have already found evidence of the One-Eyed Golden Knife on Mount Dalong and are preparing to go..."

This time, Master Li was not as anxious as before.

"Brother Youde, please don't misunderstand."

The old master stepped aside, revealing a young man.

Magistrate Song thought this person was a disciple of Master Li, and he seemed to have met him a few times in Qiantang County before. Now it seems there is some other connection.

Xu Xuan stepped forward and bowed respectfully, knowing that when traveling, one must first state one's identity.

"Xu Xuan, instructor of Chongqi Academy, greets Your Excellency."

Magistrate Song's heart sank.

Old Li has brought reinforcements; he knows who's in Chongqi Academy.

Over the years, he has always treated the professors in Nanshan with utmost respect, hoping to avoid being criticized by those retired seniors. He never expected to be persuaded this time, and things are not going to go smoothly.

So he enthusiastically stepped forward and grabbed Xu Xuan's arm.

“Alas, Mr. Xu, this is the inner hall. You are not yet in official robes. We are all scholars, so please do not bow. Would that be too much for this old man?”

"I also deeply longed for Chongqi Academy back then, but unfortunately, it was just that..."

Giving face to the academy is giving face to yourself.

Everyone in Qiantang County knows this principle.

After a round of mutual flattery, Xu Xuan pulled out a letter and handed it over to Magistrate Song, who was looking on with a sullen expression.

The name Sheng Yuanfu terrified him. He was the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the mentor of the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice. There was no question of him being forgotten after leaving the ministry.

The power of academic cliques is already beginning to emerge.

However, this old gentleman has always been known for his impartiality and incorruptibility; he shouldn't be interfering in local affairs.

After reading the letter, the unease on his face disappeared; the old gentleman still had a great sense of the big picture.

The general message did not call for a continued large-scale search, although the search for the child should still continue, but it should be done with care.

Magistrate Song pondered for a moment and understood; this was what the big boss meant.

Master Li has come to the academy for help; ignoring him won't do anything, or the academy's reputation will suffer.

Even if you try to manage it, it's not allowed. Interfering in criminal matters without authorization is an overreach of authority. This matter could be serious or minor, and Professor Sheng is someone who cherishes his reputation.

The key is to maintain a proper sense of proportion; you must grasp it firmly.

If done well, this matter could actually be a stepping stone for advancement.

When the old professor wrote letters to his friends in the imperial court, even a casual remark about how the magistrate of Qiantang County was doing could bring about earth-shattering changes for him.

So he pretended to be very sad and said...

“I am deeply saddened by the murder of my nephew and have been unable to sleep. However, for the sake of the safety and well-being of hundreds of thousands of people in the county, I must make some sacrifices.”

After Professor Sheng gave him some pointers, Youde realized that he had been a little too hasty before he came to his senses.

As the saying goes, "When officials serve the public and follow the law, there is harmony between superiors and inferiors; when superiors and inferiors are in harmony, the nation is strong." Therefore, let this Mr. Song be audacious and reckless once more in the name of achieving harmony between superiors and inferiors.

That's a very eloquent statement. It wasn't that we ignored it before, but rather that we stopped searching for the sake of the people of Qiantang. After Professor Sheng's guidance, we suddenly understood and are willing to try again for the sake of fairness and justice.

Everyone present was a scholar, and they knew very well who he was referring to.

Xu Xuan readily agreed to relay to Professor Sheng the hardships Magistrate Song had endured for the people of Qiantang, as well as the matter of his "sudden enlightenment" that brought peace to the region.

Both parties were satisfied.

The next step is to make specific arrangements.

The county government will assign two or three constables to continue the investigation and search for Master Li's grandson.

At the same time, missing person notices were posted on the city walls and bulletin boards.

Secondly, the county constable in charge of apprehending thieves was assigned to stay by Xu Xuan's side for the next few days to provide assistance.

Because the case files cannot be shown to outsiders; this is an ironclad rule.

Therefore, they bypassed the case file and had the person who wrote the case file tell the story personally.

This also serves to protect Mr. Xu, who came from the academy, and is another form of surveillance.

The academy is indeed a huge institution, but if a young scholar suddenly acts recklessly and blocks one's path, someone still needs to report it.

The two sides simply drank tea on the surface, and the matter was resolved.

Master Li was already extremely grateful for this result.

Upon exiting the county government office, Xu Xuan repeatedly expressed his gratitude. If it weren't for the academy's intervention, Magistrate Song would have indeed caught the "murderer" immediately for the sake of his future.

"There's no time to lose. You go back and have your servants continue the search. The county magistrate and I will go to the scene of the crime."

There were two people when they came in, and three people when they came out.

A man of average height and build, with dark skin, narrow eyes, and an ordinary appearance, carrying an iron ruler, followed beside them.

This is Zhao Hu, the county magistrate of Qiantang. Xu Xuan led Zhao Hu towards the carriage, intending to take advantage of the remaining light to explore the outskirts of Qiantang.

If the lingering aura hasn't dissipated, one can definitely detect something using their intuition.

The carriage sped out of the city again.

Zhao Hu also recounted the details of the case, the information that had been blocked, and why he was in such a hurry to close the case.

They generally agree with what Master Li said, but differ in the details.

Many of the bodies in the convoy were smashed by tremendous force, injuries typically caused only by falling rocks.

It can be loosely explained that a martial arts master intervened.

However, some of the marks on the bodies indicated that they had killed each other; the knife marks and the marks of falling to the ground could be compared one by one.

Even more bizarrely, some people died after their life essence was drained, and their bodies curled up into the shape of monkeys.

Even as he spoke, the county constable still had a hint of surprise in his narrowed eyes.

The reason for expediting the case's closure is to avoid creating unnecessary complications.

Such cases have occurred throughout the Jin Dynasty, and have even appeared several times in local county annals.

There has always been an unwritten rule for county magistrates in various places when dealing with these special cases.

When you encounter a bizarre corpse or a case that defies logic, don't investigate it too deeply. Closing the case early can prevent greater danger.

Even if the inspector arrives, as long as he can corroborate the suspicious aspects, he will not relentlessly investigate further.

Of course, one of the worst-performing elements is the county magistrate, whose negligence in governance led to the appearance of these monsters and demons.

Xu Xuan only realized it was normal after hearing this.

Practitioners cannot detach themselves from the human world, and evil spirits and heretics will not abide by the law.

The imperial court chose to settle the matter peacefully over trivial matters; the death of a few ordinary people was not a big deal.

This time, the young master of the Li family was one of the victims.

Upon arriving at the scene, the two stepped out of the carriage.

Xu Xuan activated his spiritual senses and looked around. The area was covered by blood, resentment, and black and green auras.

His extraordinary intuition allowed him to almost see the bloodshed and carnage of that night.

Although he lacked experience, he could tell that more than one person had made a move that night.

There was also a faint, familiar energy within it.

Moreover, these arrogant and wicked people made no attempt to conceal their actions, and their work was far too sloppy.

Xu Xuan had a misunderstanding; not everyone can perfectly conceal their aura.

Especially since heretical and unorthodox techniques are fraught with hidden dangers, it's difficult to even survive, let alone have time to conceal one's inner energy.

His gaze swept across the room, hoping to spot some unusual clues.

Ugh?
After following Mr. Xu to the outskirts, Zhao Hu planned to pretend to search again.

What I really thought was that this scholar was just pretending.

Why not just study the classics properly instead of getting involved in legal matters?

That means the bodies were all taken away; otherwise, what if they had been scared to death in the wild?

When they arrived at the scene, the other party had no intention of stepping inside; they simply stood in the car and looked ahead.

People used to say that Chongqi Academy was full of talented people with all sorts of abilities, but now it seems that this reputation is undeserved.

Just as he was inwardly complaining, Xu Xuan suddenly got off the carriage and walked straight in one direction, even pushing aside the tall weeds to continue walking.

Zhao Hu hurriedly followed, fearing that the scholar might be bitten by a snake, which would be difficult to explain.

After following for several dozen steps, they saw Xu Xuan bend down and pick up a child's shoe from the ground.

"W-How did you find out?"

Zhao Hu was dumbfounded. He led dozens of constables to investigate the scene for a whole day but found nothing.

Would I tell you that I saw a trace of a child's vital energy remaining?

So I gave a very bland answer.

"When Xu was bored, he read books such as 'The Law Classic,' 'Miscellaneous Records of the Western Capital,' 'Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified,' 'Collection of Doubtful Cases,' 'Preface to Collection of Doubtful Cases,' 'Comparative Cases of Tangyin,' 'Mirror of Judgment,' and 'Strange Tales of Judgment.'"

One book title after another bombarded Zhao Hu with questions, leaving him too afraid to ask any further questions.

I realized that the rumors circulating were actually quite unfounded; the scholars at Chongqi Academy were truly different from the scholars I encountered in daily life.

Xu Xuan looked at the tattered shoes in his hand with a solemn expression.

This direction is actually towards Qiantang County.

(End of this chapter)