Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 54 What is the Best Candidate?

"Our Six Doors got beaten up by the same person again?"

The head constable, Pang Wen, arrived late and what he saw were his colleagues helping each other to their feet.

When he learned what had happened, he was surprisingly not surprised at all.

It is said that he was the first to disguise himself as a lost scholar and enter the backyard of the Great Xiangguo Temple, hoping to bring Zhan Zhao out!
As a result of a series of unexpected events, I witnessed firsthand how this young man twice overwhelmed the Six Doors.

Neither physical nor verbal methods will work.

Now it's time to take action again.

They were once again utterly defeated.

Why bother?

Pang Wen sighed inwardly, then noticed his colleague rushing over in a panic: "It's terrible! It's terrible! That guy surnamed Zhan is coming to our Six Doors to be a detective!"

"What?"

Pang Wenxian thought he had misheard, and after confirming, he still thought he had misheard: "How is this possible?"

The news spread quickly among the crowd, and they exclaimed urgently, "It's true! It's a secret order left by the Grand Master, appointing Zhan Zhao as the temporary Divine Constable!"

"The Grand Master?"

As they were talking, a quarrel broke out in the front yard.

Two more deputy hall masters have returned.

The division of labor among the Six Doors and Four Halls is actually quite clear—

Xuanji Hall provides central support; Zhenyue Hall launches a frontal assault; Juefeng Hall apprehends the mastermind; and Fengjun Hall pursues them across vast distances.

With the case looming and pressure mounting both internally and externally, Su Wuqing dispatched all the personnel from Xuanji Hall and Fengjun Hall to other places, leaving mainly Zhenyue Hall and Juefeng Hall in the capital.

Those who have returned now are Xin Li, the deputy head of Zhenyue Hall, and Leng Feng, the deputy head of Juefeng Hall.

Seeing their disciples lying on the ground, the two men were furious. When they received the secret letter from Zhou Wuxin and Zhao Wujiu, they immediately erupted in chaos.

"No! Absolutely not!"

Xin Li was the first to object. Looking at his subordinates lying on the ground, and recalling how another deputy hall master, Pei Handeng, had also been beaten to the ground in the same way at Yunqi Manor in Jiangnan, he found it hard to accept, both publicly and privately: "The position of Divine Constable is that of the Director of the Criminal Justice Department, appointed by the imperial court. How can it be given to an outsider at will?"

The Four Great Constables held official positions in the imperial court, including the Director of the Criminal Justice Department and the Envoy for the Capture of Thieves in various prefectures.

However, the Four Great Constables deliberately obscured this authority in order to facilitate their work in the martial arts world.

Moreover, above them is a "Divine Marquis" Zheng Guowei, who was bestowed with a dragon-patterned staff by the late emperor. He was entrusted with this mission in times of crisis and kept it in mind. He was loyal to protect the Song Dynasty and would not tolerate any traitors under his staff.

Now, "Divine Marquis" Zheng Guowei is not in the capital, but has been sent as an envoy to Western Xia. The Six Doors are now led by Su Wuqing, but even so, the position of Divine Constable is no joke.

Zhou Wuxin emphasized: "It is only a temporary measure. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. There have been similar events in the previous emperor's reign. It is not without precedent."

Even if it's a temporary measure, the choice of person must be considered!

Leng Feng, the deputy head of Juefeng Hall, looked young, but already had a full head of white hair and a face as stern as frost: "Our Six Doors is not a Buddhist sect that can accept all kinds of criminals. How can we allow someone of unknown origin to infiltrate and be hailed as a divine constable?"

Zhao Wujiu said in a deep voice, "Are you questioning our elder brother?"

Xin Li immediately said, "We certainly won't deny the Grand Master's decision, but is the secret letter in this box really left by the Grand Master? Could it be an imposter?"

Zhou Wuxin shook his head: "Only the four of us brothers know the location of the secret box. The handwriting and penmanship are all done by the eldest brother. Besides, if it were really left by a thief, why would it be such an appointment that is easy to cause controversy?"

Zhao Wujiu also said, "Brother's actions have their own profound meaning! You two are elders of the Six Doors, and also our seniors. Do you not trust Brother's decisions?"

"It's not that we don't trust the Grand Master, it's just that this decision is too absurd!"

The two chief constables with golden seals frowned and shook their heads repeatedly.

Listening to the argument there, Pang Wen looked to the other side.

In stark contrast to them were Zhao Yun and her companion standing not far away, occasionally whispering and chuckling softly.

Suddenly, the constable mustered his courage, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master Zhan."

Zhan Zhao looked at him: "It's you. Is there something you need?"

Pang Wen asked, "Young hero, would you be willing to join my Six Doors?"

"Ha! Finally, someone has asked the key question!"

Zhan Zhao's lips curled up: "Your Six Doors are a mess right now. While you're arguing here, have you ever thought about whether I'm willing to agree?" His clear voice echoed in all directions, reaching everyone's ears.

The argument quickly quieted down, and after a moment of stunned silence, they all glared angrily at each other.

"A mess?"

Leng Feng stepped forward and said coldly, "Since that's what you think, please leave now! Our Six Doors is too small to accommodate someone as important as you!"

Zhan Zhao said calmly, "I was originally going to leave, but Constable Zhou insisted that I stay and take a look at the secret box. But this is fine, so we can make things clear. Do you know why Constable Su made this arrangement?"

Xin Li said in a deep voice, "You know?"

"pretty close."

Zhan Zhao spoke calmly, revealing a shocking truth: "In Su Shenbu's judgment, 'Zhong Kui' should have a close connection with the Six Doors!"

"What did you say?"

"Stop making false accusations!"

Everyone suddenly changed their color.

Zhan Zhao ignored him and said calmly, "Does Constable Su not know that making this extraordinary decision will attract criticism?"

"He definitely knows."

"Then why do it?"

"It's very simple. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. After weighing the pros and cons, he felt that this matter would be more helpful to the Six Doors than to the controversy!"

"The impact of 'Zhong Kui's' crimes is no longer limited to the four missing martial arts masters. If the recent turmoil targeting the Six Doors is related to 'Zhong Kui,' then the forces involved are increasing. If this person is not apprehended in time, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"The reason why 'Zhong Kui' was able to stir up so much trouble, especially keeping the Six Doors busy, is either because the other party truly possesses extraordinary abilities, or most likely because he is actually an inside man!"

"Internal strife cannot be caused by external enemies!"

"Zhong Kui is very likely within the Six Doors, or perhaps has a very close connection with someone within the Six Doors!"

"That's how I managed to manipulate you all. After investigating for so long, not only did we run out of clues, but even Detective Su himself disappeared!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed again.

Xin Li and Leng Feng exchanged a glance, thinking about Su Wuqing's recent arrangements, and realized that this de facto manager of the Six Doors was indeed guarding against internal threats.

But with little success.

so……

Zhan Zhao continued, "That's why Constable Su made this appointment. He wanted to find an outsider who had absolutely nothing to do with the Six Doors to investigate this case."

“In your eyes, my origins are a mystery, and I am highly skilled in martial arts. I might even be ‘Zhong Kui’.”

“But in Su the Divine Constable’s eyes, although I am new to the martial arts world, I have been in the Great Xiangguo Temple for a long time and have been witnessed by many monks. Therefore, I cannot be ‘Zhong Kui’.”

"Because if it were 'Zhong Kui,' he would try his best to keep his whereabouts hidden from outsiders, so that he could create an alibi at the crucial time of the crime. Otherwise, if he is usually stable in his whereabouts and suddenly disappears when the crime occurs, that would be the most direct flaw."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wuxin and Zhao Wujiu couldn't help but show expressions of regret.

This principle is not difficult to understand, but when Su Wuqing went missing, concern led to confusion and unnecessary conflict.

The key point is that we haven't fought it yet.

Zhan Zhao didn't care. He had verified the extraordinary nature of Yao Guang. Under normal circumstances, there wouldn't be so many people accompanying him to practice. However, he also showed a hint of admiration: "Detective Su is indeed worthy of his reputation."

"I am new to the martial arts world and have no connections with anyone in the Six Doors. My interpersonal relationships are completely clean. In fact, due to previous conflicts, although we are not enemies, we do not like each other."

"This is indeed the best choice to clean up the chaos within the Six Doors; it's a stroke of genius!"

"However, no one can be perfect. Even Su Shenbu could not have predicted that you would come to arrest me without distinguishing right from wrong. Now that he has learned his lesson, he is angry and ashamed, so of course he is even less willing to accept it."

"Everyone, please!"

"May we meet again, though mountains are high and rivers are long!"

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing Zhan Zhao and Lian Caiyun walking away gracefully, not only did Zhou Wuxin and Zhao Wujiu immediately follow after them, but even Xin Li and Leng Feng, whose expressions were uncertain, moved their feet to follow.

Finally, the four of them blocked the entrance, their extremely awkward smiles returning, but this time with a hint of pleading: "Young Master Zhan, please wait! Please help the Six Doors!"

(End of this chapter)