Wife is hell

Chapter 35 Spiritual Cult
In order to find out what happened, Jiang Mu and Shi Yuhua rushed to the county jail.

Shi Shuangsui was left at home to be looked after by her aunt.

To be honest, Jiang Mu didn't believe deep down that Shi Baolu would kill someone.

Of course, some of this close friend's behaviors are indeed a bit abstract.

For example, I used to be constantly woken up by the rooster crowing in my house.

Outraged, he would get up earlier than the chickens every day, sneak into the chicken coop, and imitate the rooster's clucking at the top of his lungs. He would even hold the rooster's old flames, the hens, in his arms and pluck their feathers in front of them.

After three consecutive months, the rooster jumped into the well and committed suicide.

For example, Mu Jiang was once chased and bitten by the old yellow dog guarding the Sifang Temple. The righteous Shi Baolu immediately grabbed a knife and went to find the old yellow dog that very night to take revenge.

The next day, people discovered that all the fur on the old yellow dog had been shaved off.

There was also a sign hanging on the third leg.

It is written—

Those who bully my brothers will be bullied in return!
Such incidents are too numerous to mention. Thus, he and Mu Jiang were known as the "Two Fools of Yancheng".

But to say he committed murder is absolutely impossible.

Upon arriving at the county government office, one could see a large group of yamen runners gathered outside the gate, whispering amongst themselves, while the sounds of arguing and roaring could be faintly heard from inside the courtyard.

Upon seeing Jiang Mu and Shi Yuhua appear, the yamen runners who had been whispering among themselves stopped talking and looked at Shi Yuhua with mostly sympathy.

"Brother Jiang."

Jiang Mu greeted a tall, thin constable.

This man, named Jiang Xiaoyuan, was a trusted follower of An Chenghu and often accompanied Chief An on patrols and investigations.

Jiang Xiaoyuan walked over quickly, and before Jiang Mu could ask anything, he lowered his voice and said:
"Xiao Jiang, Miss Shi, Shi Baolu has been arrested and thrown into jail. The situation is very bad. He did commit murder, and there were many witnesses at the time."

Upon hearing these words, Shi Yuyu swayed slightly.

If Jiang Mu hadn't caught her in time, she probably would have collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Mu was also dumbfounded.

“Brother Jiang, you’ve met Shi Baolu before. He used to be a bit simple-minded like me. How could he possibly kill someone? It doesn’t make sense.”

"I don't want to believe it either, but under everyone's watchful eyes..."

Jiang Xiaoyuan glanced at the absent-minded Shi Yuyuan and sighed, "To be honest, even if Constable An comes back, this case will be difficult to handle and he can't save Shi Baolu."

Jiang Mu understood the implied meaning: "You mean... the deceased's identity was unusual?"

Jiang Xiaoyuan looked around and lowered his voice even further:
"He killed Yang Mingyu, the third son of the Yang family."

"Young Master Yang?"

Jiang Mu felt that the name sounded familiar.

After a moment's thought, I remembered that when I went to the Wu family to investigate before, Madam Wu had casually mentioned that Wu had been hanging out with this Young Master Yang for some time.

"This young master Yang's father is a well-known wealthy man in Yancheng. More importantly, the wealthy man's son-in-law is Yu Zhengqing, the deputy head of the Yancheng Patrol Office."

Jiang Xiaoyuan revealed the key point.

Jiang Mu was stunned.

So, does that mean Shi Baolu killed Yu Zhengqing's brother-in-law?
No wonder they said even if An Chenghu came, it wouldn't make a difference.

Since the calamity, the position of the circuit intendant has risen significantly, and his power has become immense. Many local officials are quite wary of him.

Not to mention the head constable, even the county magistrate is no match for them.

Moreover, Uncle An had mentioned that Magistrate Yang had a very close personal relationship with Yu Zhengqing, and had even caused trouble for Tang Jinxian in the previous case of the missing woman.

"But why did Shi Baolu kill Young Master Yang?"

Jiang Mu was puzzled.

Jiang Xiaoyuan shook his head: "We don't know the specific reason either, we are investigating. We just said that someone saw Shi Baolu carrying an axe and rushing into Yuxianglou like a madman."

At the time, Young Master Yang was drinking in a private room, and he was very drunk. He had been indulging in debauchery and had exhausted his body, so this fool killed him.

"Xiao Jiang, you didn't see that scene. Young Master Yang's body was hacked to pieces, all jumbled up...tsk tsk, it was horrible."

"Is it so cruel?"

Jiang Mu found it increasingly strange.

Although Shi Baolu acts eccentrically, he has never committed any violent acts. Could it be that this guy has had a mental breakdown?

The laws of this world don't cover the mentally ill.

Upon hearing this description, Shi Yuyu's already pale face turned even whiter. She gripped Jiang Mu's sleeve tightly with her delicate hands, her soft, reddened eyes filled with pleading.

Jiang Mu gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her, then turned to Jiang Xiaoyuan and said, "Brother Jiang, could you let us into the cell to see Shi Baolu? I want to ask him myself."

"It's tough, Xiao Jiang."

Jiang Xiaoyuan pointed to the commotion inside the yamen.
"The Yang family is making a scene inside, demanding that the county magistrate hand over the people for torture. Fortunately, the county magistrate held them back. Firstly, Shi Baolu is a yamen runner after all, and secondly, he knows about Shi Baolu's relationship with Constable An. Therefore, he only imprisoned him without torture or interrogation."

He's actually safe in jail right now. If you show yourself rashly and get spotted by the Yang family, it'll be even more troublesome. Especially Miss Shi, it's best for her to stay out of the public eye right now.”

Jiang Mu nodded: "I understand."

It seems that Uncle An's exception to arrange a yamen runner position for Shi Baolu last time made the county magistrate wary.

Uncle An's influence proved useful at the crucial moment.

Without seeing Shi Baolu, one cannot know the truth.

He didn't trust ordinary yamen runners to investigate cases unless Uncle An personally took charge.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Mu said to Shi Yuhuan:

"Sister Yu-yu, you should go back first. With Uncle An's connections, Shi-tou won't be mistreated in jail for the time being. I'll go to Yu-xiang-lou to investigate."

Shi Yuhuan shook her head vigorously and gestured in sign language:

"I will go with you."

She had to find out for herself what had happened to her brother.

Jiang Mu looked at the stubbornness and pleading in the woman's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded gently: "Okay, let's go together. By the way, where's Xueying?"

Shi Yuhua said in sign language, "Her master, Elder Zhao, is taking her to Chongtian Temple to visit a senior."

Chongtian Temple?
Jiang Mu frowned, but didn't ask any more questions. He then led Shi Yuhuan towards Yuxiang Tower.

-

Chongtian Temple, Hongyuan Peak.

Master Wenhe, wiping the sweat from his neck with a towel, strode into the hall, panting, saying, "I'm sorry, Zhao girl, I've kept you waiting."

Zhao Ling put down the tea, stood up and bowed:
"You're too kind, senior. It was I who took the liberty of visiting you. I didn't expect you to be so busy. I'm really sorry to have bothered you."

Shi Xueying followed her master and bowed.

Wenhe handed his handkerchief to his disciple Xiaohai, gesturing for them to sit down, and sighed, "It's unfortunate, something went wrong at the forbidden area, and Master and the other senior uncles are busy repairing the mountain-protecting formation."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ling couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

She came here specifically to visit Master Hongyuan and inquire about some matters related to cultivation.

It seems we'll have to return empty-handed.

Zhao Ling tentatively asked, "Is there a problem with the operation of the array platform?"

Master Wenhe's tone was somewhat annoyed:

"It's all because of those bastards from the Spirit Sect! I don't know how they sneaked into the forbidden area and destroyed the mountain-protecting formation. Fortunately, the Left Protector noticed it in time."

Spiritualism?

Zhao Ling was startled.

Unlike the Chongtian Temple and Shenhuang Island, which are orthodox sects supported and recognized by the imperial court, the Ling Sect is a kind of underground force.

Since its inception, it has adhered to the extreme principle of "spiritual disasters above all else".

They proclaimed that spiritual disasters were signs of a transformation in the natural order, and that people should accept them rather than resist them.

Later, as its influence grew, it repeatedly harmed the country and its people, which angered the imperial court. The court joined forces with other sects to launch a siege and razed its main altar to the ground.

However, in recent years, spiritualism has shown signs of resurgence.

Many sect disciples were robbed and killed.

Zhao Ling frowned and said, "These remnants are far too arrogant, daring to even break into Chongtian Temple."

"Hmph, it's not just my Chongtian Temple. I've heard that the Holy Mother of the Spirit Sect even dared to break into the imperial palace, intending to steal the sealed spiritual artifacts."

Master Wenhe solemnly reminded her, "Zhao girl, be extra careful when you go out recently. Those guys from the Spirit Sect love to rob cultivators who possess spiritual items."

A shadow fell over Zhao Ling's heart.

It seems necessary to remind my disciple Jiang Zhenzhen to be careful when going out, lest she be targeted by the remnants of the Spirit Cult.

　Thank you Miyazawa Suzusakura for the donation.
　　Thank you for the generous donation from Huahuahuahaihaihai!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)