Origin Paradise!

Prefect Zhu beckoned, and a commander of a thousand households came over carrying a box containing a book made of animal hide and writing materials.

Before leaving, Jiang He inquired about the roll call process from Butler Wu. He opened the book, picked up his pen, and made a mark. He could actually go home after that. He was in charge of supervising criminal cases, but he didn't actually need to solve cases.

"My lord, this is a rare persimmon from the mountains. It bears 108 fruits every 20 years and is of great benefit to one's martial arts cultivation. A military officer can only receive one per ten years. After the banquet last night, the prince specially instructed the imperial treasury to send it over."

Prefect Zhu carefully opened the box, and an enticing fruity aroma instantly filled the air, causing the embroidered-robed envoys present to swallow hard.

Jiang He's pupils also contracted slightly.

[Name: Northern Persimmon]

[Category: Mental/Psychological]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: Increases Comprehension by 100% for 3 minutes. This effect cannot be stacked.]

[Note: Delicious and non-toxic]

The persimmon is pale yellow all over, crystal clear and almost like a gemstone, with the texture of the flesh interspersed throughout, and exudes a rich fragrance.

Jiang He picked up a persimmon and put it in his mouth. The persimmon melted in his mouth, and the rich fruity aroma went straight to his head. The ten Iron-class martial arts manuals that he had glanced at before reappeared in his mind. He extracted the essence of each one and kept the dross.

The nine martial arts styles, including Iron Arm, Iron Head, Iron Leg, Iron Crotch, Iron Body, Iron Bridge, and Iron Shirt, are all highly similar and have now been summarized and categorized.

With three minutes almost up, a brand new cultivation technique was completed.

[Name: Holy Iron External Kung Fu]

[Category: Cultivation Techniques]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: Holy Iron state, through continuous destruction and repair, energy deeply integrates with the physical body. Activation consumes stamina, but grants an enhancement to physical resilience. Minor Success: Low-level Resilience; Major Success: Medium-level Resilience]

[Note: Body like iron, tough as steel]

[Sacred Iron External Skill Progress: 0%]

The period for increasing comprehension has ended.

Jiang He emerged from the profound state of enlightenment.

"Does it not require energy to use?"

Jiang He pondered. This alone is worth cultivating and investing resources in. Once the intermediate resilience reaches the Great Perfection stage and the Holy Iron state is activated, it will not be a problem to withstand conventional bullets with the physical body.

"Congratulations, Lord, on your great improvement in skill."

Seeing that someone's expression had relaxed, Prefect Zhu immediately guessed that the other person had made satisfactory progress.

"Find three cows."

"Please wait a moment, Lord."

The prefect Zhu gave instructions, and immediately an embroidered-robed messenger left the military headquarters to buy cattle.

……

In the afternoon, in the backyard of the courthouse.

This is where the commanders take their lunch break and rest during their shifts.

Jiang He lay on a wooden bench, while a young girl in a thin white dress next to him raised a gold-patterned knife and slammed it down with the back of the blade, swinging it repeatedly with great force.

Snapped!

The back of the blade struck someone's shoulder blade. The slight cracking sound was exceptionally clear in both of their ears. A distinct red mark immediately appeared where the blade had struck the blade. Due to the hidden force, the flesh in that area became very loose, and the wound quickly turned black and purple.

Jiang He buried her head in her arms and calmly said, "May I ask what your mindset was when you tried to kill me?"

Zhuang Ya said seriously, "Forging iron."

"They really make things easy for me."

"Thank you."

In just a few breaths, under the main effect of advanced self-healing, withering energy flowed through as an auxiliary force, and the wounds healed as before. When used on oneself, withering can be converted into healing.

Seeing this, Zhuang Ya's small face was full of seriousness and solemnity. She raised the golden-patterned knife again and swung it down, releasing her demonic power.

Jiang He silently closed her eyes, lest her eyeballs pop out.

"What is it this time?"

"Chopping wood."

[Sacred Iron External Skill Progress: 2%]

Seeing that the wounds had healed once again, Zhuang Ya continued to swing her knife.

For a full three hours, if it hadn't healed on its own, the person's back would have been completely eroded, with every inch of skin from top to bottom being touched by the golden-patterned knife.

[Sacred Iron External Skill Progress: 20%]

Jiang He sat up and shook his head. His back was almost finished. Next was his chest. Because of his advanced self-healing ability, his external skills were progressing very quickly. However, he had no idea how to cultivate his iron crotch.

Outside the courtyard, the centurion who had been carrying the wooden box earlier had brought three oxen, costing sixty taels of silver, all of which would be reimbursed by the North City Military Command.

After Jiang He led the cow in, Zhuang Ya couldn't wait to reveal her true form: a 20-meter-long giant snake with its blood-red mouth wide open, its cheeks splitting open all the way to its neck, looking quite terrifying.

"Don't eat yourself to death."

Jiang He's eyelids twitched as she watched. Although Zhuang Ya was not small, after swallowing three cows in a row, it looked like her belly might burst at any moment. A normal snake would have died long ago.

A moment later, Zhuang Ya returned to human form and let out a soft burp. The cow's flesh and bones were squeezed by the powerful demon stomach wall, making it appear as if nothing was there.

"I am full."

Just as Jiang He was about to step forward to check on the other party's unscientific eating ability, a series of thumping sounds echoed throughout the entire North City Commandery.

Someone is beating a drum to appeal for justice.

Such a thing hasn't happened in Daming Prefecture for over a decade. It's not that no one wants to knock, but rather that the Embroidered-Robe Envoys will stop them before they can even try.

Jiang He's eyes narrowed slightly. He beat the drum to appeal for justice and made it public. Some things, once weighed, cannot be denied.

"My lord, something terrible has happened!"

Prefect Zhu ran over, lifting the hem of his official robe.

Chapter 123 Beating drums to complain

"Your Honor, you must do me justice!"

"My husband went to the Prince of Anbei's residence and never came back. How am I supposed to live?!"

"Your Honor, I have sought help from the Prince's Mansion, the Prefectural Government, and the Censorate, but no one has paid any attention to me."

"My husband was the first to reach the summit, esteemed officials! Please, have mercy on him and don't let him die without a clear reason!"

Heart-wrenching cries echoed.

A large crowd gathered on the street opposite the courthouse, watching the young woman wail and cry.

The embroidered-robed envoys were at a loss. The news of Commander He's death at the Anbei Prince's mansion last night had already spread. Few knew the intrigue behind it, but everyone in the Anbei army knew that things were very complicated.

Jiang He and Prefect Zhu rushed over from the backyard, and the vines on the huge court drum were completely torn off.

"Your Honor!" the young woman cried out hoarsely upon seeing the newcomer, "A life for a life! My husband is dead, his body mutilated beyond recognition. I don't even know the murderer's name. How can I face my ancestors? I have no face to live on!"

The young woman lifted the white cloth beside her, revealing He Qianhu's headless corpse.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd; the manner of his death was utterly gruesome.

Jiang He's expression was more severe than ever before, not even when he was fighting the Gray Knight.

He killed the man; there's no doubt about that.

The fact that the young woman was able to bring the corpse and beat the drum of litigation indicates that someone was undoubtedly pulling the strings behind the scenes; this is beyond doubt.

Commander He has rendered meritorious service in the military. If he is not handled properly, he will cut himself off from the Anbei army. This is different from the path of a lone minister he has chosen. This time, he will offend all the soldiers of Anbei. It is no longer a matter of hidden factionalism among the high-ranking officials.

It is questionable whether the Prince of Anbei would be willing to suffer a huge loss of prestige to quell this matter, since his prestige in the army is the main support for him to suppress the four generals.

"My lord, this strike hits the nail on the head," Magistrate Zhu said anxiously. Cutting off support from superiors and incurring discontent from subordinates, this act of beating the drum to appeal for justice was simple yet hit the nail on the head. A slight misstep could lead to being condemned by everyone.

“I know,” Jiang He replied seriously.

Next time, the body must be destroyed to cover up the crime.

Among the crowd, a young man covered his face with his sleeve and coughed violently twice.

He then sighed, "Father has broken the rules."

Yan Jiaying, standing beside him, replied indifferently, "So what? Since the Prince of Anbei has appointed a mere seventeen-year-old boy, he must be prepared to suffer a crushing defeat. It's not that easy to have both. No matter how the Marquis of Pingluan responds, Master is prepared."

The young master shook his head. If the Duke of Pingluan claimed it was someone else's doing, this method was the worst. The soldiers in front of the Hall of Valor were numerous. Unless the prince had strong support, the four generals would surely be able to reveal the truth. If the Duke of Pingluan intended to settle things peacefully, with the power of the Yan family and his father's methods, it wouldn't be difficult for him to make the woman immediately kill herself in the courtroom, completely turning the matter into a mess. Or rather, it was precisely because of thorough preparation that this act of beating the drum to appeal for justice occurred.

The crowd grew larger and larger, with a few people running around the streets shouting messages.

The Northern Military Commandery.

Before the commander even took his seat in court, someone in the crowd had already identified the murderer. At the time, there were over a hundred soldiers in the Valiant Warriors Hall, and the news spread like wildfire, becoming an open secret.

The young woman, as if she had heard the discussion, cried out frantically:

So you were the murderer!

"Give me back my husband's life!"

"He was the first to scale the walls; you outsider, get out of Yizhou!"

The last sentence ignited the crowd.

"Get out! What right does a mere brat like you have to sit in court!"

"He's been deceived by those who have rendered meritorious service!"

"Are you taking advantage of the fact that there's no one else in Yizhou?!"

Prefect Zhu felt a chill run down his spine; there was no way to resolve this situation. Murderers must pay with their lives—this was an open conspiracy.

Jiang He calmly said, "I did kill the person."

Upon hearing this, the young woman was taken aback, and then burst into a tirade of curses.

The onlookers quieted down and became completely absorbed.

“Last night, General Chen, whom you all know, requested a duel. He sent Commander He, and I agreed.”

"At the banquet that night, not only General Chen, but also the other three generals were present, and almost all the commanders of Anbei Prefecture were there. The banquet lasted until the third watch of the night, so people around the Prince's Mansion should have noticed it."

"Not only that, the head of the local Yan family also walked through the gates of the Prince's Mansion and almost sat at the same table as me."

"In fact, before the banquet began, everyone went out of the city to welcome the distinguished guests returning home. Among them were the sect leader of the Daming Sect and all the adults you know. Without exception, if there were none, it might be because they were not qualified enough. Everything I said is true."

"and……"

"shut up!!!"

Yan Jiaying shouted in terror.

Stop talking. Everyone's been dragged into this mess. He doesn't know if this Earl will live or die, but as the mastermind behind the plan, he'll definitely be pushed out by the Yan family head to quell public anger. According to conspiracy theories, all the important figures mentioned by the Earl of the Suppression of the Rebellion will become accomplices in the death of Commander He. The key is that this Earl has indeed not uttered a single falsehood, and even shamelessly gives people the illusion that he is just a pawn who has no choice in the matter.

After he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent.

"It's really amazing."

The young master turned and left, and the point of contention at the scene had become the internal conflict among the high-ranking officials of Daming Prefecture. The onlookers no longer felt empathy, and their anger cooled down. Some even felt that Commander He was one of the "adults" and deserved to die.

"Pay for my husband's life!"

Suddenly, a figure approached the young woman.

Jiang He's pupils dilated in shock. Without hesitation, she activated the Sword Scale Snail Dragon Armor and the Hunting Engine, and launched the Small Withered Sword Finger, the easiest weapon to activate, at top speed.

In the blink of an eye, a dark red streak of light pierced straight at the figure.

From the crowd, an ordinary-looking, short man drew his knife and thrust it out; the blade's light barely shattered the small, withered sword finger.

"Such a fast flick of the finger."

The short man disappeared into the crowd.

The figure arrived in front of the young woman and slapped her on the forehead.