Hou Ping's face was extremely grim.
He never expected that the people from the Criminal Defense Bureau would come not only to punish them for their poor handling of the case but also to accuse them of colluding with the murderer!
"What's the matter, clenching your fist so tightly, did I hit the nail on the head?"
"Or maybe, you're the murderer, Captain Hou."
Zhang Yii and Tan Hong continued to provoke.
"You!" Anger burned in Hou Ping's chest. If Fang Xiao hadn't held him back, he might have truly been nailed with the murder charge.
"Ha, quite patient." Zhang Yii clapped and sneered, "It doesn't matter if you don't confess. Once we find the evidence, you'll both be waiting to lose your heads."
...
The Arresting Office.
The three from the Criminal Defense Bureau, relying on their status, turned the Arresting Office upside down, found nothing useful, and left with a flick of their sleeves.
"Brother Fang, Shao Pengshu is just a scoundrel. Back then, when you were an instructor at the Criminal Defense Bureau, you led him onto the path of Martial Arts and Qi and Blood cultivation. Not only does he not mention it, but he also wants to falsely accuse us as murderers. He's a heartless bastard!"
Slam——
Hou Ping slapped the chair, instantly turning the wooden armrest into woodchips scattered all around.
Fang Xiao sat upright beside him. Though he didn't finish speaking, the anger in his heart was no less than Hou Ping's.
"Brother Hou, Shao Pengshu is now an Arresting Captain at the Criminal Defense Bureau, our direct superior, and has condensed seven Qi Blood. Even I may not be his match."
Seven Qi Blood, a level that has already entered the Great Success of the Blood Circulation Realm. Hou Ping only has five Qi Blood, and he himself can at most use seven Qi Blood. His strength is indeed inferior.
Hou Ping gritted his teeth, saying nothing.
"What should we do next? We can't just sit and watch that kid make us scapegoats for his credit."
Shao Pengshu came to give them a show of strength, meant to intimidate them.
It's fine if they find the real murderer; at most, they are guilty of ineffective handling. But if they don't find the murderer, Shao Pengshu and his men definitely won't let it go. Then, it's highly possible they'll impose false charges on them for credit.
Fang Xiao suppressed the anger in his heart and looked outside the Arresting Office.
On the bustling street, the fiery afterglow of the sunset fell, and passersby glanced over from afar with a look of fear, hurrying away.
He suddenly thought of Chu Ming, who had been undergoing tremendous changes every day since his grave illness.
Those calm eyes, clear and bright, were exactly like the Madam's back in the day.
The Madam was killed by the Chu Family, and the young master transformed overnight from a playboy to a genius with a phenomenal memory and Martial Arts talent beyond imagination.
What impressed him the most was the young master's composure toward his achievements, as if that's how it was meant to be.
Was it meant to be that way...
"What would the young master do if he faced this situation?"
"Remain calm? Or..."
Fang Xiao slowly looked up, his furrowed brow relaxed, the earlier anger vanished, and he turned to Hou Ping: "Brother Hou, although Shao Pengshu and his men are powerful, their mindset, vision, and experience are far inferior to ours."
"You can't solve a case by relying solely on force."
"Neither of us could unravel the Wheat Alley case; they certainly won't be able to."
"Yes, that's my concern; when those bastards don't find the murderer, they'll definitely frame us then!"
Hou Ping said indignantly, causing the hearts of the constables on guard at the door to race.
Heartless? Bastards? Rascals?
Such rebellious words are only spoken when they're not around. If the Criminal Defense Bureau's officers were to hear them...
"Brother Hou wasn't wrong. Shao Pengshu is a credit-hungry and cruel-hearted man. If we don't find the murderer, we'll become the murderers." Fang Xiao, after contemplating Chu Ming's recent conduct, became increasingly calm, "So, we must find the murderer before they do!"
"But we've been investigating all along, and aside from the eight hollowed-out corpses, we've found nothing. How can we find the murderer?"
Hou Ping glanced at the junior constables outside the government office, his eyes suddenly brightening. He leaned towards Fang Xiao and whispered, "Brother Fang, do you mean to... create false evidence and find some scapegoats first?"
"..." Fang Xiao's mouth twitched, "Brother Hou, that's not what I mean."
"Not what you mean?" Hou Ping clenched his weapon, eyes fierce, "Does Brother Fang intend to secretly deal with those three bastards?"
Saying so, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Though Shao Pengshu and his men are strong, they are indeed not their match in a face-to-face confrontation. But, there are ways to kill besides using force.
"Brother Hou..." Fang Xiao's heart, calm like a mirror, rippled, casting a meaningful look at Hou Ping, followed by a brief silence.
Noticing Fang Xiao's subtle expression change, Hou Ping sensed something and changed his tune, "Brother Fang, this method isn't right. After all, Shao Pengshu is an Arresting Captain of the Criminal Defense Bureau, with a Junior Eighth-Grade Official position. If he dies in our Liuu Town during the case investigation, no amount of arguing will clear us of responsibility."
Fang Xiao's gaze dropped to the wooden table, avoiding Hou Ping's eyes, and he said solemnly, "We're not faking evidence, nor silencing anyone. We need to find the real murderer."
"The real murderer? Brother Fang, how do we find them?"
"Stakeout."
"Uninterrupted, day and night stakeout at Wheat Alley." Fang Xiao said calmly.
'The young master's remarkable achievements, despite a damaged foundation, primarily stem from his indomitable spirit hidden beneath his seemingly indifferent exterior.'
'He sold his travelogue, stopped listening to music, and since the morning began, he would read and practice the cultivation technique, leaving only meals as a break from reading and martial training.'
'In just over twenty days, he took the top spot in the academy exam, condensed four Qi Blood, and healed his body's injuries. While it seemed due to talent, the real result was unrelenting effort, and only the young master could truly understand its hardship...'
This realization of perseverance from Chu Ming's conduct heralded hope.
"Day and night stakeout?" Hou Ping frowned, "There are only a few of us in the Arresting Office, Brother Fang. I'm afraid it'll be exhausting."
Fang Xiao pondered and said, "We don't need everyone on a continuous day and night watch. The previous eight murder cases occurred at night, so we should intensify the night watch. During the day, we can take turns resting."
Hou Ping moved his lips, contemplating the feasibility of this method.
After a moment, he seemed to have figured it out.
"Brother Fang makes sense. As long as we catch the real culprit and clear our suspicions, nothing else matters, but..." A gloomy look flashed across his face.
"But what?" Fang Xiao asked seriously.
Hou Ping suddenly blushed, leaned closer to Fang Xiao, and whispered, "My wife is quite strict. At night, I still need to pay tribute, so in the first half of the night, Brother Fang might need to work harder..."
"..." Fang Xiao nodded expressionlessly.
Seeing this, Hou Ping chuckled a few times and shouted towards the Arresting Office's entrance, "You guys come in, there's an announcement."
The junior constables hurried in, saluting, "At your command, sir."
"After discussing with Captain Fang, we've decided on a day and night stakeout at Wheat Alley."
"Ah?"
Upon hearing this, the constables' faces immediately changed.
"Sir... Does this come with a salary increase?"
"Yes."
"Sir, we're just ordinary people. If the murderer is some bloodthirsty beast..."
"If you consider yourself an ordinary person, feel free to go home; no need to come back tomorrow, the day after, or ever."
"Sir, I still need to patrol at night....."
"Then patrol at night, and stakeout after."
"Sir, my wife definitely won't agree."
"You think you're the only one with a family?"
"Can't we resolve this during the day?!"
"..."
Fang Xiao: "?"