Chapter 289: No No No, I Have No Wish
“No, no, no, Young Master, I appreciate your kindness, but I truly have no wishes,” Governor Niu said, sweating profusely and slowly retreating.
“Lord Governor, it is currently a time of chaos, with people displaced and merchants struggling. As the parent official of a prefecture, how can you say you have no wishes?” Qi Huang pressed closely.
“Thank you for your reminder, Young Master, but that is my duty, and you need not worry about it.” Governor Niu repeatedly declined.
“Do you really have no wishes? That’s truly a pity! Remember what you said about letting the people live and work in peace; that is your duty. If you cannot achieve it, I will come and help you fulfill your wish.” Qi Huang snorted coldly and turned to leave. The people of Yongning Prefecture were truly unlucky to have such a parent official. It was a pity that she had no power or influence, nor any concrete evidence to impeach him.
“I must keep a close eye on this guy from now on. As long as I get evidence, I will bring justice to the heavens,” Qi Huang pondered as she left the Prefecture Office. She then pursued in a certain direction, her target being Constable Peng ahead. For some reason, she felt that this fellow was likely not as simple as he appeared.
The reason was that, as an experienced old constable, how could he openly disobey the governor’s orders? This fellow was outwardly obedient but inwardly rebellious and extremely cunning. He didn’t seem like someone who would easily act on impulse, so there must be an underlying reason. Furthermore, even if there wasn’t, she had to find that knowledgeable person through him.
Qi Huang’s guess was correct. As soon as Constable Peng returned home, someone immediately contacted him through the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device.
“Constable Peng, you take money to do things for people. I remember you promised me that the Juyin Auction House would close starting today, but what is going on now?” a man’s voice sounded from the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device.
“Don’t even mention it. It’s all because of that lackey of Qi Huang’s. Not only did my auction house fail to close, but I also lost my official position.” Constable Peng cursed with great resentment.
“It has nothing to do with me whom you encountered, and even less to do with whether you lost your official post. I just need an explanation now,” the other party said stiffly.
“Then what do you want? At worst, I’ll just return the money to you,” Constable Peng said helplessly.
“You finally have some sense. I’m outside the North Gate. You have half an hour. If you’re not here by then, don’t bother coming,” the other side accepted the proposal.
“It’s just returning some banknotes, why do we have to go out of the city?” Constable Peng’s face showed vigilance.
“Hmph, who knows if you’re putting on a play of suffering? If you don’t leave the city, are you waiting to be caught in one swoop?” the other side retorted.
“You’re thinking too much. I don’t have the leisure to act,” Constable Peng said with some impatience.
“I don’t care. If I don’t see you then, don’t bother coming. Keep that money to buy yourself a coffin,” the other side dropped a threatening remark and stopped the communication.
“Truly a group of wolves that eat people without spitting out bones. I’ve run back and forth, and even if I haven’t made any contributions, I’ve at least put in the effort. To not even give me a little hardship allowance, aren’t they afraid of retribution?” Constable Peng grumbled, but he didn’t dare to delay. He took out a few banknotes from his box and went out.
“Heh, just as I guessed, this fellow has a problem,” Qi Huang sneered and then leisurely followed behind him. Constable Peng soon went out the North Gate and met his “employer” in a small grove.
Qi Huang had already detected him with her spiritual sense from afar. To avoid alarming the snake while it was still in its lair, she immediately took out the “Eavesdropper” she had obtained from a Juexian Cult cultist last time to listen. This thing was extremely stealthy and not afraid of cultivators detecting it. The only drawback was that it could only listen and not see.
“Here are your banknotes. Since the matter wasn’t handled, I’m returning them in full.” Constable Peng handed over the banknotes with both hands. Because there were as many as four people on the other side, and they were generous with their money, he didn’t dare to complain.
“Not bad, Constable Peng is a man of his word. What are your plans for the future?” the leading middle-aged man asked curiously. He wore a black mask and his appearance could not be seen. The other followers were also the same.
“What else can I do? I’ve lost my position, so I can only go back to farming.” Constable Peng sighed helplessly.
“The world is too filled with yin energy. Even in the prefecture capital, you can only see a few months of sunlight throughout the year. Farming here might not be that easy,” the middle-aged man reminded him kindly.
“But if not farming, then what? Business is also not good these days,” Constable Peng lamented.
“I’d like to point Constable Peng in a good direction!” the middle-aged man enthusiastically offered his help.
“What good direction? Please tell me!” Constable Peng’s face showed surprise and joy. These people were generous with their money, and if they were willing to help, his future would surely be limitless.
“The road to death!” The middle-aged man’s smile did not diminish, and he had already disappeared from his original spot. Constable Peng only vaguely saw a cold glint flash, and then a numb sensation came from his neck. He reached out to touch it in confusion, and the wound on his skin slowly split open, as smooth as cutting tofu with a knife.
“Why… why?” Constable Peng desperately clutched his neck and asked in terror.
“When you’re dead, you won’t have to worry about those trivial matters anymore. What else would be a good direction?” the middle-aged man slowly sheathed his sword. Constable Peng slowly fell to the ground with unwillingness on his face. He never dreamed that he wouldn’t even have the chance to farm.
‘What ruthless methods!’ Qi Huang exclaimed inwardly. However, since she had found her target, she did not intend to intervene. Besides, the surname Peng deserved to die.
“Immortal Elder Huo, what should we do next?” a subordinate asked as he walked over.
“What should we do? Continue to find people to cooperate with at the Prefecture Office. If the Juyin Auction House doesn’t close, our fate will be the same as his,” the middle-aged man said, glancing at Constable Peng on the ground.
“Immortal Elder Huo, who is that employer? Is he that terrifying? Even a cultivator in the Guiyi Realm like you can’t deal with him?” the subordinate asked curiously.
“Do you forget our agreement from before? I pay, you do the work. Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask,” Immortal Elder Huo snorted coldly.
“Yes, yes, yes!” The subordinate immediately trembled with fear.
“Immortal Elder Huo, the constable in charge of the case is now dead, and that Governor Niu is a stubborn fellow. Who else can we find to cooperate with?”
“Yes! Although the Prefecture Office is large, besides them, who else has the authority to arbitrarily seal the Juyin Auction House?” the other two subordinates said worriedly.
“You are wrong. In this world, no one will go against money. I believe that as long as we show a little more sincerity, Governor Niu will definitely loosen up,” Immortal Elder Huo said with great certainty.
“That’s the only way for now,” the subordinates nodded in agreement.
‘Heh, I was just worried about not finding any leverage against that fellow surnamed Niu, but I didn’t expect an opportunity to arise so quickly.’ Qi Huang was delighted. She had originally wanted to capture that group of people in one fell swoop, but she didn’t expect them to test that fellow surnamed Niu. This was simply a great help to her. ‘As long as that fellow surnamed Niu’s resolve wavers, I can eliminate the harm for the people.’ Thinking this, Qi Huang prepared to cast a long line to catch a big fish.
After killing Constable Peng, Immortal Elder Huo and the others calmly returned to the city, preparing to find Governor Niu a little later. Qi Huang pondered for a moment and then contacted Liu Yingyue using the Thousand Li Sound Transmission Device.
“Shopkeeper, I wonder if your auction house has any talisman paper or magic treasures that can record images?” Qi Huang inquired. As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you must catch them with the stolen goods. To eliminate harm for the people righteously, evidence must be produced.
“Talisman paper or magic treasures that record images?” Liu Yingyue fell into thought. After a moment, she said, “Our auction house does have such an item, but it’s entrusted for auction by someone else, it’s not mine.”
“What should we do? I need it urgently.” Qi Huang became a little impatient. Seeing that the night was getting darker, those people would act soon.
“If Young Master urgently needs it, it’s not impossible. I can immediately put it up for auction. Anyway, the client doesn’t have any special requirements for the auction time, as long as you can win the bid.” Liu Yingyue came up with a reliable method.
“No problem! I’ll be right there.” Qi Huang was overjoyed and hurried towards the Juyin Auction House.
