Chapter 262: Officer Xiao Su

Yangxia, part of Huazhou, was situated at the junction of Huazhou, Ningzhou, Dizhou, and Zhongzhou, adjacent to the great river. Multiple factions, including Zhenwu, Hengyuan Zheng, Pingjin Cui, Shendu Zhao, and the Great River Gang, fiercely contested the area, with no clear dominant force. As a result, the region became a melting pot of diverse individuals and hidden experts, appearing considerably more chaotic compared to Yandu and Xuanwu.

Inside the Six Gates, constable Li Chong was happily humming an opera tune, snacking on broad beans, and sipping cheap rice wine. Over fifty years old, he had served as a constable in Yangxia for thirty years, becoming a local expert with broad knowledge and familiar with all the underground forces. Apart from his fondness for alcohol, he was generally a decent person. If not for his limited abilities, he could have long ago become an assistant chief constable, or even a senior constable.

Suddenly, his chopsticks dropped onto the table, spilling half of his wine. He hastily stood up, stammering, “Z, Zheng Zhishi, I was just passing time with a few drinks since the afternoon was quiet.”

Privately, he still hoped to secure the position of assistant chief constable before retirement, which would bring honor to his family name.

The newcomer was Zheng Jushan, the chief constable of Yangxia’s Six Gates. He entered the duty room with a young man and smiled, gesturing for Li Chong to calm down. “Old Li, no need to panic. It’s natural to have a drink to stay alert, especially since you’re getting older.”

Zheng Jushan had always been lenient toward Li Chong, who was well-informed and respectful of his superiors, and had repeatedly promised to recommend him to the prefectural office.

“Come, meet this young man, Xiao Su Suzhuan. He’s an assistant chief constable sent by the prefectural office. Help him get to know the local heroes. Among all the constables, only you, Old Li, don’t mistreat newcomers,” Zheng Jushan said, pointing to the young man beside him.

Li Chong raised his eyes and couldn’t help exclaiming in admiration. This young constable Su had an excellent appearance—wearing a standard Six Gates brocade robe, with a curved sword on his left and a straight sword on his right. His eyebrows were sharp and straight, his nose like a hanging gallbladder, and his eyes like shooting stars, making him exceptionally handsome. He was clean-cut and unpretentious, smiling with refreshing simplicity, like a clear spring. “Oh, Zhishi, you flatter me. I can’t possibly ‘guide’ Constable Su, I’ll just introduce him to a few local characters.”

“Please take good care of me, Constable Li,” Meng Qi replied with a smile.

Thinking of the Jiangdong martial experts and various unique martial arts, Meng Qi felt his blood boiling. This was a great opportunity for cultivation. He was even more enthusiastic about not going to Shendu. Thus, he accepted the mission to investigate the cause of death of Assistant Constable Cai Xiang in Huazhou’s Yangtai first.

He had considered whether someone might deliberately assign him a dangerous mission, but after checking the timeline, he dismissed the thought. Cai Xiang’s body was discovered four days before the document reached Yandu. That meant the Six Gates headquarters in Shendu received Huazhou’s request and immediately assigned the mission to him, without even fully understanding the situation themselves. At most, they were just giving him a task to keep him occupied and avoid causing waves in Shendu.

—After the local Six Gates in Yangxia confirmed the identity, the matter was reported to the prefectural government, which then submitted it to the state government. The state government requested the Shendu headquarters to dispatch a secret investigator, as the case involved two states and it was better for a higher authority to handle it. Even without delays, with the Six Gates’ efficient information exchange, it would still take two or three days.

Seeing the clean-cut young man’s politeness, Li Chong immediately felt a strong liking for him and vowed to help Constable Su quickly become familiar with the local forces in Yangxia.

Zheng Zhishi glanced at Meng Qi, who had been sent from the prefectural office, and smiled lightly with his hands behind his back. “Xiao Su came from the prefectural office mainly to handle Cai Xiang’s case, Old Li. I’m counting on you to take on more responsibility.”

Li Chong’s expression slightly changed, and after a moment’s hesitation, he replied, “I will obey.”

So, Constable Su was sent here to investigate this matter as a way of being sidelined. No wonder he was given the position of assistant chief constable. In the future, he would inevitably face punishment because of this!

Watching Zheng Zhishi leave, Meng Qi smiled and said, “Constable Li, I’ve read the previous investigation files. Please take me to meet Scar.”

Li Chong took a deep breath. “Alright.”

He grabbed his waist knife and badge, leading Meng Qi out of the Six Gates and toward the most chaotic street in Yangxia.

After walking for a while, he smacked his lips and said, “Constable Su, I’m an old man nearing retirement. Let me give you a piece of advice as an elder. this case is strange!”

He saw that this young Constable Su was clean-cut, gentle, and polite, not appearing particularly strong or formidable. He guessed that he had likely been sidelined to investigate this case because other constables had refused it.

“Strange?” Meng Qi asked nonchalantly.

Li Chong was silent for a moment before sighing, “Constable Cai was an assistant in Maoling, Jiangdong, and went missing while investigating the undercurrents there. Half a month later, his body was found here in Yangxia. Externally, he looked freshly dead, but internally, he was rotten, as if he had been dead for a long time. Isn’t that strange? Can a corpse walk to Yangxia by itself?”

“And when he was found, he was still walking. A sailor lightly pushed him, and he fell down dead!”

“Perhaps the corpse was hidden on a boat from Maoling to Yangxia and later discovered by a sorcerer who manipulated it away from important areas,” Meng Qi intentionally speculated.

Li Chong helplessly replied, “Ah, Constable Su, didn’t you think about the distance from Maoling to Yangxia? Even going downstream from Yangxia to Maoling takes a month, let alone the reverse? To travel from Maoling to Yangxia in half a month, one would have to use lightness kung fu…”

“Travel every day!” Both said simultaneously.

Meng Qi had initially noticed this issue. It took him nearly a month and a half to travel from Yandu to Yangxia, even with favorable conditions. The distance from Yangxia to Maoling was roughly the same.

“Exactly, Constable Su. Do you think a corpse could use lightness kung fu and travel every day? That’s why I say this case is strange!” Seeing Meng Qi finally understand, Li Chong clapped his hands together, producing a crisp sound.

Meng Qi nodded with a smile, “Regardless, since I’ve been assigned this task, I must start the investigation. Please cooperate, Constable Li.”

“Of course, of course.” Li Chong repeated, such a polite young constable was hard to find.

The two turned out of the bustling yet chaotic street into a relatively quiet alley. There were vendors selling lamb soup, with a strong smell of blood, and dog meat stew, with a rich aroma. The passersby mostly had a fierce demeanor.

“Scar is one of the local gangsters. The sailor who knocked down Constable Cai is under his command and is now hiding. We must contact him through Scar,” Li Chong hurriedly introduced Scar’s situation to the clean and gentle young Constable Su, to prevent him from causing any trouble.

Meng Qi listened quietly, appearing cautious and gentle, as a newcomer should.

“Scar has some connections with the Great River Gang and Pingjin Cui, thus firmly controlling about thirty percent of Yangxia’s underworld business. He has many eyes and ears and is not an easy person to provoke,” Li Chong first emphasized Scar’s background and power. “When he was young, he was bold and ruthless, both to others and himself. This enabled him to rise from a street thug to a local strongman, gaining the attention of several major forces who secretly cultivated him into a master of the Left Path. It is said that at the age of forty, he once fought to a draw with someone ranked in the top thirty of the human list. Ten years have passed since then, and no one knows how strong he is now.”

Meng Qi paid close attention to Scar. Even after reading the secret files, he listened intently.

Seeing that Constable Su maintained a proper attitude without showing any impatience, Li Chong inwardly praised him. In this day and age, most young people who became assistant constables at such an age had a certain amount of arrogance, believing that with the Six Gates’ background and their own potential, they could easily look down on underworld leaders, expecting them to curry favor rather than being cautious themselves. It was rare to find someone as humble and rational as Constable Su.

In Yangxia, there are very few individuals whom Scar holds in high regard. Only Zheng Zhishi at the yamen possesses that distinction. I can only rely on this connection to visit him with confidence. Constable Su, you must not act impulsively. Leave the speaking to me. If you have any questions, use secret voice transmission to communicate with me. Oh, do you know how to use secret voice transmission? Li Chong thought that since Constable Su was so young, he likely hadn’t yet mastered this skill.

Meng Qi smiled and said, “I do.”

“Then there’s no problem.” Li Chong sighed in relief. No wonder Constable Su could become an assistant chief at such a young age, and no wonder he was sidelined—it must have made others jealous.

He added, “Seven years ago, Scar reached his current position and began to indulge himself, no longer as ruthless as before. As long as you don’t provoke him, you’ll be fine.”

“He took the nickname Scar? That doesn’t sound like the style of a Left Path master at all,” Meng Qi asked casually.

Li Chong smiled, “Those scars were from his most severe injury when he was young, on his face, chest, and abdomen. He barely survived and then vowed to take the name Scar to remind himself never to forget the moment of carelessness that led to his ambush.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at a shop, where several muscular guards stood at the entrance.

“Old Li the drunkard, who’s this?” The guard at the door obviously knew Li Chong. Seeing the clean-cut Meng Qi behind him, he was puzzled.

Li Chong chuckled, “This is the new Constable Su from the yamen. I’ve brought him to pay his respects to the local gangsters.”

“This grinning young pup has become an assistant chief too…” The guard muttered to himself, too softly for Li Chong to hear, but Meng Qi’s sharp hearing caught it clearly.

The guard coughed and said, “Old Li the drunkard, you’re lucky. The boss is here. I’ll take you in.”

Passing through the outer shop, a central courtyard, and past multiple guards, Meng Qi finally saw the Yangxia local strongman and Left Path master, “Scar” Yan Xiao. The courtyard he lived in was shabby, completely at odds with his status, yet inside was extravagantly luxurious, with expensive dark red carpets and a valuable sandalwood bed.

He’s really indulged himself… was the only thought that came to Meng Qi’s mind when he saw Scar.

Inside Scar’s living room, a large black bed was placed directly. He lay on it like a mountain of flesh, surrounded by half-naked women in white veils serving him—some feeding him grapes, others massaging his legs, and some rubbing his temples.

He had a noticeable scar on his face but didn’t turn his head, squinting as he said, “Constable Su has come to ask about Constable Cai’s case, right? In the past month and a half, you’ve come several times, different constables asking the same questions. Do you think I’ve lost my temper, Scar?”

With each word he spoke, the fat on his body quivered slightly.