Chapter 1

In country A, in Fen City, in the late autumn.

The city's number one master died.

In the main hall of the Inspection Department's government office, there was a corpse laid out.

Beside the corpse sat a young man dressed like a scholar.

The hall was surrounded by villagers.

"Name?" the inspector in front of the desk asked.

"Lu Yi." The young man answered calmly.

"Age?"

"Twenty."

"What do you do?"

"Rascal."

"What?"

"Unemployed."

"So you're a Local ruffian rooligan?"

"I don't bully people."

Saying this, Lu Yi coughed gently.

He coughed until his face turned pale. Apparently, he had lung disease.

Inspector Zhou Shihao narrowed his eyes: "Lu Yi, when you discovered Zhang Ping's corpse, were there any other people nearby, especially a woman?"

"No. It was already evening at that time. I only discovered it when I tripped over the corpse."

Lu Yi took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of his mouth.

Immediately, a patch of red spread on the handkerchief.

"Are you sure this cough wasn't caused by a fight with someone?" Zhou Shihao showed no sympathy.

Lu Yi raised his head and glanced at the County magistrate behind the desk in Fen City: "I caught a cold when I fell into the river at the age of five. If you don't believe me, you can ask the neighbors."

"Then how did the blood on your clothes come about? Don't tell me it's the blood you coughed up."

Snap —!

After saying that, Zhou Shihao slapped the table, which scared the onlookers.

But Lu Yi wasn't affected at all and his answers were still orderly.

"Yesterday I helped someone collect debts. When passing by Aunt Wang's house, her family was slaughtering a pig. I helped hold the pig. The blood on my clothes is pig blood."

"Collecting debts? Didn't you just say you were unemployed?" Zhou Shihao hummed coldly.

"Collecting debts is not a decent job and doesn't count as a proper livelihood." Lu Yi replied.

Zhou Shihao frowned and turned to look at the crowd.

"Aunt Wang, is this true?"

A woman timidly came out of the crowd: "Yes, Lord Zhou. It was almost evening yesterday when Scholar Lu really did help my family slaughter the pig."

After the woman stepped back, Zhou Shihao continued to ask: "The incident happened in the Loess Alley, which is less than half an incense stick's distance from the Inspection Department's government office. You just said you discovered the corpse in the evening. Why did you only report it to the authorities when it was completely dark?"

A trace of anger flashed in Lu Yi's eyes but he didn't answer.

Yu Yong, the deputy inspector beside Zhou Shihao, took the initiative to reply: "Brother Zhou, Tianming has a problem with his feet."

Hearing this, Zhou Shihao looked at Lu Yi's legs.

Only then did he notice that when the latter was sitting, one of his feet was only touching the ground with the tip of the foot.

"So you're a cripple."

How fast can a cripple walk?

"Brother Zhou, Lu Yi works for me. I hope you won't make things difficult for him." Yu Yong persuaded.

Zhou Shihao chuckled: "No wonder you call him so affectionately. So he's helping you collect debts. Deputy Inspector Yu, don't blame me for not showing mercy. This matter is of great significance. If not handled well, it's not just a matter of losing the official position."

Yu Yong's mouth slightly opened but in the end, he didn't refute.

A higher official rank suppresses. From the ninth rank, facing the ninth positive rank, he lacked confidence.

Lu Yi at the bottom of the hall slightly pursed his lips.

Of great significance?

Of great significance but not interrogated last night. Only thinking of the murder case after leaving it overnight?

But after all, he was just a commoner. Lu Yi didn't speak too much.

Just then, the coroner who was examining the corpse beside it stood up.

"Lord Zhou, Zhang Ping's fatal wound was in the heart. It was a two-finger-wide penetrating wound. The wound was smooth and even. It should have been caused by a slender sword. There were no bruises or wounds elsewhere. It seems the murderer killed him with one move."

"Gasp!"

As soon as the coroner finished speaking, gasps immediately sounded in the hall.

Zhang Ping, the number one master of the Inspection Department and even Fen City.

As the next-level government office of the county government, the Inspection Department was under the management of the Ministry of War.

The county government was only responsible for restraint but had no right to command or mobilize.

There were over a hundred patrolmen in the government office.

And their identities were actually soldiers.

In other words, to stand out among over a hundred soldiers, it could be seen that Zhang Ping had real skills.

Now, such a master was actually killed by someone with one move.

When did such a sword god emerge in Fen City?

And Zhou Shihao kept holding onto Lu Yi tightly. It was very likely because the case was difficult to solve and there was a suspicion of killing the innocent to claim credit.

Especially after the coroner finished the autopsy, the onlookers became even more certain of their thoughts.

A poor scholar with a limp. Let alone where he got the sword. If he killed the number one master of the Inspection Department with one move.

Then your Inspection Department might as well close down and change to a crematorium.

"Not only that, there was very little congestion in Zhang Ping's heart. This indicates that there are bloodletting grooves on the murder weapon."

As the coroner spoke, he raised his hand and extended it outward, making a sword-thrusting motion.

"He just stood like this until Zhang Ping's blood was drained before withdrawing the sword. Because the sword body is extremely narrow and the bloodletting speed is just right. I guess within five breaths after the heart was pierced, Zhang Ping still had consciousness and would have been in great pain at that time."

The grizzled old coroner saw such a cold-blooded murder method for the first time, and his raised hand trembled involuntarily.

The murderer may not be bloodthirsty, but is definitely calm enough to be ruthless.

Such a person is not easy to catch.

Earlier, the villagers were chatting animatedly and spitting saliva as if everyone was a detective expert.

After hearing the coroner describe the murderer's method, everyone's faces turned pale immediately.

Such cold-bloodedness is rare.

"Lord Zhou, it's urgent to catch the person. We can't let the murderer roam around in Shili Town." Someone shouted loudly.

This sentence was like a fuse and instantly ignited the crowd.

Some pleaded for Lu Yi.

Some said Zhou Shihao wasn't doing his job properly.

The law does not punish the multitude. Zhou Shihao had just taken office in Fen City for less than a month and his position wasn't completely stable.

Even if Zhou Shihao was overly eager for quick success, he couldn't tell lies with his eyes open.

He waved his hand, indicating his subordinates to release the person.

"If you remember anything, remember to speak up."

When the court was about to adjourn, Zhou Shihao reminded with an unfriendly expression.

Lu Yi left the government office gate with one deep step and one shallow step and didn't reply.

...

Pear Blossom Lane is adjacent to the Loess Lane where the murder occurred.

Lu Yi brewed a pot of tea and sat under the pear blossom tree full of fallen leaves to relieve his fatigue.

"Cough cough."

The tea was the cheapest Kuding tea available in the market, intensifying his cough.

Also, because he was detained in the Inspection Department overnight yesterday without rest, soon, the handkerchief was stained with blood.

There were two graves in the courtyard. The grass on the graves was removed every year.

But the moss was not easy to remove, which bothered Lu Yi quite a bit.

"Father, Mother, have some tea."

He got up and poured two cups and placed them in front of the tombstones, then Lu Yi sat down smoothly.

This call of parents was sincere from his heart.

It's been twenty years since he crossed over. His mother died during childbirth.

His father was very kind to him. Unfortunately, when Lu Yi was five years old, his father went out to seek medicine. He went out standing but came back lying down.

The old grave has been there for twenty years, and the new one has passed fifteen years.

Fortunately, with the help of the nearby villagers, he didn't starve to death.

When he was ten years old and stumbled through life, Lu Yi started to collect debts for Deputy Inspector Yu Yong.

Not only could he have meals, but he could also save some money for medicine.

It was also that year that he awakened the system.

It gave him a writing brush and followed the path of calligraphy.

As long as he wrote family letters for others and such, he could become stronger.

It's just that the lung disease he caught when he was five couldn't be cured for a while.

His leg was also broken when he fell into the water. The broken bone had already taken shape.

It wasn't until the tea no longer showed any steam that Lu Yi stood up.

He first locked the door from the inside, then limped into the inner room.

In front of the spirit tablets of his parents, he worshiped three times as usual.

He twisted the spirit tablet of his father, and a passage appeared on the floor.

There were candlelights in the basement, and the faint light flickered.

The figure of a woman is swaying on the wall.

"The government officials finished the questioning. The patrolling soldiers who were keeping an eye on me just left. It's not a big problem."

Lu Yi walked in the aisle, his footsteps sometimes high and sometimes low.

Except for the flickering candlelight, there was no response.

The woman sitting at the end had her back to him, as if she was asleep.

The woman's shadow swayed with the candlelight, its thickness sometimes wide and sometimes narrow.

"Asleep?"

Lu Yi was puzzled and quickened his pace.

When he reached behind the woman, he didn't directly touch her.

He took out the ruler hanging on his waist and gently tapped the woman's shoulder.

Still no movement.

Turning to the front of the woman, Lu Yi frowned slightly.

"So she's dead."

The woman had a pretty face, but her forehead was dark.

There was blood from all seven orifices, black and with a stinky smell.

Apparently, she died of poisoning.

"Poisoned herself? What a pity."

Yesterday evening, the woman only had a knife wound on her abdomen.

Zhang Ping's knife wasn't fast enough. It was easy to stop it, so the knife wound wasn't fatal.

But I didn't expect that the woman didn't want to live herself.

Using the ruler to lift the woman's chin and gently push it to the side, her snow-white neck was exposed.

The slender pure gold earrings on her ears were attached to her neck, and the black blood flowed along the earrings all the way to a deeper place.

The interlacing of black, white and gold was strangely beautiful.

"Good stuff, but selling it would get me killed. I'll leave it for you."

Zhang Ping died because of the woman.

He was also a patrolling soldier of the Inspection Department.

The Inspection Department is a grassroots institution of the Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War of Great Chu investigates people more severely than other departments.

Searching through the woman.

Except for that pair of earrings, there were only a few taels of broken silver.

Also, the woman's skin was delicate and exceptionally well maintained.

She should be from a wealthy family.

The children of a wealthy family appeared in Shili Town, such a border town.

Engaged in a job where she was being chased and killed.

There was only one reason.

The family fell into decline and she had no choice.

Thinking of this, Lu Yi used the ruler to push aside the clothing covering the woman's stomach.

On the not-yet-completely-darkened belly, there was a horizontal line.

"Teaching Workshop Department?"

Lu Yi leaned closer and examined the thin line carefully.

"It's not a thin line, but a row of the word 'death'. Assassin? No wonder she poisoned herself. Saved her for nothing."

After writing family letters for others for ten years, he knew something about all aspects.

He looked everywhere thoroughly.

Lu Yi placed the woman properly again.

Turning his head, he found several words written in blood on the table.

Sea sand, Jinlingdu, Account book, He~.

The handwriting stopped abruptly, and the person's name didn't come out.

Unwilling to die with a secret but too late to regret?

Lu Yi thought for a while, tore a piece of cloth from the woman's body and wiped the table clean.

...

In the afternoon, Lu Yi, who had taken a nap, came to "Downwind Inn" opposite Loess Lane.

He came to retrieve the small cart where he stored the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones for writing letters for others.

The inn was run by an old man over fifty years old.

The old man was named Pan Hongcai and was kind to Lu Yi.

The cart was stored here, and he only charged five copper coins per day, less than the cost of two steamed buns.

"Lu Yi, someone died in Loess Lane yesterday. Was it you who reported it?"

Pan Hongcai tapped on the abacus with his hand, but his gaze was on Lu Yi.

"Well, I happened to encounter it. Bad luck." Lu Yi replied.

"That b*st*rd died well. Hahaha."

Pan Hongcai laughed strangely and lowered his head to continue tapping the abacus.

Lu Yi's body stiffened. He pushed the cart away from the inn without showing any emotion.

The waiter came to the counter.

"Shopkeeper, why do you say Zhang Ping's death is good?"

Pan Hongcai pouted towards Lu Yi's back: "Zhang Ping was also born in Pear Blossom Lane. He was five years older than Lu Yi. Since the year Lu Yi's father left, he has been bullying Lu Yi."

Fen City is a large city with a large population.

The job of writing letters for others has a big market.

And because Lu Yi often carried a ruler with him.

So even though he didn't go to private school or take the county examination, when people mentioned him, the villagers all called him Scholar.

The Scholar doesn't teach. The Scholar collects debts.

The Scholar collects debts very casually. If he gets it, fine. If not, he leaves.

In the first half month, Yu Yong didn't think highly of Lu Yi.

But there was a strange phenomenon that changed Yu Yong's view.

Whenever Lu Yi went to collect debts from a household, if he sent someone again to collect the debt, it was basically foolproof.

Later, when he sent someone to inquire.

It turned out that Lu Yi made an agreement with the villagers.

"If someone else comes to ask you for money, give it to them in time. It's only right to pay off debts. I can't get it, someone else will. As a trade, I'll only charge one copper coin for writing letters for you in the future."

These were Lu Yi's original words.

Later, it became a rule.

Yu Yong wasn't lending at usurious rates, not as desperate as the donkey roll.

The interest he collected was even lower than that of the money shop, aiming for small profits but quick turnover.

Therefore, most villagers wouldn't make things difficult for Lu Yi.

As time passed, fewer and fewer people collected debts for Yu Yong.

At the same time, more and more people hated Lu Yi.

You got the money all by yourself. Are we really going to be local ruffians?

Yu Yong didn't keep useless people, even the patrolling soldiers of the Inspection Department.

Comrades were just comrades. When it came to interests, sorry, do as much work as you get paid. If you can't do the job, get out.

Fortunately, although the contradiction was big, most of the local ruffians who lost their jobs wouldn't bully a cripple openly.

If they wanted to cause trouble, they mostly did it secretly.

Pushing the cart and strolling around the west side of the town, Lu Yi returned to Loess Lane again.

Last night, Zhang Ping died here. The dried blood was like a pool of black dog blood.

Spitting at the bloodstain, Lu Tianming pushed the cart past and knocked on Aunt Wang's door.

"Aunt Wang, I want half a pig."

Aunt Wang's eyes widened: "It's still far from the New Year. Why do you buy so much?"

"Next month is my father's memorial day. He loved bacon. This year I saved some money. Make it in advance and offer more to him to make up for the past fifteen years."

Aunt Wang wiped her eyes: Lu Yi, your father's spirit in heaven will surely bless you.

Coming out of Aunt Wang's house, Lu Yi put the pork on the cart and limped home pushing it.

Buying the pork spent all the broken silver he got from the woman.

Lu Yi didn't feel bad. Ill-gotten wealth, wherever it came from, goes back there.

He only charged a little interest and hard work fee.

In the following days, half of the half of the pig was smoked on the rack.

The other half, due to carelessness, went bad.

This day, Lu Yi was in the courtyard staring at the pork and worrying.

Boom —!

The courtyard door was suddenly kicked open.

More than ten men with knives entered. They were all patrolling soldiers of the Inspection Department.

"What's going on? Where's the stench coming from? Search for me!"

The leader was called Wu Yi, a good brother of Zhang Ping.

Brothers who gambled together, visited brothels together, drank together, and lent money together.

The subordinates rushed into the house and searched everywhere.

Wu Yi stood in the courtyard, staring at Lu Yi who was squatting on the ground with a worried look.

"Lord Wu, is there anything?" Lu Yi raised his head.

"Have you seen that woman or not?" Wu Yi said in a deep voice.

"I'm curious. What kind of woman is she that makes you so concerned."

"She's a woman who can cost you your head."

"So, you've been following me, thinking that I killed Zhang Ping and then saved that woman?" Lu Yi said calmly.

"Otherwise? There was no one around. No one saw. Except you."

Wu Yi's eyes were bloodshot. Apparently, no one accompanied him to enjoy music and shows in the brothel. He was very lonely.

"That is to say, the number one master of Fen City couldn't defeat a woman and a poor scholar?"

Wu Yi choked and couldn't say a word for a long time.

Lu Yi smiled and said strangely: "When the meat goes bad, it should be thrown away. What a pity."

The subordinates came out of the house and shook their heads at Wu Yi.

"Let's go."

At the entrance of Pear Blossom Lane, a tall and strong man was waiting there.

This person was precisely Zhou Shihao, the inspector of the Inspection Department.

"Did you find anything?"

"Searched everywhere. No." Wu Yi's expression was solemn.

"What was the stink about?" Zhou Shihao frowned and asked.

"That guy bought half a pig. He was too busy and half of it went bad."

"Half a pig? Why did he buy so much?"

"According to Aunt Wang, next month is his father's memorial day. He's making bacon to offer sacrifices to his father."

After a moment of silence, Zhou Shihao suddenly said, "Huh, let's go. There's no need to investigate him anymore. Look elsewhere."

"Inspector, just let that guy go like this? Even if he didn't do it, using him as a scapegoat is most suitable. There's no problem with the process." Wu Yi said anxiously.

Zhou Shihao shook his head: "In this matter, we must catch the real culprit. If we use him as a scapegoat, those above will use us as scapegoats. Do the serious business first. If you don't like him, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

"D*mn it. How did a sword god suddenly pop up? Isn't this finding trouble for the brothers?" Wu Yi muttered in a low voice.

At night, Lu Yi carried a body bag and went to a distant mountain.

This year is the first year of Hongde in country A.

De means martial virtue.

Country A values martial arts, from top to bottom.

The new emperor ascended the throne and granted amnesty to the world.

However, the new emperor's martial virtue is not as good as the previous emperor's.

It is said that it was actually the prime minister who granted the amnesty to the world.

Lu Yi is just an ordinary citizen.

He only cares if the silver he has can fill his stomach.

The amnesty has brought a flow of people.

There are more people asking him to write letters.

More work means more money at hand.

At the same time, there are more unfamiliar faces.

"Are you Scholar Lu?"

A man with a tattoo of a flower butterfly on his arm appeared in front of the cart.

A man.

He was big and tall, and his eyes wandered when he spoke.

"Yes, I am."

Lu Yi stopped.

When doing business, one usually doesn't care about the identity of the other party.

"That's great. I finally found you."

The big man showed a smile, with a mouth full of golden teeth.

Lu Yi lowered one hand and quietly put it on the ruler at his waist.

"Help me write a letter to the neighboring town. It's urgent."

Hearing this, Lu Yi lowered his hand.

He took out the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from the second layer of the cart.

"You speak. The price is one copper coin."

"OK, OK, OK."

Then, the man thought for a long time before speaking.

"Ten miles of secret embankment, rhinoceros horn and spirit vine, the beans are growing vigorously, the pestles are piled up. Come quickly. Left by Flower Butterfly."

After the man finished speaking, he vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

Lu Yi was stunned and directly threw the writing brush on the paper.

"I won't take this job."

"Why?"

"I don't understand what you said. Recently, there has been a murder case in our town. I'm scared."

Lu Yi made it clear directly and pushed the cart away.

The man spat and scolded: "What the hell. Lame cripple."

Lu Yi pretended not to hear and pushed the cart slowly towards the north of the town.

Passing by a house with the words "Yang Mansion" engraved on the door plaque.

He kneaded a ball of paper and threw it into the wall.

In fact, he understood what the man said just now.

Having written letters for all kinds of people for ten years, he usually knew a little about what he should and shouldn't learn.

What the man said was the secret code on the road, that is, the argot.

The general meaning is: North of Shili Town, the Yang family. The daughter is very beautiful. There is a mountain of money. Come quickly.

Lu Yi had a miserable life since childhood, but he wasn't envious of the rich.

The rich can become rich for a reason.

What is said in the martial arts world about robbing the rich to help the poor.

There are some who uphold justice.

But there are also many excuses for killing and setting fires.

He knew the Yang family. They were wealthy gentry in Shili Town, extremely rich, but also kind-hearted.

During festivals, they would set up stalls and give away meat and rice for free.

Some people said the Yang family was just putting on a show. But if they could do it for decades, even if they had ulterior motives, what's the difference from being good people?

Such people shouldn't be troubled.

Lu Yi naturally didn't like to meddle in other people's business. But when he was eight years old, he ate two steamed buns from the eldest daughter of the Yang family.

The steamed buns were made of fine flour.

Big and round, and extremely delicious.

The eldest daughter got married long ago, but he hasn't repaid the favor.

The second daughter of the Yang family is not yet of age. How could he let the villains cause trouble?

Not long after, the gate of the Yang Mansion opened.

Several servants ran out and looked around.

Lu Yi turned around and pushed the cart away with one deep step and one shallow step.

After walking for a while, he came to the post station.

After closing the stall and parking the cart every day, he would bring the letters that the villagers wanted to send.

The post station official was called Liu Dabao and was also born in Pear Blossom Lane.

He was Lu Yi's childhood friend and took good care of the latter.

Writing letters for others was originally Liu Dabao's job.

A petty official without rank relied on this kind of extra income.

But since childhood, he was bullied by Zhang Ping along with Lu Yi.

The two have long established a deep friendship.

When Liu Dabao's father was the post station official, he didn't make things difficult for Lu Yi.

Of course, he wouldn't either.

"Lu Yi, I heard that Zhang Ping was killed by a slender sword that was two fingers wide?"

Liu Dabao helped Lu Yi sort the letters while asking carefully, "Yes. It entered from the front chest and exited from the back, leaving a lot of blood."

Lu Yi didn't even raise his eyes, his attention was all on the letters.

"That sword, isn't it..."

Liu Dabao didn't finish speaking. Lu Yi suddenly looked up and stared at him.

"Are there only one such sword in this world?"

"But such a narrow sword is very rare..."

"I said, there's not only one sword in this world."

Lu Yi threw the letters into Liu Dabao's arms and turned to leave.

Liu Dabao stared blankly at Lu Yi's back. After waking up, he slapped himself.

"Blame you for being talkative."

Back in the small courtyard, Lu Yi made a pot of tea as usual.

Taking out the medicine package from his bosom, he poured the tea and gulped it down.

The cough didn't ease, but the medicine had to be taken.

When one is alive, self-consolation is very important.

The panel flashed in his mind.

[Calligraphy: Writing letters for others can increase the experience value of the Qi training technique]

[Skill: Basic Qi training technique]

[Current level: First heaven]

[Current experience: 9527/10000]

[Cure degree of lung disease: 5%]

[The greatest truths are the simplest. Hope the host doesn't dislike it. Practice diligently and it can strengthen the body]

Simple and plain, quite different from the advertisement words.

After writing letters for ten years, it's almost time to break through to the second heaven.

It can't be said that this basic Qi training technique has no effect.

It can only be said that it has little effect on the lung disease.

Lu Yi doesn't dare to hope for being invincible in the world at all.

The only expectation is that when reaching the second heaven, the lung disease can improve.

Otherwise, coughing blood every day and often feeling dizzy.

Spitting out a mouthful of blood water, Lu Yi locked the door and returned to the inner room to sit cross-legged and meditate.

This should originally be done in the basement.

But recently, the air in the basement is not good and the stench is serious. It still needs to wait for some time.

Two hours later, there was a noisy sound outside the door.

Pushing open the courtyard door, he found that the neighbors were all running out of the lane.

Upon inquiry, it turned out that the Inspection Department had caught the murderer from a few days ago.

Lu Yi was about to return to the room. After thinking for a while, he locked the door and followed.

"Say, did you kill Zhang Ping or not?"

Wu Yi, Zhang Ping's good brother, was currently beating the big man surrounded by the crowd.

Lu Yi poked his head to look.

It was an acquaintance, the Flower Butterfly he met in the afternoon.

"Sir, I really didn't kill anyone."

The golden teeth of Flower Butterfly fell all over the place and his speech was slurred.

"Didn't kill? How did you get this mouthful of golden teeth if you didn't kill? One tooth for one building. Count them. With this mouthful, how many buildings can you buy?"

One doesn't get rich without windfalls.

Illiterate and an outsider wandering around the town all day.

It's fine if he doesn't speak. Once he opens his mouth, there are problems everywhere.

"Sir, these teeth were inherited from my father. My ancestors were rich!"

"D*mn it. Are you still showing off your wealth?"

With a bang, Wu Yi kicked him in the face. Flower Butterfly's eyes went dark and he fainted.

Zhou Shihao, sitting at the entrance of the Downwind Inn, rubbed his temples and waved his hand: "Take him away. Lock him in the prison first. Continue to investigate Zhang Ping's case."

"Lord Zhou, still investigate?"

When has Wu Yi ever been so tired? Investigating day and night, the brothers can't hold on anymore.

"Why not investigate? Do you really think he's the murderer? The murderer who could kill Zhang Ping would be beaten by you like a sandbag?"