Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter Eighty-One: First Clear Sky

Peng Wanli hurriedly dressed, his mind in turmoil, and naturally filled with anger toward Lady Jin. He barked at the courier, "Bring them to the main hall."

"And another thing—send word to Magistrate Ma, have all the announcements withdrawn about my discovering the culprit of the Stone Bridge Town serial murders being the village head."

Moments later, in the small post station's main hall, the village head and Lady Jin knelt in front of the desk, both bound tightly, their bodies bearing the bruises from last night's flogging. Peng Wanli tried his best to suppress his rage, standing straight to project the authority befitting a county magistrate.

But the moment he saw Chen Chang'an sitting quietly on a small wooden stool as an observer, half his imposing demeanor vanished; awkwardly, he rose and said, "Master Chen, perhaps you'd like to conduct the interrogation?"

Chen Chang'an calmly cracked sunflower seeds. "You do it!"

"Alright... alright!" Peng Wanli bent over and sat down heavily, slapping the table with his palm to mimic the judge’s gavel, and scolded, "Lady Jin, why did you deceive this official and frame the village head? Do you realize this is a capital offense?"

"And you, village head, if you are not the murderer, why did you have Du Mingcong’s jade ring?"

"I..."

"Master Peng..."

Both spoke at once.

Peng Wanli pointed at Lady Jin, spitting as he exclaimed, "You speak first."

She bowed her head, murmuring, "Master Peng, because I..."

Her words abruptly stopped.

Peng Wanli cursed in frustration, "I asked you to speak and you stay silent—what are you trying to do?"

"I..." Lady Jin stammered on, unable to admit she framed the village head to prevent the exposure of her affair with the One-Browed Monk—her dignity as a woman would not allow it.

They were all victims, after all... Chen Chang'an tossed aside the sunflower seed husks and stood up. "Master Peng, the reason Lady Jin framed the village head is quite complicated; allow me to explain it in detail later."

"Alright... very well, Master Chen!" Peng Wanli bowed humbly, abandoning the superiority he had felt earlier when he thought his discovery outshone the secret police.

Chen Chang'an nodded.

Lady Jin subtly gathered her brows and managed a sweet smile, expressing her gratitude. Chen Chang'an, however, was even more inscrutable, turning aside. Lady Jin was not striking, but pleasant to behold—reserved rather than seductive, but still alluring in her own quiet way. Sometimes he doubted whether she or the monk was the true victim.

After all... flies don’t land on seamless eggs.

"Bang!"

At the front of the hall, Peng Wanli slammed his hand on the desk again. "Village head, if you are not the murderer of Du Mingcong, why did you have his ring?"

"This..."

"I..."

The village head, with his bruised backside, lay prone and muttered, "Master Peng, as I reported last night, I stole it in a moment of greed after discovering his corpse..."

Chen Chang'an spat out a sunflower seed husk and drawled, "So you lied and said Du Mingcong’s body was fished from the river, because the jade ring is a family heirloom. This way, if the Du family investigates, you could claim the ring was washed away, severing any connection."

"You see through me, Master Chen!" The village head buried his head in shame.

Peng Wanli cursed, "Scoundrels, both of you! I suspected Granny Gui was the killer from the start—had you two not muddled the investigation, it wouldn’t have been so troublesome."

Chen Chang'an: ...

You suspected nothing!

"Both deserve death!"

Peng Wanli continued to shout, preparing to flog the village head again and sentence Lady Jin as an accomplice for obstructing the case. Fortunately, Chen Chang'an intervened, and Peng Wanli ceased his pursuit; after all, last night's beating was severe enough.

Lady Jin was sentenced to three months in custody.

It wasn’t out of misplaced sympathy, but rather a decision based on facts. Peng Wanli’s verdict was tinged with personal bias; in the feudal mindset of ancient times, Lady Jin's lie to preserve her reputation was understandable.

In the public notice to the townspeople, only Granny Gui was named as the lone deranged murderer, with no deeper secrets revealed.

He feared exposing the truth would trouble the eight families whose children had not yet been harmed, and strain the relationships of couples who had prayed for children at the Arhat Temple. In short... it was a matter that touched many lives.

Once the aftermath was settled, Chen Chang'an, eager to return to the secret police to select a new assignment and register his merit, hadn’t time to wait for the rain to stop. He mounted his snow-white pony, unfurled his umbrella, and prepared to leave.

Surprisingly, Peng Wanli also planned to ride back through the rain to the county office.

Chen Chang'an clicked his tongue, "Hey, why are you heading back so early?"

"I... well, there are still some matters to attend to, heh heh heh..." Peng Wanli scratched his head sheepishly.

"Oh, fine, we can travel together."

Riding side by side, Peng Wanli spoke awkwardly, "Master Chen, I truly was foolish to believe Lady Jin, nearly allowing the real murderer to escape. Thank heavens for your presence."

"No matter!" Chen Chang'an waved magnanimously, as if he barely cared. "Who solved the case is irrelevant—the key is fulfilling our duty and serving the people of Stone Bridge Town."

"From the start, you, Master Peng, made many contributions. It wasn’t my effort alone; it was a miracle of cooperation."

"No, no, Master Chen, you’re too modest." Peng Wanli shook his head, feeling much relieved.

Just beyond the post station, the townsfolk of Stone Bridge, led by those who had lost children, gathered in a mass under umbrellas, blocking the road. In the front row, hands held wooden trays laden with gold and silver, while those behind carried bamboo baskets filled with eggs, cakes, and local specialties.

"Master Chen, our whole town thanks you for finding the serial killer!"

"Thank you, Master Chen!"

A thousand townsfolk bowed in unison.

Seated high on horseback, Chen Chang'an looked down at them, especially those offering eggs and produce, and couldn’t help but recall his first moments in Da Min—his soul transmigrated, condemned at the execution platform, pelted with rotten vegetables. Now, he basked in springtime pride.

He spread his hands in a calming gesture. "No need for thanks—this is my duty. Though the Stone Bridge murders were complex, they were not difficult to solve."

"Here, I offer my condolences to the victims and their families. Had I arrived a few days earlier, perhaps another life could have been saved. Alas... words now are but empty comfort."

"As for Master Peng, it’s true he arrived before me but failed to identify the killer in time. Still, I hope everyone will understand and forgive."

Peng Wanli: ...

What is this? You just said it didn’t matter who solved the case, that miracles come from cooperation—yet all the miracles happened only when you arrived.

He waved his hands at the townspeople. "Everyone, I am Peng, the county magistrate overseeing Stone Bridge Town—"

"Master Chen is our savior! If not for him, who knows how many more would have died," the crowd shouted.

"Yes, thank you, Master Chen!"

"Master Chen, you are a true detective!"

"Clack, clack!"

Peng Wanli coughed and raised his voice, "Everyone, listen, I am Peng, the county magistrate overseeing Stone Bridge Town—"

But as he uttered his name, the townsfolk interrupted again. "Quick, bring all the gifts prepared for Master Chen!"

"Yes, my eggs!"

"This cloth is woven from our own mulberry—it's especially warm, Master Chen, please accept it!"

Peng Wanli: ...

"Master Chen, here is fifty taels of silver. You found and executed the murderer who killed my son and cleared our family's name. I am deeply grateful. Please accept this humble token," said Du Mingcong’s father, respectfully offering the tray.

The family maid stood beside him, holding an umbrella, her smile radiant.

Chen Chang'an hesitated, then wedged his umbrella between his neck and shoulder, grabbed the silver ingots with both hands, and stuffed them into his chest, their metallic clinking ringing out. "Oh, it’s nothing, really—just my duty. But not accepting would feel like spurning your goodwill."

"Ah, a little gesture is enough!"

So, gesture after gesture, Du Mingcong’s father was left with nothing but an empty tray.

Peng Wanli’s eyes glowed green with envy. When Chen Chang'an gathered jewels in the Arhat Temple’s secret passage, it had been mere temptation; now, it was genuine “lemony” jealousy bubbling up.

He tugged at Chen Chang'an’s sleeve and whispered, "Master Chen, you shouldn’t take so much. If the secret police find out, it might not be good for you!"

In other words: no one gave me anything, how can you take it all for yourself?

Chen Chang'an grinned, "It doesn’t matter—I’m still in the probation phase, not a formal member. The secret police’s rules don’t apply to me yet."

"What... what did you say?" Peng Wanli nearly popped his eyes out. Probation phase? So Chen Chang'an wasn’t even officially an officer—if he failed, he'd just be a common martial artist.

Heavens! He’d thought Chen Chang'an was a veteran investigator, but it turned out he wasn’t even a rookie. Peng Wanli suddenly felt his intelligence had been inexplicably insulted.

He was, quite simply, unhappy!

Nothing felt right atop his horse!

Such an insult, out of nowhere!

...

"Ah!" Peng Wanli threw his head back in despair and tumbled off his horse.

"Hey, what’s going on with that guy?"

"Who? Oh, it’s Master Peng!"

"Quick, everyone, Master Peng has heatstroke!"

The townsfolk’s shouts spread, and they finally noticed that beside the great solver of the serial murders, Chen Chang'an, stood the county magistrate Peng Wanli.

Chen Chang'an couldn't help but grin, stretching his hand from under the umbrella to feel the coolness, his scalp tingling. Heatstroke on a rainy day—how could that be?

"Carry Master Peng into the post station, I have business to attend to—I'll be on my way!"

He didn’t linger, eager to return for his next assignment. With his right hand holding the umbrella and his left gripping the reins, he rode off alone. Just as he left, the rain ceased, clouds parted, and the weather cleared. In the northeast, a rainbow arched from the mountain peak, shimmering, the sky tinged with blue-green mist.

Sunlight poured down from the clean, emerald sky, shining on the river and reflecting beneath the bridge.

On the stone bridge, Ying Si curled his lips and clenched his five fingers. "Now!"

He punched down with tremendous force—the entire bridge exploded into fragments, limestone blocks flying everywhere. Ying Si and Aman grabbed the mysterious white-robed figure standing at the center, their features unclear, and all three leapt away.

As the fragments scattered, a flash of silvery light shot skyward.

"The Water Mirror Sword!" Ying Si lunged for it.

Just as Chen Chang'an, riding his snow-white pony, approached the riverbank, he had to pull the reins and stop. He cursed, What the hell—just as I was about to cross, you demolish the bridge?

He looked toward the bridge's base on the riverbank, and his breath caught.

"Sister Hua... such terrible wounds!"

He reflexively flung his folded umbrella, which burst out with a circle of visible shockwaves, stirring up clouds of dust around his snow-white pony.