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Amidst the heavy rain, the torrential river surged towards the bend ahead, waves rising. Search: \(¨Perfect¨Book¨God¨Station¨) for free access to high-quality literature. A massive figure plunged into the water like a charging winter bear. A moment later, the figure burst out of the water again.

The figure, named Lin E'chan, rushed forward a few steps along the riverbank, gazing at the river. He continued to pick up stones and hurl them, causing high columns of water to erupt from the surface. After several throws, he stopped smashing the rocks and slowed down after running a few more steps.

"Haha." He laughed mockingly, but the girl who had fallen into the river had vanished without a trace.

In a battle between experts, even a slight oversight could be fatal. Although Lin E'chan had dominated the fight, forcing Xigua into a purely defensive position, Xigua and Chen Fan were on the verge of a breakthrough in their cultivation. Lin E'chan's swimming skills were only average, and he was unsure of Xigua's abilities in that regard. If Xigua were a skilled swimmer, it was possible that, despite being seriously injured, he could launch a surprise attack with his blade.

Having just re-emerged into the Jianghu, and currently holding the upper hand, Lin E'chan sought to be cautious before facing Zhou Tong. Furthermore, if Xigua was indeed highly skilled in the water, he wouldn't last long in such a state of injury in the swirling currents. As the rain poured down, Lin E'chan strolled along the river, his eyes like a hawk, scanning the surroundings.

It was already dusk, and the mountains looked gray in the rain. Across the narrow river lay a leaden-colored forest, misty and low. As the river roared, a chilling murderous intent emanated from the large figure as he moved forward.

...

In the turbulent water, the young girl gripped her short blade tightly, struggling to maintain the last vestiges of consciousness. But the river currents were treacherous, and her body silently collided with the sand and mud at the riverbed. In an instant, she was spinning, unable to discern direction.

The light was dim, the water murky, but the current was incredibly swift. Mud and algae swirled around her body. Just as the next bend approached, she strained her remaining awareness to adjust her position, opening her eyes wide.

Before her, a jagged reef jutted out from the riverbed, heading straight for her head!

The dark shape loomed larger—

...

The rain lessened towards evening, but darkness descended earlier than usual, casting a dim light over the mountain ranges.

In the mountains near a place called Sipinggang, the camp was a muddy mess. Zong Feixiao entered the camp during dinner time. The fire struggled to burn in the damp tent, and several groups of yamen runners were organizing ditches on the outer perimeter. The day and night guards were changing shifts, wearing raincoats. Seeing him arrive, they became even more strict in their adherence to regulations.

The Ministry of Justice was handling the matter, summoning constables and yamen runners from various regions, relying on the local prefectures for resources. In this era, government affairs were rarely conducted without disturbing the people. However, this situation was different from the usual.

The Green Forest heroes were, in essence, people from all walks of life. Fang Baihua's group were the elite among them. Establishing a camp near villages or towns would make it impossible to keep out all the surrounding people, making them vulnerable to infiltration. For the sake of expediency, Zong Feixiao and Tie Tianying chose to build an independent camp in the style of a military encampment, striving to keep track of every person under their command to prevent outside infiltration.

The massive Ministry of Justice, in charge of all criminal matters in the country, had only seven chief constables, each a remarkable individual. Tie Tianying was shrewd and capable, holding the fort inside the camp, while Zong Feixiao, despite his burly appearance and fierce demeanor, was actually a meticulous planner. These past few days, he had been leading the constables in laying a dragnet outside, occasionally capturing stray bandits who were then concentrated with the other prisoners.

Although dealing with top experts like Fang Baihua still required the power of Lin E'chan and others, it was Zong Feixiao's strategy that was effectively compressing the enemy's escape routes step by step.

The camp had been established at Sipinggang for several days. During that time, scattered bandits were being captured one after another, some of whom were once famous figures in the Green Forest world. But for the Ministry of Justice, these people alone were not enough.

This time, escorting Fang Qifo northward, the explicit order given to Tie and Zong was simply to safely deliver Fang Qifo to the capital for trial. However, in their view, anyone could handle such a task. Defeating Fang La was Tong Guan's achievement, and defeating Fang Qifo was Xin Xingzong's. It was not wrong for the military to monopolize these achievements, but for the two of them, seizing the opportunity to make a name for themselves naturally meant capturing Fang Baihua and clearing out the remaining remnants of the Yongle era.

The Chief Constables of the Ministry of Justice held considerable power, but in reality, they represented a transition from the local level to the central government. They often rose from the bottom ranks and were familiar with practical matters. They were resourceful and highly skilled in martial arts, but in the court, these individuals were ultimately just enforcers, not formal officials. In other words, they were "artisans" rather than "administrators," "soldier kings" rather than "generals."

The gap between these two was enormous, and many capable officers might spend their entire lives in the position of Chief Constable. But if they could cross that threshold and enter the central government of the Ministry of Justice, it would be a transformation, and they could have a better reputation after retiring with заслуги.

Learning literary and martial arts to serve the emperor, but the difference between literature and martial arts was so great. Of course, such was the way of the world, and they didn't find anything wrong with it. The identity of a Chief Constable was not considered grand only in relation to the officials of the central government; to ordinary people, it was still a huge official position.

Entering the newly built tent in the inner layer of the camp, Tie Tianying was eating and drinking at the table. The living conditions were not good, but the food and drinks were plentiful. Zong Feixiao had a large appetite but did not drink alcohol. He took a large bowl of leftover rice and devoured a large bowl before speaking.

"We only captured three people today. We lost seven brothers and thirteen were injured. Nine of them were unwilling to surrender and were killed."

Tie Tianying took a sip of wine and sneered, "Those who can escape to this point will hardly be spared in the capital. They understand this, so they are unwilling to surrender."

"Someone seems to have discovered traces of Fang Baihua and his group near Yu Zhen. Someone clashed with the people of Badao. They must have moved again. But I plan to go take a look tonight."

"Did you notify the Lin side?"

"That Lin Zongwu is strange. We told them, but they are unwilling to reveal anything, making us uncomfortable..." Zong Feixiao shook his head and grunted, "But we said what we needed to say."

Tie Tianying smiled, "They use us, and we use them. It's normal for these people to be mysterious. Let them be for now. We'll talk about the rest after we find Fang Baihua..." Neither of them were fools. He said this casually, not to explain anything to Zong Feixiao. After a pause, he lowered his voice and said, "Demon Buddha Lin E'chan... He was very powerful back then..."

"That fatty..." Zong Feixiao thought for a moment and nodded, "His cultivation is indeed not to be underestimated. He says he wants to challenge Zhou Tong; it's probably not an empty boast."

"Ha." Tie Tianying smiled, scoffing, "Just watch. The title of the top expert of the Imperial Boxing Academy is not something that can be easily earned."

The two chatted for a few sentences. Zong Feixiao had quickly eaten two large bowls of rice, and now he was eating slowly. While eating, he thought of something else and casually said, "In the past few days, the people from the Secret Investigation Department have been inquiring about this matter with the surrounding officials."

Tie Tianying narrowed his eyes. After a moment, he said as if nothing had happened, "With such a big commotion, it's inevitable that they'd be some movement on their end."

"Illegitimate and without proper authority, what are these people doing?"

"In extraordinary times, expedient measures are used." Tie Tianying smiled, "Just look at the attitude of those above, and you'll know that the Emperor doesn't trust them either. They only have the right to observe now. When the northern war is over, see what happens to these people. Even Chancellor Cai didn't have such power back then. How can the court allow one faction to dominate?"

Zong Feixiao nodded and then lowered his voice, "Not long ago, Liu Qinghe and I chatted privately, and he said that this Secret Investigation Department might have been established to counter Chancellor Cai. In the court, Chancellor Li can only compete with Chancellor Cai in terms of reputation and integrity. After all, the truly powerful one is Prime Minister Qin. If he hadn't retired back then, he might truly have been able to rival Chancellor Cai."

"How can we possibly know such things?" Tie Tianying also lowered his voice, "But speaking of the cases we've handled before, think about how many were related to Chancellor Cai. How many people were involved in the business with the Liao people from Chancellor Cai's party? If someone couldn't compete with Chancellor Cai, this Northern Expedition wouldn't have been possible."

"Chancellor Cai also wanted to promote the Northern Expedition."

"Chancellor Cai, Tong Shumi, and the others, which one didn't want to promote the Northern Expedition... They wanted to leave their names in history," Tie Tianying said. "But the people behind them might not. If Prime Minister Qin hadn't suddenly come out, retired for many years without any entanglements, and slapped those people in the face, who would have been willing to compromise here and withdraw from the business with Liao? Chancellor Cai was also happy to see Prime Minister Qin and his group grow stronger. If Prime Minister Qin was powerful, he could push the boat along and tell his family that the Emperor was determined to launch the Northern Expedition and Prime Minister Qin didn't give face to anyone, so he couldn't afford to offend him..."

After he finished speaking, he sighed, "But ah, in extraordinary times, how many people who use such sharp methods have you seen end well? Prime Minister Qin's faction is probably hated even more than Prime Minister Li's faction now."

Zong Feixiao also shook his head. They were talking about national affairs, but in reality, it was ultimately about their displeasure with the intervention of the Secret Investigation Department. They used to be the authorities in this area, managed by the upper levels of the Ministry of Justice, and that was fine. But a small yamen that had only been established for a few years and was not yet fully developed dared to keep an eye on them, which was obviously annoying to anyone.

"However, the Secret Investigation Department is investigating in great detail this time," Zong Feixiao said after a long silence.

Tie Tianying frowned, "Detailed?"

"They transferred a lot of things from the nearby county yamen. They all seem like trivial matters, not wanting to attract our attention, but they have information on the transfer of nearby yamen runners and constables, as well as their injuries. Someone mentioned that they also went to nearby clinics to check on house calls... The person arranging this is thorough, like a veteran."

"Our handling of this matter has been aboveboard..." After pondering for a long time, Tie Tianying said, "What do they want to do by investigating?"

"Sikong Nan, Lin Zongwu, Wang Nanda..." Zong Feixiao said softly.

Tie Tianying's gaze became unfocused. After contemplating for a moment, he looked at Zong Feixiao, "Can they afford to offend them?"

"Since the Liangshan incident last year, the Secret Investigation Department has increased its emphasis on the Green Forest world. They didn't have anyone in the past, and they were academic and didn't really care about this, but now it seems someone has taken an interest... That Heart Demon Ning Yi."

"Heh..." Tie Tianying laughed, but ultimately did not offer an evaluation.

"Don't underestimate him. After the Liangshan incident, the name of the Heart Demon spread throughout the northern Green Forest world. Just last year, Liu Qinghe knew of five or six groups who went to the capital to assassinate him and make a name for themselves. They all disappeared without a trace."

Among the seven Chief Constables of the Ministry of Justice, Liu Qinghe was the constable in charge of the Jingji area, so his words naturally carried weight. Tie Tianying shook his head, "With the power of the Right Chancellor, ordinary people who go to the capital would naturally meet such an end. It doesn't have much to do with Ning Yi's abilities. In my opinion, although this person is fierce and full of schemes, his actions still resemble the style of a scholar manipulating others. He's probably just a strategist who came out of the Prime Minister's mansion. Now that various parties are intervening here, the situation is already chaotic enough. If he gets involved with the academic spirit and ignorance of the world... Heh, I wonder what the outcome will be."

Tie Tianying said these words, and although he somewhat dismissed the Heart Demon, he still understood the principle of not underestimating the opponent. He had been working in the government for many years and understood the ruthlessness of Confucian scholars the most.

The Green Forest world lived a life of licking blood from the edge of a knife, but in many cases, they still valued righteousness. A Confucian scholar who really wanted to do things would be full of morality, but in reality, they would use any means to achieve their goals. Especially since they had read many books and knew many things, they would act recklessly, and their methods would be endless and difficult to defend against. The Liangshan incident was proof of this. Tens of thousands of people were directly crushed by a series of schemes. Although the Secret Investigation Department was responsible for that incident and the Ministry of Justice didn't intervene much, Tie Tianying and others could occasionally learn about the pros and cons. Many survivors were still traumatized after the event. Later, the Green Forest world was shaken, and the name of the Heart Demon spread. Unlike the reputation of ordinary Green Forest people being earned through fighting, the other party's reputation was entirely built on human lives.

Although the Ministry of Justice also belonged to the official government, no one dared to use tens of thousands of lives to set up a game. Those who could manipulate so many lives were either the military on the battlefield or the Confucian scholars.

At this time, the participation of two Chief Constables of the Ministry of Justice in the Sipinggang area was a force that would shake any Green Forest power. However, Sikong Nan was a former Saintess of the Demonic Sect, and the people under her command reappeared, with martial arts so high that it was difficult to estimate. Behind her were the shadows of large families that no one dared to touch. And Fang Baihua's group, although now in a difficult situation, was also the embers of this rebellion that shook Tiannan. The power that could shake the court back then, even in its last throes, should not be underestimated.

In such a situation, if the Heart Demon inserted a foot with unpredictable strange intentions, it would be a difficult outcome for them to predict. Although the Secret Investigation Department now only had the right to supervise and did not have the power to get involved in command, who knew what ideas were hidden in the other party's mind. The twists and turns of Confucianism, affecting the whole body with one move, made it difficult to know what they really wanted to do.

Most importantly, he hated the feeling of being watched and withheld. Especially when the other party was an existence like the Heart Demon.

After discussing this for a while, Zong Feixiao finished eating, rested for a moment, and was about to go out to investigate Fang Baihua's affairs when someone suddenly came to report: "Someone claiming to be from the Secret Investigation Department is holding a Right Chancellor's writ and requesting an audience."

Tie Tianying and Zong Feixiao looked at each other, frowning deeply, and thought, "It's really here?"

They had thought that the Secret Investigation Department would be watching everything in the dark, but they didn't expect the other party to suddenly come to the door.

The Secret Investigation Department did not have much mandatory power in the local area. Although Tie Tianying and Zong Feixiao could refuse to let the other party in, it was better to offend a gentleman than to offend a petty person. With the Secret Investigation Department's actions and the guidance of that Heart Demon, it wouldn't be good to refuse directly. Zong Feixiao took the writ and asked, "Who is coming?"

After looking at it carefully, he handed it to Tie Tianying, "You handle it first, I'm going out."

Looking at the name, the other party was a guest professor from the Prime Minister's mansion named Cheng Zhouhai. They had just been talking about Ning Yi, and when the servant suddenly came to report, they couldn't help but think that the person who came might be the Heart Demon? Now that they saw it wasn't, they didn't treat it as a big deal. In fact, they just thought it was strange. Even if Ning Yi really came, they wouldn't really think it was too serious.

Zong Feixiao went out, and Tie Tianying ordered his subordinates to clean up the tent and let the person in.

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