CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: YOU REALLY RUSHED OVER THERE, HUH_1

"Do you know this person?"

Chen Xuan, the newly appointed Silver Seal Arrest Officer in Qinghe City, asked in a mild tone, holding a photo.

The person in the photo was Fang Cheng.

Wang Linchi nodded honestly. "Yes, his name is Fang Cheng. He once brazenly showed up at my house, claiming to be a friend of my parents, and then asked..."

He roughly explained the situation.

"Hmm, it seems this Fang Cheng indeed has his eyes on the inheritance your parents left you," Chen Xuan said.

"What’s there to covet? Just an ordinary-grade Flash Art?" Wang Linchi retorted.

Once he said this, Chen Xuan’s expression became slightly strange, but he didn’t explain. Instead, he added, "Fang Cheng attacked the Colonel in our city yesterday and fled after being seriously injured. I came to warn you to be careful."

Hearing this, Wang Linchi immediately understood. The person who had taken his Rainbow Light Series Soul Kind was the Colonel from Qinghe City.

Indeed, he has the power. All the military authority of Qinghe City is in his hands, and only the Prefect Magistrate can command him.

This Colonel hadn’t left with the previous Prefect Magistrate; after all, the latter could only leave by himself, not take the troops.

"He didn’t die? That’s truly a shame," Wang Linchi said with apparent regret. He suspected that the Colonel might be an Elite Gold Level Awakener who had been hiding his true strength.

Chen Xuan wasn’t sure who Wang Linchi was referring to when he said it was a shame someone hadn’t died, so he just assumed it was Fang Cheng.

Chen Xuan couldn’t directly state that the Colonel had taken the inheritance left by Wang Linchi’s parents, as he dared not offend the Colonel. So, he could only probe indirectly, "Then, do you know why he tried to assassinate the Colonel?"

"How would I know? We only exchanged a few words that day. Who knew he’d be deranged enough to try and assassinate the Colonel?" Wang Linchi played along. Since they were playing this game with him, he would feign ignorance.

"Alright, if I get any news, I’ll be the first to inform you." Chen Xuan didn’t press the matter further and prepared to leave with his Bronze Seal Catcher disciple.

"Wait, Officer Chen, I also wanted to ask, is Fang Cheng really a friend of my parents?" Wang Linchi asked.

"I’m not quite sure. His background is mysterious, and it’s difficult to trace his origins quickly." Chen Xuan indeed hadn’t been able to find out. He only knew that the other party was someone from the provincial level, and attempts to investigate him had met with considerable obstruction.

Moreover, even if he truly wanted to investigate, the Colonel wouldn’t allow it. That set of Soul Kind was something he had procured for his son. If it were truly reported to higher-ups, the matter would inevitably be unearthed. This kind of affair, detrimental to the Court’s interests, would be a considerable piece of merit for an imperial envoy sent from above. Naturally, they would want to take care of the whole ’package’—the issue and those involved. The officials sent down would certainly not favor them but would lean towards the imperial envoy’s own interests.

"A mysterious background, huh? Then it’s understandable if he can’t be traced," Wang Linchi said, not pursuing it further since Chen Xuan clearly didn’t know either.

Not to mention, Qinghe City lacked the capability to investigate someone with an unknown background.

Although the Colonel was furious, he was still hunting Fang Cheng. Fang Cheng’s strength was no match for the Colonel’s. He had escaped, but he had left traces behind.

After saying this, Chen Xuan departed with his men.

On their way, his Bronze Seal Catcher disciple asked, "Master, why didn’t you use him to claim credit? Even if he knew nothing, he still had a connection with that thief. If we apprehended him, it would surely bring us some reward."

Chen Xuan glanced at his disciple, his expression tinged with disappointment for failing to live up to expectations. "Didn’t you read his file when we came? Why are you still asking such a question?"

"This Wang Linchi is indeed unremarkable, but haven’t you seen who’s backing him?"

"He has a good personal relationship with Yan Ming King, is highly regarded by the Dean of Qinghe Academy, and has even received guidance from the Prefect Magistrate."

The disciple was stunned by this but then retorted defiantly, "Yan Ming King was just lucky! If it were me, I could have succeeded too. Besides, he’s far away in Yingzhou Prefecture now, so what can he do?"

"The Dean is about to be promoted and leave. How could he possibly help a mere student, especially one in the Waste Spirit Phase?"

In their eyes, any Soul Resemblance that couldn’t be used for combat was considered a Waste Spirit Phase, even those helpful for daily life.

"Heh, you’re so desperate for merit you’ve gone mad! If you weren’t my disciple, I would have slapped you across the face long ago," Chen Xuan said, quite annoyed. "He’s a reserve member of our faction. Once he graduates, he’ll surely be an asset to us. Didn’t you see? Even the Colonel only told us to question him, not arrest him."

"If you act this way, what will others think later? That we, master and disciple, are impartial and incorruptible, or that we’re driven by self-interest?"

Chen Xuan hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with this disciple of his before. But after he was promoted to a high position, his foolishness and shortsightedness gradually became apparent. As people from the same faction, we are our own people. There’s no conflict of interest involved here. The highly respected and powerful Colonel didn’t even make a fuss, yet you want to. Do you think you carry more weight than the Colonel?

The Bronze Seal Catcher opened his mouth, still unconvinced, wanting to say something.

However, Chen Xuan rudely cut him off, "This matter is closed. And don’t even think about using Wang Linchi as a scapegoat. Even if you did, what good would it do?"

"If Fang Cheng can’t be caught, it’s useless even if you hand over the entire city as scapegoats."

He had figured it out; this disciple couldn’t even see the main point. From the very beginning, the focus wasn’t Wang Linchi, but Fang Cheng, who had attacked the Colonel. You ignore the main culprit and try to use a small fry as a scapegoat. It might be acceptable for some minor matters, but blatantly trying to fool the Prefect Magistrate, the Colonel, and others like this is simply courting death. The Colonel is still hunting Fang Cheng, and you turn around saying you’ll just hand someone over and call it done? Are you trying to fool them as if they’re idiots?

When Chen Xuan was a Bronze Seal Catcher, this disciple of his, then a constable under him, often did such things, even using it to absolve Great Families of blame for profit. Now he actually wants to do it again? He’s planning to drag me down with him too! Using someone to take the blame for minor things is one thing, but to dare do it in such a major affair... well, this Silver Seal Arrest Officer of his might just get demoted back to a Bronze Seal Catcher.

"Yes, I understand," the disciple agreed, though his tone was laced with unwillingness. Losing out on a piece of merit made his heart ache.

Chen Xuan could also see that this lad was still resentful, so he offered a couple more sentences of warning. This isn’t some petty cleverness; it’s sheer stupidity, he thought. Still harping on about merit? If one truly deceives their superiors, it’s a transgression, not an achievement!

The two of them gradually walked further away. This matter wasn’t their responsibility to begin with; it was up to the city’s Colonel. Thus, they were only conducting a routine inquiry. Unless they found concrete evidence of Wang Linchi’s involvement, they wouldn’t act rashly.