novelapdf Chapter 143 A Lifetime of Forbearance
Chapter 143 A Lifetime of Forbearance
Luo Yonghuai glanced at Yue Feng and asked the head constable, "Tell me everything in detail!"
"Chief Constable, I just received the news myself and am on my way to investigate. Would you like to come with me?"
Luo Yonghuai said, "You go first, take more people with you. I'll go later."
"Yes!" the constable replied and went out to prepare. Luo Yonghuai hesitated for a long time, finally mustering his courage, and said to Yue Feng, "Guest Yue, this matter..."
Yue Feng said, "Chief Constable Luo, rest assured, this matter has nothing to do with me. Although Ouyang Ying and I have a grudge, I vented my anger then and there. Just now, when Xue Yu was being so aggressive, didn't I also exercise great restraint?"
Luo Yonghuai inwardly scoffed. "You slapped me across the face like that, and you call that restraint? What about all my lifelong forbearance?"
But he only dared to say these words in his heart; he would never dare to say them aloud. Xue Yu's example was a stark warning, and he didn't want to repeat Xue Yu's mistakes.
"Hehe...Guest Yue, you misunderstand. Guest Yue is an upright and honorable man, how could he do such a... this... disgraceful thing? I was just about to ask if Guest Yue would be willing to accompany this old man to take a look? With Guest Yue by our side, it will definitely be of great help to us in solving the case."
Yue Feng laughed and said, "Chief Constable Luo, you flatter me too much. If you don't mind, just call me Xiao Yue! Calling me Yue Keqing all the time is too formal."
Luo Yonghuai nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay! Then I'll take the liberty of being an elder this time. Xiao Yue, do you want to go?"
Yue Feng himself was quite interested in the Ouyang family murder case, so he agreed to Luo Yonghuai's request. Luo Yonghuai made some simple preparations, and together with Yue Feng, they left the Six Doors headquarters. On the way, Yue Feng said to Luo Yonghuai:
"Chief Constable Luo, I told you I was grateful for your help. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask. Though I'm not very bright, I'll do my best."
Luo Yonghuai knew what Yue Feng was referring to, sighed, and said, "Child, I appreciate your kindness. However, my matter involves the Eastern Depot, which is too complicated. You should... not get involved in this mess."
Yue Feng said calmly, "I don't want to wade into muddy waters, but they keep flowing towards me. What can I do?"
Luo Yonghuai was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll tell you. But you mustn't take any risks for this, otherwise I really won't have the face to live under this clear sky."
Yue Feng nodded solemnly. Luo Yonghuai said, "The owner of those fingernails is my apprentice, Luo Jing. Jing'er is an orphan who was raised by me in the Six Doors from a young age, and later became my apprentice. Although we are master and apprentice in name, we are like father and son."
"Jing'er's martial arts skills originated from me, but he surpassed me. His ambitions were even greater than mine, so after he came of age, I recommended him to work in the Six Doors. He started as the lowest-ranking yamen runner and worked his way up to head constable. However..."
Luo Yonghuai paused here before continuing, "However... the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. Jing'er's excellence aroused Ouyang Ying's dissatisfaction."
"After the Eastern Depot gained power, Ouyang Ying, with the help of his family, switched sides to the Eastern Depot. The first thing he did after joining the Eastern Depot was to frame Jing'er, ostensibly to eliminate my supporters."
"Hehe, I've been the chief constable of the Six Doors in Hanzhong for decades, and my students and former subordinates are all over Hanzhong. Why don't I see him go and punish me? In the end, it all comes down to 'jealousy'."
"Jing'er was impulsive and easily angered by nature, and had clashed with the Eastern Depot many times. Ouyang Ying and Xue Yu used this as a pretext to arrest him and imprison him in the Eastern Depot's secret dungeon."
"I've negotiated with them countless times, using every means at my disposal, but I still can't find out where Jing'er is. Is he still alive? I never expected... I never expected to see his fingernails today. Sigh..."
Luo Yonghuai said nothing more, and Yue Feng asked no more questions. The two walked in silence for a while until they arrived at the magnificent gates of the Ouyang Mansion. Many people stood at a distance, hesitant to approach, yet filled with curiosity.
Several head constables and dozens of constables were all crowded at the entrance, their expressions a mixture of helplessness and anger. Luo Yonghuai dismounted and frowned, asking, "Why are you all crammed here?"
One of the constables said, "Lord Xue said that the Eastern Depot is in charge of this case and told us to go back. We... knew you would come, so we dared not go back immediately and waited for you here."
Luo Yonghuai understood the constable's unspoken meaning: since Xue Yu had said he would take over the case, they had no room to interfere. "They" included himself, the chief constable. The constables were waiting for him there simply because they didn't want him to lose face at the hands of the Eastern Depot's lackeys.
In the past, Luo Yonghuai would have at most said a few polite words before leading his men back. But this time, for some reason, he suddenly refused to leave. The constables were puzzled to see him standing still and not saying a word when Yue Feng parted the crowd and strode inside.
A busybody shouted, "Guest Master Yue of the Six Doors has arrived! All bystanders, make way!"
Xue Yu had originally arranged for more than ten guards to guard the main gate to guard against the Six Doors. Most of these guards had accompanied Xue Yu to the White Horse Escort Agency before. Upon hearing the shout and seeing Yue Feng, they all gasped and involuntarily retreated to both sides.
Seeing how frightened they were, the others dared not step forward, allowing Yue Feng to enter as if he were in an empty place. Luo Yonghuai and a group of constables and officers also followed into the Ouyang residence.
Following the scent of blood in the air, Yue Feng arrived at the edge of an open space. The corpses lay in the center of the open space, all covered with white cloths. Xue Yu and Ouyang Ying were squatting beside the corpses, examining them.
Hearing footsteps, Xue Yu and Ouyang Ying turned around. Seeing Yue Feng, Luo Yonghuai, and the others, Xue Yu coldly said, "May I ask, Elder Yue, is this ruthless assassin also your friend?"
As Yue Feng walked toward the corpse, he said, "Whether it is or not, I'll only know after I see it. Move aside." He kicked Ouyang Ying aside. Ouyang Ying was so angry that her eyes turned red, and she was breathing heavily through her nostrils, but she dared not speak out.
The constables and officers who witnessed this scene felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking that if their Six Doors could be as arrogant and domineering as Yue Keqing, even if they lost their lives, it would be a satisfying outcome.
Yue Feng examined each of the corpses one by one. They were all attacked from the front, with a single sword strike to the throat, as if Chen Ji had used his sword to kill them.
This was naturally Lin Pingzhi's doing, intended to draw the Black-Clad Society's attention. But why did he choose the Ouyang family as his target? Besides their collusion with the Eastern Depot and their duplicity, what secrets does the Ouyang family hold that Yue Feng is unaware of?
Seeing Yue Feng's furrowed brows, Xue Yu couldn't help but sneer, "So, what's up, Guest Elder Yue? Have you figured it out yet?"
Yue Feng said, "The murderer killed very swiftly and decisively, without using any special techniques. The weapon was a common longsword, and its origin is unknown. Such a person couldn't be completely unknown. Chief Constable Luo, Lord Xue, don't you have any leads?"