Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 106 - 103: Concealing Tracks and Form, The Confused County Magistrate

Chapter 106: Chapter 103: Concealing Tracks and Form, The Confused County Magistrate

Thud...

Innumerable fine pink mists and needle-like sensations sprayed out from the white-clothed man’s wide-open mouth.

They were then gathered together by Zhou Ping’an’s Wave Subduing Blade Force and, with a backhand, he struck the man’s chest.

As the saying goes, easier said than done; faster done than said.

As the palm struck the white-clothed man’s chest, not only did his bones shatter, but while he spurted blood frenziedly, he did not forget to pull out the soft sword from his waist and counterattack.

His swordsmanship was swift and vicious, striking at Zhou Ping’an’s throat in a flash.

But this time, Zhou Ping’an did not dodge, nor could he afford to hesitate. His left fist shone with a faint red light and, with the punch, the soft sword shattered and exploded with a buzz.

The force of the punch, like a tidal wave, smashed onto the white-clothed man’s forehead, turning it into a mist of blood on the spot.

Bricks, tiles, and splinters of wood were caught in the punch’s gust, flying backwards seven or eight zhang.

The view cleared.

Glancing ahead, aside from the woman lying motionless on the bed inside the room, the young man in gray had already fled dozens of zhang away, leaving only a glimpse of his clothing in sight.

"What a slippery fellow."

Zhou Ping’an silently fumed.

He knew that the young man in gray, while appearing as a scholar, was certainly not one.

His expression was dull, devoid of any defining traits.

Most likely, he was wearing a rather unsophisticated human skin mask.

Now that he hasn’t been caught, it would become very difficult to find him in the future.

This person was actually very strong; even after taking on the infinite brute force of Zhou Ping’an’s Triple Leveled Purifying Lotus Body and exchanging a hard punch, his arm was only dislocated.

Even after being hit by the Draw Sword Slash, not a bone was broken, merely a cut was left.

Such a character, bearing malice, how could Zhou Ping’an leave him be?

"Even if he’s not a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, he’s most likely not far removed from their influence."

As Zhou Ping’an’s suspicions grew, he also became somewhat certain of a few things.

It didn’t matter whether it was the previously encountered young man in gray or the white-clothed man who was later thrown at him.

The difference lay in their distinctive martial arts skills;

But what they had in common was their simultaneous use of "bewildering mists."

This pink mist, upon barely inhaling a whiff, made one’s head dizzy.

Fortunately, with a strong constitution, he was able to endure.

With the circulation of Qi-Blood a few times, some negative states were already expelled.

Several thoughts flipped through his mind, with no time to check the movements inside the house.

Zhou Ping’an ascended in one step, pulling out a long string of afterimages as he urgently pursued.

But Lin Huaiyu was a step behind; arriving just now at the side of the collapsed house, she could no longer be of help to him.

Though Lin Huaiyu’s combat power might even surpass his own, her shortcoming of having short legs had not been completely resolved even now.

That night, Deng Yuanhua had escaped from her blade.

Now, against this young man in gray who didn’t want a head-to-head fight, she was even more helpless.

She could only watch as the opponent ran faster and farther away.

Zhou Ping’an’s figure stirred the wind and snow, leaping from roof to roof, from tree to tree, and in a blink of an eye, he crossed over three rows of houses and two streets. The crowd ahead was converging, and a bustle of noise reached his ears.

He had already arrived in front of the County Yamen square.

The young man in gray had plunged into the crowd and disappeared without a trace.

Was he hiding, or had he slipped away, using the chaos of the crowd as cover?

"Search."

Zhou Ping’an’s gaze grew cold.

Without hesitation, he burned three Mind Wish Power Silk Threads.

His mind worked at an accelerated pace, his five senses suddenly became more sensitive.

Countless sounds were analyzed and visualized in his mind.

His eyes shone with a bright phosphorescence, looking down at the thronging crowd below...

"Can’t find him."

The three Mind Wish Power Silk Threads burnt out.

Zhou Ping’an had to admit that the opponent was exceedingly adept at hiding and fleeing.

The conversations he heard from the crowd were all about the County Magistrate’s case handling.

No one mentioned the young man in gray.

"Your Honor, the culprit was caught so quickly, in just the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn..."

"Yes, the criminal even dared to argue? Does he not realize where he is? Under the awe-inspiring mace, how could deceit prevail?"

"Not only did Magistrate Li compensate the victims with half of the criminal’s remaining wealth, but he also distributed Silver Taels to provide porridge and relieve the suffering masses, saving countless lives. How could we not know gratitude, and not thank Your Honor?"

Some cried out, their voices hoarse with tears, bowing in gratitude.

Their sincerity and genuineness almost convinced Zhou Ping’an that it was real.

...

"Didn’t catch him?"

Lin Huaiyu had also arrived by now, looking somewhat displeased.

The fishing operation could be said to be both a success and a failure.

The success was that they really lured a malevolent criminal who intended to strike.

The failure was that they hadn’t clearly identified the specific identity of the adversary...

Whether it was a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, or whether he was the real culprit behind the recent troubles that befell the women of the city, remained uncertain.

"I didn’t catch him. That man is extremely cunning, adept at using crowds... I was delayed by the white-clothed man inside the house, and now it’s too late to catch up," Zhou Ping’an also felt a bit frustrated.

He thought to himself that his level of cultivation was still too low.

With only forty percent cultivation in the Blood Exchange Realm, he was still far from the Five Viscera Realm.

Although he had many divine skills and secret techniques to enhance his abilities, cultivation is the foundation.

Now, reaching the Third Level of the "Purifying World Lotus Body" with nine times enhanced power, it’s still merely an eruption based on the foundation of the Blood Exchange Realm.

If a breakthrough to the Five Viscera Realm occurs, his own strength could potentially increase to a foundation of tens of thousands of catties.

Not to mention a ninefold burst, even a sixfold burst would allow him to crush half of the Gray Clothes youth’s body with a single punch today.

Moreover, if he reaches the Five Viscera Realm, the body’s foundation will continue to strengthen, he will be able to channel more force, and his bursts will be more fierce...

The speed of this Ghostly Shadows Step would also increase by several levels.

His speed would be many times faster than that of the Gray Clothes youth, leaving no chance for him to flee indoors and use someone else as a shield.

"It’s not without gain, that man in white who used a soft sword and whose chest you crushed and head you smashed—there’s an eighty to ninety percent chance that he really is a disciple of the Hehuan Sect.

The woman inside the room is the victim, and she’s still alive."

Lin Huaiyu’s mood adjusted quickly, and in just a moment, her spirits had visibly improved.

The Jianghu is vast, and there are many masters.

No one can guarantee that they will always be unbeatable.

When faced with a formidable enemy they can do nothing against for now, the only thing to do is to catch up and devote oneself to training.

There is no need for unnecessary worries.

"It turns out to be so, stumbling onto the right path despite starting off wrong."

Zhou Ping’an was surprised.

He definitely believed in Lin Huaiyu’s judgment.

Compared to himself, a wandering martial artist of Jianghu, the Third Miss of a renowned family has insights about this world that could leave him eight or nine streets behind.

If she is almost certain that the white-clad man who was killed is a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, then there is likely no mistake.

So the question arises—

Who is this Gray Clothes youth who resorted to deceit and struck so suddenly?

It looks like it was a spontaneous act.

Yet it appears to have been premeditated...

Now that he has escaped and can’t be found, the matter has plunged into a fog of confusion.

"It’s not without clues."

Lin Huaiyu was somewhat unsure, "This person’s methods, they seem unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar. Do you remember the story we often heard at the teahouses when I took Little Jiu’er out, the one about the ’Canghai Sword Furiously Slashes Five Demons of Desire?’ "

"The Third Miss was there too?"

When Zhou Ping’an turned his head to look, he noticed Lin Huaiyu’s complexion change, for a split second, something unnatural flashed across her face.

With a quick thought, he understood.

Back then, his martial arts were not strong, his cultivation weak, and even with Lin Huaiyu following behind him, he wouldn’t have noticed anything.

Why would she follow him?

The reason is quite simple.

No one would unconditionally trust a stranger they had just met a few days ago.

Especially not a stranger taking their younger sister around.

"It turns out that way."

Zhou Ping’an didn’t pursue the matter of being followed and brought the conversation back to the topic: "I have heard of the Five Desires Demon, and at the time, I thought it was just a myth. However, the abnormal greed for silver that surged in my heart earlier was indeed too bizarre."

He had the "Karmic Fire Red Lotus Visualization Method," which made his soul much stronger, and with the karmic fire burning to protect his spirit, he wasn’t greatly affected.

A brief lapse, and he was already clear-headed.

But the Third Miss at that time was startled for a whole breath’s duration.

That length of time was quite dangerous.

If he hadn’t been right next to her, who knows whether the Third Miss would have fallen for the trick, whether she would have been captured?

Thinking about this, Zhou Ping’an was inwardly alarmed, closing his eyes and briefly recalling the situation, he speculated that even if he hadn’t been there, the Third Miss probably wouldn’t have been seriously injured, though she might have been hurt.

Her spirit might have been dazed, but her Sword Technique was so strong that her subconscious would have sensed the danger and reflexively acted, seizing the initiative to strike.

However, even if she had been alert, it would have been difficult for her to win.

The opponent was struck by her blade twice, resulting only in bloodshed, with not a single bone broken.

The body was too tough.

"If we can’t chase him down, let it be. If we quicken our cultivation pace, we will always be able to find this person and see who he really is."

Lin Huaiyu seemed to let go quite easily.

After another pause, and sensing no abnormalities, more people began to notice her, with occasional glances that made her uncomfortable.

Her mood suddenly soured again.

Especially when, in the main hall ahead, after the second case was finished, she nearly lost her genteel composure.

She spat out heavily,

"That fool..."

Zhou Ping’an knew that Lin Huaiyu wasn’t cursing anyone else, not the accused being tried, not the onlookers outside the court, but that aging and shrill-voiced Magistrate Li Yunxiu.

The case itself was simple.

Making a judgment wasn’t difficult...

But the way Magistrate Li made his rulings left people in disbelief and sent chills down their spines.

If all the officials in the world judged cases like this, it’s no wonder the Great Yu Dynasty is on the brink of collapse.

It’s not the cold of one day that freezes the water three feet deep.

"From the first case, it was clear that the County Magistrate’s mind isn’t quite right.

I don’t know if he wants to close the cases early on purpose, or if he genuinely believes in his approach, but I think it’s too haphazard,"

Lin Huaiyu was referring to the case of Sun Dazhu, a villager from Xiaohe Village.

Sun Dazhu, who carried firewood to the city, found a sum of silver tael on his way and was so delighted that he treated his relatives in the city to a drink before hurrying home while it was still light.

When he stumbled drunk on the road, his fall was broken by a woman’s corpse, frightening him into sobriety, and he ran to the County Yamen to report the crime.

After Magistrate Li took to the bench, he heard the case and immediately proclaimed, with a "perceptive eye," that Sun Dazhu was guilty of drunken murder, saying, "If you didn’t kill her, why would you come to report the crime?"

Sun Dazhu naturally proclaimed his innocence vehemently.

However, after enduring a chaotic flogging and various tortures, he couldn’t bear it any longer and confessed to having committed the crime in a moment of lust, murdering to cover his tracks.

Hearing the continuous cries of "Your Honor" inside and outside the hall,

Even Zhou Ping’an couldn’t help feeling a chill inside.