In the courtyard.
Jiang Ning interrupted the circulation of his Water-Fire True Force and looked toward the main entrance of the courtyard.
In just a moment, several figures appeared in his line of sight, with Xu Zhengnan leading the group, followed closely by Xie Xiaojiao.
Xu Zhengnan, the head of law enforcement in Luo Shui County, holds the eighth rank in officialdom and the seventh rank in martial arts.
Behind him were several elegant captains, followed by a large group of people who stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Ning immediately went out to meet them.
"Thank you, Captain Xu, for giving me this honor," Jiang Ning said.
Xu Zhengnan cupped his hands and said, "Greetings, Commander Jiang!"
Then, with a serious expression, he continued, "As the head of law enforcement in Luo Shui County, I must fight crime. This is my responsibility."
At this point, his gaze swept across the courtyard. "I must say, it is shameful that such an atrocious act has taken place here. This is my dereliction of duty."
Jiang Ning responded, "How does Captain Xu plan to handle this matter?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhengnan immediately spoke, "We will deal with it according to the law. Anyone who breaks the law will be held accountable. No matter who is behind this, they will not escape the punishment of the Great Xia's laws."
"Captain Xu, help me!" Liu Zhixiang now dared to speak up.
Xu Zhengnan glanced at Liu Zhixiang indifferently and then turned his gaze away.
"Commander Jiang, this is..."
Jiang Ning replied, "The signal flare from the Black Tiger Gang summoned this person from the Sihui Chamber of Commerce."
"I see!" Xu Zhengnan nodded in understanding. "It seems that the Black Tiger Gang, having done such a heinous thing, must have the support of the Sihui Chamber of Commerce behind them."
"Does Captain Xu think so?" Jiang Ning asked indifferently.
Xu Zhengnan paused for a moment, and then his expression became serious. "This matter is certainly not so simple! The Sihui Chamber of Commerce is not qualified to control the Black Tiger Gang."
At this moment, there was movement from outside the courtyard, with sounds growing louder as they approached.
Upon hearing the sounds, both men immediately stopped their conversation and turned to look toward the courtyard gate.
The next moment.
They heard voices coming from outside the courtyard.
"Greetings, Prefect!"
"Greetings, Prefect!"
"Greetings, Prefect!"
"..."
The respectful greetings continued without end.
"Even Hong Minghu has come?" Xu Zhengnan was instantly shocked.
Just now, he had casually glanced around the courtyard, and the only thing that caught his attention was the decapitated corpse lying in the snow, with black blood flowing from the monstrous body.
As the head of law enforcement in Luo Shui County and a prominent figure, Xu Zhengnan naturally recognized what this body was.
It was the corpse of a Worshipers Sect warrior, whose head had been shattered after transforming into a divine offspring.
This was the most direct and effective way to kill such a creature.
Otherwise, due to the terrifying vitality of a transformed Worshipers warrior, even a heart wound would not necessarily be fatal.
But he did not think that a few mere Worshipers Sect warriors could alarm such an important figure as Hong Minghu and bring him personally from the inspection office to this remote corner of the outer city.
The next moment, he saw Hong Minghu appear at the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing this, Xu Zhengnan was even more surprised.
Because in front of Hong Minghu, there was an elderly woman, appearing to be in her forties, but still graceful.
Moreover, Hong Minghu's pace was subtly half a step behind the elderly woman.
As someone who had been in the political field for most of his life, Xu Zhengnan immediately understood the meaning behind this.
It suggested that the elderly woman's position might be even higher than Hong Minghu's.
Seeing Hong Minghu and the others enter, Xu Zhengnan immediately stepped aside and made their way.
"Greetings, Prefect!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands.
"Greetings, Senior!" Jiang Ning also slightly cupped his hands toward the elderly woman.
"You again, young man?" The elderly woman glanced at Jiang Ning with a slight surprise.
Then, her figure moved, and she landed in front of the corpse of a Worshipers Sect warrior.
"Seventh rank!"
She then moved to another body.
"Eighth rank!"
"Eighth rank!"
"Eighth rank!"
"Eighth rank!"
"Sixth rank!!"
When she reached the last slightly deformed sixth-rank warrior's corpse, her tone involuntarily became more intense.
As soon as these words were spoken, they seemed to stir up a storm in the courtyard.
"Sixth rank!!!" A member of the team clicked his tongue in surprise.
"Commander Jiang is too powerful! He can even kill a sixth-rank warrior of the Worshipers Sect?"
"Who would have thought? At the time, I thought the Commander was fighting just an ordinary seventh-rank warrior."
"..."
At the same time.
Hong Minghu looked at Jiang Ning with surprise.
A sixth-rank martial artist, and even more, a member of the Worshipers Sect, a warrior who had mastered the divine offspring transformation.
"He managed to kill this?"
Hong Minghu thought to himself, glancing at Jiang Ning once more.
On the other side.
Xu Zhengnan was even more shaken.
He had already reached the peak of the seventh rank, refining his muscles to the level of a dragon.
So he knew just how difficult it was to achieve the sixth rank.
The flow of vital energy was one challenge.
The transformation of spiritual power was an even greater hurdle.
Now, he had only fulfilled the first condition his vital energy had reached the required level.
As for his spiritual power, it was simply too difficult.
At his age, he could no longer walk the path of scholarly exams.
Thinking of this, his gaze focused on Jiang Ning, and a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.
"Well done, little one!" The elderly woman stood up, giving Jiang Ning a faint glance before retracting her gaze.
Compared to her calm appearance, her heart was far from calm.
How long had it been since Jiang Ning obtained the Ascending Dragon Pill and entered the Dragon Muscles stage?
How long had it been since he acquired The 108 Heavenly and Earthly Bone Forging Method?
Yet now, he had once again killed a sixth-rank Worshipers Sect warrior, and this one was a half-step Jade Bone warrior.
This person was far stronger than the previous one.
Especially the way he killed him was different.
Last time, she could tell just by observing the corpse that Jiang Ning had relied on the advantage of a weapon to kill.
A divine weapon that could destroy anything had a huge advantage against a Worshipers Sect warrior in the divine offspring state.
Moreover, before the fatal wound to the heart, there was also a penetrating wound through the chest.
That wound had a significant impact as well.
Although a Worshipers Sect warrior in the divine offspring state was considered immortal, the so-called "immortality" was merely an exaggeration.
True immortality, where a being could regenerate with blood, only belonged to true gods who held dominion over flesh and blood in ancient times.
The "immortality" of Worshipers Sect members was merely a result of their immense vitality.
But no matter how strong their vitality, the heart was still a crucial weak point.
Once the heart was destroyed, even with this half-baked "immortality," their condition would deteriorate significantly.
So, when she saw the sixth-rank Mystic Bone realm corpse last time, it didn't surprise her nearly as much as this one.
Today's half-step Jade Bone sixth-rank Worshipers Sect warrior was killed during the divine offspring transformation process.
And, it was done with a single punch.
The kill had been so swift that the flesh and blood transformation had only progressed halfway before it abruptly stopped.
Such terrifying combat power could already be described as "invincible at the sixth rank."
This was on an entirely different level from his previous performance, incomparable in every way.
"This young man is indeed a rare talent. He has a strong sense of righteousness, and his talent is shockingly strong!!" The elderly woman thought to herself, watching Jiang Ning.
Then, she clapped her hands, shaking the black, foul blood from her palms.
"Little one, where is the secret passage? Where is the statue of the God of Flesh and Blood?"
Jiang Ning pointed toward the ruined house. "The secret passage is inside this house!"
The elderly woman nodded slightly, and with a swift movement, she appeared a yard away in an instant.
Then, she moved again, disappearing from her previous spot and reappearing a yard away.
Seeing this, Xu Zhengnan's pupils contracted sharply.
At that moment, he finally understood why Hong Minghu was so respectful toward this elderly woman.
Her status was no longer that of an ordinary martial artist.
At the very least, he was no match for her.
With such speed, killing him would be no more than a fleeting moment.
Seeing the elderly woman enter the house, Hong Minghu smiled and said to Jiang Ning, "Commander Jiang, shall we go in together?"
"Sure!" Jiang Ning nodded.
At this time, Ye Qiu also came to Jiang Ning's side and whispered, "Brother Jiang, this is quite a big haul today!"
Jiang Ning smiled. "Just lucky!"
"You can't just brush it off with 'luck,' you have to treat me to a big meal another day."
"No problem!" Jiang Ning grinned.
Then, the three of them walked toward the ruined house.
Xu Zhengnan watched their backs for a moment, then hesitated before turning and instructing, "You stay here and wait. Don't follow."
"The statue of the God of Flesh and Blood has the power to distort one's mind."
After leaving those words, Xu Zhengnan quickened his pace and followed behind Jiang Ning and the others.
They entered the secret passage again.
After several twists and turns, Jiang Ning, Hong Minghu, and Ye Qiu finally saw the statue and the elderly woman who was groping beneath it.
"Strange!" she suddenly spoke.
"Grandmother Bai, what's wrong?" Hong Minghu asked.
The elderly woman slowly stroked the statue and spoke slowly, "This statue seems to be missing something!"
"Missing something?" Hong Minghu asked in surprise.
He immediately quickened his steps and came to the statue, reaching out to touch it.
Then, his expression froze: "The murmuring voices are gone."
"Exactly!" The elderly woman nodded slightly.
Jiang Ning, hearing their conversation, wasn't surprised at all.
Since he had extracted the divinity and authority from the statue, it seemed to have turned into an ordinary statue, devoid of any divine aura.
"Grandmother Bai, could this statue be fake?" Hong Minghu asked.
The elderly woman glanced at Jiang Ning, nodded, and said, "It's real! I'll study it when we return."
"Good!" Hong Minghu immediately agreed.
At this moment, Jiang Ning felt his earlier worries dissipate completely after hearing their conversation.
Earlier, he had feared that the 50,000 contribution points would slip away from him.
If they didn't acknowledge that the statue was the one once worshipped in the City God Temple, he would surely lose those 50,000 contribution points.
Fortunately!
Luckily, the senior, the "Grandmother Bai" mentioned by Hong Minghu, recognized the statue.
Jiang Ning let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Even for him now, 50,000 contribution points was quite a substantial sum.
Not to mention, just the heavenly materials and earthly treasures exchanged for 50,000 contribution points would allow him to increase his energy points by nearly a thousand or even over a thousand.
Additionally, the three pills he had prepared for the sixth-rank Bone Forging stage had only cost 100,000 taels.
Of course, Jiang Ning also knew that the three pills Iron Bone Pill, Mystic Bone Pill, and Jade Bone Pill were worth more than 100,000 taels.
Lin Qingyi must have secretly contributed a portion.
But this was enough to prove that 50,000 taels was no small amount; it was a considerable fortune.
Not to mention, even with 50,000 taels, it couldn't be exchanged for 50,000 contribution points.
If he exchanged silver at the Internal Affairs Office for contribution points, 50,000 contribution points would require 100,000 taels of silver.
As they emerged from the secret passage.
Hong Minghu grabbed the statue with one hand and walked out with the elderly woman.
"Once you're done, go to the Internal Affairs Office," the elderly woman said.
"Yes, senior!" Jiang Ning cupped his hands.
"If you have time, remember to treat me to a meal!" Ye Qiu smiled at Jiang Ning.
"Definitely!" Jiang Ning nodded.
Then.
The three of them arrived quickly and left just as fast!
In the blink of an eye, they had vanished from sight.
"Commander Jiang!" Xu Zhengnan looked at Jiang Ning seriously.
"What's the matter, Chief Xu?" Jiang Ning asked.
Xu Zhengnan said: "I've gathered some evidence of crimes involving the Liu family, the Black Tiger Gang, and the Sihe Merchant Association. I'd like you to take a look."
Hearing this, Jiang Ning looked at Xu Zhengnan and nodded slightly.
The next moment.
Xu Zhengnan took several scrolls from the people who had been following him earlier.
He handed them to Jiang Ning: "Commander Jiang, please take a look. These contain my investigations into the Liu family, the Black Tiger Gang, and the Sihe Merchant Association over the years."
"I've long known about the suffering of the children here."
"But small grievances can't disrupt the grand plan."
"To eliminate the cancer in Luoshui County, I had to endure. I needed to find enough evidence and proof."
"Over these years, I've also been collecting their tribute silver to lull the Sihe Merchant Association and the Liu family. That's one of the pieces of evidence."
Hearing Xu Zhengnan's words.
"Impressive!" Jiang Ning couldn't help but silently praise.
Xu Zhengnan's reasoning was well thought out, and his actions had a clear strategy he could both advance and retreat without damaging himself.
Jiang Ning then opened the scrolls Xu Zhengnan had handed over and quickly scanned them.
"Chief Xu, are all the charges mentioned here true?" Jiang Ning closed the scroll and asked Xu Zhengnan.
"I swear on my life, everything is true! And I've already prepared irrefutable evidence!" Xu Zhengnan said firmly.
Looking at Xu Zhengnan, who was now full of righteousness, Jiang Ning couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "There truly isn't a single good person who has made it this far!"
Xu Zhengnan's sudden shift in attitude was obvious to Jiang Ning.
It was all due to the information revealed by the earlier senior.
The fact that Jiang Ning had killed the sixth-rank Worshipers Sect warrior was enough to cause Xu Zhengnan's attitude to flip 180 degrees.
Then.
Jiang Ning asked again: "Chief Xu, what are you planning to do next?"
"Naturally, we'll proceed according to the law!" Xu Zhengnan said firmly.
Then, he looked at Jiang Ning: "If Commander Jiang can, I hope you can help me subdue the Grand Elder of the Liu family."
Jiang Ning glanced at Xu Zhengnan and nodded: "Alright!"
At this point, Jiang Ning didn't mind doing a good deed.
According to the crimes listed in the scrolls, the important figures in the Liu family were the kind who deserved to be killed ten times over.
As for the Sihe Merchant Association and the Black Tiger Gang, their actions were even more vicious.
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