As soon as Ou Tianhao entered the city, he stopped a civilian and asked for directions to the Jade Water City County Magistrate's Office.
His tone was rather overbearing.
The civilian felt disgust but dared not disobey after seeing Ou Tianhao in an official uniform and riding a tall horse, so he reluctantly answered.
Once Ou Tianhao knew the route, he whipped the horse's buttocks and sped away in a cloud of dust.
The civilian inhaled some dirt, coughed twice, and only after Ou Tianhao had gone far, made a hand gesture behind Ou Tianhao's back using his thumb held between his index and middle fingers.
...
In the street where Su Que beat up the White Lotus members.
The people from the Government Office had nearly finished clearing the battlefield.
Zhan Qingtian, the steward, and a group of constables were walking back.
Zhan Qingtian was frowning, contemplating an escape plan.
Of course, it wasn't a true escape; he still intended to remain an official.
He merely wanted to conceal himself temporarily to avoid incoming trouble.
Rushing to the Prefecture City to have the Court send troops to Jade Water City to eradicate bandits, or perhaps hiring a powerful martial artist as a bodyguard to ensure his safety.
While Zhan Qingtian was lost in thought, suddenly there was a sound of rapid horse hooves approaching.
Not only him, but the others also heard and turned their heads toward the direction of the sound.
The person approaching on horseback wore a profound official uniform, stood upright, had handsome features, and appeared to be in his twenties.
Zhan Qingtian and the constables recognized the uniform.
The last time a Prefecture City constable came here, they wore a similar official uniform.
However, this person's uniform was embroidered, and the material was better than that of the previous Prefecture City constable.
Clearly, this person was of a higher rank than the last constable from the Prefecture City.
Ou Tianhao galloped on horseback, and as he approached Zhan Qingtian and the others, he showed no sign of slowing down.
Just as Zhan Qingtian and the others were about to scatter and dodge, Ou Tianhao suddenly pulled the reins.
The steed reared its front legs, stopping just before Zhan Qingtian and the others.
This scared Zhan Qingtian and the steward Lin Gu, who had no martial arts skills, into a cold sweat.
"Are you the constables of Jade Water City?"
"Take me to your County Magistrate!"
After restraining the horse, Ou Tianhao demanded bluntly.
At this moment, the constables were in official uniforms and Zhan Qingtian in casual wear, so Ou Tianhao did not realize that Zhan Qingtian was the County Magistrate of Jade Water City.
"I am the County Magistrate of Jade Water City. You must be the Chief Constable from the Prefecture City. May I know your name?"
In the Prefecture Government Offices, there were often a few martial arts experts hired at high costs, specializing in investigating major cases involving martial artists.
Their title of "Chief Constable" only referred to their duties similar to those of constables. People called them that for convenience.
Their status was very different from ordinary constables referred to as "constables."
To facilitate their investigations, they were granted special powers by the prefect, making their status even more eminent than some lower-grade officials.
Zhan Qingtian dared not slack off and made a courteous gesture.
"Oh, so you're County Magistrate Zhan. I am Chief Constable Ou Tianhao from the Prefecture City, here to handle the White Lotus Sect affair."
Ou Tianhao looked down at Zhan Qingtian from on horseback:
"County Magistrate Zhan, find a place to discuss the situation with me."
In truth, Ou Tianhao intended to have a private conversation with Zhan Qingtian to extort a sum of money.
He learned from the Prefect that the White Lotus Sect in Jade Water City was rampant and even threatened to kill Zhan Qingtian's entire family. For his and his family's safety, Zhan Qingtian would certainly be willing to spend money.
"Alright then, Chief Ou, please come to the County Magistrate's Office," Zhan Qingtian said.
Seeing that Ou Tianhao had reached the position of Chief Constable at such a young age and was dispatched by the Prefect to handle the White Lotus Sect affair, Zhan Qingtian knew he was no ordinary person and spoke very respectfully.
...
Upon reaching the County Magistrate's Office, Zhan Qingtian invited Ou Tianhao to sit in the side hall used for receiving guests and ordered the servants to brew a pot of good tea.
He dismissed everyone else, leaving only himself, the steward, and Ou Tianhao.
But when Ou Tianhao saw the steward Lin Gu standing beside Zhan Qingtian, he glared at him.
Zhan Qingtian noticed Ou Tianhao's look, so he had the steward Lin Gu leave as well.
"May I ask what Chief Ou wishes to discuss with me?" Zhan Qingtian asked once the steward Lin Gu had left.
Ou Tianhao picked up a teacup, took a sip:
"County Magistrate Zhan, I am aware of your situation."
"I came here to help you kill Bai Wuji."
"You know, Bai Wuji is quite strong, and if I am to kill him, it's going to be quite an effort..."
He paused here, locking eyes with Zhan Qingtian.
He believed that Zhan Qingtian, having been in officialdom for years, would understand what he meant.
If the money wasn't enough, he wouldn't take action.
Unexpectedly, Zhan Qingtian laughed, "Oh, there's no need for your trouble on this matter."
"But since Chief Ou has come from afar, all of Chief Ou's expenses in Jade Water City will be on me!"
"What's going on?" Ou Tianhao frowned.
He came here to extort a sum of money from Zhan Qingtian, not for leisure activities.
This small Jade Water City couldn't compare with the Prefecture City in terms of wine and women.
Zhan Qingtian then informed Ou Tianhao about the mysterious martial artist who killed Bai Wuji.
Upon hearing this, Ou Tianhao's pupils slightly dilated.
— Bai Wuji was killed!
— Doesn't this mean he came here for nothing!
Suddenly, as if he thought of something, his eyes lit up and he asked:
"Where is Bai Wuji's residence in Jade Water City?"
One of his purposes for coming here was to collect the silver coins, treasures, and martial arts secret manual that Bai Wuji had hidden.
Now that Bai Wuji was dead, although he couldn't extort the County Magistrate, he could still claim Bai Wuji's possessions.
Zhan Qingtian knew Ou Tianhao's intention immediately upon being asked.
He had just had the same idea himself.
To deal with Bai Wuji, he had spent a lot of silver coins and also wished to make up for what he had spent from Bai Wuji's remaining possessions.
Hesitating for a moment, Zhan Qingtian dared not conceal it and disclosed Bai Wuji's residence to Ou Tianhao.
"Good!"
Ou Tianhao finished the tea in his cup, stood up abruptly.
With a flash, he dashed out of the reception room, and in another flash, he was airborne, heading toward the exterior of the Government Office.
Celestial Deformed Foot contained inner power heart method, leg techniques, and lightweight skill.
Celestial Deformed Foot focused on leg training, thus its lightweight skill was a unique aspect of the Liang Country Martial Arts.
When Ou Tianhao executed his lightweight skill from Celestial Deformed Leg, his speed was extremely fast. Leaping across rooftops, those on the ground with poor eyesight couldn't even see a shadow.
...
Seeing Ou Tianhao leave, Zhan Qingtian thought there was no way he would go to Bai Wuji's place to retrieve silver coins and treasures.
Sipping tea and lamenting for a while, he planned to return home to gather his essentials and leave Jade Water City.
As he stepped out of the reception room and was about to head to the County Magistrate's Office gate, suddenly, a dark shadow unexpectedly landed beside him.
"Ah!"
Zhan Qingtian involuntarily cried out, his body trembling violently.
Hearing Zhan Qingtian's cry, the constables, who had been dismissed by him, rushed out.
They saw standing next to Zhan Qingtian, a tall masked figure clad in night traveling attire.
The masked figure, with eyes showing interest from beneath the mask, looked at Zhan Qingtian's terrified face and said:
"Zhan Qingtian, do not be afraid. I am the one you have summoned."
"You... who are you?"
Suddenly seeing this night traveler, Zhan Qingtian suspected the White Lotus Sect sought revenge against him, filled with fear, he stepped back while asking.
"I am the Tang Sect Assassin, Greedy Wolf!"
A voice came from beneath the masked figure's face covering.
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