Tang Wanhong stood beside the rockery, his eyes deeply watching the staggering figure of Ruan Fengshan leaving.

Shen Yanliu glanced at him and said, "Wanhong, it seems this person is indeed not involved."

"If Ruan Fengshan was also part of the Filthy Blood Sect, this case would be enormous," Tang Wanhong replied. "However, Ruan Fengshan’s great-grandfather was once an Outer Disciple of the Taiyi Sect, spanning generations of gentry. It’s unlikely he’d join the Filthy Blood Sect."

Shen Yanliu nodded. Having tested it with his own Iron Hand, he knew all too well. "Then let’s conclude this case as we agreed."

The next day, the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month.

Just at the break of dawn, several clerks from the government office posted the closing notice at the entrance of the office and beside the city gate.

Luan Jingfu and Wei Yutian were both followers of the Filthy Blood Sect; their relatives and servants were all dealt with as accomplices.

The notice omitted the part about Duan Rong’s report, instead attributing it to Shen Yanliu’s embedded hidden guard who infiltrated Wei Yutian’s residence as a miscellaneous worker, secretly discovering Wei Yutian’s identity as a Filthy Blood Sect member, thus uncovering this significant Filthy Blood case.

This was Tang Wanhong’s suggestion; in this way, all the credit for the case could go to Shen Yanliu.

An incidental occurrence turned into Shen Yanliu’s proactive and strategic dismantling of an important stronghold of the Filthy Blood Sect. Though just a small change in detail, the nature of the entire case changed completely.

Another point in the notice specifically mentioned Sun Huang.

In reality, Luan Jingfu was killed by the Squad Leader of the Jiuchong Sub-Branch, Yu Lieting, but in the notice, both Luan Jingfu and Wei Yutian were personally apprehended and killed by Shen Yanliu, naturally to further inflate Shen Yanliu’s accomplishments.

Moreover, Luan Jingfu was killed in the wilderness, with no witnesses, so who exactly killed Luan Jingfu was left to the discretion of a pen in the government office.

However, handling it this way left a loophole concerning Sun Huang.

Sun Huang was also killed by someone from the Filthy Blood Sect’s Jiuchong Sub-Branch. Yet, since the credit for killing Luan Jingfu was attributed to Shen Yanliu, the people from the Jiuchong Sub-Branch could not appear in the case details.

And if Sun Huang were said to be Luan Jingfu’s accomplice, there was clearly insufficient evidence. This case was significant, and as was customary, for any case related to the Filthy Blood Sect, the sect would definitely send an Outer Disciple to re-examine and audit. If Sun Huang were considered an accomplice of the Filthy Blood Sect, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions of false accusation, and handling it this way would be inappropriate. In case of scrutiny by the examiners, it could become a liability.

This case was crucial for Shen Yanliu’s promotion and could not afford any mistake.

Regarding Sun Huang, the notice stated this:

Shen Yanliu forced Luan Jingfu to unleash the Filthy Blood Divine Skill. Sun Huang recognized Luan Jingfu’s identity as a Filthy Blood Sect member and, acting righteously without regard for his own life, immediately joined Shen Yanliu in attacking Luan Jingfu. Unexpectedly, he was slain by a dying Luan Jingfu!

At this time of year, the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, when even water freezes into ice, the bodies of Luan Jingfu, Wei Yutian, and Sun Huang had all turned into frozen corpses, prepared for sect envoy verification during the re-examination.

But now the handling of Sun Huang has changed!

Since Sun Huang is innocent and has meritorious deeds, his body cannot be handled like this. That would be too inhumane.

The government office prepared a coffin on the same day, merging the ice into his body and suturing it up.

Sun Huang’s fully preserved body was then placed into the coffin, and Qin Shuban, accompanied by soldiers, personally delivered it to Sun Huang’s home.

Upon seeing her husband’s corpse, Liu Eying felt as if she was dreaming. Just a few days ago, he was fine, and now they were forever parted by life and death. Today was the Small New Year, with neighbors celebrating joyfully, but her house was struck with such a calamity. The more Liu Eying thought about it, the more sorrowful she became, leaning on the coffin, crying inconsolably...

Duan Rong naturally saw the notice as well. Although Sun Huang’s death saddened him, he was somewhat relieved that the notice did not mention his name.

He was truly afraid of being targeted by the Filthy Blood Sect because of this matter.

Now, Duan Rong was more concerned with Ruan Fengshan’s movements because he knew well that Ruan Fengshan was the Squad Leader of the Xianggu Sub-Branch of the Filthy Blood Sect. However, after meeting with Shen Yanliu, Ruan Fengshan focused on recovering from injuries, refusing all visitors, even Xiao Zongting.

Duan Rong couldn’t quite grasp Ruan Fengshan’s intentions.

At noon, the same day the government office posted the closing notice, Jie Daohan returned to town with Yang Zhen on horseback.

Jie Daohan’s face showed no signs of travel fatigue, instead glowing with vitality.

He took Yang Zhen with him, claiming they were on official business in the Prefecture City, but in reality, it was just an excuse for a public-funded holiday of feasting and playing. After completing their official duties at the Inspectorate, they stayed in the Prefecture City for two more days, visiting several scenic spots and dining at several restaurants.

On the return journey, they did not scrimp on their sustenance, choosing the best accommodations and meals.

Jie Daohan, a man of calculated planning, had timed it perfectly to return on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, just in time to celebrate New Year’s Eve at home.

As they rode into the city gate, Jie Daohan immediately spotted a crowd gathered around the notices at the gate, engaged in animated discussions.

Jie Daohan and Yang Zhen dismounted and went to read the notice.

After reading, Jie Daohan was astounded.

"Filthy Blood Sect?"

"Wei Yutian? Luan Jingfu?"

Once Jie Daohan finished reading the case details on the notice, he regretted missing such a significant case while he was out enjoying himself, lamenting how he had exchanged sesame seeds for a watermelon.

As the Chief Constable of Xianggu County, not having his name appear on the closing notice of this major Filthy Blood case was quite regretful. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Jie Daohan and Yang Zhen hurried back to the government office.

Upon arrival, Jie Daohan inquired and learned that at the crack of dawn, County Magistrate Shen Yanliu had personally taken the case documents and headed to the Prefecture City.

Jie Daohan chided himself for not returning sooner, thinking that had he come back just two days earlier, he might at least have had a share of the credit.

Now, with such a major case, he reckoned he wouldn’t get even a sliver of recognition to show for it, reflecting that the position of Chief Constable was indeed offered in vain.

Back in his office, Jie Daohan found a stack of documents piled on his desk, with the first file being the dossier on the Filthy Blood case.

Jie Daohan picked up the dossier but couldn’t muster the interest to read it, passing it directly to Yang Zhen. "Take it to the archives," he instructed.

After Yang Zhen archived the dossier, Jie Daohan went through the remaining documents, finding them mostly routine official paperwork, which left him feeling uninterested.

He pulled out a document listing names for the Taiyi Sect’s Registered Disciple selection coming in March.

Jie Daohan knew clearly that Shen Yanliu had left it for him to conduct background checks.

"With an entrance fee of sixty thousand silver coins, those who can sign up are all descendants of influential families. What’s there to check?" Jie Daohan mumbled and tossed the document to the side.

If only his nephew Jie Lei hadn’t died, he would have hoped for him to participate in this Registered Disciple selection. Alas, heaven gave him no more time, and the Jie Family faced extinction.

After Yang Zhen returned from the archives, Jie Daohan handed him the document and said, "This is the name list for the Taiyi Sect’s Registered Disciple selection next March. Find some time to conduct background checks; they must be sent to the sect by the fifteenth of the first lunar month."

Having given his instructions, Jie Daohan left the government office and headed home.

Yang Zhen sat at the small desk and began browsing through the document. He planned to first go through the list of names.

As he read halfway through, a sudden shock ran through him, and he wore an expression of astonishment—he had unexpectedly seen the name Duan Rong.