Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Golden Qin County, Steadfast Mountain County, and Grand Dominance County were neighbors that formed a triangle.
Golden Qin County was about four hundred kilometers from Grand Dominance City so under the steering of the warship by the famous Connate Golden Core realm expert, Peng Yue, they traversed through the skies and maintained an extremely fast speed. In a matter of minutes, they arrived in Grand Dominance City!
“Swoosh.”
In midair, the warship was kept. Peng Yue and Prefecture Overseer Xiao descended amid clouds alongside each other. To their side were seven Connate realm cultivators.
They directly landed on the streets outside County Governor Manor as there were clear traces of a battle there. Previously, Gongye Bing had been struck by the flying sword, sending him crashing into the streets that left a huge crater.
“Lord Prefecture Overseer!” There was a large group of guards gathered outside County Governor Manor. There were also county Lieutenants, officials of Grand Dominance County.
The incumbent County Lieutenant Wang was the second highest ranking person in Grand Dominance County. He had seen the prefecture overseer in the past so when he saw him arriving amid the cloud with so many people, he immediately felt emboldened and went forward to bow. “Greetings, Lord Prefecture Overseer.”
The other officials immediately bowed respectfully, “Greetings, Lord Prefecture Overseer.”
“What happened?” After Prefecture Overseer Xiao landed, he frowned as his eyes effused a natural bloodlust.
Under his jurisdiction, a county governor had been assassinated. As a prefecture overseer, he would have to share a part of the blame.
“Lord Prefecture Overseer,” County Lieutenant Wang said immediately, “Not long ago, Lord County Governor Gongye Bing suddenly yelled ‘I’m County Governor Gongye Bing. Qin Yun wants to kill me’. His voice spread for kilometers, attracting the attention of many commoners and residents in the vicinity. Back then, there was someone pursuing the county governor and was also controlling a flying sword to attack him. However, they had Quintessential Essence lingering around them, preventing others from identifying them.”
“Later on, the county governor landed here.” County Lieutenant Wang pointed to a spot not far away. “The county governor was seriously injured and only exchanged a few words with the pursuer before dying. When he died, his body dissipated directly. Not a single strand of hair or piece of flesh could be found.”
“Oh?” Prefecture Overseer Xiao frowned slightly. “They exchanged a few words? What did they say?”
County Lieutenant Wang said, “Back then, many guards had heard it. The commoners heard it too.” With that said, he looked to a guard beside him.
The guard answered immediately, “Lord Prefecture Overseer, we heard it very clearly. Lord County Governor first said, ‘I never expected that I, Gongye Bing, would die under your hands.’ Later, the expert on the flying sword said, ‘you deserve death for pledging allegiance to the fiendish demons’. Following that, Lord County Governor said, ‘you are still framing me for submitting to the fiendish demons? This will not hide the fact that you have killed a county governor. The imperial government will not spare you!’ before dying and dissipating.”
Prefecture Overseer Xiao frowned as he listened. “Pledging allegiance to the fiendish demons?”
“Lord Xiao,” Peng Yue said with a voice transmission, “About a kilometer from here, there is a ruin that looks like one of the locations for the battle. I can sense remnant fiendish demon aura there. The surrounding vegetation has corroded and withered. Furthermore, to dissipate without a trace after this County Governor Gongye Bing died is one of the means that spies that infiltrate our imperial government employ. By leaving no traces after their death, it makes it difficult to investigate their origins.”
“This matter has hints of fiendish demons?” Prefecture Overseer Xiao pondered.
A Connate True Core realm elder beside Prefecture Overseer Xiao said with a voice transmission, “Lord Prefecture Overseer, there are fiendish demon auras but it might also be possible that fiendish demons have killed the county governor! As for County Governor Gongye’s dissipating after his death, it could also be means employed by fiendish demons. As for the person engaging in Sword Kinesis Flight… Since Gongye Bing mentioned Qin Yun, there is definitely a reason for him to say this name, considering how he was about to die.”
Prefecture Overseer Xiao nodded slightly.
There were two possibilities. One, Gongye Bing had pledged allegiance to the fiendish demons and was a spy.
The second possibility was that Qin Yun had colluded with fiendish demons to assassinate the local county governor and caused his corpse to dissipate and framing the county governor for being one of the fiendish demons. If that were the case, Gongye Bing’s death was a great injustice!
“Why would this Qin Yun want to kill Gongye Bing?” Prefecture Overseer Xiao looked at County Lieutenant Wang. “Do they have a grudge?”
“Just a few days ago, the county governor suddenly deployed the troops to arrest the Qin family…” County Lieutenant Wang began narrating the sequence of events.
Prefecture Overseer Xiao listened attentively.
After hearing everything, Peng Yue nodded. “Qin Yun and Gongye Bing do have a grudge. As for what really belies, it is hard to tell.”
Prefecture Overseer Xiao flipped his hand and took out a large golden seal.
“Oh?” The moment Prefecture Overseer Xiao powered it, he frowned slightly. “Grand Dominance’s County Governor Seal is outside the city? And there are no living creatures surrounding it?”
“Return!”
He commanded with a thought.
Sou!
Soon, a golden beam of light flew from afar. When it returned to Prefecture Overseer Xiao’s side. The small seal that hovered by his side was none other than Grand Dominance’s County Governor Seal.
Peng Yue said, “The murderer must have realized that this item would expose their location after obtaining the County Governor Seal so they threw it outside the city.”
“Hmph, if County Governor Gongye Bing has been framed, it would be a greater injustice. How can I let the murderer go scot-free?” Prefecture Overseer Xiao’s expression sank. With the large golden stamp in hand, he immediately sensed the other County Governor Seals as well as the locally stationed troops’ General Seals.
The prefecture overseer commanded the military and political powers in the entire Jiang Prefecture.
The various county governors, as well as the generals of the stationed troops, were kept in check! Only the Godfiend Guard sent by the imperial government to station in East Sea County did not need to heed his orders.
“Grand Dominance’s County Governor Gongye Bing has been killed by Qin Yun. All counties and all armies are to immediately apprehend Qin Yun and his family! If Qin Yun dares to resist, he can be executed immediately!” Prefecture Overseer Xiao ordered.
…
His orders instantly reached every county governor and general through the Prefecture Overseer Seal. His voice resounded in their minds.
“I will now report it to the imperial government for it to make it known that the entire world is to apprehend Qin Yun by decree.” Prefecture Overseer Xiao was decisive in his actions as well.
“You need to mention the matters regarding the fiendish demons as well.” Peng Yue added.
“Don’t worry! I will report the matter factually. It would be fine if that Qin Yun allows himself to be arrested, but if he dares resist the imperial government, death is the only way out for him.” Prefecture Overseer Xiao was austere. With the large golden seal in hand, text began to appear from within. It contained the information that was to be reported to the imperial government. After all, the report to the imperial government had to be described in detail.
******
In the entirety of Jiang Prefecture, portraits of Qin Yun’s family were disseminated to every region under the Lord Prefecture Overseer’s orders.
As for the decree to be made known to the entire world, the decision was left up to the imperial government. It was naturally not as fast but action had already been taken immediately within Jiang Prefecture.
“Qin Yun murdered Grand Dominance’s county governor so if he wants to flee, he might very likely flee into the East Sea! My Adjacent Sea County is in charge of the surrounding four hundred kilometers of the coast. Everyone, I’ll trouble all other counties to immediately report the matter if Qin Yun is discovered.” In one of the stationed armies in Adjacent Sea County, they immediately sent experts they had on hand. This was because the border between the entire continent and the ocean was the demarcation between humans and the Water race.
The imperial government naturally stationed troops there. After all, despite the Dragon race reigning supreme in the East Sea, their relationship with the humans was not bad. However, the sea was too vast. There were all sorts of Water race demons, so there were also those that did not obey the Dragon race, especially the weaker Water race demons that lurked in the lower depths of the sea. They were weak and rather low in intelligence. They frequently surfaced to plunder.
Humans naturally had to have stationed troops to frighten these Water race demons.
The Adjacent Sea Guard was in charge of four hundred kilometers of the coastline!
…
In the clouds, Qin Yun was bringing his family along with him on a gargantuan flying sword.
“Thankfully, I immediately checked the items left behind by Gongye Bing and discovered the County Governor Seal! I threw it away early. If I had carried it with me… the imperial government would be able to track my location with the County Governor Seal.” Qin Yun felt a lingering fear. There was no other way about it. Although he had heard of the County Governor Seal, he had never seen one before. He had found a tiny seal in Gongye Bing’s relics which had the words ‘Grand Dominance’ on it. He threw it away immediately in fright.
No one was willing to snatch an item like the County Governor Seal.
“Sigh.”
“Amid Gongye Bing’s relics, there are materials with fiendish demon aura but just these materials alone can be the spoils of war obtained when typical cultivators kill fiendish demons.” Qin Yun shook his head. “I wanted to find evidence like letters but there were none. Indeed, how can these spies not be meticulous? How could they leave behind obvious evidence of their crimes?”
“However, without evidence, how am I to vindicate myself?”
Qin Yun frowned.
Without evidence, the imperial government would be unable to determine if Gongye Bing was a fiendish demon. Then, he was a murderer who had assassinated a county governor. The only outcome of being arrested without a struggle was to be beheaded according to the law. Even the Qin family would be wiped out as a result.
“Without the confidence to clear my name, I cannot be caught.” Qin Yun thought to himself. “I have to escape out of here. Once I’m out in the sea, I’ll be out of danger.”
Qin Yun turned to look to his side.
His parents were huddled together. His brother and sister-in-law were each hugging a child. His nephew and niece were snoring in their parents’ embrace, with the niece even drooling. After all, they were too young. They did not know much.
“Regardless, I have to protect them.” Qin Yun thought to himself.
“Yun’er,” Qin Liehu whispered, “Do you have the confidence escaping?”
“If we are within the continent, the moment the imperial government gives the order, the powers that be will be mobilized and it won’t take long before we are caught from our hideout,” said Qin Yun. “Only out in the sea! The coastline is very long and the stationed soldiers are basically mortal soldiers. They rely on the might of their weapons to frighten the weak Water race demons. Although they have Connate realm cultivators as well, they are relatively fewer along the coast. Furthermore, there are even fewer that are my match.”
“Don’t worry, we will be able to escape. Once we pass the coast and enter the vast ocean, we will be fine.” Qin Yun revealed a smile as he assured his father.
