Cultivation is Just That Scientific

The leather waist pouch was small. Li Shiming attempted to open it, only to discover that the pouch’s opening was fake—there was no place to open it at all.

This realization made him even more convinced that this leather pouch must be a cultivation artifact. With a thought, he stored the leather pouch into his control room space.

“Young Master, this place is dangerous. Please wait aside until we finish the investigation and report back to you!” Guard Zhang and a group of guards hurried over. Seeing Li Shiming had arrived ahead of them, they immediately stepped forward to speak.

“Alright, I’ll go check on Father!” Li Shiming nodded and replied.

This was not a simple site inspection; the constables from the prefectural office would also arrive to investigate and compile reports.

Li Wenyuan was working at the prefectural office. Upon hearing of the explosion, he immediately inquired about Li Shiming’s safety. Once assured that Li Shiming was unharmed, he relaxed.

He didn’t go to the scene immediately. Investigations were the job of professionals; his presence would only bring an entourage that might disturb evidence at the site.

When Li Shiming arrived at the prefectural office, he found Li Wenyuan pacing back and forth in the room, a deeply worried expression on his face.

“Shiming, you’re here. Were you frightened?” Li Wenyuan asked with a smile upon seeing him enter.

“Father, I went to the scene. That level of destruction couldn’t have been caused by ordinary people!” Li Shiming replied calmly with a bow.

Li Wenyuan was very pleased with Li Shiming’s composure, though he had some reservations about him going to the scene personally.

“A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. In situations like these, let the subordinates investigate first and only go once it’s confirmed to be safe!” Li Wenyuan said sternly.

“Yes, Father!” Li Shiming acknowledged.

“If it wasn’t caused by ordinary people, then it must be the work of a cultivator. But why would such a commotion happen in the garden of the residence?” Li Wenyuan continued.

“How do you plan to handle this?” Li Shiming was curious about how the authorities would deal with matters involving cultivators.

“I’ve already sent an urgent report to Zhongdu(Capital city). Matters involving cultivators are handled by the central authorities. Thankfully, this pertains to cultivation; otherwise, I would be in serious trouble!” Li Wenyuan said, shaking his head as he thought about recent events.

As the Prefect of Nanling, overseeing a case involving the massacre of over thirty people and an incident within the prefectural office itself, he knew his position would be in jeopardy if blame were to fall on him.

But when cultivators were involved, it was different. Cultivators were beyond the power of ordinary officials to handle, so incompetence couldn’t be blamed on the government.

“Will Zhongdu send cultivators here?” Li Shiming asked again.

“Cultivators are not at Zhongdu’s disposal. This is an unprecedented situation, so who knows?” Li Wenyuan replied, unable to give a clear answer.

The father and son sat together for a while until Head Constable Zheng arrived.

“Greetings, my lord! Greetings, Young Master!” Head Constable Zheng strode into the room and bowed to them both.

Li Wenyuan nodded slightly, while Li Shiming returned the greeting with a scholar’s bow.

This was Li Shiming’s first meaningful encounter with Head Constable Zheng, the top martial artist of Nanling Prefecture.

Head Constable Zheng gave him a sense of oppressive pressure, which made him uncomfortable. Realizing this, Head Constable Zheng quickly restrained his aura.

His anger from hearing about the incident in the back garden had made him momentarily lose control of his energy.

“Head Constable Zheng, have you found any clues?” Li Wenyuan asked seriously.

“My lord, I was just about to report. The coroner found fragments of shattered flesh at the scene, along with pieces of an exceptionally unusual white cloth!” As he spoke, Head Constable Zheng handed over a small piece of white cloth.

Li Wenyuan took the white cloth fragment, which was about the size of a palm. The edges were charred, and it looked like ordinary white fabric.

“What’s special about this cloth?” He knew that Head Constable Zheng and the coroner wouldn’t lie, so he asked directly.

“My lord, please permit me to draw my weapon!” Head Constable Zheng requested respectfully.

This was the prefectural office, and drawing a weapon required the prefect’s permission.

“Granted!” Li Wenyuan gestured.

Head Constable Zheng drew his blade and applied it to the cloth fragment. With a slight exertion of force, the blade slid along the cloth without cutting through it.

Li Wenyuan didn’t need further explanation; his expression had already turned grave.

Though Head Constable Zheng’s blade wasn’t a divine weapon, it was no ordinary blade either. Even without much force, a typical cloth would be cut in two.

This seemingly ordinary white cloth possessed extraordinary defensive properties.

“We suspect this cloth fragment belonged to the white-robed person from Tianxiang Tower. I also examined the flesh at the scene; it contains a strange energy that differs entirely from martial artists, supporting my theory!” Head Constable Zheng continued.

Li Shiming was impressed by the talent in Nanling Prefecture. In such a short time, they had deduced nearly the whole truth.

“So, someone in the garden killed that white-robed person?” Li Wenyuan asked in disbelief while examining the cloth.

He was incredulous because he knew the white-robed person was a cultivator. How could a cultivator die so easily?

After all, the seven heads of the Weiyuan Escort Agency, including Chief Escort Wang, who had the strength of a martial arts grandmaster, were powerless before that white-robed person.

“My lord, this is the conclusion reached by the coroner and me. We will submit a detailed report soon!” Head Constable Zheng confirmed firmly.

“Could it be the white-robed person’s enemy? Another cultivator in Nanling Prefecture?” Li Wenyuan muttered, perplexed.

Li Shiming remained silent. There were too many inexplicable things, and he couldn’t tell his father about his involvement.

He thought of Chief Escort Wang’s corpse again. He needed to find a place to dispose of it; keeping it in his control room space was disturbing.

He had obtained the Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique (《五行纳气诀》), Introduction to Runes (《符文入门》), and that small wooden sword, but hadn’t studied them.

He avoided studying them for fear that the cultivator might sense his actions.

Now that the cultivator was dead, he planned to examine his spoils once he returned.

“Shiming, the residence will be noisy for the next few days. I will ensure they stay away from your courtyard so your studies won’t be disturbed. You look tired; go and rest!” Li Wenyuan said, noticing Li Shiming’s distracted look, thinking he was still shaken.

Li Shiming took the opportunity to excuse himself. Now that the authorities were aware of the cultivator’s death, subsequent handling would proceed smoothly.

The explosion had impacted all of Nanling City. The government dispatched officers to reassure the people, and soldiers patrolled the streets. The city remained under lockdown.