Loyal Heart Roaming the Skies

Jiang Wang and his two companions left the gate of the Criminal Investigation Department, and Shan Cha came out again, standing with his hands behind his back, silent.

"Boss," his trusted subordinate whispered beside him, "Are we going to let these disciples from the Dao Academy be so arrogant?"

"Isn't it because you guys didn't do your job well? You've been dragging on with the investigation and there's no result! Otherwise, how could they have the opportunity to intervene?"

Only cases that the Criminal Investigation Department couldn't handle would appear on the Dao Honor List. This was to avoid unclear jurisdiction.

"These disciples from the Dao Academy are spoiled and pampered. What do they know about investigating cases?" His subordinate sneered, "Let them waste their time!"

Shan Cha didn't express his opinion, he just called the disciple with the drooping eyebrows over and scolded him again, then carefully asked Jiang Wang about the details of his questioning before waving his hand to let him leave.

"We, the Criminal Investigation Department, have always been the ones who are arrogant. How can we let others step on our heads? Since that stinky stone, Dong A, came to Fenglin City, the Dao Academy has become more and more unruly." Shan Cha said coldly, "Ji Si Shou is about to inspect the county soon. When he comes to Fenglin City, who will we be afraid of?"

He didn't know that Ji Xuan had already come and was humiliated by Song Hengjiang on the banks of Qingjiang River.

"That's right!" His subordinate echoed.

Shan Cha snorted again, "The Zhao family has recently moved to our city. They are so wealthy, their background may not be clean. They have been obedient and respectful for the past few years. We turned a blind eye to it. Now, this Zhao kid is so arrogant, let's investigate their background and see if they can withstand the investigation!"

Although the Criminal Investigation Department was only responsible for transcendent cases, who determined whether it was transcendent or not?

Because of overlapping jurisdictions, in places where the city lord was strong, the Criminal Investigation Department would cooperate with the city lord. In places where the city lord was weak, the Criminal Investigation Department acted independently.

In Qinghe County, because of the strength of Ji Xuan, the Criminal Investigation Department in each major city area of the county basically had some degree of autonomy, and each one was well-fed and strong.

"Understood!" His trusted subordinate couldn't help but smirk, starting to calculate how much benefit he could gain from this.

...

The evaluation of the task by the drooping eyebrows was in accordance with the procedures, without any personal motives or deliberate harm.

At least that was the result of Jiang Wang and their investigation.

The cause of the task at that time was the murder of a villager in Du Family Town.

No matter how the traces at the scene were judged, the culprit's cultivation level was no higher than the Meridian Realm. The drooping eyebrows assessed this task as the Circulating Realm, taking into account the uncertainty of the left path's whereabouts and the various incidents that had occurred in Fenglin City recently, which had increased the risk space.

On the Dao Academy side of Fenglin City, there were two disciples in the Circulating Realm and three in the Meridian Realm. With such a configuration, it was almost certain that they could complete a task of this level.

But the result caused the most serious casualties among the Dao Academy disciples since Xiaolin Town. Four disciples from the Dao Academy were sacrificed. It should be noted that in previous years, the Dao Academy only recruited about ten disciples each year.

Each disciple of the Dao Academy was the foundation of the country. This was why the Dao Academy attached so much importance to this matter and, after the investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department yielded no results, sent Jiang Wang and others to investigate.

After leaving the Criminal Investigation Department, the third stop for Jiang Wang and his companions was the Zhang Family's territory.

This was the result of their discussion, and their train of thought was clear.

From Fang Heling to the Criminal Investigation Department, the next stop was Zhang Xizhi, the captain in charge of the task.

Although he was already dead, his information had not died.

Among his family and friends, there was still a living memory of Zhang Xizhi.

The Criminal Investigation Department was located north of the City Lord's Mansion, not far from the City Lord's Mansion, close to Qingmu Avenue.

From a geographical point of view, it was relatively convenient to go from Fang Family's territory to Zhang Family's territory first, and then to the Criminal Investigation Department.

But Jiang Wang and his companions chose to take a detour because the actual order was more important than the geographical order.

The Zhang family was now the leading family among the three major families, but when they entered their territory, they did not feel any arrogance. On the contrary, the Zhang family members they met along the way were very polite. After learning that they were disciples of the Dao Academy, someone took the initiative to lead them.

Jiang Wang and his companions split up into three groups and went to Zhang Xizhi's home, Zhang Xizhi's best friend's home, and the patriarch's home.

Jiang Wang went to the patriarch's home.

Going to Zhang Xizhi's home would undoubtedly yield the most clues, and Zhao Rucheng was the least likely person to lose these clues.

In terms of seniority, the Zhang family patriarch should be Zhang Linchuan's grandfather, but he was not from the same branch as Zhang Linchuan.

Of course, with Zhang Linchuan's current strength, he naturally belonged to the main branch. Even if his ambition was not here, he would be the next patriarch.

Jiang Wang, as the rising star of the Fenglin City Dao Academy, the Zhang family patriarch took the time to help him sort out the relevant information about Zhang Xizhi to support his mission.

After chatting for a while, they didn't gain much. Jiang Wang was about to take his leave when he suddenly heard a voice outside. "Young Master Linchuan is back!"

Zhang Linchuan walked in following the voice, and first greeted the Zhang family patriarch, "Linchuan is here to pay respects to Grandfather."

The etiquette was complete.

The Zhang family patriarch sat upright, raised his hand in a gesture, and smiled kindly, "You have worked hard in your cultivation. It's not easy to come back once, you don't have to come see me every time."

"It's my duty." Zhang Linchuan smiled and then greeted Jiang Wang, "Is Junior Brother Jiang here as a guest in my house?"Jiang Wang, who wouldn't dare to be presumptuous, had already stood aside. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Isn't it because I've been assigned a task? I don't know if it's Vice Dean Song's idea or Dean Dong's."

He couldn't possibly ask Dean Dong about this, and Dean Dong wouldn't bother with him. Dean Dong was the head of the Dao Institute, not anyone's nanny or wet nurse.

"Oh?" Zhang Linchuan was intrigued, "Is there a difference?"

The difference was huge! If it was Dean Dong, it meant he was valued. If it was Song Qifang, it might mean trouble.

"Well, it's nothing." Jiang Wang didn't want to talk too much about his friction with Song Qifang, so he changed the subject, "I came empty-handed today, so I don't want to bother you. After I finish this task, I'll invite Brother Zhang for a drink next time."

"Alright." Zhang Linchuan smiled and said goodbye to the old clan leader, "Grandfather, I'll go home first."

The old man chuckled, "Go ahead, your mother has been waiting for a long time, she'll blame me if you're late."

For adults, the next time without a specific date usually means never.

……

Zhang Linchuan left the clan leader's residence and headed home. Along the way, he nodded in response to the clan members who greeted him. However, the handkerchief covering his mouth never moved. The clan members didn't mind, they all knew about his cleanliness.

Zhang Linchuan's house wasn't too big, but with four courtyards inside and out, it was far from shabby. His father held a managerial position in the clan, not much work, but plenty of money.

Given Zhang Linchuan's current strength and future prospects, no one in the entire clan would treat his family unfairly.

Before he even entered the courtyard, a servant came out to greet him.

"Young Master, you're back. Shall we have dinner now? The master and madam are waiting!"

As soon as he stepped into the clan's territory, his home should have been prepared.

Zhang Linchuan nodded and headed to the warm dining hall.

Sure enough, his parents were sitting at the head of the dining table waiting for him.

Father Zhang was a stern man. He was happy to see his son, but he didn't show much on his face, just said lightly, "Sit down."

His mother, on the other hand, smiled at him and moved a plate of bass in front of him, "Linchuan, have a taste."

Zhang Linchuan walked to his seat, glanced at the stool, and couldn't help but wipe the oil stain on it with his handkerchief - it must have been accidentally dropped when serving the dishes - then he balled up the handkerchief and put it aside.

He soon heard his father's angry voice, "What's the matter with you? I told you Linchuan was coming home for dinner today, and you were supposed to instruct the servants to clean up properly. You can't even keep a stool clean!"

His mother's voice was still aggrieved, "I've cleaned up several times inside and out..."

"It's okay, it's okay." Zhang Linchuan smiled and played peacemaker, "Let's eat."

The family of three sat together for dinner, dividing the round table into three equal parts, each occupying a corner.

They treated each other with respect.