Free Web NovelChapter 810: Chapter 64 Estrangement
"Indeed, there is one thing."
Jiang Wang said, "I’ve been thinking of taking a trip to the Near Sea Archipelago recently, and thought I might as well stop by the Patrol Inspection Bureau to pick up a task, but despite searching, I haven’t found a suitable one. I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t look in the right place, or if my authority isn’t sufficient."
He had no need to refuse Zheng Shangming’s friendly overture. Relationships are built on give and take, and connections are cultivated over time.
Moreover, his visit to the Imperial City Inspection Mansion to report for duty was indeed with the intention of picking up a task here.
As the man who killed Hai Zongming, although it was in self-defense, and the battleground was beyond the jurisdiction of Qi Country and Diao Hai Building, Diao Hai Building didn’t have much reason to publicly pursue him. But if he swaggered around the Near Sea Archipelago, he would inevitably run into trouble.
His identity as the man from Green Sheep Town naturally came with the protection of Qi Country.
A Fourth-Rank Green Badge Constable actively on duty would have even greater importance, and in some ways, could even be said to represent the face of Qi Country.
Previously, when Hai Zongming attempted to kill Jiang Wang, it was a private act, and beyond the Qi Boundary. If Jiang Wang had died at that time, Qi Country would definitely have sought trouble with Diao Hai Building, and Hai Zongming, even as an influential elder, would not have escaped without paying a price. It was simply that Hai Zongming believed the Red Mirror was worth more than the cost of killing Jiang Wang, which is why he brazenly made a move.
Even if he had killed Jiang Wang silently, without Qi Country being able to find the murderer, no price would have needed to be paid.
The right and wrong of Jiang Wang killing Hai Zongming had already been argued over by Qi Country and Diao Hai Building. On a logical, strategic, and influential basis, Diao Hai Building was at a disadvantage, and their current silence was the result.
At this moment, on the Near Sea Archipelago, as long as Diao Hai Building did not wish to start a war, they wouldn’t dare to casually harm a Duke of Daqi who was on official business.
That was one point.
The second advantage was that if Jiang Wang received a task to go to the Near Sea Archipelago, he would definitely need to understand the place first. Depending on the task’s level, the Imperial City Inspection Mansion would provide him with intelligence about the Near Sea Archipelago.
Combined with the information gathered by Zhongxuan Sheng, he would be able to better understand the Near Sea Archipelago. It would be a strategy to kill two birds with one stone, with many benefits.
Zheng Shangming thought for a moment, "Actually, there are quite a few affairs concerning the Near Sea Archipelago. You mentioned wanting a suitable task, why not specify your requirements?"
Jiang Wang did not hide anything and said directly, "The task level cannot be too low, the best would be above the Inner Mansion, but it should not exceed the Outer Building."
Has his strength progressed to such a degree... completely confident in handling cases at the Outer Building level?
Zheng Shangming looked deeply into Jiang Wang’s eyes and said, "Please wait here, I’ll go and inquire for you."
To obtain higher-level intelligence about the Near Sea Archipelago from the Imperial City Inspection Mansion, Jiang Wang could only try to aim for a more difficult task, but he wasn’t looking for death; tasks above the level of the Outer Building weren’t within his capacity to participate in.
As for taking on a task just to access the intelligence without executing it, that was also not feasible, as the Patrol Inspection Bureau had its own system of rewards and punishments. Like the task Jiang Wang previously accepted to pursue Hell Has No Door, it was only because Beiyar Commander Zheng Shi had given the nod, and the God of Constables Yue Leng had tacitly agreed, allowing him to leave on record, with the understanding that he wouldn’t achieve anything.
After all, nobody would think that a constable of the Inner Mansion Realm could do anything to Hell Has No Door.
So, the task Jiang Wang was to take on for his trip to the Near Sea Archipelago was one he intended to complete seriously. Preserving the Green Badge on his body would also benefit his future development in Qi Country.
The Imperial City Inspection Mansion’s rank wasn’t very high, but the government office was quite large. The constables coming and going, each adept at surveillance, made one feel an inexplicable pressure.
While waiting in the hall, Jiang Wang unexpectedly encountered an acquaintance.
"Lord Jiang!" Lin Youxie, wearing a green square scarf, saluted from afar.
Just among the Green Badge arrest officers, Jiang Wang, who carried a Fourth Grade Green Badge, was already a rank higher than her.
She behaved properly, with meticulous manners, whether it was out of respect for the Fourth Grade Green Badge or because of the warning Jiang Wang had given her last time.
"It’s been some time. Have you been well?"
"Thanks to your concern, things have been going smoothly," Jiang Wang nodded. "Constable Lin remains as elegant as ever."
It had to be said, his skills in making small talk were quite lacking. No matter whom he spoke to, it was always ’as elegant as ever’.
He harbored no prejudices against Lin Youxie, and he even held considerable respect for these Green Badge arrest officers who handled Transcendent cases and maintained public order, as long as Lin Youxie did not persist in probing and suspecting without end.
It’s quite intriguing. Lin Youxie, possessing only the cultivation level of the Ascending Dragon Realm, should have worn the badge of a Grade-6 Qing brand constable, but he ended up wearing a Grade-5 badge due to his rich investigative experience, inherited case-solving techniques, and having cracked quite a few cases.
While Jiang Wang, with his Inner Mansion Realm cultivation, wears a Grade-4 Qing brand badge, credited to his extraordinary strength, Zheng Shi’s favor, and Yue Leng’s admiration.
Both individuals seemed to have risen through the ranks and should have had a lot in common to talk about.
However, due to Lin Youxie’s inexplicable suspicions toward Jiang Wang, their relationship was at times highly strained.
Perhaps it wasn’t inexplicable after all, perhaps... What Lin Youxie was sceptical about was Zhang Song. Whenever she spoke to Jiang Wang, she always managed to steer the conversation towards Zhang Song.
However, the case of the Feng Xian Family’s annihilation had already been concluded, and Lin Youxie had personally been involved in it. Zhang Song currently working for Jiang Wuqi in the Long Life Palace was proof enough that no issues could be found with him.
For Lin Youxie to still keep an eye on Zhang Song was, on one hand, akin to slapping his own face, and on the other, likely to be a fruitless endeavor—what was the point?
Moreover, with regard to Zhang Song, Jiang Wang was indeed innocent. He had no connections to Zhang Song apart from entering the Heavenly Abode Secret Land once, and he had forgotten the entire process. After hearing about the Feng Xian Family annihilation case, at the request of Zhongxuan Sheng, he had visited once and had not been in contact since.
Even if Zhang Song truly had any issues, they certainly couldn’t be traced back to Jiang Wang.
The only problem was that due to that confrontation at Yunwu Mountain, Jiang Wang harbored suspicions about Zhang Song’s true identity. But Jiang Wang had chosen to conceal his doubts at the time, and no third party was aware of his suspicions.
Or perhaps, Zhang Song was just a verbal smokescreen. Lin Youxie’s real purpose might have been to investigate how Hell Has No Door managed to infiltrate Linzi City in its early stages, or to look into who instructed Xu Fang to apologize outside the Blue Stone Palace?
During his time in Qi Country, if there was truly something that couldn’t be exposed, it would be these two issues.
Faced with Jiang Wang’s perfunctory pleasantries, Lin Youxie chuckled and said, "Sir Jiang separating from the main Qing brand constable team and single-handedly discovering the whereabouts of King Qin Guang—that’s what I call truly impressive!"
Dealing with a smart person, especially an adept constable, inevitably leads to bouts of unease about being seen through.
"You’re too kind," Jiang Wang decided not to make trouble for himself and replied perfunctorily, "I have some business to take care of on my side. Constable Lin, do you think..." frёewebnoѵēl.com
Lin Youxie acted as if he couldn’t understand the hint: "What business is Sir Jiang busy with? May I know if there is any way I can be of assistance?"
"You’re too polite!" Jiang Wang replied somewhat helplessly, "It’s just a private matter, not worth troubling you over."
"Oh." Lin Youxie nodded, then added, "Actually, it’s no trouble at all, we’re colleagues after all. Speaking of which, I was actually hoping to ask for Sir Jiang’s help."
Strike while the iron is hot—this tactic was too familiar.
Could it be a skill essential to a Qing brand constable?
Jiang Wang, thinking of various things and chuckling along, said, "I haven’t been back in Linzi for long, so I’m uncertain what help I can provide. I’m afraid you may be disappointed."
"It’s nothing too troublesome."
With a sincere smile, Lin Youxie spoke earnestly, "Sir Jiang has not held the Qing badge for long. First, you rooted out King Qin Guang from Hell Has No Door within Qi Boundary, and after leaving Qi, you alone located the trace of King Chu Jiang. It’s clear that Sir Jiang has done extensive research in tracking. I, an officer, have been dedicated to the art of tracking for many years and have hit a bottleneck, finding it hard to make progress, which is truly agonizing! I wonder if Sir Jiang could spare some time to discuss it with me?"
Jiang Wang looked into her perceptive eyes, feeling as if she had already unearthed every secret in his heart.
He knew that casually using the King Chu Jiang’s appearance at the Camel Mountain to deal with the assignment was a careless act, and it was a mistake already made!
If Lin Youxie thus connected him to Hell Has No Door, it was highly possible.
The only consolation was that he indeed didn’t have much interaction with King Chu Jiang—just a brief exchange of words—so it was impossible to find any problems there. Moreover, the fact that he could openly mention the whereabouts of King Chu Jiang, from another perspective, only affirmed his integrity.
Nevertheless, he still needed to maintain distance from someone like Lin Youxie,
But with her being so tenacious, it might be difficult to achieve this by mere politeness.
At that thought, Jiang Wang shook his head coldly and arrogantly said, "Your rank is too low, and your cultivation even lower. I have no time to discuss with you."
