PNB Chapter 40 Help
Chapter 40 Help
"Hahaha," Registrar Jia laughed instead of getting angry after hearing Lin Fan's words.
Lin Fan was stunned. He thought that after what he had done, the other party should be furious and have someone beat him up.
Clerk Jia said, "That's right, no wonder the Wu family pleaded for you. Little Lin Fan, you're quite popular. The Wu family came this morning, begging me to let you go. But they weren't really sincere in saving you; that box of pastries was too cheap, not enough to save your life."
Lin Fan's expectant gaze dimmed.
Clerk Jia continued, “You’re a smart man, so I won’t hide anything from you. Saving you is easy. Master Wanshou could have been killed by Yun Xiangzi, by you, or by someone else. It’s not impossible to find some Tom, Dick, or Harry to convict him, but it would be very troublesome. If the Wu family is willing to put in their full effort, it would naturally be feasible. Unfortunately, the Wu family is unwilling to do so, so I can’t help them.”
"Oh, right. Speaking of which, you've got some pretty good luck with men. I could tell at a glance that the head of the Wu family isn't worried about you at all, but it's the eldest wife of the Wu family, who just lost her husband, who's most concerned about you. Tsk tsk, no wonder you didn't like the conditions I offered you. The eldest wife of the Wu family is a first-rate beauty, with both looks and figure. What's that saying again? Once you've seen the ocean, you can't be satisfied with a river!"
"Are you done rambling? If not, I'm going back to my cell. Or I can go find that jailer from yesterday and get another beating." Lin Fan was already impatient; he didn't want to listen to this man's rambling nonsense anymore.
"Hey, young friend Lin, don't be in such a hurry. I've already accepted the Wu family's snacks, so naturally I can't torture you anymore. So, I have another good thing for you. I also know about how you helped the Wu family catch that steward. You are indeed smart and capable. I like smart people like me the most."
As he spoke, Clerk Jia took out a teacup, poured himself a cup of tea, and handed it to Lin Fan. "Young friend Lin, have a cup of tea, and let's chat slowly."
Lin Fan did not take the teacup, so Clerk Jia continued, "Don't be fooled by the large number of people in this yamen, inside and out, those with official positions and those without, including those who are imprisoned. I really don't have a single smart person I can use. I have a tricky case on my hands right now. If you can help me solve it, and with the Wu family's protection, I'll help you get rid of this mess."
Lin Fan was silent for a moment, then said, "Explain yourself clearly, I don't understand what you're saying."
"Help me solve this case, and I'll give you a clean identity." Clerk Jia took a sip of tea. "Is this a worthwhile deal?"
Lin Fan went through the matter in his mind. At first glance, he thought it would be beneficial to him, and at worst, the case wouldn't be solved and he would just return to his current situation. But he was really scared. Every time he thought nothing would go wrong, something unexpected would happen.
Lin Fan cautiously asked, "Tell me what it is first. You're not asking me to take any risks, are you?"
"Hey, you're already in this state, are you still afraid of taking risks? Fortune favors the bold, kid!" Clerk Jia took a sip of tea. "Have you heard about the massacre of the Ma family?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh: "I've heard of it, of course I've heard of it. If it's true, you don't even need to leave here. I can tell you who the murderer is right now."
Upon hearing this, Clerk Jia said with some disbelief, "Who? Young friend Lin, just tell me the name. I will absolutely keep my promise."
Lin Fan knew that promises were unreliable, but he couldn't guarantee that the other party would keep their word. The tunnel said, "It's a curse, a murderous curse, formed from resentment, that harms people with fear. The dead are either bewitched by illusions and die from danger, or they are so terrified that their seven souls leave their bodies."
Upon hearing this, Clerk Jia's face instantly fell, and he slammed his fist on the table: "You, Lin Fan, I treated you with sincerity, and you just played me like this."
Seeing that Chief Clerk Jia was finally angry, Lin Fan relaxed and chuckled, "Even if I've only been a disciple for less than three days, I can at least be considered a Taoist priest. The teachings of the Heavenly Venerable and the Patriarchs are so profound, how can you not believe them, Chief Clerk Jia? The Xuanmen is the orthodox religion of our Great Qian Dynasty, how can you not believe it, Chief Clerk Jia?"
Clerk Jia looked at him suspiciously, clearly disbelieving: "What difference does it make whether I believe it or not? The key question is, will the higher-ups believe it?"
Lin Fan countered, "The curse is real, even I know that, surely your government officials don't know? Doesn't the imperial court have people specifically tasked with dealing with these things?"
To be honest, Lin Fan couldn't understand the extent to which the imperial court of this world knew about these strange things. However, one thing was certain: the Great Qian Dynasty had existed for at least several hundred years, so it was impossible for them not to know about these things.
Registrar Jia paused, then recalled, "Are you referring to the Imperial Observatory? They wouldn't even bother to look into such trivial matters as the massacre of the Ma family. This case can only be solved by our Baishi County. I can only ask the higher-ups to arrest the criminals I've apprehended."
Lin Fan shrugged: "I've told you the truth. If you don't believe me, fine, there's nothing I can do. You guys are always like this. The truth is right in front of you, but you insist on making things complicated."
Lin Fan thought the matter could end there, but Clerk Jia didn't think so. He continued, "Fine, even if what you say is true, that curse killed someone. Young Taoist priest, let me ask you, was the curse cast by a person? Can't we just catch the person who cast the curse? Since you are a Taoist priest and good at solving cases, wouldn't it be more appropriate for you to investigate this matter?"
Lin Fan was taken aback; he had gotten himself into a trap. Unfortunately, he was neither a real detective nor a real Taoist priest.
To be honest, he didn't want to get involved in this kind of bullshit case at all.
Lin Fan suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, his face turned deathly pale, and blood seeped from his wounds. He knew clearly that the medicine the dog-skinned Taoist priest had given him was wearing off.
These officials probably don't know that his injuries are much more serious than they appear, and that if he were to collapse right now, he might be free from this predicament.
Suddenly, two blurry faces appeared in front of him.
A delicate-looking girl smiled at him. "Lin Yue'er?" Her cherry lips moved slightly, but Lin Fan couldn't hear what she was saying at all. Oh well, since he was going to die anyway, he might as well take this opportunity to see if she really died in that mansion.
Another picture is of Lin Fan's mother, Lin Shuixiu, a woman with a weathered face, repeatedly muttering about her heartless ex-husband who abandoned his wife and children. Lin Fan, who had developed a fever, mumbled, "Mom, I know, I know, but I'm like this, what else can I do?"
Lin Fan, annoyed by the two, managed to prop himself up with one hand, stared at Clerk Jia, and squeezed out a few words with difficulty: "Okay, I'll try my best."
After Lin Fan finished speaking, his body went limp and he fell off the chair, landing straight on the ground.
"Lin Fan, Lin Fan, are you alright? I'll call a doctor right away," said Clerk Jia anxiously when he saw that Lin Fan had suddenly fallen ill.
Lin Fan said weakly, "It's no use, the doctor can't cure me. Quick, bring me my pills."
After hesitating for a moment, Clerk Jia went and retrieved all the pill-like items from Lin Fan's body.
Two bottles of pills and a small, pale green bead.
Seeing that everything was still there, Lin Fan felt a little relieved. Fortunately, the people in the government office didn't recognize these things.
He immediately took out a grayish-white pill from his pocket and swallowed it, then stuffed the rest of the pills into his pocket.
As the medicine took effect, his complexion gradually improved. Lin Fan sat up on the spot, and his breathing returned to normal.
The registrar, Jia, asked in confusion, "What's going on?"
Lin Fan calmly said, "It's nothing. I'm just too badly injured. Without this elixir to keep me alive, I would die immediately."
Clerk Jia nodded. He had been quite startled just now, but fortunately, this experience made him even more convinced that Lin Fan was truly capable.
An hour later.
In front of a side gate of the yamen, several constables dressed in purplish-black uniforms were already standing there waiting.
Registrar Jia stepped out through the side door, glanced at the constables, and said with a smile, "Thank you all for waiting. The higher-ups know that the case we have is difficult, so they have specially sent extra people to help. This is Constable Chen Wu from Anping Prefecture, who has come to assist us in solving the case of the massacre of Master Ma's family."
After saying that, Clerk Jia stepped aside to let Lin Fan, who was dressed as a constable, walk out.
He was dressed in a tight-fitting purple-black outfit, with a matching cloak over it.
He carried a standard-issue knife at his waist, but of course, Clerk Jia wouldn't give Lin Fan the real thing; the knife only had a handle and was just for show.
Because of the "power pill," Lin Fan now looks about twenty years old, which is barely in line with his age.
Lin Fan still had many injuries on his face, and coupled with his cold and indifferent expression, he gave people an inexplicable sense of pressure.
The identity Lin Fan borrowed was actually just that of a constable in Anping Prefecture. However, constables in Anping Prefecture were respectfully addressed as "head constable" when they arrived in the county town, which was a custom.
The constables exchanged complicated glances. Some of them had participated in the operation to capture Lin Fan and knew very well that he was the murderer who killed the Taoist priest. They were puzzled as to how this person had suddenly become a constable.
According to the rules, it was now the constables' turn to introduce themselves. Seeing that no one was moving, Chief Clerk Jia coughed lightly.
I selected the constable on the far right of the line in order.
"Mu Qingfeng, a constable from Baishi County, is a second-tier martial artist."
Although she tried to raise her voice, Lin Fan could still tell that the high-pitched voice was clearly a woman's.
Because the six constables were dressed identically, and the woman was no shorter than the others, Lin Fan didn't notice her immediately.
However, upon closer inspection, it is clear that the person in question is a woman.
Can women become constables?
However, Lin Fan quickly concealed the doubt on his face, not wanting others to think he was naive and unsophisticated.
As soon as Mu Qingfeng finished his introduction, Lin Fan raised his hand to stop the others from continuing, and said loudly, "Alright, we can talk about these things on the way. The case is urgent, let's set off quickly."
Lin Fan didn't care about the details of the case at all; he wasn't a real constable, so he just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
He was just like he used to be after final exams, waiting for his results, both worried about doing poorly and hoping he would do well.
Regardless of the outcome, his personality dictates that he wants to know the result as soon as possible.
Even though he knows he will be sad if the outcome is bad, he can't help but hope for a good result.