Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. Appearance accounts for 30% and dressing accounts for 70%.
Lu Bei has put on a disguise of a hawk and a dog, his looks and temperament have increased by 100%, and he has the tendency to change from a gigolo to a gigolo. He just wants to find someone to praise him.
Not much, just three days and three nights.
The five assassins couldn't say a word, and the golden-scaled snake could only hiss. Apart from being a mirror to show who the most handsome man in the world was, the only person Lu Bei could show off to on this ship was She Xuan.
But it's impossible.
She Xuan was promoted to the Xiantian realm before Lu Bei. She doubted her life after the first defeat. In the next few days, Lu Bei repeatedly pressed her to the ground in the name of sparring. Her self-confidence seriously declined, and she regained her previous resentful temperament. She was disgusted with Lu Bei in every way. If you want to pry her mouth open to hear a few nice words, it is probably only possible in dreams.
"Sister She, how do you like my clothes?"
"Sanctimonious, it suits you very well."
"Open your eyes and look carefully."
"Looks like a dog."
She Xuan opened her eyes, looked Lu Bei up and down for a while, gave him a fair evaluation, and then looked into the distance: "Why go by boat? You and I have the ability to ride the wind, so we can go and come back quickly."
"The news that Xuanyinsi sent people to investigate has long been spread to Langwu County. I want to give it a try. In case someone is desperate and wants to kill you and me halfway, the case will be easy to solve with clues." Lu Bei replied truthfully.
Langwu County is surrounded by mountains and rivers. There are three peaks, Dawu, Erwu and Sishwu, blocking the outside world. All transportation in and out relies on water. With such good conditions, it is reasonable to lure the enemy and expose ourselves.
"Are you so sure that the murderer is someone else?" She Xuan frowned.
"Of course, I am a Qingwei of Xuanyin Division. County Magistrate Zhu Shilang is a rookie favored by the higher-ups. The murderer must be someone else. It is not wrong. There must be someone else." Lu Bei said with a serious face.
She Xuan rolled her eyes and was too lazy to talk nonsense with Lu Bei.
She came to Langwu County not to accompany Lu Bei on a tour, but to visit a hidden underground palace. She had gotten an opportunity there a few years ago. Now that she had advanced to the Innate Realm, she planned to go back for a review.
There is also a golden-scaled snake, which was also found near the underground palace. He collected it for his own use and gained a lot of benefits.
This was a secret that She Xuan had kept to herself for many years and had never told anyone until Lu Bei asked her out of curiosity, and then she blurted it out.
I didn't mean anything else, I just felt that although this person was hateful, he still had some good points in certain aspects. I could consider him a trustworthy person, so I told Lu Bei the truth.
Lu Bei became interested when he heard this, and agreed with She Xuan that he would visit the underground palace with her after the case was concluded.
Twenty-one added to five, and then he charged for travel expenses, labor costs, interest, and taxes, and She Xuan got a ten percent profit.
…
Langwu County.
It is a small county with a population of 200,000. It has complex terrain and waterways, is almost isolated from the outside world, and has nurtured unique cultural customs.
Apart from the scattered villages around, the county town looks like a series of mountain villages. Shrouded in mist, the county town built on the mountain rises higher layer by layer, like a huge mountain village, with a mysterious and foreign atmosphere.
Due to the heavy humidity, it is difficult for outsiders to adapt to life in Langwu County, but the locals don't care. With the nourishment of spiritual energy, their bodies adapt to the environment. They all have fair skin, black hair and big eyes, and are extremely beautiful.
At the riverbank of the county town, acting Captain Wang paced back and forth. He saw a boat coming through the fog and hurriedly called out to his men to grab the boat rope.
"Greetings, Lord Qingwei. I am Wang Shifang, the temporary head of the Langwu County Police."
Xuanyinsi is also known as the Black Yamen. Captain Wang did not dare to neglect it. When he stepped forward to pay his respects, he saw the black hair on Lu Bei's sleeves and held his breath for a moment.
"I am Ding Lei. Captain Wang greets you."
Out of caution, Lu Bei put on a thief's face at this moment. She Xuan behind him was no exception. She used snake skin to pinch a passerby's face as the leader of the five death squads.
As for the curvy figure that is too eye-catching, the solution is actually simple.
Wrap the white cloth tightly.
Her face is too ordinary for passersby. When other people see her slightly muscular chest muscles, they will subconsciously think that she is a rough and muscular man and will not think too much about it.
"Sir, the county government has already prepared a banquet, you see..."
"Where is the county magistrate, Lord Zhu?"
"Imprisoned in the backyard of the county government office, guarded by several masters from the Huangji Sect."
"Let's go to Lord Zhu's house first. I heard that he has a cellar for breeding Gu at home. I'm very interested."
Lu Bei said, "As for the banquet, Captain Wang has already thought about it, so there is no rush for now. When we get back to the county government office, I will have a few drinks with Lord Zhu."
"Your Excellency is right. This way please."
Captain Wang led the way. Lu Bei felt a sharp gaze on him and turned his head to look towards the dock.
On a large ship not far away, a middle-aged man in a green robe bowed and smiled, and used lip language to welcome Lu Bei's arrival.
Huangji Sect, Huang He.
Lu Bei clasped his fists in return and quickly followed Captain Wang to Zhu Mansion in Langwu County.
After the group left, two men dressed as guards came up behind Huang He on the Huangji Sect's ship and said respectfully, "Master, the thieves from the Xuanyin Division have arrived. Should we hand the prisoner over to them directly, or hold him captive first?"
"Just give it to them directly. After all, they are from the Zhu family. If something happens to them in our hands, I won't be able to report to the higher-ups."
Huang He looked at the direction where Lu Bei was going, shook his head and smiled: "These villains from the Xuanyin Division are not magnanimous enough, but they falsely accuse us of being narrow-minded."
"Master, what do you mean?"
"Take the Qingwei just now for example. He pretended to be a death warrior and found a scapegoat to take the lead. He didn't even think about the gap between the Xiantian realm and the Baodan realm. He really thought he could hide it from me." Huang He sneered.
"Your Excellency is wise."
"She looks pretty good, but I'm curious what she looks like underneath that dead face."
"Sir, do you want us to go and spy on you?"
"Are you tired of living?"
Huang He shook his head and stopped his subordinates from fawning on him. He was just curious and had no extra thoughts.
Besides, if you really have some ideas, the girls in the local Hongxiu Pavilion are all fair-skinned, beautiful, sweet-talkers and good at dealing with people. Wouldn't it be better to just talk about money
"Tell the brothers to hand over the prisoners quickly. After that, go to Hongxiu Pavilion. Mr. Huang will treat you all today. Let's reward you well."
"Your Excellency is noble and righteous!"
…
Langwu County, county government office.
The wine and food are reheated, and there is a table full of local mountain and river delicacies.
Lu Bei took off the embroidered knife from his waist and asked his personal attendant She Qi to hold it. He sat in front of the table with the big golden knife, waiting for Captain Wang to bring the suspect Zhu Shilang.
After visiting Zhu's house, he found the place where the Gu were raised in the cellar in the backyard. After a careful inspection, he determined that the real murderer was Zhu Shilang.
There was no way. He also wanted to help Zhu Shiqiu clear the suspicion, but the evidence did not allow it.
The cellar for breeding Gu is under the master bedroom. You can see the entrance by pushing open the bookcase. Looking at the quality of the bricks and stones, you can guess when it was built. Zhu Shiqiu would never believe that he knew nothing about it, even if you kill him.
Going to Zhu Mansion was just a routine matter. The cellar had already been thoroughly searched by the Huangji Sect. Even if there was any missed evidence, it was not his turn to pick it up.
Lu Bei knew this very well, and he just wanted to try and see if going to Zhu's house to investigate the case with great fanfare would attract passers-by in strange costumes.
There is a saying that criminals always return to the scene to admire their masterpiece. Every time they see the impact of their actions on society, the fear of the onlookers, or the busy figures of the police officers, they will have an irresistible sense of accomplishment.
Some more ambitious criminals want to see if there are any loopholes left so that they can commit the crime more perfectly next time.
Lu Bei had no experience or ability to solve the case, so he could only use unconventional tactics to find a breakthrough. This was also the reason why he took a boat and waited for the assassination.
The result was average. It might be that Huangji Sect had repeatedly checked the case and had paralyzed the real culprit. He was unmoved by Lu Bei's demands and had no intention of returning to the scene to observe.
However, Lu Bei did not gain nothing. Before leaving, he met the wife of the county magistrate.
A beautiful woman in the prime of her life, who had lost her appetite for half a year, was worried about the safety of her husband. When she heard that the imperial court had sent the Xuanyin Division to reinvestigate the case, that is, one of their own people, she dressed up beautifully, grabbed Lu Bei's hand as soon as they met, and cried so hard that her eyes were filled with pity.
The wife of the county magistrate was not the type who was good at speaking, and her brain was also very average. She was summoned to the inner courtyard by Lu Bei for private questioning. Before leaving, she stuffed a handful of silver bills into Lu Bei's pocket, asking him to take good care of her and to be sure to be careful and not to wrongly accuse an honest man.
After being rejected by Lu Bei in person, the county magistrate's wife remembered that she had another advantage, so she left a pink handkerchief and asked him to talk again in the evening.
Seeing that she was desperate, Lu Bei couldn't refuse. He accepted the pink silk and said that he would visit her tonight.
"Do you suspect the county magistrate's wife is the real murderer?"
She Xuan was still upset about Lu Bei accepting the handkerchief. Considering that this guy still had some principles and that not being interested in women was one of his few strengths, she speculated: "The county magistrate had a conflict with the county lieutenant and the county magistrate. He complained to his wife every night when he got home. His wife loved her husband so much that she secretly raised insects and killed them one by one... right?"
She Xuan's eyes lit up, and she felt like she had seen through the truth.
"Is there something wrong with your brain?"
Lu Bei rolled his eyes at She Xuan and said, "If it's true what you said, she loves her husband so much that she would have turned herself in six months ago. Why would she be desperate and try all sorts of tricks to seduce a cunning and thieving face like me?"
At this point, Lu Bei sighed repeatedly. Time makes people sad. She Huan used to be a smart woman, but now she is getting dumber and dumber. If she continues like this, it will be more than enough for him to deceive her eight times a night.
She Xuan frowned and said, "If that's the case, why did you accept the silk? Wasn't it to find a reason to find out her true strength?"
Lu Bei raised his eyebrows and said, "It is true that we need to find out the truth, but it is not her, but Zhu Shilang. First of all, Master Zhu must prove to me that he was indeed wrongfully imprisoned. Otherwise, why would I bother to help him clear his name?"
"How?"
"You'll know in a moment."
As they were talking, Captain Wang brought in the suspect Zhu Shilang. He looked exhausted after six months in prison, and his once attractive scholar face now looked more than ten years older.
"I have seen..."
Bang!
Lu Bei slapped the silk on the table and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Your wife gave Ding a handkerchief. If you keep it secret, you will shed tears behind bars tonight. As for me..."
"Hehehe, whether Ding can perform well tonight and help Madam solve her problems depends entirely on Master Zhu's performance next."