Chapter 68: I'm in a Hurry, Kill Me Directly
Qiao Mu didn't resist and was quickly captured on the spot.
However, the first person to take action was Sheriff Qian, who had just been talking happily with him, which surprised him.
This guy changed his face a bit too quickly.
"Captain Qiao, please don't blame me." Qian Qian looked serious and leaned in closer to Qiao Mu, lowering his voice:
"Speaking ill of the government and slandering the world, this is probably a definite death sentence..."
"We were just having a pleasant conversation, that's why I need to draw a clear line. I have an elderly father in his sixties who went missing..."
"Stop, stop, let's not talk about this kind of thing." Qiao Mu remained calm.
He was calmly escorted by the group of officials, preparing to be led into prison.
This sudden turmoil came and went quickly, making people unable to help but mutter.
It was mainly because Qiao Mu was too calm, too composed, not at all like someone about to eat prison food or even face death. One would think the officials were inviting him to a meal.
"Captain Qiao has only just arrived, hasn't he?"
"What did he do wrong? Did a constable dare to criticize the government?"
"What exactly did he say to attract the attention of the officials and soldiers?"
The unaware constables whispered to each other, while the few constables who had followed Qiao Mu into the teahouse remained silent.
They were aware of the situation, but the words spoken by Qiao Mu earlier were truly treasonous... They even hesitated to talk privately about it.
It had only been a few days since Qiao Mu took office, and his way of speaking was somewhat rebellious and not very likable. So, the constables didn't have much emotional fluctuation. After being surprised, they quickly shifted their attention back to the case.
Female Cultivator Ming Yue continued discussing the case with these constables, but after being confronted by Qiao Mu earlier, the warm smile on her face disappeared and she became indifferent.
This even made the constables somewhat blame Captain Qiao in their hearts.
"In summary, this impermanent monster is not easy to deal with. Its true nature is unknown, and it might be a tiger-like demon. If you encounter it, don't rely solely on your bravery; notify me as soon as possible."
After speaking, female cultivator Ming Yue raised her hand and tossed a paper crane into the wind. It elongated, and she leaped onto it swiftly, riding it to a distance, leaving only her back view for the others.
"Such magical skills!"
"Unlike us martial artists who only know how to punch and kick with bitterness..."
The constables were filled with envy.
Their eyesight was not strong enough to see the flying paper crane clearly, so they didn't notice the trembling shoulder of the female cultivator Ming Yue on the paper crane.
"To appear saintly in front of others, what a wonderful feeling."
This female cultivator Ming Yue had a satisfied expression on her face.
Inside the Xuantian Sect, she was actually just a disciple who raised spiritual beasts.
Although she was Saintess Wu Qingxin's disciple in the sect and was highly favored by the holy maiden, she was ultimately just a servant.
Although she had cultivated the immortal path, her cultivation level was not high, and she was still in a mortal body. The only thing she could boast about within the sect was her skill in raising spiritual beasts.
But if she came to this mortal realm, she would become a celestial being.
Mortals can't distinguish between these cultivators, they are all celestial beings, all immortal elders.
"Just now, I did something a little inappropriate. Initially, I treated these mortals with a smiling face, but it turns out it wasn't appropriate."
She thought that by treating them with a smiling face, with her identity as a celestial being from Xuantian Sect, these mortals would probably be pleasantly surprised and work harder...
"I didn't expect these mortals to not appreciate it and have no sense of propriety, and dare to contradict me?"
"Forget it.... Anyway, that person has already been captured by the official soldiers, and is indeed on a dead end."
"Currently, the most important thing is to capture that impermanent monster." Ming Yue thought to herself:
"If that monster really feeds on death energy, able to sense death energy, then this time I can be considered to have made a contribution to the sect."
Death energy is invisible and intangible, ethereal, but it does exist. It is a breath that only dissipates from beings in this world when they are about to die and vanishes in an instant.
Only a few special creatures with extraordinary abilities can smell the deathly aura of these living beings.
Originally, these creatures were not particularly rare.
Many years ago, a sorcerer killed and skinned this creature, using its essence to create a sinister treasure. This cruel act led to the slaughter of countless innocent creatures and earned the disapproval of righteous cultivators.
This incident even angered the Martial Saint of the mortal realm.
Not only did that sorcerer meet his demise at the hands of the Martial Saint, but the Martial Saint also ordered his Wuji Association to exterminate these creatures that can sense the deathly aura. As a result, they have become nearly extinct.
"If I were to obtain one of these creatures, perhaps I could keep it together with the Saintess' Blue-eyed Flying Tiger. When the cub grows up, it might give birth to offspring that can perceive the aura of death..."
The thought of Female Cultivator Ming Yue drifted further and further away as she rode the paper crane into the distance.
.................
Inside the city's prison.
"Be honest."
"Qiao Pifu, as a government official, when you go to prison, please behave and maintain some dignity."
"He is a newly appointed martial artist, known as a government bounty hunter.... Put on the iron chains."
Qiao Mu also didn't resist, cooperated like he couldn't afford not to, letting them lift his right hand and not moving his left foot, letting them do whatever they wanted.
As he cooperated with the jailer to put on the iron chains, he asked with a hint of anticipation, "Brother, do you know when they will kill me?"
"It probably won't be after autumn, right? It's still spring, too long to wait."
"Don't wait too long, seize the day."
"I think we shouldn't waste the taxpayers' money."
"Are you finished yet? Are you in a rush to be reincarnated?" The jailer got annoyed and roared like a tiger.
"Yes, it's urgent. We should do it while it's still hot... No, we should do it now, no need to pick the right timing."
"When the execution comes, I hope it's a big scene. I love excitement. Otherwise, let the governor of Heyang come and see, shall we?"
The jailers looked at each other, unable to figure out this person's intentions.
If we talk about his determination to die, this person is too calm and composed. Entering the prison is as natural as going home.
It's too strange, completely abnormal.
Could it be... fearless?
He was certain that he wouldn't die, that's why he jumped like this?
"I heard that this person is from another place, just arrived in Heyang City and became a catcher. It seems like someone higher up is involved?"
"If someone higher up is involved, then they must be someone important... He committed offenses like criticizing the imperial government and insulting the current emperor! Which background is strong enough to not worry about getting caught?"
The prison guards talked about it, but they couldn't figure out why.
They spoke politely and cautiously, so as not to provoke Qiao Pifu, who might be someone they couldn't handle.
The prison door closed, the guards left, and Qiao Mu was bound with iron chains in this tiny cell.
There was a small square window on the prison wall. It was nighttime, and the faint moonlight shone through the window, illuminating a small grass mat on the floor. Dust particles floated in the beam of light.
The air was humid, with a faint musty smell. Qiao Mu took a few steps, pulling the iron chain behind him, creating a clear sound that echoed through the empty cell.
"It's so quiet..."
Qiao Mu closed his eyes slightly.
His official title was just a newly appointed constable, so even if he criticized the government, only a few soldiers would be sent to capture him, and there wouldn't be any highly skilled experts coming after him.
So no one had discovered that he was a 6th rank martial artist. They just treated him as a beginner who had only reached the 8th or 9th rank, and put him in chains.
Can the internal strength of the sixth ranked martial artist break this iron chain with a burst? Qiao Mu didn't have the intention to try.
Mostly because the prison cell was quiet, it was quite nice, and he didn't really feel like leaving.
Being born immortal, Qiao Mu was able to feel at ease no matter where he went, and his emotions were stable.
"Ahem..." Soon, a voice broke the brief calmness.
"Brother, judging by your appearance, you must have been here more than once."
The person speaking was an old man in the adjacent prison cell. His hair was slightly gray, making him look around sixty or seventy years old. He was thin and pale, with a yellowish complexion, indicating that he had been in this prison cell for quite some time and was clearly not in good health.
"Brother, what did you do to end up here?"
"Publicly insulting the emperor."
Old man: ?
"Don't deceive me. Being accused of insulting the Emperor is a serious crime, and you might not survive it. You seem quite calm about it." The old man looked doubtful.
"Will I be executed after autumn?" Upon hearing this, Qiao Mu finally sighed with regret in his voice.
"I only regret that I cannot directly challenge the Emperor's actions. That way, I could be sentenced to a slow and painful death."
"Let me tell you, do you know what a slow and painful death is? I heard it's a very rare and skillful execution method. If I were to undergo that, I'm sure many people would come to watch, right?"
The old man remained silent.
Has he been in prison for too long that he can't keep up with the times?
Why does he struggle to follow the conversations of the people outside?
He awkwardly changed the subject, "Brother, those jailers earlier seemed to mention that you're the newly appointed chief constable?"
"Yes, what's the matter?"
"Do you have someone in charge? Are there influential elders in your family?" The old man lowered his voice and asked.
Qiao Mu paused for a moment and thought.
His Qiao family lineage was extensive, so it wouldn't be wrong to say that future Qiao family elders could have an influential status.
"It's not exactly as you imagine, but you could say so," he said ambiguously.
"Indeed, my young friend is not an ordinary person," the old man exclaimed.
He paused for a moment and continued:
"Actually, in my younger years, I was a righteous thief who robbed corrupt officials and distributed the wealth to the poor... However, there was one time when I was caught by a wealthy family..."
"That wealthy family had heard that one of their children was inhuman... and that's how I ended up here?"
"Did the inhuman person harm you?" Qiao Mu became interested.
He is quite interested in the difference in strength between cultivators and martial artists.
"There was no need for inhuman intervention... After that powerful family produced an inhuman, there were more soldiers patrolling around... I didn't have time to escape. Then I was thrown into jail."
"Although I was in jail, I still had some stolen goods outside that I hadn't sold yet. They were some antique items that were inconvenient to give to the poor... The total value is at least a couple thousand."
"Brother, if you have a way to escape, if you can take me with you, I will give you all these valuable items worth a couple thousand."
"Oh," Qiao Mu neither agreed nor disagreed.
It seemed like this guy was just trying to gain sympathy and offer bribes by claiming to be a righteous thief with stolen goods.
"Most people wouldn't be able to reach my method of escape," Qiao Mu casually stated.
"....Go ahead and tell me, don't judge me based on my age, I still have some skills," the old man said, slightly excited.
Qiao Mu then said seriously, "First of all, you have to commit a very serious crime."
"Next, when going to the execution ground, kindly greet the executioner and ask, 'Have you eaten?'"
The old man felt even more suspicious in his heart.
Eating? Is this some kind of secret code? This newly arrived prisoner has already made arrangements with the executioner. As long as he says the code word, he can escape?
But if they're already going to the execution ground and can still talk to the executioner, wouldn't they be executed immediately? How can they possibly escape?
"And then?" he asked eagerly.
"There's nothing more, I've already said everything," Qiao Mu closed his eyes and ignored him.
The old man pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing... Could it be that the person was talking about a way to escape by losing their head?
Could it be that this person is just teasing me?
The old man couldn't help but feel amused and frustrated. He wanted to test if the new prisoner had any connections, but it seems that even if there was a way, he couldn't succeed.
..................
In a courtyard in the capital city.
Emperor Yonghe paced in the courtyard with a deeply furrowed brow.
He was still thinking about the experience of being scolded by Qiao Mu in the tea house earlier.
He was of such a high status, yet in all these years, he had never been insulted like this before.
Especially towards the end.
"When Qiao Pifu was questioning, it wasn't about the difference in strength between my Great Yan Imperial Court and the inhuman..."
"He doubted that I, for fear of my own safety, handed over the country and the people to the cultivators..."
After understanding this point, his face became even more serious.
If that man named Qiao Pifu were just an ordinary person, he might not be able to leave the tea house and would die.
But he is not just a person.
He is a talented person recommended by the former Minister of Justice, Wang Shanhe, during the reign of the previous emperor.
If Wang Shanhe were still alive at this time, he would be in his seventies, an age close to death. By recommending a talented person to become the head of Heyang City, it is likely that he has the intention of nurturing and polishing this person.
And Qiao Mu's political views mostly represent the political views of Wang Shanhe after he retired...
In his heart, he is still willing to give some face to Wang Shanhe.
After all, Qiao Pifu is not just Qiao Pifu, and Wang Shanhe is not just Wang Shanhe.
Wang Shanhe represents a bygone era of ministers sacrificing themselves for the country, as well as Emperor Yonghe's ideal of becoming a wise ruler who can turn the tide when he was young...
While pondering, Guard Chu quickly walked into the courtyard.
"Your Majesty, Qiao Pifu has been captured by soldiers and taken to prison."
"It seems that someone in the teahouse reported him for speaking falsely about government matters, and he was apprehended and convicted by the officials in this city."
"Hmm?" Emperor Yonghe squinted his eyes:
"Even if this person deserves to be killed, it should be my order to do so."
"Then... should I inform Governor Lou of Heyang City? Ask him not to act recklessly?"
"No need." Emperor Yonghe narrowed his eyes and said impatiently:
"Capital crimes can be pardoned, but escaping punishment for serious wrongdoing is difficult."
"Insulting the emperor... if such a crime is not punished, how can the emperor's dignity be maintained? Even if we don't execute him, he will suffer greatly in prison for a few days, and we can retrieve him later."
