The Path Toward Heaven

Shi Fengchen walked into the room, took out a thick stack of files from the hidden compartment in the corner of the closet, carried them to the desk and began to look through them again.

These files are all about Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu.

Last year, Qing Tiansi's investigation was terminated, and these files were put into the warehouse, accumulating a lot of dust, until he quietly took them home dozens of days ago.

Flipping through the file, he had already familiarized the words and portraits on it by heart. There were seventy-four lives and countless bloody scenes.

Those pictures flashed before his eyes, and then overlapped with the pictures from many years ago.

Can monks kill people at will?

Shi Fengchen closed the file, and after a moment of silence, he said: I will not let another Daoist Taiping appear in the Qingshan sect.

He had a very bad opinion of the Qingshan Sect, and he was in charge of the Qing Tiansi Yamen in Nanhe Prefecture a few years ago, seeing those Liangwang Peak disciples doing things, which strengthened his opinion.

The so-called envy of evil is just cruel and easy to kill. The style of Qingshan sect will inevitably breed disasters.

The scourge of the world.

Zhao Layue's cultivation talent, future status, and behavioral style made him naturally think of that scourge back then.

So Zhao Layue must die.

He can't tell anyone about this matter, because the matter of Daoist Taiping is the biggest secret in the cultivation world, and it is also the biggest stain on Qingshan Sect.

If he uses this reason to say things, everyone will think he is crazy, and they will not believe it at all, and the Qingshan sect will kill him directly.

He originally wanted to meet His Majesty the Emperor and express his worries, but he did not expect that the Imperial Concubine never summoned him again.

What else can he do if he can't see His Majesty?

During this year, he had been thinking hard about how to kill Zhao Layue, but he couldn't find any way.

Until a few days ago, when he had nothing to do, he sorted out the recent books, and suddenly found a problem.

The Duanli Wan in the palace is supplied by Qing Tiansi, and the amount used has been much less these days.

In recent years, His Majesty has only favored Concubine Hu Gui, and the dosage of Duanli Wan has decreased. Anyone can imagine what this means.

Even when he was suspicious, His Majesty never thought of hiding this matter.

He managed to get in touch with the Prince's Mansion, who was really shocked.

The reaction of the prince's mansion made him realize that the prince and those close officials around him were really stupid, and they couldn't see that this was His Majesty's temptation.

Of course such a prince can use it.

With a creak, the courtyard door opened.

Shi Fengchen woke up from his contemplation, put the file away again, and walked out the door.

A young boy who looked like a servant turned around and closed the door, looked at him happily and said, Master, are you back?

The boy's legs and feet are somewhat inconvenient, carrying a basket of vegetables, walking seems to be very difficult.

Shi Fengchen said: How many times have I told you, don't call me Master.

Okay... The boy looked at his face and said cautiously, Master.

Shi Fengchen couldn't help smiling.

Seeing his smile, the young man became joyful from the bottom of his heart, and said in a higher voice, I bought fresh Chinese cabbage and fried bacon tonight.

Shi Fengchen wanted to say that he had already eaten, but seeing his smile, he just shook his head and said, Do less.

...

...

Looking at the thin figure who was busy by the stove, Shi Fengchen had a worried look in his eyes.

The child was called Wang Xiaoming, and he had picked it up from the ruins many years ago.

That year, two ascetics from the Xihai Sword Sect and the Kunlun Sect made an appointment to fight in Funiu Mountain, which ended in a draw.

It is said that after the event, the two sides exchanged pleasantries and drank many cups of expensive Que Tong tea on the cloud boat, and they felt like they hated seeing each other later.

It's just that these two ascetics didn't expect that the aftermath of their Taoist battle shook a large mountain wall.

There was a heavy rain that night, and mudslides rushed out of the mountains and swallowed a village.

Of course, they wouldn't care if they knew.

This kind of thing has happened countless times in Chaotian Continent, and the imperial court and the righteous sects have already experienced it.

Qing Tiansi, in a sense, is a yamen dedicated to wipe the buttocks of practitioners.

At that time, Shi Fengchen was still a mid-level official of the Qingtian Division. Looking at the devastated mountains, he felt a little cold, and he couldn't feel too much anger, because he was really helpless.

According to the usual practice, the imperial court will compensate the villagers on behalf of both sects, and some local officials who love the people like sons will even help them rebuild their houses.

The problem is that the whole village is dead, who will pay the money? Who will live in the rebuilt house?

Just when he was about to leave, there was a faint cry from the mud and rocks, and it turned out that not everyone was dead.

Shi Fengchen adopted the baby whose leg was broken by a stone, and gave him the most common name in order to allow him to live in peace and stability.

Since then, Wang Xiaoming has been following him, from Yuzhou to Nanhezhou to Chaoge City, doing trivial chores.

Shi Fengchen didn't teach him anything, not even literacy and reading.

Now Wang Xiaoming is doing odd jobs in a warehouse in Qingtian Division, and he will come back to visit him twice a month when he takes a bath.

Master, the meal is ready.

Wang Xiaoming's voice came from the kitchen.

Holding a bowl of white rice, Shi Fengchen looked at the tempting plate of fried bacon with white rapeseed on the stove, and said, Don't spend money at will in the future.

Although his salary was not low, most of it was used elsewhere. He was very poor, so naturally he couldn't give Wang Xiaoming any money.

Wang Xiaoming said with a smile: The bacon was given by Seventy-Two, and it didn't cost money.

Shi Fengchen knew that the seventy-two he mentioned was one of his co-workers, so he didn't say anything more.

After the meal, Wang Xiaoming brought a cup of hot tea and said, Master, drink tea.

Shi Fengchen took a sip of the tea and narrowed his eyes.

The tea is coarse tea that is often drunk at home, but as long as it is hot enough, it is comfortable to drink.

Knowing that Shi Fengchen was in a good mood at this time, Wang Xiaoming asked cautiously: Master, when can I learn from you?

Shi Fengchen opened his eyes, looked at him and asked, Do you really want to learn from me?

Yes.

Wang Xiaoming looked very serious.

Shi Fengchen was silent for a while, and said: Actually, you don't know. I asked someone to look at you when you were young. Your roots are very good, and you should have a future in cultivation.

Wang Xiaoming stood up suddenly and shouted angrily: I don't practice! I want to learn from you, Master, to investigate cases.

Investigating a case requires brains, but in the face of absolute power, conspiracy doesn't make much sense, and so does wisdom.

Shi Fengchen looked into his eyes and said very seriously: What we are facing are all cultivators. If you want to learn from me to investigate cases, you have to practice and become stronger than them... Back then, I worshiped under the Sanqing sect. I thought so. It's a pity that my talent is too ordinary and I can't go too far on this road, but you can.

...

...

Three days later, Zhao Layue went to Mingcui Valley alone.

The name Mingcui Valley is very common, which means that the scenery is also very ordinary. It is so ordinary that it does not deserve a special name. Moreover, the road into the valley is very steep and difficult. Even in the most suitable spring season, there are no tourists.

No matter how steep and difficult the road is, it is not a problem for ascetics, so ascetics can see more scenery than ordinary people, and of course there are occasional dangers.

There is a small stream in Mingcui Valley, and beside the stream is a small Taoist temple that has been in disrepair for a long time.

When she walked into the Taoist temple, she realized that the Taoist temple was a formation.