A Clash of Gods - Chapter 176
Chapter 176 Act as an Elder
Qu Xiaocang’s originally friendly face was now filled with anger, but Yang Ning had raised his hand and said with a smile, “Captain Qu, don’t be in a hurry to blame her.” He looked at Ximen Zhanying and said, “Zhanying, I know why you are so disobedient. You had a selfish purpose.”
“You…” Ximen Zhanying’s bright eyes were filled with anger, “Don’t call me by my name.”
“Zhanying, this is your fault,” Yang Ning deliberately teased, “If I don’t call you by your name, don’t tell me I’m going to call you Investigator Ximen? Don’t you think it’s awkward to call you Investigator Ximen?”
When Ximen Zhanying saw Yang Ning’s smiling face, she was even more annoyed. She turned her head away to ignore him.
“You said to eradicate evil, these were very grand and righteous. Even I was very excited when I heard it.” Yang Ning smiled and said, “But ask yourself, why did you and Yan Lingxian capture me tonight?”
Ximen Zhanying turned her face away and did not look at him. She just said with a cold smile, “There is no purpose, it is to not let go of an evil.”
“This might be one of the reasons,” Yang Ning said indifferently, “But the main reason isn’t that you’re just. On the contrary, you’re trying to prove yourself.”
Ximen Zhanying’s body trembled. She turned her head and sneered, “What do you mean?”
“It’s better to be polite when talking to me.” Yang Ning’s expression also turned cold, “Don’t forget your identity and my identity. In front of me, it’s not your turn to lose your temper.”
Although Ximen Zhanying was not convinced, she did not say anything.
Chen Qi had already come in with a large tray. He bent over and walked to Yang Ning’s side. He placed the few dishes on the table and smiled, “Marquis, as it’s been all night, you must be hungry. This is the snack that I found. Please have some first.” Then, he lifted the teacup with both hands. The teacup was very particular and clean. He brought it to Yang Ning and smiled, “Marquis, this is a new tea. Try it first and see if it suits your taste.”
Yang Ning took it and saw that the leaves were tender and the tea was clear and green. As the fragrance of tea wafted over, he knew that it was indeed good tea. He said with a smile, “Chen Qi, you’re very sensible.”
When Chen Qi heard Yang Ning’s praise, he relaxed and hurriedly said, “Thank you.”
“By the way, I remember you just said that the Mansion of the Divine Marquis doesn’t have the rule of pouring tea for criminals. The criminals can’t be picky.” Yang Ning blew on the tea. “I remember you said something else. Oh right, it seems to be ‘F**k your grandma’, right?”
Chen Qi’s face instantly turned pale and he almost collapsed.
“You must know that my grandma is the Dowager of the Marquis’s Mansion.” Yang Ning sighed, “She’s already in her 80s. I don’t know if she has any grudges with you. Justice Officer Chen, can you do me a favor? Don’t make things difficult for her in the future…”
Chen Qi’s forehead was covered in a cold sweat as his body swayed.
The Dowager of the Marquis of Honor had been conferred the title of the noble lady by the Imperial Court, whose status was noble. Although he had only said a mantra, if Yang Ning wanted to investigate this matter, he would probably be executed.
Qu Xiaocang glared at Chen Qi and coldly said, “Kneel in the courtyard and slap yourself. When Marquis says stop, you stop.”
Chen Qi could only walk out the door and kneel in the courtyard, slapping his face.
“Zhanying, we haven’t ended the talk.” Yang Ning took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, “What did I just say? We just mentioned that you brought me back to prove yourself.” He coughed and said, “You and this Pojun Captain should have done very little work before, so you have very little experience and haven’t made any contributions. Young people, who are so competitive, do not know how cruel the outside world is. But they are self-righteous and arrogant, who always feel that they are omnipotent. They want to make great contributions, letting everyone have a whole new level of respect for them.”
As he spoke, he looked like an old man reprimanding his junior. Ximen Zhanying was not convinced and clenched her fists.
“As a girl, don’t always have such a fierce expression, as if you want to eat people.” Yang Ning sighed. “I’m telling you, it’s all for your good. I’ll teach you a lesson in the future. Weren’t you and Yan Lingxian just trying to contribute so that the entire Mansion of the Divine Marquis would have a whole new level of respect for you? You are the daughter of the Divine Marquis. And Pojun Captain, if I’m not wrong, I’m afraid not everyone in the Mansion of the Divine Marquis is convinced that you became one of the seven Big Dipper stars at such a young age. That’s why one of them wanted to get his father’s approval and the other wanted to get his fellow’s respect. It was just so coincidental that there had been one more blood-sucking monster in the capital recently. So the two of them immediately agreed to use this matter to make great contributions.”
Ximen Zhanying and Yan Lingxian were both shocked. Qu Xiaocang was also surprised.
“You guys were eager to do meritorious deeds. Tonight, you happened to encounter an opportunity and you found me at the crime scene. I think you must have been very excited.” Yang Ning picked up the teacup and took another sip before continuing, “So, you didn’t ask about anything. Before you completely understood what was going on, you hurriedly brought me back. It was because of your desire to do meritorious deeds that you had neglected those doubtful points. You had even discovered doubtful points, but abandoned them… Am I right? Of course, you won’t admit it.”
Yan Lingxian’s forehead was drenched in a cold sweat, and his lips moved slightly.
Ximen Zhanying stared at Yang Ning. Bitten by her teeth, her lips were about to bleed as she stubbornly said, “How can you prove that you didn’t kill that person?”
“I’ve said it before. Your experience is not enough, and you still need to train hard. In less than three to five years, you can’t master the skills.” Yang Ning looked at Qu Xiaocang and said with a smile, “Captain Qu has already given you proof, but you still haven’t noticed Captain Qu’s good intention. It makes people sigh with emotion.”
Ximen Zhanying and Yan Lingxian looked at each other and then looked at Qu Xiaocang, feeling a little puzzled.
Qu Xiaocang smiled and asked, “What is Marquis referring to?”
“Of course it’s my hands.” Yang Ning leaned back comfortably on his chair and looked at Ximen Zhanying, asking, “Let me ask you, what kind of death methods are those people who were sucked?”
Ximen Zhanying hesitated for a moment and said, “They were all heavily hit on the chest and their throats were torn.”
“Alright, let me ask you again. Have you personally seen the wound on their throats?” Yang Ning stared at Ximen Zhanying and asked, “What kind of weapon was it that injured him?”
Ximen Zhanying lowered her head, and her tone was not as cold as before, “I didn’t see it personally. They didn’t let me see it, but I heard that they were torn to pieces by someone.”
“I thought you had seen it.” Yang Ning sighed, “Do you know that as a criminal investigator, the most important thing is to learn how to observe corpses. To criminal investigators, the confession of a dead person was sometimes more real and detailed than that of a living person. You have not even seen a corpse, so how can you determine the method used by the murderer? You don’t even know the method, so how can you determine who is the murderer?”
At this moment, not only Qu Xiaocang, but even Duan Canghai, who was beside Yang Ning, was astonished.
“Captain Qu asked me to show my hands just to see if my hands are capable of tearing someone’s throat apart.” Yang Ning put down the teacup and raised his hands. He waved his fingers and smiled, “You might not be able to see anything, but Captain Qu can tell at a glance that my hands aren’t strong enough to rip a person’s throat apart. That’s why he can instantly tell that I didn’t kill him. This is the difference between you and him.”
Qu Xiaocang let out a long sigh and said, “Marquis, you know what’s going on clearly. I truly admire you. Forgive me for being bold to say these words. Marquis, you’re so young, but you’re so extraordinary and thoughtful. Among the young people, that’s extremely rare.” He looked at Duan Canghai and said, “Second Master Duan, it’s our blessing that the Marquis of Honor is so wise.”
Initially, Ximen Zhanying was quite suspicious of Yang Ning. However, after Yang Ning finished speaking, her words pierced through her mind like a sharp arrow. She said in a trembling voice, “Didn’t you kill that person?”
“Little Junior Sister, as you said, the corpses that have been sucked in these past few days have their throats torn open by bare hands. That monster sucked the blood from the throat,” Qu Xiaocang said solemnly, “To be able to tear the neck with his bare hands, the murderer’s martial arts are very powerful. Tonight, it was fortunate for you to encounter Marquis. If you meet the murderer, I’m afraid the two of you won’t be able to return alive.”
Ximen Zhanying was stunned for a moment. She glanced at Yang Ning and saw that he was leisurely sipping tea. She lowered her head, but the corners of her eyes were already slightly red.
“Pojun Captain, since you are one of the seven Big Dipper stars in the Mansion of the Divine Marquis, you should know that you bear a great responsibility. Things like what happened tonight, in good words, you are inexperienced. In bad words, you are stupid,” Yang Ning said bluntly, “I advise you not to go out as far as possible before you have learned your skills, so as not to embarrass the Mansion of the Divine Marquis.” He stood up and said, “Get up first.”
Yan Lingxian and Hou Junwu were both kneeling on one knee for a long time. After hearing Yang Ning’s words, they stood up. Yan Lingxian lowered his head, looking very depressed and annoyed. He did not dare to look up at Yang Ning again.
“I won’t make things difficult for you either,” Yang Ning replied, “The two of you made a mistake tonight. I don’t care what the Mansion of the Divine Marquis will do to punish you, but now you have to apologize to me. I’ll forgive you.”
Qu Xiaocang immediately said, “Marquis is magnanimous.” Then he said in a low voice, “You apologize to the Marquis now.”
Yan Lingxian hesitated for a moment before he finally braced himself and said, “Marquis, I am incompetent and rude. I hope you will forgive me.”
“You don’t need to be eager for success.” Yang Ning smiled, “Since the Divine Marquis had asked you to join the seven Big Dipper stars, you must have some outstanding points. If you learn from your senior brothers, you’ll be able to make contributions.” He turned around and looked at Ximen Zhanying.
When Ximen Zhanying saw Yang Ning looking at her, she immediately turned around and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Yes, it’s my fault.” But she didn’t say anything more.
Yang Ning knew very well in his heart that these people were very respectful towards him because of the Mansion of the Marquis of Honor. However, the Mansion of the Divine Marquis wasn’t an ordinary place after all. He couldn’t go too far. After all, it was not a good thing to have a grudge with the Mansion of the Divine Marquis.
Duan Canghai also said, “Captain Qu, go back and tell Divine Marquis Ximen that the Mansion of the Divine Marquis is indeed going to be reorganized so as not to cause further miscarriages of justice.”
Qu Xiaocang said solemnly, “Don’t worry, Marquis and Second Master Duan. I will naturally report this matter to the Divine Marquis. Our marquis will apologize to you later.”
Yang Ning thought for a moment and then said, “I saw the murderer who killed and sucked blood tonight. When I arrived at the crime scene, I alarmed him. My guard was wounded by that man. But he didn’t stay too long, probably because he found someone approaching and fled.”
“Have you seen him before?” Qu Xiaocang said seriously. “Marquis, can you provide some more clues?”
“That person’s flying skill is so great. He walked on the wall like walking on flat ground. He must be very skilled in martial arts. When I saw him, he was sucking blood. He was wearing a black robe,” Yang Ning said solemnly, “And he was wearing a bronze mask with two horns. He’s tall and slender, and he looks like a general with troops.”
“General?” Qu Xiaocang narrowed his eyes, almost unable to see his eyes, “General wearing a bronze mask?” He nodded slightly, “Marquis, these clues are extremely important to us. We will do our best to capture the true culprit.”
Yang Ning did not stay any longer. He turned around and glanced at Ximen Zhanying. She had her back to him. From the back, she looked slim and had a very good figure.
When they left the door, they saw Chen Qi kneeling in the courtyard, still slapping himself in the face. Both sides were swollen, and blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth. When he saw Yang Ning go out, Chen Qi’s beating speed increased again.
Yang Ning laughed heartily and said, “Justice Officer Chen, you know etiquette very well. Continue to slap your mouth fifty times.” Qu Xiaocang personally sent Duan Canghai out of the Mansion of the Divine Marquis.