I Can Devour Spirits

Duan Rong said, ”It’s about Minister of the Secretariat Zhu Shizhong.”

The dark and robust civil servant nodded upon hearing this and said, ”Let me introduce myself to Lord Duan. My name is Zhu Cheng, and I’m the Temple Chief of the Ministry of Justice. This is Zhu Peng, the Imperial Secretariat Envoy of the Secretariat. Minister Zhu Shizhong’s case is precisely what we are both responsible for handling.”

Both of them have the surname Zhu! Truly a family on the battlefield!

However, this case of the Minister of the Secretariat can be said to be the biggest case under heaven.

Even if the Minister of the Ministry of Justice according to custom does not investigate specific cases, this case should be adjudicated by the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice. How could it fall to a Third Grade Temple Chief of the Ministry of Justice to be responsible?

As for that Imperial Secretariat Envoy of the Secretariat, he only has the authority to mobilize troops, clearly assisting in the investigation.

Duan Rong’s mind was racing.

Actually, letting Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng jointly investigate this case was indeed the idea of Wang Maochun, the Mansion Master of Divine Cloud Prefecture.

Everyone in the Ministry of Justice clearly agreed with this arrangement.

They all knew that the main purpose of this case was to account to the one in Changling Mountain, so no other candidates were as suitable as these two.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng have been handling this case for over ten days, and their opinion is that Minister Zhu Shizhong died from a natural disaster.

Because they had already reached this conclusion.

Upon receiving a secret letter from the ancestor to transfer Duan Rong to participate in the case investigation, Zhu Cheng was fine with it, but Zhu Peng’s heart was quite displeased. To him, it seemed the ancestor was questioning their capacity.

Zhu Cheng, being the Temple Chief of the Ministry of Justice and regularly dealing with various cases, understood clearly that the ancestor’s actions implied doubt about the nature of Zhu Shizhong’s death, indicating there must be deeper reasons, some levels of information inaccessible to those in the mortal world’s officialdom like them.

Moreover, Zhu Cheng then retrieved Duan Rong’s resume from the Ministry of Justice’s dossiers, to be honest, the resume truly amazed him.

Looking at the resume, he realized why the ancestor would send Duan Rong to join the investigation. This Duan Rong, despite being young, is indeed a genius at solving cases!

Therefore, since entering the room, Zhu Cheng has maintained a friendly attitude towards Duan Rong.

Zhu Peng, upon hearing Duan Rong was from the remote Southeast Land of Yuanyang Prefecture, saw him and acted quite rude. Not standing to greet them, Zhu Peng held a significant grudge against him.

Actually, Duan Rong is an Outer Disciple, representing the sect, patrolling across the world, without needing to salute to local officials, especially since he came with a command from the sect’s Internal History Department.

However, Duan Rong was unaware that the official customs in Divine Cloud Prefecture differed greatly from others, where it was customary for Outer Disciples to salute local officials.

Zhu Peng sat there, glancing at the plate of osmanthus cake on the side table, seeing more than half was gone, disdain clearly revealed on his face.

Just then, Duan Rong picked up another piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing while asking, ”It’s been over ten days, how is the investigation going, gentlemen?”

Because Duan Rong was speaking while eating, his words were somewhat muffled.

Zhu Peng glared at him, coldly said, ”Rustic bumpkin!”

Duan Rong paid no mind, took a sip of tea, and swallowed the osmanthus cake in his mouth.

Only in the time that passed, Duan Rong had already made a rough judgment about the pair before him.

Even though the two held official positions in the capital of Divine Cloud Prefecture, their mastery might fall short compared to the likes of Chen Xun and Shen Yanliu, fellows from humble beginnings.

Their rise to the position of Third Grade officials might largely be attributed to the privileges conferred by their bloodline.

Zhu Cheng smilingly responded, ”Not to hide from Lord Duan, I and Lord Zhu Peng did a thorough investigation, we both unanimously believe that Minister Zhu Shizhong indeed died from a natural disaster!”

”Truly a natural disaster?” said Duan Rong, ”So he was struck dead by lightning?”

Zhu Cheng nodded somewhat awkwardly, ”Indeed, it was the heavenly thunder striking the cool house that caused it!”

”Cool house?” Duan Rong blinked, asking, ”Is there any documentation?”

”There is!” Zhu Cheng said, pulling out a document from the sleeves of his official robe, handing it to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong accepted it and started perusing right away.

The documentation was quite detailed, including the autopsy report and various site drawings.

Zhu Peng watched Duan Rong speak to Zhu Cheng with a faintly superior tone, and then, before them, started flipping through the documents on his own, suddenly his anger surged, sneering and mocking, ”Acting pretentious!”

Duan Rong seemed not to hear, focused on the documentation.

Zhu Peng was even more annoyed upon seeing no reaction from Duan Rong.

Duan Rong finished the document, his eyes flashing with intense contemplation.

Duan Rong pondered a moment, scanning the two before him, and asked, ”Do you gentlemen find anything peculiar in this case?”

”Peculiar?” Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng exchanged a glance.

Duan Rong said, ”There are many dignitaries along Changle Street, why did the lightning specifically strike down the Minister of the Secretariat? Isn’t that rather coincidental?”

Zhu Cheng’s eyelids twitched slightly. At first, taking charge of this case, he had the same feeling, but after probing throughout, there really was no trace of human interference. Thus, it could only be deemed a natural disaster.

Yet Duan Rong’s next words shook Zhu Cheng intensely.

Duan Rong said, ”If the timing was a bit more sensitive, then it would be even more coincidental.”

After saying this, Duan Rong raised his gaze firmly towards Zhu Cheng.

Actually, Duan Rong truly didn’t know if the timing of the Minister’s death was coincidental, but he believed Zhu He had reasons to suspect it, and suspected the reason was possibly due to an untimely death of the Minister.

Zhu Cheng evaded Duan Rong’s gaze.

At this moment, Zhu Peng’s voice came leisurely, his expression disdainful toward Duan Rong, saying, ”Feeling peculiar? So you rely on feelings to resolve cases?”

Duan Rong faintly smiled, calmly said, ”Certainly!”

”I do rely on feeling to solve cases! And it’s a sense refined over time.”

Zhu Peng seemed unable to comprehend Duan Rong’s words at all.

But Zhu Cheng was slightly stunned, appearing to have some slight realization, and murmured, ”Refined sense over time?”

Duan Rong looked towards Zhu Cheng and continued, ”Each time my feelings deviate from the facts, I will delve into my feelings and understand why my perceptions do not match the facts. I must understand, because that’s when progress happens. If I understand why the feeling did not match the facts. My sense will be corrected in nuances, enabling a more accurate perception. Over time, this sense becomes an invincible blade!”

After hearing this, Zhu Cheng’s body suddenly felt cold. When an expert shows their hand, one can immediately tell the skill. Zhu Cheng having been at the Ministry of Justice for years and constantly handling various homicides, knew even if he didn’t entirely comprehend Duan Rong’s words, he sensed a profound understanding, far from idle nonsense.

These words were spoken by an old seasoned detective who solved numerous major cases in a television interview in Duan Rong’s past life, conveying them to the camera.

At this moment, speaking aloud was not just to shut Zhu Peng’s mouth but also to duly captivate the two.

After finishing, Duan Rong asked Zhu Cheng who seemed dazed, ”Lord Zhu, what do you think?”

Zhu Cheng came back to his senses and said, ”Lord’s words are profound and subtle, not easily grasped by ordinary people. I myself have extensively read the Ministry of Justice’s documents, some sayings from predecessors within, seems analogous to the Lord’s words, bearing a remarkable resemblance in meaning. Except the Lord’s words are clearer, more accessible, directly touching the heart.”

In the latter part of his words, Zhu Cheng’s tone grew increasingly reverent towards Duan Rong.

Zhu Peng was greatly amazed beside him, knowing Zhu Cheng’s character well, this fellow would never flatter someone insincerely, and his sincere admiration for Duan Rong suggested that Duan Rong’s previous statement was far from nonsense.

”Does this young fellow truly have ability?”

For the first time, Zhu Peng’s perspective on Duan Rong began to waver. He further considered the ancestor surely wouldn’t inexplicably transfer a rustic lad from Southeast Land to Divine Cloud Prefecture.

Zhu Peng sat straighter, reappraising Duan Rong’s rather unimpressive face with newfound awe.