Chapter 166: To Arrest or Not to Arrest

Upon hearing the name “Zheng Er” among the salt smugglers, Captain Zhao’s face darkened with a hint of melancholy.

At present, the mess in Shanyan County was not something the local government could handle alone.

The bandits holed up outside the county, especially the horse thieves, were effectively “co-governing” this piece of land along with the county government!

The leader of these horse thieves, nicknamed “Zheng Wuwei,”¹ was the older brother of this Zheng Er!

This man was treacherous and ruthless, with a sharp mind, and when he set his plans into motion, he left no room for error.

If anyone angered him, they could expect the worst to happen.

Captain Zhao remembered that when the previous county magistrate first took office, he immediately captured two of Zheng Wuwei’s trusted subordinates and threw them into the prison!

As a result, Zheng Wuwei gathered his band of horse thieves and recklessly looted silver and women from nearby villages and towns!

Afterward, he humiliated and killed the women they had captured and had their bodies thrown in front of the county office!

This went on for three consecutive days, and under the pressure of public outrage and the fear of the horse thieves’ tyranny, the county officials had no choice but to personally visit the prison to “invite” Zheng Wuwei’s two subordinates out.

Captain Zhao had witnessed this scene with his own eyes!

The county magistrate, a dignified official, had to bow low and serve tea to the bandits, pleading for the release of those two thieves from prison!

After this incident, no county magistrate managed to hold onto their position for more than a year or two after confronting the horse thieves.

In the twenty years that Captain Zhao had served as head of the constables, county officials came and went, but the constable chief remained like iron while the county magistrates were like flowing water.

Not a single county magistrate who had gone against the horse thieves managed to stay in office for over two years!

Currently, Magistrate Lu had been in office for one year and eleven months.

If Captain Zhao dared to arrest Zheng Er today, it was highly likely that this Magistrate Lu would flee within half a month…

And Captain Zhao himself might have to face the fiercest retaliation from Zheng Wuwei!

But right now, the mysterious Mr. Gu, who had been hanging over their heads like a “blade suspended in the air,” was practically delivering these “bandits” right to Captain Zhao’s hands. If Captain Zhao didn’t act now, when the Imperial Preceptor arrived, he might not escape unscathed…

“Captain Zhao, maybe we should just forget about it… We know for sure who Zheng Er is, but Mr. Gu’s identity is still just your guess…”

When one constable spoke up, the others quickly joined in with their advice.

“Yeah, Zheng Wuwei is a madman! If you arrest his brother, he’ll probably tear down Shanyan County!”

“Exactly! We’re all family men here. He doesn’t care about harming anyone’s family. He’ll definitely make a move against our loved ones just to get back at us…”

“My kid was just born! Captain Zhao, if you’re going for it, can I sit this one out?”

Already irritated by the constant objections, Captain Zhao muttered under his breath, “Shut up, you’re constables, why are you scared of bandits?”

“How can an old cat be afraid of a mouse? Aren’t you ashamed?”

At these words, the alley fell into a deep silence…

After a long pause, Captain Zhao finally spoke, “To avoid drawing attention, we have to wait for them to leave the gambling house before making the arrest… During this time, I’ll think carefully about whether or not we should act…”

…

An old, long-forgotten well lay beneath the heavy snow, with only the dark mouth of the well exposed above the snow.

The well’s depth was unknown, and as snowflakes fell into it, they disappeared into the darkness, uncertain whether they had melted or simply vanished into the blackness.

Gu Ning’an stood by the well, staring at the opening, lost in thought.

Before long, urgent conversation echoed from the street corner.

“Where did he run off to?”

“I don’t know! He disappeared in the blink of an eye!”

“Should we go back and report to the master?”

“Let’s hold off for now! If you speak up, you’ll definitely be punished!”

Following the sound, two men in dark red official robes, tall and imposing with stern faces, walked side by side.

As they quickly approached the dry well, they naturally spotted Gu Ning’an.

One of them gave Gu Ning’an a once-over and chuckled, “This gentleman is quite interesting, standing out here in the snow on such a cold night… Could he be thinking of jumping into the well to end it all?”

“You’re not wrong, that’s certainly a possibility!” The other nodded. “Why don’t you wait here? We don’t want another one slipping away, or we might really face a severe punishment!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning’an smiled and replied, “Gentlemen, there’s no need to stay here and watch me… I won’t be committing suicide.”

Whoosh! The two imposing figures immediately turned into black mist, swirling around for a moment before reforming into human shapes.

At this moment, each of them gripped a soul-catching lock!

“Are you a practitioner?” one of them asked.

Gu Ning’an smiled, “Indeed, gentlemen, there’s no need to be so anxious. I’m just here for a brief stop.”

Seeing that Gu Ning’an lacked any demonic or monstrous aura and exuded an extraordinary air, the two night patrollers awkwardly put away their soul-catching locks and cupped their hands toward him.

“Sir, we apologize for our earlier words. Please don’t take offense… We couldn’t see through you, so we thought you were an ordinary person.”

“It’s no trouble…” Gu Ning’an waved his hand. “The wandering soul you’re looking for is in this well.”

“What!” The night patroller raised his hand to rub his eyes, and immediately, a spiritual light appeared in his gaze.

He stared intently for a while before speaking, “It really is here!”

“Thank you, sir!” The two night patrollers thanked him in unison and then picked up their soul-catching locks, preparing to capture the wandering soul.

Whoosh!

A loud burst echoed from the well, and a dark shadow shot out instantly!

Gu Ning’an raised his hand and calmly said, “Stop!”

The shadow was frozen in mid-air, taking on a human form. It was the soul of the one named A’Yong, the stone broker!

“Sir! Why did you expose me!” A hoarse, sharp voice cried out.

The stone broker never imagined that the person his dream had guided Mao Cuicui to find would be a practitioner.

In fact, this person’s spiritual power was so powerful that even the underworld messengers couldn’t see through him!

“Thank you for your help, sir!” The night patroller cupped his hands toward Gu Ning’an and then turned to the soul of the stone broker, scolding, “When a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. You die and don’t come back with us, yet you dare to escape! Just wait until we return and you’ll get your punishment!”

Just as the night patroller was about to take action, Gu Ning’an raised his hand to stop him. “Gentlemen, this person’s worldly karma is not yet resolved. If I hadn’t pointed it out, you wouldn’t have been able to find him…”

“Why not let him finish his unfinished business on earth, and then he can return with you?”

Worldly karma not yet resolved?

The two night patrollers exchanged a glance. They had never heard such a thing.

Their mission was to bring wandering souls back.

Now, this sudden appearance of a “green robe” gentleman had helped them find the hidden soul, yet now he suggested letting it go, which left them unsure of how to respond.

If they stopped him, they felt they couldn’t win against this gentleman, especially since they still couldn’t see through his spiritual power. They hadn’t felt a single ripple of spiritual energy when stone broker’s soul was “stopped!”

But if they let him go, that would violate the rules…