Chapter 76

When Han Tuo asked him such a question, Su Peng did not panic at all in his heart.

On the way back, Su Peng had already prepared a strategy for all kinds of situations he might encounter after returning to Jiangning County.

Among them, based on the information that the Black Water Army could obtain, Su Peng had prepared several versions of his story. Although today's situation was slightly different from what he had imagined, it was not a big problem.

After organizing his thoughts, Su Peng told Han Tuo the story in detail.

Regarding the mysterious iron plaque he found in Green Mountain Village, Su Peng did not hide much and directly told the truth.

However, Su Peng omitted the details of his search for Beichou to buy information in Jiangning County. Instead, he said that he accidentally heard about Luoxia Peak while investigating martial arts figures.

As for what happened afterward, Su Peng guessed that Han Tuo could learn some information from Dr. Han and the Black Wolf Ears' subordinates. Moreover, there were over a hundred people at that gathering, and although he was disguised, Han Tuo could deduce from the information obtained from Dr. Han that the person taken away from Luoxia Peak was himself. Therefore, Su Peng did not hide this part.

However, on the key point of being recruited by Zixia Sect, Su Peng made quite a few embellishments.

"You mean you were kidnapped by a mysterious martial arts figure riding a giant eagle, and then flown all the way to Tengzhou, and then he took you to meet a mysterious person?" Han Tuo asked after listening to Su Peng's account.

"That's right. The eagle rider was incredibly powerful, and I had no chance to resist. He took me and flew for a long time. Later, I found out that the eagle had flown over a thousand miles in one night," Su Peng replied to Han Tuo.

"Then, what did he ask you or do to you when he took you to that place?" Han Tuo asked Su Peng.

"Yes, he took me to meet a person. That person had a peculiar appearance, roughly..." Su Peng described, making Master Xu Daoqi look twenty years older and Master Yun Daizi twenty years younger, creating a fictional character.

After describing this person, Su Peng continued, "The eagle rider brought me to this person, calling him 'Venerable.' Then he asked me to answer the Venerable's questions."

"The Venerable asked me two questions."

"The first question was, 'Do you know Master Yunzhi?' I answered, 'I do not know Master Yunzhi.'"

"The second question was, 'Do you know what happened ten years ago?' I answered, 'I do not know.'"

"After that, the Venerable was silent for a while, then muttered to himself, 'Master Yunzhi is dead. I had thought of taking him as a disciple, but now it seems to be in vain.' Then he said to me, 'I won't let you come here for nothing. Since you answered my two questions, I will teach you two skills.' Then he asked me what skills I had practiced. I told him I had practiced lightness and swordsmanship, so he taught me a set of sword techniques and a lightness skill. After that, he left gracefully."

"Later, I heard the eagle rider sigh and say, 'You lack the good fortune to become a disciple.' Then I felt a numbness in my body and lost consciousness. When I woke up, I found myself in a desolate area. It took me several days to reach a city, and I discovered I was in Tengzhou. After waiting for a few days for a boat, I returned to Jiangning County."

Su Peng told Han Tuo this story, which was mostly true with a bit of falsehood. Han Tuo and the Black Wolf Ears' deputy head listened very carefully. Su Peng observed their expressions and found no signs of suspicion.

"How did you meet Miss Ling Xiaoyu?" Han Tuo remembered something and asked Su Peng.

Su Peng then told the story of his encounter on Poyang Lake, omitting the real content and only mentioning the misunderstanding with Ling Xiaoyu.

After listening to Su Peng, Han Tuo was silent for a while and then laughed, saying, "You have good fortune. The Venerable you met is likely a senior in the martial arts world. It's just that you didn't seize the opportunity to become his disciple."

"Perhaps my good fortune is not enough, but getting two martial arts skills is already satisfactory," Su Peng replied, seeing that Han Tuo did not seem suspicious.

"Contentment brings happiness," Han Tuo nodded and said, then continued, "Since that's the case, you indeed didn't have time to commit the crime in Jiangning County. Do you have any leads on who might have committed the crime?"

"I suspect one person," Su Peng paused and said, "Do you remember the carpenter Cao who escaped in Green Mountain Village? I found the iron plaque in his house. On Luoxia Peak, I also saw him in disguise, and he struck me. I took his opportunity, and he might bear a grudge. He knows my name, so I think it's highly likely that he committed the crime in Jiangning County to frame me."

"There is such a possibility..." Han Tuo listened and fell into deep thought.

At this moment, a soldier and a man who looked like a steward entered.

"Didn't I say not to let you in?" Han Tuo frowned at the soldier.

"General, this is the steward from the city lord's residence, delivering a message from the lady," the soldier looked at Han Tuo with difficulty.

Han Tuo understood immediately. The soldier was afraid of offending the city lord's family and suffering in the future. He nodded and asked the steward, "What message did the lady send?"

The forty-year-old steward stepped forward and said, "The lady said that the city lord is very fair and would never let an innocent person suffer. Therefore, she asks General Han to thoroughly investigate Su Peng's case. If he is innocent, do not wrong him."

"I understand," Han Tuo nodded, but saw that the steward was still standing there and asked, "Is there anything else?"

The steward scanned the room and finally looked at Su Peng, his gaze somewhat ambiguous, "The lady also said that if you have time, ask the one called Su Peng to visit the city lord's residence. She wants to see what kind of talented person he is, as her niece has been infatuated with him after just a few days and speaks highly of him."

After hearing this, Han Tuo and the Black Wolf Ears' head exchanged complex and ambiguous looks, focusing on Su Peng.

Su Peng also felt somewhat awkward and coughed twice. He and Ling Xiaoyu had nothing, but perhaps Ling Xiaoyu was afraid he would suffer in the government office and spoke strongly, leading the city lord's lady to misunderstand.

"Alright, I've delivered the lady's message. General Han, please continue your investigation," the steward said, preparing to leave.

"Wait!" Han Tuo raised his hand, and the steward turned back, puzzled.

"Since you're here, listen as well. You can report back to the city lord, the lady, and the niece," Han Tuo said to the steward, then repeated what Su Peng had said, concluding, "Now, although various evidence suggests that the person who committed the crime in Jiangning County is not Su Peng, the matter started because of you. I will let you redeem yourself by restoring your position in the Black Water Army and giving you the right to request assistance from colleagues. You must catch the real culprit within fifteen days, or you will be held responsible!"

Su Peng felt relieved. Not only did he avoid punishment, but his authority in Jiangning County was also increased. Although there was a fifteen-day deadline, Su Peng was not too concerned because he already had some leads.

"Understood, I will do my best," Su Peng bowed and said to Han Tuo.

The steward also nodded, satisfied with the outcome, and said to Han Tuo, "That's very good. I will report this to the lady."

Han Tuo nodded and waved the steward away.

Su Peng stepped forward, and Han Tuo took out a token from his waist and threw it to Su Peng, saying, "For the next half month, use my token to investigate the case. Remember, I have high hopes for you. Don't let me down."

"Yes, General!" Su Peng feigned gratitude, thinking that Han Tuo's handling of the situation was indeed skillful. He not only showed respect to the city lord's lady and did a favor for her niece Ling Xiaoyu but also showed a favor to his new subordinate, Su Peng. If Su Peng were not a player, he might have been truly impressed by Han Tuo's charisma and considered joining his team.

"Deputy Head Xu, go and investigate who Master Yunzhi is and what happened on Luoxia Peak ten years ago," Han Tuo said to the Black Wolf Ears' deputy head, who nodded and accepted the task.

Su Peng, however, glanced at the deputy head. Han Tuo had him listen to avoid suspicion, indicating that the deputy head might be a balancing factor planted by the city lord in the Black Wolf Ears.

"Initially, I thought it was unwise for the city lord to entrust the position of general to an outsider, but now I see the intricate balance and cleverness in his decision. The city lord is indeed a formidable person," Su Peng thought.

"Su Peng, what are you still doing here? Fifteen days is not long. Go and investigate," Han Tuo said when he saw Su Peng not moving.

Su Peng nodded and left the government office. It was around 2 or 3 PM. He used Han Tuo's token to retrieve his sword and borrowed some horses, then galloped out of the city toward Green Mountain Village.

After more than an hour of riding, Su Peng arrived at Green Mountain Village. He quickly found Dr. Han.

"Su Peng, what happened these days? I heard from the merchants that a person named Su Peng has been killing rich merchants in Jiangning County," Dr. Han asked when he saw Su Peng.

"It's a long story... Dr. Han, I have an urgent matter to ask for your help," Su Peng said to Dr. Han.

"What is it?"

"Let's go to your room to talk."

...

After a while, in Dr. Han's room.

Dr. Han frowned, looking at the black palm print on Su Peng's chest and diagnosing his pulse.

After a while, he shook his head and looked at Su Peng. Su Peng, seeing that he had a conclusion, asked, "What's the situation?"

"It's a poisonous palm. I don't know how you got it. The palm force is extremely venomous, and the hands were definitely soaked in poison during cultivation. Your internal energy barely suppresses it... When did your internal energy become so powerful? Although it's not extremely strong, it is very dominant, firmly suppressing your injury. Otherwise, you would already be dead," Dr. Han stroked his beard and said to Su Peng.

"Is it that serious?" Su Peng was also surprised, knowing that the injury was unusual but not expecting it to be so severe.

"Yes... However, for now, there's no immediate danger. Your internal energy, though not highly cultivated, is strong enough to suppress the poison. I don't know how to help you, but I can prescribe some detoxifying remedies to alleviate your condition and prevent it from spreading. To completely cure it, either your internal energy must be ten times stronger to forcibly expel the poison, or you must find the person who struck you and get the antidote. Otherwise, I can't help you cure it."

Dr. Han shook his head and said to Su Peng.

Su Peng felt a bit heavy-hearted but quickly shook off the mood, saying, "If it can prevent the injury from worsening, that's better than nothing."

Dr. Han nodded, found some paper, wrote a prescription, and gave it to Su Peng, who took it and memorized it.

At the same time, Su Peng thought, "I had accumulated over 2,000 points of combat experience, enough to upgrade my martial arts by one level. I was hesitating whether to upgrade my sword technique or something else, but now it seems I can only upgrade the Melted Rock Lake Heart Method first. After all, life is the most important."

Putting away the prescription, Su Peng looked at Dr. Han and asked, "Dr. Han, do you remember if the carpenter Cao in the village had any contact with anyone in Jiangning County?"