Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector
Chapter 19 - 17: Divine Eye Constable

Chapter 19: Chapter 17: Divine Eye Constable

Dawn had just broken, but the atmosphere in the Lin Family’s main hall was extremely oppressive.

Lin Hong sat in the main seat, drinking his tea without a word.

The room was so quiet that the soft scraping of the teacup lid against its rim could be heard.

The accountant, Old Li, and a group of clerks from Fuman Cang knelt on the cold ground, their bodies trembling like leaves in an autumn wind. They didn’t even dare to raise their heads.

After some time, Lin Hong finally set down his teacup and raised his eyes to look at Old Li and the others.

"So, you’re saying the dozen or so of you just stood there and watched him kill a man, steal the grain, and then toy with you all?" Lin Hong’s voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

But Old Li and the others were frightened out of their wits, kowtowing until their foreheads thudded against the floor.

"My lord, please hear me out."

Old Li’s voice trembled as he spoke. "That man... he wasn’t a man. He was a ghost! He walked without a sound, killed without leaving a trace, and vanished into the darkness in the blink of an eye. We... we truly couldn’t do anything!"

As for the other clerks, they were trembling too much to even speak.

"A ghost?" Lin Hong sneered.

"There are no ghosts in this world! Just some bandit from the Martial World putting on a supernatural act!"

He shot to his feet and barked, "Someone! Get in here!"

"My lord." The steward hurried forward and bowed.

"Lock them all in the woodshed! No one is to come out without my command!"

"Also, go to the Six Gates. Tell them the Lin Family has a case to report and to send their best Chief Constable. I don’t care what it costs."

He paused, then added, word by word, "I want that bastard torn to pieces!"

-----------------

An hour later, the Fuman Cang grain store was tightly cordoned off by the Lin Family’s household guards and officials from the Government Office. No onlookers were allowed to approach.

Lin Hong was waiting personally at the entrance. When he saw two figures approaching in the distance, the tension on his face finally eased slightly.

The man in the lead was an elder past the age of sixty. He was slender, dressed in a worn, long robe of blue cloth, and his goatee was meticulously groomed. His eyes, however, were extraordinary. With every blink, a sharp light seemed to flash from them, as if they could pierce right through a person’s heart.

He was Cheng Ming, a long-retired legend of the Six Gates, nicknamed "Divine Eye." His skills in tracking clues and investigating cases were uncanny.

Following him was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen. She was dressed in a simple, elegant dress, with a refined and lovely face. Her expression held a tranquility that belied her age.

She was Cheng Ming’s granddaughter, Cheng Zhiwei.

Despite her youth, she had been assisting her grandfather with cases since she was a child. Combined with her meticulous mind and keen powers of observation, she had long since become his indispensable right hand.

"Elder Chief Cheng, it’s been many years! You’re as sharp as ever," Lin Hong said, forcing a smile and clasping his hands in greeting.

Although Cheng Ming was only a Chief Constable, his reputation in criminal investigation was so great that even the Minister of the Ministry of Justice showed him deference. Naturally, Lin Hong didn’t dare to slight him.

"You’re too kind, Patriarch Lin." Cheng Ming gave a slight nod, his eyes already scanning the surroundings of the grain store.

"I heard your grain store was victimized by a thief, so I came to lend what little assistance I can."

"I appreciate you coming, Elder Chief Cheng." Lin Hong stepped aside. "This way, please."

Cheng Ming didn’t stand on ceremony, leading Cheng Zhiwei into Fuman Cang. Lin Hong followed close behind, dismissing the onlookers and leaving only a few of his most trusted men.

The scene inside the grain store had been preserved. Wang Shun’s body lay on the floor, over a patch of long-dried blood.

The grandfather and granddaughter didn’t rush to examine the body. Instead, they first walked a full circle around the grain store’s back courtyard.

From time to time, Cheng Ming would stop, squatting down to carefully inspect the ground or leaping onto the courtyard wall to survey the surrounding rooftops and alleyways.

Cheng Zhiwei, holding paper and a brush pen, followed quietly behind her grandfather, noting down his findings. Occasionally, she would whisper her own questions or observations.

Lin Hong stood to one side, watching the pair examine the scene at their own pace. He was growing anxious but didn’t dare to rush them, so he could only wait with forced patience.

After a full hour, Cheng Ming finally finished his examination of the scene and the body. He rose and said to Lin Hong, "Patriarch Lin, please bring me everyone who was here last night."

Lin Hong immediately ordered his men to drag Old Li and the clerks out from the woodshed.

The interrogation took place in the courtyard.

Cheng Ming sat at the same table where Wang Shun had been drinking. Cheng Zhiwei spread out her paper and brush, standing in attendance by his side.

"Tell me everything that happened last night, from beginning to end. Don’t leave out a single detail." Cheng Ming’s voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Trembling, Old Li recounted the events of the previous night once more.

He spared no detail, from Wang Shun’s initial alarm to the masked man’s sudden appearance and the subsequent distribution of the grain.

Cheng Ming listened intently, interrupting from time to time to press for specifics. Beside him, Cheng Zhiwei’s brush flew across the paper. She would occasionally interject with a question or two herself, guiding Old Li’s recollection.

When Old Li described how the masked man had seemingly melted into the darkness and vanished into thin air, a strange glint appeared in the eyes of both Cheng Ming and Cheng Zhiwei.

"You said he melted into the darkness?" Cheng Zhiwei’s brow furrowed slightly as she pressed on. "How exactly did he disappear? Can you describe it?"

"He just... he just took a step back, and WHOOSH, he was gone!" Old Li gestured, his face a mask of residual fear.

Cheng Ming exchanged a look with his granddaughter, then waved his hand. An official led Old Li and the other clerks away.

"Elder Cheng, any leads? Who is this thief?" Lin Hong asked impatiently.

Cheng Ming shook his head. He picked up a cup of long-cold tea from the table and took a sip.

"No leads yet, but one thing is certain: this person is incredibly skilled. His Stealth techniques, in particular, are among the best in the world. Even across the entire Martial World, Flying Thieves with this level of ability are few and far between."

Cheng Zhiwei nodded in agreement. "That’s right. There were twelve clerks patrolling the courtyard, yet this person knocked them all out from behind in a single move. His methods were swift and clean. Not one of the twelve managed to cry out. Such a mastery of Stealth is truly unheard of."

"There’s one other thing," Cheng Ming added, looking at Lin Hong. "His Saber Technique is superb. I’ve examined Wang Shun’s body; the wound on his throat is the epitome of speed, precision, and ruthlessness. So, Patriarch Lin, have the Lin Family offended any formidable figures from the Martial World?"

Lin Hong was taken aback. He furrowed his brow and thought long and hard, but finally shook his head in confusion. "To be honest with you, Elder Chief Cheng, while the Lin Family has some properties in the Capital City, we have always kept our distance from Martial World People. We mind our business, and they mind theirs. I truly cannot recall ever offending such a figure."

Seeing that Lin Hong’s expression didn’t seem feigned, Cheng Ming grew even more puzzled.

’This thief’s methods are bizarre,’ he thought. ’He infiltrates a grain store and kills the Shopkeeper, but doesn’t take a single coin. Instead, he gives away all the valuable grain. This is clearly not a robbery; it’s an act of revenge. But if it is revenge, the Lin Family doesn’t seem to have any such enemies.’