Building a Martial Dao Celestial Family by Laying Low

Sang Tian.

Just as Wu Mou’s palm—imbued with True Intent and powerful enough to shatter stone tablets—was about to touch Chen Shouheng’s collar.

A hand suddenly shot out from the side.

It appeared without any warning, as if it had always been there.

In the nick of time, it landed on the back of Chen Shouheng’s robes, right over his heart.

The next moment, Chen Shouheng felt an irresistible but gentle force. He was lifted as if soaring through clouds and mist, floating backward several dozen feet to narrowly escape the fatal blow.

Wu Mou’s strike, which he was certain would land, hit nothing but air.

His Palm Force poured out, flattening the mulberry grove. A Palm Seal several inches deep was pressed into the ground where they had stood, pulverizing the dirt and gravel.

"Hm?"

The smile on Wu Mou’s face froze instantly, replaced by a trace of shocked suspicion.

With that palm strike, not even a Grandmaster of the same level could have rescued someone so nonchalantly from his aura’s lock.

He withdrew his palm and retreated, his gaze shooting like lightning toward the person behind Chen Shouheng.

Under the moonlight, a slightly plump figure in plain gray clothes had appeared silently beside Chen Shouheng at some unknown moment.

One hand rested casually on Chen Shouheng’s shoulder, helping him dissipate the residual Palm Strength that had invaded his body and stabilize his qi and blood.

The newcomer was none other than Chen Li.

Nearby, Sixth Brother’s and Wu Shang’s pupils constricted, their faces growing grave and vigilant.

They knew Wu Mou’s strength all too well. He was at the Peak of Void Transformation and had comprehended True Intent, making him one of the absolute top existences within the Void Transformation Pass.

Since he had struck first, even an ordinary Grandmaster who had just entered Void Transformation would have been severely injured.

Yet this person before them had managed to react later but arrive first, silently and effortlessly rescuing the target. His strength was... unfathomable!

Sixth Brother stared at Chen Li, trying to see through him.

But to his alarm, even with his powerful Divine Sense from the Divine Intent Pass, he couldn’t detect the slightest flow of a martial artist’s aura on the man.

’Either his Cultivation is far higher than mine,’

’or he possesses an extremely profound Concealing Breath Secret Technique.’

’But either way, for him to so easily save someone from Wu Mou’s palm, his strength is definitely no less than Wu Mou’s, and possibly... not even weaker than my own!’

Sixth Brother narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Chen Li’s face in the cool moonlight. Seeing he bore a strong resemblance to Chen Shouheng, he spoke with a probing and confirmatory tone, "You must be the Patriarch of the Lingxi Chen Family, Chen Li?"

Chen Li shifted his gaze from Wu Mou to the leader, Sixth Brother. "I am. And who might you be? What brings you to this humble countryside in the dead of night to seek me out?"

Wu Mou had suppressed his shock by now, his face instantly plastering on that habitual, seemingly friendly smile. He chuckled. "Patriarch Chen, please don’t be alarmed. My hand slipped just now, and I nearly injured your son. My apologies, my apologies. We are from the Garrison Command in Kyoto, here under orders to investigate a case. We’ve come to your esteemed residence to ask you a few questions."

"The Garrison Command?"

Chen Li gave a faint, unreadable smile. "You say you are, but do you have any proof?"

Wu Mou glanced at Sixth Brother out of the corner of his eye. Seeing an almost imperceptible nod, he grinned and pulled a Token from his robes.

With a flick of his wrist, the Token shot out with a sharp WHOOSH, flying toward Chen Li’s face like a Hidden Weapon.

Chen Li neither dodged nor flinched, simply raising a hand to casually catch it.

The Token was palm-sized, cast from gilded copper, and it glinted coldly in the moonlight.

The front was engraved with the totem of a ferocious xiezhi, while the back bore the words "Garrison Patrol" in seal script.

He glanced down at it, his expression unchanged, and said flatly, "Just a waist-token. If I wanted to forge something like this, I could find a decent blacksmith tomorrow and have ten or so of them made in half a day."

With that, he flicked his wrist, and the Token shot back even faster.

Wu Mou reached out and caught it.

Sixth Brother stared coldly at Chen Li. "You’ve got some nerve, daring to question a token from the Garrison Command."

Chen Li smiled calmly. "You exaggerate, my lord. If a true Official were to grace us with his presence, how could a humble person like myself dare to be disrespectful? It’s just that my Chen Family is a small one, and in recent years, we’ve had scoundrels impersonating officials to extort us. We’ve been cheated out of quite a bit of silver coins and have learned to be cautious. I hope you can forgive my prudence."

Sixth Brother couldn’t be bothered to argue further and said impatiently, "If you don’t believe us, you can ask your son."

Chen Li chuckled. "My son is young and inexperienced, and his memory can be unreliable. It’s possible he was nervous and misremembered or saw things incorrectly."

Seeing that Sixth Brother had fallen silent, Wu Mou chimed in, "Then in your opinion, Patriarch Chen, what will it take to convince you of our identities?"

Chen Li laughed lightly. "It’s quite simple. This humble person would just like to ask you gentlemen a few questions."

"Ask."

The smile on Wu Mou’s face faded slightly.

Chen Li smiled. "When the Magistrate of our Jingshan County goes out, he’s accompanied by dozens, sometimes hundreds, of government constables and Soldiers. The three of you claim to be from the Garrison Command, which should be quite prestigious. You ought to have a large entourage. Why didn’t you notify the local Government Office and bring Officials from the Commandery and County Magistrate’s Offices with you?"

At these words, the three of them were taken aback, their faces simultaneously showing expressions of astonishment and contempt.

Wu Mou sneered, "The Garrison Command doesn’t travel with useless baggage."

Chen Li’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So, you’re saying you didn’t notify the Jiangkou County Magistrate’s Office, or even the Liyang Commandery Magistrate’s Office, of your arrival?"

Wu Shang said coldly, "When has the Garrison Command ever needed to report to a local Government Office to conduct an investigation? They are not qualified to know."

Chen Li nodded thoughtfully. "Then why didn’t you gentlemen invite your superiors or colleagues to come along? After all, there’s safety in numbers."

Sixth Brother said, "The three of us are more than enough to visit your Chen Family. What, does Patriarch Chen think we don’t carry enough weight?"

"I wouldn’t dare."

Chen Li waved his hand with a regretful tone. "Some time ago, this humble person happened upon a rare variety of camellia tea with a rather unique flavor. I was hoping that if more of you gentlemen had come, I could have invited you all to taste and critique it. It seems a pity now."

Seeing Chen Li beating around the bush, Sixth Brother’s face darkened. He couldn’t be bothered to dally any longer and cut him off directly, "Are you done with your questions? If you are, now it’s our turn."

Chen Li nodded slightly. "Then this humble person will ask no more. Please, my lord, go ahead."

Wu Mou spoke first, asking with a grin, "Patriarch Chen, do you happen to know Liu Siye of the Liyang County Criminal Justice Inspection Department?"

Chen Li nodded frankly. "I have heard his name."

"Good that you know."

Wu Mou’s eyes narrowed, his smile widening, but it carried a probing edge. "Then let me ask you, Patriarch Chen, how did this Liu Siye die?"

Chen Li’s expression remained unchanged. "It is said he was killed by a woman while on official business in Jiangkou County."

"’It is said’?"

Wu Mou gave that unreadable smile again. "Is it possible, Patriarch Chen, that you don’t know that woman?"

Chen Li met his gaze and said, "I do not."

Wu Mou shook his head. "Patriarch Chen, you’re not telling the truth."

Chen Li let out a soft laugh. "Every word I’ve spoken is the truth. On the other hand, my lord... you don’t seem to understand how to ask questions, much less how to conduct an investigation."

"I don’t understand how to ask questions? I don’t know how to investigate?"

The smile on Wu Mou’s face froze instantly, then contorted into a laugh of pure rage.

He had been steeped in the Garrison Command for years, handling countless major and open-and-shut cases. He was a master of interrogation, torture, and meticulous deduction. And now, some country landlord was questioning his investigative skills to his face?

This was the most absurd joke in the world!

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes. With suppressed fury, he said ominously, "Very well! In that case, I am all ears. Please, Patriarch Chen, teach me how to ask questions and how to conduct an investigation."

Facing Wu Mou’s barely contained rage, Chen Li simply waved his hand. "You exaggerate, my lord. I’m just a commoner from the countryside. How would I dare teach an expert his own trade?"

Then he changed the subject, refusing to get bogged down. "However, I am rather curious. The three of you arrive in the dead of night, making such a show of force. Surely it wasn’t just to ask a few irrelevant, trivial questions?"

Wu Mou was choked by his words and was about to press for more details, but Sixth Brother raised a hand to stop him.

Sixth Brother stared intently at Chen Li and asked bluntly, "What is your relationship with He Mingyun, the Governor of Liyang?"

Chen Li shook his head. "Lord He is the Governor, and I am but a country villager. How could I possibly know such a great personage?"

Sixth Brother sneered. "According to our information, He Mingyun was provoking and suppressing your Chen Family and the Zhou Family at every turn, trying to drive you to your doom. Don’t tell me you knew nothing about this."

Chen Li sighed helplessly. "Then you should be asking Lord He, my lord, not me. I truly don’t know."

Sixth Brother stared fixedly at Chen Li and pressed on, "Fine. Let me ask you this: when He Mingyun died, where were you? And what were you doing?"

This question was laced with killing intent.

If Chen Li’s answer had the slightest flaw—for instance, if he said he was sleeping at home or eating a meal—they could immediately retort by asking how he knew He Mingyun had died at that specific time, thus confirming his connection to the Governor’s death.

But Chen Li didn’t fall for it. Instead, he asked, "If I may ask, my lord, when exactly did Lord He pass away? I only heard the rumors later. Being in the countryside, news travels slow, so I’m not clear on the specifics."

Sixth Brother asked a few more questions, but it was like punching cotton—Chen Li deflected them all in various ways, leaving no opening to exploit.

He stared at Chen Li, who remained perfectly composed and answered fluently. The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

’This man’s mental fortitude and shrewd responses are far beyond my expectations.’

After a moment of silence, the vicious look in his eyes vanished, and his tone surprisingly softened. "We came here today under imperial decree to investigate the sudden death of Liyang’s Governor, He Mingyun, and to routinely question relevant individuals. Since Patriarch Chen is unaware of the details, this questioning will end here. Farewell!"

With that, he prepared to leave.

"Sixth Brother?"

Wu Mou was astonished. He never would have expected Sixth Brother to suddenly decide to retreat when their probing had just begun.

This was completely out of character for him.

Sixth Brother shot Wu Mou a glare, and the words on the tip of Wu Mou’s tongue were forcefully swallowed back down. He didn’t dare say another word.

"We’re leaving!"

Sixth Brother didn’t spare Chen Li another glance.

The three figures moved in unison, like three wisps of smoke. They instantly shot several dozen feet away and, after a few leaps, vanished into the night of the Sang Tian fields.