Chương 9: The Lucky Funeral

"Huh, what? You came to arrest me. I mean, arrest Zhu Youchang?" Fang Cheng was dumbfounded." If you're Zhu Youchang's accomplice, why would you arrest him?" Han Bingxuan was equally confused. Since when was he an accomplice?

"Zhu Youchang, stop playing dumb!" Han Bingxuan raised his spear, ready to take Fang Cheng down.

"What is there to play dumb about? I'm not Zhu Youchang." Fang Cheng spread his hands. Something felt wrong. Or maybe it wasn't.

"Excellent! I get it. You're striking first and blaming the victim. You killed White Flower City's City God, and now you want to silence me?" Fang Cheng sneered, then turned to Li Sanshui.

"Magistrate Li, today you must bear witness for me, Fang Cheng. This officer is trying to kill me. I'm defending myself." Li Sanshui was about to cry. They'd been talking just fine a moment ago. Why were they suddenly fighting? And weren't you Zhu Youchang? Now you're Fang Cheng?

"Fang Cheng?" Han Bingxuan's eyes narrowed. He finally remembered why this face was familiar. This was the demon cultivator reported to the Underworld Bureau by the Great Sheng court.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Technically, Fang Cheng should be at his assigned village, waiting for an Underworld Officer to come question him.

"I'm here because I have a heart for justice." Fang Cheng puffed out his chest. The demon sword appeared in his hand. For some reason, it had restrained its demonic nature, leaving only sharpness and cold. Perhaps too afraid to act out before the Everlasting Emperor's statue.

"Whoever you are, you killed White Flower City's City God. Your crimes are unforgivable. Accept the judgment of justice!" Fang Cheng still didn't know the officer's name, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he couldn't let any villain escape, nor could he wrongly kill an innocent person. So please, just confess already.

"My name is Han Bingxuan. You're mistaken. I didn't kill City God Zhang Ruilin." Han Bingxuan put away his spear. He'd channeled Divine Energy for a scan and found no trace of demonic influence on Fang Cheng, though his blood aura was thick. That was common. Many Underworld Officers had even denser blood auras. As long as there was no black demonic energy, it didn't mean one had fallen. And after their brief exchange, he felt Fang Cheng's thinking was unconventional, perhaps even stubbornly righteous.

Such people rarely fell to demonic cultivation. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"You're still lying, Han Bingxuan. Didn't you hear the people? Their City God wouldn't kill himself!" Fang Cheng refused to let go. He was determined to have his meal. Han Bingxuan sighed helplessly. He knew explanations were futile. He hadn't believed Zhang Ruilin's suicide at first either.

"Lord Zhang's body hasn't been encoffined yet. Follow me to the back courtyard. You'll see for yourself." Han Bingxuan led the way. Fang Cheng dragged the reluctant Li Sanshui along. The three passed behind the Everlasting Emperor's statue and emerged into the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard stood a bed covered with red cloth. A festive, joyful sight. Han Bingxuan lifted the cloth, revealing the body beneath.

It was a middle-aged man, pale-faced but peaceful, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth. One might think he was merely sleeping, dreaming a pleasant dream. Fang Cheng channeled Divine Energy and examined the body. Indeed, as Han Bingxuan said, aside from the vanished spirit, the body showed no damage. Consistent with suicide.

"This is definitely Zhang Ruilin?" Fang Cheng asked Li Sanshui.

"Yes, Lord Zhu... er, I mean, Lord Fang. This person lying here is truly the City God!" Li Sanshui replied. Fang Cheng was unsatisfied.

"Could he be Zhang Ruilin's twin brother? The real Zhang Ruilin was killed by someone, and his body was hidden away."

"My lord, how would I know? I've only met the City God. I have no idea how many brothers he has!" Li Sanshui was already weeping. He knew this "someone" meant Han Bingxuan. He was just a mortal official. He didn't want to be caught between two great cultivators. He didn't care if the City God had killed himself. He wanted to go home, pretend to be sick, and hide.

"That's impossible," Han Bingxuan said.

"The Hall of Eternal Life's records show Zhang Ruilin had no brothers, let alone a twin. If you don't believe me, we can go to the Hall together and verify."

"Fine." Fang Cheng sighed, then raised another possibility.

"Zhang Ruilin didn't want to die. But you, Han Bingxuan, blackmailed him somehow, forcing him to kill himself." Han Bingxuan laughed at that. He was now certain Fang Cheng's thought process was unusual. But his intentions were good. Rare for a cultivator.

"I've been in White Flower City for days, but Zhang Ruilin kept avoiding me. I only saw his body this morning. When would I have had time to blackmail him?"

"You say he was avoiding you. White Flower City is tiny. Where could he hide? And you're an Underworld Officer. Would a mere City God dare avoid you?"Fang Cheng caught the loophole, his lips curling upward. The killer had finally slipped up. Han Bingxuan shook his head with a wry smile.

"The Violet Star Emperor once said: doubt without evidence is not guilt. Your suspicions lack evidence. You can't prove I forced Zhang Ruilin to commit suicide. Likewise, if I were to call you a demon, I would need to list your crimes..."

"Stop right there. I'm not a demon. You have to say I'm a good person." Fang Cheng's expression was deadly serious, as if stating an unshakable truth. Han Bingxuan laughed. Fang Cheng wasn't stupid. He was almost endearingly naive.

"Fang, I know you're a good person. A demon wouldn't obsess over whether a random City God killed himself. But put yourself in my shoes. If someone falsely accused you, how would you defend yourself?"

"Hmm..." Fang Cheng fell silent. Han Bingxuan's words made sense, especially the part about being a good person. But his demon sword's sixth sense insisted Zhang Ruilin's death was suspicious. It couldn't be suicide. Absolutely not. Zhang Ruilin's death was definitely suspicious! He stopped focusing on Han Bingxuan and turned back to the body on the bed, searching for clues. Only then did he notice the red cloth covering it. Like a bride's red veil. He frowned.

"Dead people should be covered in white. Why red?" Han Bingxuan answered, "Zhang Ruilin's wife said he requested it before he died. He wanted to go out festively, red and lively. He didn't want the whole city mourning him."

"Oh, a lucky funeral." Fang Cheng nodded. He knew the custom, but it was usually for elders who died of old age. It didn't suit Zhang Ruilin. Just then, a strong young man entered through the back door, carrying a large red coffin on his shoulder. The crimson paint looked soaked in blood. Everyone's attention turned to it. Fang Cheng noticed something unusual. The coffin's four corners were carved with blooming red flowers, resembling crabapple pears.

The petals bore red veins, tangled like blood-soaked earthworms crawling across the coffin's surface. Fang Cheng frowned. This lucky funeral was a bit too red for his liking.