Chapter 946 - 425: Stunning Sword Skill! Rising Fame in July, Li Xian Stands Alone!

Chapter 946: Chapter 425: Stunning Sword Skill! Rising Fame in July, Li Xian Stands Alone!

Yet, Li Xian acts thoroughly, leaving no trace. Even if one wants to take measures against him, it’s hard to find any handle. Moreover, Li Xian’s momentum is strong; although he is a Lang General, he dares not act obviously for the time being.

So he can only watch helplessly; whenever others talk about Li Xian’s deeds, he can only snort coldly with displeasure, unable to do anything.

On the fourth and fifth days thereafter, Li Xian focused on Martial Arts and slightly slowed down, solving only a Tier One Task. Some dissatisfied with Li Xian emerged, saying he only picks easy tasks to solve. Now that the easy ones are gone, and his luck has run out, he has reverted to his original form.

But just as these words surfaced, on the sixth day, Li Xian solved two cases in one day. The first case was the investigation of the Pot Immortal, who was caught red-handed during his crime. The second case was solving the poisoning case at the Fragrant Wine House.

These were a Tier Four Task and a Tier Three Task respectively. When breaking the Pot Immortal case, Li Xian vented his anger, defeating an old formidable foe with his fists, severely injuring him and leaving him at death’s door before throwing him into prison. Pot Immortal, being associated with the "Blood Pool and Flesh Forest", if caught, according to Jade City law, is likely to have no chance of survival.

As a result, for a moment, he became the center of attention and fame. Even though Li Xian is prudent in his actions, this case-solving speed is by no means the limit. When it’s time to showcase his brilliance, he must reveal it appropriately.

Since Li Xian’s cases are all Tier One and Tier Two, closely tied to the livelihoods of the people, his fame spread wider. In just a few days, Tongji Square, Renhuang Square, Zhou Mountain Square, Yuanbao Square all knew of him; the Gold Appraisal Guard gave him the nickname "Li Jin Chang." In streets and alleys, during tea-time or over meals, people couldn’t help but discuss him.

If a case is handed over to him, there’s nothing to worry about. He will surely punish the evil culprits severely, and justice will be served. Li Xian’s reputation spread among the public, surpassing the old Li Jin Chang known for several years or even over a decade.

On the seventh, eighth, and ninth days, he solved one case each day, with both Tier One and Tier Two tasks among them. Whenever the neighbors saw a horse with chestnut mane galloping past, ridden by a man wearing a mask, they knew in their hearts that Li Jin Chang was on his way to solve another case.

Gradually, in the streets and alleys, people started calling him "Jun Bin Lang" because Li Xian wore a mask, obscuring his face. But as he rode through the street, with the mane of the striking horse fluttering, he appeared quite graceful. Li Xian’s long hair fluttered, and his demeanor was dashing, thus he earned the name "Jun Bin Lang."

Li Xian could not only hone his Martial Arts, but also help the people’s livelihood, and accumulate military merits, reputation, and wealth. Why not? Every day he was full of energy.

By the end of June and the beginning of July, Li Xian had solved fifteen cases — eight Tier One Tasks, four Tier Two Tasks, two Tier Three Tasks, and one Tier Four Task. Altogether he earned twenty-two red coins, one hundred and fifty-four military merit points, and seventy-eight taels of silver.

At the end of each month, the Gold Appraisal Guard has a ranking. Li Xian’s name can be listed among the top. Deng Fan, Su Kuo, and others have somewhat changed their views of him, and when meeting halfway, they would cast a few more glances at him, examining closely. There were also Tie Fu, Song Liujiang, and others who, due to their idleness, ranked lower than Li Xian, and therefore felt jealousy and displeasure, secretly mocking him. Saying that Li Xian is merely a trickster, the cases he solved lack quality, and his actions are no different from Workshop Officer and Yamen Runners, just trivial matters of public voice and nothing but a vain fame-chaser.

What Tie Fu and Song Liujiang said was agreed upon by quite a few people. Lei Chong couldn’t visibly find a chance to do anything against Li Xian, and seeing Li Xian’s growing fame and recent nickname "Jun Bin Lang" among the streets, made him even more envious and hateful.

He had been a Lang General for several years, with high status and strong strength. Working diligently, yet the people did not show appreciation by giving him a respectful title. Instead, Li Xian, just being newly appointed as Jin Chang, received commendable praise after solving a few common cases.

Immediately, he specially arranged manpower to spread rumors, claiming Li Xian was ugly beyond compare, with a large mouth, narrow eyes, a face full of crevices, a short nose, and thin eyebrows. He even commissioned street artists to concoct portraits of Li Xian’s appearance, spreading them widely around various squares.

This move, however, was indeed effective. On their routine patrols, the Yamen Runners were asked by street folks about the matter. They learned from them that the reason Li Xian wore a mask was to hide his alleged ugliness.

Lei Chong’s scheming brought tarnish to his name, yet he failed to realize he didn’t hit the target accurately. Li Xian never cared about the views of others; whether insulted or hated, he was indifferent. Although the public thought him ugly, the help he provided made them secretly respect him.

"Jun Bin Lang" and "Ugly Face" spread together, ironically adding more topics to converse about, resulting in even wider dissemination. Instead, it accelerated Li Xian’s reputation, and gradually, his name could be heard in marketplaces elsewhere.

As of the start of July, after half a month of honing, observation, Li Xian already gained a deep understanding of many cases in Jade City. His case-handling experience became more abundant. He began to take on "Tier Four Task" and "Tier Five Task."

Such tasks often required facing fierce and powerful villains, and the venues involved were blood-soaked and eerie; a slight carelessness could lead to an unexpected downfall.

On the first day of July, early in the morning, Li Xian took on a Tier Four Task. A fierce individual committed a crime using living people to cultivate an Evil Technique. He needed to investigate in Shaluo Square. Li Xian arrived at the scene, which was a room in an inn.

He saw the ground strewn with more than ten corpses. Some were Martial Artists, some were civilians, some were waiters, all died horrific deaths. Their abdomens split open, organs spilling out.

The inn was a blood-soaked hell, terribly tragic. The blood seeped through the floor, dripping into the rooms below, alarming the guests downstairs to discover the scene. Li Xian noticed several missing viscera from the deceased. He observed the surrounding scene, and with his Heavy Pupils, he noticed millimetric blood traces, which he then analyzed layer by layer.