450: Di Renjie rides on the horse

The official report was submitted. A rare natural disaster had occurred in Dingyuan County, and... well, let's call it a man-made disaster!

Although there were not many casualties—at most, quite a few commoners returning home were injured—Emperor Li Chengqian could hardly believe his eyes when reading the contents of the report.

"What is this about people falling from the sky and monsters fighting? Damn it, have these Divine-Grade experts become so arrogant that they are now causing trouble directly within the borders of my Great Tang?"

Li Chengqian held the report, slammed the table in the imperial court, and loudly scolded the officials below.

The officials below dared not even breathe loudly. Fang Xuanling, standing to the side, sighed helplessly with his arms crossed. After Li Chengqian had been silent for a few minutes, he stepped out of the ranks and petitioned: "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Holy Monk has also read this report. He has already volunteered to investigate this matter and has recommended someone to me, saying that with him there, the truth of the matter will surely be uncovered!"

"Who? Which official? Could it be the Old Prime Minister Wei Zheng, who has already retired and returned to his hometown?" Li Chengqian asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Uh... no. This person is from Bingzhou, only in his twenties, surnamed Di, given name Renjie, courtesy name Huaiying! Not long ago, the Holy Monk recommended him for the position of Assistant Judge at Dali Temple... Well, as far as I know, in the approximately half a month since he took office, he has solved twenty-eight long-standing cold cases and handled four new major cases without a single error. Although he is young, his ability is absolutely unquestionable!" Fang Xuanling said, cupping his hands.

"Oh, since he is a talent recommended by the Holy Monk, there must be a good reason for it... Well, then grant Di Renjie the authority to make decisions on the spot. Whether it concerns state or county yamen affairs, or matters involving the immortal, divine, and cultivation worlds, he may make the final decision. He is an Imperial Envoy! Issue the imperial decree immediately... As for the Holy Monk, it goes without saying. With him guiding Di Renjie, ordinary enemies will likely not dare to touch him at all!"

Li Chengqian knew that if he didn't grant some authority for many matters, it would be difficult to mobilize the personnel below, and they might not even listen to the Holy Monk.

The imperial decree, the golden tablet, and the Shangfang Sword were quickly delivered to Dali Temple, and then the Qianniu Guard who proclaimed the decree brought Di Renjie to see Tang Ku.

To Di Renjie, Tang Ku was like a mentor. If it weren't for his recommendation, how could he have leaped from being a county Sima to a fifth-rank official? Moreover, with his talent, his future prospects were limitless, and all of this had been brought to him by Tang Ku.

Therefore, as soon as they met, he performed the three kowtows and nine bows of an apprentice to Tang Ku. Tang Ku accepted this calmly and immediately took Di Renjie, riding on the back of the Brick, and flew toward Dingyuan County.

On the way, Di Renjie looked at the government documents and the contents of the report, falling into deep thought. After a long while, he said to Tang Ku: "Mentor, although I don't know much about cultivation, according to the report, the two people fighting on the street do not seem to be from our Great Tang, whether judging by their attire or their behavior..."

"Well, they don't quite look like those Extraterrestrial Demons either. The image of Extraterrestrial Demons is ninety-nine percent similar to Westerners; they look like red-haired monsters with high bridges and blue eyes..."

"But these two look like people from the Central Plains, yet their power far exceeds that of ordinary people. Half the street was destroyed because of their fight..."

"Fortunately, the County Magistrate realized the situation early and ordered the county yamen officials to evacuate the crowd in time, so there were no major casualties. And..."

"And what?" Tang Ku smiled playfully. He wanted to know what kind of intuition this famous first detective in history possessed. He wanted to see to what extent he could perform, and this would determine whether he would become a great asset to him in the future.

"And... among the two people mentioned here, the young man wearing strange white clothes seemed to be intentionally moving the battlefield outside the city. Along the way, he was choosing to fight in places with few people, sparse vegetation, or even open areas, leading the bald man step by step outside the county town... And their final decisive battle should have been on a mountain twenty miles west of the city... This is also the reason why not many people were injured in the city! With their destructive power, if they had really fought without regard for the lives of those around them, the entire Dingyuan County would likely have been reduced to ruins!" Di Renjie said.

"Hmm, good analysis!" Tang Ku couldn't help but praise. "As an ordinary person, being able to see this from the case files, your brain is indeed very useful. It was worth it for me to transfer you to Chang'an... Well, have you ever thought about participating in higher-level events? For example, learning some Cultivation Technique or Buddha Dharma? Perhaps I might need your help in the future!"

Di Renjie smiled and said: "Of course I want to, but I'm afraid I'm not qualified! Everyone wants immortality, but I know I'm not cut out for cultivation; I can't endure that kind of loneliness. Solving cases is my specialty!"

"Haha, that's fine. However, since you have come to Chang'an, you will face many matters involving the cultivation world in the future, so I will also teach you some Cultivation Technique so that you have the ability to protect yourself!"

Tang Ku did not force him, as everyone has their own aspirations, so he made his suggestion.

"That would be great!" Di Renjie smiled. "Although I know some martial arts, I cannot deal with those martial arts experts, let alone those immortals, gods, and demons!"

Tang Ku also smiled: "After this matter is over, come find me every afternoon. I will teach you from the most basic method of guiding Qi to the void, and then teach you a set of exercises for strengthening the body that will be enough for you to walk sideways in the Divine Realm!"

The two chatted for a few more sentences, and suddenly they heard the Brick roar: "Roar, I only know three sentences!"

"Oh, so we've arrived!" Tang Ku understood, flipped over, grabbed Di Renjie, and jumped down from the sky. Although they were at an altitude of a thousand meters, Di Renjie, being a mere Mortal, did not show any sign of fear; instead, he looked at the rapidly passing clouds and the surrounding scenery with curiosity.

With a flip, the two landed on the street of Dingyuan County.

The battle between the two weirdos happened three days ago, so the traces of the battle were still there. After all, with the current productivity, it was impossible to repair this level of damage so quickly.

Now, the commoners in the city were already used to people falling from the sky, so they only took a curious look and knew that the people who arrived were basically not to be trifled with. However, there were some busybodies who quickly reported the arrival of the two to the County Magistrate.

The County Magistrate immediately led a team to the scene where the two were investigating. Of course, misunderstandings were inevitable, but when Di Renjie took out the imperial decree and the Shangfang Sword, there were no more misunderstandings.

"Magistrate, there is one thing I would like to ask you. When the two were fighting, you should have been nearby, right? Can you tell us in detail about the situation at that time?"

The County Magistrate was surnamed Zhou and was a third-rank Jinshi graduate, two terms ahead of Di Renjie. He was also a good official who loved the people like his own children. When the battle occurred, he directed everyone to save the disaster victims without retreating a single step. Just this point alone was enough for Di Renjie to respect him.

The Zhou County Magistrate thought for a moment before telling the two everything that happened that night exactly as it occurred.