Yang Xiaojing was stunned. After reacting, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice was tinged with sobs. "Why, Magistrate Luo? You've already accepted the cases of other missing people before. Why won't you accept my report?"
Magistrate Luo looked at Yang Xiaojing and said discontentedly, "Those previous missing - person cases were just the work of vengeful spirits. As long as we can invite a mage from the divine cult to exorcise the vengeful spirits, we can find those missing men. So, as long as you can invite the mage, there'll be no problem. That's that. I'm going back to rest."
Watching the fat Magistrate Luo getting up and about to leave, Wei Shuxuan angrily shouted, "Hey, you useless magistrate, stop right there!"
"Who is it! How dare you speak to me in such a disrespectful way!" Magistrate Luo, who was stopped by Wei Shuxuan, was extremely angry upon hearing her words. He turned around and stared at Wei Shuxuan, who had spoken rudely to him.
Wei Shuxuan wasn't afraid of him at all. She stood in front of Magistrate Luo with her hands on her hips. "So what if it's me! If you dare to do anything disrespectful to me, I'll surely make you pay!"
"Humph, just a little girl like you!" Magistrate Luo didn't take Wei Shuxuan's threat seriously.
"You useless magistrate! You just can't solve cases, so you shift all the blame onto vengeful spirits. If there really are vengeful spirits in this world, they must feel extremely wronged. Can't you send someone to the crime scene to investigate properly? What's the use of having a useless magistrate like you in the Yu Long Kingdom?"
"Bold! How dare you speak such heretical words to an official of the court! Guards, drag this sharp - tongued girl out and give her fifty strokes of the cane!" Magistrate Luo was almost driven mad by Wei Shuxuan. He stammered as he called the soldiers beside him to arrest and punish Wei Shuxuan.
"Who dares to touch her! You'll be going against me!" Just as the soldiers were about to arrest Wei Shuxuan, Ge Zian stepped forward. His imposing manner immediately intimidated those weak soldiers. They stopped in their tracks and looked at Ge Zian but didn't dare to step forward.
"Hey, why are you all standing still! Didn't you hear me telling you to arrest that hateful girl? What are you afraid of! We're officials!" Magistrate Luo's words gave those weak soldiers a lot of confidence. They started to approach Ge Zian again, preparing to attack him.
Ge Zian just gave them a cold glance, and those officers didn't dare to come closer. "Are you guys sure you want to take action against us? I know you're officials, but we never said we weren't."
Since Magistrate Luo claimed they were officials, Ge Zian naturally had to claim the same. Now it was a matter of seeing who had a higher official rank.
"Magistrate Luo, don't you even recognize me?" Ge Zian hooked the corner of his lips, looking a bit evil. Wei Shuxuan watched from the side and thought that if Xuan Ruoling saw this, she would surely fall head - over - heels for him.
When Xin Zizhao had just ascended the throne, Ge Zian and this Magistrate Luo had met in the square in front of the imperial palace. Magistrate Luo had even greeted him obsequiously. Unexpectedly, just a few months later, this useless magistrate had become so complacent that he had forgotten Ge Zian's identity.
"And this old man!" An old but powerful voice came from behind. Then, Magistrate Luo saw an old man with a hale and hearty appearance and a resolute face walking out from behind. "Don't you even recognize this old man? You ungrateful trash!"
As people living on the border of the Yu Long Kingdom, how could they not recognize this great benefactor who had saved them from countless disasters?
"It's General Long An! Let's quickly pay our respects to General Long An!" The magistrate's clerk beside Magistrate Luo immediately recognized Ge Long'an's identity.
After being reminded by the clerk, the soldiers also hurriedly saluted Ge Long'an. Ge Long'an waved his hand casually. "Forget it. And quickly apologize to my son and daughter!"
Ge Long'an was one of the great benefactors of the people on the border, so he was respected as an honored guest here. As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers apologized to Ge Zian and Wei Shuxuan.
"And you! Magistrate Luo! As a local official, you don't even know how to solve problems for the common people. What kind of local official are you! Outrageous!" Ge Long'an was very angry. Xin Zizhao, who was standing beside him, was also dissatisfied. How could there be such a local official under his nose? No wonder they couldn't find the real culprit in those missing - person cases.
Magistrate Luo wasn't from the border. He was an official sent from the capital to the border. He knew that Ge Long'an was no longer a general and was just an ordinary person now. He shouted loudly, "He's just an ordinary person with no official rank. Why should I bow to such a person!"
"Zian."
Xin Zizhao, who had been standing silently on the side, called Ge Zian. Ge Zian immediately understood what Xin Zizhao meant, and Ge Long'an also understood. Ge Zian took out the token he carried with him and said to Magistrate Luo, "Although my father is no longer a general, I am, and I'm a first - rank official. My official rank is surely higher than your seventh - rank magistrate. So I'm qualified to teach you a lesson. Am I right?"
Magistrate Luo never expected that this man was a general and had a much higher official rank than him. He immediately went up to Ge Zian in person and admitted his mistake. "I'm really sorry, General Ge. I was blind and didn't recognize your eminence. Please forgive me, General Ge."
At this time, Magistrate Luo noticed the young man standing behind Ge Zian. He had a cold and handsome appearance and an air of nobility that couldn't be underestimated. But Ge Zian didn't introduce this young man to them, so it seemed that this man's identity was even more extraordinary.
"Are you just now starting to be afraid?" Ge Zian looked at Magistrate Luo discontentedly. After getting Xin Zizhao's permission, Ge Zian sat in Magistrate Luo's seat. He slapped the gavel. "Magistrate Luo, as a general of this dynasty, I have the right to ask you to take on this missing - person case!"
"......Yes, General Ge!" Magistrate Luo was scared and had no choice but to agree to accept Yang Xiaojing's missing - person case.
"Xin Zizhao..." Wei Shuxuan walked up to Xin Zizhao and called him. Xin Zizhao nodded and looked at Ge Zian.
"Zian, ask about the previous cases."
"Yes."
Ge Zian nodded. "Magistrate Luo, hand over the records of the first missing - person case you took on to the most recent one."