Chapter 118: The Hidden Arts of the Martial World

Gu magic?

Lin Fei, standing beside him, was momentarily stunned.

Wasn’t all this just rumors circulating in the martial world? And there was no way to verify their truth. Why was this suddenly brought up now? It felt extremely strange—he had never seen anything like it before.

“But only people from one place use this technique, and you happen to be from Yunzhen. Do you really think that’s just a coincidence?” The examiner saw through them all at once.

The candidate dared not utter a word.

Even if he wanted to defend himself now, he probably wouldn’t get the chance. The facts were laid bare before them, and all he could do was admit it.

“I had no reason to cruelly kill Liu Sheng, and I bear him no grudge,” he explained decisively.

But such a defense was meaningless.

“Then you should explain why there are no gu insects near you. We scattered ashes around the other three candidates to attract these gu insects, yet you alone remained unaffected.”

The facts were undeniable.

There was no escape.

He finally confessed.

Indeed, out of jealousy that Lord Lu had begun to see him in a new light, he plotted to harm him so he would no longer have such a formidable rival.

As for Liu Sheng, he had fallen into the river alone. However, gu insects had been secretly implanted on him beforehand, causing him to lose clarity of mind and fall under control.

Thus, the case was resolved.

The emperor was furious over such matters.

The use of gu magic was strictly forbidden, especially when employed to undermine the fairness of the imperial examinations.

Others had to toil for half their lives to earn this chance, only for some to ruin it so easily. Were it not for Han Qing, the real culprit would have gone undiscovered.

Everyone was filled with indignation.

How could things have come to this?

Only Lin Fei was unusually elated.

He had finally saved his official post.

“You truly are my lucky star. Had it not been for you, I might have had no way out…” he said with deep gratitude.

---

“It was he who harmed others, so he would inevitably slip up. But this matter is far from over.”

What?

“But hasn’t the culprit already been caught? How could there be any follow-up?”

He truly did not understand.

He couldn’t grasp the other’s intention and felt the matter had become even more confusing.

“Do you think he could have so easily brought these things into Luojing alone? If not for someone assisting him in secret, how could it have been so simple?” Han Qing said coldly.

That was true.

From the very start, they had some doubts.

But now they were clear-headed.

“But since they have caught the culprit, and the accomplice won’t dare to come out, isn’t there nothing we can do?”

Han Qing nodded.

He reminded him to be extra cautious.

Having solved several cases in a row, some candidates had grown envious and jealous.

They had only wanted to participate in the imperial exam, but before it even began, they encountered unexpected troubles.

Some had formed factions and already spoken ill of him.

“I heard he used to be a merchant? Didn’t the law say those who want to take the imperial exam are forbidden from engaging in commerce?”

“Is that true? I have a distant cousin in Beijun City. I heard their cold winter is severe—they dragged several merchants down with them all at once.”

“That’s a grave offense. We’ll report this directly. But since Lord Lin from the Censorate seems quite close to this person, it’s better not to report this to him yet.”

The candidates all nodded.

They lived within the Jingzhaoyin Mansion but usually had no dealings with Han Qing.

Recently, however, he had made quite a name for himself and gained favor from many officials.

It was common to earn grudges.

Once this news spread, many court officials showed regret.

The law clearly prohibited merchants from taking the imperial exam.

How could he not understand this?

“Brother Han, bad news. Someone has reported that you once engaged in business in Beijun City, and the evidence is conclusive. There’s no way to deny it now.”

Young Master Zhu rushed over anxiously.

He had gotten the news earlier and immediately came to warn him to prepare a countermeasure.

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten—those merchants were never under my name. I have a special authorization issued by a salt merchant guild.”

This...

He really had already prepared an escape route.

---

“But the evidence shows you visited many shops, and there seem to be profit shares involved?”

“The law only forbids me from engaging in commerce myself, but it does not forbid me from assisting others. Besides, the authorization was given to me by others.”

He had found a loophole.

But it left his opponents speechless.

“As far as I know, it was other candidates from your courtyard who set this up. They were ruthless, even obtaining some financial records.”

Oh?

There really were a few clever people.

They anticipated he would find reasons to refuse, so they prepared the evidence in advance.

But they might have forgotten one thing.

No matter how many tricks they had, the facts remained.

And he indeed held special authorization from the salt merchant guild—something none of the others could match.

Lord Lu came over to inquire and learned he was merely being framed.

So he personally vouched for him.

“Sir, no need to be so anxious. This is just a normal inquiry process. Besides, I have a clear conscience and have nothing to fear from slander,” he said calmly.

A trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

“Good. If you’re confident you can handle this, I won’t interfere.”

The old man looked at him with satisfaction.

He had been shocked by how quickly Han Qing solved the last case.

Seeing him like this now, he was even more amazed.

Not only did several ministers defend his innocence, but even the former salt guild supervisor personally produced the relevant orders.

All those rumors collapsed without further argument.

However, this left the group of candidates in the Jingzhaoyin Mansion anxious.

They had already gone to great lengths—why had things suddenly turned around?

“Didn’t you say this would definitely succeed? And your distant relative had already come to testify?”

The other candidates asked nervously.

“So it was you lot who slandered me?”

A sudden voice rang out.

The candidates’ faces instantly turned pale.