northernbook Chapter 51 Officer Li
Chapter 51 Officer Li
Lin Fan gritted his teeth and jumped off the carriage. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he couldn't escape it in the end.
Mu Qingfeng just took advantage of the last bit of time to give Lin Fan a brief introduction.
Unlike the 'ancient times' that Lin Fan knew, the Great Qian Dynasty had some extraordinary powers, so the head constables who hunted down thieves held a higher position than Lin Fan knew.
For example, this Constable Li is a ninth-rank official. Moreover, he is also known as the number one martial arts expert in Baishi County.
Officer Li sized up Lin Fan with an unfriendly gaze.
Originally, such a major case as the Ma family should have been handled by him, but out of nowhere a young man surnamed Chen appeared and was suddenly appointed as the chief officer by Registrar Jia.
Although the Ma family case is by no means a lucrative job, but rather a tough nut to crack.
But for Officer Li, having his job taken away without his permission was enough to make him angry.
Not to mention Clerk Jia, even the county magistrate treated him, the number one expert in Baishi County, with great courtesy.
Lin Fan knew the other party was unfriendly, but so what? Why should someone with nothing to lose be afraid of someone with shoes on?
Lin Fan said politely, "I have long admired Officer Li's reputation. But the case is urgent, so I won't waste any more time on pleasantries. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now."
Officer Li stopped Lin Fan and mocked him without any politeness, "Officer Chen, how old are you this year? You haven't even grown your hair yet and you're already trying to solve cases? Aren't you afraid when you see a dead body?"
Lin Fan certainly didn't want to pay attention to him, but the other party completely blocked his way, preventing him from moving forward.
"If Officer Li is interested in the case, why don't you come and help?"
Perhaps Chief Clerk Jia had his reasons for not letting Constable Li get involved in the case, but that had nothing to do with Lin Fan.
"Of course not. Acting without orders from above is dereliction of duty. I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to see if Officer Chen was really capable. Why does Officer Chen walk like that? Has Officer Chen ever practiced martial arts? Even a constable should at least be a first-level martial artist, right?"
Officer Li stopped Lin Fan and bombarded him with a barrage of impolite questions.
Lin Fan forcefully ripped off his clothes, revealing a body covered in scars—whip wounds, slash wounds, countless in number. Some were even still bloody, clearly fresh wounds that hadn't healed.
"I have suffered some injuries and my skills have declined. It is normal for my steps to be unsteady. Officer Li, there is no need to test me."
Lin Fan had already planned ahead. If he really had to fight him, he would have to rely on the Power Pill. He didn't want to waste his lifespan to prove himself.
By showing the other party his injuries, he effectively prevented the other party from using a friendly sparring match as an excuse to fight him.
Officer Li sized up Lin Fan. His injuries were undeniable, and his body, which had been enhanced twice by the Power Pill, also showed obvious muscle definition.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that he can be so lively and energetic despite being so badly injured clearly means he's not an ordinary person.
Officer Li smiled disdainfully: "Officer Chen is right. Our detective work mainly relies on martial arts skills. How about this, Officer Chen, guess what kind of person will be passing by the yamen next. If you guess right, I'll admit you have real skills."
"But you can't guess whether he's a man, a woman, an old man, or a child. If you just guess randomly, you can get a certain percentage right, so it's not difficult."
Lin Fan gently pulled his belt, and the Soul-Suppressing Pearl touched his thigh skin, instantly calming him down.
After closing his eyes and pondering for a moment, he smiled and said, "Alright, I won't guess the old, the young, or women and children, nor will I guess groups of people."
Officer Li frowned; this was not quite what he meant, but the difference was not significant.
“I bet the next man to walk by alone will be deaf,” Lin Fan said casually.
Officer Li smiled dismissively, nodded in agreement, and then stood side by side with Lin Fan, observing the passersby.
After passing several children and an old man, a plainly dressed man finally walked by alone.
He saw many officials standing at the entrance of the yamen, so he lowered his head and walked quickly past.
Mu Qingfeng watched this scene with concern. After spending some time with Chen Wu, she still recognized his wisdom and ability. However, this did not mean that Chen Wu could predict the future. How could he possibly guess it so easily?
Officer Li thought the same thing, so he strode forward and drew his sheathed sword to stop the man.
He shouted, "Hey, are you deaf?"
The man trembled, shaking uncontrollably. Before he could react, Lin Fan had already picked up the conversation.
"Officer Li is asking if you are deaf. If you are, you can leave; if you are not, answer Officer Li's question properly."
The man looked up at the two officers dressed in black, and his whole body trembled even more violently.
It is said that if you have a clear conscience, you will not be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night, but when ghosts actually knock on your door, who wouldn't feel guilty?
The man's lips trembled, as if something was choking him.
"Officer Li, this man is deaf," Lin Fan concluded.
Officer Li, of course, wouldn't believe it so easily. He stroked his chin and said, "How could it be such a coincidence that we run into a deaf person! Can't you really hear us talking?"
The man dared not disobey and quickly gestured wildly to indicate that he could not hear.
“That’s not right,” Officer Li said doubtfully. “If he were really deaf, he shouldn’t have been able to hear my question.”
Lin Fan nodded: "Officer Li, let me ask him clearly for you."
Lin Fan shouted, "Hey, I'm asking you, can you hear me clearly? If you can hear me, nod; if you can't, shake your head."
Just as the man was about to shake his head, he suddenly realized that when a person is pushed to their limit, their IQ can suddenly spike.
The man froze, looking puzzled, neither nodding nor shaking his head. He just stared blankly at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Looks like he really is deaf."
Then he waved, signaling the man to leave. The man, feeling as if he'd been granted a reprieve, ran off as fast as he could.
Officer Li stood there, stunned, unable to understand how Chen Wu had guessed that the man was deaf.
Before Constable Li could react, Lin Fan and Mu Qingfeng's group plunged into the yamen.
"Boss, you're a god! How could you know a deaf person would walk by?" Mu Qingfeng asked excitedly.
“A petty official can abuse his power and accumulate influence over time. Ordinary people can only turn a blind eye.” Lin Fan replied casually as he walked briskly.
Mu Qingfeng tilted his head in confusion: "Boss, what are you talking about?"
Lin Fan said helplessly, "It's nothing. How could I possibly guess whether that person is deaf or not? But even if he isn't deaf, if we say he is, then he must be deaf."
Mu Qingfeng stopped and pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing something. He caught up with Lin Fan and said, "Boss, you're incredibly smart. You and Constable Li both said that the man was deaf, so of course he could only admit that he was deaf."
"I'm not smart at all," Lin Fan said. "What you can figure out, Officer Li will figure out in a moment. Hurry up and get moving, or he might come looking for trouble with us again."
Lin Fan was actually extremely nervous. His operation looked smooth, but it actually had many flaws.
For example, if this person were someone that Officer Li knew, then there would be no way to explain anything.
Furthermore, Lin Fan himself, if it weren't for the Soul-Suppressing Pearl, he wouldn't have been able to perform so calmly and confidently.
I don't know what level of martial artist Officer Li is, but he is definitely much stronger than Mu Qingfeng. The pressure he exerted on me just now was almost tangible. An ordinary person would probably tremble when they spoke after being hit like that, let alone be so calm.
Perhaps it was because Officer Li felt he wouldn't dare to play tricks on him, so he placed great faith in the results he saw.
Mu Qingfeng put aside her girlish curiosity and immediately adopted a serious work expression, beginning to assign tasks.
She and the other constables were exhausted, but now was not the time to rest.
However, considering that there were still many things to do, Mu Qingfeng decided that half of his men would go to the Feng family to arrest people, while the other half would rest.
She naturally assigned herself to the half of the arrest team and Lin Fan to the half of the rest team.
After Lin Fan said he didn't need to rest, it was finally decided that Mu Qingfeng would lead the yamen runners to arrest the Feng family, Lin Fan and one constable would go to the household registration office to search, and the other two would rest.
Afterwards, Lin Fan was led into the household registration office by the yamen runners. Looking at the densely packed files, Lin Fan realized that he didn't know many characters.