All Heavens and Worlds Starting from the Night Watchman - Chapter 2

Chapter 002: Analysis and a Glimmer of Hope

“Lin Qiye, what about you? What’s your situation?” Xu Qian asked, puzzled. The two of them were truly like brothers.

Even after transmigrating, they both ended up in prison—sharing hardship together, indeed!

Lin Qiye shook his head and said, “I should be someone who has already died.”

“According to my memories, I was just a beggar. The reason I ended up in this death cell…”

“…was because I was deceived. Someone told me that if I took the blame for three days, I’d get money and food. Who knew my predecessor actually believed it?”

“But the mastermind drugged me, killed my predecessor, and thus, I am here now.”

“What?!”

Xu Qian was dumbfounded. This was bad. Both of them were facing capital punishment. If that were the case, wouldn’t they be unable to save each other?

Were these two transmigrators really going to die here?

That would be a disgrace to all transmigrators. They had to find a way out!

Lin Qiye spoke seriously, “Right now, we can say that we are both doomed to die.”

“I was just a beggar—no background, no connections, no hope.”

“But what about your Xu family? Is there anyone who can help? Maybe you still have a chance to overturn the case.”

“If you can resolve your issue first, then maybe you can help me too.”

“You trust me that much?”

Xu Qian was speechless. This guy really believed in him. But they were both locked up—how could they overturn the case?

Lin Qiye nodded. “Of course. Don’t forget, we’ve both watched Detective Conan. The truth is always singular.”

“No need to say it; we both know that your Xu family was framed. The key is to find evidence.”

“I did some digging. Three days ago, your uncle was transporting tax silver to the Ministry of Revenue when he was suddenly attacked by a demon. An explosion occurred, and 150,000 taels of silver vanished without a trace, shaking the entire court.”

“The emperor was furious and decreed that your uncle would be executed in five days. The entire family would be implicated—male members exiled to the frontier, and the women sent to the courtesan house.”

“To put it simply, our starting point in this world is hell mode.”

Xu Qian frowned, his expression darkening. “Wait a minute—150,000 taels of silver, and that warrants implicating three generations?”

That amount of silver shouldn’t justify such severe punishment. Three generations? That sounded absurd.

Lin Qiye sighed. “You’re not wrong, but this is ancient times. Productivity is low, and more importantly, this is the capital.”

“This is a slap to the emperor’s face. Do you think he wouldn’t be enraged? Something like this happening right under his nose is a direct challenge to his authority.”

That made sense. The higher-ups valued face above all else.

Xu Qian furrowed his brows, muttering, “A demon attack? Vanished without a trace?”

There was no way the truth was that simple. All these disturbances were likely created to cover something up.

“Do demons really exist in this world?” he asked, still uncertain.

Lin Qiye replied, “Well, there are Confucian scholars, warriors, and demons in this world. So yes, demons do exist.”

“But demons wouldn’t care about 150,000 taels of silver. If it were some other kind of treasure, maybe.”

“So this whole ‘demon attack’ and ‘vanishing silver’—it’s all just a cover-up.”

“They’re trying to make everyone believe a demon did it. The real culprit is definitely human.”

Xu Qian nodded in agreement. “You think exactly like I do. This is more likely a human scheme.”

“Demons wouldn’t covet worldly riches. They are already far above such things.”

“But if this was human-made, then how did they do it?”

“150,000 taels of silver—about ten thousand catties in weight—how could that just disappear?”

If it were only a few pounds, losing it might be understandable. But an entire ten thousand catties? That was impossible.

Understanding this, the two began analyzing the situation.

Lin Qiye suddenly laughed. “I get it! What if the silver was switched in advance?”

“So along the way, the commoners and the guards all believed the silver was real.”

“Then, when the explosion happened, everyone assumed the silver was gone, and the blame fell on demons.”

Xu Qian pondered, “But they would have checked the silver along the way. They wouldn’t just blindly transport it.”

“Maybe they used something else to replace the silver?”

“Replace it?”

“Yeah. Are there any metals that look like silver?”

“Mercury?”

“Nonsense.”

“Wait, what about pure sodium?”

“Sodium?”

“No, that wouldn’t work. Isn’t sodium more expensive than silver?”

“That’s true, but remember, this isn’t our world.”

“So theoretically, pure sodium could exist here.”

“Right.”

“But all of this is just speculation. We need proof.”

“First, we need to get the case files and see how the records describe the event. If it matches our theory, then we’re on the right track.”

“But we’re both locked up. How do we get the files?”

“Xu Qian, you now have a lead. You can use it to request an audience with the official handling the case.”

“That makes sense.”

At that moment, a refined young man came to visit. He introduced himself as Xu Xinnian.

Xu Qian suddenly recalled that this was his family’s second son.

According to Xu Xinnian, their father had lost the tax silver, leading to their entire family’s downfall. Even Xu Qian was imprisoned and would soon be exiled to a remote wasteland, while their father was to be executed in five days.

“Wait, then why are you okay?”

“I have the protection of my mentors at Cloud Deer Academy, so I was spared exile. But even so, I lost my scholarly title and was demoted to a commoner. You’re right—right now, the Xu family is in hell…”

Since there was still time, Xu Qian immediately asked Xu Xinnian to find a way to obtain the case files. He needed to know the full truth before he died.

Xu Xinnian wasn’t sure what Xu Qian had planned, but since there was even a sliver of hope, he agreed to try.

Before long, Xu Xinnian managed to bring him the files. As Xu Qian carefully read through them, he realized something shocking—Great Feng really did have demons.

Reading through the documents multiple times, Xu Qian analyzed every detail. He reminded himself not to be swayed by the official conclusion. Demons might exist, but this was clearly human wrongdoing.

According to the records, the silver vanished after an explosion on the water. There was definitely more to this story.

“Lin Qiye, the case file confirms everything we suspected. This was definitely human-made. We were right.”

“So we’ve analyzed the situation thoroughly. Now, you should appeal your case.”

“Sodium reacts with water, causing explosions and hissing sounds.”

“Guards! I need to speak to your superior.”

“Shut up! Do you want to die?”

“Sir, I need to see your superior.”

“Hah! A mere prisoner like you? Why would you see our officer?”

“Xu Qian has crucial information about the missing tax silver. If you delay the case, can you take responsibility?”