The peaceful days never lasted long. It had only been a day and a night before Han Mo’s one day of tranquil life was thoroughly shattered again.
“Lord Pang, it seems the post in the Transport Office is truly quite leisurely!”
Seeing Pang Yue again, Han Mo showed no tension on his face. Instead, he even had the mind to joke with him.
“Han Mo! I am here today to represent the Transport Commissioner, Li Da Ren, to question you. Please do not misjudge yourself!”
Pang Yue sneered and spoke directly.
“Since that is the case, then, my lord, please ask whatever you wish. This subordinate will answer truthfully and completely.”
Seeing his official and businesslike demeanor, Han Mo knew this fellow was not here with good intentions today.
However, all of this was within his expectations, so at this moment, he did not feel too much fear.
“You recognize this person, don’t you!”
As Pang Yue spoke, he pointed to a man standing behind him, cloaked in a robe.
“I am truly sorry. Since arriving in Neihuang County, this subordinate has either been busy eradicating bandits or attending to local official duties. If it’s about meritorious individuals who served the country, I might remember, but as for cats and dogs, I am truly sorry, this official has a poor memory!”
Who else could this cloaked person be but Wang Daolu?
The reason he maintained this appearance in the sweltering heat was entirely because that kid Jiang Yan had been too ruthless when he acted.
After two days, the swelling on his face had not subsided; instead, it had worsened.
One head was swollen to twice the size of another person’s. With his current appearance, if it were cut off and placed on an altar, no one would object to it being called a pig’s head.
This was his true enemy. Their eyes met with burning hatred. Seeing the enemy who had beaten him so badly standing before him, and even speaking sarcastically, he truly wished he could pounce forward and bite Han Mo to death.
“County Magistrate Han, do you really think that after having someone thoroughly beat this old Daoist, this matter is just over and done with!”
As soon as Han Mo finished speaking, Wang Daolu could no longer bear it. He directly ripped off the cloak he was wearing and shouted sternly.
“I am truly sorry, but may I ask who you are?”
Seeing Han Mo’s earnest expression, Lü Ying almost burst out laughing.
Even the best comedian in the entertainment district could not perform as smoothly as Han Mo now.
If Han Mo had not specifically instructed him to make some preparations last night, he might have been deceived by Han Mo today.
“This old Daoist is Wang Daolu, the Abbot of the Shenxiao Wanshou Palace. Han, do not be too arrogant. Do not forget, although you are an official of the court, this old Daoist is also a Daoist official receiving a salary from the court!”
As Wang Daolu spoke, although his face was filled with gritted teeth, to others, it looked incredibly comical.
“You are that Daoist Wang who was beaten on the riverbank that day?”
Han Mo feigned sudden realization.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I was wondering why I couldn’t find you these past two days. After all this talk, it turns out you ran off to Yuan City!”
Upon hearing this, Han Mo immediately changed his clothes, put on a look of concern, and leaned closer to Wang Daolu. He even reached out as if to touch Wang Daolu’s face.
Wang Daolu subconsciously took several steps back. When he looked at Han Mo, his gaze was like that of a monster.
“Look, look, look at what you’ve been beaten into. By the way, have you caught those fierce bandits I asked you to capture?”
Before Wang Daolu could speak, Han Mo, like a barrage of firecrackers, began his performance on his own.
“Reporting to your lordship, this person has not yet been found, but we already have a lead. We have already commissioned an artist to draw a likeness. We just await your report to the Court of Judicial Review to issue a warrant for their arrest across the land!” Lü Ying said, and directly took out a scroll from his sleeve, handing it to Han Mo.
“That’s good, that’s good. By the way, Daoist Wang, since you’re here today, you can also help me take a look at how the artist’s drawing is. You are the true victim, so you must recognize this perpetrator!”
As Han Mo spoke, he reached out and directly unrolled the scroll.
Looking at the man drawn on the scroll, Wang Daolu’s nose was about to be blown off by anger. What in the world was this drawing?
A flat nose, a bulbous nose, high cheekbones, and what’s more, one eye was blind.
It even thoughtfully added dozens of large pox marks on the face.
If anyone could be caught based on this drawing, it would be a true miracle.
“Han, you are going too far!”
Wang Daolu could no longer tolerate it and shouted sternly.
“I say, Daoist Wang, this official is kindly helping you catch the culprit. If you speak like this, then this official will not bother with it anymore!”
As Han Mo spoke, he reached out and directly threw the scroll in his hand to Wang Daolu.
“I…”
Looking at Han Mo’s righteous and stern demeanor, Wang Daolu felt ten thousand mud-horse-like creatures stampeding through his mind.
This person was clearly instigated by Han Mo, and he was almost certain that the person was most likely hiding within the county yamen.
This brat must have calculated that he would go to the Transport Office to file a complaint, and therefore was putting on this act of mutual deception.
This was truly a case of killing the heart!
After beating someone, to then play the role of the victim crying out for justice – was there any justice left in this world?
“Lord Pang, you’ve seen it too. This official has been doing his utmost for this matter, trying to help him capture the culprit. I didn’t sleep at all last night, yet what have I received in return? Is there anything more unfair in this world than this?”
Following this, Han Mo put on a look of extreme grievance again, and then, with a look of tragic indignation, turned to Pang Yue once more.
My goodness…
Pang Yue’s mouth twitched, but in the end, he said nothing.
Although he knew that Han Mo was definitely acting, and as for saying he couldn’t sleep or eat, if he truly believed that, then his brain must have been flooded.
But the key issue was that although everything Wang Daolu said was true, he had no evidence in hand.
What was the name of the person who beat him, what was their surname, how old were they, and where did they live? He knew none of it.
Moreover, apart from eating, sleeping, accumulating wealth, and playing with women, all Wang Daolu knew was how to pretend to be a god.
Under such circumstances, relying solely on his verbal account to find the person would be no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.
In this Great Song Dynasty, with its four hundred prefectures and states, and millions of military and civilian subjects, what were their names, what were they called, where did they live, and what did they look like? If all of this could not be stated, let alone if he was a fake immortal, even a true immortal would be helpless at this moment.