Captain Tiger was having a great day, as usual. That was until one of the fisherkids came running in the guardstation.

"Papa send me to get you revered immortal. He found a dead body." The kid shot out, excited.

"Aru, Uru, follow me." He commanded.

Normally he liked dealing with kids, they were naive, innocent and always respectful. But a murder in his turf was serious business, and needed his full attention.

Otherwise the mayor would have his skin. Maybe even literally if someone important enough was killed.

"Who is the victim?" He asked.

"Seamstress. The one with pockets." The boy answered.

"Lead the way." He commanded, already wrecking his brains for what he knew about that particular woman. Not much. A cultivator like him simply did not have any relation to a mortal. Even that he knew about her was just luck really, seeing as her idea had been added to all clothes in the town.

And surrounding towns. Probably even to a city. She had a daughter, didn't she? At least she wasn't important. Not really.

"What about the girl?" He asked.

"I don't know. Papa said to find you." The boy answered.

"Tell me where it is." He said.

The boy did, and moment later he arrived at the scene of the crime. Of course townspeople already stood around, chatting loudly.

"Clear the way." He yelled.

The people took one look at him, and his armor and moved out of the way. At least one good thing about those ridiculous armors that mayor insisted on, people respected them immediately.

He entered the house, and looked around. The fisher that found the body had naturally long vanished, and seeing as he heard both of his guards take their place outside the boy too.

Mortals were slippery that way. Anyways.

His eyes refocused on the body in front of him. Well, the fisher was certainly innocent, no mortal could kill that way.

The body's chest was crushed, but that seemed to be the only wound, with the skin still unbroken. He knelt down besides the woman, and send his qi into her.

Every being cultivated a little, until their body was saturated by qi. Qi that would move out of the body as new qi moved on, no longer blocked by every living beings aura.

Together with the qi flow in this room he would be able to determine the time of death. The cause was obvious.

And the cultivator couldn't be more powerful than the first realm, perhaps in the early stages of the second. Otherwise the room would look different.

The woman died about three hours ago. Where was the daughter then? He got up, and walked towards the second door when he heard a commotion outside.

Someone was talking to Uru, their voice shaking.

He continued on for another step, when Aru entered the building.

"Sir, the daughter appeared. And she's probably a cultivator." He reported.

Interesting. Just as he finished that thought a young girl entered the building, and Uru yelped in surprise.

He watched as the hope died on her face as her eyes fell on the woman's body. Uru entered behind her as the girl collapsed into a sobbing mess.

"Close the door." He commanded.

His underling nodded, and followed the order.

"Make sure she doesn't leave. I'll look into the backroom first."

The second room of the house did not look suspicious in any way, no signs of fighting, blood or something else. Just what a mother and her daughter would have.

And while the qi in the room behaved a little strange it did not move suspiciously enough to warrant a search. So he returned to the workroom. The girl still looked like a mess, with tears streaming down her face. But at least she actually reacted to his two guards.

By scuttling away from them whenever they moved towards her.

Great.

Children were only fun until they were frightened. So he donned his best drill instructor face and droned on.

"Name." He practically yelled.

The girl's face snapped up, directly towards him. She stood up, and retreated into one of the corners.

"Did you kill my mother?" She asked.

"Answer my question." He yelled.

The girl shrunk back into herself before straightening out again, and staring back definitely, a glimmer of something in her eyes.

"No!" She replied forcefully. "Answer mine first. Did. you. kill. my. mother?"

He knew that look. And wouldn't be getting any answers without a little bit of tact.

"I did not. Neither did any of the townsfolk. Your mother was killed by a cultivator." He answered, before shooting his question again. "I won't repeat myself. NAME?"

She looked towards him, towering over her, and his guards, blocking off all escape.

"Triss." She said.

Good. She wasn't dangerous then. Just a first realm cultivator. He didn't know how she managed ascend, but it seemed karma caught up to her.

"Follow me." He commanded.

Looking at her he decided to add. "And don't you DARE run. I will hunt you down!"

The girl nodded meekly, wiping the tears out of hear eyes, straightening her clothes, and fixing her black hair a little, before moving out of her corner. Slowly, and ready to run.

Women. Tiger couldn't help but snort.

"Let's go. Uru, you stay here, guard the scene, I will send someone to replace you later." And clean the scene, he added in his mind. Uru saluted, and took a post in front of the small house as they left.

"We will take the girl under the mayor's protection for now." He yelled. "Nothing to see here, move along, back to your work. Time to disperse."

They arrived back in the middle of the town soon later, and entered the guard barracks. Now what to do? The girl's mother had just been killed, and while her reaction, as well the new drive in her steps, seemed genuine she was still a suspect.

After all, he didn't know what any cultivator worth his salt would want from a mortal. He could just ask her to swear a heavenly oath. Unconventional this early in an investigation, but possible.

Especially as she was a cultivator herself, and not solving that case could have serious repercussions later on.

"Would you swear a heavenly oath that you did not kill your mother?" He asked.

Anger entered her eyes for a moment before her eyes returned to steel.

"What is a heavenly oath?" She asked.

"You swear something to the heavens, they will hear you, and judge your words. They will also deal out any punishment they deem necessary." He explained.

The girl contemplated for a bit, before agreeing with a resolute nod.

"You will search for the actual murderer if I do?" She asked.

"Yes. And learn to curb your tongue in presence of your betters." He commanded.

---

All sadness had long been washed into the abyss by anger. Someone killed my mother. And then this prick abducted me from home, from her body! And tried intimidating me in a way that'd never work if I was emotionally stable.

And now he wanted me to do some religious bullshit. As if that would prove anything. Best get over it. How did I make this sound as grandiose and pompous as possible? Religion was mainly ritual after all.

"Anything I need to know or add?" I asked, just to be sure.

"No. Just include the heavens in your oath." The stupid giant answered.

Good.

"I thrust my soul to be judged by the endless heavens. To see I did not kill my mother, nor did I want, plan or participate in any such plan. So I swear." I said.

The giant gasped a little when it happened. I felt something enter me, my whole being.

It locked my qi, the qi in the room, before lighting up the room and vanishing.

Well.

That happened.

Just great.

Now I'd have to think over all religious stuff I had discarded over the years, and examine it with a grain of salt. This day just got even worse.

I refocused on the giant, and felt his qi senses trying to invade my body. No sir. Though it did look kinda clumsy. I nearly pitied the guy.

"So." I said, breaking his concentration. "What now?"

"Goddammit girl. Didn't you see I was concentrating?" He swore.

Of course I did. Which is why I said something. Why did he do it like that though? I could sense everything in a sphere around me, only blocked by solid objects.

Perhaps his range was less than mine? I did have significantly more qi, true, but my qi sense would have included him even when I just broke through.

Strange.

I'd think about it later.

For now he started trying to probe me again, so I spoke up again.

"Sorry." I said meekly, letting my tears start flowing again. "But what now?"

The giant, who still did not tell me his name, sighed, and gave up.

"I will check who entered the town in the last few days. Aru will register you, and go over anything you know." He said, resigned.

Great, a talk with the idiot. Who'd want to be called Aru? I'd rather be nameless!

As the giant left the room I followed the other guard towards a second, arriving in what could only be called a mess hall.

"Get yourself something to eat, you need it." He said to me. "And GET OUT, official investigation." He yelled towards the few guards loitering inside.

They grumbled a bit, but soon moved out. Well, I noticed all of these guys were mortals when they moved past us, so no wonder.

I really felt rather hungry though, so I moved towards the one table I could see full of nonperishable food. I didn't look great, but better than nothing. Water would be quite important.

Especially because of what was about to come, there were so many people that visited the business over the last weeks.

Good thing my memory was getting better the more qi my brain held, if needed I could draw an accurate picture of a third of our customers, and vaguely describe all. I did not know if wanted posters existed in this world though.

And didn't stop to think about it. I couldn't stop. Not now. Never.