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Chapter 407 This is how they treated me (Part 3)

"Boom boom boom!"

Late at night, the large drum in front of the Shiping County government office was struck.

The magistrate and Wei Zhenbang were startled awake and jumped out of bed: "Something's happened!"

Xu Yuan also woke up, put on his clothes, and rushed outside.

According to the rules, anyone who dares to beat the drum and appeal for justice at the entrance of the county government office will first be given thirty lashes as a warning.

But at this moment, there was no time to worry about that.

The man standing in front of the grievance drum was around forty years old. Although he was dressed as a servant, the fabric of his clothes was very fine.

He was definitely not an ordinary servant.

Moreover, his imposing presence was extraordinary; the drumsticks in his hands were like swords forged in a hundred battles.

When Geng Jiu saw the county officials come out, he pointed with his drumstick and said, "There is an evil spirit haunting Shengpeng Inn. Go and deal with it immediately."

After a pause, Geng Jiu still said, "Evil spirits are of the sixth class. If the county is not capable of dealing with them, we can provide some assistance."

Immediately afterwards, Geng Jiu saw another young man dressed in the official robes of the Exorcism Department walk out of the county government office.

Geng Jiu frowned.

So young, and already a law master?

Generally speaking, the Master of Laws is a sixth-rate practitioner, which should be enough to deal with the evil spirit in the inn.

But this person was so young that Geng Jiu was a little uneasy: "I'm afraid he's not even a sixth-rate person?"

Xu Yuan looked up and used "Looking at Fate" to see that Geng Jiu was actually a fifth-rate divine cultivator!
This person was dressed as a servant.

Xu Yuan then politely cupped his hands and asked, "May I ask, which distinguished guest has come to Shiping County?"

Geng Jiu did not answer, but asked, "What is your surname, young man?"

Xu Yuan replied, "Xu Yuan, the head of the Champa Purification Bureau, is not from a prominent family."

Seeing that Xu Yuan was so young, Geng Jiu guessed that he was from a prominent family and had taken up this position at a young age with the help of his family.

Geng Jiu would not only not look down on or slander such a person, but would also try to find out more about him.

What if it's a roundabout connection with those distant relatives in the family?
If there is a connection, Geng Jiu can then inform the other party of the young lady's identity.

Having spent a long time with Fu Jingyu and Song Lu, Xu Yuan had come to understand the behavior of prominent families, so he frankly stated that he was not from a prominent family.

Geng Jiu's attitude became somewhat distant. He didn't answer Xu Yuan's previous question, but raised his hand and said, "Hurry up and leave, that evil spirit is expanding."

My elder brother is protecting this important person and cannot easily make a move.

Xu Yuan waved his hand, and the members of the Exorcism Division quickly followed.

The magistrate summoned three shifts of yamen runners, and together with Wei Zhenbang, they followed at the very back.

Even though Lord Xu is the head of the law, he only asked one more question about his identity.

People like us, who are nobody, shouldn't try to get involved.

……

A giant "water droplet" has formed at the location of Shengpeng Inn.

The evil creature's form resembled a drop of water falling onto a lotus leaf, round and full, but many times larger.

The water droplets continued to expand.

The young lady put her veil back on and was protected by Geng Qi, Wei Shi, and Wei Ershiyi, who kept her thirty feet away.

Wei Ershiyi patiently and persistently said, "Miss, let's stay further away..."

The young lady looked at the water droplet and gently shook her head: "It's just a sixth-rate job, Uncle Qi can handle it."

Geng Qi could only say, "Even if this old servant has to risk his old life, he will definitely protect Miss's safety."

He was a fifth-rate cultivator, yet he insisted on saying he would "risk his life," hoping that the young lady would take pity on the servants and leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.

But the young lady was immune to their little tricks and still stared at the evil spirit with wide, curious eyes.

"This trip has been an eye-opening experience."

"I never imagined that such evil spirits could exist in my home."

As soon as the water rose, they first killed the waiter and the shopkeeper, and then rushed towards the west courtyard.

But Geng Qi and the other three were all fifth-rate!
They easily blocked the cold water and protected the young lady as they retreated.

The young lady was kind-hearted and instructed them to rescue the other guests in the inn.

So the evil spirit that came with the cold water came with great force, but in fact only killed a few shopkeepers.

However, the primary task of Geng Qi and his companions was to protect the young lady, and they did not go all out to kill the evil spirits.

After they came out, the young lady asked Geng Jiu to go to the county government office to beat the drum.

The young lady blinked at the huge water droplet and asked, "Seventh Uncle, did this get from that 'nail-head boil'?"

Geng Qi slowly shook his head: "It doesn't seem like it..."

The sound of hurried footsteps came from the street; Xu Yuan and the others had arrived.

Everyone unconsciously looked at that young lady.

Xu Yuan was secretly astonished: four fifth-rate individuals!
Of all the noble people Xu Yuan had ever met, only the Crown Princess's pomp and circumstance could surpass that of this young lady.

Wei Shi and Wei Ershi stepped forward silently, standing side by side to block the view of the crowd and shield the young lady behind them.

Geng Jiu pointed at the huge water droplet and said, "Lord Xu Yuan, can you handle this?"

With the arrival of the government officials, the young lady's safety was further guaranteed.

If Xu Yuan speaks up and the young lady agrees, I can help them get rid of this evil spirit.

Xu Yuan nodded and said, "No problem. Just make sure you protect our esteemed guest."

After saying that, Xu Yuan strode forward and plunged headfirst into the water droplets!
"Eh!" Geng Jiu was taken aback. You're clearly not a martial arts practitioner, so why are you being so reckless!
Dealing with this evil spirit from the outside is much easier than rushing in.

Because of his hesitation, Geng Jiu missed the chance to save the young law master immediately.

He shook his head and returned to the young lady's side.

After all, his most important task was to protect the young lady's safety.

Geng Jiu wondered to himself: Could it be that this young master of law has guessed the young lady's identity and wants to show off in front of her?
Alas, young people who want to climb the social ladder—it's not wrong to have such thoughts; who wouldn't want to seize the opportunity to rise to the top?

It's a pity they chose the wrong target.

This cold water evil spirit is among the strongest of the six ranks, almost reaching the fifth rank.

Even if it were us brothers, we would be absolutely certain to wipe them out from the outside.

But rushing in will inevitably lead to trouble.

Xu Yuan plunged in headfirst, of course he would do so if he was confident.

But once inside, he didn't become overly arrogant.

We must always pay sufficient attention to the bizarre.

Pidan wrapped around Xu Yuan's entire body, and the surrounding cold water frantically tried to penetrate into Xu Yuan's body, but it couldn't get through Pidan at all.

Pidan was already a fifth-rate person.

This evil spirit is, after all, only a sixth-rate one.

However, a chilling cold, like the cold stares of the world, can penetrate everything.

Even Xu Yuan shuddered, feeling his blood flow slow down.

"Just how deep must the hatred in this evil spirit's heart be to produce such a terrifying effect?"

Xu Yuan moved swiftly through the inn, searching for clues.

And it was already planned that if no results were found within half an incense stick's time, they would immediately withdraw—leaving Pilong behind to continue the search.

Pilong moved freely within the evil spirit's body.

However, Xu Yuan only had to go around once before he found the source of the evil spirit.

In the courtyard outside the kitchen, there was an earthenware pot.

Cold water continued to flow out of it.

Strangely, the earthenware pot was not an evil spirit.

Evil spirits are like this endless stream of cold water.

Xu Yuan turned around again.

The innkeeper, cook, waiter, and three others all suffered from severe burns from the cold water.

Their body parts were frozen stiff and pale by the cold water, and were well preserved in the water.

There were no other clues. Xu Yuan stood beside the earthenware pot, opened his mouth to the sky, and spewed out intense flames from his abdomen.

boom--

Those outside saw a burst of intense flame suddenly erupt from the center of the enormous water droplet.

The water droplets dispersed.

The sixth-rate evil spirit was blasted out of its body by the fifth-rate fire in its abdomen.

They are even more incompatible in terms of attributes.

What resistance could they possibly have?
The water scattered, but the flames refused to let the evil spirit escape.

The flames also transformed into rivers of fire, chasing after the water and burning it all away.

Geng Jiu, standing beside the young lady, was taken aback: "Fifth-rate..."

Just now I thought his rushing in was "reckless," but now it's seen as "skilled and daring."

"No wonder he was able to become the head of law enforcement at such a young age, even though he wasn't from a prominent family."

"This level of skill is probably only because he has no background, which is why he is relegated to the position of law enforcement officer."

Geng Jiu knew all too well the intricacies involved.

Both the northern and southern capitals have a large number of so-called "geniuses".

Each province in Zhengzhou also has its so-called representative "prodigy".

The Lord Xu before us is even more formidable than those others.

But nobody is praising Lord Xu.

Which of those geniuses wasn't just hype?

Moreover, he lived in Jiaozhi (present-day northern Vietnam).

The two brothers exchanged a glance: "Incredible!" Then they sighed together, "What a pity..."

The young lady's eyes sparkled with curiosity about Xu Yuan.

"Are they Old Master Ma's subordinates?"

Without even calculating with his fingers, Xu Yuan quickly grasped the relationship between himself and Ma Tianshou: "Exactly."

Xu Yuan had already returned with the earthenware pot.

This earthenware pot is now the only clue.

Furthermore, after the evil spirit in the cold water was burned, it indeed left only a few glass beads, which came from the same source as the giant python, the blue brick, and the Buddha skin.

Xu Yuan said to the magistrate, "Reassure the people. Announce that the evil spirit has been defeated and let everyone sleep peacefully. We can discuss anything else tomorrow."

The magistrate bowed and agreed, then loudly announced it to the nearby residents.

Xu Yuan ordered his officers to finish up, and then he and the magistrate came to the young lady's side: "If you have nowhere to stay, you may stay temporarily in the county government office."

The young lady nodded: "Okay."

Upon returning to the county government office, the magistrate specially set aside a separate courtyard for the distinguished guest to reside in.

Then, not daring to try to get closer, he immediately took his leave.

The young lady found it increasingly amusing and said, "Tomorrow we won't go after that boil on the nail head. We'll stay in the county town and watch the excitement."

Wei Shi and Wei Ershi secretly groaned.

"Miss..." the two old women who had watched her grow up asked worriedly, "You wouldn't have fallen for that young law master, would you?"

The young lady chuckled: "What are you thinking?"

The two old women breathed a sigh of relief.

The young lady said, "If I were to truly fall for him, I would be harming him."

"It's good that Miss understands."

……

The 27th day of the first lunar month.

Today's prohibitions include: sweeping houses, building bridges, lighting fires, and offering sacrifices.

Xu Yuan's face darkened after seeing it.

Dan Xiu was crippled by half.

In another courtyard, the young lady also frowned slightly: "This is difficult. Master Xu is a pill refiner, but he cannot use the fire in his abdomen today."

Wei Shi also said, "His fifth-rate internal fire is a powerful weapon against all evil spirits."

After the young lady finished washing up and was eating breakfast, Geng Jiu came in and said, "Xu Yuan has gone out to investigate the strange case from last night."

The young lady quickly stuffed two small steamed buns into her mouth, making her cheeks bulge out.

"Let's go, let's go and see."

She quickly put on her veil so that no one would see her looking like a squirrel.

Seeing her anxious appearance, Wei Shi and Wei Nian couldn't help but worry. Fortunately, Xu Yuan was Ma Tianshou's man, and his family could keep him in check.

As long as the young lady gets married smoothly and fulfills her duties as a noblewoman, no one will care about her if she still has feelings for her ex.

She could pamper Xu Yuan every day, and even her husband's family wouldn't say a word against it.

The noble ladies in the northern capital were all like this.

It's not just noble ladies; all the old-guard nobles of the Ming Dynasty are like this.

……

When the young lady and her party arrived at Shengpeng Inn, the county magistrate had already led three shifts of yamen runners to invite all the neighbors around the inn out.

Xu Yuan was holding up the earthenware pot, showing it to his neighbors.

I asked several people in a row, and they all shook their heads.

This earthenware pot is too ordinary.

Finally, they asked a boy who was about half a year old. He scratched his head and said, "It seems to be in the woodshed."

“I saw it once when I was helping to move firewood inside.”

This child often went to the inn to help with odd jobs.

The inns wouldn't pay, usually just a bowl of porridge.

Xu Yuan then asked, "Do you know if anyone stayed in the woodshed last night?"

The child nodded: "Yes, he stayed there. Last night, someone who was about the same age as... the adult, paid one penny to stay there."

A ledger appeared in Xu Yuan's hand.

It was the inn's ledger.

While burning the evil spirits yesterday, Xu Yuan secretly put away the account books.

This is an important clue, and Xu Yuan will not overlook it.

However, the ledger did not record any guests staying in the woodshed.

One penny...

Of course it won't be recorded in the account.

Do you remember what that person looked like?

The child nodded: "I remember."

Xu Yuan then called over Lang Xiaoba: "Find a literary brother who knows painting and try to paint a portrait."

"Yes."

The young lady watched with great interest.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then walked over and asked Geng Jiu, "Senior, now that this case has been solved, you all deserve some credit. I wonder if you would be willing to accept this credit?"

If you are unwilling, I will not mention you in the closing statement.

Before Geng Jiu could speak, the young lady asked with bright eyes, "We also deserve credit? What credit?"

Xu Yuan glanced at the neighbors and said in a low voice, "When that evil spirit was unleashed last night, it was only because a few of you were afraid of it. Otherwise, it would have directly attacked from the outside, and I'm afraid none of these people would have survived."

We would also be unable to find any clues behind this earthenware pot today.

The five people initially thought that this so-called "merit" was something Xu Yuan had deliberately given away to curry favor with them.

But after his explanation, the young lady immediately became a little proud: That's true.

I not only saved these people, but also preserved important clues!

It's a pity, we can't accept this credit.

Geng Jiu shook his head and said, "There's no need to mention it."

Xu Yuan nodded: "Okay."

Then he turned around and left.

Half an hour later, Wenxiu from the Exorcism Department finished drawing the portrait.

It was circulated among the people.

"Search!" Xu Yuan ordered.

However, there is a severe shortage of manpower now.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but think that if he had a battalion of river soldiers, they could have captured that person today.

Unfortunately, the Department of Purification is still lacking in this aspect.

Unexpectedly, Geng Jiu came over and said, "We have some methods to narrow down the hiding place of this evil spirit to a certain area."

Xu Yuan was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, senior. Please make your move quickly."

Geng Jiu said, "Let's go back to the county office first, and also tell them not to search house to house, so as not to alert the enemy."

"That's how it should be."

Xu Yuan rescinded his order and brought all the neighbors who had been questioned that day, including the child, back to the yamen, trying to keep it a secret and prevent any leaks.

Wei Shi worshipped the "Map" in the courtyard.

No one is allowed to watch the entire process.

Xu Yuan and the others were waiting outside.

Geng Jiu accompanied Xu Yuan and asked, "Do you think that young man created the evil spirit last night? But he might also be a victim, the first person killed by that evil spirit."

Xu Yuan shook his head: "I checked the inn last night, and all the dead were people from the inn. The young man was not among them."

"But if he created the evil spirit from last night, that evil spirit was already a sixth-rate one, while he is probably a fifth-rate one. With your inner fire suppressed today, you may not be his match."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then recounted the previous evil spirits, and said, "As long as we find him, I will fight to the death."

He conjured an evil spirit, which caused the deaths and injuries of many people; we must not let him continue to cause harm.

Xu Yuan never expected that he would come for the giant python belonging to the dragon family.

They couldn't find anything to use as bait, and the case was surprisingly complicated.

The young lady, unaware of what had happened, quietly crept up behind the two of them, listening to Xu Yuan "tell a story."

Suddenly, he spoke up: "Ninth Uncle, why don't you and Seventh Uncle help him out?"

“This…” Geng Jiu hesitated.

The young lady smiled and said, "With my two aunts here, my safety is not a problem."

The young lady looked down and her eyes lit up: "Hey, there's such an adorable big white goose here. How come I didn't notice it before?"

She squatted down and gently stroked Dafu's long neck.

It's so smooth.

Dafu was also stunned. It had been quietly following behind Fanzhezi, and no one had noticed it at all—but suddenly it was caught and petted a few times.

Geng Jiu's expression changed, and he stared at Da Fu warily.

The young lady crept over quietly to listen to the story, and Geng Jiu naturally sensed it.

But what's going on with this goose?

When did it get behind us?!
I was completely unaware.

Xu Yuan quickly explained, "It's my dog, it just likes to follow me around."

Geng Jiu couldn't help but give Xu Yuan a deep look. Just as he was about to say something, the courtyard gate opened, and Wei Shi came out and said, "That thing is on Miaoxi Street!"

……

Miaoxi Street is a street located west of Yunmiao Temple.

Some odd jobs in Shiping County wait for work on this street every day.

Employers who need workers will also come here to select people.

Shun Dong squatted on the stone curb by the street, like all the other day laborers, tilting his head and craning his neck, gazing longingly at the end of the long street.

If a potential employer comes to select people, you must rush to their side immediately.

Otherwise, the opportunity will be snatched away by others.

Shun Dong didn't think he was a bad person.

Therefore, even if you have strong abilities, you still have to exchange your labor for rewards.

There were at least twenty taels of silver on the counter of Shengpeng Inn last night, but Shundong didn't take it.

It's not that I want to kill them; I'm just doing to them what they did to me.

For example, that rich man in Honglin Village pounded rice for me for three days, but then tricked me into going to the Xiaohei River, hoping that the toad would eat me so he could renege on his wages.

For example, the village head of Xinyifang, I worked hard for him all day making brick blanks, but all I got were a few broken bricks to go back and repair the dilapidated house. But he caught me and accused me of stealing.

They forcibly took back my day's wages and even slapped me.

When I got home, the house collapsed.

For example, the senior monks at Yunmiao Temple.

Although I am poor and destitute, I have always been very sincere to Buddha.

Every time I go to the temple to burn incense, I always put a coin in the donation box.

But Buddha never blessed me. My mother, brother, and sister all died. He only blessed the rich who donated a lot of incense.

What makes everyone different?

We're all just a skeleton and a skin; we're all the same, really.

Shun Dong is out of money. If he can't find work today, he'll have no choice but to beg.

He desperately hoped that a kind landlord would appear on the street and help him get through the day.

Suddenly, a young man walked onto Miaoxi Street.

The casual laborers didn't react.

This person is too young; he doesn't seem like an employer looking to hire.

The man kept walking in. Shun Dong, having reached his wit's end, stood up and went to meet him with a sliver of hope: "Do you need someone?"

Xu Yuan studied him for a moment, nodded, and asked, "What can you do?"

Shun Dong immediately perked up: "I'm capable of anything—pounding rice, harvesting grain, building houses, driving carts. I'm very hardworking, and I eat very little..."

The surrounding casual laborers suddenly swarmed over.

"Please choose me, sir."

"Choose me!"

"Choose me..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand and pointed at Shun Dong: "If we only need one person, then it'll be him."

The others left dejectedly.

Shun Dong was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, sir."

Xu Yuan turned around: "Come with me."

Shun Dong immediately followed, his steps unsteady from hunger as he hadn't eaten breakfast.

Fortunately, the "gentleman" in front wasn't walking very fast.

But as he walked, Shun Dong looked up and found himself standing at the entrance of the county government office.

"master……"

Xu Yuan didn't turn around and walked in first: "Come on."

Shun Dong gritted his teeth and followed him inside.

Xu Yuan arrived at the main hall first and released the Tiger Head Guillotine.

The young lady insisted on peeking from the back room.

Despite their best efforts to dissuade her, Geng Qi and the others could only stay close to their young lady, surrounding her in the middle.

Xu Yuan sat on the tiger-head guillotine, while Shun Dong stood at the entrance of the hall, hesitating and not daring to go in.

Xu Yuan beckoned to him: "I can help you remove that thing on your forehead."

Shun Dong was startled.

Xu Yuan continued, "That's no good. I originally intended to take you outside the city and find an open space to kill you."

But I changed my mind after seeing you.

The choice is yours now.

Shun Dong's feet twitched a few times, but he ultimately didn't move.

Neither advancing nor retreating.

"After it's removed... will I be able to live?"

"Yes, but you have committed a capital offense," Xu Yuan said truthfully.

Shun Dong said sadly, "Then what difference does it make whether we take it out or not?"

Xu Yuan said, "The things you did were influenced by that thing on your forehead. The difference I made by removing it is that in the time before your trial, you can be yourself again."

Shun Dong looked at Xu Yuan for a long while before finally lifting his foot. Just as he was about to step over the high threshold of the county government hall, the skin between his eyebrows suddenly cracked.

The glass bead has a third eye!

Shun Dong withdrew his foot, and Xu Yuan sighed as the sword pellet flew out and hovered in front of him.

(End of this chapter)