Headless Immortal

Chapter 48 There is a Path to the Mountain of Books
After lunch, it was already afternoon.

The autumn breeze is warm and pleasant.

Xiao Cheng packed his gear onto the mule cart. A movement came from inside his clothes, and a triangular rat's head popped out. Its little paws clung to his collar, and its dark eyes curiously surveyed the outside world.

Old Cheng used a gourd ladle to feed the mule some soybeans, and the mule quietly chewed the concentrated feed.

A black cat sat beside the pile of luggage.

The old cat scratched its whiskers with its paws and yawned widely in the gentle breeze.

Cheng Yan's eyes revealed a searching look. He had heard his grandfather talk about how powerful the black cat was, and he had also overheard his uncles discussing it. His curiosity about the black cat grew even stronger.

The old cat always seemed to have a lazy, listless look, lying there like a sick tiger.

The world is full of wondrous monsters, but Cheng Yan was filled with more excitement than anything else. He had been practicing the "Sword Classic" at home for many years, and now he was finally going on a long journey.

Although Meilan was not far from Wulao Peak, it was, after all, a journey for studying, and a sense of ambition was brewing and stirring in her heart.

"Father, Mother, Grandmother, your child is going to study."

Cheng Yan walked up to his family and respectfully knelt down and kowtowed.

Be careful on the road.

Be careful in everything you do.

"Study the classics diligently, and don't forget to practice your family's martial arts."

"..."

After exchanging pleasantries and seeing each other off, Cheng Yan boarded a mule cart.

The old man cracked his short whip, and the well-fed mule started trotting.

Although it was a farewell, Cheng Yan didn't feel sad. The wind on the road was light and refreshing. He stretched out his hand, and the big rat, Hui Bao, crawled up his arm to his palm, seemingly enjoying the pleasure of the wind as well.

The mules, fed with sturdy feed, ran incredibly fast and arrived at the county government office in no time.

The gatekeepers beamed with joy and busied themselves gesturing for them to enter.

The expected bustling crowd did not materialize; instead, a thinly dressed fisherwoman covered her face and choked with sobs.

Sitting in the main hall was Magistrate Lü of Meilan County, but he seemed unsettled, lacking his usual composure, and frequently glancing at the purple-bearded old man sitting below.

Behind the old man stood a strange man with bright eyes and arms crossed, as well as three guards who moved with measured steps.

Lu Qian forced a smile onto his face: "Shouldn't we settle the students first?"

The old man with the purple beard suddenly opened his tiger-like eyes and said calmly, "A murder has occurred in Meilan County. If you don't solve the case immediately and miss the deadline, how will you find out who the victim and the murderer are? The students' affairs can be put aside for now. Studying is not about enjoying life. You can't endure it without a strong body."

Lu Qian immediately discerned the nature of this incognito official, and promptly changed his tone, becoming firm and demanding, "Coroner, verify his identity!"

Then the coroner from the government office carefully examined the deceased's wounds.

"..."

Officer Qian Xiong, who had already investigated thoroughly, stepped forward: "My lord, this man was killed by a demon... last night..."

Qian Xiong described in detail what happened last night and presented two portraits: one of a little demon in a straw hat, and the other of a burly man with short hair, no beard, a square face, and sharp eyes.

In fact, Lü Qian had already seen these last night, but Wang Si was still alive then. Now that he's dead, it has to be taken even more seriously.

Lu Qian concluded, "It seems he killed Wang Si!"

"Issue a warrant for its capture. This demon has taken on human form and is extremely dangerous. Any constables of the imperial court who see it may kill it."

"Don't worry, Madam Chen, I will definitely get justice for you."

Lu Xun, who was listening in, immediately chuckled. He had been pondering Wang Si's death, vaguely sensing that the crab demon was no ordinary creature, and not just one or two minor demons with some skill. He hadn't expected that Meilan County would indiscriminately label him the murderer, determined to make it an ironclad case.

"Another brilliant detective!"

Lu Xun squinted his golden eyes, chewing on the dried pork belly Lao Cheng had bought, looking completely unconcerned: 'Delicious!'

"What do you think of me, sir..."

"wrong."

"You're so wrong!" The purple-bearded old man roared in anger, barely suppressing his raging fury: "Can't you, Meilan County, find out whether he's a human or a demon? This person was still alive last night and died at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). At that time, I saw him outside the city roasting a large blue crab. Where did he get the time to commit the crime? The two had no grudges against each other, so where did he get the motive?"

"Such a flawed reasoning is tantamount to disregarding human life!"

The old man suddenly flicked his sleeve and left the hall.

I thought he was a capable but talentless local official, but seeing him in person proved to be a complete incompetent fool.

Zhu Xianzheng, who had originally planned to say something to the students, simply left. He had no expectations of these students who had donated money to go to school.

Lu Qian was horrified and hurriedly got up to chase after him.

A group of students were left standing there.

Got it!
The second magistrate of Meilan County had no choice but to clean up the mess and arranged for the students to stay at the county government post station before setting off the next morning.

The reason for arranging them together in advance was that the journey from the county town to the academy involved passing through several dangerous areas, with many bandits holding out on the lake and mountain bandits robbing travelers along the way.

As far as the county magistrate knew, there were three notorious gangs blocking the way from Meilan to Wulaofeng.

Therefore, in order to prevent students from becoming hostages if they went alone, the county government specially dispatched soldiers, yamen runners, and martial arts instructors from the academy to escort the students to their studies.

With such a display of force, even bandits would have to take a detour.

In particular, the esteemed Master Zi Ren was also traveling with them, and the several capable guards were all highly skilled.

……

A middle-aged man mingling in the crowd outside the hall silently counted the students from various families in the courtyard in front of the main hall of the yamen.

This is the young master of a prominent family, that is the son of a wealthy landowner; each family is rolling in money, and the sound of their footsteps is like silver clashing against silver and gold against gold.

The only child, the only heir, was treasured in the past and never showed up, but this time they've all come together.

After the middle-aged man had counted the number, he left quietly.

I wandered through the county town and came to a teahouse.

Upon entering, we were ushered into the backyard.

"Do you see clearly?"

“I know it perfectly.” The burly man went inside and gulped down some cold tea. He grinned and said, “The intelligence is spot on. They’re all treasures from their respective families, the kind of promising talents we couldn’t plunder even on a large scale when we went down the mountain before. If this works, I’d be doing these fat sheep a disservice if I didn’t give them five hundred taels each.”

"There should be quite a few officers and soldiers as well."

"Don't worry, these guys always run away when they hear we're coming, and this time we're going to take them by trickery."

"The boss is very confident in his helpers."

……

After settling into the inn arranged by the county government, Cheng Yan clutched a long sword that his grandfather had personally supervised the forging at the blacksmith's shop. He couldn't help but dream of making a name for himself in the art, cultivating his inner strength, and becoming a demon-suppressing school flag like Uncle Zhao.

With Brother Mouse and Uncle Cat by my side, what is there to worry about in terms of ability!

"Brother Rat?"

Cheng Yan touched his chest.

empty!

She sat up abruptly and frantically searched for something.

"Uncle Cat?"

Now not only is Brother Mouse missing, but Uncle Cat is also not in the room.

Hearing a commotion coming from the main hall of the post station, Cheng Yan pushed open the door, leaned on the second-floor railing, and looked down.

The rich kids were drinking and playing drinking games, and some were even gambling. It was quite a lively scene, while a big rat scurried around the gambling table and underfoot, picking up the coins that had fallen.

The old cat wagged its tail and lay on the roof beam, its golden eyes never leaving Grey Treasure.

Cheng Yan chased after Hui Bao, retrieved him, and scolded him in a low voice, "Even a greedy person has to know when to be greedy!"

(End of this chapter)