Chapter 118: Assuming Office, Immediately Starting Fire

So a clean, upright grassroots official really matters.

If an official is honest and fair, the government office runners won’t dare act recklessly.

If he’s greedy, then the top is crooked and the bottom follows.

“That means, two guan in total, split among your forty or fifty men—less than forty wen each.”

Fang Buto chuckled bitterly: “I’m fine, but the brothers really work hard—still, we get by. One wen buys seven liang of coarse rice; if you’re frugal, a family of three won’t go hungry.”

Li Lin thought for a moment and said: “I’ll set aside three taels of my monthly salary and give it to you all to split.”

Fang Buto was stunned: “That’s impossible!”

Li Lin smiled: “I get seventy jin of blood rice every month—I sell some on the black market, so I never lack cash. I just got paid today, and I seem to have my share—come with me.”

Li Lin went to the ‘Household Office’ and happened to find Huang Ying working there.

He saw Li Lin and smiled: “Big Brother-in-Law.”

Fang Buto stared at Li Lin in surprise, then seemed to understand something.

Li Lin asked: “May I ask, are you the County Magistrate’s…?”

“I’m Huang Ying, courtesy name Ziqing,” the boy stood up and smiled. “The youngest in the family.”

“Ziqing… you’re the Registrar now?”

“Yes,” Huang Ying asked with a grin: “Big Brother-in-Law came to collect your salary, right? I’ve already prepared it for you.”

He pulled five guan from beside him and placed them on the desk.

Each guan was one thousand copper coins.

It didn’t sound like much, but laid out, it was very conspicuous.

It was also heavy—each guan weighed about seven or eight jin.

Li Lin said to Fang Buto beside him: “Hold three guan for me.”

“Huh? Oh!”

Fang Buto took the three guan.

At that moment, Huang Ying stepped closer and said: “Big Brother-in-Law, I’ve been feeling unwell lately—could you spare me one or two Qiangti Pills?”

Li Lin smiled knowingly: “No problem. I’ll have Hongluan deliver them to the Huang residence tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Big Brother-in-Law,” Huang Ying bowed his fist. “Tonight, I’ll treat you to a drink at Hongxiuzhao?”

“I won’t go,” Li Lin waved his hand. “I need to cultivate my heart method tonight.”

So diligent?

Huang Ying was surprised.

“Then I’ll invite Big Brother-in-Law to drink another time.”

“Of course.”

Afterwards, Li Lin returned to the Military Office with Fang Buto.

Along the way, Fang Buto, carrying the three guan, kept glancing at Li Lin, as if he had many questions.

But he never asked any.

At the Military Office, Fang Buto gathered all the government office runners.

Fifty-three government office runners stood in the courtyard outside, staring in shock at the three guan in Fang Buto’s hands.

Fang Buto looked at Li Lin and said: “From now on, every month, County Wei Li will contribute three guan from his own salary to split among you all—thank County Wei Lord.”

The government office runners instinctively bowed their hands, too stunned to process it.

“It’s not much,” Li Lin said slowly. “I hope you won’t look down on it.”

The government office runners finally reacted, looking at Li Lin with great excitement.

They earned so little each month—now, with three guan split among them, their lives would improve greatly.

“Divide the money,” Li Lin said. “Then go out on patrol.”

The three guan were broken open, and each man came forward to take his share of copper coins.

The few extra wen, Li Lin kept for himself.

He placed the two guan still in his hand onto his official desk.

Then he stepped out and said: “Follow the usual patrol routes. The team assigned to the marketplace—I’ll lead it myself.”

Previously, the marketplace route was the most sought-after, because even if you collected no money, you could still scavenge food and drink there.

The government office runners quickly split into five teams and set out.

Li Lin led eleven of them around the marketplace, and at noon, treated them to cheap cool tea from street vendors.

Twelve men, six copper coins total—extremely cheap.

Li Lin led the patrol himself, especially on this route, for a reason.

Few in the city knew he’d become County Wei , so he had to walk around, making more people aware of his presence.

To facilitate future work.

The marketplace had the most foot traffic and was the easiest place to spread news.

The street vendors nervously served the twelve men cool tea, terrified but too afraid to run.

A group of government office runners was frightening enough—now there was also a man in different uniform, clearly an ‘official.’

Li Lin sipped his weak tea slowly—it tasted ordinary, but it quenched his thirst.

The sun was harsh; Li Lin wanted the government office runners to rest a while longer.

The government office runners drank the weak tea, watching Li Lin with deep admiration.

Li Lin looked pale and frail on the surface, much like the former County Wei .

But his identity as a Spirit Hunter made them realize Li Lin wasn’t some weak scholar like Huang Qi.

Besides, Li Lin was handsome.

Don’t think men hate another man for being handsome—if a man is handsome, capable, and approachable, men are more likely to admire him and center themselves around him.

That’s exactly the situation now.

One of the younger government office runners suddenly said: “County Wei , have you heard of the Beggar Gang in Xingzhuang?”

At this, several other government office runners looked strangely at each other but said nothing.

Li Lin shook his head: “What’s the story?”

“It’s… troublesome,” the young runner bit his lip and continued: “You should go see for yourself.”

Li Lin nodded: “Finish your tea first, then we’ll go together.”

He felt the young runner was hinting at something.

Soon, the tea was finished.

Li Lin led the eleven government office runners to Xingzhuang.

People hurried past, vendors shouted their wares—it looked no different from any ordinary street.

Li Lin looked at the young runner, who kept his head down, silent, avoiding eye contact.

Li Lin seemed to understand something.

Then he led them away without lingering.

That night, Li Lin came alone.

He moved silently along the rooftops, watching.

Unlike daytime, at night, many doors here were left slightly ajar.

Then people crept in furtively, closing the doors behind them.

Soon, strange sounds came from inside.

Secret prostitutes?

Honestly, such things couldn’t be banned.

Not everyone could afford the brothels—they were too expensive.

Nor could every woman work in brothels; only the very top tier had that chance.

But Li Lin felt this wasn’t simple—if it were, the young runner wouldn’t have spoken so hesitantly.

He lifted a tile and peered inside, his expression grim.

Because the woman inside… had blind eyes—clearly visible, her gaze was hollow.

He replaced the tile and leapt to another rooftop, lifting another tile.

This secret prostitute was a woman missing her left arm.

The third was legless.

The fourth, the fifth…

Soon, he understood—Xingzhuang was an entire nest of secret prostitutes.

All of them disabled women.

Secret prostitutes alone weren’t unusual—but so many disabled women? That implied coercion, trafficking, human smuggling.

Without protection, they couldn’t operate so openly.

Then who?

Li Lin said nothing, preparing to leave—when suddenly, a chill struck from behind.

He instantly rolled behind a eave.

Then he saw a hideous female ghost glide past over the rooftops ahead.

Li Lin was stunned—this female ghost moved in her true form, unpossessed—how had she evaded the True Lord’s ‘detection’?

But then he knew why.

This female apparition had only yin energy, no resentment energy.

At least Li Lin could not sense her resentment energy.

Then the female apparition found a house but did not enter; soon, faint cries of male pleasure echoed from within.

The female apparition took part in it.

Li Lin did not act, but left the place—he needed to find someone and ask what was going on here.

Why did the County Magistrate do nothing?

Was he unaware, or simply unwilling to act?

(End of Chapter)