Chapter 134: Blood Salt Curse (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

The leader, dressed in the official robes of an Inspector, had a Captain behind him who stepped forward first, scattering a handful of things from his hand; with a clatter, they struck the Blood Rat.

These things turned out to be dozens of yellow beans.

Struck by this, the Blood Rat scattered with a whoosh, turning back into those blood particles, which popped and crackled on the ground as they scattered and fled.

The Inspector pressed his hand on the waist sword, snorted coldly, and said, "It's those private salt smugglers creating the 'Blood Salt Curse' again!"

This time, Xu Yuan also saw clearly: those blood particles were actually coarse salt grains soaked full of fresh blood!

The salt smugglers had a method: capture a wretched person, cut many wounds on their body with a knife, then smear coarse salt all over the wounds!

The person would scream in agony, yet could not die immediately.

Once the salt dissolved, they would smear it again.

Through such cruel, repeated torture, the person would die in unbearable pain, filled with resentment.

After death, the salt grains would crystallize from the wounds, and these salt grains would be fed to rats.

After eating this salt, the rats would undergo a strange transformation, their form able to shift at will between rat and bat.

Turning into a bat, they could scout the way for the salt smugglers; turning into a rat, they could steal from the official granaries for the salt smugglers.

However, this "method" of the salt smugglers was imperfect, more like Bai Laoyan's folk remedy, so it often lost control, attacking and devouring its master before completely transforming into an evil curse!

The blood particles on the ground tried to flee, but the yellow beans recognized them, one chasing one grain, rapidly taking root and sprouting, trapping all the blood particles.

These blood particles were forced to gather together again, re-forming into a single Blood Rat.

The bean seedlings grew rapidly, their roots piercing into the Blood Rat's body, sucking it dry, and bearing new bean pods.

Crack, crack, crack!

The bean pods burst open; the Captain retrieved the new yellow beans. Plant beans and get beans; he harvested over a hundred yellow beans.

The Inspector glanced at him and said, "Zhou Leizi, you rushed ahead again! Every time you make me clean up your mess."

Zhou Leizi chuckled happily, holding a small pouch of yellow beans, tossing one into his mouth, crunching loudly.

"Boss, have some too; it's very crispy and fragrant."

The Inspector shook his head: "I won't eat it; the food grown from the Blood Salt Curse is too salty." Saying this, he spat a mouthful of Fu Zhong Huo from his belly, burning the shriveled remains of the Blood Rat and the bean vines into ash.

Zhou Leizi shared them with his other colleagues.

"The grain produced by this 'Farming Method' is a good thing; eating it enhances cultivation."

The Inspector warned: "Do not eat too much! Beware of the evil curse reviving inside you! Zhou Leizi, you have already used the Farming Method twice tonight; you are not allowed to act again!"

"This subordinate understands," Zhou Leizi said. "Isn't it just that I was anxious? Lord Lu was also harmed, and the few young ones sent by the Nanshu Sect were so terrified they hid, leaving only a runner under their command behind in the yamen..."

The Inspector barked: "Zhou Leizi, if you keep spouting nonsense all day, I'll rip out your tongue!"

"I won't say it, I won't say it, okay?" Zhou Leizi grumbled, but finally muttered one more thing: "I said long ago, I don't trust those outsiders."

"Shut up!"

Zhou Leizi took a hit on the head and fell completely silent.

Then this squad of Purification Bureau Captains continued their patrol along the street.

Xu Yuan frowned; had news that the three of us were not at the Zhan Cheng Yamen tonight spread so quickly?

But the news that we discovered the shoeprints hidden beneath the bloodstains and the autopsy of Lu Qiuyang did not seem to have spread together?

"Is someone in the Zhan Cheng Yamen deliberately spreading unfavorable news about us?"

Xu Yuan stroked his chin, his gaze suddenly falling again on the backyard of "Yi Li He" outside the window.

Four sets of Purification Bureau official robes were found there, corresponding exactly to the four of us—could someone be trying to pin this black pot on us?

Xu Yuan's face wore a solemn expression.

Regarding Zhou Leizi's ordinary Captain's insolence, Xu Yuan actually held no grudge.

They were most likely just being manipulated, unconsciously.

But Xu Yuan's attitude toward Zhou Leizi was different from his attitude toward Lang Xiao Ba.

If Zhou Leizi happened to bump into him by chance, Xu Yuan would simply teach him: people need to accumulate virtue in their speech.

It was truly unnecessary to specially go and lecture him.

From this group, Xu Yuan also saw that the Purification Bureau of the Zhan Cheng Yamen still had some blood and spirit; after Lu Qiuyang was harmed, these people immediately began the night patrol.

This was risking their own lives just to drag out the evil curse that committed the crime.

Xu Yuan kept watch for two double-hours, witnessing various evil curses in Zhan Cheng.

Indeed, most understood the "rules"; for instance, a weasel from the other end of the street would lift its hind leg every other house along the way, dropping a single urine stain at each doorway.

It disturbed no one, nor did it urinate at every house.

But these evil curses obeyed these rules only out of necessity.

When the time came, Xu Yuan patted Seeing Fu Jingyu awake: "Your turn. I'll sleep for a while; don't wake Song Lu; I'll come to relieve you when the time is up."

Seeing Fu Jingyu nodded, thinking Xu Yuan was taking care of his junior sister.

Actually, Xu Yuan just didn't trust Song Lu; if this girl watched alone, and Xu Yuan and Seeing Fu Jingyu went next door to rest, she might be groggy and miss a clue... so the two of us would take turns, letting her rest properly.

Seeing Fu Jingyu didn't wake Xu Yuan later; Xu Yuan slept soundly on the bed, and Da Fu slept soundly under the bed until dawn.

"Those people didn't come?"

"They didn't come," Seeing Fu Jingyu replied, not complaining that they had stayed up all night for nothing.

Solving cases is just like this; one might make many efforts that are wasted, but many cases are cracked using methods similar to "building strong fortifications and fighting dull battles."

A divine detective having a sudden flash of insight, finding the most crucial part amidst tangled clues, then cleverly solving the case—that is the storybook in the mouths of storytellers in grand teahouses.

Seeing Fu Jingyu took out his pocket almanac and flipped through today's taboos:

Settling accounts, needlework, heavy makeup, opera singing.

Seeing these taboos, Xu Yuan secretly thought: The day for practicing Merchant Law is ruined.

For obscure arts like Merchant Law or Illegal Arts, which seem to always catch people off guard and trap them, one will encounter situations like this.

After all, it is not a proper Daoist technique.

On days like this, they are no different from ordinary people. If found by enemies, their deaths would be truly grievous.

Song Lu knocked and entered: "Why didn't you call me..."

Xu Yuan and the other two smiled but said nothing.

Song Lu slept through the night, yet still did not look well. Moreover, since heavy makeup was forbidden today, her face was plain and unadorned. Feeling she was not beautiful today, she tried to avoid her senior brother.

"Then I'll treat you both to breakfast," Song Lu said, yawning.

Xu Yuan, at least a conscientious superior, reminded: "Bring a portion for Yu Yunhang."

Although Beicheng is not as bustling as the south, all kinds of consumption here are of a higher class.

Breakfast cost Song Lu one tael of silver.

Xu Yuan felt quite pained, then remembered something: As this patrol inspector, what is my monthly salary?

I forgot to ask Ma Tianshou.

The three returned to the Zhan Cheng Office. Upon reaching the main gate, they saw Lang Xiao Ba following Yu Yunhang closely, not leaving his side for a single step!

Seeing the three, Lang Xiao Ba wore a grim face, took off his sword, and presented it with both hands before Xu Yuan: "If my lords still wish to shake me off today, then just cut off my head."

"If you do not kill me, Lord Zhu will not spare me either."

This case can be finished in these two days, and then Patrol Inspector Xu can formally take office with his team!

Backflip for monthly tickets!

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(End of this chapter)