Chapter 256: Passing the Three Trials (Begging for Monthly Votes)

Shi Bading first received a report from the common people: someone was "summoning souls" in the street!

He was unhurried.

Afterwards, he heard that the attacked squad was wearing the official robes of the Purification Bureau.

He remained calm and collected.

But then he suddenly remembered: Brother Xu had just left the office; who else could it be but him?

He immediately began to run, scolding his subordinates: "Hurry up, all of you! Are you two-hundred-pound old pigs, moving so slowly? If anything happens to my brother, I'll beat you to death!"

After seeing Shi Bading, Xu Yuan suddenly felt a stir in his heart and smiled: "It's not too late, Brother Shi; you've arrived at just the right time."

Xu Yuan quietly pulled Shi Bading aside and asked in a low voice: "A scion of a great surname has been hiding in the shadows, repeatedly striking out in an attempt to kill me. How should I respond?"

If Qu Jinpeng were still here, Xu Yuan would ask Qu Jinpeng.

But Qu Jinpeng has returned to Luo City.

Among Xu Yuan's subordinates, the one most familiar with official matters is Fu Jingyu.

However, given the Young Master Fu's personality, expecting him to offer advice that is somewhat "unconventional"... is clearly impossible.

And as for Di Youzhi, Yu Yunhang, and the others, their vision is still one level lower.

Shi Bading frowned: "Younger brother... speak clearly, and I'll offer some counsel."

Xu Yuan then simply used his finger to write the character "Fu" on the table beside the two of them.

Shi Bading immediately understood: Lady Fu Shuanghui was dead, and the Shanhe Bureau was in the wrong, so for the time being, they dared not make any moves.

But someone in the Fu family could not swallow this insult.

Shi Bading thought for a moment, then said: "Seek help from Lord Wen Bin."

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up: "Brother, you are a living Zhuge Liang."

Shi Bading laughed: "I am merely a stone cobbler, hahaha."

Xu Yuan returned to the Nancheng patrol station, immediately wrote a letter to Lord Wen of Shunhua City, and then sent it off with a messenger on a fast horse.

The Blood Salt Evil, and today's forbidden soul-summoning—these are all heinous crimes.

Especially that Blood Salt Evil; that is a crime of such magnitude it wiped out an entire village.

Men of the pure stream like Wen Bin most enjoy "avenging wrongs" for others.

Xu Yuan also specifically noted in his heart that although not a single soul in that village survived, the victims still had many relatives in the surrounding villages.

If Your Lordship avenges them, there will be no shortage of people praising your achievements.

When Lord Wen last came to Zhan City to investigate a case, he escaped from evil spirits twice; Xu Yuan did not believe he drove the evil spirits away merely by "his own uprightness."

There must be a high-level cultivator secretly protecting Lord Wen.

As soon as the letter was sent, Di Youzhi returned, exclaiming excitedly: "My Lord, we have found three locations!"

Lady Fu Shuanghui's assets within Zhan City certainly number more than just these three.

Moreover, truly valuable assets would never be registered under Lady Fu Shuanghui's name.

But within a short time, only these three could be found.

Xu Yuan took the list Di Youzhi had drawn up and glanced at it; these were three properties, one outside the city and two inside.

"Take some men to check them out; be careful."

"Yes."

Xu Yuan did not intend to go himself.

Since he had decided to invite Wen Bin, he would just wait a little longer.

There was no need for him to appear frequently, giving Fu Chongjiu a chance to set an ambush for him.

Di Youzhi, however, was full of energy and led Zhou Leizi and the rest of the subordinates away.

A few hours later, Di Youzhi returned, dejected.

Nothing was found at the three locations.

However, in one of the manors located in the northern part of the city, a large amount of treasure was hidden.

Di Youzhi and his subordinates each took some... though they dared not take too much.

Xu Yuan was not surprised; Fu Chongjiu's target was himself, and regardless of whether he was secretly watching, as long as Xu Yuan did not appear, he would not strike.

He had no one left to rely on; he had only one chance.

Before nightfall, Qin Ze returned, covered in dust and travel-worn.

Upon entering the yamen, he went straight to Xu Yuan's room: "My Lord, I have made some strange discoveries."

"Sit and speak." Xu Yuan personally poured Qin Ze a cup of tea: "Moisten your throat."

Qin Ze was overwhelmed with gratitude, received the cup with both hands, and drank it all in one breath.

"There are large snakes appearing around Zhou Family Market!"

"We encountered three 'road-blocking snakes' just outside the town; each was as thick as an arm and more than half a zhang long!"

"After entering the town, we met a group of children who had caught several small green snakes to play with."

"When we left, we saw a group of snakes moving in a formation up the hillside to the west of the town."

"Your subordinate followed them up to take a look and found several large trees on the hillside that had been struck by lightning fire, now completely charred black."

As Xu Yuan listened, his brows furrowed: "This is... Passing the Three Trials?"

Qin Ze said: "Your subordinate also believes it is so."

Xu Yuan nodded slowly.

Folklore says that for a snake to become a powerful spirit, it must "Pass the Three Trials."

The first trial is the Children's Trial, where it is caught and played with by children.

Rustic urchins know nothing of the depth or danger; after catching a snake, they torment it in various ways: throwing it, smashing it with stones, burning it with fire, and so on.

To survive from the hands of children counts as passing the first trial, the "Child Trial."

If one fails and dies in the hands of children, then all is lost.

The second trial is the Chariot Wheel Trial; this snake must lie horizontally across the road to be run over by the wheels of passing carriages.

Often, it is crushed directly into two segments in a single pass.

Thus, the snake cannot live, and its journey ends at this trial.

If it is crushed but does not die, then it has passed this second trial.

Then it must endure the third trial, the "Thunderbolt Trial."

Only if it survives a thunderbolt strike without dying does the snake truly possess cultivation.

However, this "Passing Three Trials" differs from transforming into a dragon.

Each trial is a brush with life and death, yet a snake that passes the three trials merely becomes a type of demon.

In this current era, it would be considered a member of the evil spirits.

There remains a very long distance to truly transform into a dragon.

But Fu Chongjiu cultivates the "Dragon Transformation Method"; after he arrived, many snakes in Zhou Family Market began "Passing Three Trials," making it hard not to connect the two.

Qin Ze said, "Could it be that Fu Chongjiu, like Lady Fu Shuanghui, wishes to consume his own kind to advance? So he used some method to make the snakes near Zhou Family Market begin Passing Three Trials together?"

He further speculated, "And that evil spirit the people of Zhou Family Market bought from the Fishing Gang—could it not be a water snake or the like?"

Xu Yuan pondered; originally, before Wen Bin arrived, he had been hiding in the Nancheng Patrol Station.

But now...

After weighing his words, Xu Yuan said, "You go rest first; tomorrow we will go to Zhou Family Market together to take a look."

"Yes."

After Qin Ze withdrew, Xu Yuan went to find his stepmother.

"Make me a shadow puppet."

Lin Wanmo did not ask what he intended to do but agreed immediately: "Very well."

The next day, Qin Ze rose early and checked today's almanac:

Forbidden: Announcing to Heaven, Burial, Gluttony, Digging the Earth.

Then he waited for my lord to set out for Zhou Family Market.

Yet for some reason today, my lord slept an extra half-hour.

Afterwards, Xu Yuan went out to summon everyone: "Qin Ze, Di Youzhi, take the brothers and follow the official to Zhou Family Market."

The two received the order and immediately went to assemble the men.

Soon, two groups were fully assembled, each carrying a sidearm and a firelock.

Xu Yuan mounted his horse: "Set out."

The two groups left the Nancheng Patrol Station and traveled northward.

After they departed, another person, wearing a wide-brimmed hat pressed very low to conceal his face, quietly exited through the back door.

(End of this chapter)