Chapter 273: The Barber and the Old Black Dog

Xu Yuan reminded Ma Tianshou in the letter: Zhan Cheng needs a top-tier great cultivator to station there.

Don't let it happen like last time in Shanhe County, where the prestigious Purification Bureau thought it was fully prepared, only to be nearly wiped out by Chen Liangxuan's gang!

It all relied on Xu Yuan to turn the tide.

Xu Yuan was also very worried about his own safety.

As Fu Jingyu went to deliver the letter, Song Lu stood up: "Brother Jingyu, I'll go with you; I haven't seen Fifth Aunt in a long time, and I can drop by to see her on the way."

Fu Jingyu then looked at Xu Yuan.

Young Lady Song still had not the slightest awareness of being an official.

Fu Jingyu had been ordered to deliver a letter to Luocheng.

And Song Lu's excuse was to go back and visit relatives.

But... Young Lady Song had obviously forgotten she was on duty.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded: "You two go together; it's good to have someone to look out for each other on the road."

Song Lu immediately smiled brightly, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Song Lu now thought Xu Yuan was a very good person; in the future, I'll let my first child with Brother Jingyu call him godfather!

He let them go together because Xu Yuan considered that if Ma Tianshou wanted to protect them, he would keep them in Luocheng.

Xu Yuan also did not want them two to be innocently dragged into it.

Their status as children of great surnames, if they stayed in Luocheng, should not lead to any major trouble.

Fu Jingyu and Song Lu simply packed up, went out to mount their horses, and only after reaching the Beicheng Gate did they crack their whips and gallop away.

As the two left the city, on the other side of the gate, a barber with a carrying pole on his shoulder led an old black dog and queued to enter the city.

The barber was over sixty, with sparse, graying hair and a face etched with wind, frost, and sorrow.

He wore a gray cloth gown, washed many times, with frayed cuffs and hem.

Around his waist was an apron whose original color was no longer visible.

One side of the barber's pole held various tools: razors, combs, lice combs, basins, towels, and so on.

The other side held a stove, a kettle, a stool, and such things.

The pole was not light; the shoulder pole rose and fell on the barber's shoulder, trembling unsteadily.

The old black dog was listless, its skin on the face drooping, wagging its tail lightly as it followed behind its master.

After entering the city and weaving through streets and alleys, the barber held up a "child-caller" that made a clanging sound to start soliciting business.

Before long, business came knocking.

The barber set down his pole and began work.

The old black dog curled up and buried its head, dozing by the wall root nearby.

Two hundred years ago, there was simply no such trade as barber.

Hair and skin are received from one's parents; except for monks, Taoists, and prisoners, ordinary people basically did not shave their heads.

But as the Ming Dynasty conquered more and more land, some places had the custom of shaving heads, and gradually it was allowed.

For example, during the scorching summer, keeping long hair was indeed too hot, and for ordinary people working, long hair was indeed inconvenient.

Barbers traveled north and south, saw much and knew much, were very talkative, and chatted with customers while working.

Soon, they learned all the major events happening in the city in recent days with perfect clarity.

For instance, yesterday Shanhe made a huge fuss and arrested people in the eastern city.

They said that thief had such boldness as to dare steal from the Canal Office.

After finishing the work, the barber carried his pole and left again.

The old black dog stood up, shook itself, and slowly followed.

Arriving at a quiet, sparsely populated alley, the barber suddenly spoke: "Shanhe arrested people and made a huge fuss all over the city."

The old black dog said discontentedly: "Miao Yu is an idiot!"

The barber asked: "What shall we do?"

"First go to Shanhe, arrest someone for interrogation, and get a general understanding of the situation."

"I'll follow your lead."

Ordinary people feared Shanhe like snakes and scorpions, but this one man and one dog showed not the slightest hesitation.

The barber carried his pole to the vicinity of the Shanhe Office, circled a few times in the alleys, and then fixed his gaze on three people.

One Inspector accompanied by two Captains.

The barber asked: "Just them?"

The old black dog stared at the three, shook its head, and said: "Their ranks are too low; we won't probe out any useful clues."

The one man and one dog waited a while longer.

Two people walked out of the main gate; the one man and one dog exchanged a glance—just them.

Wu Qingzhao walked while scolding the Inspector behind her: "This time, we cannot make another mistake!"

The Inspector hurriedly replied: "That is why this subordinate did not dare to report directly to my lord the Lawmaster; I first asked my lord you to take a look."

As the two passed the entrance of an alley, suddenly a dog bark came from inside:

"Woof, woof-woof—"

The two people's eyes immediately went blank.

Their pupils turned horizontal, just like a sheep's.

Following the old black dog's bark, the two people, like sheep, obediently and quietly were herded into the alley.

Just like sheep being herded into a sheepfold.

The old black dog was a "herding dog."

The "Law" of this sect carries a terrible cost—other dark arts turn others into beasts, but this one requires first turning oneself into a dog.

Under the urging of the old black dog, Wu Qingzhao sat obediently on the stool.

The barber had sharpened his razor and began shaving Wu Qingzhao's head.

The razor began at the crown of the scalp and pulled backward in one stroke.

The entire scalp was slit open.

Then the barber opened Wu Qingzhao's skullcap and carefully examined the brain inside.

He could see Wu Qingzhao's memories directly from within the brain.

After a moment, the barber finished his inspection, replaced the skullcap, and stitched the scalp shut.

Throughout the entire process, Wu Qingzhao did not shed a single drop of blood.

"Woof! Woof!" The old black dog barked twice, and Wu Qingzhao rose obediently, yielding the stool.

The old black dog barked twice at the Inspector, and this time it was the Inspector who sat down.

The barber repeated the procedure, verifying the information he had seen in Wu Qingzhao's brain.

When all was done, the old black dog barked three times at the two men, and Wu Qingzhao and the Inspector walked out of the alley.

They became two walking corpses.

Mechanically, each returned home, ignoring questions from their families, lying down on their beds and falling asleep.

This sleep would never end.

The barber and the old black dog emerged from the other end of the alley.

As the old black dog walked, it said: "There's one of our seventh-rank watchers stationed at the warehouse—it's clearly not the Five Ghosts' Transport Method."

"What other methods could accomplish this?"

"Many," said the old black dog. "First, let's visit the homes of those wealthy merchants."

Several hours later, the old black dog was exhausted, panting with its tongue out, and collapsed on the ground to rest.

The seventh-rank guards were not strong individually, but there were too many of them.

The old black dog was aged, and continuous spellcasting placed an extreme burden on it.

The barber took several pills from his satchel and fed them to the old black dog; once it had caught its breath, he said: "Everyone dreamed."

"It was a Dream Mantis," the old black dog said with certainty.

None of the guards reported to Shanhe Si that they had dreamed that night.

In their dreams, they had opened the storehouse and carried out the silver inside.

If they spoke of it, they might be accused of embezzlement.

Their employers would force them to repay the losses.

Shanhe Si's attention was focused on the Canal Office; they merely questioned the guards briefly, without directly examining their souls as they would with criminals.

The barber smiled: "To find those Dream Mantises, you'll have to lead us."

The Shepherd Dog twitched its nose: "It's been two days—can I still smell them?"

"You won't fail."

(End of Chapter)