Chapter 49: Shen Daye

“Enough, enough!” Xu Yuan grumbled. “Stop acting—I’ll eat it, alright?”

He muttered under his breath: “Today’s a day of sacrificial prohibition, but crying before my father’s spirit tablet counts as sacrifice.”

The stepmother immediately snapped out of her act, shoving the jars and bottles toward Xu Yuan: “Here.”

Where was the slightest trace of grief on her face?

Xu Yuan sighed in resignation, picked up the ghostly spirit first, and began refining it into an external elixir.

…

In the darkness, an old man in his fifties leaned against the wall beneath an eave in the alley.

He had been there long before, but a veil of darkness seemed to cloak him; Old Qian, carrying jars and bottles on his back, walked past without noticing a man standing right beside him.

The old man witnessed Old Qian’s murder in its entirety.

When the three gunshots rang out, the old man was momentarily startled, then a flicker of admiration passed through his eyes.

After the affair ended, the old man made no move.

He waited a while longer, until all the eerie presences lurking in the darkness had retreated, then stepped out, glanced at Xu Yuan’s courtyard, and turned to leave the alley.

But as he passed the neighboring hut, the pitch-black room suddenly emitted a soft cough, then a light flared to life.

Shen Daye’s voice came from within: “Would the esteemed official care to come in for a chat?”

Shen Daye sold dog-skin plasters; the air inside and outside his room carried a faint medicinal scent.

The old man wore a uniform similar to Fu Jingyu’s, but his sleeves bore no cloud patterns—instead, a divine bird, the Zhuque, was embroidered on his chest.

At Shen Daye’s voice, the old man realized: “So it was you who caught Jingyu.”

Shen Daye denied it: “I merely invite the official in for a word—will you grant me this courtesy?”

If you refuse this courtesy, it means you’re declaring eternal enmity with He Gong Alley—and then you’d better start making preparations.

He Gong Alley is unusual, but the Cleansing Office is a colossal force!

After a brief pause, the old man stepped cheerfully into the room.

Shen Daye, wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded jacket, hunched over at the table, grinned with a gap-toothed smile: “You’ve got guts, sir. May I ask your name?”

“Ma Tianshou. What’s your honorable surname, elder brother?”

Shen Daye thought a moment, then said: “Deputy Commander of the Cleansing Office’s Jiaozhi South Bureau? Such a lofty position—why come to this tiny Shanhe County?”

Ma Tianshou asked again: “What’s your honorable surname, elder brother?”

“Don’t call me honorable—I’m just an old man named Shen; I’ve forgotten my given name.”

Ma Tianshou pondered, then said: “Are you a descendant of Shen Yongji?”

Shen Daye’s smile vanished: “That was my father. Are you truly here for us?”

Ma Tianshou shook his head: “No. But I’ve unexpectedly found a promising talent.”

“Boy or girl?”

“Boy,” Ma Tianshou said. “Xu Yuan.”

Shen Daye frowned, forcing patience: “We’ve long been forgotten by the court. Why dredge up that old matter? It brings you no benefit—only resentment from certain high-ranking officials.”

Ma Tianshou shook his head again: “I’m not digging up the past. This boy suits me perfectly—he’s born for the Cleansing Office. If I let him slip away, I’d regret it.”

Shen Daye misunderstood: “Then name your price—what will it take to let Xu Yuan go?”

Ma Tianshou chuckled softly, waving his hand: “Elder brother, you’re too suspicious. But then again, if I were you, I’d do the same.”

After a moment’s thought, he added: “How about this—let Xu Yuan choose for himself. What do you say?”

“This…” Shen Daye muttered inwardly—could this official truly be sincere?

“That’s all I have to say,” Ma Tianshou rose to leave, his gaze sweeping the room and landing on several wine bottles beneath the bed. “Next time I come, I’ll bring you some wine—we can drink and talk.”

Shen Daye said nothing, seeing Ma Tianshou out.

If he comes again, Xu Yuan will already be in the Cleansing Office.

But Shen Daye refused to accept this outcome.

Ma Tianshou stepped outside, about to bid farewell to Shen Daye, but had barely turned when the door slammed shut with a bang.

The old man was displeased.

Ma Tianshou chuckled softly, shook his head, and walked off with his hands behind his back.

He strolled leisurely until he reached the alley’s mouth, then finally relaxed—his back instantly drenched in cold sweat!

That Shen elder was unfathomably deep!

Ma Tianshou had watched Old Qian without being noticed because his cultivation level far surpassed Old Qian’s.

Yet Shen Daye had watched Ma Tianshou just as closely the entire time!

When Shen Daye coughed and lit the candle, Ma Tianshou appeared calm—but his scalp prickled and his eyelids twitched.

“Still,” Ma Tianshou thought inwardly, “everyone in this alley seems off. This Shen elder’s body appears frail—likely nearing the end of his days…”

As Ma Tianshou stepped out, a shadow at the alley’s mouth rippled like water—two Cleansing Office Captains emerged from darkness, carrying a plain sedan.

Ma Tianshou stepped inside and ordered: “Return.”

The two “sedan bearers” moved with swift strides, soon arriving at the county yamen.

The yamen’s gates were tightly shut at night.

Yet the entire courtyard seemed shrouded in a red glow—hidden evils roaming the city dared not approach, fearful of its power.

The back courtyard was where the County Magistrate lived, but he was an outsider, arriving with only four servants and one page.

He took a concubine locally, so he didn’t need the entire back courtyard.

When the Cleansing Office arrived, half the space was vacated for them.

But Ma Tianshou never showed himself—the Magistrate still believed the Cleansing Office was led by Third-Class Captain Fu Jingyu.

Had he known Ma Tianshou had come, he wouldn’t have sought out that old man—he’d have fawned over Ma Tianshou instead.

That old man had retired; Ma Tianshou’s power in Jiaozhi Province was at its zenith.

Fu Jingyu greeted him: “Master.”

His eyes were red, his eyelids swollen—somewhat comical, yet he still stood rigidly upright.

Ma Tianshou nodded and walked straight in. Yan Lao, who had refined the “Algorithm,” waited inside and rose to greet him: “Commander.”

“Sit,” Ma Tianshou gestured lightly.

Song Lu served a cup of hot tea; Ma Tianshou sipped it, then said: “It’s Chen Liangxuan, without doubt.”

“It really is him!” Song Lu exclaimed. “This is a big fish!”

“Today I leaked some false information deliberately. Tonight, someone went to He Gong Alley to capture Xu Yuan and Lin Wanmo—it was ‘Ghost Ding Qian.’ In Nanjing, he was always the one who handled his dirty work.”

The news that Fu Jingyu and Song Lu had gone to He Gong Alley had been deliberately leaked to Grandmaster Chen Liangxuan.

So Chen Liangxuan knew two people had gone—but didn’t know Fu Jingyu had been humiliated.

The yamen runner who escorted them was a servant of a local wealthy family.

That’s how the information was leaked.

The Cleansing Office’s appearance gave Chen Liangxuan a sense of urgency.

Otherwise, he might have sent someone to secretly observe Xu Yuan for a while.

Even if he decided to act immediately, he’d have dispatched stronger cultivators.

“Go to He Gong Alley again tomorrow—this way, and this way…” Ma Tianshou gave detailed instructions; Fu Jingyu nodded, memorizing every word.

Ma Tianshou added: “Yan Lao, assist Jingyu these days.”

“Your servant obeys.”

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(End of Chapter)