Chapter 81: Resolution

Uncle Mao Si handed him a token, its wood unidentifiable but its patterns beautiful, heavy in the hand. A "Mao" character was inlaid with silver thread in the lower-left corner.

"On the road to Seven Grain Platform, you must pass through Miao Po Village. Find a man named Wang Laoshi; use this to exchange something from him."

Xu Yuan held the token, utterly baffled: "Exchange what?"

"You'll know when you get there." Uncle Mao Si was vague and refused to elaborate.

Xu Yuan nodded: "Alright, I've noted it, Mao Sishu."

"You must go." Uncle Mao Si reiterated the instruction.

Grandpa Shen, with a pipe in his mouth, looked impatient as he scolded the group: "The child isn't leaving home for the first time. Besides, it's just a trip to Seven Grain Platform. Look at the state you're all in!"

His seniority was high, so the three dared not retort.

Grandpa Shen snorted, flicked his hand, and tossed three patches of plaster from his sleeve: "I think it's unnecessary, but since they all gave some, if I don't give any to the kid, he might curse me in his heart. Take them..."

Uncle Mao Si's eyes went wide. You old thing, lecturing me! These three patches were prepared long ago, weren't they?

Tsk tsk, I coughed up blood twice while out there, and you only gave me one patch...

Aunt Wang's face, previously clouded with gloom, cleared up upon seeing the three patches.

Lin Wanmo struck a match to light Grandpa Shen's pipe: "Rest a while, old sir, smoke a pipe. Whatever you want to eat these days, I'll cook it and bring it to you."

Grandpa Shen smoked with a clear conscience, saying: "I need some nourishment lately."

"No problem, I'll stew a soft-shelled turtle for you..."

Xu Yuan waved goodbye: "I'm off then."

Just arriving at the inn where Ma Tianshou stayed, before he could even enter, he suddenly saw someone sneak out of the alley opposite, waving at him.

Xu Yuan walked over, puzzled: "Uncle Rong Kui, why didn't you come to my house to find me? What are you hiding here for..."

Uncle Rong Kui waved his hand; he cared about his face and was too embarrassed to say he was a bit afraid of the two tigers, old and young, in your alley.

"Let me ask you, are you planning to return to the town with the Evil-Dispelling Bureau?"

Xu Yuan grew alert: "How did you know?"

"We are the Demon-Extermination Army; we always get some useful news." Uncle Rong Kui gave a casual explanation, then urged: "Are you really going to abandon your Second Uncle? He is eagerly awaiting his nephew's arrival to reunite in Zhenla..."

"I am still considering." Xu Yuan told no lie; he leaned toward joining the Evil-Dispelling Bureau but had not yet accepted Lord Ma's invitation.

Uncle Rong Kui gritted his teeth: "I'll go back with you..."

"You?" Xu Yuan was puzzled, eyeing the fat man.

"Oh ho, you look down on me now? My popularity in town is better than yours!" Uncle Rong Kui furrowed his brows and glared.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said: "If you go, you could serve as a hidden agent; that would be quite good."

"Good, let's maintain contact in secret."

Having agreed, Uncle Rong Kui once again sneaked into the alley and vanished.

In front of the Evil-Dispelling Bureau, this fat man always felt somewhat unworthy of the stage.

Xu Yuan turned and entered the inn, first going to pay respects to the old lord.

Before departure, Ma Tianshou still had matters to instruct Xu Yuan on, and Xu Yuan also had some concerns he wished to discuss with the old lord.

After about two quarters of an hour, Ma Tianshou finally waved his hand and said: "Alright, you may go. Fu Jingyu and the others are ready and waiting for you downstairs."

Stepping out and seeing Fu Jingyu again, Xu Yuan was startled: "What's wrong with you... did you encounter a female ghost last night?"

Fu Jingyu weakly refuted: "Do not speak nonsense."

Young Master Fu was utterly listless, his eyes dull and his complexion sallow.

"What exactly happened?"

"Last night at Iron Gate Fortress," Fu Jingyu said, "a great chaos broke out."

"That shouldn't be; the night before last was when the most strange transformations occurred."

"Did you forget? Yesterday was the Ban on Gazing at the Moon. Originally, only two among the refugees transformed last night, but one of them terrified dozens of people. These people ran wildly out of the barracks, looked up..."

Xu Yuan understood.

"Fortunately, Inspector Xiang was there last night. If it had been just the two of us like the night before, we恐怕 couldn't have contained it." Fu Jingyu shook his head repeatedly.

This trip to Seven Grain Platform Town was led by Fu Jingyu, accompanied by Old Yan, plus thirty Captains, and an old man.

For some reason, Song Lu did not come.

Xu Yuan drew some funds from Fu Jingyu to purchase some items that could be used during the investigation.

Naturally, Xu Yuan could not spend his own money on case matters.

Fu Jingyu gave the money; seeing his condition was truly too poor, Xu Yuan said: "Why don't you rest a bit?"

"No need, I'll sleep on the road."

"How can one sleep on the road..."

But Young Master Fu insisted on accompanying Xu Yuan to finish buying the items—expenditures from the yamen's treasury must have supervision.

This was the rule.

It had nothing to do with whether Fu Jingyu trusted Xu Yuan; he simply had to comply.

With all preparations complete, the column exited the East Gate and traveled along the official road toward the town.

Xu Yuan still lacked experience; the world of great noble families was sharply stratified compared to the world he knew.

Fu Jingyu slept in the carriage the entire way.

This was a new-style carriage crafted by the New Artisans, incorporating techniques from the Green-Eyed Yi.

Although not an artifact of Artisan Cultivation, it was extremely smooth throughout the journey.

Inside the carriage, it was not only very quiet but also lined with soft cotton pads and sable fur mats; Fu Jingyu slept soundly the whole way.

Xu Yuan quietly asked the driver how much this carriage cost?

The answer he received made Xu Yuan recall that night on Qihetai, when he told Erliang that the silver hooks on the Holy Maiden's palanquin cost sixty taels.

At this moment, he was exactly like Erliang back then.

……

No sooner had the Quhuai Office's party left the city than a guest at a teahawk inside the gate drained his tea, casually glanced toward the city archway where the tailing men stood, confirmed they were not watching him, then rose, dropped a few copper coins, and strolled away.

Not long after, he arrived at the second floor of an inn, knocked, entered, and reported to a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy merchant: "My lord, the Quhuai Office has left the city."

My lord nodded: "Go notify everyone—we must act now."

"Yes."

After the man left, My lord pulled from his robe a singing insect box—ivory inlaid with tortoiseshell, its side carved with swirling patterns, the work of "Box Zhang" of the old northern capital.

Inside, the insect was glossy emerald-green, remarkably sentient.

A bright, uplifting chirp rang out.

My lord closed his eyes and listened for a moment, then sighed softly. Suddenly, he reached beneath the bed and pulled out a small earthen jar. From it emerged a grotesque, malevolent insect that darted into the box, bit the singing insect cleanly in two, then crunched it to nothing!

My lord was heartbroken, his face twitching uncontrollably as he turned away, unable to watch.

This was his finest insect—but the task ahead demanded absolute resolve!

So he extended his finger into the box.

The malevolent insect climbed up his finger, then suddenly burrowed beneath the skin of his palm, slithering through his veins until it settled deep within his heart, falling dormant.

Insomnia for no reason, didn't sleep a wink all night, I'm falling apart...

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(End of this chapter)