Chapter 85: I

“Splash—”

The last bucket of water poured into the vat, the surface finally reaching just below the rim.

Xu Yuan wiped his sweat; Old Lady Ying nodded in satisfaction: “You’re a sensible boy.”

Xu Yuan glanced again at the courtyard: “Should I help you chop firewood too?”

“No need, Ah Hua can handle that.”

Ah Hua spread her legs, standing firm before a log, her stance solid, her waist and abdomen—maybe waist and abdomen—suddenly surged with power!

Her beak let out a “clack” and split the log cleanly in two.

Then she gave Da Fu a defiant stare.

Da Fu just stared straight ahead, ignoring her completely.

Huh? Stupid bird, trying to trick me into chopping wood for you? Not a chance.

Old Lady Ying sat down on the wooden stool in front of the house and asked: “Alright, what’s your business? Spit it out—wait much longer and it’ll be dark.”

Xu Yuan grinned: “You really can’t be fooled.”

“I’m not that old and senile yet.”

“I want to ask: who among the evil spirits in the mountains is Qiao Zia’ang colluding with?”

Old Lady Ying immediately replied: “How would I, an old woman, know such things…”

Xu Yuan just kept grinning at her.

Old Lady Ying changed her tune: “Even if I knew, an old woman like me couldn’t possibly interfere.”

“We’ll handle it,” Xu Yuan said. “The men who came back with me are all senior officers from the Purification Office.”

Old Lady Ying thought again, then said: “If I tell you this, the things in the mountains won’t spare me.”

This time Fu Jingyu spoke: “The Purification Office will protect you. If you’re willing, we can move you to the county seat and give you an annual stipend.”

This is a major case—once solved, the court won’t hesitate to reward silver.

Because the returns will far outweigh the cost!

Old Lady Ying stared only at Xu Yuan; she didn’t trust this stranger, this pampered young master.

Xu Yuan nodded.

Old Lady Ying then whispered: “There are four: the Sea Mouth Toad, the Snake Pole, the Locust Woman, and the Ghost Temple Idol. But I heard Qiao Lao Ye’s plans require the approval of those few on Guanghuo Street—yet his status isn’t high enough to reach them.”

“Guanghuo Street?”

“Guanghuo Street isn’t a good place—it doesn’t sell things meant for humans!”

Xu Yuan asked more about Guanghuo Street’s history, but Old Lady Ying knew little.

Finally, Xu Yuan asked: “How do I find the Locust Woman?”

Old Lady Ying gave him the route.

As dusk approached, Xu Yuan thanked Old Lady Ying and prepared to leave.

Da Fu refused to go, still locked in a staring contest with Ah Hua to see who blinked first.

Xu Yuan picked him up; just as they reached the door, Old Lady Ying suddenly called out: “My memory’s slipping—I almost forgot something.”

Xu Yuan turned back. Old Lady Ying shuffled close, trembling, and whispered into his ear: “There are still Qiao Zia’ang’s men in town—they’re…”

…

Back at Zhao’s Leather Shop, dinner was already ready—certainly not as good as his stepmother’s, but the Purification Office had ample funds, so the meals were substantial.

After dinner, Fu Jingyu, Yan Lao, Lu Zhengyan, and Xu Yuan gathered to discuss.

Fu Jingyu recounted the afternoon’s findings to the two elders, then asked Xu Yuan: “Your second target is the Locust Woman?”

“No, the Locust Woman is a malevolent spirit, not a person.” But the second person Xu Yuan truly wanted to question might not even count as human—he was the old mountain guide from Wangxiang Village.

“Still, we must find the Locust Woman. I heard her mention Guanghuo Street to Qiao Zia’ang.”

Xu Yuan was still weighing whether to visit the old mountain guide first or the Locust Woman.

“Do you have a way to deal with the Locust Woman?” Xu Yuan described her situation.

Yan Lao quickly calculated: “Roughly seventh-rank strength—but she has countless offspring, making her tricky to handle.”

Fu Jingyu said: “We do. My teacher brought the Doghead Guillotine—it’s hidden in my cart.”

Xu Yuan mapped out the route: “Then we go after the Locust Woman first, then to Wangxiang Village.”

…

As night fell, Yang, the widow at the southern end of the street, sighed softly—another slow day of business.

Suddenly, the half-closed door swung open. A fat man grinned slyly: “Missed me?”

…

Lord Qin and his men arrived just before dark. Ceng Si said: “My lord, I’ll send men to find lodging.”

Lord Qin pointed to the side: “No need—there’s your lodging.”

Everyone turned. A ruined temple stood on the wasteland.

But Ceng Si distinctly remembered—there had been nothing there moments ago!

“This…” Ceng Si’s blood ran cold: “Can we stay here?”

Lord Qin walked forward first: “Don’t worry—it’s perfectly safe.”

“But…” Ceng Si asked again: “Aren’t we meeting Lin Qi?”

“Lin Qi has another purpose.”

Now that they’d connected with the Ghost Temple Idol, there was no need to rush contact with Qiao Zia’ang’s useless remnants.

Besides, entering Qihetai with so many men might draw the Purification Office’s attention. Xu Yuan had lived in town—who knew if any of his old contacts were still watching?

But Lord Qin thought the waste could be repurposed—Lin Qi’s men made good blood offerings.

…

At first light, everyone at Zhao’s Leather Shop rose.

Xu Yuan was woken too; he glanced at the yellow calendar on the wall:

Today’s prohibitions: night travel, burial, mountain calling, earth-breaking.

Once all was ready, the group stepped out.

Outside Lin’s Sugar House, not a single person in the group so much as glanced their way.

Only after passing did Fu Jingyu ask: “Why not arrest him?”

Xu Yuan said: “Lin Qi is being kept for another purpose.”

The previous night, Old Lady Ying had told Xu Yuan: there were still Qiao Zia’ang’s men in town—she meant Lin Qi, the proprietor of Lin’s Sugar House.

The older a person gets, the more they know.

When the Yitingfang Inn was destroyed, Lin Qi saw the Pingtian Society’s strength and quietly lay low.

Fu Jingyu asked again: “No one assigned to watch him?”

“Someone’s watching.”

Fu Jingyu said no more.

…

Ceng Si woke with a shiver—he’d slept out in the wilds!

The small temple from last night was gone.

Ceng Si grew more suspicious: how had he fallen asleep so deeply after such a strange night?

Now he recalled—he’d “forgotten” to assign night watches, and everyone in the temple had skipped dinner, yawning and collapsing straight into sleep!

Lord Qin had also woken, his clothes neatly arranged, as if he’d never slept at all.

“Into the mountains,” Lord Qin ordered. “Eat some dried rations on the way.”

One of his men cried out: “Where are our horses?”

The cart horses were gone.

The cart was heavy—without horses, they’d never make two li before collapsing from exhaustion.

Lord Qin said calmly: “Leave the cart behind.”

Ceng Si was puzzled; he quietly pushed the cart—it was no longer heavy. The “cargo” inside was gone!

Ceng Si understood. He urged his men: “No more delays—move out.”

The group followed the road outside town, turning onto a path beside Meiren Dam.

Lord Qin led the way, as if he knew the terrain well.

Two more chapters tonight—launching at midnight. Public version gets one extra chapter.

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(End of Chapter)