Chapter 82: Not a Good Person

As for the one surnamed Zhang, Qin Zhanhong said little, and Chen Wuji naturally asked little.

But he knew that Qin Zhanhong was talking about Inspector Zhang.

Could it be that the Imperial City Department has come to this remote Yunan this time to investigate Inspector Zhang?

Chen Wuji stood under the eaves, squinting to adjust to the outside light and shadow, then lifted his leg and walked out.

Whether he's surnamed Zhang or Lu, it has little to do with him.

In the future they will certainly have no intersection; such a high-ranking official is beyond his reach.

Chen Wuji is now truly happy that his big trouble has become a scandalous trouble.

As for the rest, it doesn't matter.

Duan Yingxiong walked over and returned Chen Wuji's knife‑bow and prey to him.

"We've stripped the skin off the weasel for you; the meat is basically dry," Duan Yingxiong said.

"Thanks!" Chen Wuji said, but he guessed that this weasel was useless.

Xu Zengyi wants it fresh.

"Let's go. Exit the gate, turn right into the city, turn left toward your village. By the way, we've already informed your family, so no need to worry; you just need to find a reason and tell the lady why the Court summoned you." Duan Yingxiong said.

After many days of observation, he had reason to suspect that Lord Qin was not interrogating the young hunter, but was probing.

Whether the young hunter is being tormented by Lord Qin in this way, or they are playing some new thing, as long as this connection exists, Duan Yingxiong doesn't mind giving Chen Wuji a good deal.

"Thanks!" Chen Wuji sincerely said thanks again.

With his words, the worries of many days instantly fell away.

Otherwise, after six days of his silence, Huo Sanniang and Shen Youwei would have been worrying to no end.

With no lingering concerns, Chen Wuji was no longer in a hurry to return to the village immediately.

He could first carry out the things he had previously planned.

After bowing his hand to Duan Yingxiong, Chen Wuji left the grand courtyard, turned right, and headed toward the city.

Yuan Laoer's brother was hanged, and Qin Zhanhong didn't intend to kill him; everything suddenly turned pleasant, making Chen Wuji feel his walking became light without noticing.

Sanlipu, as the name suggests, is only three li from Yunan City; a leisurely stroll took only a short while to arrive.

Compared with a few days ago, the refugees outside the city had noticeably increased.

The local government and the local gentry erected a porridge stall, distributing porridge to disaster victims.

If the Court can take such action, the refugees should not turn into bandit refugees in a short time.

When Chen Wuji passed by, he instantly spotted Inspector Zhang in the crowd.

He was personally overseeing the porridge distribution, surrounded by a large circle of people.

Chen Wuji didn't understand the official ranks represented by the Dayu Dynasty's uniforms, but unsurprisingly these people were likely officials of the Xianya.

To Chen Wuji's surprise, he also saw Zhang Xiuer.

The little girl was wielding a large iron ladle, guarding a big cauldron, personally serving porridge to the disaster victims.

The censor oversaw the porridge distribution, and the censor's daughter personally handled the ladle.

If this were to spread, it would likely become a celebrated story.

Inspector Zhang could now add a vivid brushstroke to his political achievements.

Chen Wuji glanced quickly, then bypassed the crowded porridge stall and entered the city gate.

The large number of refugees outside the city made the inner defenses noticeably stricter.

The long‑neglected Fangcheng Warehouse had been rebuilt; regardless of whether it contained armor or weapons, provincial troops now filled the surroundings. The horse‑head battlements and war shelters on the city walls were all erected, giving the appearance of facing a great enemy.

Yet the interior of the city was visibly desolate.

The townsfolk who once set up stalls selling small snacks were now almost nowhere to be seen.

Chen Wuji walked and looked around, randomly picking a shop called Cao PoPo Meat Pie and went inside.

After six days and four meals, all of which were thin white rice porridge with more broth than rice, he was starving to the point his chest stuck to his back; he asked the shopkeeper for three meat pies and a bowl of soup, and Chen Wuji squatted at the doorway and started to devour.

The Dayu Dynasty's common folk conducting business are a bit wooden‑headed.

Even though they provide broth, they are unwilling to set up tables and chairs; diners who buy food can only squat at the doorway, eating while watching passersby amid the dust.

Three pies and a bowl of meat broth in his stomach finally eased the hunger.

Chen Wuji patted his belly, returned the bowl to the shopkeeper, and headed to East Market.

Xu Zengyi's Coffin Shop was bustling today, with a large crowd gathered at the entrance.

Chen Wuji listened briefly and realized these people were all there to pull coffins.

The deceased's families were mostly killed by refugees.

Chaos inevitably brings death; it cannot be avoided.

Chen Wuji watched the people ahead leave, lifted his leg, and entered the Coffin Shop.

Xu Zengyi, whose complexion remained gaunt but whose color had improved considerably compared to a few days earlier, was haggling with a family over payment: a thin coffin costs two taels of silver, but the household couldn't produce it and kept stalling Xu Zengyi.

"At most I can give you another hundred wen; if I go any cheaper, I might as well give it away for free. For something this big, I need two or three days, plus the cost of wood—do you think I'm making a lot of profit?" Xu Zengyi said to the people, and when he saw Chen Wuji entering, he waved from afar, raised his hand, and gestured for Chen Wuji to sit aside for a while.

"Then give us one! Our family is truly too poor, shopkeeper, doing a good deed is better than building a Seven-level Pagoda; you'll receive good karma. Thank you, thank you…"

The family suddenly started climbing up the ladder.

A few people chattered, begging Xu Zengyi to give them a coffin for free.

Xu Zengyi's already grim, sullen face turned as still as a dead pool, "Get out! I'm not selling to you, hurry up and leave. Your mother's— you don't understand a word of human speech. I've already given you a four‑hundred‑wen discount, and you still want me to give it away? If you can't afford it, wrap it in a mat and get out!"

After the tirade, Xu Zengyi stopped paying attention to that family, walked up to Chen Wuji, and said, "I thought you wouldn't come, you've made us anxious."

"This thing is hard to catch. A few days ago we finally snagged two, but they ran into the refugees; I've stripped the skins, but the meat is basically dry. See if you can use it," Chen Wuji said.

"It works, works very well. You stripped it, saving me the trouble of processing—better." Xu Zengyi glanced over, then nodded approvingly.

In front of Chen Wuji, he cut a piece of broken silver, "Seven Qian, I'll add a bit; you'll also be more burdened—find time to run into the mountains more often. The previous stock is used up, and I can't hold these two for many days."

"This money is a bit hot to handle; I've been running diligently, but this thing depends on luck." Chen Wuji said with a smile, such a steady business he also wanted to find a few more, ideally a few each day, but it's not something you can just run into often.

Xu Zengyi gave a sinister, gloomy laugh and said, "You've gone to a lot of trouble."

Chen Wuji nodded, took the Silver, "Shopkeeper Xu, you should smile more, not just occasionally; when you suddenly grin like that, it's pretty scary."

It's really too sinister.

With that look, no makeup needed—could go straight into an escape room as an NPC.

Just smile a bit more, and you'd totally dominate the escape room, becoming players' nightmare.

Xu Zengyi's face darkened: "I just gave you extra money, and you can't say a couple nice words?"

Chen Wuji chuckled, "Then I'll be off; next time I'll bring you nicer words—I've already said what I had to say today, and even if I switched to nicer ones, you'd still find them unpleasant."

Xu Zengyi shook his head, muttering grudgingly, "Not exactly a good person either."