Chapter 102: Traveling by Boat on Land

Commander Jing's expression shifted slightly.

The fact that Lu Xingzhou was an official of the Yama Hall had not yet spread; what people currently knew was his identity as a guest elder of the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect and his rank of thirty-eight on the list of rising alchemy masters, which counted as a certain degree of fame.

Regarding the Eastern Jiang Demon Case from two months ago, since Lu Xingzhou had been acting in disguise at the time, his heavily significant role in it was not well known.

But within the Demon Suppression Bureau system, at least they knew a few more details than others; at the very least, the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect's presence after the destruction of the Burning Incense Tower was too high, so anyone in the Demon Suppression Bureau system could figure out with their buttocks that the Heaven Traveling Sword Sect must have been a main player in the demon case.

Commander Jing indeed thought of these things immediately, staring tightly at Lu Xingzhou: "The Eastern Jiang Demon Case isn't as simple as it appears on the surface, is it?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed helplessly: "The governor was a demon in human form, and more than half of the officials in the prefecture were demons."

Commander Jing was stunned: "You tell me this so directly?"

"Within the bureaucratic system, one dare not recklessly expose things, but you are different."

"What makes me different?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Sheng Yuanyao's performance in the Eastern Jiang incident and your performance regarding the Dream Return City case... are quite similar. We are all people who seek truth and justice; it's just that the Eastern Jiang matter wasn't suppressed and unsolvable, but rather a matter of the explanation after the resolution, so Sheng Yuanyao wasn't that intense. After arriving here and hearing about your situation, I thought: if Sheng Yuanyao encountered a situation like yours that couldn't be resolved, would she make the same choice as you?"

Commander Jing was somewhat surprised: "The young lady of the Sheng family?"

"Yes." Lu Xingzhou raised his bowl in respect: "This Great Qian is rotten to the core; the only reason I feel it hasn't rotted completely is because people like Sheng Yuanyao and you still exist within it. And..."

He paused, not finishing his sentence.

His own wife is a Princess.

Little Bai Mao is also from the Holy Land... counting by the state religion, she is also an official figure.

Commander Jing sneered: "I am a wanted criminal."

Lu Xingzhou drank it all himself without caring, then added: "Some people wear official skins but are actually demons or monsters; who can tell? Some people are wanted criminals, yet their hearts can shine before the sun and moon."

Commander Jing fell silent for a moment, then suddenly drank it all in one gulp: "Even if you are here to deceive me, I will drink this wine with you."

Lu Xingzhou finally smiled: "Is it poisoned or not?"

It couldn't be detected from the outside, but once drunk and sensed internally, it was much clearer; Commander Jing looked strangely and inspected his interior for a moment, finding it truly non-poisonous.

"You dare drink it even thinking it might be poisoned... tsk." Lu Xingzhou filled another bowl for him: "So even if the wine looks like it might be poisoned, there is still a chance it is truly non-poisonous... at least there are people like Sheng Yuanyao in the imperial court; why should Commander Jing despair?"

"Does Commander Jing's repeated mention of Sheng Yuanyao mean you will help her deal with the Eastern Jiang Demon Case, so you will also help me resolve the Dream Return City case?"

"Of course. Did Commander Jing not ask about the demon case immediately with this expectation?"

Commander Jing laughed "Ha": "I am no longer a Commander; calling me that feels awkward. My surname is Jing, my given name is a single character, Ge, as in spear and halberd."

"That suits Brother Jing well." Lu Xingzhou smiled: "Is Brother Jing hiding here to ambush the demonic cultivator behind the scenes?"

Jing Ge said: "Correct. I saw you pull out your Soul Banner as soon as you entered, and I initially thought it was you. But seeing the child beside you is so cute, I hesitated a bit, feeling it wasn't likely."

"My Soul Banner and Brother Jing's long blade are merely tools." Lu Xingzhou said calmly: "Forgive my bluntness, but Brother Jing waiting here for a demonic cultivator is no different than climbing a tree to seek... uh."

A-Nuo, who had been listening obediently nearby, almost laughed out loud.

A smile also appeared in Jing Ge's eyes: "No different than traveling by boat on land? This Lu Xingzhou has arrived, hasn't he? What ideas does Brother Jing have?"

"First, let us clarify Brother Jing's purpose in investigating the case: to root out the demonic cultivator behind the scenes, both to seek justice for the victims and to prevent similar events from happening in the future. Therefore, you appear to leave on the surface, but actually hide here to investigate secretly."

"Correct." Jing Ge said: "The Hundred Sons Soup of the Qian family was not completed; I destroyed it. If there is a demonic cultivator behind the scenes, this matter will be restarted; I absolutely cannot sit idly by while such heinous acts continue."

"Then this demonic cultivator must have gone to find a new target right now; how could he possibly return here for you to ambush?"

"This is a method born of having no other choice; originally I considered secretly investigating the governor's residence, but the difficulty was too high." Jing Ge changed the subject: "So does Brother Jing have any ideas? Perhaps you want me to accompany you to ambush Huo Lu?"

Lu Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Those few words I said to my inferior disciple were indeed meant for Brother Jing to hear, the purpose being to let Brother Jing know I came for other reasons and have nothing to do with this demon. But I did not truly intend to simply trick Brother Jing into dealing with Huo Lu; Brother Jing is not a blind person, so what use would a few tricks be?"

Jing Ge smiled and lowered his head to drink.

Lu Xingzhou added: "But I will not hide from Brother Jing... Huo Lu may not be related to this case, but he absolutely knows who this person is and what they are doing. So as soon as I heard of this case, I felt that cooperation with Brother Jing was possible, which is why I specifically came to find you."

"How to cooperate?"

"I imagine Brother Jing won't release the hawk without seeing the rabbit... How about this: if I can make this demonic cultivator reveal himself voluntarily, allowing Brother Jing to catch him, then later when I deal with Huo Lu, will Brother Jing give me a hand?"

Jing Ge raised his bowl and clinked it: "If you can make this demonic cultivator reveal himself voluntarily, then even if I fail to catch him, I promise to give Brother Lu a hand later."

"Then it is settled." Lu Xingzhou tilted his head back and drank the wine in his bowl: "Brother Jing just needs to secretly keep an eye on me recently; I believe I will not disappoint Brother Jing."

Seeing A-Nuo push the wheelchair away, Jing Ge suddenly asked from behind: "You specifically sought me out just to get a helper to deal with Huo Lu? Then you might as well hire an assassin; wouldn't that be much more convenient?"

Lu Xingzhou didn't turn his head: "Does Brother Jing want to stop the demon's actions? Can't Lu share this heart? Killing two birds with one stone; why hire an assassin?"

In the distance, Pei Chuyun had been quietly watching the exchange here until Lu Xingzhou left the Qian residence; suddenly, Pei Chuyun remembered something and was dumbfounded.

Now Jing Ge is secretly watching Lu Xingzhou, seeing if a "demonic cultivator" will appear.

Then how can she, Pei Chuyun, a typical demonic cultivator, deal with Lu Xingzhou? Afraid that as soon as she unleashes her demonic arts, Jing Ge will slash her head off first...

I am a demonic cultivator, but I am not that demonic cultivator!

The former Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau of a bustling prefecture is solidly fourth grade upper stage, possibly even third grade; plus the master and disciple pair themselves, how can one fight?

For a moment, Pei Chuyun doubted what ghost had bewitched her mind before, why she didn't launch a surprise attack when they were buying candy on the street! What to do now?

Over there, Lu Xingzhou leisurely entered a restaurant with A-Nuo and ordered a table full of good dishes. Pei Chuyun watched expressionlessly, even angrier.

These past few days watching this damn bastard, fearing to miss anything, she ate nothing and just consumed pills to replenish energy. Now it's even worse; watching the master and disciple eat snacks, drink wine, and order big meals all the way, while she can only watch helplessly!

Wait, why watch helplessly? If I disguise myself, I can just swagger in and order food too!

Pei Chuyun jumped down from the opposite roof without a second word and entered the restaurant openly.

The waiter came forward: "Honored guest, there are no tables left; how about this..."

Pei Chuyun's beautiful eyes swept over Lu Xingzhou's table: "Isn't there an empty seat there?"

The waiter was somewhat embarrassed: "That depends on whether they are willing to share a table."

Before the words finished, Lu Xingzhou smiled, revealing neat white teeth: "If there is a beauty to share a table, how could I refuse? Miss, please sit; this meal is on me."

Pervert.

Pei Chuyun spat inwardly, putting on a shy smile on her face: "How could I be so presumptuous..."

"My master and I can't finish such a big table of dishes anyway; to avoid waste, we'd have to pack it up to feed the dogs."

Pei Chuyun: "..."

She ground her teeth silently, then sat down opposite with a faint smile. "This young master really knows how to joke."

A'Nuò sat at the side, shoveling rice while rolling her eyes to peek at her. Pei Chuyun ground her silver teeth even harder, recalling how this little imp had tricked her into coming to Sword Edge Hall — that teleportation treasure still hadn't cooled down yet…

Lu Xingzhou spoke as if making casual conversation: "Is miss a local?"

Pei Chuyun smiled gently: "Also newly arrived here."

"All alone? No companions?" Lu Xingzhou seemed a little surprised. "These times aren't exactly peaceful. A miss as pretty as you should be careful, lest you get bullied."

Until now, the only one who's bullied me is you! Pei Chuyun sighed: "Otherwise it's fine, just almost got bitten by a stray dog on the road — terrifying."

A'Nuò nearly sprayed out a mouthful of rice, hurriedly covering her mouth and coughing. Lu Xingzhou's expression didn't change; his peach-blossom eyes gazed affectionately at Pei Chuyun's face as he said softly: "If Miss trusts me, we could travel together from now on."

Oh-ho, trying to use charm techniques on this old lady?

No, that's not a charm technique — there's no technique reaction… but those eyes are basically cheating, how can they look just like someone casting a charm technique?

But in this situation, hasn't she accidentally achieved the initial goal of "getting close to and seducing Lu Xingzhou"? Pei Chuyun's thoughts raced, and she made a shy, lowered-head look: "A young master traveling with such a cute child — how could I not trust you? May I know the young master's honored name?"

Lu Xingzhou's voice suddenly grew much louder, as if very proud: "My humble surname is Huo."

The bustling restaurant suddenly quieted considerably, countless diners sneaking glances this way.

Although Huo Lu hadn't arrived yet, the news that the fourth young master of the Huo family was coming here to serve as Commandant had long spread everywhere. This person loudly announcing the surname Huo in public — could it be…

Pei Chuyun also put on an admiring look: "Could the young master be Commandant Huo's…"

Lu Xingzhou smiled with pretended profundity, raising his cup for a light sip.

Before the meal was finished, the news that "someone from the Huo family is already secretly inspecting the city" quietly spread throughout Dream Return City.

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "May I ask miss's name?"

Pei Chuyun rolled her eyes, then said with a charming smile: "Just call me A'Le."

Xing le — the rope that moors a boat.

Pei Chuyun felt she was very cultured; pity no one else understood.

A'Nuò looked at her head with great sympathy — how can there be someone who wants to be green herself? So pitiful.

————

PS: Although it's a bit late, the ten-thousand characters are still completed. Begging for monthly tickets~

(End of this chapter)