Chapter 11: Imminent

Boom—

Boom—

The morning sun rises in the east, its light pouring into the sprawling, prosperous city that stretches to the horizon. Tens of thousands of residents gradually emerge from their homes. The all-night music and singing in Wu Wei Tower have just ceased, and the clamor of the marketplace has already erupted in the streets and alleys.

In Qingquan Alley, the dawn light spills into a two-courtyard residence. A few chrysanthemums bloom quietly outside the study. Delicate chrysanthemum patterns converge toward the center, their color deepening from light to dark, forming a small hole the size of a peanut, looking tender and succulent, utterly beautiful.

Xie Jinhuan, dressed in a plain white robe, steps out of the room, takes a deep breath of fresh air, glances around his new residence, and then carries Meiqiu out.

There are quite a few tenants in Qingquan Alley; most are wealthy merchants from outside Taoxian Fang or teachers from the Danyang Academy. They all have carriages and attendants when they go out, and their clothing is either rich or noble. They are quite curious about him, this new tenant.

Xie Jinhuan learned everything since childhood and also paid attention to his posture and speech; his temperament is indeed not lacking. But with only twenty-plus taels of silver left, which he stole anyway, he truly feels a case of "wealth not matching status."

Ye Hongshang was very right; all problems stem from insufficient strength.

To increase strength, one needs pills; to get pills, one needs money.

Xie Jinhuan used to rely entirely on his father; he has forgotten how to make a living these past three years. Thinking of this, he turns to look at Meiqiu:

"Qiuqiu, what have I been doing these past three years to earn silver?"

"Goo-ji?"

Meiqiu squats on his shoulder, recalls a bit, raises a wing, and wipes Xie Jinhuan's neck, implying—murder and robbery!

Huh?

Xie Jinhuan feels he should be a knight-errant, perhaps with a bit more appreciation for beauty, and surely wouldn't do such morally corrupt things. But Meiqiu's expression doesn't seem fake, so he can only ask:

"Is there a more legitimate method? One that doesn't involve killing?"

Meiqiu thinks for a moment, fans Xie Jinhuan's face with a wing, then extends a paw:

"Goo-ji!"

The tone is fierce, clearly a violent extortion!

Xie Jinhuan opens his mouth slightly, thinking inwardly: Oh my god, could it be that I've been an anonymous notorious bandit these past three years?

No wonder when I met those bandits yesterday, my technique for snatching the money pouch was so fluid and effortless...

He wanted to ask more, but a dizziness suddenly arose in his mind. Then, a red-clad ghost appeared behind him, carrying a small umbrella and giggling mockingly:

"Oh ho~ You'd better not ask, or you might spill all the messy things you did before and ruin your Dao heart. It's much better to forget the past and start anew, just like sister."

Xie Jinhuan noticed the red-clad ghost appearing, yet the ambient sounds didn't vanish; he could even see pedestrians walking in the alley. His heart couldn't help but jump in alarm.

After confirming that no one else could see the hallucination he was producing, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

"Meiqiu is just being immature. I must have been acting as a righteous hero, incidentally confiscating illegal gains."

Having said that, he looked again at Meiqiu, whose fur was standing on end from fright:

"Was our father around these past few years?"

Meiqiu sensed something dirty around her, but upon hearing the question, she thought seriously, then her eyes showed confusion.

She doesn't know?

Seeing he couldn't get a specific answer, Xie Jinhuan stopped pressuring his personal servant who only knew how to eat. He made the ghost disappear first and arrived outside the alley.

The alley mouth leads to a side street, very convenient for eating. Among them is a mutton soup shop. Its banner is yellowed and the characters are no longer legible. Inside, a large iron pot steams vigorously, and the eaves beneath are completely full. Most diners are low-ranking clerks and officers wearing official robes.

Yang Dabiao, who had an early shift, and even the Commandant Yang Ting, sat opposite each other at a small table outside the shop. Six empty bowls were placed before them, and three white steamed buns sat in a basket. While eating heartily, they were saying:

"We examined the corpse all night. Even the elders from the Dan Wang Pavilion couldn't figure out the method. This lead is broken again..."

"If demon bandits were that easy to find, what would be the point of us officers?"

"Eh? Jinhuan, you're up?"

"Yes. Good morning, Uncle Yang."

Xie Jinhuan approached, first bowed to Yang Ting, then sat down at an empty seat nearby:

"Brother Yang, when did you return last night? I wanted to say hello, waited half the night without seeing you return, so I slept first."

"Sigh, don't mention it."

Yang Dabiao picked at garlic cloves to cut the grease, his face bitter:

"Facing that rotting corpse all night... never mind, let's not talk about this while eating. We finally worked until the late night, preparing to return, and then, guess what? News came from Wang Fu again."

Xie Jinhuan held Meiqiu down to stop her from diving into someone's pot, and asked curiously:

"What news?"

"It's that matter from Mount Zihui again."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan's heart stiffened; he felt it couldn't be good news.

As expected, Yang Ting spoke while pulling a piece of paper from his sleeve. On it was half a shoe print:

"Officers searched the mountains and found a suspicious footprint. The stride was over a zhang long, indicating high martial arts. Unfortunately, the rain was too heavy at the time to track it well, but judging from the general direction, he must have come to Danzhou, alone..."

Seeing his own footprint, Xie Jinhuan felt half the sky collapse!

The night before last, fearing persecution by demons, he ran out risking his life, paying no attention to hiding his tracks. Now that a footprint has been found...

"Judging by the shoe print, this person is male, or could be a demon beast transformed into a man. His height is around six chi and one cun..."

While Yang Dabiao was speaking, he handed the paper to Xie Jinhuan:

"Because this matter is of great importance, the Prince personally supervised the battle at Wang Fu. He ordered all counties, townships, villages, and watchtowers to prioritize this matter, registering all men who appeared yesterday or were of unknown whereabouts the day before and who match the height, and investigating them one by one."

Calculated by the measurement scale of Great Qian, the height is roughly a bit over one meter eighty. The range is actually quite large, but adding "suddenly appeared yesterday or unknown whereabouts the day before, and possessing considerable strength," it is clearly very easy to investigate.

Xie Jinhuan looked at the footprint on the paper, cold sweat breaking out. He silently tucked his foot under his robe:

"Danzhou has nine commanderies and fifty-seven counties, with a population too vast to count. It will be hard to find him."

Commandant Yang Ting put down his soup bowl and wiped his mouth:

"This concerns the survival of the nation's fate. Even if it's hard to find, we must find him. According to Wang Fu, if no trace is found within three days, we will report to Luo Jing and let the Red麟 Guard and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau take over the case."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan heard these words, and his hanging heart finally died completely.

The Crimson Scale Guard are the Son of Heaven's claws and fangs, roughly equivalent to the Brocade-Clad Guard, while the Imperial Astronomical Bureau is a top-tier violent institution dedicated to suppressing evil demons and heterodox sects; Bureau Director Lu Wu Zhen, titled Imperial Preceptor, is the foremost of the three Grand Masters of Great Qian, whose Dao cultivation could crush the Huishan Sect Master with one hand and topple the Grand Preceptor Mu Yunling of the Danyang Academy with both.

When these two institutions enforce the law jointly, it is Great Qian deploying nuclear weapons; if that still cannot solve the problem, then it is no longer called a problem, but rather that Great Qian's fate has run out!

Isn't this a certain death?

Facing the impending divine punishment, Xie Jinhuan had no mood to eat.

But he could not show any abnormality; seeing Yang Dabiao could eat seven large bowls, he thought the shop's food was not filling, so he casually ordered seven bowls of soup and seven steamed buns.

Then he almost choked to death!

Yang Dabiao, full and satisfied, saw Xie Jinhuan holding chopsticks with a green face, raised his hand, and patted his shoulder:

"Young people, only by eating can one fight; take your time, I'll head to the government office first."

"Good, the meal bill has been paid."

"Sigh, Young Master Xie is too polite."

Yang Ting, with a pipe in his mouth, also patted Xie Jinhuan's shoulder, and left with his son.

Leaving one man and one bird alone, facing seven bowls of mutton and seven large steamed buns...

——

Moments later, by the Chongming River.

Xie Jinhuan rubbed his three-month-pregnant belly, walking along the riverside, having already changed into a new pair of shoes on his feet.

Meiqiu, rarely stuffed, squatted on his shoulder with eyes full of confusion, appearing to have entered sage mode, pondering the meaning of bird life.

Just a moment ago, Xie Jinhuan actually wanted to break his faith and flee.

But fleeing now is meaningless.

The Demon King's display clearly shows he will spare no cost; he wants the demon alive or its corpse.

If he dares to go missing now, he will immediately be locked on as a key suspect, followed by joint tracking from all factions; his appearance, background, and martial arts are all transparent, and he would be blocked before even leaving Danzhou.

Even if he could escape Danzhou, privately excavating the Demon Suppression Tomb constitutes a 'crime against humanity'; it might even trigger a 'Joint Execution Order from All Sects,' with big shots from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, and the Military all coming out; could he still cut through five passes and slay six generals to escape Great Qian?

He doesn't even have a chance to return to the mountains to clear traces; the mountains are full of personnel searching for demons and evil spirits, and a round trip takes a day and a night; as an involved party, he would be exposed on the spot if a high-level expert saw him.

The only way out currently is to gamble on the 'darkness under the lamp' going unnoticed, then quickly find a way to escape the danger.

While thinking thus, the man and the bird soon arrived at Ning'an Street.

In the early morning, there were not many carriages on Bai Shi Street; osmanthus trees were planted on both sides of the street, and walking among them, the osmanthus fragrance was overwhelming; a three-story large medical hall stood by the street, with a gilded sign reading 'Skillful Hands, Benevolent Heart' hanging above the main building.

Xie Jinhuan did not want to deal with the Wu Sect's evil female, but if he did not find a way to improve his strength, whether he could escape after exposure without even re-sealing the Demon Suppression Tomb was a question; even drinking poison to quench thirst, he had to hold his nose and swallow it in one gulp.

However, for the sake of safety, on the way here he also inquired about the background of the Lin Family Medical Hall.

The Lin Family is a dynasty of imperial physicians; the main branch is in Luoyang, with the family head serving as the Left Vice-Director of the Imperial Hospital; this is merely a branch of the Lin Family in Danyang, originally meant to be managed by a collateral branch.

But Lin Zisu had excellent talent in the Dao of Alchemy; after being adopted back to Lin Fu from a relative's family, she was young when she passed the exam to enter the Danyang Academy; Lin Wanyi, as her guardian, also came along, managing the family business while caring for her.

From the street-level reputation, Lin Wanyi is a great benefactor; not only is her medical skill superb, often providing free clinics to poor neighbors, but she also funded some apprentices studying at the Academy and on Mount Zihui; her social circle is even extensive, knowing almost every Lady of high officials and nobles.

Such a female Physician, how could she possibly be connected to the Wu Sect that practices corpse cultivation and raises poison insects?

But evil demons and heterodox sects disguise themselves outwardly; the more benevolent they appear on the surface, the more ruthless they may be behind the scenes.

After hesitating for a moment outside the medical hall, Xie Jinhuan suppressed his distracting thoughts and walked toward the main gate, but halfway he faintly heard women conversing from inside a second-floor window:

"Lin Family Sister, you must think of a way for me; my Qingzhi hasn't touched me recently, staying out all night every day..."

"Between husband and wife, having less intimacy over time is common; perhaps Official Liu is busy with official duties..."

"He isn't busy at home. Help your sister, please; I heard you prescribed a 'Yang Union Pill' to Lady Song on Wencheng Street, seven times in one night; Lady Song didn't leave home for days, and it didn't harm her health..."

"Sigh, Lady Song wanted a child; seven times in one night was because Official Song's constitution was strong..."

"My husband is as strong as an ox, and his health is good too, but he just despises me; last time I kindly helped him with that 'blowing jade' thing, he actually fell asleep..."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan blinked his eyes, looked up at the second-floor room, and could confirm that the 'Lin Family Sister' inside was Lin Wanyi, whom he met at the dock yesterday.

Blowing that jade thing...

If Xie Jinhuan remembered correctly, this method was indeed quite healing for people.

When he saw Lin Wanyi yesterday, he thought she was a virtuous, intellectual, conservative beauty; he didn't expect her to chat so wildly with others behind closed doors...

Truly a Wu Sect evil female...

Xie Jinhuan had already witnessed the ferocity of that group of mad Young Ladies at the Princess Manor yesterday, so he was no longer surprised; entering the medical hall's main gate, he found that the two female apprentices weighing medicine in front of the hundred-drawer cabinet were also secretly chatting:

"I heard from the coachman that Young Master Xie has sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, is strong in martial arts, has extraordinary bearing, and was even carried down the carriage by the Mistress and Zisu..."

"Neither the Mistress nor Zisu is married; if they both take a liking to him..."

"Don't worry; Zisu's head is full of twisted ideas, so she has no mind to consider marriage. Last time she refined that so-called 'Full-and-Stuffed Pill,' it made the old Alchemy Master at the Academy burp for three days; he almost came to scold the Mistress for lax discipline. If that Young Master Xie dares to visit, I guess he'll be scared away within three days..."

Hearing 'Full-and-Stuffed Pill,' Xie Jinhuan felt that the Lin Family's big and small ones were neither easy to deal with.

However, since he had come, he did not retreat in the face of difficulty; he arrived before the counter and raised his hand to knock.

Knock knock~

The female apprentice weighing medicine turned around at the sound, found a young Young Master standing outside the counter with eyes like cold stars, and couldn't help but pause:

"Uh... Young Master, what illness do you have?"

"Gurgle~"

Meiqiu, since yesterday, had noticed Ah Huan's brain was a bit abnormal; she tilted her head and nudged Xie Jinhuan's skull, indicating there was a sickness here.

Xie Jinhuan knew he suffered from amnesia, but this illness the Lin Family Medical Hall probably couldn't cure; he simply responded calmly:

"No illness, looking for someone. Is Physician Lin Wanyi here?"

"Oh, the Master is receiving patients on the second floor; you must wait a moment."

(End of Chapter)