Chapter 2: Walking Into the Net

The next day, outside Danyang City.

It was the eighth month; the warm autumn sun bathed the official road, and a thousand sails gathered at the riverside port, where people of all walks rushed about the docks—occasionally, idle onlookers could be heard whispering:

"I heard last night there was a great thunderstorm, and a dragon fell into Mount Zihui—the government office even sent men to search…"

"Dragons are inherently lustful; if that's true, the female birds and beasts of Mount Zihui are in for trouble…"

…

Xie Jinhuan stood alone on the dock, carrying Meiqiu on his shoulder, his eyes full of existential doubt.

Last night, fearing the female demon would catch up, he fled the Shenshan overnight; after much inquiry, he confirmed it was indeed the ninth year of Jingning—he had been unconscious for nearly three years!

Amnesia wasn't a problem; he could just find a Physician to check his brain—even without a brain, one could still live.

But his father, an official, had vanished; his servants and maids had vanished; even his white horse, which had learned to move on its own, was gone.

All he had left was a lazy, gluttonous broken bird, and a wallet cleaner than his face.

Just now, on the ferry, everyone paid by face-scan—but the boatman didn't judge by appearances, only accepted hook-payment, so he had to row the entire way for the old man.

In past years, Xie Jinhuan had at least been a young master; not rich or noble, but with clothes handed to him and meals served on a platter—his only concern in life had been that his mansion wasn't big enough to house his future three wives, four concubines, five secondary wives, six side maids, eight serving maids, and over ten mistresses outside.

Now, not even three wives and four concubines—he had to serve the personal slave on his shoulder.

Meiqiu couldn't catch rats; if he didn't feed her, she'd make him lose his last beloved companion—starved to death, a truly ruthless bird!

What should he do next…

Xie Jinhuan, buffeted by the bleak autumn wind, pondered his next move, lost in thought—when someone slapped his back:

"Brother, are you leaving or not?"

He turned to see the fellow villagers waiting to disembark, nearly crushing the gangplank.

"Sorry, I was distracted."

Xie Jinhuan stepped aside, then asked the boatman who had ferried him for free:

"Old man, could we make a deal? I'll row myself to Jingcheng—I'll pay you double when I arrive. My father is Xie Wen, formerly the Judicial Clerk of Wanan County…"

The old boatman tied the anchor rope to a wooden post and sighed:

"Ah~ I'm not refusing to help you, young man, but something happened in the city yesterday—every ferry across the river has been halted, and river troops are patrolling. You can't reach the Jingzhao Prefecture now."

Xie Jinhuan gazed at the river—no boats passed back and forth—and asked curiously:

"What happened?"

"No one knows. Probably a serious bandit gang, afraid of slipping into Jingzhao and disturbing the nobles. Don't you have relatives or friends in Danyang? Stay with them a few days—I'll take you when the river reopens."

Relatives or friends…

Xie Jinhuan thought hard—he remembered a Constable his father had brought along, transferred to the Danyang County government office, who had even seen his father off three years ago.

A government official, and an old acquaintance—he might know what had become of his father these past three years.

"Old man, is Yang Dabiao still serving as Constable in Danyang?"

The boatman, who made his living ferrying people, often dealt with government office officials and knew the bureaucracy well:

"Yes, just a few days ago, Commander Yang led government office Runners to the dock to hunt bandits—he's been promoted to Wei Shi now…"

Wei Shi was the deputy to the County Commander; though not an official rank, to common folk he was already a big shot.

Finding an acquaintance, Xie Jinhuan wasted no time, asking directions all the way toward Danyang City…

——

Danyang City, Dongcang Ward.

Dongcang Ward was a storage district; the outer streets housed escort agencies and carriage yards, while the interior consisted of a continuous line of warehouses.

At noon, atop a tavern.

Yang Ting, County Commander of Danyang, sucked on his bamboo pipe, scanning the uneven rooftops outside his window:

"Are you certain a demon bandit hides among them?"

His son Yang Dabiao stood before him, over one meter ninety tall, broad-shouldered and thick-chested, his pectorals like a double-door refrigerator—yet his expression was fawning as he lit his father's pipe with a fire-starter:

"Definitely. The Shopkeeper of the wonton shop says a stranger comes daily to buy wontons—enough for three people. The warehouse keeper at Li's Depot heard dog barks at night, but found no one when he opened the door…"

Beside them stood a woman clad in black Qilin armor, a sword at her waist, young but with a cold, striking aura—Linghu Qingmo.

Linghu Qingmo was a disciple of the current Master of Mount Zihui, currently serving as a personal guard in Wang Fu for training, and on intimate terms with the Princess of Changning—her status was high. Hearing this, she interjected:

"Dongcang Ward is two li long and one and a half li wide, with complex terrain. If any official shows his face, the demon bandits will flee. How do you plan to search?"

Yang Dabiao snapped shut his fire-starter and turned:

"I'll gather a hundred men, seal every entrance and exit to the warehouse district, then trap the bandits like fish in a jar…"

Linghu Qingmo's eyebrows furrowed slightly:

"Last night, Mount Zihui emitted 'heaven-piercing blood-demon energy'—a great demon may have emerged. Two hundred and eighty of the three hundred Wu Zu have already been deployed, and all government office Constables are patrolling outside. You don't even know the bandits' nature—where will you get a hundred men?"

Yang Ting sucked his pipe and nodded: "If I mobilize a hundred men and end up catching three petty thieves, my skin will be peeled off by County Magistrate Zhang."

Yang Dabiao knew mobilizing men was difficult—otherwise he wouldn't have brought his father and the Prince's Palace's female bodhisattva. He smiled ingratiatingly:

"Lord Linghu, you're from the Daoist sect—surely you can sense demonic energy. Why not perform a ritual to test?"

Mount Zihui belonged to the Daoist Danding Sect, which cultivated both Dao and martial arts, capable of exorcising demons and subduing evil—but as a Daoist sect, it required 'Dao cultivation.'

Linghu Qingmo was currently stationed at Wang Fu for training, still uninitiated; if she could detect even a trace of elusive demonic energy among thousands of buildings, why bother training? She could go straight to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in Jingcheng as a 'Immortal Official.'

"I have other duties. I'll take my leave. If you confirm the demon bandits' presence, notify me."

"Huh?"

Yang Dabiao, with only a few followers, couldn't possibly monitor the entire Dongcang Ward. Seeing the female bodhisattva leave, he hurriedly blocked her path, smiling obsequiously:

"Lord Linghu~ We're neighbors after all. Why not summon Old Liu and the others? A dozen men together can at least cover all four sides."

"Liu Qingzhi is serving as the Princess's ceremonial guard. If I call them over, will you take their place?"

"Uh…"

……

As the two men were tugging at each other, Yang Ting, who had been smoking his pipe all along, suddenly narrowed his eyes and gazed toward the outer street.

"Is this the man?"

Linghu Qingmo returned to the window to look, and saw a figure enter Dongcang Street.

The figure wore a white brocade robe, carried two weapons at his waist, and had a plump black eagle slung over his shoulder.

Though dressed like a wealthy young master, his steps were steady, his posture as immovable as a rock—his martial skill was certainly high, and he traveled alone, glancing left and right as he walked, his behavior slightly suspicious.

Yang Dabiao scrutinized him closely and felt he seemed familiar; he thought for a moment, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a portrait to examine.

The man in the portrait was slender, with a goatee, dressed as a wandering Taoist, around forty or fifty years old.

"Not him. The man we saw at the wonton stall was a middle-aged man, but this one looks familiar—perhaps another wanted criminal."

Linghu Qingmo, seeing this, took down his long-range lens from his waist, unfolded it, and studied the figure closely.

The young man on the street indeed acted suspiciously: after walking a stretch along the road, he quickly turned his head left and right, as if hearing a call, then vanished into an alley.

"Probably his accomplice!"

Seeing this, Yang Dabiao grew excited, leaned out, and called down to the ground floor:

"Stop loafing around—there's work!"

Below the tall building, four resting constables scrambled to their feet, adjusted their hats, and strapped on their waist swords.

Linghu Qingmo, seeing this, silently leapt out the window and crept toward Dongcang Fang…

——

Danyang's size didn't match Jingcheng's, but its proximity to the capital made transportation convenient; its permanent population exceeded seventy thousand, and overall it remained quite prosperous.

Xie Jinhuan walked through streets and markets, surrounded by dense crowds; the scent of food wafted from roadside stalls. Several times, as he walked, he found Meiqiu gone—only to turn back and see her crouching at a shop's entrance, begging for food with her mouth open.

Meiqiu could never be fed enough, and Xie Jinhuan didn't stop to waste time; he had just inquired at the County Commandant's office about Yang Dabiao's whereabouts and learned he was patrolling near Dongcang Fang, so he came here.

Dongcang Street was lined mostly with carriage and escort firms, its personnel mixed and chaotic; the noise along the street never ceased:

"Baozi…"

"Coal for sale…"

"Young Master, where are you headed? Need a horse? Just arrived from Fengzhou—a young mare, good for riding and breeding…"

But there were no constables on the street.

Xie Jinhuan held down Meiqiu, who was eager to watch the commotion, and searched the street, yet found no familiar faces—when suddenly he heard:

"Wait."

A sultry, alluring woman's voice—clearly belonging to a woman with large breasts.

Xie Jinhuan froze, quickly glanced left and right, but saw only merchants and laborers—no one matching that voice.

"Meiqiu, did you just hear a woman say 'wait'?"

"Gujii?"

Meiqiu, crouched on his shoulder, looked bewildered, glancing around.

She didn't seem to have heard…

Was it hallucination?

Xie Jinhuan was puzzled, searched left and right, and finally fixed his gaze on the green stone alley beside the street.

The alley lay between rows of warehouses, nearly invisible at its far end; the walls stood two zhang high, deeply shadowed. Far in the distance, he saw a figure pouring something into a sewage ditch.

Though distant, Xie Jinhuan's eyesight was exceptional—he could see the figure wore a yellow hemp robe and a felt hat, with no hair around the brim, like a bald laborer.

Yet even unconsciously, the man kept his feet slightly apart, ready to shift or dodge at any moment—clearly a seasoned martial traveler…

A skilled martial artist disguised as a laborer, lurking stealthily in the sparsely populated warehouse district…

Could he be a bandit?

Xie Jinhuan had come to find his acquaintance working at the government office; noticing something odd, he naturally had to investigate. Still finding no officials, he turned down the alley, heading toward where the yellow-robed figure had vanished.

The green stone alley was deep; after walking about half a li, he reached the spot where the waste had been dumped—leftover noodles and soup.

Xie Jinhuan's ears twitched slightly; he quietly slipped into a side alley and arrived outside a warehouse, listening through the wall—he heard voices inside:

"We've gathered enough dragon whisker grass. Nothing much left to do—want to go out and celebrate tonight?"

"The corpse by the river in recent days has drawn the government office's attention—there's a citywide patrol. Higher-ups have ordered us to keep a low profile…"

"We're not going to cause trouble. Heard there are a few Hu Ji at Flower Tower Street—red hair, blue eyes, tits bigger than their heads…"

"We'll talk after we're done…"

……

Tits bigger than their heads…

Xie Jinhuan noted the key details, confirmed they were hidden demonic bandits, and prepared to slip away quietly to report to the constables.

But Xie Jinhuan believed he had revealed no aura—yet Meiqiu on his shoulder, startled by some filthy thing, suddenly let out a "Jii?!" and fluffed up her fur, then spun around searching, and even startled herself into flying upward.

As the disturbance sounded, voices came from the warehouse:

"What was that?"

"Someone's outside…"

……

Xie Jinhuan thought, Damn it—he immediately prepared to flee.

But at that very moment!

Boom—

Whoosh—

The green stone wall three zhang ahead was smashed open, and a figure shot out, landing in the alley.

The warehouse door behind them exploded, and a figure in Du Qingyi flashed past.

Another figure burst forth from the roof, landing atop the upturned eave…

(End of Chapter)