The City Lord Is Dead

The City Lord Is Dead

Late at night, the guard barracks of the inner city yamen.

Song Jinsong said to the Cloud City Lord before him, "My lord, if there's nothing else, please get some rest. We'll be waiting outside. If anything happens, just shout loudly!"

The Cloud City Lord nodded faintly. "Go on, then. That dog slave Wei Fan actually dared to ignore my summons. Once I get through these next few days and the experts from Su City arrive, I'll settle accounts with him. He's nothing but a martial brute, yet he dares defy orders."

With people dying one after another—and all of them specifically from the City Lord's residence—the Cloud City Lord no longer dared stay in his own manor. That night, he had brought the important members of his household to the guard barracks for temporary shelter.

For now, he did not dare deal with Wei Fan, nor did he even dare dismiss him from office. The demon problem had already left him utterly overwhelmed; provoking Wei Fan at such a time would require something seriously wrong with his brain.

But the matter was far from over. Once the experts he had requested from his family in Su City arrived, he would settle things with Wei Fan.

Song Jinsong said nothing. Wei Fan was too talented for him to provoke, but he could not afford to offend the City Lord either. Not everyone had Wei Fan's nerve to stand toe-to-toe with the ruler of an entire city.

"Master, hurry over! I'm so sleepy!"

"You three chief constables wait outside and don't go anywhere. If there's the slightest disturbance, call for me!"

Hearing the soul-stirring voice of his favorite concubine, the Cloud City Lord gave Song Jinsong one more instruction. He hurriedly swallowed some potent aphrodisiac medicine, then eagerly climbed into bed and blew out the lamp.

"The City Lord was fast!"

Less than the time it took to burn half a stick of incense later, the sounds in the room stopped. Song Jinsong and the others outside could not help grumbling inwardly.

If not for an incident like this, they would never have had the chance to eavesdrop on the City Lord.

The night passed without incident. Near dawn, however, the City Lord's concubine suddenly let out a terrified scream from his room.

"Something's happened!"

Song Jinsong and the others immediately rushed into the City Lord's room. They saw the concubine completely naked, tumbling and scrambling down from the bed in utter panic, while the Cloud City Lord lay on the bed with a bluish complexion, dead for who knew how long.

"The City Lord is dead!"

At the sight, the three chief constables felt their heads explode with a boom.

The three of them, along with a group of elite yamen runners, had stood guard outside, yet they had not even known when the City Lord was murdered. Had the concubine not awakened, discovered that the City Lord had gone cold, and screamed in terror, they would still have noticed nothing at all.

"The City Lord is dead?"

Wei Fan had not expected to hear such heartening news first thing in the morning. He had hoped the City Lord would die, but he had not expected him to actually die.

This was the ruler of an entire city, not some stray cat or dog. If such a person had been killed by a demon, it would certainly alarm the Demon Suppressing Division.

Wei Qingyuan was merely a clerk, yet even if Wei Fan wanted to kill him, he would not dare do so openly.

He had never imagined that a demon would be so outrageously bold as to dare kill even the City Lord.

"Should we go take a look?"

Hu Qing came over and asked Wei Fan. Now that the City Lord was dead, Wei Fan could go slay demons and eliminate monsters.

Luo Wen said, "It's best not to get involved in this mess. I heard that last night, the three chief constables and dozens of elite inner-city yamen runners were all guarding outside the City Lord's room, yet none of them knew when he died.

"This demon is frighteningly strange. Wei Fan might be in danger if he goes too.

"Now that the City Lord is dead, experts from the Demon Suppressing Division will arrive soon. Wei Fan has no need to wade into these muddy waters!"

Hu Qing shook her head. "If you want to enter the Demon Suppressing Division, you'd better go have a look. Even if you can't find the demon, you should at least put on a show at a time like this.

"And my father said that for demons without flesh and blood, their most terrifying trait is how well they can hide. As long as you don't let one possess you, it'll be fine.

"Besides, we're only going to look. It's not like you'll run into the demon the moment you get there."

Then let's make a trip there!

Wei Fan rose to his feet. With Supreme True Qi and blade intent protecting his body, he was not particularly afraid of demons without flesh and blood.

Moreover, Hu Qing had a point. If he wanted to enter the Demon Suppressing Division, he could not simply wash his hands of things at a moment like this. Even putting on a show would be better than nothing.

He had the panel. If he discovered that the demon was something beyond his ability to handle, he could simply choose not to act.

News of the City Lord's death spread through the inner city early that morning. By the time Wei Fan and Hu Qing arrived, the inner-city yamen was already surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through.

"The City Lord is dead. What do we do now?"

"Wait for the people from the Demon Suppressing Division to come!"

"I heard Wei Fan, the constable chief of the eastern district, can subdue this demon. The City Lord promoted him to chief constable and ordered him to deal with it, but he refused."

Since those living in the inner city were either wealthy or noble, the yamen runners gathered before the yamen did not dare drive them away. Even as these people discussed the City Lord's death, no one stepped forward to stop them.

When the City Lord had been alive, Cloud City had been his one-man domain. Now that he was dead, who would still fear him?

"What's the background of this Wei Fan? He even dared disobey the City Lord's orders. Now that the City Lord is dead, isn't he afraid someone will come settle accounts with him?"

Wei Fan was already fairly well known, but not everyone recognized him.

"Afraid my ass. Wei Fan is a man with real ability, not one of those flatterers who climbed to the top. He killed the Fierce Tiger Gang, Tiger King and his entire family, the Lu Family, and Great Immortal Huang. Who has the guts to settle accounts with him?"

"Please make way. We need to get inside!"

As the crowd discussed the matter, a male and female yamen runner pushed through the people and entered the inner-city yamen.

"That man is Wei Fan? The City Lord is already dead—what's he doing here?"

The crowd that had been laying siege fell silent for a moment. Everyone stared dumbfounded at Wei Fan's disappearing back. When the city lord was alive, you hadn't come to slay demons and eliminate evil. Now that the city lord was completely done for, what use was it for you to come?

"What are you here for?"

Song Jinsong stared blankly at Wei Fan, who had appeared before him. The original suggestion to have the city lord invite Wei Fan to slay demons and eliminate evil had been his.

But he had never imagined that, because Wei Fan hated the city lord's inaction over the years, he would rather be stripped of his post than care whether the city lord lived or died.

Wei Fan swept his gaze around. In the middle of the courtyard lay a corpse covered by white cloth. Several women in mourning clothes wept and burned paper offerings beside it, saying things such as, "Master, you died such a miserable death," and "Master, how could you leave us behind like this?"

Wei Fan revealed a grief-stricken expression. "I came to take a look, to see whether I can find that demon and avenge the city lord."

Song Jinsong's mouth twitched. Did he think Song Jinsong didn't know that yesterday, he had said he really wanted to see how the city lord would be eaten by a demon?

Avenge the city lord?

You came to see whether the city lord had died miserably enough.

"You only came after the city lord was murdered? Too late. Men, seize Wei Fan. This clerk suspects he is in league with the demon."

Wei Qingyuan was here as well. The moment he saw Wei Fan, he began shouting for someone to arrest him.

He was afraid. Wei Fan was far too audacious—he had even dared to ignore whether the city lord lived or died. It would not be surprising if, one day, he carried a blade into Wei Qingyuan's residence to kill him.

However, though he was a clerk, his authority only extended over the eastern district. He could not command the constables of the inner city. No one stepped forward; instead, they looked toward Song Jinsong, the chief constable.

Wei Fan turned to look at Wei Qingyuan. "Watch your words. Now that even the city lord is dead, it would be perfectly normal for the demon to kill another petty clerk."

The naked threat made Wei Qingyuan's expression turn ugly.

Song Jinsong stepped forward to smooth things over. "The two of you, don't quarrel. The entire city is in a state of panic right now; finding the demon is what matters. Constable Wei, if there is anything you need us to cooperate with, just tell me."

Taking the offered way out, Wei Qingyuan said nothing more. These martial men clearly held Wei Fan in higher regard. With the city lord dead, continuing to fight Wei Fan would only leave Wei Qingyuan at a disadvantage.

Wei Fan no longer paid Wei Qingyuan any attention either. With the city lord dead, a clerk was nothing more than a joke.

When the new city lord arrived, let alone remaining a clerk, Wei Qingyuan would be fortunate if his past deeds were not investigated.

"Then I'll have to trouble Chief Constable Song to gather everyone who was here last night. I'll see whether I can find that demon."