At noon, Lu Yin invited Chu Danqing to stay for a meal. It was only when departure was drawing near that the Attendant named Xie Liyang finally arrived.
He was an old man with a rosacea nose, and the smell of alcohol still clung to him.
He dressed like an old farmer, save for the striking jade gourd at his waist, clear azure and emerald green.
"My apologies, Young Master, for arriving a little late," Xie Liyang said with some regret. "A band of petty thieves blocked my path on the way here, which delayed me."
"What are you saying, Mr. Xie? We were about to set out as well." Lu Yin naturally knew that Xie Liyang would not have been late for no reason; there had to be a cause.
As for those so-called petty thieves, they certainly were no ordinary people. It was simply inconvenient to say so outright.
"This is Attendant Chu Mo, skilled in the arts of beast taming and spirit summoning," Lu Yin introduced him.
Xie Liyang gave Chu Danqing a thorough once-over, but did not look down on him for his youth.
After exchanging greetings, they set off together for the Ji Family.
The procession was not large: one carriage and several servants. The three of them sat in the carriage and talked.
Chu Danqing also took the opportunity to inquire about quite a bit of information.
There was news of both the government and the Way of Peace. He also learned the origins of the Chief of Qingya Stronghold from before: he had once been a member of the border-garrisoned Western Liang White Tiger Army.
For ordinary people, obtaining dharma power was no easy matter. Only the border armies were different. Their slaughter was brutal, and especially in the Western Liang White Tiger Army, which specialized in killing, nine out of every ten soldiers possessed dharma power.
This was also related to the peculiar nature of the White Tiger Refinement Scripture, whose core was to nurture battle with battle.
That was why its proportion was so high.
This method was easy to begin but difficult to master, and it readily left one covered in hidden injuries that severed the Dao Path. Thus, while countless people cultivated it, very few achieved anything.
Chu Danqing also learned of the Lu Clan's Heavenly Fire Wildfire Sutra. Xie Liyang had now switched to cultivating this method.
Lu Yin, however, did not seem to cultivate it, but another method.
Chu Danqing was not clear on the specifics.
After all, Lu Yin was his temporary employer, so it was not appropriate to pry too deeply.
At the same time, Chu Danqing came to truly understand the difference between the Lu Clan and the Ji Family.
The Lu Clan had an inherited cultivation method as its foundation, while the Ji Family did not.
No matter how wealthy they were, they were still merely nouveau riche.
Ji Zhen had drawn the Superior Corpse Squatter into his body and used it to comprehend the Three Corpses Severing Method from the human volume of the Book of Great Peace, thereby creating a Ji clan method and completing his initial accumulation.
They talked a great deal along the way, only stopping when they arrived at the Ji Estate.
Lu Yin had sent ahead a calling card, and Ji Yun had long been prepared, so they went straight to the point after meeting.
"Young Master Ji, there is no issue with the silver, but why has the amount of grain increased?" Lu Yin looked at the contents of the contract, then pointed at the listed quantity of grain.
Chu Danqing had previously said it was one thousand shi for a total of five hundred thousand coins.
There was no issue with the amount of money, but the grain had changed from one thousand shi to five thousand shi.
Lu Yin did not grow smug and secretly pocket the extra grain. Instead, he pointed out the problem.
He could not be sure whether some scheme lay behind it.
"My old man benefited from Attendant Chu's aid, and his condition has now improved somewhat."
"My Ji Family has no way to repay him. Since the Lu Clan needs grain, we could hardly be stingy for Attendant Chu's sake."
"So we sold you an additional four thousand shi. And since we assumed Young Master Lu had brought only five hundred thousand coins, we lowered the price as well." Ji Yun explained the reason as though it were nothing at all.
After hearing this, an unusual glint flashed through Lu Yin's eyes.
He had not expected Chu Danqing to carry such weight in the Ji Family. It truly caught him by surprise.
"Hahaha, what a coincidence." Lu Yin went with the flow and took out a porcelain bottle. "The moment Attendant Chu returned, he requested a Glass Heart Cleansing Pill for Old Master Ji."
"Only after countless assurances did I agree to have someone fetch one."
"With this pill, Old Master Ji will surely have nothing to worry about."
Surprise appeared in Ji Yun's eyes. He had not expected Chu Danqing to obtain a Glass Heart Cleansing Pill for him. His standing in the Lu Clan truly was not low.
He had heard of this pill's great reputation. It was a unique treasure pill of the Lu Clan; even after spending untold sums each year, they produced at most one or two.
After consumption, it could suppress demonic obstructions, subdue heart toxins, restore clarity and righteousness, and aid dharma power.
His father, Ji Zhen, happened to need such a treasure pill.
"Then I will accept without standing on ceremony." Ji Yun did not refuse and immediately took it.
Chu Danqing did not quite understand why the two of them were both stuffing the credit onto him, but as long as everyone was happy, that was enough.
Afterward, both sides began the handover. Lu Yin produced a banknote worth five hundred thousand coins. After Ji Yun accepted it, he had someone lead Xie Liyang away to collect the grain.
Then the two sides began chatting.
Chu Danqing actually wanted to leave. The contribution from the grain was being settled, and there was still some time left today. He wanted to go and earn some contribution by helping maintain order for the porridge distribution.
But it was not convenient for him to bring it up, so he could only continue listening.
"Young Master Lu, what are your thoughts on these Three Corpses?" Ji Yun suddenly shifted the subject and turned to serious business.
"I think the Lower Corpse Demon was most likely within the government." Lu Yin calmly picked up the thread.
"Indeed. Before noon, the prefectural commandant was replaced by a young man skilled in fist techniques, one who acted with thunderous swiftness." Ji Yun said.
The moment Chu Danqing heard that, his heart stirred, and he immediately asked, "Did he look like this?"
"Exactly. Attendant Chu knows him?" Ji Yun had not expected Chu Danqing to be able to describe the prefectural commandant's appearance.
"We have met once." The person Chu Danqing described was the Dimension Apostle who looked like a young man with a crew cut.
He had not expected the other party to become prefectural commandant. That position was far higher than Chu Danqing's as an Attendant.
More importantly, the prefectural commandant controlled Yangxian County's military authority.
"The newly appointed prefectural commandant calls himself Fierce Fist. Setting aside his abilities, it is absurd enough that he rose to the position in a single step."
"The Lower Corpse Demon was lustful and lecherous. It clouded the former prefectural commandant's mind with desire until he actually intended to force himself upon the prefect's first wife. Fortunately, Fierce Fist Prefect arrived in time."
"Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable." Ji Yun was still somewhat fearful as he spoke.
If such a scandal had truly occurred, the situation in Yangxian County would have become even murkier.
"What happened to the former prefectural commandant?" Chu Danqing asked.
"He was killed by Fierce Fist, and a strange object was dug out from his body. Those with knowledge recognized it as the Lower Corpse Demon." Ji Yun answered Chu Danqing's question.
"It seems they will move against the Way of Peace before long," Lu Yin added.
How could the prefect possibly endure this?
The prefectural commandant had been controlled, and they had even intended to sow discord between them. What exactly was the Way of Peace trying to do?
"Our two families should also make preparations early, lest we suffer disaster like fish in a drying pond." Ji Yun was not saying this to Lu Yin, but to Chu Danqing.
He was telling him to stay away from the Way of Peace, preferably to have no ties to it at all.
"With that, the scourge of the Three Corpses has been eliminated by half." Chu Danqing understood and continued, "Only the person behind the scenes remains without a trace."
"This is not something we need to worry about. Now that the government has stepped in, even if that person escapes with his life, he will have to shed a layer of skin." Lu Yin understood that the true ruler of Yangxian County had always been the government.