Ward Off Evil

The Rain Water was pouring down, and there were very few pedestrians on the road.

Liang Qu stopped several pedestrians wearing straw raincoats before he could get a clue about the deceased's identity.

The pedestrian was initially quite frightened by the head and spoke haltingly, but he became more and more fluent as he spoke.

"It's Old Zhao. He has a donkey cart and loves to brag about his precious donkey, saying it can endure more hardship than a mule and is stronger than a strong horse."

Before, they basically made a living by delivering firewood to people every day, and it's the same now that they've come to Yi Xing Town.

I heard that he occasionally sells a few fish nowadays. Because he doesn't have to pay stall fees, his prices are a bit lower than others, and he's doing fairly well.

"Are you sure?"

The passerby hesitated for a moment, then suppressed his fear, glanced at the man's head a few more times, and nodded vigorously.

"I'm sure, there's no mistake. I used to be from the same hometown as him, our houses were just across the street from each other, and we fled here together."

Do you know where he lives now?

"Hmm." The passerby frowned and pondered. "We haven't seen each other much since we came to Yi Xing Town. I remember it was in a small mud house next to Yellow Mud Alley in the southeast."

Oh, his family must have a small donkey shed, and it's a newly built shed; the Yellow Earth is very fresh!

"Thanks."

Liang Qu took out a few copper coins and handed them to the passerby.

"It's nothing, thank you so much, Master Liang, thank you so much, Master Liang." The passerby took the copper coin and thanked him repeatedly. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up, "Master Liang, don't blame me for being nosy, but what happened to this Old Zhao? He died... If it's hard to say, I won't ask, I won't ask."

It was only because Liang Qu was handsome and had a good reputation that he dared to ask such a question.

If it were someone else, being stopped and asked to identify heads on a rainy day would probably scare them half to death and cause them to fall seriously ill.

"He died because of me, and I accidentally implicated him. His family should know."

The passerby was speechless, opened his mouth, and bowed.

"Master Liang of great integrity."

"That's how it should be; there's no such thing as lofty ideals or anything like that."

Liang Qu shook his head and pulled the reins toward Yellow Mud Alley.

Watching the cart leave, the passerby sighed.

"Alas, Old Zhao is also unlucky. His eldest son died at the hands of Spirit Monster and was destined to be a wandering ghost. It was not easy to settle him down... The world is really not peaceful."

Liang Qu's ears twitched slightly, and he quickened his pace to catch the carriage.

The cart entered Yellow Mud Alley in the southeast of Yi Xing Town, going around to each household.

A relatively new mud house with a thatched hut and a feeding trough came into view.

It's almost certainly this place.

Knock knock knock.

"I'll go open the door, who is it?"

The young man, wearing a raincoat, braved the rain to lift the door bolt and was overjoyed to see Liang Qu.

"Master Liang! Master Liang, what brings you here?"

The sudden and tragic news brought the whole family together at the door.

A boy of twelve or thirteen, an old woman over fifty, and a middle-aged woman holding a boy of four or five.

There are four people in total.

If the eldest son and Old Zhao, as mentioned by passersby, had not died, the family of four—two strong laborers and one young strongman—would have been a very prosperous household.

Liang Qu put down the money bag in his hand, which contained all the cash he was carrying, about forty taels.

"Please accept my condolences. That donkey is probably gone forever. There were about forty-two taels of silver in the purse, enough to buy a new big donkey. It could earn a good living by pulling goods."

The rest was used to tide us over and get by. If anyone tried to take advantage of us, we would say that the money was from me, and no one in Yi Xing Town dared to touch it.

If you are determined to learn martial arts, come to the Yang Martial Hall and find me to learn a few moves.

Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who wear shoes.

As long as someone is lazy, shameless, and physically strong, there's no way to eliminate someone like LaiTou Zhang.

But Liang Qu spread the word that those scoundrels wouldn't dare come to his door, otherwise he would have wasted all that time.

Forty-odd taels of silver is enough for the family to get through the current difficult time when there are no adult laborers.

As for learning martial arts, the chances of becoming Martial Artist are slim.

Liang Qu could tell at a glance that the boy had average Root Bone, but he could learn a couple of moves to intimidate people.

The men, disregarding their grief, repeatedly expressed their gratitude. Liang Qu, however, was too embarrassed to accept such a gesture. He left with only a few words and hurriedly departed, carrying the body to the River Conservancy Office to exchange his merits.

The new Prefectural Office of the River Conservancy Office was located in the riverside area between Ping Yang County and Yi Xing Town.

The basic layout was similar to that of the County Government Office, with civil officials on the left and military officials on the right. The only difference was that there was a new wharf not far from the entrance, with wooden stakes stuck in it and the standard small boats of the River Conservancy Office there.

On the other side of the Prefectural Office, Liang Qu also saw two Big Ox he had never seen before strolling around nearby, getting wet in the rain and grazing.

The ox was enormous, at least ten feet tall, with bulging muscles all over its body. When it walked, the ground trembled slightly, startling the water snakes hiding in the grass, which quickly fled.

Their horns didn't resemble those of water buffalo or cattle; rather, they looked like those of musk oxen. Their short, dense fur was glossy and smooth after being washed by the Rain Water, indicating that they had been raised very well.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the two oxen raised their heads, mooed twice, and flicked their short tails, splashing Rain Water.

"River Opening Ox?"

Liang Qu recalled the introduction in the case file of the River Conservancy Office.

The River Opening Ox are gentle in nature and naturally strong. They are often used to plow the fields, but not for farming; instead, they are used to open up waterways.

Two River Opening Ox are enough to carve a waterway from Ping Yang County to Yi Xing Town within ten days.

I've never seen this before. Could it be that River Conservancy Office were transferred from elsewhere?

Liang Qu made a strange guess, but without stopping, he carried the two corpses across the gate of the River Conservancy Office office.

Many people were whispering among themselves.

The results of the swimming competition following the auction have spread like wildfire throughout the entire River Conservancy Office, and everyone, whether they saw it or not, is still fascinated by it.

Unexpectedly, the person involved turned around and came back carrying two more corpses.

What's going on? Ignoring everyone's gaze, Liang Qu strode to the left and found the new Records Room based on the plaque on the door.

Secretary Li, an acquaintance and a colleague, was sorting through documents when they learned that Liang Qu had killed two of the Ghost Mother Sect's best members. They rushed to inform Ran Zhongshi.

"Good lad, you just finished the swimming competition and you've already brought two heads?"

Before he arrived, his voice preceded his arrival. Ran Zhongshi jumped down from the building and squatted down next to the two corpses to check their pulses.

"They're all dead? No survivors?"

"We can't keep them."

Ran Zhongshi had no doubts.

The intensity of the remaining scent of the corpses proved that they were undoubtedly from the Galloping Horse Upper Realm. If they could win against two opponents, it must have been a tough battle, and it would be difficult to leave any survivors.

Look at the boils on one of their necks; they may have used some tricks, but even so, it's still quite remarkable.

After inquiring about the location and general details, Ran Zhongshi nodded.

"It's the style of the Ghost Mother Sect, and the motivations fit perfectly. Are you injured?"

"Just a minor injury."

"Real?"

Ran Zhongshi looked Liang Qu up and down and, seeing that he was indeed unharmed, his opinion of him rose even higher.

He waved his hand, and the two corpses were carried away.

"You single-handedly fought off two Galloping Horse Upper Realm. If you report this, it will be another Great Merit!"

"Since both of them are dead, will there be any difficulties in verifying their identities?"

"It used to be, but it's simple now. Ke Wenbin only recently discovered this. The blood of the Ghost Mother Sect can react with the sap of mugwort and change color."

Artemisia argyi?

Why is that?

Liang Qu knew that mugwort was just a very common plant, found everywhere, and very effective at repelling mosquitoes.

"We guess it might be related to the fact that mugwort can ward off evil spirits."

"To ward off evil spirits?"