Undercurrents

Linhe Fang hasn't been peaceful lately. Just as the wall to block refugees was only half-built, a major incident occurred outside the fang!

Patrol Captain Zhao Zhonghe arrived outside the fang with a group of yamen runners and saw refugees, clustered in groups of three to five, scattered like a disarranged chessboard on both sides of the official road.

The light snow that fell a few days ago hadn't accumulated and had now turned into muddy marshland. Just looking at it was enough to make one feel annoyed.

Zhao Zhonghe strode through the muddy puddles, and the refugees, dressed in coarse cloth, quickly made way.

"A total of one hundred and six victims. Without exception, all of them died of depleted blood and qi. The Silver Seal Demon Hunter Captain from the prefectural city has already determined that these people were likely killed by malevolent spirits and demonic creatures."

The county lieutenant Dong, who was overseeing the construction of the city wall, sighed and said, "The Prefect has already decreed that if this case cannot be solved and the demonic leader apprehended within three days, these refugees will be allowed into the fang for shelter."

Zhao Zhonghe examined the shriveled corpses as he asked, "What did the Demon Hunter Department say? Do they also agree to let these refugees of unknown identity enter the fang?"

County Lieutenant Dong pondered, "The Demon Hunter Captain had to return to the capital to report. They won't interfere too much in local matters. Before leaving, the Captain merely said to conduct a thorough investigation, and if there were no anomalies, they would likely proceed according to the Prefect's wishes."

Zhao Zhonghe stood up and looked towards Linhe Fang, where construction was underway.

If nothing unexpected happened, once the city wall was completed, Linhe Fang would only need a catalyst to transform into a county.

The Prefect couldn't possibly not have considered these matters.

"In my opinion, the Prefect probably already intended to bring these refugees into Linhe. After all, this is a good opportunity to increase the population."

"But the chaos in the southwestern prefectures, which one wasn't caused by refugees? Those demonic cultivators from the Tianxin Cult are adept at deception. If there are any of their people among these continuously arriving disaster victims..."

Hearing this, County Lieutenant Dong looked at Zhao Zhonghe in surprise. He had always known this captain to be exceptionally brave, but he hadn't expected him to have such a meticulous mind.

"Captain Zhao, there's no need to worry. We just need to do our jobs. As for the rest, we should trust the Prefect's judgment."

Zhao Zhonghe neither agreed nor disagreed. If he truly trusted the Prefect, he wouldn't have come here again after the Demon Hunter Captain had already investigated.

In the end, he was just a low-ranking official with little influence. Who would care about the judgment of a mere captain?

"Where are you going, Captain Zhao? Why not come to my place for a cup of tea?"

"No, my men and I got up early and haven't even had breakfast. We came here specifically to check the situation. Since the Prefect and the Captain have made their decisions, we won't meddle further!"

"Brothers, I'm treating today! I'll treat you to lamb soup!"

The yamen runners, their stomachs rumbling and their legs covered in mud, felt a bit resentful for not accomplishing anything. Now, hearing their captain offer to treat them, their dissatisfaction instantly vanished.

Besides the gambling dens and entertainment houses, the liveliest place in Linhe Fang was the East Market Miscellaneous Goods Street, which had the most people. Whether it was selling miracle elixirs, peddling dog-skin plasters, or performing acrobatics, you could find them all there.

For those with more refined tastes, there were also vendors selling antiques, calligraphy, paintings, flowers, birds, fish, and insects. In short, it was a kaleidoscope of goods, strange and varied. If you couldn't think of it, it wasn't on Miscellaneous Goods Street.

Xu Qing had spent the entire morning browsing and had spent over two hundred taels of silver to collect most of the materials needed to break through to the Ironclad Wandering Corpse stage.

He had only spent a little over a hundred taels on the truly necessary materials; the rest was extra, purchased to create a diversion and cover his tracks.

He approached a stall selling animal hides and asked, "What kinds of hides do you have here?"

The hunter, who was hammering a deer hide boot, only glanced up before continuing to work on the boot in his hands.

"Roe deer hide, deer hide, wolf hide, I have them all. But some are at home. If you want something specific, I can bring it to you in a couple of days."

Xu Qing sized up the hunter before him. The man wore a bone thumb ring on his right hand, used for archery, and a bear hide for clothing. Judging by the thick, strong fingers, Xu Qing knew this hunter was truly skilled.

"The hide I'm looking for is a bit unusual. I don't know if you have it."

"What kind of hide? Tell me, I can get any hide except human skin."

"Mountain Ruffian Hide that's at least ten years old, do you have any?"

Mountain Ruffian Hide is extremely yin and turbid, one of the raw materials for refining Ironclad Wandering Corpses in the Corpse Nurturing Scripture. The older it is, the more effective it is!

Upon hearing this, the hunter put down his boots and began to regard the young man before him seriously.

"Mountain Ruffian Hide is very tough; it can't be used as material. You must have another use for it if you want it."

Before Xu Qing could answer, the hunter continued, "That's none of my business. If you want Mountain Ruffian Hide, I do have a piece stored. Someone else wanted it originally, and I had already prepared it, but they never came to pick it up. This was two or three years ago."

"Back then, I almost lost my life trying to get this hide, and I even lost two of my well-trained dogs. However, this hide is unpopular, and it's rare for someone to want it. I won't beat around the bush with you. I'll sell it to you for half the price the original buyer offered, fifty taels of silver."

"How much?" Xu Qing had thought the hunter was being reasonable, but he hadn't expected him to ask for fifty taels right off the bat. If that was the case, the person who originally asked for the hide must have offered at least a hundred taels!

"Don't you disbelieve me. I'm not good at business, and I don't overcharge. If that person hadn't offered a high price back then, I wouldn't have risked my life to hunt that ruffian."

"This hide is what I exchanged my life for back then. Look at these scars on my face; they were from the ruffian's claws when it feigned death after being injured. If I hadn't reacted quickly, it would have ripped the skin off my head!"

Seeing that Xu Qing remained silent, the hunter added, "How about this: you prepare fifty taels of silver, and I'll bring you the ruffian's hide the day after tomorrow. I'll also throw in a Green Wolf Hide for you. What do you say?"

Xu Qing didn't haggle further. He had walked around the East Market for a long time, and this was the only stall with the item in stock.

If he missed this opportunity, who knew how long it would take. Besides, fifty taels of silver wasn't a small amount for him.

The two agreed on a date, and Xu Qing continued to wander along the East Market. As he reached the end of the street, several yamen runners with boots covered in yellow mud were walking towards him.

Xu Qing shifted his position, preparing to leave, but was stopped by the leading captain.

"You look familiar. Do you have an Identification Plaque and Travel Permit?"

Xu Qing looked at Zhao Zhonghe, whom he had met twice before, and felt a sense of helplessness.

For some reason, he always felt that he and this captain didn't get along.

It was as if they were destined to clash.

Zhao Zhonghe took the Identification Plaque and, looking at the registered place of origin and name, couldn't help but question, "Xiangyin County, Xiaoshitou Village? What are you doing in Linhe?"

Beside him, a yamen runner who had delivered a corpse to the Corpse Driver's Shop recognized Xu Qing and spoke up to help. "Boss, Shopkeeper Xu deals with the dead, arranging their funerals and burials. I've been there; Shopkeeper Xu has a shop on Jingxia Street, that whole area filled with funeral parlors."

"Bah! What rotten luck!" Zhao Zhonghe had just returned from outside the district, and the one hundred and six shriveled corpses had yet to leave his mind. Now, he'd encountered someone who dealt with the dead. Why was his day filled with such morbid affairs!

It wasn't just Zhao Zhonghe who was unhappy; Xu Qing also felt awkward. His "dream lover staff" was still tucked into the other man's belt!

And so, the two individuals who already disliked each other parted ways on bad terms once more.

Regardless of why Zhao Zhonghe always had it out for him, life had to go on day by day. After all, they weren't relying on that Zhao fellow.

Xu Qing was now only focused on the Mountain Ruffian Hide he was due to get in two days. With that hide, he could officially begin the process of advancing to an Ironclad Wandering Corpse. As for that Dog Beating Staff, he'd just consider it taken by a dog!

Returning to his shop, it wasn't long before Wu Yaoxing from next door, the "know-it-all," arrived with a fish.

"Look, I specifically went to the wharf and asked a friend for this carp."

Wu Yaoxing said with a chuckle, "My boy is going to take the Xiucai exam in the spring. This carp is a great omen. You know the saying, 'A carp leaping over the dragon gate'!"

"So, I brought one over for you to share in the good fortune!"

Xu Qing looked at the fish, thinking that the Corpse Nurturing Scripture didn't say anything about zombies not being able to eat fish. Maybe he could slice some raw fish sashimi later and try it?

As the two chatted, Wu Yaoxing casually brought up the major event that had occurred outside Linhe Fang.

He said that over a hundred people had died in one night at the hands of a demonic creature. It was truly bizarre!

"You often go out to arrange funerals, so you should be extra careful. Who knows what kind of Malevolent Spirit is causing trouble outside the district."

Hearing this, Xu Qing wasn't worried about the Malevolent Spirit. His first thought was whether the yamen would send those over a hundred dead bodies to him.

His next thought was about the Demonic Cultivators of the Tianxin Cult coming to Linhe Fang.

After a moment of thought, Xu Qing advised Wu Yaoxing, "Old Wu, try to go to the wharf less often recently. I heard from friends at the brokerage that the Jinmen Gang from out of town has taken over the area, and the two groups are currently in a fierce struggle. You might get caught in the crossfire!"

"Is that so? Then I certainly won't dare to go there anymore!"

Wu Yaoxing was quite fond of his own life. Upon hearing this, he absolutely refused to go wandering around the wharf again!