The Author Is Here

Chaotian Capital's relay stations were divided into private and government-run stations.

Private relay stations mainly handled the long-distance delivery of goods and letters for ordinary people. For example, if you were doing business in the north and wanted to send a letter home or ship local specialties, you could do so through a relay station.

Government relay stations, on the other hand, could only be used by officials. They were usually used to transmit military intelligence or deliver memorials that local officials wanted the emperor to review. They also provided officials with food and lodging and fresh horses.

As a Demon Subduing Captain of the Iron Horse Demon Subduing Bureau, Ning Xiu naturally chose a government relay station. When he arrived at the one established in Wendeng County, he found only a few station couriers and two young men dressed in fine silk robes inside. There was no one else.

The place was practically deserted. In fact, working as a station courier at a government relay station was an easy job. Unless war broke out or Evil Spirits began harming people somewhere, the couriers were not very busy for most of the year.

"My father only just stepped down from his post as county deputy, and you're saying I can't use the government relay station to send my goods anymore? What kind of nonsense is that? They say a man's gone and his tea's gone cold, but my father hasn't even gone yet."

"My young master really does have something urgent to take care of today. Could you make an exception for us? The old county deputy was still a county deputy, after all."

"I'm afraid not, Young Master Huang. Those are the rules of the government relay station. Anyone without an official post isn't allowed to use it. It doesn't matter if County Deputy Huang stepped down just a few days ago—even if he'd stepped down this morning, you still wouldn't be able to use the station this afternoon."

As soon as Ning Xiu entered the station, he saw the two young men talking to a station courier. From the looks of them, one was clearly some family's young master, and the other his attendant.

The longer they talked, the more heated things became. At this rate, they could argue for hours without getting anywhere.

Ning Xiu spoke up. "What goods are you trying to send?"

The station courier and the two young men all turned toward him at the sound of his voice. When they saw Ning Xiu, all three wore the same puzzled expression.

They may as well have had the words "Who are you?" written across their faces.

Ning Xiu took out his token. The moment the station courier saw it, he recognized Ning Xiu's identity and hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, sir."

At that, the two young men fell silent. The man in front of them looked even younger than they were, yet he was an official?

"Sir, this is Young Master Huang, the eldest son of this county's former county deputy, Huang You. He wishes to send a box of books to Lin'an Prefecture," the station courier explained.

"Bring me the goods and let me have a look." Ning Xiu waved a hand, and the station courier immediately hurried off to fetch a wooden box.

When Ning Xiu opened it, he was met with a boxful of books with apricot-yellow covers.

The familiar yellow covers, the familiar picture of one man and two women in a room. The only difference between these books and the one Ning Xiu had seen at Dong Fu's place was that these titles had a suffix.

After leafing through the books and counting them, Ning Xiu found that this box contained an entire series of fifteen volumes.

"You... have quite the complete collection." Ning Xiu was momentarily at a loss for words. If the higher-ups found out someone was planning to use a government relay station to send obscene books, he couldn't imagine what they would say.

"Sir, it isn't a collection. I wrote all of these myself. These are the original manuscripts."

Huang You thumped his chest. "I'm not bragging, but I've always made my living writing these fine works. I just have to send the manuscripts to a publishing house in Lin'an Prefecture, and they'll publish them for me. After that, a hefty sum from book sales goes into my bank account every month."

"Would you look at that—the author is right in front of me." Ning Xiu was even more at a loss for words. What were the odds?

The attendant beside him immediately chimed in. "Sir, could I trouble you to have the station courier send out this batch of manuscripts for my young master? We don't want to miss the publication date. My young master will be sure to show his gratitude."

The attendant's reminder jogged Huang You's memory, and he hurriedly added, "That's right. I hope you'll help me out, sir. I'll be sure to repay you."

Ning Xiu examined the entire box of books with the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique. After confirming there was no Evil Qi, he nodded to the station courier. "Let him send this batch one last time. Just this once."

"Understood." With permission from a Demon Subduing Captain, rules could be bent. The station courier readily agreed.

"I have something to send as well. Take this to Chaotian Capital right away. You know where I work. Deliver it there to someone named Su Qianqian. It's urgent, so don't delay." Ning Xiu handed the station courier the Runic Diagram he had copied from Liu Fu's corpse.

"Yes, sir!" The moment the courier heard Ning Xiu say it was urgent, his expression turned serious.

Orders from a Demon Subduing Captain always took top priority at any government relay station. Without delay, the courier left Huang You's box of pornographic books in the hands of the other station couriers, then ran straight to the stables, mounted a fine horse, and quickly left Wendeng County with the Runic Diagram.

That meant Ning Xiu only had to wait for Su Qianqian to examine the Runic Diagram, write down what it meant, and send the explanation back.

I've asked Fang Ping to have Dong Fu send people to check on the other deceased. I wonder if everyone who drowned this time turned into a Corpse Fiend. Ning Xiu decided to return to the county office first. If any news came back, he would be able to hear it as soon as it arrived.

But just as he walked out of the relay station, a voice called out from behind him.

"Sir! Sir, please wait!"

He turned around and saw Huang You and his attendant.

Ning Xiu asked, "What is it?"

"Sir, I'm incredibly grateful for your help today. I hope you'll do me the honor of joining me at Moon Embracing Tower tonight and let me play the host." Huang You invited him.

His father had already stepped down, and his influence in Wendeng County would surely dwindle by the day. After meeting such an approachable young official, Huang You had wanted to make friends with him.

If he could build a relationship with Ning Xiu, it could only benefit him.

Ning Xiu had come to Wendeng County to investigate the mysterious drowning deaths of more than ten people. He didn't know how long he would be staying, and getting to know someone with connections in the area would be useful to him, too.

Besides, he had nothing to do in Wendeng County that evening, so he accepted.

Before they parted, Ning Xiu couldn't help asking what had been puzzling him. "Young Master Huang, your manuscripts don't look particularly valuable. Since the government relay station wouldn't accept them, why not use a private one? Aside from the different names, the two don't seem all that different."

Huang You shook his head and smiled helplessly. "You wouldn't understand, sir. I did try sending my manuscripts through a private relay station once, but their people took my work out and read it along the way. Then they lost it, wasting a lot of my time. The government relay station is the one you can trust. Their couriers are professionals."

After bidding farewell to Huang You, Ning Xiu returned to the county office.

Dong Fu no longer had the heart to read his "good book." He was pacing back and forth in the study, his expression tinged with worry.

When he saw Ning Xiu come in, Dong Fu hurried over to greet him. "Lord Ning, you've finally returned."

Ning Xiu asked, "How did the investigation I asked you to arrange go?"

"Terrible, terribly bad. The rooms where the deceased were laid out in their coffins were all soaked with dampness, with water dripping everywhere. Following your instructions, I didn't touch a single coffin. I had them all brought back to the county office instead."

Even a Ninth Rank Corpse Fiend was more than ordinary people could handle. If anything went wrong and they escaped, Wendeng County would surely suffer a bloodbath.

Bringing all the corpses that had already turned back to the county office made it easy for Ning Xiu to give them each a physical send-off and prevent future trouble.

"Don't panic. For now, it's enough that we've contained the problem. Take me to where the coffins are being kept."

With Dong Fu accompanying him, Ning Xiu went to the rear courtyard of the county office. More than ten coffins had been laid out in the open space. Water dripped ceaselessly from every one of them, leaving the entire courtyard wet and muddy.

Ning Xiu used the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique. The Evil Qi in the rear courtyard had grown frighteningly dense.

He sent Dong Fu and the accompanying constables away, then began opening the coffins and destroying the corpses by himself. It wasn't long before he easily gained 8,000 points of Universal Proficiency.

If a single corpse turning into a Corpse Fiend had been a coincidence, then seventeen corpses all turning was a very serious matter.

Ning Xiu found the exact same Runic Diagram on all seventeen Corpse Fiends as he had on Liu Fu. Someone was clearly pulling strings in the shadows, trying to throw Wendeng County into chaos.

The mastermind had to be hiding somewhere in Wendeng County. Only by finding them could the county return to its former peace.

As soon as Ning Xiu came out of the rear courtyard, Dong Fu and the others waiting outside hurried over and asked, "Sir, how did it go?"

"They've all become Corpse Fiends. Go talk with the victims' families. We can compensate them with silver, but try to get them to agree to cremation," Ning Xiu said.

"On it. I'll send someone right away."

In the blink of an eye, night fell over Wendeng County.

Because of the Three Wonders of Wendeng, the county became far livelier at night than during the day. Lanterns blazed everywhere, making the whole place as bright as day.

Everyone knew this was when Wendeng County's nightlife truly began.

Keeping his appointment with Huang You, Ning Xiu arrived punctually at Moon Embracing Tower, the liveliest place in Wendeng County. It was already packed, with crowds streaming in and out.

Every table in the building was occupied. Food was being served, wine was being poured, and the place was buzzing with activity.

Moon Embracing Tower wasn't a brothel or a tavern. It was a pleasure house that brought together drinking, music, and beautiful women under one roof.

Every night, all sorts of people from Wendeng County showed up there. You might see an old man who sold scallion pancakes in the morning, or you might see a wealthy merchant.

"Are you looking for a seat, sir?" As soon as Ning Xiu entered Moon Embracing Tower, an attendant came over to ask.

Ning Xiu replied, "I'm here to see Huang You."

"So you're Young Master Huang's honored guest. Please, right this way. Young Master Huang has been waiting for you for quite some time."

The attendant led Ning Xiu to a private room in the corner of the first floor, where Huang You and his attendant were seated.

When Huang You saw Ning Xiu arrive, he immediately rose to greet him. "Lord Ning, please sit. I've been waiting for you for ages."

A few small dishes sat on the table beside a pot of wine. Nothing extravagant—there was even a touch of humble, everyday charm to it. Ning Xiu found it very comfortable.

"Tonight, Moon Embracing Tower has invited the famous Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan to hold an auction here. It'll be far more interesting than the usual singing and dancing. Lord Ning, you'll have quite the feast for your eyes."