After wandering around the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion for a few laps, Ning Xiu finally found a stall that bought miscellaneous goods.
The stall was piled with all sorts of things: bronze vessels, iron parts, bottles and jars, ornaments, and even fragments of bone.
At first glance, it gave Ning Xiu the feeling that he'd wandered into Panjiayuan. He went straight over, crouched down, and asked, "Shopkeeper, will you buy anything?"
The stall owner was a fairly young-looking man, though it was impossible to tell his exact age.
At Ning Xiu's question, he answered without hesitation, "I buy it all."
"Then take a look at these and give me an estimate." Ning Xiu took out three skull-shaped throwing darts and held them out.
"Oh!" The man took them, and his eyes immediately lit with interest. He began rubbing them carefully between his fingers.
"These were made by a Demon Person, weren't they? They look very refined, and they're no ordinary darts, either. They've got some nasty tricks hidden inside."
"How much silver are they worth?" Ning Xiu asked.
"I'll give you ten taels apiece. Don't worry, I've been doing business here for seven or eight years, and I've always been fair. I'd never cheat a customer."
Ning Xiu had no idea what the three darts might fetch.
And keeping them on him was a nuisance. If he lost them one day, he wouldn't even get back the ten taels they were worth.
Even if I take a bit of a loss, so be it. Ning Xiu nodded. "All right, I'll sell them."
"Excellent! You're a straightforward fellow. Don't worry, I haven't cheated you one bit," the man said with a smile. He took out three silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, and handed them to Ning Xiu.
With that, Ning Xiu had finally cleared out every bit of miscellaneous junk he'd been carrying and made back a good chunk of what he'd spent.
He now had the seven-hundred-tael balance for the puppet order covered.
Ning Xiu had never imagined that the Three-Faced Demon would be carrying such valuable things.
If he could run into a few more Demons like that, wouldn't he be well on his way to financial freedom?
"Friend, I sense a faint current of pure energy around you. Its nature is clearly evil, yet it's remarkably clean and pure. What sort of treasure is it? Could you show it to me?"
Just as Ning Xiu took the silver ingots and turned to leave, the stall owner suddenly called out to him, sounding extremely serious.
"Treasure?" Ning Xiu was briefly taken aback, but quickly realized what the man meant.
The Six-Word Golden Bead had long since been damaged. After selling the pills and darts, the only thing he still carried was the Ghost Tear.
It had formed from the Resentful Yin Woman's tears as she was about to be destroyed. According to Su Qianqian, it was an extremely rare and precious material that needed to be carefully preserved.
That was why Ning Xiu had always kept it on him. He hadn't expected the stall owner to spot it at a glance.
But as the saying went, wealth should not be flaunted. Ning Xiu had no intention of selling the Ghost Tear, so there was no reason to let anyone know he had such a treasure.
"Shopkeeper, you're joking. What treasure could I possibly have? If I come across anything like that in the future, I'll bring it here to sell. I'll be going now."
Seeing that Ning Xiu had no intention of showing him anything, the stall owner had no choice but to give up. It was Ning Xiu's decision, after all; he couldn't force him.
Ning Xiu had gained a great deal from his trip to the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.
First, he had accomplished what he'd set out to do: he'd found a convenient solution for carrying the Startling Thunder Hammer around.
Second, he'd cleared out some useless odds and ends and turned them into a hefty sum of silver.
With his problems solved and a weight off his shoulders, Ning Xiu returned to his lodgings at the Demon Subduing Bureau and waited for night to fall.
Because of the Spring Full Pavilion incident, patrols and inspections had become extremely strict throughout Chaotian Capital.
The Marquis Wuyi's residence and the Spring Full Pavilion were both under particularly close watch. Demon Subduing Captains were sent to inspect each place at set times every day.
The temporary squad Ning Xiu had joined was assigned to patrol the area around the Spring Full Pavilion. They only had to keep watch for an hour before the next squad came to relieve them.
When the hour of Chou arrived, Ning Xiu put on his Mysterious Silver Lock Armor, hefted the Startling Thunder Hammer, and arrived at the meeting place Su Qianqian had told him about.
Three members were already there: two men and one woman. All three were Iron Horse Demon Subduing Captains.
As soon as Ning Xiu arrived, they introduced themselves.
"Liu Yong, Bronze Leopard Squad 1, Martial Dao Eighth Rank."
"Qin Ben, Bronze Leopard Squad 10, General's Path Ninth Rank."
"Li Yueying, Bronze Leopard Squad 13, Immortal Dao Ninth Rank."
Ning Xiu set the Startling Thunder Hammer on the ground, clasped his hands, and said, "Greetings, everyone. I'm Ning Xiu, Bronze Leopard Squad 6, Martial Dao... Eighth Rank."
"Brother Ning looks so young, yet you're already Martial Dao Eighth Rank. That's no small potential. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll surely be among the next generation of Bronze Leopards," Qin Ben said with a hearty laugh.
Liu Yong, who was also Martial Dao Eighth Rank, studied Ning Xiu's rather unusual weapon with curiosity.
The most common weapons in the Demon Subduing Bureau were sabers and swords, followed by spears and halberds.
Axes, hammers, bows, and whips were even rarer.
Seeing a Demon Subduing Captain wielding a hammer was almost more unusual than seeing an Evil Spirit wreaking havoc in Chaotian Capital.
"You're too kind. How many people are still missing from our temporary squad? When do we start patrolling?" Ning Xiu replied modestly with a smile, then changed the subject.
Li Yueying shook her head. "There are only four of us. Now that you're here, we're all accounted for. No need to say more—we can start right away."
Ning Xiu couldn't help feeling embarrassed. He'd thought he'd arrived right on time and was already quick enough, yet he'd still managed to be the last one there.
Since Liu Yong was the oldest, he took the lead of the temporary squad.
No one objected. After all, this was only a temporary squad, and no one knew how long it would last.
Why not let someone else be captain? Not being in charge meant they could enjoy some peace and quiet.
With Liu Yong leading the way, Ning Xiu and the others left the Demon Subduing Bureau and headed toward the area around the Spring Full Pavilion.
Chaotian Capital was noticeably quieter than usual these days. The Demon Subduing Bureau's citywide investigation had affected many businesses that normally opened at night.
"Ever since the Marquis Wuyi's residence was sealed off, some of the royal relatives in the palace haven't been able to sit still. They keep going to His Majesty, asking him to lift the restrictions on the Marquis's residence. We have to watch out for Evil Spirits and keep a close eye on the Marquis Wuyi at the same time. It's such a waste of our already scarce Demon Subduing Captains."
"Evil Spirits were being hidden in the Marquis Wuyi's businesses. There's no way the higher-ups will believe he knew nothing about it. They haven't taken him back to the Demon Subduing Bureau for questioning only because they're mindful of the royal family's dignity and the thirty-six marquises of Great Shang. I'm sure they're investigating him in secret, too. The Marquis Wuyi won't be able to keep up the act for long."
The night was pleasant, and the streets were quiet.
Perhaps Qin Ben found the patrol dull, so he lowered his voice and began chatting with Li Yueying.
The two seemed to get along well; otherwise, they wouldn't have been gossiping at a time like this.
Ning Xiu knew a thing or two about the Spring Full Pavilion incident. After all, he was the one who'd anonymously exposed it.
Without his letter of denunciation, no one might have uncovered the shady dealings behind the Spring Full Pavilion even now.
As he listened, Ning Xiu suddenly cut in. "What do you two think the Marquis Wuyi was trying to accomplish by setting up the Spring Full Pavilion to hide Evil Spirits?"
Li Yueying glanced back at him and replied, "People who fall into depravity usually have their reasons. Those who don't know them can't guess the truth. I once knew a man whose parents were murdered and whose wife and daughter were violated. Unable to get revenge, he willingly let Evil Spirits use him in exchange for the power to avenge them."
Qin Ben added, "The man I knew was a hardworking farmer who'd lived an honest life. But the local gentry's spoiled son seized his fields and granddaughter by force. In the end, he had no choice but to join the Black Heaven Gate. After wiping out that family, he vanished without a trace."
"They were all poor souls forced into desperate straits," Liu Yong sighed from the front. "But the Marquis Wuyi had such status and rank. He never had to worry about food, shelter, or money. As a member of Great Shang's royal family, he had so many resources and enjoyed so many privileges. What reason did he have to fall into depravity and bring shame upon Great Shang?"
Ning Xiu pursed his lips but couldn't answer. Only the Marquis Wuyi himself knew what had truly driven him to it.
Suddenly, as Ning Xiu scanned his surroundings, the corner of his eye caught a figure darting past. He quickly turned to look.
But that direction was completely still. There was no sign of anyone.
Did I imagine it? Ning Xiu wondered.
Seeing him stop, the other three halted and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I think something just passed over there, but I didn't get a clear look, so I can't be sure," Ning Xiu said hesitantly.
Ordinary citizens couldn't have done that. And if it had been another Demon Subduing Captain, they would surely have stopped to greet them.
That left only one possibility: an Evil Spirit. But this was Chaotian Capital. Had the Evil Spirits really grown so bold that they dared show themselves openly in the capital?
"That looks like the Spring Full Pavilion," Liu Yong said after a moment's thought. "Let's go take a look. We can't ignore anything unusual."
The others nodded and immediately headed toward the Spring Full Pavilion.
Ever since Qin Daorong's men had swept through the place, the Spring Full Pavilion had stood empty.
Seals bearing the Demon Subduing Bureau's name were pasted across the doors and windows. No one was allowed inside. Anyone but a Demon Subduing Captain who dared tear one down would be charged as a Demon Person.
When the four of them approached, they carefully inspected the seals on the doors and windows for signs that anyone had torn them down.
They checked the entire outer perimeter of the first floor, but every seal was intact, without a trace of damage.
"Strange. Ning Xiu, are you sure you saw something move?" Qin Ben asked, puzzled.
Before Ning Xiu could answer, Liu Yong said, "Never doubt a comrade. The methods of Evil Spirits are strange; it's perfectly normal for us to miss something. The thing Ning Xiu saw might really have something to do with the Spring Full Pavilion."
Li Yueying asked, "What should we do now?"
"Go inside and check again, just to make sure everything's in order."
As everyone watched, Liu Yong reached out, tore down the seal, and pushed open the doors of the Spring Full Pavilion.
Creak!
With a piercing groan, the Spring Full Pavilion's pitch-black interior came into view.
Darkness and a cold wind surged out at once.
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