I Have a Plan

"Creak——"

The wooden door hinges let out a long, drawn-out sound.

Outside stood a man about thirty, dressed in black robes and boots. Though he carried neither iron ruler nor long blade, it was clear he was a constable or catcher. Yet at this moment, both his hands were laden with gifts, and a smile hung on his face.

"Greetings, sir."

"Squad Leader, this is..."

"Oh, this humble one is Luo Jun, living just across the lane from you, sir." Constable Luo said with a smile. "I've long heard that a master has moved into Tianshui Lane, but I've never had the time to pay a visit. My apologies, my apologies."

"I'm unworthy of such courtesy."

"May I ask..."

"Please, come in, Squad Leader Luo."

Song You quickly invited Constable Luo inside.

Great Yan operated under a system of rotating officials, with chief magistrates frequently reassigned. Real local power mostly lay in the hands of lower-level clerks, who could not be taken lightly.

Among them, constables were military posts, yet closely tied to the people's daily lives. They represented official authority while often dealing with the martial world, straddling both the righteous and the unorthodox. Moreover, Great Yan's constable positions were likely hereditary, passing down relationships and power through generations, making them formidable figures in their locales.

Yet Constable Luo was quite deferential to Song You. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he set his gifts on the stone table.

There was fine wine brewed by Tianxin Tower, brown sugar from Jiuhe County, cloth from He Family Village, and a set of tea utensils—clearly chosen with care.

"I should have come to visit long ago, but I've been busy day and night chasing a thief." Constable Luo finally freed his hands to bow. "Yesterday afternoon, I had some free time and wanted to call on you, sir, but unfortunately, you had just stepped out."

"How could I deserve such generous gifts from Squad Leader?"

Song You frowned at the presents.

"You are a master, sir, so you certainly deserve them." Before Song You could reply, Constable Luo continued, "To be honest, when I came yesterday, I happened to run into a tea merchant from Wushan County who was also visiting you, sir. From our conversation, I learned that the master who eliminated the Fog Ghost on Jinyang Road was none other than you..."

"It was just a small favor."

"You rid the people of a scourge without seeking fame or profit, sir. I truly admire that, and I owe you a bow." With that, Constable Luo bowed again to Song You.

"You're too kind."

Song You could only look resigned.

This kind of atmosphere was heavy in Great Yan society—everyone spoke with excessive politeness and courtesy.

For instance, the escort surnamed Chen wasn't a chief escort, but people called him one anyway. Song You hadn't known whether Constable Luo was an ordinary constable or a chief constable, but he'd addressed him as Squad Leader from the start. People were always overly courteous, and Song You wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it—in any case, he didn't like it.

Fortunately, Constable Luo was a savvy man. Seeing this, he understood that a master like this likely disliked such roundabout ways.

Being more direct might even earn him some goodwill.

"To be honest, sir, besides visiting my neighbor, I also have a matter I'd like to consult you about."

"Squad Leader, no need to stand on ceremony. Speak freely."

"It's a long story."

Constable Luo let out a long sigh.

"Over the past year or two, there have been frequent thefts in Yidu City. The thief only steals treasures from noble estates, even daring to rob the Prefect himself. The city's officials were furious and ordered us to catch him immediately. But no matter what we tried, we couldn't find a trace of the thief. The common folk even started whispering that it was the work of demons or ghosts. It wasn't until a few months ago that we finally saw the thief's true face and learned how he managed to slip into noble estates and escape our pursuit without a sound."

"Does the thief know how to fly or burrow through the ground?"

"You've heard of him too, sir?"

"I saw him at the City Gate."

Song You recalled seeing a wanted order for the Earth-Diving Great Thief when he first arrived at the city gate.

"That's the one! Though the thief can't fly, he has some skill at burrowing through the ground!" Constable Luo said, looking at Song You. "Sir, do you know anything about this Earth-Diving Art?"

"A little."

"Really?"

Constable Luo blurted out.

Realizing his lapse, he quickly explained, "These past days, the earth-diving thief has eluded capture for so long that the city officials have issued an ultimatum, yet we have no way to deal with him. We've set traps several times, but the thief is timid and cunning—he won't even approach them. Just the other day, he stood not far away mocking us. Utterly infuriating. I'm desperate to catch him...

"And to be honest, sir, I've even sought advice from the masters at Taian Temple, but..."

Constable Luo trailed off and shook his head.

"What advice did the Taian Temple masters give?" Song You's curiosity was piqued.

"Master Guanghong said we should dig a ring of pits and fill them with excrement to break the thief's Earth-Diving Art." Constable Luo gave a helpless smile.

"That might work against someone with poor skill."

"So Master Guanghong wasn't lying to me?"

"The idea of using filth to break spells has been around for a while. Perhaps that master only said it because he saw how anxious you were, Squad Leader, and wasn't certain himself."

"That's what I thought too."

Constable Luo then looked at Song You again. "Do you have another method, sir? If you help me catch the thief, I promise you—I'll persuade the magistrate to credit you with the capture. The full reward will be yours, and I'll add a generous bonus on top."

"You said the thief is timid and suspicious, Squad Leader?"

"This is my personal judgment, Constable Luo."

"The Squad Leader is experienced; I doubt he'd be wrong."

"How does this relate to catching that thief?"

"Squad Leader, you may not know this, but the Earth-Diving Art, like the Wall-Passing Art, has a particular requirement: when performing the technique, you must have absolute faith in its success. If the caster harbors doubt or unease in their heart, they may suffocate themselves in the earth or seal themselves within a wall," Song You said. "Thus, since ancient times, those who learn the Wall-Passing Art or Earth-Diving Art have either been resolute and bold in nature, or foolish and utterly obsessed."

Song You truly understood this art of diving.

Fulong Temple possessed complete techniques for both the Earth-Diving Art and the Wall-Passing Art, and he was even well-versed in their principles—yet he himself could not perform either.

The principle of "believe and it exists, doubt and it vanishes; firm faith strengthens, wavering weakens" applied to many arts, but the Earth-Diving Art and Wall-Passing Art had an inherent flaw: no matter how well you learned them or how masterfully you wielded them, there would always be a chance of failure—only the probability varied.

You could devote half a lifetime to studying them, and merely reduce that probability by a sliver.

And this contradicted the earlier requirement that "the caster must have absolute faith in success."

Thus, since ancient times, few accomplished cultivators practiced these two arts—the more one understood them, the more one knew their flaws, and when casting, doubt would inevitably creep into the mind, amplifying the failure rate, even forming a vicious cycle.

Those who used them were mostly petty scoundrels.

Constable Luo frowned after hearing this.

"Over this past period, I've crossed paths with that thief several times, but because he knows the Earth-Diving Art, he always escapes. Moreover, last month I learned where he lives, and I believe I've gained some understanding of him. I'm certain that man is at most somewhat foolish—not the resolute and bold type you describe, nor can he be called utterly obsessed."

"Was he skilled in this art before?"

"He was nothing more than a failed scholar, couldn't pass the imperial exams, learned this Earth-Diving Art from somewhere, and started taking crooked paths."

"Perhaps someone taught him, either concealing the art's drawbacks or using secret methods to keep him from doubt or fear. Or maybe he only obtained the diving technique without knowing its inner workings," Song You said, pausing to glance sidelong at the gifts Constable Luo had brought. After a moment's thought, he added, "If either of these is the case, I have a plan to try—but I only ask the Squad Leader to give it a shot; I can't guarantee success."

"Please, speak, sir."

"Just expose it."

"Expose it how?"

"Squad Leader, do you know of a book called Taoli Suishi Ji?"

"Taoli Suishi Ji..."

Constable Luo couldn't fathom how breaking the Earth-Diving Art could be linked to a book.

Fortunately, Great Yan had the highest literacy rate of any dynasty, and he came from a prominent family, so he had learned to read. After thinking for a while, he actually recalled it—it seemed to be a collection of tales about all sorts of strange and eerie matters, readable as a book of ghost and monster stories.

"I have some recollection."

"The next time you encounter that man, simply tell him that Taoli Suishi Ji records a story of someone who habitually used the Earth-Diving Art and suffocated to death three feet underground."

"Will it work?"

"Perhaps."

"This..."

Constable Luo was taken aback. Though he found it even more far-fetched than burying dung in a pit, he still said he would remember it.

After a few more words, Song You saw him off.

This Taoli Suishi Ji was quite famous. Miscellaneous books like this sold well, and in this era without copyright awareness, many bookshops printed copies. The compiler was originally a Xuanmen Daoist, and many of the stories were his personal experiences or things he had heard firsthand, with a high degree of detail—anyone even slightly connected to the Xuanmen could see that. That thief, being timid and suspicious, would surely go verify it after hearing such a claim.

Even if he couldn't read, hearing someone shout it with such authority would inevitably shake his heart.

If it worked, it worked; if not, they'd figure something else out.

"..."

Song You shook his head and began to inventory the items.

He hung the cured meat and sausages on the beam of the kitchen, stored the brown sugar, tea cakes, and liquor in the kitchen as well. Though this was a rented haunted house, it now carried a bit of a homely feel.

"This will last me a while."

Song You murmured, then looked at the bolt of cloth.

The cloth was of fine quality, likely the most valuable of all the gifts. Glancing at his own old robe, he thought he could have a new one made.

But the cloth was too flashy; he preferred plain colors.

"..."

He decided against it.

Though this robe was worn with age, it had served him faithfully for years, shielding him from cold and shame, and had long since worn into the most comfortable and fitting state. Now that it hadn't yet torn or let in the wind, still covering and warming him, how could he discard it just because it was a little old?

Back in the courtyard, he saw the Three Flower Lady had run under the stone table. The hemp rope that had been used to tie the liquor hung down from the tabletop, and she was batting at it with her paws.

He who finds joy in his pursuits cares not for the fineness of his attire.

Such was Song You, and such was the Three Flower Lady.

Thank you to the alliance leader, Woodcutter Master, and to everyone who voted and donated—I'm deeply grateful...