Seeing this, Su Ye turned to the two behind him and asked, "What's with that portrait?"
"Oh, that."
Song Ren rode up beside Su Ye and explained, "I heard that a few days ago, some demonic beasts were causing trouble. By chance, Patriarch Qin came across them while passing by."
He followed their tracks, only to discover that those beasts were hiding in Zhou Tao's residence.
Patriarch Qin immediately reported the matter. After the County Lieutenant and several constables searched the place, they found not only traces of demonic beasts in Zhou Tao's residence, but also dozens of human remains hidden in the rear courtyard.
"Dozens of skeletons. Was that ever made public?"
A strange look entered Su Ye's eyes. By rights, Zhou Tao wouldn't have been foolish enough to hide so many potential dangers in his own home.
"No. The County Lord said the matter was too horrifying and would disturb the peace in the city."
Song Ren continued, "Afterward, they issued this notice."
Zhou Tao's affair had suddenly thrown Su Ye's plans into disarray. Frowning, he asked, "Who's the County Lieutenant now?"
"Second Master Qin."
Qin Hao's father, Qin Ganghu. Su Ye's thoughts raced. Events had unfolded beyond his expectations, but now that he was in the county seat, fleeing was out of the question.
The Qin family might be powerful, but he wasn't a pushover either. If it came to it, they could settle things with a fight.
Without changing expression, Su Ye and the others continued toward the county offices. Peddlers carrying bamboo baskets passed them from time to time, while the shops on either side displayed a dazzling array of wares.
On the roadside, vendors called out at the top of their lungs.
"Scissors sharpened!"
"Steamed buns! Fresh from the basket!"
"Fans repaired! Umbrellas patched!"
Their cries mingled with the sound of haggling, filling the street with lively bustle.
Before they knew it, the three had reached a four-way intersection, where five men suddenly appeared and blocked their path.
The man at their head looked to be in his thirties and wore a black short jacket. His voice had a slight nasal twang as he asked, "You're Su Ye, Constable Su, aren't you?"
Looking down at the men gathering around him, Su Ye asked, "Who are you, and what do you want with me?"
"I'm Li Ming of the Black Tiger Gang. Our Hall Master would like to invite Lord Su for a chat and to clear up a few misunderstandings." Li Ming smiled as he replied.
Su Ye saw right through it. This had to be related to Huang Qianqing. He answered, "I don't know your Hall Master, but if there's a misunderstanding, I should go and clear it up."
"Name the time and place."
Su Ye's answer clearly caught Li Ming off guard. Not one of the lines he'd prepared on the way over had been needed.
After a moment, Li Ming recovered and hurriedly said, "It's right here on East Ward Street... Our hall is just over there. We'll be waiting for you at the Hai hour, quarter one, tonight, Lord Su."
Watching the Black Tiger Gang members leave, Su Ye pondered. As one of Linshan County's three major gangs, the Black Tiger Gang naturally had a Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artist backing it.
The gang must have Meridian Opening Realm Martial Arts of its own. Perhaps the Internal Cultivation method he'd been longing for could be found there.
"Constable Su, do you have some history with the Black Tiger Gang?" Song Ren asked, puzzled.
Su Ye casually brushed it off. "Just a little misunderstanding."
He motioned for Song Ren and the other man to continue toward the county offices.
With permission, Su Ye entered the main hall of the county offices at an unhurried pace. The hall was unchanged from when he'd left a few days ago, but the old man seated in the place of honor was someone new.
The man looked to be in his fifties, with a square, dignified face. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he raised them.
"Greetings, County Lieutenant." Though Su Ye knew who the man was—and knew that Song Ren had already told the old man about what happened in Kaoshan Town—his expression remained calm.
Qin Ganghu's gaze swept over the young man below. He was handsome, and more importantly, Song Ren had said he was strong, at least in the Late Body Tempering stage. He'd also slain more than a dozen demonic beasts in a single night.
"I didn't expect our county offices to produce someone like Constable Su."
At those words, Su Ye understood that Qin Ganghu hadn't yet heard of Qin Hao's death. He was still in the dark; otherwise, he wouldn't have acted this way.
"I only did what was expected of me," Su Ye replied, neither servile nor arrogant.
Qin Ganghu smiled. "You've worked hard these past few days, Constable Su. If you need anything, just ask."
Su Ye remained composed. "My lord, I'm devoted to the Martial Arts. Apart from the three books in the martial arts repository, does the county office have any other Martial Arts manuals?"
"Those are the only three we have. Have you hit a bottleneck in your cultivation, Constable Su?"
When Su Ye nodded, Qin Ganghu looked surprised. "Could it be that you've already reached the threshold of the Meridian Opening Realm?"
"I wouldn't dare deceive you, my lord. I took that step just a few days ago." Su Ye deliberately hid the extent of his strength and played along.
Qin Ganghu sighed with feeling, then said with some difficulty, "My Qin family has quite a few manuals, but you aren't one of us."
Then Qin Ganghu said pointedly, "I hear demonic beasts have been running rampant these past few nights. Several towns around Kaoshan Town have suffered calamities. Are you aware of this, Constable Su?"
"I am."
Then Su Ye added, "I'm bold enough to ask, County Lieutenant: why haven't you sent people to wipe out these few demonic beasts?"
"Constable Su, you know one side of the matter, but not the other. These demonic beasts are easy enough to kill, but each has powerful backing."
"Take the Qu Mountain Demon King, for instance. He's the son of the Mountain Lord of Qingya Mountain. If we were to kill him rashly, the Mountain Lord might well retaliate."
Qin Ganghu continued, patiently guiding him. "That's why, when you're out in the world, you need connections and influence. Missing either one means you'll never get anywhere."
"I can see you have a gift for Martial Arts. Your lack of connections shouldn't be allowed to ruin your bright future."
"You may not be a member of the Qin family, but I don't want a young talent like you to vanish into obscurity. If you join the Qin family, I can authorize a Yellow Tier Mid-grade cultivation manual for you."
Yellow Tier Mid-grade was on the same level as the Dragon Tiger Vajra Skill, and both could take one to the middle stage of the Meridian Opening Realm. Su Ye knew that perfectly well.
What a sly old fox. As if he'd be this generous for no reason. If joining the family were only a formality, Su Ye wouldn't mind.
Curious, he tested the waters. "May I ask if there are any conditions, my lord?"
Qin Ganghu smiled. "Constable Su should know how precious manuals above the Yellow Tier are. To prevent them from leaking, we'd need to place a restriction inside your body."
"Don't worry. It's just a precaution. There won't be any harm."
This old fox clearly thinks I'm an idiot. Su Ye showed no displeasure, merely saying in a flat tone, "Thank you for your favor, my lord. Allow me a few days to consider it."
After leaving the county offices, Su Ye visited three martial arts schools in succession. The strongest instructor among them was only at the eighth layer of Body Tempering, so naturally none had the Meridian Opening Realm Martial Arts he was looking for.
At Changfeng Inn, Su Ye entered his room and opened the wooden window, then forged a mental link. Before long, a dark shadow slipped into the room.
"Ahem, boss, Linshan County hasn't been peaceful these past few days. Quite a few murders have happened."
"And there's more. Guess what I found?" Big Black said, deliberately keeping him in suspense.
After a brief pause, Big Black noticed Su Ye wasn't paying it any attention. Knowing there was no point, it chuckled sheepishly. "The county offices' rear courtyard was hiding those half-human, half-ghost things from the Corpse Demon Cult."
"The Qin family and the Cai family in the city both have traces of the Corpse Demon Cult, too."
Those two families were like local emperors in Linshan County. Their businesses covered rice, flour, oil, salt, iron, and weapons—all vital lifelines.
"What about the Black Tiger Gang?"
Su Ye looked thoughtful. The Corpse Demon Cult's influence ran so deep, it was as if they had the whole of Linshan County in their grasp.
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