"Heh heh, the stench of the Criminal Defense Division." A young girl's voice rang out.
"Young Master, should we?" It was the night watchman's voice.
"Should we what?" The girl's voice rang out again. "Yuan Chengji, can you beat him?"
"You killed two Deputy Constables. Did you think the Head Constable wouldn't notice?"
"Could you stop going after just hearts, livers, and lungs? Would it kill you to eat a little more brain?"
"Young Master is right to reprimand me."
"And you, Old Hong. Could you stop acting so convincingly? I hate you people who put on one face in public and another behind closed doors." The girl's voice was stern.
"Yes."
"Hee-hee." The girl suddenly giggled again. "But Old Hong, I have to hand it to you—your acting's really good. Those people from the Criminal Defense Division can't compare. You pretended to be a domineering official, bullying the common folk in broad daylight, and it didn't take long before they brought over the money for tea."
"Tsk, tsk. Two taels of silver. Just how much tea would you have to sell to make that?"
"And that delicate-looking young master, too. He ordered tea but didn't drink a single sip. What a waste. He didn't even pay for it. If he hadn't been easy on the eyes..."
"Young Master, that man is no ordinary person," the Teahouse Owner said gravely.
He'd ordered tea without drinking it, observing them in secret. It was clear he was after something other than tea.
He'd appeared outside Wheat Valley Alley. It wasn't hard to guess his purpose.
"Hee-hee, he really is no ordinary person. Very, very cautious—almost as cautious as my eldest brother."
Silence settled inside the house. After a moment, the Teahouse Owner slowly spoke. "The Criminal Defense Division has resorted to such measures to catch Yuan Chengji and the rest of us. And now there's another person of unknown identity. Young Master, perhaps we should move somewhere else."
"Move somewhere else?" The night watchman, who'd been quiet until now, blurted out, "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Haha, look at you—you're getting nervous." The girl's voice rang out, teasing him.
"You can't leave just yet. Today's events show that the people from the Criminal Defense Division aren't fools. They're extremely sharp, too. If my guess is right, the two constables above you have probably made a deal with the Criminal Defense Division. They're pretending to keep watch over Wheat Valley Alley, but really, they're trying to make you slip up."
"Wait until Young Master has safely left Willow Town. Then you can go."
"No matter what, we must never let Young Master's existence come to light."
"Old Hong, say what you want, but why drag me into it? Those few people from the Criminal Defense Division and the two constables aren't a match for me."
"Young Master..." The Teahouse Owner hesitated. "The Criminal Defense Division's Constable is a martial artist who's condensed seven strands of Qi and Blood Power. The two Deputy Constables have condensed six each."
"So what? Young Master has mastered the divine skill. One bite and each of them is gone."
"Yuan Chengji, shut up!" The Teahouse Owner barked. "Young Master, those three aren't the greatest threat. The one we really need to watch out for is Fang Xiao."
"Head Constable Fang?"
"Fang Xiao has quite an extraordinary background. He was once a Corporal in the Tiger Armor Army of West Rong Prefecture. Later, for reasons unknown, he went to work as an instructor at the Criminal Defense Division in Baiyuan County. Though he's old and his Qi and blood have declined, even a starving camel is bigger than a horse. His true strength is no weaker than that of a martial artist in the Blood Activation Realm who's condensed nine, perhaps even ten, strands of Qi and Blood Power."
"That old man's that strong?" Yuan Chengji, the constable, was startled.
"Better safe than sorry."
Outside.
Chu Ming was just as astonished. He'd heard quite a lot.
First, there was Steward Fang's background: a Corporal in the Tiger Armor Army, then an instructor at the Criminal Defense Division.
How could someone with such a distinguished history be content to serve as a guard for the Chu Family?
Could it be just like the rumors—that the old steward and the original owner's mother...
Second, the Criminal Defense Division's Constable didn't seem to be what Wu Chun had told him, or what he'd seen at the tea stall at dusk.
Steward Fang and the Criminal Defense Division seemed to know that there was a mole in the Catching Yamen. They just weren't sure who it was, or whether there were more people behind him.
So they'd pretended to keep watch, hoping to deceive the killer—in other words, the Teahouse Owner and the others.
But... it's obvious the Teahouse Owner and his companions are one step ahead. They set up their stall right at the alley entrance, keeping tabs on Steward Fang and the Criminal Defense Division's every move.
Finally, there were the identities of the Teahouse Owner and the others.
The young girl was the Young Master. She was a little weaker than Fang Xiao. The Teahouse Owner held a somewhat higher position, but his strength was unknown. The constable named Yuan Chengji held the lowest position, and he was weaker than the two Criminal Defense Division Constables from earlier.
Young Master... So there's an even larger organization behind them...
The girl is with the Teahouse Owner, whose strength I can't determine. That means I can't attack them directly.
But that night watchman... I could use him as a way in.
Chu Ming listened in silence as the people inside continued speaking in low voices.
"Old Hong, we can't touch that Fang Xiao, but the other constable should be fair game, right? I hardly ever get to come out. I can't just eat ordinary food, can I?"
"A martial artist in the Blood Activation Realm who's condensed five strands of Qi and Blood Power. Mmm, he must taste delicious."
"Young Master, you don't want to leave...?"
"Wait another day or two. That person in Baiyuan County will send someone to fetch me soon. You and Yuan Chengji, think of something these next few days. If you manage to get me a meal, I'll pass the next level of the Blood Refining Technique on to you. How about it?"
The girl sounded as if she were making a suggestion, but her tone left no room for refusal.
Silence fell inside the small house.
After a long while, a lantern lit up on the street.
Clang—
"The weather's dry. Mind the candles."
"..."
Yuan Chengji left the small house and hurried down the street, soon leaving North Street.
Keeping himself concealed, Chu Ming followed the night watchman from a distance.
After leaving North Street, the man reached East Street and took several winding turns before entering an empty house.
"Damn it, that old bastard's just scared. He sticks to Young Master all day, and he must have said a lot of bad things about me. Otherwise, Young Master wouldn't treat me one way and him another."
"In just over twenty days, I've dug out eight hearts, giving you all the good stuff while I'm left with scraps. The moment the Criminal Defense Division shows up, you want to run—and leave me behind, too!"
Inside the house, Yuan Chengji cursed as he took off his night watchman's clothes and changed into a constable's uniform.
"If I weren't around, you old bastard would've starved to death long ago. Young Master would've gone hungry, too!"
The more he cursed, the more disgruntled he became.
And the more disgruntled he became, the more he wanted to curse.
"You've made me hungry from all that cursing."
As he spoke, he walked into a side room. A strange stench drifted out, but Yuan Chengji acted as if he couldn't smell it. In fact, an excited expression crossed his face.
He crouched and lifted a wooden board.
At once, a foul stench wafted out.
"Smells delicious."
Yuan Chengji pushed his sleeves up a little, moved aside the sackcloth covering it, and picked up half a piece of something thoroughly rotten. He hurriedly stuffed it into his mouth.
He was half-kneeling on the floor, head bowed, with something hanging from his lips. He looked like a beast relishing its prey.
Crunch... crunch...
The grating sound of chewing echoed through the quiet little house.
"That's enough."
Suddenly, a young man's voice interrupted his meal.
"Who?!"
Creak—
The wooden door slowly swung open, and Chu Ming stepped into the room, his brow furrowed.
Even though he'd held his breath beforehand, the nauseating stench of decay still assaulted his nostrils.
"You?!" Yuan Chengji was shocked, but reacted quickly. He twisted around and pounced like a wild beast.
Chu Ming's gaze sharpened. His right hand shot up, fingers closing together into a palm.
Whoosh—
The Wind-Slapping Palm struck, and the sound of air tearing rang out.
Bang!
Before you continue