Scheme Within a Scheme

"Heh, the stench of the Criminal Defense Division." A young girl's voice rang out.

"Young Master, shall we?" It was the voice of the night watchman.

"Shall we what?" The girl's voice sounded again. "Yuan Chengji, do you think you can take them?"

"You killed two deputy constables; do you really think the head constable hasn't noticed?"

"Can you stop fixating on eating hearts, livers, and lungs? Wouldn't it be better to eat more brains?"

"The Young Master is right to reprimand me."

"And you, Old Hong, can you stop acting so convincingly? This Young Master hates these two-faced tricks of yours the most." The girl's voice was authoritative.

"Understood."

"Hee hee." The girl suddenly laughed again. "But, Old Hong, I have to say, your acting is truly excellent. Those people from the Criminal Defense Division aren't as good as you. Pretending to be arrogant officials during the day to oppress the commoners—it hasn't even been that long, and they've already handed over the silver for the tea."

"Tsk tsk, two taels of silver. How much tea would one have to sell for that..."

"And that weak-looking little young master. He ordered tea but didn't take a single sip. What a waste, and he didn't even pay for it. If it weren't for the fact that he was easy on the eyes..."

"Young Master, that person is not simple." The tea stall owner said in a low voice.

Ordering tea without drinking it, observing from the shadows—it was clear his intentions were not on the tea.

Appearing before Wheat Valley Alley, it was easy to guess his goal.

"Hee hee, indeed not simple. Very cautious, very cautious. He's almost catching up to my eldest brother."

The room fell into a heavy silence. After a moment, the tea stall owner spoke slowly: "The Criminal Defense Division has gone to such lengths to root out Yuan Chengji and us, and now there is an unidentified person. Young Master, perhaps we should change locations."

"Change locations?" The night watchman, the constable Yuan Chengji, who had been silent, spoke instinctively: "Then what about me?"

"Haha, look, he's anxious, he's anxious." The girl's playful voice drifted out.

"You cannot leave for the time being. Today's events show that the people from the Criminal Defense Division are not fools; they are very shrewd. If my deductions are correct, the two constables above you have likely colluded with the Criminal Defense Division. They are pretending to stake out Wheat Valley Alley, but in reality, they are trying to bait you into revealing a flaw."

"Wait until the Young Master has safely left Willow Town, then you may go."

"Regardless of anything else, the Young Master's existence must never be compromised."

"Old Hong, speak for yourself, why drag me into this? Just based on those few from the Criminal Defense Division, plus the two constables, could they possibly be my match?"

"Young Master..." The tea stall owner mused: "That constable from the Criminal Defense Division is a martial artist who has condensed seven strands of blood energy, and the two deputies have condensed six."

"So what? The Young Master has mastered the divine technique; she can swallow one in a single bite."

"Yuan Chengji, shut up." The tea stall owner snapped: "Young Master, these three are not the greatest threat. The one we truly need to guard against is Fang Xiao."

"Constable Fang?"

"Fang Xiao's background is not simple. He was once a squad leader in the Tiger Armor Army of Xirong Prefecture. Later, for unknown reasons, he became an instructor at the Baiyuan County Criminal Defense Division. Although he is old and his blood energy has decayed, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. His true strength is no weaker than a Blood Activation Realm martial artist who has condensed nine or even ten strands of blood energy."

"That old man is that strong?" The constable Yuan Chengji was startled.

"Be careful, and you won't go wrong."

Outside.

Chu Ming was equally astonished; he had heard a great deal of information.

First was Steward Fang's background: a squad leader in the Tiger Armor Army and an instructor for the Criminal Defense Division.

How could a person of such status be content to serve as a guard for the Chu Family?

Could it be like the rumors say, that the old steward and the original owner's mother...

Secondly, the constables of the Criminal Defense Division did not seem to be as he had heard from Wu Chun or seen at the tea stall at dusk.

Steward Fang and the Criminal Defense Division seemed to know that a ghost was hiding within the Catching Yamen, but they were unsure who it was or if there were more people behind them.

Thus, they wanted to use the pretense of a stakeout to deceive the killers—the tea stall owner and his group.

But... it is clear that the tea stall owner and his group are one step ahead, setting up their stall right at the alley entrance, keeping a close watch on every move made by Steward Fang and the Criminal Defense Division.

Finally, there was the identity of the tea stall owner and his group.

The girl was the Young Master, whose strength was slightly weaker than Fang Xiao's. The tea stall owner held a slightly higher status, his strength unknown, and the constable named Yuan Chengji had the lowest status, with strength lower than the two Criminal Defense Division deputies he had just seen.

Young Master... that means there is an even larger organization behind them...

The girl is with the tea stall owner, and since I cannot confirm the owner's strength, I cannot act directly.

That night watchman, however... he could serve as a breakthrough point.

Chu Ming listened quietly as the people inside continued their low-voiced discussion.

"Old Hong, if we can't touch that Fang Xiao, can we at least take the other constable? I've finally come out for a trip; I can't just eat ordinary food, can I?"

"A Blood Activation Realm martial artist who has condensed five strands of blood energy—hmm, he must be delicious."

"The Young Master doesn't want to leave...?"

"Wait another day or two. The person from Baiyuan County will soon send someone to pick me up. You and Yuan Chengji should think of a way in these next few days. If you can let me have a taste, I will pass the next level of the Blood Refining Technique to you. How about that?"

The girl's words sounded like a negotiation, but her tone allowed for no doubt.

The small room fell into silence.

After a long while, a lantern lit up on the street.

Clang—

"The weather is dry, watch out for fire."

"..."

Yuan Chengji emerged from the small hut and walked briskly along the street, soon leaving North Street behind.

Chu Ming concealed his presence, following the watchman from a distance.

After leaving North Street, the man arrived at East Street, weaving through several turns before entering an abandoned house.

"Damn it, that old bastard is just a coward. He hangs around the Young Master all day, surely badmouthing me, otherwise the Young Master wouldn't treat me one way and him another."

"In just over twenty days, we've ripped out eight hearts. You lot take all the good stuff, leaving me with nothing but scraps. As soon as the Criminal Defense Division shows up, he wants to run and leave me behind!"

Inside the house, Yuan Chengji cursed while stripping off his watchman's uniform to change into the attire of a bailiff.

"If it weren't for me, you old geezer would have starved to death long ago, and the Young Master would be hungry too!"

The more he cursed, the more displeased he became.

The more displeased he became, the more he wanted to curse.

"I've cursed myself hungry."

With that, he walked to a side room. A strange odor wafted out, but Yuan Chengji acted as if he smelled nothing, his face even showing signs of excitement.

He crouched down and pried up a wooden floorboard.

Instantly, a foul stench emanated from within.

"So fragrant."

Yuan Chengji rolled up his sleeves slightly, pushed aside the burlap covering the contents, and lifted a half-rotted object, shoving it into his mouth without a moment's hesitation.

He knelt on one knee, head buried, with foreign matter hanging from his lips, looking just like a beast enjoying its prey.

Crunch... crunch...

The jarring sound of chewing echoed through the quiet hut.

"That's enough."

Suddenly, a young voice interrupted his feeding.

"Who?!"

Creak—

The wooden door was slowly pushed open, and Chu Ming walked into the room with his brows tightly knit.

Even though he had held his breath in advance, the nauseating, putrid stench still assaulted his nose.

"You?!" Yuan Chengji was shocked, but his reaction was lightning-fast; he pivoted his body and lunged forward like a wild beast.

Chu Ming's gaze sharpened, his right hand raised in an instant, fingers closing into a palm.

Hum—

The Wind-Slapping Palm was unleashed, and the sound of breaking wind rang out simultaneously.

Bang!