"The young master only went out for half a day, yet he found out that Yuan Chengji was a mole, with the Teahouse Owner and some so-called Young Master girl pulling the strings behind him..."
After exchanging a few words with Chu Ming, he was completely certain that the mysterious person was none other than their own young master.
The tension finally left Fang Xiao's face.
"The young master has been hiding his strength. His movement technique and stealth skills alone are no weaker than mine."
"Heh, I never would've guessed. Looks like my plan won't be needed after all."
"With the young master's strength, the Chu Family... can hardly threaten him anymore."
"Still, since we've called Shao Pengshu here, let's carry on."
A small house near Wheat Valley Alley.
"Have you gathered the evidence?" Fang Xiao asked gravely.
"Everything's ready. Don't worry, Instructor Fang." Shao Pengshu lifted a bundle wrapped in gray cloth, and a foul stench immediately filled the air.
"What about the body?"
"I had Zhang Yi and Tan Hong go collect it."
"Good."
"Instructor Fang, should we notify Chief Constable Hou?"
"We've more or less figured out the Wheat Valley Alley case. There's no need to keep hiding it from Chief Constable Hou, is there?"
"You don't know, Instructor Fang. That day, I had to drink a whole pot of wine before I dared accuse you and Chief Constable Hou."
"If I don't set the record straight, I'm afraid I, Shao Pengshu, will really be taken for a cruel villain who throws his weight around and bullies people."
Shao Pengshu spoke with an innocent expression.
Fang Xiao's expression remained calm. "Yes, we should let Chief Constable Hou know."
"But let's wait until we've caught the Teahouse Owner and the girl."
"Besides, Chief Constable Hou won't be able to come tonight."
"Heh, his wife wouldn't let him, huh?" Shao Pengshu's eyes flickered.
Fang Xiao spoke solemnly. "Chief Constable Hou is different from you and me. He has a family."
"You're not young anymore. Have you considered settling down?"
Shao Pengshu's expression turned serious at once, and he changed the subject. "How does Instructor Fang plan to make it up to Chief Constable Hou?"
He didn't want anyone tying him down. There were plenty of women in the brothels, pleasure houses, and pleasure boats, and he could do as he pleased.
Fang Xiao fell silent.
The Wheat Valley Alley murder case shouldn't have drawn the attention of the Criminal Defense Division in Baiyuan County.
In truth, it was he who had secretly arranged for Shao Pengshu and the others to come.
He wanted Shao Pengshu to solve the Wheat Valley Alley case and earn great merit.
Shao Pengshu had been trained by him from the ground up and could be considered his trusted subordinate.
The insults in Wheat Valley Alley a few days ago had been nothing but an act.
"Constable Shao, this merit should be enough to earn you a promotion to Principal Eighth Rank Criminal Officer. Be sure to handle the matter I assigned you."
"As for making it up to Chief Constable Hou, I'll think about it."
Giving Shao Pengshu the credit for this case would mean that the charges against him and Hou Ping for mishandling the investigation would be confirmed.
The loss of pay from the punishment didn't matter much. What truly made him feel he'd wronged Hou Ping was that he'd worked with Shao Pengshu behind Hou Ping's back, arranging the investigation so that all the credit went to Shao Pengshu.
But he had no choice. Hou Ping was a good man, but he couldn't keep his wife in check, and that woman... couldn't keep her mouth shut.
For the young master's sake, he had to do it.
"Yes. Instructor Fang, you've given me a second life. I'll protect that young master with my life."
"But, Instructor Fang, I heard Instructor Lin say that the young master was frail and sickly, and never applied himself to his studies. How did he come first in the Academy Examination?" Shao Pengshu asked in a lowered voice.
"Did Lin Zhenwu say that, or is that what you wanted to ask?" Fang Xiao replied calmly.
"Heh, I was just curious, Instructor Fang. I made a point of asking around before I came. A few days ago, the young master came down with a serious illness and nearly..."
"If you keep talking, I'll have Lin Zhenwu make your usual training even harder."
"I'll shut up." Shao Pengshu obediently moved aside, and the little house fell quiet.
Fang Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was low. "When will Lin Zhenwu arrive?"
"I got the news yesterday and sent word back to Baiyuan County. We'll probably have to wait a while longer..."
"Instructor Fang..." Shao Pengshu paused, his eyes darting about. "Instructor Lin isn't going to compete with me for the credit, is he?"
"Does your Instructor Lin need such a small amount of credit?" Fang Xiao said calmly. "The credit he'd earn from going out and killing a few foreign tribesmen would far exceed what this case is worth."
He unfolded the sheet of paper again and stared at it for a long while.
"Let's go over the plan."
"First, we don't know how strong the Teahouse Owner and the girl are, since they're cultivating the Blood Refining Technique. We'll have to wait for Lin Zhenwu to back us up. We can't let them escape."
"Instructor Lin has condensed eleven streams of qi and blood. With him helping us, they definitely won't get away," Shao Pengshu replied.
Fang Xiao nodded and continued, "Second, Yuan Chengji is dead. We must keep it under wraps, or we'll alert the enemy. So we need someone to take his place."
Shao Pengshu considered it. "That's easy. Zhang Yi and Tan Hong have both learned disguise."
"Good." Fang Xiao folded the paper and looked out the window.
"It's about time. We'll split up. You go keep an eye on the Teahouse Owner and the girl. I'll check on Chief Constable Hou at home, in case anything goes wrong."
The paper had mentioned that the girl wanted to make a move against Hou Ping.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry, Instructor Fang."
Under the night sky, two figures headed off in opposite directions.
Morning.
Hou Ping walked out of his house looking relaxed and headed to a roadside stall.
"Same as usual, Constable Hou?" the owner asked with a flattering smile.
"Mm. Five fried dough sticks, five bowls of tofu pudding, and twenty buns. How much?"
"No charge. If Constable Hou hadn't given me an ounce of silver to get this little stall started, my whole family would've starved in the streets. I couldn't possibly take your money."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're running a stall. Anyone who buys something has to pay," Hou Ping said sternly, pulling two or three dozen copper coins from his robes. "Me included."
He tossed the coins onto the stall. Seeing the nervous look on the owner's face, he added with a smile, "Save up and pay me back as soon as you can."
The breakfast-stall owner's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Constable Hou. I'll do my best."
"Constable Hou, it's all packed."
"Good."
Hou Ping carried the breakfast to the Catching Yamen.
"Good morning, Chief Constable Hou." Two constables were talking at the entrance to the Catching Yamen.
"Here. Breakfast."
"Thank you, Chief Constable Hou."
Hou Ping looked around and asked, "Where's Yuan Chengji?"
At his words, the two constables stiffened and lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
"Where is he?"
They were supposed to keep watch in Wheat Valley Alley, but every morning they met at the Catching Yamen. It gave them a brief chance to rest and let them discuss where to keep watch that day.
"He... he..."
Yuan Chengji had left yesterday at dusk and hadn't come back since.
But they didn't dare say so.
"I'm here, I'm here."
Just then, a voice came from inside the Catching Yamen. A man came hurrying over, one hand holding up his waistband, the other clutching some coarse toilet paper.
There was no need to ask what he'd been doing.
Hou Ping only frowned slightly, then tossed him a breakfast. "Lazy people sure do spend a lot of time on the toilet."
"Heh." Yuan Chengji caught the food and smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, Chief Constable Hou!"
"All right, spare me the empty flattery and do your job properly!"
"Eat quickly, then get to Wheat Valley Alley."
With that, Hou Ping picked up two breakfasts and turned to leave.
They could all meet at the Catching Yamen in the morning, but they couldn't all leave Wheat Valley Alley. Fang Xiao was still keeping watch there, so Hou Ping had to hurry over.
"Chief Constable Hou, Head Constable Fang is back. He's in the inner hall," Yuan Chengji said around a mouthful of fried dough stick.
Before you continue