"Autumn Hunt?"
The three of them walked toward the Drill Ground. As they went, Chen Zhuo asked Xiao Liu about it.
Yan Ming glanced at Chen Zhuo but said nothing, simply continuing on his way. There was no way to tell that he and Chen Zhuo were senior and junior brothers.
Xiao Liu chuckled. "The Autumn Hunt is a major event for the Yamen, and even for all of Baiyun County."
"Oh?"
Chen Zhuo was a little surprised.
He didn't seem to have any memory of it.
"Master Chen hasn't been at the Yamen long, so it's only natural you don't know."
Xiao Liu gave a cheeky grin and continued explaining. "Every year, when autumn begins, the Yamen organizes all the gangs and powerful families in the county to hunt demon beasts on Dangyun Mountain. It lasts ten days."
"That's why it's also called the Ten-Day Demon Sweep."
"I've heard it was a rule laid down by the Great Yong Founding Emperor. Every prefecture, every county has to carry it out."
"If there weren't an Autumn Hunt, who knows how many demon beasts would be prowling around Dangyun Mountain? I'm afraid that, apart from the county Yamen, not a single one of those country bumpkins would survive."
Chen Zhuo furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.
Great Yong had many demons. They truly needed to be swept away in shifts, lest the people's livelihoods wither and they become demon beasts' prey.
"Before the Founding Emperor brought order to the land, demon beasts ran rampant. It was common for an entire city to be devoured."
Yan Ming spoke with a cold laugh. "But how could we, the human race, let those beasts feast on us?"
At that, Yan Ming suddenly stopped and waved Xiao Liu away. "Go on ahead."
Xiao Liu's eyes darted about, and he immediately understood. He hurried off at once.
Watching Xiao Liu go, Yan Ming lowered his voice. "You've only looked at the first two pages of the Inheritance Manual. Don't read the rest for now, so you won't be distracted. You should focus on honing your martial arts."
"It's just a small suggestion. Whether you take it or leave it is up to you."
Chen Zhuo nodded thoughtfully.
A sudden thought stirred in his mind, and he remembered what Yan Ming had said last night about Blade-Catchers.
Hunt demons, refine demons, eat demons.
He wanted to take a look at the manual, but people had begun arriving around them one after another. He couldn't take it out.
Fine. I'll look at it later.
"Brother Chen."
As soon as Chen Zhuo reached the Drill Ground, Fatty Sun came over.
"Master Chef Yan is here too."
Fatty Sun seemed to know something. He treated Yan Ming with far more respect than the others did.
Yan Ming gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Chen Zhuo's gaze passed between the two of them, tinged with suspicion. His fingers unconsciously came to rest on the hem of his clothes.
Fatty Sun's warning from that night still rang in his ears.
Chen Zhuo couldn't help thinking:
Could Fatty Sun know Senior Brother Yan's true background?
By then, the Yamen Runners and White-Uniform Runners had all begun arriving at the Drill Ground, greeting the people they knew.
Chen Zhuo looked around and realized that not one of the men who shared his lodging was there. He couldn't help feeling puzzled.
But he wasn't particularly close to them anyway, so he didn't give it much thought.
"Silence."
Registrar Wang's voice wasn't loud, yet the entire Drill Ground fell silent in an instant.
With Magistrate Liu and the other two officials' arrival, the Morning Assembly officially began.
It was almost no different from the morning meetings in his previous life. Everything proceeded step by step, following the established routine.
Chen Zhuo didn't listen too closely. Instead, he focused his attention on the front rows.
The Yamen's rules were strict. Even though this was his first Morning Assembly, he knew that everyone had to stand according to their status.
The three officials with official rank sat high on the platform. Below them, people stood in order: the squad leaders, then the Yamen Runners, and finally the White-Uniform Runners.
Yet Huang Yuan'er had taken a place in the front row, right beside Yao Xiong.
Wasn't Old Zhao the Black-Uniform Squad Leader?
"Did Huang Yuan'er get promoted?"
Chen Zhuo couldn't help asking Fatty Sun beside him.
"I heard the news first thing this morning. They said Old Zhao was getting on in years and willingly stepped down to make way for a worthy successor. From now on, we'll have to call Huang Yuan'er Squad Leader Huang."
Sun Fei curled his lip. "Old Zhao's only in his forties. That counts as getting on in years? They're fooling ghosts. It was nothing but a deal."
A deal...
Chen Zhuo lowered his gaze, turning the two words over in his mind.
Old Zhao was hardworking and kind to others. He had served Magistrate Liu diligently all these years.
He might not have any powerful backers, but one exchange of favors and he was removed from office just like that?
"One casual word from those above can lift you high, and just as easily smash you to the ground."
Chen Zhuo sighed inwardly.
Even capturing Huang Sanyou hadn't affected Huang Yuan'er in the slightest.
This was the Huang Family of the Long River Gang.
Chen Zhuo came back to himself and realized that Yao Xiong had somehow already stepped onto the platform.
"The demon beasts on Dangyun Mountain have sprouted another crop."
His booming voice rolled over everyone like a boulder dropped into water.
Yao Xiong paused. His tiger-like eyes swept across the people below, and he continued, "There are still twenty days until the Autumn Hunt. This year, Dangyun Mountain is teeming with demon beasts—far more than in previous years—and it will be more dangerous than ever. This time, not only the Yamen Runners but all the White-Uniform Runners must take part."
"The White-Uniform Runner promotion assessment will be held during the Autumn Hunt. Your ranking will be determined by the number of demons you kill. There will be..."
"Two openings."
"Boom!"
The news exploded in the hearts of all the White-Uniform Runners like a thunderclap.
Dangyun Mountain was full of demon beasts. For most people there, it was a forbidden zone of death, and no one dared set foot in it lightly.
In previous Autumn Hunts, the Yamen Runners had been killed and wounded. Even if the White-Uniform Runners hadn't seen it for themselves, they'd heard enough about it.
It was so dangerous that if they went, they'd be no different from adding another dish to the demon beasts' table.
"For this Autumn Hunt, those who return alive will receive ten taels of silver if they're Yamen Runners, and five taels if they're White-Uniform Runners. If anyone dies, their family will receive twenty taels in compensation and may recommend one person to fill the vacancy."
"The two winners of the White-Uniform Runner promotion assessment will each receive fifty taels of silver, one cultivation manual, and fifty Blood Vitality Pills."
Just as the White-Uniform Runners were fretting, Yao Xiong's voice rang out again.
At those words, their expressions changed at once.
Five taels of silver was a fortune to White-Uniform Runners, who didn't receive even a single coin in monthly wages.
And if they died, there was still compensation.
A great reward would bring forth brave men.
The White-Uniform Runners' fear and anxiety were all but wiped away.
"If we're lucky enough to place in the top two, wouldn't the reward be over a hundred taels of silver? And there's a cultivation manual too."
Faced with such a huge reward, everyone couldn't help hoping they might get lucky.
But Chen Zhuo frowned.
There were only two promotion openings.
He glanced at Fatty Sun, who was calm beside him, and knew very well that in reality, there was only one opening.
Chen Zhuo lowered his gaze and suddenly sensed something amiss.
When he looked up, he saw a handsome young man staring intently at him.
Chen Zhuo met his gaze. He could feel the other man's air of superiority, and suddenly realized he'd been wrong.
Perhaps there wasn't even one promotion opening.
It had all been decided long ago. The assessment was nothing but a formality.
"Zhou Sheng."
Chen Zhuo gave Zhou Sheng a long look before turning his gaze away. After a moment's thought, he realized something else didn't seem right.
Was the Yamen placing too much importance on the White-Uniform Runners' promotion?
A dangerous place, and huge rewards.
He had never heard of Yamen Runner promotion assessments being held on Dangyun Mountain before.
Something must be happening that I don't know about.
After thinking it over, Chen Zhuo grew increasingly wary.
The demon beasts on Dangyun Mountain were chives ripe for the picking. But if he wasn't careful, he'd become someone else's stepping stone.
As he finished brooding, Huang Yuan'er suddenly stepped onto the platform.
"One last matter. It concerns a murder case from last night."
The moment Chen Zhuo heard the words "murder case," his spirits lifted.
But when he looked up at Huang Yuan'er and pricked up his ears, he realized the man said nothing more. He simply fixed his eyes on Chen Zhuo and parted his thin lips.
"Seize him!"
At that light command, seven or eight Yamen Runners immediately surrounded him.
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