Gathering the Demons Together

Back home, Cui Lang pulled a sheet of paper out from beneath his bedboards. It was the tally sheet he had made for the demons in the county.

Besides the female demon in the painting whom he had slain last time, there were three other demons circled on it.

Those three were all fairly average in strength. Cui Lang believed Constable Li could handle them, so he should not be much worse.

"I'm not skilled in movement techniques, and I'm not particularly fast. The places where these three demons are hiding are all far apart too. At most, I can kill one in a single night."

If he killed one, the other demons would inevitably become more cautious. Zheng Fengyun and the others might even keep watch personally. He would have no reliable chance to kill a second, much less all three.

If he killed only one, the impact would perhaps be no different from slaying the female demon in the painting. Zheng Fengyun and the others could easily suppress it, unable to stir up even a ripple, much less draw the prefectural yamen's attention.

And if he won but was injured, he would be completely exposed.

He could flee overnight, but what about his younger sister?

"I need to gather those demons together. Only then will the commotion be big enough that it can't be suppressed."

"But handling one demon isn't a problem. Two would be dangerous. If even more demons attacked at once, even someone at the peak of the Essence Gathering Realm might not be able to withstand it."

"Unless Zheng Fengyun or Constable Li makes a move. Then there'll be some chance of winning."

But those two had colluded with demons for quite some time, and they needed the Blood Pills refined by the demons as well. They would never help him slay demons.

He pondered for a long time before a vague plan finally emerged in his mind, slowly taking shape.

Early the next morning, after Cui Lang answered roll call, he went patrolling the streets with Zhao Changshan.

As they walked and chatted, they unknowingly arrived near Dark Fragrance Pavilion.

Cui Lang suddenly clutched his stomach. "Ow, I must've eaten something bad this morning. Brother Zhao, wait for me a moment. I need to find a privy."

Zhao Changshan grabbed Cui Lang. "Why run so far just to use a privy? Isn't there one right here?"

He had long wanted to visit Dark Fragrance Pavilion again. Even if he could not enjoy it for free, he could at least listen to some music and watch the girls dance.

He had been worrying over an excuse. Now, here it was.

Cui Lang hesitated. "Brother Zhao, is this appropriate?"

Zhao Changshan raised his chin. "Why wouldn't it be? We patrol the streets to protect the people's safety. Can't we borrow a privy?"

"Come on, go in with me. I'll speak to the madam."

When the madam saw Zhao Changshan and Cui Lang enter, her expression changed. "What brings the two constables here? Nothing has happened at our Dark Fragrance Pavilion lately."

A few people they had bought had indeed disappeared, but there were not even any aggrieved parties. Who would report it to the authorities?

"We're not here to investigate a case. My brother's got an upset stomach, and we'd like to borrow the privy. No problem, right?"

The madam instantly relaxed. "No problem. Of course there's no problem."

"Little Six, hurry and take these two constables to the privy."

Zhao Changshan waved a hand. "Eh~~ My brother's stomach is acting up, but I'm fine. I'll wait here for him awhile."

"Little Six, what are you standing there for? Hurry and take my brother."

There were privies everywhere. A chance to enjoy Dark Fragrance Pavilion's singing and dancing for free was hard to come by.

The madam saw at once that Zhao Changshan simply wanted to linger here, but she still forced out a smile. "Constable, I'll find you a table where you can sit and rest awhile."

Standing at the entrance to the main hall would affect business too much.

When Zhao Changshan saw a man walking upstairs with a woman in his arms, he immediately went over and sat down, grabbing leftover pastries and nuts from the table to eat.

"I'll just sit here and wait. No need to attend to me. Go on and get busy."

The madam's lips twitched twice. She secretly spat to herself. Was there no end to him taking advantage?

Soon, Cui Lang returned from the privy. Seeing that Zhao Changshan had indeed already taken a seat, he plopped down beside him. "That finally feels better. Let's rest a bit before we go."

Zhao Changshan chuckled. Sure enough, Cui Lang could not bear to leave right away either.

From the corner of his eye, Cui Lang saw the madam coming over. He leaned close to Zhao Changshan and said, "Yesterday, when I was heading home, I heard some people chatting. They said one of their relatives works in the prefectural city and had someone send word that he'd be back in the next couple of days."

"You know, the constables in the prefectural city really have it good. They even get leave to visit family. Unlike us, busy from dawn to dusk every day, with only one day off every ten days."

Zhao Changshan kept his eyes on the dancing women and casually replied, "Nonsense. Constables in the prefectural city also get one day off every ten days. I've never heard of any family-visiting leave. He's probably coming back because there's a case to handle, and visiting family on the side."

Cui Lang looked puzzled. "Huh? Constables from the prefectural city handle cases in our Cloud Mountain County too? Have bandits come over?"

Zhao Changshan turned his head. "Didn't I tell you before? If bandits flee over here, the relay station just sends an official document. Only when it's something major, like demons, will they send people over."

"Demons have been found in our county? I haven't heard anyone report it to the authorities. Could it be someone skipped the county yamen and went straight to the prefectural city to report it?"

"Which village has demons causing trouble? Why didn't the prefectural yamen tell us to investigate? Why did they send people directly?"

The madam had originally planned to quickly drive Cui Lang and Zhao Changshan away when she saw Cui Lang return from the privy. But upon hearing their conversation, she stopped in her tracks.

The prefectural yamen was sending people to investigate demons. It seemed the master did not know about this.

Cui Lang raised his head as if he had only just noticed the madam approaching, then immediately stood up. "Brother Zhao, let's go. We should be patrolling."

Zhao Changshan also spotted the madam and reluctantly rose to his feet. "Then let's go. We're just fated to be busy."

"Actually, it's good if the prefectural yamen sends people for this sort of thing. It saves us from risking our lives."

Last time, he and Cui Lang had risked their lives to slay the Toad Demon pretending to be the River God. Magistrate Zheng had said he would report it to the county magistrate, and they would be rewarded afterward. Yet nearly a month had passed, and there was not even a shadow of a reward.

With no benefits at all, why should he risk his life?

"We're leaving. Thanks for letting us use the privy today."

The madam smiled as she saw them out, then immediately turned and ran upstairs.

"Didn't I tell you not to disturb me during the day? Is your hide itching again?" Peony glared balefully when she saw the madam enter her room.

With a thud, the madam dropped to her knees. "Forgive me, Master. I just heard some news and hurried to tell you."

"Those two constables from last time came by just now, saying they wanted to borrow the privy. While they were talking, they said a constable from the prefectural city was coming to Cloud Mountain County on official business. He's most likely here to investigate demon-related matters."

"The yamen hasn't informed Master about this."

Peony instantly appeared before the madam and lifted her with one hand. "What did you say? Are you certain? How many are coming?"

Trembling, the madam said, "Master, I only heard it from those two constables. They didn't say how many people were coming, and I had no way to ask."

Peony flung the madam to the ground. "No matter who comes tonight or how much silver they offer, say that I've caught a chill these past two days and cannot receive guests. Get out."

For something this serious, the county yamen had not come to tell her.

Did the people at the county yamen not know either, or had they deliberately withheld it, planning to use her head to account to their superiors?

No. She had to seek out the other demons and ask around.