Madam Sister-in-Law, I'm Sorry

Riding the tall horse Zhao Changshan had found for him, Cui Lang quickly arrived at Constable Li's home.

Constable Li's front gates stood open. White mourning lanterns already hung above the entrance, and faint sounds of weeping drifted out from within.

Cui Lang walked in and saw that a funeral hall had been set up in the courtyard. A woman and a young child knelt beside the coffin, burning paper offerings as they wept softly. Only two maidservants stood nearby—not to mention a steward, there was not even a single male servant.

Cui Lang found it somewhat strange. Constable Li was still an official, and his strength was not weak either. Was he really so stingy with his household that he could not bear to hire a few servants?

Was he afraid that, with too many people in the house, the things he had done would be discovered?

The woman in white mourning clothes raised her head and wiped away the few tears on her face. "Who are you?"

Cui Lang took a piece of broken silver from his robes and handed it over. "You must be Madam Li. I'm Cui Lang, a constable from the yamen. Last night, I was the one who slew demons alongside Constable Li. I came today to see him off on his final journey. Did Constable Li ever mention me to you?"

Cui Lang had come to Constable Li's home twice before, but he had only met Constable Li. He did not know whether Li's family knew about the things he had done.

The woman accepted the silver and immediately began to wail loudly. "Cui Lang, you have a good heart. Old Li mentioned you before. He said you were the young man he thought most highly of. Now that Old Li has gone, how are this orphan and widow supposed to live?"

She could not remember whether her husband had ever mentioned Cui Lang. Perhaps he had, but Cui Lang certainly had never brought gifts before—otherwise, how could she not remember him?

When her husband had still been alive, subordinates had come by almost every day. But now that he was gone, Cui Lang was the only subordinate who had come to pay his respects.

Unfortunately, his condolence money was a little scant. She weighed it in her hand; it could not have been more than one tael of silver.

Seeing Madam Li's reaction, Cui Lang felt that she probably did not know about the things Constable Li had done.

After all, what Constable Li had done was the sort of thing that brought ruin upon entire families. It was only normal that he had not told the person who shared his pillow. If she let something slip, regret would come too late.

"Madam Li, please restrain your grief. If you need anything in the future, everyone will surely be willing to help." Cui Lang offered a perfunctory consolation.

The woman wiped her tears twice. "Thank you. Li Yuan, come over and kowtow to your Uncle Cui."

As he watched Constable Li's son kowtow to him, Cui Lang casually asked, "Li Yuan, is it? What do you want to do in the future?"

Li Yuan tipped his head back. "I want to be like Father and become a constable. I'll slay demons and eradicate evil, and cut down every wicked man."

Cui Lang gave him a thumbs-up. "Ambitious."

Eradicate every wicked man? Then the first one you should have cut down was your father.

Having been praised, Li Yuan immediately broke into a smile. Then, recalling his mother's instructions, he hurriedly wiped the smile from his face.

Cui Lang raised an eyebrow. Truly, the father departed and the son smiled.

"Madam Li, forgive me, but I also came here on official business. Constable Li has died in the line of duty, and I'd like to inspect the room where he usually practiced martial arts, to see whether any official documents were left behind."

"By regulation, such documents cannot be kept here. If there are any, I'll take them back to prevent any unfavorable consequences later."

The woman did not know whether her husband had ever brought official documents home. He had not even allowed anyone to approach the room where he practiced martial arts; he would scold even his son for getting close.

"I don't know either. I'll take you to have a look."

Madam Li led Cui Lang to the east wing of the central courtyard.

"Old Li usually practiced martial arts in this courtyard. When he was tired, he would go into that room to meditate. Sometimes, he even spent the night there. The room opposite was originally occupied by the coachman, but it's empty now too. I haven't cleaned his room since Old Li passed. If there are official documents, they must be inside."

No one had touched it?

Cui Lang's eyes lit up. Could there be martial arts manuals left behind by Constable Li inside?

Opening the door, Cui Lang walked in. He saw a bed, a table and chairs, and a shelf. There was nothing else.

He searched through the desk. There were brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, but every sheet of paper was spotless, without a single word on it.

There were some books on the shelf. Cui Lang picked one up and glanced through it. They were all very ordinary storybooks, telling tales of martial artists who endured every kind of suppression before ultimately becoming martial arts masters through their own efforts and fortunate encounters.

There were no hidden sheets or letters tucked inside the storybooks. Cui Lang even checked the various bottles and jars, but there was nothing else inside them either.

"Madam Li, the mat on Constable Li's bed is a little crooked." As he spoke, Cui Lang directly lifted the mat, as though he were helping to lay it properly again.

There was nothing beneath the mat either. The room was spotless, yet Cui Lang felt that something was off.

It would have been one thing if there were no martial arts manuals, but there were no letters at all—not even a bottle for storing Blood Pills.

Someone had come to this room beforehand!

Constable Li's wife said she had not cleaned it. The servants certainly would not have dared to enter. Most likely, Zheng Fengyun had come last night.

Cui Lang had considered coming over last night as well, but he had worried about running into Zheng Fengyun. If that happened, his act of being utterly exhausted would have been seen through. He had planned to come early today, but unfortunately, he was still too late.

There was no need to check. The coachman's room had surely been searched too.

"Cui Lang, did you find any official documents?" the woman asked.

Cui Lang shook his head. "No. It seems Constable Li never brought yamen documents home, so there's no need to worry."

"Madam Li, there is still business at the yamen, so I'll be leaving first."

There was nothing to find. What was the point of staying here?

"Wait." The woman suddenly spoke. "Cui Lang, wait a moment. Don't leave yet."

Cui Lang stopped. "Is there something else, Madam Li?"

The woman looked at Cui Lang coyly, putting him on guard.

He examined her carefully. She was still a charming woman, and dressed in hempen mourning clothes, she had gained a few extra touches of prettiness...

"Cui Lang, could you teach Li Yuan martial arts? My husband originally said that he would teach Li Yuan martial arts in two years, but then he suddenly passed away."

The woman knew all too well that in this chaotic world of demons and monsters, it was difficult to establish oneself without martial arts.

Her husband was dead, and she knew nothing of martial arts. If no one looked after them, forget preserving the family estate—she feared they would not even survive for a few years.

Cui Lang felt a faint sense of disappointment. So she wanted this kind of favor.

"Madam Li, I can only say that I'm sorry. My martial arts are too meager; I dare not mislead a child. Why not take Li Yuan to visit some of the other officials? With their guidance, Li Yuan's path in martial arts will surely be smooth and free of obstacles."

The woman began wiping away tears again. She wanted to seek out those officials too, but after her husband's death, not one of them had come to offer condolences. Would she not simply be walking into humiliation if she went to their doors?

It seemed she could only wait until her husband was buried, then take her son to seek refuge with her elder brother.

Cui Lang turned and left the Li residence. The atmosphere here was far too oppressive. He should go somewhere that could make people happy, somewhere they could laugh without restraint.

Perhaps there, he could gather some important information as well.