Just an Intern—Let's Teach Him a Lesson

At first light the next day, Xu Jin and Wang Lei had already met up.

The replacement Evil-Repelling Talismans, wound medicine, cinnabar, and talisman paper had been sorted by type and packed on either side of their saddlebags for easy access;

The two courier horses had been fed until sleek and sturdy, their saddles and bridles checked over in advance. Wang Lei had seen to all that at the stables yesterday.

Xu Jin swung onto his horse, casually picked up Wang Lei's notebook and tucked it into his robes, then teased with a smile, "Officer Wang, you've got the local conditions, the threads of old cases, and the Canal Gang's influence mapped out down to the last detail. Once we reach Green-Mud Ferry, all the logistical chores across that vast patrol district will depend on you. That authority rivals a county yamen's chief clerk."

Wang Lei held the reins and smiled shyly. "Brother Xu, just charge ahead without worry. Leave the rear-area chores, records, and local conditions to me. I guarantee no trifling matter will distract you in the slightest."

He had always been holding back a drive within himself—to do everything in his charge to the utmost and not hold Xu Jin back.

The two said no more. With a flick of their reins, the horses trod through the morning dew and headed south along the official road.

The farther south they traveled, the heavier the moisture in the air grew. The trees lining the road gradually gave way to vast stretches of reed marshes, which rustled whenever the wind blew.

The outline of Green-Mud Ferry slowly came into focus in the direction where the morning mist was clearing.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the Canal Gang's riverside compound on the north bank of Green-Mud Ferry was anything but pleasant.

On the Eight Immortals table in the main hall lay half a stone slab covered in river mud. Its inscriptions were ancient and obscure, while several rust-ridden burial artifacts lay scattered beside it.

The Canal Gang's two resident experts stood around the slab, frowning.

Xie Kun, at the second level of the Comprehension Realm, was lean and wiry, repeatedly comparing it against a yellow talisman;

He Hu, at the third level of the Comprehension Realm, was broad-shouldered and powerfully built. He stood nearby with his arms folded, his expression dark.

"Still not right." Xie Kun sighed and tossed the talisman onto the table. "This half of the slab is only half of the key to open the door. The other half is still inside the tomb. The runes on that stone door are seals left by ancient Han Dynasty cultivators. With our cultivation alone, there's no way we can break them."

Last month, they had discovered a sunken tomb beneath the riverbed. They had barely reached its outer perimeter when they encountered Zhou Zheng, the Demon Suppression Bureau's former patrol inspector.

Both sides had fought fiercely over the treasure. Using the terrain to their advantage, they had forced Zhou Zheng back and thought they would have the sunken tomb all to themselves. Yet they had ended up stuck before the rune-covered stone door at its deepest point, making no progress at all despite more than half a month of effort.

That was precisely why the two had lingered at the ferry instead of leaving. The ancient cultivator's pill cauldron and inheritance lay behind that door. There was no reason to spit out such a fat morsel once it had reached their mouths.

"Report—"

A gang member hurried in from outside and bowed as he reported, "Honored Experts, the Demon Suppression Bureau's newly appointed patrol inspector is about to reach the ferry. This subordinate has made inquiries. He's a young lad, supposedly still an apprentice demon slayer, and he only brought an internal affairs attendant at the Body-Tempering Realm with him."

"An apprentice?" He Hu was first taken aback, then let out a scornful laugh. "Is the Demon Suppression Bureau out of people? They sent an apprentice to take over Green-Mud Ferry's mess? Zhou Zheng, the former inspector, was at least at the third level of the Comprehension Realm, and even he fell here. What use can some greenhorn apprentice be?"

Xie Kun also frowned, then seemed to recall something. "Wait. Didn't word spread from the provincial capital about someone called the 'Molten-Gold Yama'? They said a newcomer from the Demon Suppression Bureau killed Wang Defa of the Profound Yin Hall. Could it be him?"

"How could that be?" He Hu waved dismissively, his face full of contempt. "Wang Defa was a master-level figure. Even a Creation Grandmaster wouldn't be someone an apprentice could touch. It's most likely just hearsay growing legs, people polishing the Demon Suppression Bureau's reputation. If he were truly such a formidable character, would they send him to a place like Green-Mud Ferry?"

The more he spoke, the more reasonable he found it. He reached out and slapped the table. "If you ask me, he's just some sheltered young master from a noble family, here to gild his credentials at the grassroots. When he arrives, we'll give him a lesson first. We'll use 'the sunken tomb was discovered by the Canal Gang first' to make him keep his nose out of our business."

"If he knows what's good for him, we'll let him idle away his days on the riverbank while we focus on exploring the tomb. If he doesn't, we'll secretly trip him up and stall until we pry open that stone door and take the treasure. By then, he'll be just an apprentice. Even if he gets saddled with the blame for failing at his duties, he won't be able to stir up a ripple."

Xie Kun pondered for a moment, then nodded.

He Hu was right. He was only an apprentice. Even if he had some skill, he could not possibly be stronger than Zhou Zheng.

If things truly escalated, they could insist that there were no evil entities in the sunken tomb, only ordinary ancient ruins. The Demon Suppression Bureau would have no grounds to force its way in.

After all, independent martial world cultivators seeking treasure without harming anyone was a rule established by the provincial authorities.

"Let's do as you say." Greed flashed in Xie Kun's eyes. "Once we get the pill cauldron and inheritance, we brothers may have hope of breaking through to the master level. By then, let alone some lowly patrol inspector, even a Hundred-Household Officer from the Demon Suppression Bureau will have to show us some respect."

The two exchanged a glance. Neither took the newly arrived apprentice patrol inspector seriously.

When the sun climbed to its zenith, Xu Jin and Wang Lei rode into the ferry at Green Mud Town.

As soon as they reached the town entrance, they saw a group of people dressed like local officials waiting there.

At their head was a middle-aged scholar in a long blue-cloth robe. Beside him stood a saber-bearing constable and a canal transport steward in silk robes, with several runners and laborers behind them. They had clearly been waiting for quite some time.

"Are you Patrol Inspector Xu and Officer Wang from the Demon Suppression Bureau?" The middle-aged scholar hurried forward and cupped his hands in salute, his attitude exceptionally respectful. "This humble official is Liu Houde, mayor of Green Mud Town. Having heard that the patrol inspector would assume his post today, I specially brought Inspector Zhang of the Patrol Office and Steward Li of the Canal Transport Office here to await you."

Xu Jin dismounted and gave a slight nod. "Sorry to have kept Mayor Liu waiting."

As Liu Houde led the two into town, he began pouring out his troubles with a bitter smile. "Patrol Inspector Xu, you may not know this, but the ferry has been far from peaceful these past few months. First, canal boats began vanishing one after another. Then, crying could be heard at the ferry in the dead of night. There were even boatmen dragged into the river by water ghosts. Everyone is on edge, and canal transport business has fallen by thirty percent."

"Inspector Zhou came to investigate last month, but he never returned. We have been waiting for the Demon Suppression Bureau to send someone for a very long time."

Inspector Zhang beside him also took up the thread. "Exactly. That sunken tomb beneath the river has been causing all sorts of strange disturbances, while the Canal Gang guards the ferry every day and won't let anyone touch it. We local officials can't manage it even if we want to. We'll have to rely on Patrol Inspector Xu to decide what to do."

As he spoke, Liu Houde secretly raised his eyes to assess Xu Jin. Seeing that he was so young, with handsome features, looking no more than eighteen or nineteen—only a few years older than his own eldest son—a faint, nearly imperceptible doubt flashed through his eyes.

So young? And still an apprentice?

Could he truly suppress the evil things at the ferry and keep the Canal Gang in line?

Doubts were doubts, but he did not dare reveal a trace of them on his face.

Even an apprentice from the Demon Suppression Bureau was not someone a mere town mayor like him could slight.

He quickly added with a smile, "This humble official has already prepared your residence. It's in Bluestone Alley beside the ferry, a detached courtyard all to itself. Servants and cooks have been arranged, and all necessities for daily life have been provided. Patrol Inspector Xu and Officer Wang may settle in first. Should you require anything, simply instruct this humble official at any time."

Wang Lei silently took note of everything and smoothly began coordinating the residence's affairs, the patrol schedules for the local militia, and the detailed records of recent cases. In just a few sentences, he sorted out all the subsequent trifles with perfect clarity.

Seeing that Officer Wang, though not highly cultivated, handled matters with exceptional efficiency, Liu Houde felt somewhat more at ease.

Xu Jin said nothing more. His gaze passed beyond the town entrance toward the canal ferry not far away.

The sunken tomb, water Baleful Intent, the Canal Gang, the missing former patrol inspector...

The waters of Green-Mud Ferry were far murkier than the hills in the western outskirts.

Xu Jin withdrew his gaze. "Let's settle into the residence first. We'll visit the ferry this afternoon."