After County Magistrate He finished recounting what had happened, everyone began to eat.
No one drank. After they had eaten their fill, the three teachers each received three sheets of "Official Seal Red Text" from County Magistrate He. If they encountered danger within Mi County, they could tear apart an Official Seal Red Text. County Magistrate He would then receive a warning and come to their rescue.
If anyone tore two in succession, the county would report directly to the prefect. If all three were torn, it would immediately be reported to the provincial governor.
The county sent three sturdy Licentiates familiar with the local terrain to serve as guides for the three classes.
After bidding farewell to the county magistrate and the others, seven carriages set off toward the places where demons had recently appeared.
Lu Family Town stood at the confluence of Mi County's three rivers. The widest stretch of river there reached ten zhang, while the deepest was two zhang deep. Water Demons often attacked people there. Moreover, Lu Family Town backed onto forested mountains, and the demons there were like chives—cut down one crop after another, yet never killed clean.
When they arrived at Lu Family Town, the carriages of the three classes did not stop at once. Instead, they traveled through the town. Teacher Yu of the third class sat in his carriage, holding the Literary Treasure, the Demon-Seeking Tiger-Head Paperweight, to search for demons. In the end, he found none, and they returned safely.
They found the town chief. The guides presented the county's official documents, while the three teachers produced documents from the Prefectural Academy. They then found a large courtyard in town to serve as their temporary base and began their final preparations. Everyone rested for the afternoon, then would set out