Uneasy

If these things had seemed incredible to Li Yunxin, then a word that came from Qiao Jiaming's mouth that afternoon truly left him astonished.

Liu Laodao had been terribly dispirited these past few days. He probably felt he had to leave himself a way out besides Li Yunxin, so he shamelessly ran about everywhere. But with Prefect Li personally looking into this matter, those few "friends" who had only ever been casual acquaintances were terrified of being implicated. Who would spare him a glance?

Right now, the old Daoist was like a fish on the chopping block—he knew the blade was about to fall, yet he was powerless to do anything.

That afternoon, when Qiao Jiaming came strolling up to the temple gate with a cruel, smug gleam in his eyes, the old Daoist had already broken out in blisters all over his mouth. He had been probing indirectly, asking Li Yunxin how that plan of his was progressing.

Li Yunxin merely smiled, sorting through the clues he had gathered that day in his mind.

Just then, they heard a strange laugh—

"Well, well, you two are still loafing around?" Qiao Jiaming poked his head through the temple gate and looked left and right. Seeing that not a single worshipper remained, he leaned contentedly against the doorframe. "If I were you, I wouldn't be so carefree. I'd have turned myself in long ago—maybe the Prefect would soften his heart and spare you the executioner's blade, sentencing you only to exile. That'd still buy you a few more days to live."

Li Yunxin tucked his hands into his sleeves, walked over, and stopped before him. He nodded faintly. "Thank you for your concern. Here to burn incense? Praying for wealth, or for disaster to be driven away?"

Qiao Jiaming tilted his head at him, feeling thoroughly displeased. This brat... showed no fear or panic at all. His face darkened, and he leaned close to Li Yunxin, snarling, "Stop playing dumb, boy. You think you still have a way to live? Let me tell you, I spent money on this. I'm the one who wants you dead. Neither you nor that old fossil will survive."

Li Yunxin turned his face slightly to avoid the spray of spittle, then said with not the slightest sincerity, "Oh. I'm so scared. But tell me—getting worked up so easily, how have you made it this far without kicking the bucket? I heard that back when you went around the streets swindling people under the guise of treating illnesses, you delayed quite a few patients' treatment... No one ever came to settle accounts with you?"

Qiao Jiaming's face went black, and he wanted to unleash a torrent of curses. But then he thought that this was a dead man who would be dead in a few days anyway, so he forcibly suppressed his rage and smiled. "Heh, you're worried about me? Back then, your grandpa—"

Unfortunately, when it came to trading barbs, he was no match for Li Yunxin.

They went back and forth for nearly half an hour before Qiao Jiaming finally could no longer restrain himself and wanted to strike. But he quickly recalled Li Yunxin's methods from last time and did not dare make a move. At that moment, he deeply regretted coming here to make trouble for himself. His bellyful of evil fire had nowhere to vent. All he could do was spit repeatedly at the temple gate. Only after spitting until his mouth was dry did he mutter bitterly to himself, "Just wait, ptui! A perfectly good official, hmph... insisting on some procedural justice... ptui! What kind of nonsense is that?"

After he left, Liu Laodao stared at Li Yunxin in stunned silence. "Brother Xin, you..."

It was the first time he had seen Li Yunxin like this—bickering endlessly, trading jabs with a street thug. He truly looked like some simple-minded young man who had been pushed too far.

But Li Yunxin had already calmed down again. He closed his eyes and thought for a while, then smiled at him.

For some reason, Liu Laodao suddenly felt that within his smile...

there was a trace of cruelty.

He did not know whether it was merely his imagination.

In truth, Li Yunxin was repeating a phrase in his mind—"procedural justice."

How could those words... possibly exist in this world?

That predecessor... was far more interesting than he had imagined. Just how much had he changed this world?

Prefect Li wanted to make this case an ironclad one of "procedural justice." But perhaps he had a guilty conscience—after letting word leak out, he made no further noise. Li Yunxin even suspected that Qiao Jiaming, that fool, had been the one to spread the rumor, simply so he could watch him and Liu Laodao spend these days "trembling through every waking moment."

Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

And in Qiao Jiaming's eyes... after Li Yunxin had "held on by force" for a few rounds that afternoon, he had finally been unable to sit still.

—Li Yunxin and Liu Laodao had begun roaming the streets as well, asking questions everywhere. Qiao Jiaming asked around and learned that those fools were inquiring about his past. His past... well, there had been a few things he had not handled very properly. But when it came to treating illnesses, surely no one could say he was only allowed to cure people and never allowed to treat them to death? He had at least read some medical books and learned a little medicine. He treated those poor wretches who could not afford proper physicians... perhaps he had used the wrong medicine once or twice, charged the wrong amount of silver once or twice—but who had never stumbled when their horse lost its footing?

In any case, if they got sick and could not afford treatment, they would die sooner or later.

It was not as though every physician in every clinic had never had a patient die under his hands, right?

That brat wanted to make an issue of this? Ptui. Prefect Li was dead set on getting that residence. Why would he pay any attention to him?

He also heard that the brat had gone looking for people in Prefect Li's household...

Ha, he did have a bit of sense, knowing to seek out connections. But with the scraps of silver in his and Liu Laodao's hands, who would even look twice at them?

Qiao Jiaming became more and more delighted.

He even hoped the day Li Yunxin and Liu Laodao were summoned to the yamen would come a little later—watching them run around like headless flies was what made it entertaining. Originally, people had said they might know some noble patron like Yu Meng... but now it seemed that Young Master Yu had merely taken a passing interest and had long since forgotten them.

And so, another three days passed.

That afternoon, in the spacious rear residence of the yamen, Prefect Li was drinking tea.

Prefect Li's given name was Li Yaosi. He was naturally broad-minded and stout, with a kind and compassionate disposition. Li Yaosi had served as an official for more than twenty years, and in official circles he had always enjoyed a reputation for being "impartial and exacting." Every case that passed through his hands was handled without the slightest flaw—evidence conclusive, procedures sound. Even if Jinghua's "Iron Judge" came, he would find nothing to criticize no matter how he picked at it.

In truth, given his compassionate nature, the old servant was already advanced in years. Once he had been beaten into confessing, wrapping up the case quickly and granting him a swift end would have spared him further suffering.

Who would have thought that old bag of bones would be so hard to crack? Both his legs had already been beaten useless, yet he still refused to loosen his lips.

Ordinarily, he would have let the man be freed from suffering early and fabricated a testimony to settle the matter. But that "Iron Judge" was due to inspect Weicheng soon, so he had to be careful and then more careful still.

Thinking of it made him irritable.

Actually, he should not have been so troubled—his chest thumped wildly, and his heart was in chaos. Everything he looked at seemed irritating and unsettling, yet he could not say what exactly was wrong.

Even Aze, normally his cleverest servant boy, had looked unpleasant to him these past few days. The boy did have filial devotion.

It was only that lately, he kept making a mess of things.

A few days ago, he had said he found a piece of wood in the courtyard left behind by the last lightning strike. Calling it Lightning-Struck Wood and saying it could ward off evil, he had brought it over as though presenting a treasure.

But the moment Li Yaosi thought of what had happened that night, his heart began hammering again, and he immediately berated him.

Then that afternoon, Aze had said, "Seeing that Master is troubled, I'll tell you some strange tales to entertain you"—and began speaking again of the Three-Rivers Mouth Dragon King Temple. He was scolded once more.

Afterward, he fell silent, timid and aggrieved. But that expression, that appearance, the way he walked...

Li Yaosi scolded him again.

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong, yet he simply could not put it into words.

Li Yaosi set the teacup in his hand down heavily on the table, feeling that it was time to bring this case to an end.

Perhaps it was because of this case... that his heart had been so uneasy.