A Person Should Have a Conscience

"Exactly. That blind fool Chai Rang broke into a private home at night. He got what he deserved," Han Tai said coldly.

"That damned Lin Qing has cut off another of our sources of income!" Jiang Baihe cursed.

Quite a few gangs in the city regularly paid the two men tribute, and the Three Harmonies Gang was one of them.

"Lin Qing is no simple opponent. Chai Rang had reached the peak of Bright Force, yet he still couldn't beat him." Han Tai tapped his fingers on the table.

Jiang Baihe frowned. "I heard he's already brought Lone Swan Reflecting Shadow to minor mastery. At that speed, he's certainly a genius. But talent alone isn't enough to grow strong so quickly. He'd need a mountain of silver to buy medicine, and he comes from a poor family. Where would he get that kind of money? From Yang Feng? That fool prides himself on being upright. All his income comes from the Soul-Calming Office. He barely has enough for himself, so how much could he spare for Lin Qing?"

Han Tai took a large bite of pear and smiled. "Brother Jiang, you still won't let Lin Qing go?"

"You don't understand, Brother Han. Lin Qing has ruined several of my deals. I can't swallow this grudge. Could you use Chai Rang's death as a pretext to arrest him and give him a thorough interrogation?" Jiang Baihe asked.

"No. With Shen Cheng and Yang Feng protecting him, no one can touch him unless there's solid evidence," Han Tai said calmly.

"Evidence?" Jiang Baihe sighed and took a long swig of wine. "Where am I supposed to find evidence?"

Three more days passed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Qing went home. The outer city was in chaos, and no one was looking after his house. He had to check on it often, lest someone turn it upside down.

He had barely arrived when someone knocked on the door. He opened it to find a thick-browed, wide-eyed man: Li Ping.

"I knew it was you, Lin Qing! Come on, I'm buying you a drink today!" Li Ping laughed heartily, shaking the wine jar in his hand.

"Brother Li, come in. What made you decide to treat me to a drink?" Lin Qing asked with a smile.

Li Ping was generous and chivalrous, often helping ordinary people. He had helped Lin Qing's family when they were struggling, and Lin Qing had always been grateful to him.

"No special reason. I heard Chai Rang of the Three Harmonies Gang died by your hand. You've rid the people of a scourge, and I admire you from the bottom of my heart. Chai Rang committed evil after evil. I hated him, but I wasn't strong enough to do anything about it. Thank goodness you stepped in. Come, drink! Let me toast you first!" Li Ping opened the jar and poured them each a brimming cup, then raised his own and drained it.

"Chai Rang broke into my home at night. I had no choice but to kill him. Still, I've always despised people who use their strength to bully the weak and oppress ordinary folk. Men like that deserve to die." Lin Qing drank a full cup as well.

"Haha! Lin Qing, of everyone in this alley, you're the one I get along with best." Li Ping burst out laughing again.

"Indeed. The world today is murky, but a lamp has always burned in my heart. No matter when or where we find ourselves, we young people should know what is right and observe propriety. We must never cast aside our conscience and our principles for a little profit. I believe you're that kind of man too, Brother Li," Lin Qing said solemnly.

"Well said! A man ought to have a conscience. Let me toast you again!" Li Ping looked at him with newfound respect and took several more hearty gulps.

Before long, the jar was empty and Li Ping left. Lin Qing did not linger either. Nothing was amiss at home, and with neither of his parents there, he had no reason to stay. He set off straight for the Soul-Calming Office.

When he returned to the Corpse Collectors' courtyard, there was still no news from Yang Feng. All he could do was wait.

He found an open space in the courtyard and practiced Eight Strikes of the Spirit Snake over and over.

When fatigue set in, he went to rest at a nearby stone table. Across from him sat another Constable named Bai Jingming, a short, stocky, plainspoken man.

Bai Jingming looked as though he wanted to say something but held back. Noticing his discomfort, Lin Qing smiled. "Uncle Bai, if there's something on your mind, just say it. Why be so hesitant?"

Bai Jingming was over forty, so calling him Uncle Bai was perfectly natural.

Only then did Bai Jingming speak. "Lin Qing, I heard you killed Chai Rang, the leader of the Three Harmonies Gang?"

"I did."

"Impressive. In just half a year, you've grown this strong. You're among the best fighters in our group of Constables now. Would you be willing to go with me to gather Ghostface Mushrooms in Willow Forest outside the city?" Bai Jingming asked.

"Willow Forest? The yin energy there is heavy, and the place is extremely dangerous." Lin Qing frowned.

"It is dangerous, but Ghostface Mushrooms are a key ingredient in refining Soul-Stabilizing Pills. A single mushroom is worth ten taels of silver," Bai Jingming said.

"Uncle Bai, you have to be alive to spend that silver, no matter how much it is," Lin Qing said softly.

"Ah, you're right. But I have no choice. My young child has a strange illness, and treating it will cost a great deal of money. I truly have no other way." Bai Jingming sighed.

After a moment's thought, Lin Qing took two taels of silver from his robe and placed them on the table.

"Uncle Bai, if things are that hard, take these two taels. Don't let your wife and child go hungry. Pay me back when you can," Lin Qing said.

Bai Jingming was an honest man who would certainly repay a loan. Lin Qing had no doubts about that.

Bai Jingming shook his head. "I can't take it. I can't keep borrowing money. I have to rely on myself. I'm going to take my chances in Willow Forest."

"Very well. I wish you luck, Uncle Bai." Lin Qing cupped his hands.

Elsewhere.

In the outer city.

Cao Family Village stood at the far edge of the outer city. Every head of the estate for generations had borne the surname Cao.

The Cao family made its living forging iron and crafting weapons, and its reputation rang throughout Jiangyin County.

At that moment, in a courtyard at the center of the estate, a bare-armed, white-haired man hammered away at the forge.

Heavy hammer in hand, he struck a red-hot iron ingot again and again, shaping it bit by bit.

Beside him stood an old woman with disheveled hair. Her sinister, viper-like eyes followed the forging hammer in his hand.

The man was Cao Tieshan, the current head of the estate. The old woman beside him was Yin Muhua.

"Master Cao's forging skill is remarkable indeed," Yin Muhua said in a raspy voice.

Cao Tieshan paid her no heed. He went on hammering the ingot, blow after blow, over and over.

At last, the ingot took shape. Cao Tieshan set down his hammer and abruptly asked in a deep voice, "When will my daughter recover?"

"Rest assured. As long as you cooperate and find what I want, your daughter's poison will soon be cured." A smile appeared on Yin Muhua's face, but with her deeply wrinkled skin and hideous features, she looked worse smiling than crying.

Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open. A figure in black hurried inside and presented Yin Muhua with a square wooden box the size of a palm.

"My lady, this is the secret medicine the Han Family just sent over."

Yin Muhua took the box and opened it. Inside lay a purple-black pill.

"It is indeed the Nine-Turn Spring-Returning Pill for treating injuries to the internal organs. With this, my lingering injury will soon heal."

"My lady, the Han Family also said the Spirit-Devouring Demon Visualization Diagram must be delivered within three days," the figure in black added gravely.

"Hmph. That old ghost of the Han Family won't give an inch!" Yin Muhua cursed. She pulled a piece of cloth from her robe and tossed it to the figure in black. "Go. Deliver it to the Han Family tonight!"

"Yes, my lady. There's one more thing. Chai Rang is dead," the figure in black said.