Extraordinary talent

About another quarter of an hour later, Yi Shuyuan left the dungeon. Only Jia Yuntong and He Xin remained in his cell. Watching him constantly glance around, torn between hope and dread and trembling with fear, He Xin could not help giving a snort.

Who would have thought Jia Yuntong seemed to hear that snort? His body gave a slight shudder.

That immediately piqued He Xin's interest. She tried every trick she could to appear and give Jia Yuntong a fright, but unfortunately, nothing she tried afterward worked.

No matter how He Xin punched and kicked, Jia Yuntong kept looking blankly around in panic. Furious, she could not help shouting.

"Ah, I'm going to die of anger!"

At that shout, Jia Yuntong shuddered again, scrambled under the bed, and buried himself in the dry straw, trembling as he begged for mercy.

"Merciful lady, I've already confessed! Please let me go! Spare my life, merciful lady!"

He Xin stared at him in a daze, utterly bewildered for a moment.

Outside the dungeon, the jailer followed close at Yi Shuyuan's side. He did not stop after escorting him out, but continued with him into the County Office. Only when they reached an empty corridor did he speak anxiously.

"Mr. Yi, about what happened just now..."

The jailer hesitated. He even regretted following Yi Shuyuan into the innermost cell earlier. Now he wished he could slap himself twice for being such a busybody!

Yi Shuyuan was thinking about what had just happened too. Hearing the jailer speak, he understood his concerns and smiled reassuringly.

"No need to worry, Sixth Master. Let this remain between you and me. You needn't mention it to anyone!"

Then Yi Shuyuan emphasized, "Remember-anyone!"

As though granted a pardon, the jailer hurriedly bowed to Yi Shuyuan again and again.

"Yes, yes! Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Yi! Thank you! I'll remember your instructions and tell no one! No-nothing of the sort ever happened!"

Yi Shuyuan nodded and started walking, only to find the jailer still following him unconsciously. He stopped, amused.

"Sixth Master, I'm heading back to work. You should return too. The dungeon can't do without you!"

"Huh? Oh, yes, yes! Take care, sir. I'll take my leave! Er, but there's a ghost in the cells..."

"Hahaha! Miss He Xin is reasonable. Go back without worrying; nothing will happen, as long as you haven't done anything to trouble your conscience."

"Right..."

The jailer cupped his hands again and turned to leave, looking back at Yi Shuyuan after a few steps. Yi Shuyuan felt both helpless and reflective at the sight, unsure whether the jailer was worried about what he had heard or about encountering a ghost.

Yi Shuyuan also turned toward the Library, his expression distant and thoughtful.

For the time being, Yi Shuyuan did not intend to disclose what he had learned from Jia Yuntong. He believed the jailer would keep quiet too.

Realistically speaking, perhaps the better outcome for Yuanjiang County and Magistrate Lin was for Jia Yuntong to be executed and Magistrate Lin to receive a round of commendations, after which the case might be hastily wrapped up.

If that really was how things would turn out, Yi Shuyuan had no need to subject good people, whose words carried little weight and whose hearts were burdened by misgivings, to further torment. He would simply consider their part in the story finished.

Yi Shuyuan's gaze cleared again, and he strode forward. After all, had he not already become different from ordinary people, even he could hardly say what choice he would have made in their shoes.

"Chirp, chirp~~ chirp, chirp, chirp~~~"

The birdsong caught Yi Shuyuan's attention.

Several little birds were chirping merrily in a small tree in the flower bed beside the walkway. Yi Shuyuan followed their calls over.

He seemed to startle the birds, sending them all fluttering into the air. Yet after circling once, they actually returned, flying several laps around him and chattering cheerfully.

Yi Shuyuan, however, looked into the distance. The County Office's Training Ground lay just ahead.

Though called a Training Ground, it was really an open space like a small square within the County Office, where the three divisions of runners and constables generally held their morning martial exercises.

A thought stirred in Yi Shuyuan's mind, and he naturally headed over. Martial arts were something tangible to him, something he could see and touch. There was no harm in trying to learn more; they would also serve as a means of self-defense.

Only a few diligent runners were stretching and exercising at the moment, perhaps six or seven in all. Judging by their clothes, they were all constables from the arrest division. They stretched their arms and chatted, seemingly in good spirits.

"The injuries I got catching that wicked merchant a while back seem to have healed quite a bit!" "Mine feel better too."

"Hiss... I still can't lift anything heavy. Better just loosen up first!"

While the group exercised, an unexpected visitor approached from the edge of the Training Ground: Yi Shuyuan.

Someone noticed Yi Shuyuan coming. Yang Pingzhong, the Chief Constable, looked surprised, but after a moment's thought, he took the lead and called out with a smile.

"Mr. Yi, you're a rare guest here at the Training Ground! Out for a stroll?"

A constable beside him joined in the teasing with a grin.

"Careful, Mr. Yi! Swords and sabers have no eyes. It would be terrible if someone lost their grip and injured you!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Please don't mind them, Mr. Yi. These fellows are just asking for a beating!"

Yi Shuyuan had already drawn near. He shook out his sleeves, extended his hands, and cupped them toward Constable Yang with a smile.

"Couldn't I have come to practice martial arts?"

"Hahahaha! You must be joking, sir!"

"Oh, Mr. Yi, those delicate fingers of yours should stick to holding a brush. I doubt you could lift a sword or saber! Hahahaha!"

Yang Pingzhong turned and kicked the man who had spoken. The constable flew more than ten feet through the air and landed with a thud, clutching his backside and howling.

"Ow~ Brother Yang, that was far too hard!" "Hahahahaha! Serves you right!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The other constables laughed until they could barely breathe, while Yang Pingzhong returned Yi Shuyuan's greeting apologetically and explained.

"Don't let their loose tongues fool you, Mr. Yi. They aren't bad at heart. They're all unruly lads raised on Yuanjiang County's soil and water, without many of the bad habits you find in those bustling cities."

Yi Shuyuan was thoroughly amused. Naturally, he did not take those remarks to heart. Scholars and martial men had their fixed impressions of each other, and besides, these were only thoughtless jokes.

"Joking aside, to compile the County Gazetteer, I'd like to deepen my understanding of certain things, such as martial styles and ways of countering moves. That will help me clearly describe the details of capturing the criminal that night!"

I told you I came for something related to martial arts, and you wouldn't believe me. I had to find a reason that suited my position. Yi Shuyuan found this reality, with its constant shifts between identity and purpose, quite amusing too.

But as soon as they heard Yi Shuyuan's words, the constables' eyes lit up. Even the one on the ground stopped howling and scrambled to his feet.

They all crowded around Yi Shuyuan.

"That sounds great!" "Just what you'd expect from Mr. Yi-always so thorough!"

"Mr. Yi, will our names appear in the County Gazetteer?" "Yes, will our names be in it?"

Seeing their eager faces, and even Constable Yang's expectant expression, Yi Shuyuan came up with an answer on the spot.

"Your names? Of course. Not only your names-I'll also record the martial styles you specialize in. We certainly can't leave out the capture that night. We must write it at its most exciting!"

For Yi Shuyuan, this was no more trouble than lifting a hand. Such details were generally passed over, but he was confident that adding their names would not make his writing redundant; rather, it would enrich the information.

At those words, the constables' delight showed plainly on their faces.

"Hahaha, wonderful!" "Does that mean our names will live on in history?"

"In your dreams!" "Hey, Brother Yang, aren't you grinning like a flower in bloom yourself?"

"Don't get carried away! Who was mocking Mr. Yi just now?"

The constable who had been kicked hurried to Yi Shuyuan's side and solemnly bowed, cupping his hands three times in succession.

"Mr. Yi, a great man like you won't hold a petty man's faults against him! I meant nothing by what I said!"

"It's fine, Mr. Yi. Just leave his deeds out!" "Right, no need to record him!"

"Hey, hey, hey! It's bad enough you won't put in a good word for me, but why throw stones down the well after I've fallen in? You're asking for a beating!"

The constables began teasing and roughhousing with each other. Though they were all grown men, they gave Yi Shuyuan a lively, energetic impression. He felt that many people, though grown up, still retained a child's heart.

Yi Shuyuan could not help laughing aloud.

"Hahahahahaha!"

What a wonderful atmosphere!

"Hey, Mr. Yi laughed! If he laughed, that means he's forgiven me!"

The constable hastily said this, but when he looked at Yi Shuyuan, his expression was still noticeably anxious. Jokes were jokes, but he truly feared Yi Shuyuan would leave him out alone.

"Don't worry. I won't leave anyone out. Not just Constable Yang and all of you, but the instructor and the County Commandant as well."

"All right, all right. If Mr. Yi were petty, would he be treating you so kindly? Mr. Yi, is there anything you need us to do?"

Constable Yang was positively glowing inside.

Hearing Yang Pingzhong say this, Yi Shuyuan did not stand on ceremony.

"I need to understand the details of martial arts, and more importantly, see the styles you specialize in. That will help an outsider like me imagine those moments of desperate struggle. Hmm, the more detail, the better..."

"Hmm, in short, my understanding of martial arts is too shallow. I hope to gain a more thorough understanding and an accurate conception of them, so I can grasp the thread running through it all!"

Yang Pingzhong could not help frowning. That was awfully broad. Still, someone who knew nothing of martial arts could only describe it that way. How could he help Mr. Yi understand such things?

As he racked his brains, Yang Pingzhong's eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed to one side and smiled.

"Mr. Yi, someone better suited to help with your request has arrived!"

Over there, a slightly stooped old man was approaching with his hands behind his back. He was Yuanjiang County's Martial Arts Instructor.

"What's all this racket about?"

Though the Old Instructor was advanced in years, his voice rang out strong and full. Everyone looked at him with chuckles, while he looked at Yi Shuyuan in surprise.

"Isn't this Mr. Yi? Instead of compiling the County Gazetteer in the Library, have you come to the Training Ground for a stroll?"

Before Yi Shuyuan could answer, a constable beat him to it.

"Instructor, Mr. Yi's going to put all of us in the County Gazetteer!" "Yes, he said he'd write out every detail of how we caught the criminal! I struck that scoundrel in the back with Straight into the Yellow Dragon's Lair!"

Yang Pingzhong hurried a few steps closer to the old man and quietly explained. The Old Instructor's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and then he looked at Yi Shuyuan.

"Why, that's wonderful! Ask me anything you don't understand, Mr. Yi. How could these little brats explain it properly? Come, come, over here, sir. Let them demonstrate a few moves for you first!"

"What are you standing around for? Pair up and spar! Hmm, no, since this is about capturing a criminal, let's do this: all of you attack your Chief Constable together. That's settled!"

Yang Pingzhong froze for a moment, a hint of nervousness appearing on his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, hold on! Instructor, surely that isn't a good idea..."

But the Old Instructor had already pulled Yi Shuyuan back, while the constables around them rubbed their fists and flexed their hands, approaching with ill intent.

"Hehehe, sorry about this, Brother Yang!" "Chief Constable, are you ready?"

"Hehehehe..."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Brothers, get him!"

"Ow!" "Hit him!" Thump! Thump! "Oww-"

In an instant, the Training Ground became a tangle of fighting bodies.