Before long, the guard returned and explained in a low voice, "It seems a military officer from the Unusual Events Bureau was galloping past with his men and nearly collided with Young Master Shi's carriage. Young Master Shi has detained him and is berating him."
Li Ling said, "If a military officer is galloping down the road, he's either throwing his weight around or responding to an urgent military matter. Who is this Young Master Shi, and what gives him the nerve to keep hounding him?"
The guard said, "Prince Consort, Young Master Shi is the son of the Minister of the Imperial Stud."
Li Ling said, "So he does have some backing. Chase him off and invite that officer over for a word. Remember to be polite."
Seeing this, the Ninth Princess asked Li Ling in puzzlement, "Men from the Unusual Events Bureau?"
Li Ling said, "The Incense Affairs Bureau has had some dealings with the Unusual Events Bureau lately. If we can lend a hand, we might as well."
On the main road, Zuo Zhongliang had been detained by Young Master Shi for a scolding. Unable to leave, he was gradually losing patience.
Suddenly, the crowd parted. Several imposing servants in brocade escorted a burly man forward, who said to Young Master Shi as he continued berating the officer, "Young Master Shi, you're blocking our master's way. Please move aside."
These words poured oil on Young Master Shi's fire. "What? Move aside? Haven't you bothered to find out who I am?"
His attendant was perceptive and hurriedly caught his arm. "Young Master, something seems wrong. I've seen this man before. He's the head guard at the Prince Consort's Residence."
Young Master Shi grew even angrier. "The Prince Consort's Residence? Which Prince Consort's Residence? What a joke! Am I supposed to be afraid of some mere prince consort?"
He spoke with confidence. Here in the Royal City, powerful nobles were everywhere. Who wasn't related to the imperial family somehow?
"Er, Prince Consort Li..."
The abuse stopped abruptly. Like a ball crushed beneath a heavy foot, Young Master Shi deflated on the spot.
Prince consorts and princesses really weren't all that remarkable. Nobles of these mortal dynasties had patrons of their own.
But a favorite of the patriarch, whose star was currently rising, was not someone to provoke.
Young Master Shi understood perfectly and promptly tucked his tail between his legs.
"It seems you know who our master is. Then hurry along." Having overheard the exchange between master and servant, the head guard saw no need to say more. He turned to Zuo Zhongliang. "And you, Hundred-Household Commander. Our master invites you over."
Zuo Zhongliang hesitated. A colleague beside him reminded him, "Commander, these men are either rich or powerful. We shouldn't offend them. You'd better go take a look."
Zuo Zhongliang said, "All right. Go on ahead. I'll be right back."
By the time Zuo Zhongliang approached, Li Ling had stepped out of his carriage. Smiling, he asked, "Hundred-Household Commander Zuo, what official business are you attending to?"
With a trace of confusion on his face, Zuo Zhongliang said, "And you are...?"
Li Ling said, "I'm Li Ling. You people at the Unusual Events Bureau should know of me."
Hearing Li Ling's name, Zuo Zhongliang was startled.
Although he had never met Li Ling, his illustrious name had indeed thundered in his ears.
This was a favorite of the patriarch, who had recently begun a series of collaborations with the Unusual Events Bureau as the influential patron behind the Incense Affairs Bureau.
He hurriedly cupped his fists in salute. "Your subordinate, Zuo Zhongliang, pays his respects to Prince Consort Li. In answer to your question, we received a tip and are heading to Duckbill Township in the southern outskirts to deal with a case of illicit worship."
Li Ling asked curiously, "Illicit worship?"
Zuo Zhongliang said, "Lives are at stake, and we've already lost considerable time on the road. Please allow me to report the details later."
"Hey, you..." The head guard almost laughed in exasperation.
Li Ling waved a hand. "In that case, Hundred-Household Commander Zuo, please attend to your business."
Zuo Zhongliang said, "Thank you, Prince Consort. Your subordinate takes his leave."
He actually turned around at once, mounted his horse, and galloped away.
"Someone like that managed to become a hundred-household commander? What a rarity," the head guard couldn't help remarking.
Li Ling glanced at him and said with a smile, "Actually, I have acquaintances in the Unusual Events Bureau, and I've heard of this Hundred-Household Commander Zuo. His achievements, experience, and ability are enough to qualify him for promotion to thousand-household commander."
The head guard said, "Serves him right! Prince Consort, your willingness to exchange a few more words with him was an honor, yet he failed to appreciate it."
Li Ling said, "You can't quite put it that way. Official business should come first, after all. Besides, without generals dying through a hundred battles, how could young gentlemen enjoy their peerless grace? Though I, Li Ling, am merely an idle man, I greatly admire heroes like Hundred-Household Commander Zuo."
"But what do you think this illicit worship he mentioned is about?"
Illicit worship referred to folk sacrifices that violated ritual regulations, usually involving the illegal worship of gods or even demons, ghosts, and monsters.
Upon hearing of it, Li Ling immediately thought of the faith in the Great Lin River God secretly spread by those of the Demonic Path, which seemed very different from officially sanctioned worship.
"Duckbill Township? Isn't that Little Lin's hometown? Why not ask him?" the head guard suggested.
Before long, Guard Lin was summoned. After hearing what had happened, he said in surprise, "Surely not? Since the authorities strictly banned the River God Wedding, nothing like that has happened in over ten years."
"River God Wedding?" Both Li Ling and the head guard looked surprised.
Guard Lin said, "Prince Consort, the River God Wedding is a barbaric custom among rural villagers. They offer human sacrifices by drowning young girls in the river."
"I saw it happen myself when I was little. But in recent years, the authorities explicitly prohibited such sacrifices, and they gradually disappeared. I never imagined that after years away, I'd find those dead ashes burning again."
The head guard said, "Some of these incidents are instigated by the Demonic Path from behind the scenes. They may use this vile custom to collect female corpses and vengeful spirits."
"Hiss... No wonder the Unusual Events Bureau rushed off to deal with it. If it's merely ignorant villagers murdering people, that's one thing. What we should fear is another secret plot by the Demonic Path to harm the surrounding towns."
Li Ling had read many files from the Unusual Events Bureau and had also used his spirit to explore the Great Lin River God's divine kingdom, so naturally he knew all this.
After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Duckbill Township doesn't seem far from here. Let's go take a look."
The head guard tried to dissuade him. "Prince Consort, wouldn't that be unwise?"
Li Ling said, "It'll be fine."
Then he added, "Taking so many people would be inconvenient. Everyone except the guards should head back first."
In truth, he used soul projection every night to wander about and knew that no members of the Demonic Path were active nearby.
He had even transmitted incense essence through the spiritual connection to the divine statue and used the Returning Soul Incense's effects to locate Lin Rouniang again through Incense Perception.
The map he had once seen in Special Envoy Mu's possession had also helped. He could be certain that over the past few days, Lin Rouniang and the Demonic Path experts had all been farther south, in a place called Sourcewater Township, and would not appear here.
Hearing Li Ling say this, the head guard could only order the party to split up and set out.
Once Li Ling returned to the carriage, the Ninth Princess asked, "Husband, are you going to watch the River God Wedding?"
Li Ling said, "What's worth watching about such a vile custom? I'm going to see how Hundred-Household Commander Zuo and his men handle it. Speaking of which, why might the Demonic Path be behind these customs?"
The Ninth Princess said, "The Demonic Path is called demonic precisely because its methods are often sinister and cruel, and its cultivation practices violate heaven's harmony. I seem to have heard that they can use this method to create exceptionally fine profound yin female corpses. Water is yin by nature, as are women. The wronged spirits of those drowned also possess powerful obsessions, allowing them to retain more yin baleful spiritual power."
"Using people as materials?" Li Ling paused briefly in realization.
No wonder the Corpse Immortal Sect and the Ghost Soul Sect always worked together like wolf and jackal. This whole murderous scheme was practically a complete service, exploiting both the bones and the souls.
Duckbill Township was not far away. After splitting up, the party traveled light and soon reached the scene.
Duckbill Township did not look prosperous. The houses along the way were low, old, and dilapidated, and the crops were hardly robust.
Apparently because of the terrain, the riverbed lay high above the surrounding land, several feet higher even than the villagers' settlement.
A crowd had gathered atop an embankment piled from earth and was arguing about something.
Thousand-Household Commander Zuo and his men were hemmed in by a dense crowd as they protected a bridal sedan chair. Outside the circle, an old woman dressed like a witch, with a tall hat and multicolored feathered robes, raised her staff and cursed furiously.
"You've angered the River God! You'll suffer retribution!"
"The flood season is coming! If you obstruct the River God Wedding, disaster is certain..."
"Everyone, these officials want us dead! Fight them!"
An ugly woman who seemed to be the witch's disciple and a male shaman egged them on from the side. "Get them! Don't be afraid!"
"Enough!" Zuo Zhongliang, already brimming with anger, rebuked them. "You pack of bastards know nothing but nonsense! Duckbill Township floods year after year because of its terrain! Where did all the money the authorities allocated for repairing embankments, dredging the river, and digging channels go?"
A finely dressed man who looked like a local squire trembled at this, then summoned his courage and stepped forward. "Didn't you officials embezzle it? Everyone, the law can't punish us all! Take her back! If we miss the appointed hour, Grandfather River God will be angry!"
Several villagers, stirred up by his words, immediately came forward to seize the bride.
These farmers possessed considerable brute strength. The Unusual Events Bureau officers held down their weapons to prevent them from being snatched in the chaos, leaving them unable to exert themselves properly. They were shoved back again and again.
"This Hundred-Household Commander Zuo is a little soft. He can't even handle a few unruly peasants." Watching from a distance, the party almost laughed, while the head guard wore an openly disdainful expression.
Li Ling lifted the carriage curtain and watched for a while before saying, "Go help him."
"Certainly, Prince Consort. Just watch us." The head guard answered and immediately led several men forward.
Guard Lin, who came from Duckbill Township, was among them. He even took the lead to clear a path for the head guard. "Chief, I know that landlord who was shouting about the law not punishing everyone. The bastard bullies the weak and fears the strong. You won't need to lift a finger. Watch me deal with him."
He promptly volunteered to go ahead. "Move aside! Out of the way, you blind fools!"
"Who are you?"
The villagers shouted in displeasure, but in the blink of an eye, they were shoved aside. Several lost their footing and stumbled to the ground.
"Ow..."
"Who the hell is that?"
Hearing the commotion, the squire and the others turned around, looking startled. "You... you..."
"You what?" Without allowing any explanation, Guard Lin stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.
Coming from the same village hardly guaranteed good relations. Besides, he was no longer some villager, but a powerful servant of a noble household in the Royal City. He had long since ceased to belong to the same class as these country folk.
"A good dog doesn't block the road! All of you, move!"
His overbearing swagger cowed the villagers who had been baring their fangs and waving their claws moments before. They fell silent as cicadas in winter, and not one dared say another word.
Zuo Zhongliang and his men seized the opportunity to break out, escorting the bride to Li Ling's carriage. He exclaimed in surprise, "Prince Consort Li?"
Li Ling stepped down with a broad smile. "Hundred-Household Commander Zuo, we meet again. So this is the illicit worship you were talking about."
Before Zuo Zhongliang could answer, an old man pleaded from beyond the guards. "My lord, please hear this old man out. You mustn't take the bride away! If you do, none of us will have any hope of surviving this year!"
"That's right! Grandfather River God will be furious."
"If you disrespect a god, you'll suffer divine punishment!"
"Who told you to come over here, you old geezer? Get lost! Don't offend our master's eyes!"
The guards were holding back the agitated villagers surging toward them. Caught off guard by their clamoring, they snapped harshly.
Li Ling waved a hand, signaling the guards to remain calm. "You, you, and you. Come here. Let's talk this through."
He singled out several people watching from the edge of the crowd: elders and squires whose noticeably finer clothing indicated their standing and influence, along with the witches and the male shaman.
Though these prominent figures of Duckbill Township did not know Li Ling's identity, the display alone intimidated them. They obediently stepped forward, bowing and scraping.
"My lord..."
Li Ling waved a hand. "Spare me your prattle. That nonsense about Grandfather River God getting angry might fool ignorant peasants, but if you dare spout it before this prince consort, you'll end up just like these three."
As he spoke, he told the guards beside him, "Arrest these three witches and shaman."
He said this because, when he summoned them over, he had caught a strangely familiar stench of rotting corpses on them!
That smell did not necessarily connect them to the Demonic Path cultivators of the Corpse Immortal Sect, but their deeds were much the same. They were all villains who preyed on human lives.
By smelling their odors, he could distinguish good from evil, beauty from ugliness. Without any trial, he already knew these people had murdered numerous victims. They were no longer ordinary civilians deserving reason or compassion.
There was nothing more to say in this situation. A predecessor surnamed Ximen had long ago demonstrated through his actions how such people should be handled.
Though the guards were somewhat puzzled by Li Ling's command, they faithfully carried it out. In moments, they had seized the three witches and shaman.
"Don't you spend all day claiming that sacrifices let you communicate with the River God? Guards, throw them into the river and let them tell the River God..."
Li Ling looked around, his expression calm but utterly resolute, and said,
"I object to this marriage!"
"Spare us, Prince Consort!"
Hearing this, the witches and shaman were frightened nearly out of their souls.
The household servants and guards were dependents of the powerful nobility. At Li Ling's command, they ignored the witches' and shaman's struggles, dragged them straight to the riverbank, and threw them in.
Splash!
Splash! Splash!
The sounds of heavy bodies striking water rang out in succession. Unable to swim, the witches and shaman thrashed desperately like great fish the moment they entered the water. They tried to cry out, but water choked them, preventing any sound.
Before long, bubbles rose across the river's surface. Then all movement ceased.