Wasn't He Screwed?

Night fell over the County Commandant's Office jail.

Dampness and a rotten stench filled the dim cell. The faint light of distant torches cast stripes of shadow through the bars. A foul-smelling waste bucket stood beside a pile of blackened straw, and the cracks between the bricks in the corner had become a paradise for lice and cockroaches.

At the sight of this familiar scene, Xie Jinhuan felt as though he had come home.

Except that he used to stand outside the bars. This time, he was squatting inside.

"Brothers, this really is a misunderstanding..."

"Shut up! Move a muscle and we'll kill you!"

Two jailers faced the cell as though confronting a formidable enemy, their Qi-Breaking Crossbows raised. Their arms ached terribly after holding them up for so long, but neither dared relax his guard.

With his hands bound behind his back, Xie Jinhuan obediently faced the corner, watching the lice fight.

He could break free of restraints like these with a flick of his hands, but he had already injured an officer by mistake. If he resisted arrest and broke out of jail as well, he really would become a hardened outlaw. Thus, he had cooperated from beginning to end.

Coal Ball had not been tied up, but had been well-behaved since childhood and obediently squatted in the other corner. Perhaps hungry after all this time, the little bird opened its beak, ready to catch and eat whatever it could.

"No eating!"

"Coo..."

"No talking!"

"Okay."

After an indeterminate stretch of this standoff, movement finally came from outside the cell.

The two jailers turned and saw Commandant Clerk Yang Dabiao hurrying over. Relieved of a great burden, they lowered their Qi-Breaking Crossbows.

"Lord Yang, this man keeps saying he knows you..."

"Keep them raised!"

Yang Dabiao had been utterly stunned by the scene in the alley at noon.

Even now, he dared not let his guard down. He had the jailers maintain their threat while he cautiously approached for a look.

Afraid that turning his head would earn him a bolt, Xie Jinhuan spoke calmly.

"Brother Yang, it's me, Xie Jinhuan. The year before last, when my father was transferred to the Southern Border, we passed through Danyang. You even saw us off for seven or eight li..."

Yang Dabiao had once served in Capital City under Xie Wen, the county commandant of Wanan County, and knew Xie Jinhuan well.

The reason he had not thrown Xie Jinhuan straight into the dungeon today was that he resembled his old acquaintance's son. But a growing boy could change beyond recognition, and he could not bear the consequences of the lady bodhisattva being injured. There had simply been no time to verify his identity during the day.

"Turn your face this way. Let me see."

Xie Jinhuan turned his head, revealing a harmless smile.

"It's been a few years, Brother Yang. You've gotten a lot more muscular. Those pecs look imposing."

Yang Dabiao instinctively lifted his head and puffed out his chest. After examining him closely and confirming that this was his old acquaintance's son, he felt some delight, though he was also puzzled.

"Jinhuan, where have you been these past few years?"

Xie Jinhuan did not know where he had been either. He had inexplicably acquired a body full of martial skills, yet could not account for his past, which could easily cause misunderstandings. He could only smile and make something up.

"I went to train. Three years ago, when my father was headed to the Southern Border, I met a reclusive master along the way. He said I had extraordinary talent and took me into the mountains to learn martial arts. I only came back recently."

Yang Dabiao looked him up and down through the bars, half believing him.

"An ordinary person couldn't have taught you those skills. What school or sect did you study under?"

Xie Jinhuan casually spun a tale. "Wind Spirit Valley. A sect of the hidden immortal lineage. You probably haven't heard of it, Brother Yang."

Yang Dabiao indeed had not, but did not press him. Instead, he said:

"So you don't know about your father?"

Xie Jinhuan had come precisely to ask about his father's whereabouts. Seeing something wrong with Yang Dabiao's expression, his smile faded.

"What happened to my father?"

Yang Dabiao fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

"Three years ago, Lord Xie encountered a demon in Wei Prefecture on his way to the Southern Border. All twenty-odd people traveling with him died in the line of duty. I thought you'd met with disaster too. Thank goodness you escaped."

Xie Jinhuan's heart truly lurched at those words.

But he remembered encountering the demon.

Specifically, their party had reached Three-Fork Ridge in Wei Prefecture when the accompanying officers began shouting in panic that there was a demon. Through the carriage window, he had seen a black shadow darting through the woods.

Realizing something was wrong, he had taken his father on horseback and tried to break out of the encirclement, with the demon pursuing them.

What happened afterward remained beyond recall.

By his reckoning, some of the guards and officers had indeed been killed or wounded, but since he had already escaped with his life, his father could not have died at Three-Fork Ridge.

After all, he had been riding the horse, carrying his father, who was over fifty, as they fled for their lives.

Surely he had not decided halfway that his own father was a burden, kicked him off the horse, and fled alone?

He could admit to being a lecher, but he really could not do something like that.

Xie Jinhuan turned around, ignoring the jailers' alarm, and asked through the bars:

"Are you certain? Were any remains found?"

Yang Dabiao sighed. "Lord Xie had shown me kindness, so I asked the officer in charge of the investigation at the time. They only found a few nearly devoured pieces of bodies at the scene, too little to identify. After almost seven days of fruitless searching, they closed the case as deaths in the line of duty."

"Who investigated the case?"

"The victim was an Imperial Court official, so Duan Gang, a thousand-household commander of the Scarlet Qilin Guard, personally went to Wei Prefecture to investigate. There shouldn't have been anything questionable."

The Scarlet Qilin Guard was the Great Qian emperor's personal guard, roughly equivalent in structure to the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As a thousand-household commander, Duan Gang oversaw ten hundred-household offices and commanded over eleven hundred men. Even in Capital City, he was no minor figure.

With someone like that personally taking action, it was indeed unlikely that anything would be overlooked.

But Xie Jinhuan had been with his father at the time, and he was still alive. If the Scarlet Qilin Guard had failed to uncover that, what was it if not a questionable point?

They had closed this case far too hastily...

Xie Jinhuan did not believe his father had died in the line of duty. He exerted strength with both hands, and the ropes binding him snapped.

"I need to return to Capital City and investigate this properly."

The jailers, who had just lowered their guard, shuddered in fright and hastily raised their Qi-Breaking Crossbows.

Even Yang Dabiao jumped and took half a step back.

"Don't move! You can't leave yet!"

"Brother Yang, you've recognized me, and you're still keeping me locked up? Today really was a misunderstanding..."

At this point, Xie Jinhuan's burly frame jolted, and he asked in a low voice:

"That fellow I accidentally injured... don't tell me he didn't make it?! I only gave him a light brush..."

You knocked him out, armor and all, and you call that a light brush?!

Yang Dabiao badly wanted to retort, but this was not the time. His expression grew grave.

"He's all right. The reason you can't leave has nothing to do with that."

Hearing that it was not because he had accidentally injured a fellow officer, Xie Jinhuan could not help feeling puzzled.

"Then why?"

Yang Dabiao glanced around, then leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Demon bandits have been causing trouble repeatedly in Danyang lately, committing several murders. The authorities have been investigating. Today, we discovered a large quantity of medicinal ingredients, account books, and one of the killers in Dongcang Ward. We can confirm they were hired by the demon bandits. Unfortunately, just as we arrived, you silenced them all..."

"Wait, wait, wait?!"

Xie Jinhuan froze, then quickly raised a hand.

"Brother Yang, I wasn't killing them to silence them! I went to Dongcang Ward to find you and happened to run into those criminals. They wanted to silence me, and I defended myself. Didn't I leave you one alive? Didn't you question him?"

Yang Dabiao had been busy saving Lord Linghu. How could he spare a thought for a few bandits? By the time he had delivered Linghu Qingmo to a clinic and run back to render aid, Chen Yuan had probably already finished drinking Old Lady Meng's soup.

This was clearly a dereliction of duty, and Yang Dabiao looked slightly embarrassed.

"Things were chaotic, and we couldn't save him. Of course I believe you, but the higher-ups..."

Xie Jinhuan was utterly speechless. Spreading his hands, he said, "This really has nothing to do with me. I only arrived at noon. The old boatman at the dock and the gatekeeper at the County Commandant's Office can both testify..."

Yang Dabiao raised a hand. "I've already heard from the gatekeeper. I know it has nothing to do with you. But last night, a sudden downpour fell deep in Purple Emblem Mountain. The seniors of Purple Emblem Mountain, the Dan King Pavilion, and Danyang Academy all sensed a surge of Blood Baleful Qi shooting into the sky..."

"..."

This clearly had something to do with Xie Jinhuan, and a great deal at that.

Xie Jinhuan even knew that this sky-piercing Blood Baleful Intent came from the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum where he had awakened. A Red-Robed Female Yaoguai might have escaped from inside!

Xie Jinhuan did not even know why he had gone into Purple Emblem Mountain, so he certainly did not dare tell the truth. He immediately assumed a solemn expression.

"Something like that happened?"

"Yes."

Yang Dabiao held the bars, his thick brows and large eyes full of concern for the country and its people.

"Blood Baleful Qi must be connected to demonic evil. Since the Witch Cult Rebellion, no demonic being in Great Qian has been able to enter the First Grade. But according to the experts' deductions, the Blood Baleful Qi that appeared this time may have come from a 'Transcendent-Grade Great Demon.'"

"Transcendent Grade?!"

"Yes. The prince issued an ironclad order to seal all major routes into and out of Dan Prefecture. Until the matter is cleared up, no one may leave. Every county is conducting strict inspections. Anyone suspicious is to be killed rather than risk letting them slip away, to prevent the demons from rising from the ashes and bringing calamity upon the common people..."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan had not expected the situation to be so serious.

For an ordinary minor demon, the imperial court might not commit much manpower. But with a Transcendent Grade demon involved, the threat was already equivalent to an enemy nation invading the border.

If the Imperial Court discovered he had emerged from the Demon-Suppressing Mausoleum and could not explain his past...

Wasn't he screwed?

"Brother Yang, you don't think I look like a demon, do you? If I were one, would I walk into the net myself and squat here?"

Yang Dabiao patted his shoulder through the bars.

"I'm not saying you're a demon. It's just that you really did get involved in a case today. Who knows whether the demon bandits in Dongcang Ward are connected to the demonic qi behind Purple Emblem Mountain?

"This is a critical moment, and no one was left alive in Dongcang Ward. What if the higher-ups summon you for questioning?

"Until this case is closed, you have to cooperate with the investigation. You can't leave without permission. Otherwise, even if I believe you, the higher-ups might not."

Seeing that he only needed to cooperate with the investigation, Xie Jinhuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and glanced around the cell.

"So I have to stay locked up here for a while?"

Back in Capital City, Yang Dabiao had received considerable help from Xie Jinhuan's father. Otherwise, he would not have escorted them seven or eight li when they were transferred.

Locking his old acquaintance's orphaned son in a cell now would clearly be disloyal.

"Lord Xie treated me well, and I know you came looking for me today and only happened to run into those bandits. I'll vouch for you so you can leave for now, but you have to promise to come whenever you're summoned. Don't vanish on me. If the higher-ups want to question you and I can't find you..."

Although Xie Jinhuan had a guilty conscience, he considered himself unconnected to demons. Why would he flee? He immediately cupped his hands.

"Sorry for the trouble, Brother Yang. I promise I'll come whenever I'm called."

Clack~

A short while later, Yang Dabiao opened the cell door and had a jailer fetch Xie Jinhuan's weapons and return them to him. But when he picked up the Zhenglun Sword, he examined it closely.

"This sword... why does it look exactly like the Dharma Swords used by the Daoists of Purple Emblem Mountain to suppress demons? Have you studied Daoist arts these past few years too?"

Xie Jinhuan's heart tightened, but he kept his expression unchanged.

"You know me, Brother Yang. I studied all sorts of things at home growing up. Astronomy, geography, music, strategy games, calligraphy, painting-I know a little of everything. These past few years, I've dabbled in Daoist arts as well."

"Really?"

Yang Dabiao knew just how high the threshold for entering the Daoist path was. Curious, he said:

"Show me a spell."

"..."

Xie Jinhuan drew a soft breath, braced himself, raised his right hand, and mustered the qi throughout his body.

Whoosh, whoosh~

A breeze immediately stirred through the jail, blowing aside the straw on the floor.

Yang Dabiao felt the force of qi circulating like storm winds and ocean tides. It seemed Xie Jinhuan was gathering power for some immortal-slaying divine art. His expression changed, and he instinctively stepped back half a pace.

But after all that buildup, there were only two little cracks. A few tiny bluish-white arcs of electricity emerged from Xie Jinhuan's palm, flashed once, and vanished. Nothing else happened.

"..."

The two jailers craning their necks to watch from behind fell silent in unison.

Yang Dabiao waited a long while. Seeing nothing more happen, he could not help scratching his forehead.

"Uh... that's it?"

"Yes."

Xie Jinhuan was a martial artist through and through. Even his ability to conjure little sparks by hand owed itself to his varied studies over the years. Now, he answered with a perfectly serious air.

"This is called 'Palm Thunder.' Once cultivated to mastery, its might is unrivaled. It can shatter mountains and boil seas. My cultivation is just a little shallow at present."

"Oh... that would be good for lighting my father's pipe. Keep practicing. It's bound to be very useful someday."

Yang Dabiao patted his shoulder in encouragement, then changed the subject.

"There's too much work at the office, so I won't keep you company. We'll catch up properly when we have time. By the way, do you have somewhere to stay? My wife and children are too noisy, otherwise..."

"It's fine. I'll find a place myself. Where do you live, Brother Yang? I'll stay nearby so it's easy to summon me."

"Clear Spring Lane. It's close by. Little Wang, show him the way..."

After their conversation, Xie Jinhuan was about to leave when he suddenly felt something was missing. He turned toward the cell.

"Coal Ball?"

"Coo?"

Coal Ball had already fallen asleep. Only upon hearing the call did the little bird hop out and land on his shoulder.

"Heh, it's been a few years, and this scruffy little bird has gotten another size fatter."

"Coo-cheep!"

--

A new author with a new book. Thank you all for your support, or2!