Chapter 127: When Encountering Irredeemable Evil, Slay It

Yi An did not explicitly tell Shen Yuqin, only mentioning the matter in a subtle, veiled way. However, given her intelligence, she was likely to grasp his meaning.

Shen Yuqin felt it was strange. Although she didn't quite understand why, she thought that if the nether-envoys came, so be it. They walked the straight and narrow path and sat with upright spirits; they had nothing to fear from an inspection. No matter how unreasonable those envoys might be, they would find nothing against them.

Just as Yan Chixia had predicted, the nether-envoys soon arrived at their door, and a series of urgent knocks echoed from outside.

Shen Yuqin immediately understood the situation. Connecting this to what Yi An had mentioned earlier, she instantly realized the identity of those at the door. Not daring to delay, she opened the door and ushered the envoys into the courtyard.

The leader of the envoys first scrutinized Shen Yuqin, then turned his gaze toward Yi An, who stood to the side. With a hint of surprise, he asked, "Shen Yuqin, registered in the eighth year of Yonghe, is that correct?"

"That is correct."

Shen Yuqin nodded in agreement, her expression remaining calm. Before her stood nothing more than a minor nether-official, not some high-ranking figure from the Ghost City. Furthermore, she was not harboring any fugitives, so she had nothing to fear.

"But the household register only records you," the envoy continued. "Who is he? What is his identity? Where is he from?"

The leader looked at Yi An with suspicion. These were extraordinary times; he could not afford to overlook anyone whose identity was unclear. As his superior had put it, it was better to wrongfully detain a thousand than to let one slip through. They were merely the first line of screening; after capturing a suspect, they would hand them over to their superiors for further investigation. If suspicion were cleared, the person would be released, but if even the slightest doubt remained, they would continue to hold them until the matter was resolved. If necessary, they would not hesitate to eliminate these uncertain factors.

Shen Yuqin explained, "He is a resident from the north of the city. We are engaged to be married. I have been unwell these past few days, so he came specifically to take care of me."

The leader examined the pair, but he could detect nothing amiss on their faces; they remained calmly composed. Based on his many years of service, the woman’s words did not seem fabricated. Gazing into Shen Yuqin’s clear, unblemished eyes, the leader’s doubts dissipated by eighty percent. A person’s eyes rarely lie, and the sincerity hidden deep within her gaze was extremely difficult to feign.

However, things would not end so simply.

The leader frowned. "Even so... these are extraordinary times. Although he is from the north of the city, this is my jurisdiction. Since he has appeared here, I cannot simply ignore it. Usually, someone of unknown origin like him must be detained temporarily so we can verify his identity in the north."

Shen Yuqin was displeased upon hearing this. She felt no fear toward such low-level officials and retorted, "Officer, he is my fiancé. How can you call him a person of unknown origin? We have done nothing wrong. You are welcome to summon the officer in charge of the northern district, and you will know the truth once you ask."

The leader was taken aback. Being rebuked in public made his expression turn sour. He had originally hoped to extract a small bribe; the amount would depend on their willingness to pay. If they satisfied him, everything would be fine, and everyone would be happy. If not, he didn't mind doing things by the book—after all, whether they were suspicious or not was entirely up to him.

Officials like him relied on such petty gains to line their pockets, an unspoken rule among them that their superiors were too lazy to question. They were like opportunists, seizing any chance to extort money. Generally, the ghost-citizens would not risk a conflict over a small sum.

He was a man of some status in this area, and he had never been slighted like this before, especially not by a woman. Suppressing his anger, he took on a bureaucratic tone. He could not openly display his abuse of power, as it would give people leverage, and if the matter escalated to his superiors, it would become a nuisance.

But if he handled it through official channels, he could cleverly avoid these problems—it would be perfectly reasonable and justified. More importantly, if they refused to cooperate, he could add a charge of resisting arrest.

"Enough talk," he snapped. "Everything you say is merely your own one-sided story; it is untrustworthy. In my view, you had better come back to the office with me. Once the truth is revealed, I will naturally let you return."

Upon hearing this, a flash of indignation appeared on Shen Yuqin’s face. It was clear the man was trying to extort them. Though she had never experienced this personally, having lived in this sinful world for so long, she had heard plenty about the shameless conduct of these officials. She simply hadn't expected the man before her to be this utterly brazen.

Just as she was about to retort again, Yi An appeared behind her. He quietly took her hand, signaling her not to worry and assuring her that he would resolve everything.

There is a saying: "The King of Hell is easy to see, but his little devils are hard to deal with." The official before them was the perfect example of this.

When dealing with such people, one must never think that taking a step back would clear the sky. Instead, one must seize the initiative from the very beginning, striking fear into the opponent. If you let them lead you by the nose, it only fuels their arrogance and leads to even worse exploitation.

Greed is bottomless; once it takes root in the heart, it instantly grows into a towering tree that becomes impossible to control. Therefore, it is not enough to simply dispel their evil thoughts; one must make them fearful to truly eliminate future trouble. If the person was not intimidated and persisted in their ways, it mattered not. One could then take the most direct and effective path to resolve the matter once and for all.

As the saying goes, if one encounters incurable evil, destroy it. If the man refused to appreciate the situation, Yi An would not mind doing exactly that. In any case, there was no longer any need for him to stay here. Leaving behind a "commemorative" mark before departing would not be a bad idea.