Chapter Ninety-Six: Do Not Cross the Left-Hand Path

Even when he was not utterly ignored, he was usually dismissed with perfunctory indifference.

When faced with demons and evils, he would not stand by and do nothing, but he had principles; different cases called for different methods of handling them.

“This is getting interesting.” Yi An narrowed his eyes slightly. The moment he heard of a creature harming people, his thoughts had involuntarily turned to that thousand-year-old locust tree spirit. Whether it was truly that thing, however, still remained to be verified.

...

The sun stood high overhead, the sky clear and bright.

The constable, dust-covered and weary, hurried back to the county yamen, arriving at noon.

“I’m exhausted to death... Being a constable these days really is getting harder and harder...” Leaning one hand against a pillar, the constable panted heavily and could not help complaining.

After a full day of running about, he had gained nothing at all and had, on top of that, brought trouble down upon himself.

Everyone in the yamen knew exactly what kind of man Magistrate Wang was.

Asking him to personally go to the barren mountain was practically harder than reaching the heavens.

“If I report to Magistrate Wang exactly what those two wandering heroes said, that definitely won’t work. Not only would I fail to get anything done, I’d probably earn myself a good scolding.”

“Magistrate Wang dotes on his son. I can work from that angle.”

“Hmph. Neither side is any good. Let them bite each other like dogs!”

The constable was deeply conflicted. Whether it was the two wandering heroes of the martial world or his own superior, Magistrate Wang, both were giants in his eyes, and being caught in the middle made things exceedingly difficult. No matter which side he tried to please, he would inevitably invite the thunderous wrath of the other.

Rather than that, it was better to help neither side and first trick Magistrate Wang into going to the barren mountain. Then everything would naturally fall into place.

By then, no matter which side won, he would stand in an undefeated position.

Or rather, he was somewhat more inclined toward the two martial heroes. He was also quite curious to see Magistrate Wang make a fool of himself.

Soon, the constable met with Magistrate Wang. The man who had been full of vigor just yesterday now looked somewhat haggard.

For parents, the greatest sorrow in life is to see one with black hair send off one with white.

Magistrate Wang asked in a deep voice, “Have you found the fiend who killed my son?”

“Not yet...”

“Then why have you returned? Why are you not out searching?”

“Don’t forget, you have only three days. If you cannot even handle this small matter, then you may as well yield your post as constable to someone more capable.”

Magistrate Wang was in a foul mood, his grief and fury knotting together in his chest. At a time like this, anyone who came before him would be unlikely to receive a kind face.

“My lord, please allow me to finish. Though the real culprit has not yet been found, we have already obtained some very important clues, only...” The constable gave a forced laugh, cursing inwardly, yet not daring to show it. On the surface, he could only bow his head and bear it, obediently enduring punishment and toil.

“Only what?”

“Stop beating around the bush. Can you not speak plainly all at once?”

“Are you trying to drive me mad?”

At this, Magistrate Wang’s eyes lit up, his tone softening somewhat, as though dark clouds had parted to reveal clear skies, ever changeable.

“My lord, the young master’s death may not have been caused by human hands. There may be other hidden circumstances.” The constable spoke in a mysterious tone.

“Not human hands? Then could it be some natural disaster?” Magistrate Wang frowned. He knew the constable would not speak recklessly; there must be some basis for these words.

“It is highly likely that the young master was killed by some evil spirit. Think carefully, my lord, of the condition of the body at the time and the coroner’s findings. Nine times out of ten, this was not man-made,” the constable said.

“Are these your own words?” Magistrate Wang looked at him in surprise. He knew all too well how much talent this subordinate possessed. Where had he gotten so many strange ideas?

“My lord, your insight is sharp. These words were indeed not spoken by me, but by a priest of immortal bearing and Daoist grace. I am merely relaying them on his behalf.” The constable’s heart leaped with joy. From his understanding of Magistrate Wang, the expression on his face showed that things were already more than half accomplished. If the magistrate did not believe it, what would await him would not be such a look of interest, but a blow to the head.

“Could he be some fraudulent wandering priest?” Magistrate Wang could not help but reveal a doubtful expression. In this world, shameless swindlers posing as holy men were everywhere. How many common folk had lost their fortunes because they believed the words of such wandering charlatans? Some even went so far as to commit robbery or murder for profit. They were truly a malignant growth.

How could someone with real ability possibly be encountered by a fool like this constable?

Magistrate Wang was skeptical.

“My lord, this is absolutely true. That priest truly has real skill. I saw it with my own eyes. If you still do not believe it, you may ask the constables who accompanied me. They can bear witness,” the constable hastily explained.

As for whether Magistrate Wang would verify it, the constable believed he would not bother. Still, for safety’s sake, before coming he had repeatedly warned the more than ten constables not to let anything slip. Otherwise, if things went wrong, they would all die together.

Those constables naturally had no objection to their superior’s words. Their relationship was almost one in which the whole group rose together and fell together.

If a new official took office, he would surely reshuffle the yamen and cultivate his own trusted men. As for them, the trusted followers of the former constable, they would inevitably be sidelined. They had no desire to go from an easy post to a miserable one.

“Whether it is evil spirits or demonic practitioners, I will make them pay in blood for blood!”

Magistrate Wang’s expression turned stern. Then he said, “Since that priest truly has real ability, you had better look after him properly. We must rely on him for the exorcism. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you personally responsible!”

“My lord, that priest has a rather peculiar temperament. I’m afraid...” The constable wore a troubled expression.

“What now?” Magistrate Wang asked darkly.

“I’m afraid he may not be willing to help us exterminate the evil so readily. We officers are only ordinary mortals. How could we possibly contend with demons?” the constable said quickly.

“That is indeed a problem. There is no such thing as a free meal in this world. If that priest truly asks for nothing in return, I would instead suspect him of harboring ill intent.” Magistrate Wang nodded in deep agreement. After thinking for a long while, he still could not come up with a solution.

In matters like this, it was best to cater to the other party’s preferences.

But he knew nothing about that priest. How was he supposed to know what the man liked?

Even as county magistrate, he could not help but feel some measure of reverence toward matters of ghosts, gods, and clandestine arts.

There had long been a saying among the people: better to provoke a powerful enemy than to provoke the dark arts.

Especially those gifted with strange and uncanny skills, they were extremely difficult to deal with.

And the people most skilled in such practices were usually priests, monks, and the like.

Many of the arts practiced by such extraordinary people were nothing but harmful tricks—methods that brought calamity upon others, caused illness, and drained a household of all its wealth.