Volume One: The Miscellaneous Duties of Changshui County Chapter 131: Digging a Pit to Bury a Man

Grinding his teeth, the scout followed.

At a bend in the hill, the other party vanished from sight. The scout quickened his pace, but when he reached the far side of the hill, he discovered that Bai Xiaosu had disappeared.

Panic seized him, and cold sweat streamed down his back. He spun around—and saw a dark figure directly in front of him.

A moment later, a stick came crashing down, knocking him unconscious.

“Master said that when dealing with enemies, we must show no mercy. We must also clean up every trace so no one can track us down.” Seeing that no one was around, Bai Xiaosu grabbed the scout by the legs and dragged him into the woods.

She then took out the shovel she had prepared, dug a large pit, and buried the man in it.

“This should keep anyone from finding him, right?” Bai Xiaosu pondered for a moment. “No, that won’t do. The freshly turned earth will be easy to spot!”

She immediately sprang into action, hacking through all the large trees nearby and letting them topple across the filled-in pit.

With such massive trees lying over it, even if someone wanted to investigate, lifting them away would be no easy task.

“Hmm. I’m really clever!”

Bai Xiaosu clapped her hands, dusted the soil from them, slung the shovel over her shoulder, and left.

…

That evening, when Lu Jiuzhang returned, he noticed nothing unusual.

Bai Xiaosu and the big black dog were nowhere to be seen in the courtyard.

What had those two gone off to do this time?

Lu Jiuzhang shook his head, lit the fire, and began preparing a simple meal.

Creak—

Suddenly, the main gate swung open.

Bai Xiaosu and the big black dog walked in.

Both were panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.

“You two…”

Lu Jiuzhang looked at them and asked, “What happened?”

“Master Lu, I’m exhausted!” the big black dog declared. “You have no idea—I discovered quite a few scouts around our home during the day. Bai and I joined forces and dealt with every last one of them without making a sound!”

The big black dog was beaming with pride. “Those scouts should have taken a good look at who I am! How dare they spy on this divine beast?”

“It was exhausting!” Bai Xiaosu said seriously. “I dug so many pits. I buried quite a few people.”

“Uh…”

Lu Jiuzhang was baffled. “There was no need for that. Once this batch of scouts disappears, they’ll simply send another batch.”

“That’s true.” The big black dog drooped. “So does that mean all my work today was for nothing?”

“Not necessarily. I imagine the next group of scouts won’t dare come too close to spy on us. At the very least, they’ll leave us a little room to live in peace,” Lu Jiuzhang said. “But that isn’t the main issue. During this period, prepare your luggage. We may have to leave at any moment.”

“Leave? Where are we going?”

“Anxi Prefecture!”

…

Several days later, Aunt Zhao was released from prison.

She had grown a full circle thinner. Her face was gaunt, her hair was a tangled mess, and her clothes were covered in dust. She looked no different from a beggar.

With vacant eyes, Aunt Zhao returned home.

“Mother, you’re back? Where have you been?” Zhao Chan’er hurriedly asked.

Aunt Zhao did not answer. The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she collapsed.

Zhao Chan’er was terrified and immediately went to find a physician.

The physician’s conclusion was that there was nothing seriously wrong with her. She merely needed plenty of rest and a light diet, and she would be fine.

Hearing this, Zhao Chan’er let out a long breath of relief. She could not help thinking, “It must have been Second Brother Lu who stepped in and rescued Mother.”

“During this time, Second Brother Lu has been leaving early and returning late. He must have gone to great lengths over Mother’s affairs!”

“There are truly too few good people like Second Brother Lu in this world!”

Zhao Chan’er gazed toward Lu Jiuzhang’s residence, her heart fluttering with affection.

At the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Lu Jiuzhang’s ears suddenly turned red.

Was someone thinking about him?

Knock, knock, knock—

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Chen Xuanfeng entered and handed Lu Jiuzhang two letters.

“Things have gone somewhat beyond my expectations,” Chen Xuanfeng said. “County Deputy Wang is no fool. I thought he had bought his position, but it seems he actually has some brains.”

“He must have realized that someone was intercepting the messengers carrying his letters. This time, he sent two groups. My men stopped the first, but the second nearly slipped through.”

Chen Xuanfeng could not hide his concern. “Next, he’ll probably come up with even more methods. I can delay him for a while, but not forever.”

“My original estimate was that I could hold him off for fifteen to twenty days. Now, it looks rather doubtful.”

Chen Xuanfeng had assumed that County Deputy Wang was merely a lecherous glutton, a man whose body had long been drained by wine and women, with little intelligence to speak of.

He had not expected the man to react so quickly. The speed of County Deputy Wang’s response had taken Chen Xuanfeng completely by surprise.

“What do you suggest, Director Chen?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“Leave for Anxi Prefecture as soon as possible,” Chen Xuanfeng said slowly. “Once you enter Anxi Prefecture, keep yourself hidden. Under no circumstances can you allow anyone to discover you.”

“I’ll do my best to hold County Deputy Wang back for a while, but he will certainly send people to intercept you along the way. Force your way through them, reach Anxi Prefecture, and stay at Yingtian Inn.”

“The identity of Yingtian Inn’s master is unknown, but he once made a bold declaration: no matter how serious the crime a person has committed, or how powerful the people pursuing them are, as long as they enter Yingtian Inn, he can guarantee their safety.”

“However, even one night at Yingtian Inn costs a fortune. The cheapest room requires one tael of gold!”

“Wait for me at Yingtian Inn.”

Chen Xuanfeng spoke slowly. “After some time, I’ll make my way to Anxi Prefecture. With me there to protect you, County Deputy Wang won’t be able to harm you within the prefecture.”

“The greatest problem at present is your status as a Demon Slayer. If the Prefect agrees to strip you of that position and personally goes to the Demon-Slaying Bureau in Anxi Prefecture to plead your case, then when you face County Deputy Wang, you may have no chance of victory at all.”

That was what Chen Xuanfeng feared most.

With his official status as protection, County Deputy Wang still dared not act without restraint.

But once that status was gone, he would no longer have anything to fear.

“When do I leave?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

“The sooner, the better. Leave this place before the city gates are sealed this afternoon. I’ll invite County Deputy Wang to a banquet. Even if he wants to mobilize troops during the banquet, it will be highly inconvenient.”

“That is your opportunity.”

“Rest and travel through the night. By noon tomorrow, you should be able to reach the territory of Anxi Prefecture’s seat.”

“Once you enter the prefectural city, you’ll be safe. At the very least, they won’t dare cause trouble there. As for staying at Yingtian Inn, that depends on whether you have enough money.”

“If you don’t, there’s only so much I can do to help.”

Chen Xuanfeng himself was short of money. Most of his salary had been spent on cultivation resources, and he had not managed to save much.

“This is everything I own—four hundred taels of silver. Consider it my support for you.”

“Also, draw six months of salary in advance from the accounts office. That will give you another six hundred taels of silver. Added together, it comes to one tael of gold.”