Xuanyuan Dynasty, Huangchu Year 13, Spring.
April, a perfect time for spring outings, yet a terrifying event occurred in Qingyang City.
Starting from March, ghost-raising evildoers frequently appeared in Qingyang City, causing families to close their doors at night and leaving streets deserted.
During this special period, as soon as Qin Li entered the city, he was interrogated thoroughly by the city gate guards.
Looking at the wanted posters for the ghost-raising evildoer displayed at both sides of the city gate, the person on the poster wore a black robe, their face indiscernible. Who could they even be looking for?
“Please, Young Master, do not take offense. These are orders from above.”
The two guards saw that Qin Li was well-dressed, with smooth, fair skin, clearly from a wealthy family. With a long sword on his back, he might even be a reclusive master who descended from some immortal mountain.
After the routine inspection, their tone instantly became much more polite.
“No problem. May I ask what is the origin of this ghost-raising evildoer? Have any Cultivators come to subdue the demon and eliminate evil?”
“This ghost-raising evildoer suddenly appeared in the city a month ago, unleashing ghosts to commit crimes.”
“Initially, this evildoer only targeted lone vagrants who didn't return home late at night. Later, when everyone stayed indoors after dark, the evildoer began to slaughter families in their homes.”
“In just one month, thirteen families in the city fell victim to his poisonous hand. We do not know the origin of this evildoer, but we heard that the magistrate has already invited a high-ranking Cultivator from the Divine Constable Bureau to eliminate the demon.”
“Divine Constable Bureau? Are the constables there also Cultivators?” Qin Li was new to the area and only knew that Qingyang City was a city of the Xuanyuan Dynasty.
“It is said that the Divine Constables in the Divine Constable Bureau all possess cultivation. As for more specific information, we do not know.”
“Where is the Qingyang City yamen?”
The two guards were stunned by the question, then asked in confusion, “Is this Young Master going to…”
“I also possess some cultivation. As I now wander the four seas, I naturally must draw my sword to aid those in need when I encounter injustice, within my capabilities.” Qin Li said with a serious expression.
He had long yearned for the Jianghu ever since he drank with Zhou Dage on the mountain.
Now that he had just arrived in Qingyang City, he encountered such a wicked demon who disregarded human life. No matter what, he had to act as a hero who eliminates evil for the people at least once.
“This… the yamen is in the center of the city. However, in previous years, when such evil Cultivators and demonic Daoists committed evil, as long as a high-ranking Cultivator from the Divine Constable Bureau arrived, those evil Cultivators and demonic Daoists would be arrested and brought to justice within three days.”
Seeing that the two guards had so much confidence in the Divine Constable Bureau, Qin Li felt relieved and no longer rushed to the yamen to claim credit.
Upon entering the city, Qin Li walked along the main road and saw restaurants and music houses lining both sides of the street, sighing, “What a vibrant human world.”
The most discussed topic on the street was the ghost-raising evildoer's heinous acts, so as Qin Li walked, he gained a deeper understanding of the matter.
He heard that the Divine Constable Bureau had already dispatched Ning Shuying, who was one of the Four Great Divine Constables and also known as the Xuanyuan Dynasty's First Female Divine Constable. With her arrival, it was estimated that the ghost-raising evildoer would soon be apprehended.
...
Finding a Luoning Inn, Qin Li placed the long sword he carried on his back back into his Storage Pouch and stretched his body, feeling a bit tired.
Coming to the window, Qin Li looked at the bustling street below, feeling as if he had stepped into another world.
In just half a month since descending the mountain, Qin Li had seen more people than in his previous twenty-plus years combined.
Suddenly, the flow of people parted, and a tall horse appeared in the middle of the street, galloping from one side of the window to the other.
Although the person on the horse wore a black outfit and a bamboo hat, Qin Li could still tell at a glance that it was a woman due to her curvaceous figure.
As if sensing Qin Li's gaze, the woman looked up. Her eyes, visible through the veiled hat, met Qin Li's for a moment before she shifted her gaze and continued to gallop forward.
What was the origin of this woman, why was she riding a horse openly in the street, and why was she concealing her face in broad daylight? Qin Li wondered.
“Guest, your tea.”
Just as Qin Li was deep in thought, the waiter's voice interrupted him.
A cup of hot tea went down. Although it was far from comparable to the Spiritual Qi-infused Profound Scent Tea on the mountain, savoring it alone at this moment had a unique charm, perhaps this was the essence of freedom and the Jianghu.
“Are there any good places in the city? Proper ones.”
The waiter heard this and quickly replied, “Kangqing Lake to the west of the city, and White Bird Temple to the east. These are all good places not found elsewhere…”
The waiter rattled off a list of scenic spots inside and outside the city. Qin Li saw that he was parched from talking and handed him a few pieces of silver.
The waiter's eyes lit up, and he repeatedly expressed his thanks.
...
Kangqing Lake in Qingyang City was once praised by the reigning Empress as: “Boating on Kangqing, like riding a Dragon through the void; wind caresses the silken robes, stars hang low over the plains. What boundless joy!”
Since then, Kangqing Lake became famous, attracting many literati and refined scholars who came to admire it.
However, it was already night, and surrounding pedestrians had all gone home, locking their doors tightly.
A woman in white hurried across the stone bridge, as if she had forgotten the time while playing and only now remembered to return home.
Due to her panicked steps, the woman stumbled with a cry of “Ah!”, her frail figure leaning against the edge of the stone bridge. She looked at her embroidered shoes with a pained expression, having likely sprained her ankle.
The surrounding tourists had already left, leaving her alone to call for help, but no one answered.
The sky grew darker and darker. Tonight's moon seemed rather uncooperative, hiding behind the clouds and refusing to appear, making the night as black as ink.
The woman was terrified, burying her pale face in her wide sleeves, shrinking into a ball, trembling in the spring night that was as cold and desolate as winter.
An hour passed, and still no one else appeared.
The woman had rested for so long that she seemed to have regained some mobility. She limped down the stone bridge and disappeared into the bottomless narrow alley.
...
By the Luoning Inn window, Qin Li watched a white figure walk along a nearby street.
The woman sensed his gaze. After half a day, their eyes met again, and Qin Li transmitted his voice with Divine Sense.
“He won't come.”
The woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Qin Li flipped out of the window, light as a swallow, landing soundlessly.
“If I'm not mistaken, Your Excellency, are you Constable Ning?”
The woman's brows furrowed even tighter, and she said directly, “Who are you?”
“I am Qin Li. We met this afternoon.”
“Constable Ning, are you deliberately isolating yourself late at night, hoping to lure that ghost-raising evildoer into action?”
Ning Shuying nodded. Qin Li smiled, “The rumor of Constable Ning coming to Qingyang City to capture the demon is already known to everyone. I fear that evildoer will no longer dare to attack single women.”
Ning Shuying knew that her plan still had flaws, but she was only testing it tonight. If the evildoer was brainless, then a single attempt like this would be enough to apprehend him and bring him to justice.
She saw that the man before her had an extraordinary bearing, and his cultivation was nearly on par with hers; he was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. She immediately questioned, “From what sect or school do you hail? Why have you entered Qingyang City of my Xuanyuan Dynasty?”
“I am a Disciple of Yin Yang Peak of Luoyun Temple. My purpose in coming to Qingyang City this time is merely to travel the world and reside here temporarily.”
As a Divine Constable, Ning Shuying had her own methods of discerning people and lies. Seeing that the man had a benevolent face and sincere words, her originally stern tone softened as she said, “So it is a high-ranking Cultivator from Luoyun Temple. May I ask, Young Master, if you have a better plan?”