March 15, 2024 Author: Lonely I Walk Alone
On the first floor of the tavern.
By a table in the corner.
Ling timidly looked at her companion.
"Miss."
"Call me Young Master!" Zhong Xiaoyan glared at her maid, then looked around carefully. After making sure no one was paying attention to them, she lowered her voice and said, "When you're out, you must be cautious. Have you forgotten what I taught you before?"
"I haven't forgotten." Ling shook her head and asked, "Young Master, why did we come to Qingyang County?"
"Hmph, I heard people from Liang City say that the ghost offspring under the Ghost King of Liang City have started to wreak havoc in various places in Liangzhou. Qingyang County is the next place to suffer!"
"Why did we come then?" Ling widened her eyes.
"It's precisely because it's dangerous that we came!" Zhong Xiaoyan looked somewhat proud. "Think about how fierce those fierce ghosts are. The demon hunters in this small county are probably not powerful. If the fierce ghosts really come, then it will be up to me to save the day, right?"
"Is that so?" Ling subtly pursed her lips and said admiringly, "I thought it was the monk who cleared the way to Qingyang County, and fierce ghosts were elsewhere."
"Cough. Trivial fierce ghosts are nothing in my eyes."
Zhong Xiaoyan gave her maid a fierce look and then shouted loudly, "Waiter!"
"Guest, what would you like to eat?" The waiter hurried over to their table.
"Two pounds of the strongest wine, a few more dishes, and a pound of beef! Hurry up, Young Master is not short of money!"
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
After the waiter left, Ling was surprised. "Miss, I thought you couldn't drink?"
"It's for you." Zhong Xiaoyan said matter-of-factly, "When a warrior is out, of course, they must drink. If we don't order wine, won't others see through us?"
"But I can't drink that much either." Ling pouted, looking aggrieved.
Zhong Xiaoyan ignored her maid's expression and looked elsewhere.
On the second floor.
The conversation between Lin Ji and Pingxin Daoist had turned to gossip about the Ghost King.
"Lin, do you know about the incident where Miss Luo from the Luo family was killed outside Liang City?" Pingxin Daoist, clearly a bit tipsy, asked with a wagging tongue.
"Why bring that up all of a sudden?" Lin Ji remained composed.
"Hehe, that Miss Luo had a tragic fate, killed by evildoers during her lifetime, and her soul was taken by the Ghost King after death."
"What?!" Lin Ji's voice suddenly rose, attracting the attention of many around.
He apologized repeatedly before asking in a low voice, "What happened?"
"Do you remember how the Ten Thousand Ghosts besieged the city?"
"The Ghost King's son was slaughtered on the official road. Ah?" Lin Ji suddenly realized, but found it hard to believe.
"It can't be that coincidental."
Pingxin Daoist chuckled, "That night, the Ghost King's son somehow got wind of the news from somewhere, saying that the daughter of the third-ranking official in the capital, Luo Xuan, was killed by someone. The lonely soul was about to dissipate on the official road and so on. I'm not sure of the specifics, but this matter spread like wildfire in Liang City, and the Celestial Monitoring Bureau did not deny it."
"Anyway, the reason that ghost appeared on the official road was to capture the soul of the daughter of the Luo family and take her back for his own marriage."
"Even after becoming a ghost, he still wants to get married?" Lin Ji felt absurd.
"Who knows, probably holding onto the idea that he's the Ghost King's son and the other party is the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Luo family, thinking about matching status."
"That little ghost brat is highly regarded by the Ghost King, becoming a ghost general, living like a dandy, it's not surprising he has any thoughts."
Pingxin Daoist downed another glass of wine, his face flushing even more.
"I reckon that the Ghost King of Liang City has not been dealt with by the Celestial Monitoring Bureau to this day, either because he holds the soul of the Luo family's daughter, making the Celestial Monitoring Bureau wary, or... there must be another hidden story in this."
At this point, Pingxin Daoist glanced deeply at Lin Ji.
"The Celestial Monitoring Bureau, being wary because of the soul of a dead person? Haha." Lin Ji didn't notice Pingxin Daoist's gaze and continued, "Impossible."
The Celestial Monitoring Bureau always chose to sacrifice a pawn to protect the king. Even if the Celestial Monitoring Bureau's power was stretched thin now, it would not be pressured to this extent.
It would be almost the same if they caught the head of the Luo family himself, and he had to be alive.
The daughter of a third-ranking civil official, even if she was a soul, wanted to make the Celestial Monitoring Bureau wary?
Impossible.
"Is there anything else happening in Liang City?" Lin Ji continued to ask.
"Nothing more, this poor Daoist only knows this much." Pingxin Daoist yawned, looking like he had eaten and drunk his fill.
Just then, the commotion downstairs suddenly erupted.
"Kid! How dare you steal from me!" A young nobleman in luxurious attire grabbed a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, glaring and shouting.
"I didn't!" The boy still denied, but the silk money pouch in his hand clearly wasn't his.
"You little scoundrel, caught red-handed and still dare to deny, take this!"
With that, the young nobleman punched the boy in the eye.
The boy wasn't one to take a beating, gritting his teeth, he started fighting back.
Soon, the two were entangled in a fight.
In the corner.
"Miss, they're fighting over there."
"Call me Young Master." Zhong Xiaoyan glared at her maid and said, "Caught stealing, not only refusing to admit but also fighting back, serves him right."
"Aren't you going to do anything?" Ling asked.
"That boy deserves to be beaten."
The two fought, causing chaos on the first floor of the tavern, and many customers were preparing to leave.
The innkeeper quickly stood at the door and shouted, "Everyone, don't leave. Constable Lin is upstairs. This is a minor matter."
Coincidentally, Lin, the constable, had just poked his head out of the stairs and was leisurely watching the two fighting below.
Seeing Lin there, the onlookers didn't rush to leave and stayed to watch the excitement.
Ling sneakily glanced at the stairs and whispered, "Young Master, the local constable is here. Why isn't he apprehending them?"
Zhong Xiaoyan also looked upstairs, disdainfully curling her lips, "Useless official, just watching the show."
At the same time, Pingxin Daoist was also curious and asked, "Constable Lin, aren't you going to intervene in this matter? Do you have to wait for ordinary constables to arrive before taking action?"
"No, let them tire themselves out first." Lin Ji smiled and replied, "It's rare to see a fight. Let's enjoy the spectacle, no rush."
Pingxin Daoist hesitated to say something but ultimately held back.
After a while, the two below seemed exhausted.
Seeing this, Lin Ji calmly walked down the stairs. Pingxin Daoist quickly followed.
Lin Ji reached the first floor and pulled up the half-grown boy lying on the ground.
The boy's face was bruised and swollen, clearly frightened when he saw Lin Ji, shaking all over.
"You little rascal, not even grown up yet and already stealing. If there's a next time, I'll break your legs. Get lost!"
Lin Ji kicked the boy out.
The nobleman behind saw this and quickly shouted, "Hey! My money pouch is still in his hand!"