The person who came was recognized by Lin Ji as none other than Wu Fei, the head catcher of Liang City Prefecture.
Unlike Lin Ji, who took things lightly after becoming a head catcher, Wu Fei was a person who was wholeheartedly devoted to his pursuits.
However, it was understandable. In his thirties, already at the peak of the third realm, the Opening Spirit Realm, such a person should not be content with the current situation.
Accompanied by a few subordinates, Wu Fei spotted Lin Ji from afar.
"Are you Head Catcher Lin from Qingyang County?"
"Yes, it's me," Lin Ji nodded.
After approaching, Wu Fei first glanced at the three scholars lying on the ground before asking, "Head Catcher Lin, what happened last night? Master Zhan sent me here overnight to investigate the situation, saying that there was rampant ghostly aura outside Liang City."
The 'Master Zhan' he mentioned was Zhan Chengfeng, the official in charge of Liangzhou Prefecture, the highest-ranking official of the Monitoring Heaven Bureau in Liangzhou.
"There were ghost soldiers causing trouble in the Mountain God Temple, and after I dealt with them, I attracted a ghost general," Lin Ji explained casually. "Fortunately, the ghost general wasn't too powerful and I managed to kill it."
"How dare a ghost general act so recklessly near the official road?" Wu Fei frowned.
"I don't know, but if this matter needs to be investigated, it should be your responsibility, Head Catcher Wu," Lin Ji arched his hand and smiled. "Please take these three scholars back to Liang City for recuperation. I need to go to the capital for a report, so I'll take my leave."
Wu Fei naturally had no objections.
If it was a matter Lin Ji had to handle, he would definitely intervene.
After Lin Ji left, Wu Fei turned to his subordinates.
"Do you know how to report to Master Zhan when we return?"
One of the demon catchers hurriedly said, "The ghost general was fierce, and Lin Ji couldn't defeat it. After Head Catcher Wu arrived, he killed it."
"Too much," Wu Fei shook his head. "Just say that I and Lin Ji worked together."
Liang City was his territory. If there was an incident of a ghost general harming people and it was resolved by the head catcher of Qingyang County, it wouldn't sound good.
Moreover, the credit for killing a ghost general was not small. Lin Ji was going to the capital for a report, so Wu Fei couldn't just say whatever he wanted.
"Take these three scholars back to Liang City."
Two hours later.
At noon, the sky cleared after the rain.
Lin Ji hummed a tune as he walked lightly through the forest, his nose twitching occasionally.
Not long ago, while he was on the road, he suddenly caught a refreshing scent of wine, which captivated his soul. Now, instead of continuing his journey, he followed the scent of wine into the depths of the forest.
After crossing a small stream and jumping down a cliff following the water flow, Lin Ji arrived in a secluded valley.
The scent of wine became stronger.
Lin Ji sniffed hard and his gaze instantly locked onto a seemingly inconspicuous stone platform halfway up the mountain.
With light steps, he leaped high and, leveraging the rock wall a few times, effortlessly reached the stone platform.
When he saw the natural hollow in the stone platform filled with fruit wine, Lin Ji's eyes lit up.
Squeak
In the valley behind him, monkeys kept chattering, and occasionally stones fell on Lin Ji.
"Hehe, Monkey Wine, I thought it was just a story, but it turns out to be true. It seems this is the gift I received after killing the ghost general yesterday."
Lin Ji cupped a handful of wine and eagerly drank it all.
At first, it was astringent, then turned sweet.
It was a blend of the fruity sweetness of the forest with a hint of wine aroma, complementing each other and adding flavor to the fruit wine.
Suddenly, Lin Ji widened his eyes.
He felt as if the spiritual energy in his dantian had increased slightly, and sweat began to trickle down his body.
"Good wine! Who knows what kind of good things these monkeys threw into it, but this wine is also beneficial to my cultivation."
Lin Ji took out a gourd used for water from his bag.
After pouring out all the water in the gourd, he directly stuffed it into the stone pit.
Watching a small vortex appear in the pit of wine, after a moment, half of the wine that had filled the pit had already disappeared.
"This is about five catties, enough." Lin Ji picked up the gourd and took a gulp, letting out a satisfied breath.
In this world lacking entertainment, Lin Ji was not one to frequent the pleasure quarters; only good food and wine became his indispensable hobbies.
Just then, a sound of breaking wind came from behind Lin Ji.
Raising his eyebrows, Lin Ji turned slightly.
Next, a stone hit the cliff hard, splintering and causing a slight pain when it hit Lin Ji's face.
"Huh?" Lin Ji turned curiously but didn't see who threw the stone. Instead, he noticed that the sky had suddenly darkened.
But in the next moment, Lin Ji suddenly came to his senses and looked up.
He saw a huge ape leaping down from the top of the cliff, fiercely pouncing in Lin Ji's direction.
"Monkey King? It seems to have acquired a demon body and become a spirit."
Thinking this, Lin Ji drew the long sword at his waist and held it horizontally.
As the Monkey King was about to land, Lin Ji lightly leaped to the side and gently patted its head with the sword.
"Squeak!" The Monkey King clutched its head in pain, rolling on the ground.
Lin Ji chuckled, "What's wrong with taking a few catties of wine? I didn't even clean up for you."
The Monkey King seemed to understand human speech, and upon hearing Lin Ji's words, it showed a human-like expression of grievance, holding its head and looking at Lin Ji, but dared not attack again.
Just now, it was a hit with the sword body. If it had been the blade, it wouldn't have been just a headache.
On the contrary, Lin Ji, seeing the Monkey King's posture, felt a bit sorry.
"Alright, I owe you one," Lin Ji smiled. "When I get some spiritual fruit in the future, or something beneficial for your cultivation, I'll save you a share. Consider it the wine fee for this Monkey Wine, how about that?"
The Monkey King hesitated, the grievance in its eyes fading a bit, but soon, it held its head and fell down.
Seeing this scene, Lin Ji couldn't help but chuckle.
"Greedy, still want to be beaten?"
The long sword in Lin Ji's hand twirled, scaring the Monkey King into quickly getting up, no longer pretending to be pitiful.
Shaking his head helplessly, Lin Ji sheathed his sword and took the gourd containing the wine, then left the valley directly.
Five days later.
Outside the capital.
A caravan slowly made its way towards the magnificent city in the distance.
"Lin Xiaoge, we've arrived at the capital," the caravan's manager found Lin Ji and asked, "Are you entering the city with us, or do you have other plans?"
"I have other plans." Lin Ji jumped off the carriage, arched his hand, and then turned to the carriage, "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss."
"Lin Gongzi, don't say that. If it weren't for Lin Gongzi helping us on the road, our small caravan's three to five guards wouldn't have been a match for those bandits."
"It's just a small matter, nothing worth mentioning." Lin Ji waved his hand, then quickly left the caravan and headed towards the towering city gate.
After bidding farewell to the caravan, Lin Ji bypassed the queue of people being checked at the city gate and went straight to the front.
"Hey, why are you cutting in line?" Someone frowned.
Lin Ji turned back, smiled, but didn't explain. Instead, he took out the token of the Monitoring Heaven Bureau and waved it towards the unfriendly city gate guard on the other side.
Seeing the Execution Order of the Monitoring Heaven Bureau, the guard quickly bowed and stepped aside, clearing the way into the city.
After entering the city and seeing the bustling scene completely different from Liang City and Qingyang County, Lin Ji breathed a sigh of relief.
"After delays, I finally made it."
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(End of this chapter)