Lin Ji had no choice but to follow Lu Zhao'er out of the yamen in a state of confusion.
As they stepped onto the main street, Lu Zhao'er asked, "Where is your weapon?"
"At home."
"Go get it."
"Alright."
Lin Ji obediently led the way, bringing Lu Zhao'er to his residence.
Upon entering the gate, Lu Zhao'er suddenly stopped in her tracks, squinted her eyes slightly, and looked coldly at Lin Ji.
"You, as the Chief Constable, how can you afford to live in such a mansion with your monthly salary?"
"This mansion was a reward from Lord Zhan," Lin Ji replied casually.
Leading Lu Zhao'er inside, Lin Ji couldn't help but speak again, "Lu Youxing, even if I bought this mansion myself, what's wrong with a cultivator like me living in a large house?"
"As long as the money is legitimate, there's no problem," Lu Zhao'er replied casually.
Lin Ji shook his head inwardly, thinking that this Youxing official was too straightforward.
In the garden, Lin Ji went to fetch his long sword from his room. As he walked out, he saw the unfortunate spirit being held by Lu Zhao'er, its body suspended in the air, trembling uncontrollably.
Lu Zhao'er looked at Lin Ji.
"You still keep spirits? What's the name of this little one?"
"Ah Lv," Lin Ji came up with a name on the spot.
"Where did it come from?"
"It came on its own, probably thought I looked handsome and insisted on following me!" Lin Ji joked.
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao'er actually stared at Lin Ji for a few moments.
Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Lin Ji decided to be straightforward and asked, "What important matter does Lu Youxing have that requires me to bring my weapon?"
Lu Zhao'er let go of Ah Lv's hair, allowing it to escape into the ground.
"I came for the matter of Lianghe County. Lord Zhan has been missing for several days, and the higher-ups are concerned about it, so they sent me to investigate."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ji furrowed his brow.
"Lu Youxing is also at the Fourth Realm?"
"At the peak of the Fourth Realm."
"Still, it's only the Fourth Realm," Lin Ji couldn't help but sneer, feeling helpless. "If Lord Zhan, at the Sixth Realm, can't handle things, what can you do when you come?"
"At the very least, we need to find out what happened."
"Why come to me then?" Lin Ji was even more puzzled.
Lu Zhao'er remained expressionless, repeating what Lin Ji had said earlier, "Because if Lord Zhan, at the Sixth Realm, can't solve the problem, then neither can I, at the peak of the Fourth Realm. If I go alone, I might encounter danger."
"Am I not in danger if I go?"
"Mm," Lu Zhao'er nodded, calmly stating, "Sharing the risk is always better than facing it alone."
Lin Ji was speechless.
What kind of girl is this, speaking so frankly about such matters?
"If we really encounter danger?"
"If we can solve it, we will. If not, we will escape."
"And if I am in danger?"
"If I can save you, I will. If not..."
"Forget it?"
"I will report the matter, and your family will be well taken care of, your child will have a bright future."
"Isn't that the same as giving up?" Lin Ji was utterly speechless.
Lu Zhao'er rarely smiled, revealing a subtle smile that was hard to detect without careful observation.
"If I am also in danger and unable to save you, then you should do the same."
Lin Ji breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, Lianghe County is not close to Liang City."
"You're not evading anymore?" Lu Zhao'er was somewhat surprised by Lin Ji's straightforwardness.
"I am the Chief Constable of Liangzhou. If something happens to you, the trouble will ultimately fall on me. What use is there in avoiding it temporarily?"
"True, you do have some courage," Lu Zhao'er nodded.
The two of them left the city together, heading towards Lianghe County.
By dusk, they could faintly see the outline of Lianghe County.
In the distance, the moon swayed in the Liang River, and a light breeze brushed Lin Ji's face, carrying a hint of blood.
Frowning slightly, Lin Ji looked at Lu Zhao'er.
Lu Zhao'er also looked over.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't you smell the blood?" Lin Ji was somewhat surprised.
At the Fourth Realm, one's senses were enhanced, and one's divine sense was awakened.
He could smell it, so how come Lu Zhao'er, at the peak of the Fourth Realm, couldn't?
But Lu Zhao'er shook her head.
"I don't smell it."
Lin Ji shook his head and didn't delve further, continuing towards Lianghe County.
"Is it because of the Six Senses Returning to the Origin Technique? I cultivated this technique at the Third Realm, so when I reached the Fourth Realm, I thought everyone was the same."
With Lu Zhao'er as a comparison, Lin Ji realized that the Six Senses Returning to the Origin Technique seemed to be stronger than he had imagined.
After a while, the two of them walked into Lianghe County side by side.
Upon entering the county, Lin Ji's first impression was silence.
It was just nightfall, and there was no curfew in Daqin.
Lianghe County, not far from Liang City, was well-connected and bustling with activity. Normally, the nightlife would be livelier than in Qingyang County. However, now, all he saw were households hanging mourning banners.
The night wind blew through the streets, lifting scattered white paper money.
The common people didn't even dare to light oil lamps.
"Let's go to the county yamen," Lin Ji sighed softly, feeling somewhat reluctant.
He knew about the situation in Lianghe County, but the impact of seeing the deaths of so many people in person was more shocking than reading it on paper.
"That demon slaughtered tens of thousands of people in the city!" Lu Zhao'er gritted her teeth beside him.
"Ah," Lin Ji responded with a light sigh.
The two of them arrived at the county yamen, the only place in the county where lights were lit.
If even the county yamen was afraid of attracting the demon, then the common people truly had no place to escape.
At the entrance of the county yamen, the only remaining demon catcher in Lianghe County was on night duty.
As Lin Ji and Lu Zhao'er approached, the demon catcher held onto his knife handle warily.
"Who are you?"
"We're from Liang City," Lin Ji presented his Golden Beheading Order.
"Chief Constable, we've been waiting for you!" The demon catcher's face lit up, but then he sighed deeply, "Sir, you've seen the situation in Lianghe County."
Lin Ji nodded and probed with his divine sense, only to find that this demon catcher was the only one with cultivation in the entire county yamen.
"Where are the other demon catchers in the county?"
"The head catcher was killed by that demon, and another brother went to Liang City to deliver a message but never returned. The rest have all fled," the demon catcher said bitterly.
"Why didn't you flee?" Lu Zhao'er asked.
Lin Ji glanced at Lu Zhao'er, thinking to himself how did someone with your emotional intelligence become a Youxing official.
The demon catcher sighed, "My parents, wife, and children are all here. My elderly father is seventy-three, and the youngest child is only a month old. I can endure a long journey, but how can they withstand the hardships?"
Lin Ji stepped forward, patting the demon catcher's shoulder.
"Lord Zhan has already rushed to Lianghe County. We are here for this matter as well. Have you seen Lord Zhan?"
The demon catcher nodded quickly.
"I have. After Lord Zhan arrived that day, he asked a few questions in the city and then followed the Liang River south. But after that, there was no news."
"Along the Liang River?"
"Yes."
"You've worked hard."
Lin Ji and Lu Zhao'er exchanged a glance.
"Should we go now or wait until dawn?" Lin Ji asked.
"We shouldn't delay," Lu Zhao'er turned and walked away.
Lin Ji could only follow helplessly.
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(The end of this chapter)