Chapter 16: Sharp Decisiveness and Resolve
“Head Constable Zhao Wuzhu,” Wang Chongshan began, “was ambushed a few days ago while pursuing Liang Qi. Several of his men died, and he himself returned injured, now recuperating at home. I questioned the yamen officers and village guards on duty that day, but they didn’t hear any sounds of fighting. All they saw was Head Constable Zhao walking out alone.”
“I visited him once. His wounds weren’t serious… but something about him felt different. His temperament has turned strangely delicate, and he rarely goes out anymore. He stays locked indoors most of the time and frequently puts on makeup while staring into the mirror!”
“Makeup?” Li Yanchu frowned.
“That’s right. Head Constable Zhao was a burly man, the kind who wielded a heavy broadsword weighing over ten jin, could draw a stiff bow, and ate four jin of meat in a single meal. He’s a true man of strength and vigor. But now? He locks himself inside, acting like a woman, applying rouge and powder like a courtesan.”
There was a chill in Wang Chongshan’s voice. After years of working together, it was deeply unsettling to see his colleague reduced to such a state.
Li Yanchu asked, “Does he live with anyone else?”
“Just a few servants and maids, as well as his wife, a woman in her early twenties,” Wang Chongshan replied, and his expression suddenly changed.
“She’s been missing ever since the day he came home injured. Claimed she had gone back to her parents’ home. But here’s the thing, the servants never saw her leave. And what kind of noblewoman goes back to her family without even bringing a maid? One of the maids ran into me on the street and mentioned it, so I quietly sent people to investigate.”
Wang Chongshan’s tone was full of concern and regret. “My men questioned her family. Her parents said she hasn’t been back at all, not even once. We’re all fellow constables under the same county. There are limits to what I can publicly say… But I’m starting to suspect that Zhao Wuzhu is possessed by something unclean. That’s why I hoped you would accompany me to investigate this matter as well.”
Li Yanchu nodded. “If that truly is the case, I’ll go with you when the time comes and look into it myself.”
“Excellent!” Wang said with joy. “I didn’t expect you to be so chivalrous and warm-hearted. Truly admirable!”
Li Yanchu replied coolly, “You flatter me, Head Constable. I just have a bad habit of meddling in things.”
***
In Wei City, a regular yamen officer earned about two qian of silver a month. Meanwhile, constables earned more, around seven or eight qian. Of course, that didn’t include… unofficial income.
Zhao Wuzhu’s residence was a spacious, three-section courtyard in a bustling part of the city. However, it hadn’t been paid for with shady money. Rather, it was a perk granted by the local authorities as an incentive to attract skilled fighters like Zhao Wuzhu. Over the years, the two head constables had maintained firm control over both the lawful and lawless forces of Wei City, earning considerable merit.
Wang Chongshan brought Li Yanchu to the residence in the afternoon. He had arranged for Zhao Wuzhu to be followed and waited until Zhao Wuzhu left on a patrol before bringing Li Yanchu to his home.
After weaving through a few busy main streets, they arrived at Zhao Wuzhu’s courtyard. Several armed yamen officers quickly took control of the household servants and maids.
At this moment, Wang Chongshan had a grim look on his face. As soon as the young and capable Daoist Master Yanchu stepped through the doorway, he frowned deeply. It made this battle-hardened martial officer feel a creeping sense of dread.
“Daoist Master Yanchu,” Wang Chongshan asked cautiously, “have you… noticed anything wrong?”
Just moments ago, Li Yanchu had used the Qi Sight to examine the energy within the room, and a few suspicions had already begun to form in his mind. This technique, as recorded in The Yellow Court Classic, was particularly sensitive to these kinds of unusual qi.
Li Yanchu said, “Head Constable Wang, your suspicions are correct. There’s something unclean in Head Constable Zhao’s residence. The yin qi is heavy, especially in the bedchamber.”
Wang Chongshan’s expression changed instantly. He asked hurriedly, “Daoist Master Yanchu… is there anything you can do?”
As a man of the public office himself, and a head constable no less, it angered Wang deeply to think that Zhao Wuzhu might have been possessed by some malevolent spirit.
Li Yanchu paused in thought, then said, “This matter may not be so simple. This courtyard is not only filled with yin qi, there’s also a faint scent of corpse qi.”
Uneasiness gripped Wang Chongshan’s heart.. “Daoist Master Yanchu, you mean to say…?”
“I’m afraid Zhao Wuzhu isn’t just possessed by a ghost,” Li Yanchu replied calmly, “Something foul is using his corpse to wreak havoc from within the public office.”
A trace of sorrow flashed in Wang Chongshan’s eyes, and he sighed heavily, “Zhao Wuzhu was a skilled martial artist… I can’t believe he’s fallen victim to such dark forces.”
“That’s not all,” Li Yanchu continued. “I suspect his wife was killed long ago.”
He walked over to the courtyard’s well, leaned over, and peered into the darkness. Then he turned to Wang and said, “If I’m not mistaken… Madam Zhao’s body is at the bottom of that well.”
Wang Chongshan’s face went pale in an instant, then he immediately ordered several constables to retrieve the body from the well.
Li Yanchu had already sensed something strange there earlier using the Qi Sight. Though his Daoist cultivation wasn’t yet high, so he wasn’t entirely sure.
Once his Daoist cultivation improved in the future, he might even be able to master techniques like the Heavenly Eye. At that point, no demon or monster would be able to hide from him.
After a while, two armed constables, both brimming with youthful vigor, hauled a woman's corpse up from the well. The body had long since turned pale and waterlogged, but the Zhao family’s maid still managed to recognize her.
“It’s… It’s Madam!”
She was the personal maid who had accompanied Madam Zhao when she married into the family, and the two had always been close. Otherwise, she would never have risked telling Head Constable Wang about the strange happenings in the household.
Li Yanchu’s actions truly made the officers present see him in a new light.
“Daoist Master Yanchu is still so young, yet his abilities are truly remarkable.”
“Daoist Master Yanchu is no ordinary man, he’s like a divine being.”
The armed officers found themselves admiring Li Yanchu even more.
Wang Chongshan, too, had gained a new appreciation for the young Daoist’s skills. Matters involving ghosts and spirits, though mysterious and unfathomable to ordinary people, seemed to become straightforward and manageable in Li Yanchu’s hands.
“Daoist Master Yanchu, what should we do now?” Wang Chongshan asked.
He was a county head constable with considerable rank and authority, yet here he was, deferring to Li Yanchu’s judgment. It was proof of how highly he regarded him.
Li Yanchu remained calm and replied, “There’s no need to wait until nightfall. By then, the sky will be dark and the yin qi heavier. Right now, in broad daylight, the yang qi is at its peak. If you’re ready to act, I can lend a hand. We can move to make the arrest immediately.”
His words made Wang Chongshan’s eyes light up. He had originally planned to wait until nightfall to arrange his men and deal with Constable Zhao then. He hadn’t expected this young Daoist to be so decisive and action-oriented.
Truly, the younger generation is not to be underestimated… Wang Chongshan nodded and said, “In that case, I thank you, Daoist Master Yanchu. Let’s go now.”
Li Yanchu’s decisiveness surprised even the seasoned Wang Chongshan. He had assumed that someone from the Daoist world would be indifferent and aloof by nature. He hadn’t expected this Daoist Yanchu to possess not only a chivalrous heart, but also such sharp decisiveness and resolve.
Comments
Top