Chapter 8: Unclean!
The next day, the innkeeper sat at the table, eating white and fluffy steamed buns filled with pork and cabbage.
Just then, Li Yanchu sat down. Without a hint of courtesy, he grabbed a bun and began to eat. Wei City’s specialty steamed buns were so large and soft that Li Yanchu had difficulty holding one in just one hand. As he took a bite, juices flowed plentifully, and the bun was flavorful and delicious.
“These buns are really good, they’re delicious,” Li Yanchu said.
“Naturally! After all, I made them myself,” the innkeeper declared proudly.
“Your cooking skills are truly extraordinary, unmatched in all of Wei City. No, in fact, you’re likely the best in the whole Beifeng Prefecture!” Li Yanchu praised generously.
Hearing this, the innkeeper laughed until her body shook.
“You do have good taste, I must admit,” she said appreciatively.
She secretly stole a glance at him, only to find Li Yanchu absorbed in eating his bun. What a captivating sight.
Noticing Li Yanchu’s gaze upon her, the innkeeper didn’t shy away. Unlike the distant, aloof air she maintained with her other customers, she instead leaned forward, resting herself directly on the table.
Li Yanchu nearly choked at the sight. This amused the innkeeper immensely, causing her to double over in laughter.
“Daoist Master Yanchu, your eyes sure aren’t honest,” the innkeeper teased playfully as she got up to leave. Her tone was as if she were teasing a naive young kid.
Li Yanchu felt a wave of annoyance in his heart. She was clearly treating him like some inexperienced rookie.
“Just you wait. When I get the chance, I’ll show you just how capable I am,” Li Yanchu grumbled, biting forcefully into the bun.
***
Indeed, something serious had recently happened in Wei City. Not only had the infamous bandit Liang Qi escaped from prison, but Zhao Wuzhu[1] had also led a team in pursuit and fallen into an ambush. Several officers had lost their lives, leaving Zhao Wuzhu severely injured as the sole survivor. He was currently recuperating at home.
At this critical moment, three young women mysteriously disappeared within Wei City. The missing were all young, beautiful girls who vanished suddenly from their homes. Moreover, according to family members, strange footsteps had been heard before their disappearance, yet no one had seen anyone entering or leaving. Under such circumstances, it was difficult not to suspect the escaped bandit, Liang Qi!
For a time, the entire city was engulfed in panic.
***
In the rear hall of the county yamen, Magistrate Xu, dressed in official robes, was currently berating his subordinates.
“Useless! All of you are useless! You let Liang Qi escape right under your noses, and after searching the whole city for days, you still haven't found a single clue!”
Magistrate Xu was forty this year, precisely at the age when a man exuded the most charisma. He was of jinshi background[2], and he was an upright and dedicated man who always put the people first. His only flaw was his fondness for hurling profanity.
Standing obediently below him were the county yamen’s inspectors, constables, and prison guards, all bearing his relentless verbal assault.
Among them was Wang Chongshan, one of the two head constables. He was a tall, lean middle-aged man, with large knuckles and hands hardened by years of practicing the Iron Palm and hard qigong. With Zhao Wuzhu injured, the task of hunting down the escaped fugitive naturally fell onto Wang Chongshan’s shoulders.
Facing a boss with such a penchant for vulgar language, Head Constable Wang felt immense pressure.
“Sir!” An officer hurriedly rushed in and knelt on the floor.
The entire county leadership was gathered here—the registrar, the chief clerk, the county magistrate, head constables, and inspectors.
“Speak,” Magistrate Xu said gravely.
“Magistrate, someone just filed a report at the yamen. Another young woman has gone missing!” the office announced.
The air immediately went still, and everyone felt a heavy pressure. This was the fourth disappearance!
Bang! Magistrate Xu violently smashed the teacup in his hand onto the floor, his eyes fierce.
“Investigate! Even if you must overturn every cun of soil in Wei City, you must find me the culprit!”
***
Once everyone had left the rear hall and rushed off to apprehend the criminal, Inspector Zhou stopped Head Constable Wang and quietly said, “Chongshan, the recent cases are rather peculiar. Do you think you can handle this?”
Inspector Zhou, a ninth-rank military officer in charge of Wei City’s soldiers, had a close friendship with Wang Chongshan.
Wang Chongshan sighed. “Back then, who knows whose connections this Liang Qi relied upon to escape immediate execution and avoid being sentenced to death?”
“Now he’s vanished without a trace. We've searched the whole city for days, yet still have no leads. I suspect someone is secretly shielding him!”
Inspector Zhou lowered his voice. “Chongshan, have you considered the possibility that something supernatural might be involved? Otherwise, how could he escape without leaving the slightest trace?”
“Even if the prison guards were bribed, it’s impossible for them to have simply released such a serious criminal directly. It’s utterly inconceivable.”
Wang Chongshan shook his head thoughtfully. “If that’s true, then this case will be much harder to solve.”
Ordinary martial artists couldn't deal with supernatural entities; that was the expertise of monks and Daoists.
***
When Li Yanchu walked out of the innkeeper’s courtyard, the servant was stunned speechless.
“Daoist Master Yanchu, why are you here?” the servant asked, slightly astonished.
“Miss Qinglan invited me here temporarily to protect your mistress. Don’t make a fuss,” Li Yanchu replied calmly.
The servant assured him, “Don’t worry, no one else will hear about this from me.”
Then, naturally, every servant, maid, and cook in the inn promptly knew about it. Sometimes secrets spread just like that.
Everyone earnestly reminded each other, “Don’t tell anyone else!”
Thus, the gazes directed at Li Yanchu soon turned rather ambiguous. After all, their innkeeper was a mature, beautiful woman who had lived alone for many years, faithfully keeping herself pure. Yet now she had allowed a young Daoist to move into her courtyard.
The implications of this arrangement could hardly be explained clearly to outsiders. Many people thought they understood the implications very well, and thus discreetly kept quiet about it.
Although the innkeeper was sharp-tongued, she was kind-hearted and beautiful. Meanwhile, Daoist Master Yanchu from the Qingyun Temple across the street was handsome and refined, making the two appear quite suitable for each other.
Of course, another group favored pairing Yanchu with Fang Qinglan, the heroic swordswoman who roamed the jianghu. Privately, these two groups often debated fiercely.
As for the innkeeper herself, she behaved as usual, teasing Li Yanchu whenever she saw him. Though, her eyes now held a subtle, indescribable look. Her emotion was hidden deeply enough that ordinary people wouldn’t notice.
Later that night, within the inn’s courtyard…
With the help of a hundred-year-old medicinal herb he consumed daily like a meal, Li Yanchu finally managed to perfect the sixth stage of the Six Yang Saber Art. When his qi and blood were activated, they surged with unmatched force, and his entire demeanor became even sharper and more refined.
Ordinarily, his radiance was kept restrained, without any glaring display of edge or aggression. But now, his figure stood tall and straight, and his eyes gleamed with a brilliant light. At present, his cultivation was equivalent to what others would achieve only through half a lifetime of bitter training!
Things like century-old ginseng and hundred-year-old lingzhi could enhance qi and blood, strengthening the body. By now, Li Yanchu’s muscles, bones, qi and blood had already undergone a complete transformation.
Late at night, the innkeeper lay alone in bed. Her room was peaceful and as quiet as a deep mountain pond. Suddenly, a faint, barely audible sound of footsteps echoed softly within the room.
Creak. The pitch-black door unexpectedly shifted, opening slightly.
1. The author repeatedly wrote 两大捕头之一的赵武铸, meaning ‘Zhao Wuzhu, one of the two head constables’, but I have omitted his rank as it’s redundant since it has already been made known in previous chapters. If I include it, the novel will be unnecessarily long and tedious. ☜
2. Jinshi was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace. Recipients are sometimes referred to in English-language sources as Imperial Scholars. The phrase used here, Jinshi Chushen (進士出身, lit. "jinshi background"), refers to the graduates who ranked second class in court exam, ranking immediately after the tanhua. ☜
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