CHAPTER 282: INSPECTOR CENSOR, LITERARY QI AND OFFICIAL FORTUNE!

The dead-fish-eyed old crone let out a sinister chuckle.

“In times like these, what retribution is there? Monks and Daoists are mostly charlatans and frauds. And you’re just an ordinary girl, what could you possibly know?”

At that moment, the yin aura around her grew unbearably thick, and her face faintly glowed with a ghastly green light that made one’s scalp crawl.

Luzhu was so terrified she couldn’t speak. Her face had gone deathly pale, fear overwhelming her. She felt the old crone’s icy, withered hand sliding down from her cheek. The touch made her whole body tremble uncontrollably!

Suddenly, a warm current of qi swept through the entire room. A young Daoist appeared behind the dead-fish-eyed crone, his expression stern and unyielding.

“And what do you know?” His voice was cold as ice.

The old crone started in shock, whipping her head around.

Bang! Before she could react, the young Daoist seized her by the throat and hurled her straight out. She hit the hard ground with a heavy crash, but flipped back onto her feet with uncanny agility, like some monstrous ape. It was hard to believe this was a toothless, withered old woman.

With a guttural roar, she lunged at the young Daoist, fierce as a tiger or leopard.

“You’re courting death!” the young Daoist snorted coldly.

He thrust out his palm. Divine Astral Hands! Void-Splitting Palm!

Boom! A surge of overwhelming, steel-hard palm force shattered the old crone’s bones to pieces. The vicious spirit inside her was instantly incinerated by the scorching surge of qi and blood with just a single strike.

Li Yanchu’s gaze swept into the distance, recalling what that rat-faced old man had once said about the Mountain Lord, and the three heretics under him. They were a serpent demon, a scholar, and an old crone.

This place was not far from Qingfeng Ridge. Tonight’s intruder must have been that very crone who feasted on human hearts and livers.

“Mountain Lord!” His eyes turned icy.

In the courtyard, the heart-devouring, dead-fish-eyed old crone had already been slain by Li Yanchu’s single palm strike, and her soul was completely scattered. The corpse was preserved only because Li Yanchu was currently lodging at the Zhao family residence; it also served as proof.

Otherwise, with the domineering, overwhelming force of his palm, that dead-fish-eyed crone would have been reduced to nothing but dust and splinters of bone.

Old Madam Zhao bowed gratefully toward him. “Thank you for your intervention. It’s all thanks to you that we’re safe tonight.”

Luzhu, heedless of her fallen outer robe and disheveled clothes, bent her knees and bowed deeply. “Thank you for saving my life!”

Li Yanchu quickly raised a hand to help her up. “Don’t mention it, it was no trouble at all.”

He gave Old Madam Zhao a faint smile. What followed was simple enough.

The Zhao family’s own retainers and guards secured the courtyard, sent for the local bailiff, and dispatched messengers to the county yamen to report the crime.

That dead-fish-eyed crone was a wanted criminal on the government’s records, and her hands were stained with more than a dozen lives! Among her victims was even a Daoist who had been exorcising demons; his heart and liver were ripped out by her while he was still alive, and with that, he met a tragic end.

Now that she was slain, it was only natural that everyone was overjoyed.

“So this is the demon who devoured human hearts!”

“Who would have thought this young Daoist, at such an age, would already wield such power to vanquish monsters and demons? Truly remarkable!”

“I heard about that farmstead in Bali Village, where six members of one household were killed. Their hearts and livers were all eaten. It must have been this very fiend! If not for Daoist Master Li’s presence tonight, I dread to think of the consequences!”

The people chattered animatedly.

When the county officials arrived, Li Yanchu gave his testimony, making the case official and sparing himself from needless troubles later on.

But unexpectedly, alongside the constable with a saber came two imposing middle-aged officials. One was plump and round-bellied, the other tall and broad-shouldered, sporting a full beard.

“You must be Daoist Master Li, aren't you?” the tall, broad official spoke.

Li Yanchu studied the man. He wore a blue court robe and was seemingly a seventh-rank civil official.

“I’m Li Yanchu. I wonder what business you have with me?”

The official replied, “I am Wang Wen[1], the Inspector Censor. I heard from Magistrate Fang that a Daoist vanquished a heart-eating demon here, so I came specifically to meet you.”

“So you’re Lord Wang, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner.”

This Wang Wen’s features were ordinary, but his eyes shone like lightning—clearly a frank and forthright man.

“I wonder, Daoist Master Li, from which temple do you hail?”

“I come from Qingyun Temple of Wei City.”

At that, Wang Wen’s expression shifted slightly. “Would that be Wei City, where the old Celestial Master, Zhang Huaihe resides?”

Li Yanchu was a little surprised. “That’s correct.”

He had expected Wang Wen to ask about his connection to the old Daoist, but instead Wang Wen said nothing.

After a brief silence, Wang Wen slightly lifted his head. “Daoist Master Li, might I borrow a moment of your time to speak privately?”

Li Yanchu gave a nod. The two of them then walked together to a quiet, secluded spot.

Wang Wen came straight to the point. “Since you come from Wei City, I can be at ease. I’ve long heard of a young Daoist from Wei City who vanquished demons and evil spirits, slaying remnants of the Bare Body Sect one after another. That must be you, Daoist Master Li.”

It suddenly dawned on Li Yanchu. Magistrate Xu had already reported the Wei City cases to the court, so it was no surprise that this Inspector Censor knew of them.

He offered a few modest words.

Wang Wen said, “Daoist Master Li, do you know of a place two hundred li from here called Qingfeng Ridge?”

Li Yanchu inclined his head slightly. “I’ve heard it mentioned, demons and monsters are said to haunt that ridge.”

Wang Wen spoke in a grave tone, “Indeed. The heart-eating fiend tonight was a wanted criminal of the court, one of the tiger demon’s underlings.”

At that, Li Yanchu raised a brow.

This Censor Wang seemed to know quite a bit about these demons and heretical beings.

Wang Wen continued, “I’ll speak plainly. That demon has been wreaking havoc, bringing calamity to the land. I’ve already sent men to the city to invite high monks and Daoists to exterminate it, and they should arrive within days. At that time, I hope you will accompany them.”

Li Yanchu frowned slightly at those words. Not because Wang Wen was inviting him to slay demons, but because something about the matter felt off.

“Lord Wang, there is something I don’t understand. This Mountain Lord of Qingfeng Ridge has been causing trouble for quite some time. Why summon monks and Daoists only now?”

Wang Wen answered slowly, “The reason is simple. It’s because there are people who don’t want the Mountain Lord eradicated.”

Though only a mortal official, the chill in his words carried such weight that it made one’s skin crawl. Li Yanchu said nothing further. The bureaucracy of the Kingdom of Qian was not the same as the ancient dynasties he remembered, yet it bore some similarities.

Take, for instance, the post of Inspector Censor. He was a seventh-rank official! It didn’t sound high, and was equal in grade to a local magistrate. Yet the authority in the hands of an Inspector Censor was immense; he investigated wrongful cases and unlawful deeds, reporting directly to the throne.

That was essentially equivalent to an imperial inspector!

And because the official rank itself wasn’t lofty, these men acted with even fewer scruples. Those selected were always upright and unyielding scholars, often quite young.

What was valued was precisely that scholar’s courage and resolve.

This Lord Wang Wen clearly had found some clues, most likely that someone was colluding with demons, consorting with them in secret.

If so, the local Magistrate Fang could hardly escape involvement, and even the city officials might not be entirely innocent.

Li Yanchu didn’t concern himself with that. After a brief pause, he said, “Lord Wang, with your heart set on the people’s welfare and your desire to eradicate demons, that is a good thing. I’m willing to go!”

1. 王 (Wáng) is a common surname meaning “king.” 文 (Wén), frequently used in male given names, connotes literacy, culture, and scholarly virtue, reflecting aspirations for intelligence, education, or moral refinement. ☜