Chapter 602: Chapter 602: There Are Ghosts Here, Man-Eating Ghosts!

The woman continued listening to Wang Kun as he spoke to Zhao Jiu: “Go, take control of that old man’s father, Zhou Shiyue, and all of his subordinates’ families, and if they dare to say anything, use this as a threat!”

“Yes, brother-in-law!” Zhao Jiu stood in the cold wind, the wounds on his face stung painfully in the breeze, but he couldn’t care less about his injuries. If anything happened to his brother-in-law, his own life would be in jeopardy.

“Wait a moment!” Wang Kun suddenly thought of something and whispered a few more instructions into Zhao Jiu’s ear.

Zhao Jiu looked seriously at Wang Kun, “Brother-in-law, don’t worry, I will handle it well.”

“Go now!” Wang Kun waved his hand to send Zhao Jiu away, then continued on to visit Zhang Qi.

After Wang Kun left, the woman hiding in the shadows quietly returned to her own room. She opened the slip of paper in her hand, reading it repeatedly as if making up her mind.

…

The next morning, Zhou Shiyue heard the noisy commotion of four officials leaving the hostel outside his window.

Although what Marquis Zhongyong said yesterday was like a calming pill, seeing them actually depart still left him uneasy.

However, he had already acted, and no matter what consequences he would have to bear, he would never regret it.

…

Wang Kun didn’t sleep well all night, tossing and turning in bed, cursing Ji Yun and Zhou Shiyue.

“Damn Ji Yun, so eager to push me off the stage, and that accursed Zhou Shiyue, always putting on such a good act yet constantly deceiving me!”

Zhao Yueji listened to Wang Kun’s sleep-talking and felt anxious herself.

It seemed that something must have happened; otherwise, the master wouldn’t be so restless and speaking in his sleep.

At the break of dawn, Wang Kun woke up and went to see Zhang Qi again.

Zhang Qi, with a spinal injury, lay on the bed and upon seeing Wang Kun, respectfully said, “Sir, you’re awake so early?”

Wang Kun looked at him with a gentle smile, “The doctor mentioned yesterday that although you injured your spine, it’s not broken. Rest well and recover quickly. Zhou Shiyue betrayed me, and because of this, I’ve seen your loyalty clearly. Rest assured, since the mission’s people haven’t caused me trouble, they clearly don’t believe Shiyue’s words. Once the mission leaves, I will definitely put you to good use!”

Zhang Qi looked at Wang Kun with tears of gratitude, “Sir, I will recover quickly and serve you!”

Suddenly, Zhang Qi recalled something, “Oh, by the way, sir, there were actually two extraordinary individuals who helped Zhou Shiyue last night. Without them suddenly appearing, Shiyue would never have escaped so easily!”

Wang Kun narrowed his eyes, connecting this to Zhao Jiu’s beating, “Extraordinary skills? Could they be the ones who forced their way into the city from Eastern Wei last night?”

Zhang Qi’s eyes lit up, “It’s possible it’s them!”

A trace of coldness flashed in Wang Kun’s eyes as he gently patted Zhang Qi’s shoulder, “Don’t worry about this matter, just rest assured. I will seek justice for you.”

“Thank you, sir!” Zhang Qi was filled with gratitude towards Wang Kun. Not only had Wang Kun found him a doctor last night and provided him with lodging at the estate, but he also didn’t blame him for a lack of vigilance and promised justice. There was no other superior who trusted him like this.

Wang Kun looked deeply at Zhang Qi before leaving the room. After taking a few steps, he looked up at the dimly lit sky, returning to his study to wait for dawn.

He opened the window, letting the cold wind blow in to keep himself awake. As long as the four officials left, he would be victorious.

Even if those four court officials interfered, he had already figured out a countermeasure.

…

As the sky just began to lighten, an ordinary-looking couple sat beside an old wooden table by the roadside.

The woman watched the vendor scoop ladlefuls of tofu pudding from a wooden bucket into bowls.

This couple was none other than Zhan Lan and Mu Yan, disguised by the Silver-faced Fox.

Zhan Lan wore ordinary women’s clothes, with cotton stuffing poking out from the pink jacket.

Sitting with her ankles crossed on a shabby chair, Zhan Lan received two bowls of tofu pudding, one sweet and one salty.

Zhan Lan took the salty tofu pudding, which was adorned with fresh green cilantro, scallion, light yellow pickled vegetables, pieces of black wood ear fungus, tender mushrooms, daylily, and a sheen of fragrant sesame oil, all these vibrant colors clashed in the bowl. She swallowed her saliva and broke a crispy, freshly fried dough stick into pieces, putting them into the tofu pudding.

Beside her, Mu Yan, wearing a blue jacket, watched as Zhan Lan stuffed the hot dough stick into her mouth, then exclaimed with satisfaction, “Delicious!”

Mu Yan was stunned by her way of eating; he didn’t know tofu pudding could be eaten salty or that dough sticks could be soaked in it.

Zhan Lan shook her head at Mu Yan’s bowl of plain, sugar-added tofu pudding, evidently, he had no idea how delicious it could be with savory tofu pudding.

She had stumbled upon this way of eating by chance and had loved it ever since.

“Old Mu, why don’t you try it?” Zhan Lan picked up a piece of dough stick, softened from soaking in tofu pudding, and offered it to Mu Yan.

Mu Yan retreated strategically, “No thanks, I’ll stick to the sweet one. Am I that old? Old Mu indeed!”

Mu Yan slightly lifted the corners of his mouth, using his fingers to wipe the soup from Zhan Lan’s lips.

The vendor, a middle-aged woman, observing their affection, smiled and said, “Tofu pudding, some like it sweet, some like it salty. If you two need more, you can ask for seconds.”

Seizing the moment, Zhan Lan asked, “Auntie, my husband and I just arrived here. We’re looking to settle down and find some work.”

The woman, upon hearing that they wished to stay and work in Shuiyu City, first glanced around to ensure no one else was listening, then quietly told them, “You should head to Lengfeng City; it’s cold there, but better than here.”

Mu Yan, trying to gulp down the tofu pudding, casually asked, “Why is that? We find Shuiyu City quite nice.”

The woman frowned and leaned in to say, “This place is haunted — ghosts that feed on people!”

Mu Yan and Zhan Lan simultaneously grew serious, paying close attention to the woman’s words.

Sighing, the woman said, “Look at this street; many vendors are out early to earn some silver to support their families. But once the sun is up, they’ll come to collect taxes.”

Perplexed, Zhan Lan asked, “Didn’t His Majesty declare no taxes for three years?”

The woman, seeing Zhan Lan’s naive eyes, shook her head, “You’re young; Shuiyu City is deep with trouble!”

“Could it be they’re secretly collecting taxes?” Zhan Lan asked curiously in a low voice.

With a knowing look, the woman explained, “It’s not just taxes! Recently, because some high officials from Ding’an City are visiting, no one dares cause trouble, so we take our stalls out.”

Her eyes slowly filled with disappointment as she looked up at the sky, not yet touched by the sun, and said, “I heard those officials are leaving today, so our tough days will return soon.”

Listening to the woman, Mu Yan’s grip on the wooden spoon turned white-knuckled. Some people required a proper handling!