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Chapter 27: Why Are You Just Arriving Now?
Chapter 27: Why Are You Just Arriving Now?
Under the gaze of the skinny monk, Chen Ji suddenly felt his mouth dry up. Despite being a young man with a fiery passion, he had joined the yamen just to earn a living, and his heart still longed for the adventurous life of the jianghu.
Now, meeting this famous senior from the jianghu, even the hand grasping the knife handle was trembling with excitement.
In his excitement, he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Both of them had joined the yamen, yet even this senior respectfully addressed Shen Yi as "little friend." It seemed that reputation in the jianghu was indeed built through one's own fists.
Chen Ji shook his head and recalled Shen Yi, drenched in blood, lazily sitting in the wilderness with uncooled corpses before him. He felt that everything was as it should be.
"Senior is too kind with your praise." Shen Yi replied with a bow, continuing to walk forward without intending to engage in further flattery.
However, the skinny monk stopped him, accompanied by another man. "This is my junior martial brother from the Vajra Sect. People call him Zhang the Butcher, and he came here from Qingzhou to look for me. He also intends to find a position under the county magistrate."
Shen Yi nodded in acknowledgment, and Zhang the Butcher nodded slightly in response.
"I have official business to attend to, so I won't disturb you two any further." Shen Yi excused himself and took another step forward. But the skinny monk slightly shifted his position to block his path again.
"..."
Shen Yi looked at him calmly.
To each their own, he thought. He didn't see any issue with the skinny monk taking money to do things. If he hadn't already put on this uniform upon crossing over, cutting off his path into the jianghu sects, he would also like to join a sect, learn martial arts, and be supported by wealthy and influential families.
However, if the skinny monk took money to specifically cause trouble for him, then that was another matter.
"The three of us are all passionate about martial arts. Why don't we find a place to drink and chat?" The skinny monk chuckled, reaching out and placing his hand on Shen Yi's shoulder. "I am much older than you, so it's not embarrassing for me to call myself your senior. You're still young, and your momentum is too strong. It won't hurt to chat more with an old man like me."
Even Chen Ji, standing at the back, could sense the subtle tension in the atmosphere.
Elder Lin and the steward remained silent, their eyes dull.
They didn't fully believe in Shen Yi's abilities.
However, compared to that, they trusted the skinny monk's judgment even less. But as businessmen, how dare they raise doubts in front of such skilled martial artists?
If the people from the yamen could also manage this matter, it would be for the best. They never expected that the skinny monk would even obstruct this, and Shen Yi, a mere minor official, wouldn't dare to cause a disturbance in front of the county magistrate's favorite.
In full view of the public...
Shen Yi remained silent for a moment before slowly removing the hand on his shoulder and patting it lightly twice. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Senior, but I still have official business today. My apologies."
His actions caused the atmosphere to freeze instantly.
Embarrassment appeared in the skinny monk's eyes, and a hint of annoyance surfaced on his old face.
Zhang the Butcher turned his head, his mouth twisting into a mocking smile hidden behind his thick beard.
"If I'm not mistaken, Catchpole Shen has recently been promoted to oversee all demonic affairs in Beryun County. I said that there are no demons here, just an ordinary murder case. What official business could you have in the Lin family? Or do you not trust my words?" The skinny monk's voice turned colder.
Shen Yi glanced at the steward and calmly said, "Lead the way."
"Ah... Yes..."
As a mere steward, how dare he get involved in such a dispute? The only surprising thing for him was that a former gambling addict could remain calm in front of the skinny monk.
The most outrageous thing was that the skinny monk seemed helpless in front of Shen Yi.
If they had known this earlier, it would have been better for Elder Lin to go directly to the yamen or even the county magistrate's mansion... It would have been useless.
The steward's thoughts wandered as he jogged towards the side courtyard.
Zhang the Butcher trailed behind, casually asking, "Senior brother, are you well-acquainted with him?"
"Never met him before. It's just that I value talent. Thinking that we would both be working under the county magistrate in the future, it would be good to look out for each other. I never expected him to be a brainless idiot."
"I see. I thought you were afraid he would find out that we were fooled by the demon and lose face because of it."
Hearing the implied accusation in his companion's words, the skinny monk abruptly turned around, his face darkening. After a long moment, he regained his composure and said, "You've just arrived from Qingzhou, so I don't blame you for being arrogant. But let me tell you, the waters here are deeper than you think."
With that, he continued walking forward, "What makes you think he would be any different? In a while, he'll be just like us, meekly making up an excuse to leave."
Zhang the Butcher closed his mouth, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
As the two conversed, Shen Yi and Chen Ji followed the steward to a side room. They watched as he slowly lifted the white cloth, revealing the corpse beneath.
Just one glance was enough to increase Chen Ji's admiration for the skinny monk severalfold.
What an incredible talent for brazen lies!
On the bed lay the body of a robust man. His left arm was missing, leaving only half a sleeve, and his abdomen had a gaping hole as if something had been scooped out from inside.
His face was a ghastly sight—the eye sockets were empty, the nose was gone, and the entire right cheek had been licked clean, leaving only the bones without a trace of flesh.
"He was fine yesterday. This all happened in just one night," the steward said, closing his eyes and rubbing his face vigorously as if to dispel the chill that had settled in his bones.
He still remembered how proud and majestic Liu Qi had been when he first arrived at the Lin family. Now, he lay here in this pitiful state.
"No one knows how he died?" Chen Ji frowned.
Even if a martial arts master encountered a demon, how could he possibly die so silently?
"The one who found him wasn't from the Lin family," the steward sighed. He wanted to say more but dared not, instead glancing at Shen Yi. "When you brought Miss Bai Wei back, her injuries healed, but her personality remained unchanged. However, she lost many of her memories and couldn't remember most of her relatives."
At this point, the steward grimaced, "Half a month ago, she said she had a friend she met outside whom she wanted to invite as a guest. It turned out to be a young man. I shouldn't be saying this, but since you two already know, please don't spread it outside and ruin her reputation... She's still an unmarried young lady."
Chen Ji nodded.
The steward continued, "Elder Lin felt sorry for Miss, and considering that having a friend around might help her recover her memories, he allowed the man to stay. Miss Lin was very close to him, so we treated him as an honored guest."
"Liu Qi's body was found in his room... And Miss Lin just happened to be away these past few days..."
"The skinny monk senior spoke with him and said it had nothing to do with him..."
Hearing this, Shen Yi finally understood what the steward was implying.
The Lin family had already suspected someone, and the reason they had sought out the skinny monk was not to find the demon but to eliminate it.
"Where is he?" Chen Ji asked subconsciously.
"I'm here."
A lazy voice drifted in from outside the door.
A young man in black leaned against the door, yawning. His lips were red, his teeth white, and his smile held a hint of challenge. His mouth curled up, revealing two canine teeth that added a provocative edge to his smile.
He raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're Shen Yi? Why are you just arriving now?"
His tone was filled with an air of superiority, as if he were looking down on a servant.
(End of Chapter)
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