Chapter 12: Five Thousand Dan of Grain

At noon, Lu Yin invited Chu Danqing to stay for a meal, and as the departure time drew near, a retained guest named Xie Liyang finally arrived.

The man was an old fellow with a red, bulbous nose, and the scent of alcohol still lingered around him.

His attire and appearance resembled those of an old farmer, save for the bright, translucent cyan-green jade gourd hanging at his waist, which was quite eye-catching.

"Forgive me, Young Master, for I have arrived somewhat late," Xie Liyang said with a trace of apology. "My journey was blocked by a band of petty thieves, which delayed me."

"What are you saying, Elder Xie? We were just about to set off anyway." Lu Yin naturally knew that Xie Liyang had not been late without reason; there must have been a cause.

As for the so-called petty thieves, they were undoubtedly no ordinary people, but it was simply inconvenient to speak of it plainly.

"This is Elder Chu Wusheng, who excels in the arts of beast taming and spirit summoning," Lu Yin introduced.

Xie Liyang looked Chu Danqing up and down, but did not look down on him despite his youth.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group set off together toward the Ji family estate.

The entourage was not large, consisting of just a carriage and a few servants, while the three men sat inside chatting.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chu Danqing gathered a great deal of intelligence.

He learned about both the government and the Taiping Dao, and also discovered the background of the former chief bandit of Qingya Cliff: he was a member of the border-guarding Xiliang White Tiger Army.

It was no easy feat for ordinary people to acquire magical power, but the border troops were an exception. With their brutal combat—especially the combat-focused Xiliang White Tiger Army—nine out of ten soldiers possessed magical power.

However, this was also related to the unique nature of the *White Tiger Military Refining Scripture*, which specialized in sustaining warfare through warfare.

Thus, such a high proportion existed.

While this technique was easy to start yet difficult to master, and prone to leaving hidden injuries that cut short one's Dao path, the practitioners were numerous though those who achieved success were few and far between.

Chu Danqing also learned about the Lu family's *Heavenly Fire Raging Prairie Scripture*, which Xie Liyang had now switched over to cultivate.

Lu Yin, however, did not seem to be practicing that method, but rather cultivated something else.

As for the specific details, Chu Danqing was not entirely clear.

After all, Lu Yin was his temporary employer, and it was not proper to pry too deeply.

At the same time, Chu Danqing truly came to understand the difference between the Lu family and the Ji family.

The Lu family possessed a hereditary secret art as their foundation, whereas the Ji family did not.

No matter how wealthy they were, they were merely upstarts.

Ji Zhenyin had allowed a corpse ghost to enter his body, using it to comprehend the "Slaying the Three Corpses" method from the human scroll of the *Taiping Book*, thereby creating a volume of the Ji family's own art to complete their primitive accumulation.

Chatting much along the way, they finally stopped upon reaching the Ji residence.

Lu Yin had sent a calling card in advance, and Ji Yun had long since made preparations, so once they met, they went straight to the point.

"Young Master Ji, the silver and coin are correct, but why is the quantity of grain increased?" Lu Yin looked at the contents of the contract and pointed to the grain figure.

Previously, Chu Danqing had mentioned one thousand stones for a total of five hundred thousand coins.

The amount of money was correct, but the grain count had changed from one thousand stones to five thousand stones.

Rather than feeling pleased and secretly pocketing the difference, Lu Yin pointed out the discrepancy.

He could not be certain whether there was any scheme hidden within.

"My old man was favored by the assistance of Elder Chu, and his condition has now improved."

"My Ji family has no way to repay this. Since the Lu family wants grain, we could hardly be stingy for the sake of Elder Chu."

"Therefore, we are selling you an additional four thousand stones, and guessing that Young Master Lu must have brought only five hundred thousand coins, we simply lowered the price accordingly." Ji Yun stated the reason casually.

Hearing this, a flash of surprise crossed Lu Yin's eyes.

He had not expected Chu Danqing to hold such considerable weight within the Ji family, which truly exceeded his expectations.

"Hahaha, what a coincidence." Lu Yin smoothly went along with the flow and produced a porcelain vial. "Upon returning, Elder Chu immediately requested a pellet of Glazed Heart-Cleansing Pill for Old Master Ji."

"It took every assurance I could give before I finally persuaded someone to let me have a single pellet."

"With this pill, Old Master Ji will surely be out of danger."

Surprise flickered in Ji Yun's eyes; he had not anticipated that Chu Danqing could actually secure a Glazed Heart-Cleansing Pill for him, meaning his status within the Lu family was truly far from low.

He had long heard of the great reputation of this pill, which was a unique treasure exclusive to the Lu family, consuming countless silver and funds every year yet yielding at most one or two pellets.

Ingesting it could suppress inner demons, conquer heart poisons, rectify clarity, and aid magical power.

His father, Ji Zhenyin, was in urgent need of such a treasure pill.

"Then I accept it without further courtesy." Without refusing, Ji Yun immediately took the vial.

As for Chu Danqing, he did not quite understand why both men were attributing the merit to him, but as long as everyone was happy, it was fine.

Soon after, the transaction commenced. Lu Yin produced a bank note worth five hundred thousand coins, and once Ji Yun accepted it, he had someone lead Xie Liyang away to collect the grain.

Afterward, the two sides began to converse.

Chu Danqing actually wanted to leave; the contribution points for the grain were being tallied, and since there was still some time left in the day, he intended to go earn some contribution by helping maintain order at the porridge distribution.

Yet it was difficult for him to bring it up, so he could only stay and chat.

"Young Master Lu, do you have any insights regarding the Three Corpses?" Ji Yun suddenly shifted the conversation to business.

"I suspect the Lower Corpse, Qiao, is most likely hidden within the government offices," Lu Yin replied unhurriedly.

"Quite right. Before noon today, the Commandery Commandant was replaced by a young man skilled in fist techniques, who acts with decisive and swift methods," Ji Yun said.

Hearing this, a thought stirred in Chu Danqing's heart, and he promptly asked, "Does he happen to look like this..."

"Indeed. Elder Chu knows him?" Ji Yun had not expected Chu Danqing to be able to describe the Commandery Commandant's appearance.

"We have met once before." The person Chu Danqing described was precisely the dimensional apostle who looked like a flat-topped youth.

He never imagined that the fellow would become the Commandery Commandant—a status far higher than Chu Danqing's position as a retained guest.

Most importantly, the Commandery Commandant held military authority in Yangxian Commandery.

"The newly appointed Commandant calls himself Fierce Fist. Leaving his abilities aside, for someone to ascend to the position of Commandery Commandant in a single bound is rather absurd."

"The Lower Corpse, Qiao, is lustful and debauched, causing the former commandant to lose his wits to the point of attempting to violate the Grand Administrator's wedded wife. Fortunately, this Fierce Fist Commandant arrived in time."

"Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable." When Ji Yun said this, a lingering fear was evident in his tone.

If a scandal of that magnitude had broken out, the situation in Yangxian Commandery would have become even murkier.

"And what of the former commandant?" Chu Danqing asked.

"He was killed by Fierce Fist, and a foreign object was extracted from his body, which knowledgeable individuals recognized as the Lower Corpse, Qiao," Ji Yun answered.

"It seems an offensive against the Taiping Dao will be launched shortly," Lu Yin added.

How could the Grand Administrator possibly endure such an insult?

The Commandant had been controlled, and attempts were made to provoke conflict between them—what on earth was the Taiping Dao trying to achieve?

"Both of our houses should prepare early to avoid being caught in the crossfire." Ji Yun directed these words not at Lu Yin, but at Chu Danqing.

He was advising him to stay far away from the Taiping Dao and preferably have nothing to do with them.

"With this, the affliction of the Three Corpses is considered half-eradicated," Chu Danqing noted, gathering the implications, and continued, "Yet the mastermind behind the scenes still remains traceless."

"That is not something you or I need to worry about. With the government stepping in, even if that person manages to escape with their life, they will still shed a layer of skin." Lu Yin understood that the true ruler of Yangxian Commandery had always been the government.