Chapter 21 | Days of Being a Constable in Ancient Times

“Bai Fan, blow your whistle and summon the other officers. This is a homicide case, beyond what the two of us can handle.”

Bai Fan nodded, pulled out a whistle from his robes, and blew three sharp blasts. In less than fifteen minutes, Old Liao and several other constables rushed over.

Arriving along with them were Head Constable Liu, Wang Wu, and several constables specializing in criminal cases. Seeing Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan, Head Constable Liu waved them off.

“Alright, resume your night patrol. We’ll take over from here.”

Gu Qingyun knew her own limits. Staying behind wouldn't accomplish anything. After taking her leave of Head Constable Liu and the others, the two constables and one cat turned and headed toward Apricot Blossom Alley.

Having finally endured until dawn, Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan were handing over their waist tokens, preparing to go off duty, when Head Constable Liu—who had stayed up the entire night—sat waiting for them in the duty room.

“Qingyun, Bai Fan, get a good rest during the day today. You won't have to pull night patrol tonight; I'll have other constables split your shift.”

“A murder occurred at the Liu Residence last night. Shujishi Liu’s stepmother died silently in the main room. Besides her, two stewards and a concubine who had long served Master Liu also died in the estate. All of them were scared to death.”

“Mainly, when these people died, the entire Liu Residence was completely unaware. Several servants claimed they saw a ghost. Tonight, the two of you go straight to the Liu Residence to protect Shujishi Liu and his wife. We can’t let a sixth-rank official die in our county.”

“Curiously enough, Shujishi Liu’s father survived, though he ended up paralyzed. Ah, never mind that for now—just make sure you protect Master Liu well.”

Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan straightened their posture and cupped their fists.

“Understood!”

As the two left the duty room, Bai Fan looked at her on the verge of tears.

“Sister Yun, why did Head Constable Liu pick the two of us? Should we go pray at the temple outside the city? My heart is completely in my mouth.”

Gu Qingyun knew Head Constable Liu had assigned her because he had witnessed her ability to kill demons at the ruined temple last time. Bai Fan was simply caught in the crossfire because of her.

She patted his shoulder gently and said in a soft tone, “It’s alright. Once we’re in the Liu Residence, no matter what we do, we won't separate. I guarantee your safety.”

As her hand rested on Bai Fan’s shoulder, an invisible faint glow pulsed from her palm and sank into his shoulder, leaving no trace.

This was an idea Gu Qingyun had conceived by combining her cultivation manual with a talisman encyclopedia. By leaving a mark in the form of a talisman on his body, the spiritual energy would not dissipate, keeping foul things from daring to approach.

Bai Fan nodded stammeringly.

“I definitely trust you, Sister Yun! Come on, let’s go outside for some plain noodles. My treat!”

After eating breakfast, Gu Qingyun and Bai Fan parted ways at their respective room doors. She drew two buckets of water from the well to wash up, then sat on her bed and began her cultivation.

Little Black casually curled up on her lap, absorbing the spiritual energy radiating from Gu Qingyun with every breath as she cultivated.

By the time she finished her cultivation and opened her eyes again, it was late in the Shen hour.

Remembering the red envelope the servant from the Liu Residence had given her last night, she pulled it out from under her pillow and tipped its contents out onto the bed. Four small five-tael silver ingots lay there, along with a golden peanut and a golden melon seed.

Gu Qingyun stared at the gold and silver, her face filled with pleasant surprise.

“I didn't expect wealthy families to be this generous. A casual toss from their fingertips is enough to support a family for a whole year. And this is just a sixth-rank official—I wonder what luxurious lives those prominent aristocratic families lead.”

Stashing the gold and silver away, she stood up and walked over to the staff kitchen. Looking over the food options, she saw a large plate of green vegetables, a plate of scrambled eggs with scallions, and a good amount of fish pieces placed at the serving counter.

Jiangyin County was rich in mountains and rivers, so fish was abundant and frequently served at the county yamen. The cook’s culinary skills were quite decent, making dishes that were aromatic and spicy—a taste Gu Qingyun never grew tired of.

“Wow, Auntie Liu! I didn't expect we'd have fish again today. I’ll definitely have to eat extra rice tonight!”

Auntie Liu was Head Constable Liu’s mother. Hearing this, she beamed warmly.

“Girl Gu, if it tastes good, eat as much as you like.”

Gu Qingyun nodded repeatedly, handed over five copper coins, deftly scooped a bit of each dish, and grabbed a few mixed-grain steamed buns. Setting them down on a dining table, she took a seat and dug in.

Halfway through her meal, Bai Fan walked in from outside, served himself some food, and plopped down across from Gu Qingyun.

“Sister Yun, that’s rare! You actually beat me here to eat today.”

Gu Qingyun looked up.

“Mhm. We still have to go to the Liu Residence tonight, so it’s better not to head over too late.”

The thought of going to the Liu Residence set Bai Fan’s heart fluttering with anxiety.

“Sigh... usually when I sleep during the day, I wake up once in a while. This time, even with so much on my mind, I still slept like a log. Am I the type who sleeps better the more stressed I am? My mental fortitude must be amazing!”

Seeing him boast like that, Gu Qingyun didn't refute him, merely nodding occasionally while keeping her focus entirely on her food. Noticing her silence, Bai Fan stopped blabbering and lowered his head to eat his dinner.

...

“Constable Gu, there you are! Quick, come with me!”

Just as Gu Qingyun finished eating, Zhao Si walked in, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her toward the exit, not forgetting to call back to Bai Fan, “Bai Fan, fall in!”

Once the three reached a secluded corner, Zhao Si looked anxious and terrified. Lowering his voice, his tone trembled slightly:

“Something happened at the Liu Residence.”

Gu Qingyun frowned.

“Happened? What happened?”

Zhao Si said, “Just this afternoon, Head Constable Liu took Wang Wu and another constable over to investigate the Liu Residence further. To their shock, the three of them kept going in circles right in the front courtyard, unable to get any deeper inside no matter what! And no one from the Liu Residence came out, either.”

“Head Constable Liu suspects it’s a ghost wall illusion, just like the one we encountered outside last time. He sent me to ask if you have any ideas.” Finished speaking, he leaned in toward Gu Qingyun’s ear and whispered, “Qingyun, you still have that super-sharp sensory ability of yours, right?”

Speechless, Gu Qingyun saw how dead serious he was and nodded.

“Rest assured. Once honed, something like that doesn't just fade away. It’s always active.”

Zhao Si let out a sigh of relief.

“Then let’s hurry. Let’s go see what’s going on at the Liu Residence. Head Constable Liu said not to push ourselves no matter what. If we can't handle it, we back out—we can’t go throwing our lives away for nothing.”

“With supernatural incidents like this, if something really happens to Shujishi Liu, there’s nothing we can do anyway.”

Gu Qingyun sighed inwardly. She was quite satisfied with her current job—it just involved doing night patrols. She had heard that the eldest young master of the Liu family’s wife was from a family of capital officials, and he was even a son-in-law snatched right off the examination results board.

If something really happened to him here, the official career of their county magistrate would likely be over, to say nothing of low-ranking constables like them.

Thinking of this, she looked at Zhao Si and said solemnly,

“Uncle Zhao, rest assured. I know what I’m doing and won't put myself in danger.”

Zhao Si patted her shoulder.

“Don't worry, we’ll all go in with you this time. We’re all grown men and martial artists with strong Yang energy, so hopefully we can be of some help.”