Head Constable Liu glared at them. “What’s wrong with you two? I told you to keep watch, and you end up lying right here!”
The scholar on the other side woke up a bit slower. The moment he stirred, his face throbbed with pain, as if he had been slapped hard. Hearing Head Constable Liu’s words, he jolted completely awake. As if realizing something, his face turned deathly pale. “A ghost! I ran into a ghost! I closed my eyes to rest for just a moment, and then it felt like someone was controlling me, making me walk outside against my will. I knew what I was doing, but I just couldn’t snap out of it! This temple isn't clean—there’s something foul in here!”
The scholar spoke while trembling all over, clearly terrified out of his wits.
Wu Yong and Zhao Si exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Boss, while we were on watch earlier, we saw a lot of glittering gold outside, along with heaps of jewelry, and several beauties on top of that.”
“Neither of us could resist the temptation, so we ran right out. We have no memory of what happened after that.”
Hearing this, Head Constable Liu smacked the two of them again. “Out here in the middle of nowhere, finding gold, silver, treasures, and gorgeous women? Anyone with half a brain would know that’s not normal! If Little Gu hadn’t woken us up and broken that ghost wall illusion, we’d probably be picking up your corpses right about now.”
After speaking, he shot a glance at the scholar, thinking the man was being dishonest—if you were tempted, just admit it, why make up lies?
Hearing the whole story, Wu Yong and the others broke into a cold sweat, lingering fear gripping their hearts.
“Girl Gu, thank you so much. If we had died, our families wouldn't have known how to go on. You’re a lifesaver for both our families.”
Wu Yong and Zhao Si kept thanking her repeatedly. Gu Qingyun felt a bit helpless, but knowing they were still terrified, she could only offer them a few words of comfort.
Having retrieved Wu Yong and the other two, no one dared go back to sleep. They endured the rest of the night until dawn. As the first light of day broke, Head Constable Liu led Gu Qingyun and the group on their way.
Along the way, Gu Qingyun found everyone treating her with immense warmth and enthusiasm. Not only was food handed straight to her, but she was even invited to sit at the front of the prisoner cart the entire trip, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
Wang Wu swallowed the flatbread in his mouth with loud chews and looked at Gu Qingyun. “Qingyun, what did you see inside that ruined temple? Everyone in the temple felt like we were trapped, unable to get out no matter which way we walked.”
The others on both sides perked up their ears to listen, and even Head Constable Liu rode his horse a bit closer.
Gu Qingyun didn't hide anything either. She took a bite of her flatbread and said, “It was nothing major, just some mountain spirits and wild monsters looking to absorb human spirit essence. They had set their sights on the spirit essence of Uncle Wu and the others.”
Wu Yong and his companions gasped, chills running down their spines. They spoke falteringly, “Qingyun, thank goodness you were there this time! If not for you, our whole group probably would have suffered. I never expected that one day we’d actually run into monsters. It’s truly terrifying—we didn't have the slightest power to resist.”
“But you practice martial arts just like us, so why was that monster afraid of you?” Wang Wu and the others asked out of curiosity.
“It’s probably my physical constitution. A few years ago, an old Taoist priest passed by and mentioned I have some kind of Yang physique that naturally suppresses evil and demonkind. I don't really understand it myself.”
“That old Taoist priest said I had talent for martial arts, so he taught me a Qi refining method for strengthening the body,” Gu Qingyun lied without batting an eye.
Hearing this, everyone felt that it made perfect sense. They were merely constables from a small town and had no idea what kind of special constitutions existed. They only knew Girl Gu practiced saber techniques similar to theirs; if the demon feared her, it had to be due to her special physique.
As for that so-called Qi refining method, they had similar techniques as constables, but those were useless and yielded no results no matter how much they practiced.
Thinking of this, Head Constable Liu and the others looked at her with envy. They wished they possessed such a physique so they wouldn't be so afraid when walking at night.
“Qingyun, it seems you were born for night patrols! With you around at night, we all feel much safer.”
“Exactly! Our Jiangyin County isn't peaceful at night. Although we haven't encountered anything ourselves, we’ve heard rumors.”
“Some people come to report missing family members. We go search, but those people seem to vanish into thin air without leaving a single clue.”
“From now on, whenever we head out, we must bring Qingyun along for safety!”
As everyone chattered back and forth, the atmosphere gradually livened up. Gu Qingyun listened quietly, not finding it bothersome at all.
Now that she had cultivated a sense of Qi, as the Qi within her accumulated, she felt light as a feather and completely refreshed. Even after staying up all night, she remained full of energy.
The sky grew brighter as the rising sun illuminated the land, as if sweeping away all the gloom from the previous night. The rest of their journey went exceptionally smoothly, and they finally arrived at the prefecture city at the Wei hour.
Looking at the guards at the city gate, Head Constable Liu let out a sigh of relief and boosted the group's morale. “Hang in there a bit longer! Once we enter the city and hand over our assignment, we can get a good night's sleep and head back tomorrow morning.”
Head Constable Liu pulled out the official document from the county yamen and presented it to the inspecting guards. The guard examined the document carefully and sized up Gu Qingyun and her group.
His eyes widened slightly when he noticed a female constable among them, though he ultimately said nothing. After glancing at the prisoner in the cart, he waved them through.
Gu Qingyun and the others entered the prefecture city in an orderly manner. The further inside they went, the more bustling it became. The streets were several times more crowded than in the county town; in just this short time, they had already seen dozens of carriages, far more than in their county.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gu Qingyun glanced at a cloth shop by the street, deciding to check it out after finishing her duties to buy some fabric and make a new set of clothes for everyone in her family.
This field assignment earned her a payment of three taels of silver. Spending a small portion of it to buy cloth wouldn't upset her grandmother. She had a soft-hearted grandmother.
Passing through the streets, Wu Yong and seven or eight colleagues smelled the delicious aroma of meat buns and meat pies, their mouths watering uncontrollably.
Having had no proper food for the past few days, the scent of meat buns alone was enough to make them crave it desperately.
Handing over the assignment went very smoothly. Once both sides completed the handoff—delivering the county magistrate's letter, the prisoner, and the prisoner's file—Gu Qingyun and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Head Constable Liu led them straight to the Personnel Office, a place reserved specifically for visiting constables from other regions to rest without charge.
However, the accommodations were quite simple: a dozen or so wooden beds arranged without any bedding. Still, since it was free, no one complained. They set their luggage down and prepared to go out for a meal.
Gu Qingyun did not join them, instead walking toward the cloth shop.
“Girl Gu, over here! Let’s go eat and drink together!” Seeing her head in a different direction, Head Constable Liu called out to stop her.
“Uncle Liu, you go ahead and eat. Since this is my first time in the prefecture city, I want to look around and buy a few things for my family.”
Head Constable Liu nodded in understanding. “Alright, just be careful on your own. We’ll be at Keyun Inn just up ahead. Come over to eat once you’re done shopping. We’re going to have some drinks, so we won't finish too quickly.”
“Understood, Uncle Liu. See you later!”
Watching Gu Qingyun’s departing back, Wu Yong shook his head. “Qingyun really doesn't act like a child—she acts just like an adult.”
“There’s no helping it, she has a large family back home. The money she makes as a constable is the main income for her family. Supporting a household at such a young age—now I understand why her family let her take the job. She truly has the capability.”
Head Constable Liu sighed with emotion. There was one more thing he didn't say aloud: with Gu Qingyun's capabilities, their Jiangyin County probably couldn't hold onto her for long. He just didn't know how long she would stay for now.
Pulling his thoughts back, he slapped Wu Yong and Wang Wu firmly on the shoulders. “Alright, let’s go relax and have a drink! A weight’s finally off my chest, so we can get a good night’s sleep tonight.”
...
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