Chapter 6

When going to buy bedding, Nan Du naturally still brought Xie Nan Du along. She was very cautious and did not want to leave Chen Chao for a moment.

However, the two did not see the man across the street on this trip; they only vaguely heard the scolding of a woman.

Chen Chao was in a good mood. He couldn't deal with that guy, but someone else would.

The owner of the cotton shop was a lean middle-aged man, as thin as a monkey. Everyone in the city called him Hou San Ye. When buying the bedding, Hou San Ye's eyes roamed over Xie Nan Du, and he finally asked in surprise, "You young man are having a run of good luck? It seems the legend is true, living in Peach Blossom Lane can bring you good fortune."

Chen Chao, who had received the bedding, remained expressionless, "If you want to move in, I'll sell you my house for a hundred gold coins, no cheating."

"Are you stupid or am I stupid?"

Hou San Ye raised an eyebrow, looking even more like a monkey.

Chen Chao didn't bother to respond, turned to leave with the bedding, but was stopped again by Hou San Ye. He pulled Chen Chao aside and whispered, "I have a piece of news for you, one gold coin, you definitely want to know."

Chen Chao glanced at Hou San Ye and nodded, "Alright, next time your family has trouble, I'll definitely leave half an hour later."

"Spit, spit, spit, how can you say such unlucky things?" Hou San Ye looked at Chen Chao with a hint of resentment, "You young man can't be ungrateful. When you first came here, didn't you have your first meal at my place?"

Chen Chao nodded, looking serious, "How could I forget? I ate one meal from you and worked for you for half a month."

"…There's still some sentiment, right?" Hou San Ye didn't give up. This old man was a notorious miser in the small county, as famous as the man across the street from Chen Chao.

Their reputations were about the same.

"Let's not talk about it, I'll come to your place for a meal next time."

Chen Chao didn't want to tangle with this guy and turned to leave with the bedding.

Hou San Ye's face turned sour, and he pulled Chen Chao back, no longer hiding, and whispered, "Alright, alright, I'm afraid of you. The news is free, but you have to be more observant, watch our neighbors. I don't want to end up in the belly of those damn monsters one day."

After a resentful look at Chen Chao, Hou San Ye began to tell the news he mentioned.

It was about the murder that happened on Changyuan Street yesterday, where the owner of Wang's Cosmetics Shop and his wife died at home. The county was so small that this news couldn't be hidden, but Chen Chao wasn't in the city yesterday and hadn't gone out today, so he hadn't heard about it.

Chen Chao looked at Hou San Ye with a blank expression, his eyes sharp.

Just this piece of news, and this old man dared to ask for a gold coin?

Moreover, if it wasn't related to monsters, it was the responsibility of the authorities, and Chen Chao, as the garrison commander, had no authority to interfere.

Hou San Ye laughed dryly, "If it were a regular murder, it wouldn't be worth much, but this seems to be more complicated. I heard that the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Chen had no wounds, and they died mysteriously."

"Could it be that some monster has come to our place?"

Hou San Ye looked at Chen Chao hopefully, "If there really is a monster, you can't ignore it."

"If it were a monster, there would be no intact bodies. There would be some missing parts. What does the authorities say?"

Chen Chao asked casually. Since he arrived, he had cleared out the nearby monsters, and the city hadn't seen any for years. The peaceful days had made ordinary people like Hou San Ye talk about monsters casually, but in the past, everyone would have been terrified at the mention of monsters.

"I don't know, I only know this much." Hou San Ye felt a bit guilty; this piece of news wasn't worth a gold coin.

...

...

For the sake of the gold coin, Chen Chao personally changed the entire set of bedding. By the time he finished, it was already dark, and the snow was still falling, making it even colder.

"My family isn't wealthy; we don't have the habit of lighting a stove at night. Two quilts should be enough. If you're cold, I can buy you a stove, but it will cost extra!"

Chen Chao rambled on, but when he looked up, he saw the girl, like a pear blossom, quietly watching him from the corridor, making him feel uncomfortable.

The house really didn't have a stove. He himself was already a martial artist of considerable strength, with a robust physique, and was naturally immune to the cold.

Xie Nan Du smiled and thanked him, then asked, "I won't die in your house, will I?"

Chen Chao twitched his lips; this girl was really afraid of death.

"I can't guarantee it. Regular monsters won't dare to bother me, but if it's a powerful one, rest assured, I'll definitely leave you behind and run."

Is that human talk?

Xie Nan Du didn't mind and smiled, "What if it's not a monster?"

There was some hidden meaning in her words.

Chen Chao rubbed his head, feeling a bit helpless, "If everyone wants you dead, even if I have great abilities, I can't save you."

Xie Nan Du smiled but said nothing.

Dealing with smart people was never too difficult.

"Sleep well, I always feel that your luck won't be too bad."

Chen Chao waved his hand and went to sit under the eaves, closing his eyes to rest.

...

...

In the night, the snow continued to fall. A man in black robes hurriedly entered the brightly lit county office, bowed, and a lean middle-aged man in a blue official robe sat on the high dais, adjusted his black hat, and waved his hand, signaling the clerk to present the results.

This man was the magistrate of Tianqing County, Mi Ke.

A second-rank scholar from the Tianjian second year.

Although he ranked high in the imperial exams, due to his humble background, Mi Ke had been stuck as the magistrate of Tianqing County for over a decade. From his initial enthusiasm to achieve something, he now only sought to avoid mistakes. Mi Ke epitomized the mindset of most low-level officials in the Daliang Dynasty.

Being a local official in the Daliang Dynasty, especially in a remote place, the biggest problem was the occasional appearance of monsters. At first, Mi Ke was always on edge, fearing that he might be eaten by a monster one day. But after Chen Chao took over as the garrison commander three years ago, his life became much easier. With Chen Chao around, no monsters dared to appear in Tianqing County, making his job as a local official much more comfortable.

Knowing he had little chance of advancing, Mi Ke didn't bother the common people. Under his governance, Tianqing County was one of the few peaceful places in the Daliang Dynasty, and his reputation in the county was quite good.

But looking at the conclusion of the coroner, Mi Ke's brows furrowed.

"Did the Chen couple really have no enemies?"

Mi Ke turned to the chief clerk, his face stern.

The chief clerk, surnamed Zhang, was not tall but had a full beard, not looking like a scholar. As the chief clerk, he was in charge of documents and seals, the second most important person in the county after the magistrate.

Zhang chief clerk smiled bitterly and nodded, "Your Excellency, the Chen couple had a good reputation, very kind, and the neighbors praised them highly. They had no enemies."

Mi Ke nodded, not contradicting him. This result was already expected.

"Your Excellency, the coroner..."

Zhang chief clerk looked at Mi Ke.

He also wanted to know the cause of death of the couple.

"There's nothing. After the autopsy, nothing was found."

Mi Ke handed the coroner's conclusion to Zhang chief clerk and muttered to himself, "No marks on the neck, if they died of suffocation, it shouldn't look like this. Could it be a ghost?"

Zhang chief clerk took the paper and read it, but found no useful clues. They had seen the scene before; the couple died in their bed, with no signs of struggle, as if they had died in their sleep.

If it were just one person, it could be a sudden illness, but both died in the same way, which was truly puzzling.

Mi Ke, frustrated, was pulling at his already thin hair when he heard hurried footsteps outside. Soon, another clerk ran into the hall, panicked, "Your Excellency, someone died! Died!"

Died? Did I die?

Mi Ke looked up, angry, "Nonsense, I'm alive and well. Who died?!"

The clerk came to the front of the hall, panting heavily, and seeing his superior angry, quickly said, "Your Excellency, someone else died, the same way as the Chen couple!"

Before Mi Ke could speak, Zhang chief clerk asked, "Really?"

The clerk nodded rapidly, worried, "Still on Changyuan Street, the butcher Zhang died, we won't have any meat!"

"Rubbish, what are you talking about?"

Mi Ke scolded immediately but then realized the situation was serious. He looked at Zhang chief clerk, "Let's go see."

Zhang chief clerk nodded and rolled up his sleeves, picking up the knife under the table.

As they were about to leave the hall, Mi Ke suddenly remembered something and instructed the clerk, "Go to Peach Blossom Lane and invite Chen... the garrison commander to come directly to Changyuan Street!"

As the magistrate, Mi Ke was quite capable. He had already sensed that these two murders were not simple and might be the work of a monster. If it involved a monster, it was best to have Chen Chao handle it.

"What if the garrison commander doesn't want to come in the middle of the night?"

The clerk was hesitant. Although the magistrate was the head of the county, the garrison commander was of the same rank and could not be ordered. Moreover, there was no concrete evidence that the murders were caused by a monster, so it was reasonable for the garrison commander not to come.

"Just go and invite him, say you suspect a monster. He won't refuse."

Mi Ke wasn't worried that Chen Chao would refuse.

Because the more monsters, the more excited he would be.