The autumn afternoon sun remained rather scorching, baking oil from the skin and leaving mouths parched.
The corpses piled on the ground were also baked until their stench grew thick.
Squinting his small eyes, Wu Di covered his nose with a handkerchief. Though well-traveled and experienced, this was the first time he had seen so many corpses laid out together.
Several bodies were mangled, presenting a bloody, visceral sight.
A few corpses were even stripped bare. Even if the lower abbey Daoists were greedy for wealth, they would never go to such outrageous lengths; greedy villagers had surely stripped off their clothes and armor, and taken their weapons as well.
Wu Di sneered inwardly. Taking clothes and valuables was one thing, but daring to steal armor and weapons? These unruly rabble truly did not know how to spell "death"!
For now, he had no time to bother with the rabble; he would deal with them later.
Wu Di looked toward Zhang Huai, the patrol inspector from the county yamen. Though this middle-aged man was a Rank Eight official, he spent all day patrolling outdoors, his skin tanned dark until he looked like an old peasant.
Sensing Wu Di's gaze, Zhang Huai bowed his head slightly and cupped his hands respectfully. "Chief Banner, how do you see us handling this matter?"
It was true that he was a Rank Eight official, but Wu Di was a Chief Banner Officer in a garrison under the Pacification Office, holding Rank Seven. Moreover, he possessed the broad authority to inspect local officials; even the county magistrate had to treat him with utmost courtesy. He was certainly not someone a mere patrol inspector could afford to cross.
So many rogue soldiers dead at once, and more than a dozen others slaughtered—this was a massive incident.
Zhang Huai genuinely wanted nothing to do with it, but as patrol inspector—what the common folk called the chief constable—local public order fell under his jurisdiction.
With so many lives lost in Laocang Village, the county magistrate had gotten a massive headache the moment word reached him. This was a grave liability.
As magistrate, if he mishandled this, he might well lose his post or even be cast into prison to face charges.
Under the circumstances, the magistrate dared not offend Wu Di all the more, repeatedly instructing Zhang Huai to defer to Wu Di while sounding out the Chief Banner Officer's attitude.
Hearing the villagers' accounts was one thing, but seeing the pile of bodies laid out in the clearing with his own eyes gave Zhang Huai a profound shock.
If only rogue soldiers had died, it would have been manageable.
The trouble was that an entire villager family had been wiped out, along with fifteen members of the Zhang family's grain transport caravan, totaling around twenty casualties.
Seeing the Zhang family entangled in this, Zhang Huai could not shake the feeling that something was amiss.
He knew his cousin Zhang Xinhu loathed Zhou Wuji, the Daoist from Canglong Temple, to the bone, and Zhou Wuji happened to be right here. The waters ran quite deep...
Wu Di said indifferently, "What else can we do? Follow standard regulations. A major case has occurred; record it truthfully and report it truthfully."
Zhang Huai nodded repeatedly and asked, "How should the corpses be handled?"
"Once the coroner finishes examining them, burn them all to prevent disease or unrest." Wu Di waved a hand, signaling that Zhang Huai could attend to his tasks.
Knowing his place, Zhang Huai bowed, withdrew, and set off with several subordinates to get to work.
Once Zhang Huai was gone, Squad Officer Jin Chuan walked over, bowed, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Chief Banner, I've examined them. There are thirty-three rogue soldiers. The wounds on their bodies are primarily sword cuts. In addition, parts of their flesh and bones are charred black, likely struck by Yin Thunder. There is a master among the lower abbey Daoists."
Not yet thirty and handsome in appearance, Jin Chuan wore the standard iron armor of the Pacification Office with a standard saber at his waist, cutting a valiant and capable figure.
Wu Di nodded slightly. "I've heard Wuzheng from the lower abbey possesses formidable martial arts. And Zhou Wuji slew fourteen rogue soldiers single-handedly with a sword at Baishi Village. Truly worthy of being Yiyuan's disciple—he can be counted a master. Daoist spells are useless, but they possess powerful dharma treasures. It's not surprising they turned the tables on the rogue soldiers."
He instructed further, "Keep proper records, and pick out several of the best suits of armor and sabers to take back. That's all silver!"
Then Wu Di added, "The Zhang family's caravan showed up here. Who would believe there's nothing fishy going on?"
He gave a cold laugh. "Give Zhang Huai a hint. Tell him not to take us for fools."
Jin Chuan hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Zhang Xinhu colluding with rogue soldiers... isn't that..."
"Afraid of what? There are plenty of prominent clans colluding with rogue soldiers; he's hardly the only one. If he knows what's good for him, nothing will happen. If he doesn't, we'll teach him how to behave.
"And the county magistrate—if he stays stingy this time too, cook up some charges against him. The old codger only knows how to hoard money, not how to share it. If so, he can drop dead...
"This village belongs to the Li family, right? Go search out the missing armor and weapons. The rabble have no silver, so have them drag the Li family down with them. If the Li family doesn't feed us our fill, we'll make sure their clan is ruined."
Jin Chuan nodded. The Chief Banner's scheme was simple yet vicious. The prominent families of Siming County were dripping in wealth, and this was the perfect chance to squeeze out a fortune from them.
As for any remaining rogue soldiers, that was not their concern. So long as those soldiers had any brains, they would never actively march into the county seat to seek death.
He glanced toward the courtyard across the way and asked, "What about the Daoists from the lower abbey?"
"The Daoist sects form their own independent sphere, and in this matter, reason is on their side. For now, let's not make trouble for them."
Wu Di frowned slightly as he spoke. He intensely disliked the Daoist sects. Those Daoists held high ranks and great power in the imperial court, yet carried an aloof, noble air.
As the Emperor's personal troops, their Pacification Office could not hold sway over the Daoist sects in the court, which left him deeply resentful.
Yet he also understood that the lower abbey was not something he could touch. Nor was there any need to make an enemy of them.
If Zhang Xinhu were willing to put up enough silver, however, he wouldn't mind helping get rid of Zhou Wuji.
After a moment's thought, Wu Di added, "Since I'm already here, I might as well see Wuzheng."
He had arrived some time ago, yet Wuzheng had not come out to meet him. That displeased him, but he would not make a fuss over it; there was no point.
Jin Chuan followed behind Wu Di into the courtyard. Because Wu Di was short of stature, Jin Chuan took care to maintain a respectful distance while slightly bending his back.
As a subordinate, he knew Wu Di cared deeply about such subtleties and made sure to observe them at all times—a major reason he had earned his superior's favor.
Having received word, Wuzheng came out into the courtyard to welcome Wu Di, bringing Zhou Wuji with him.
Zhou Wuji had met Wu Di back in Siming County, so he stepped forward of his own accord, cupping his hands in greeting. "Chief Banner Officer, thank you for making the journey."
Wu Di looked Zhou Wuji up and down. Having not seen him for a few days, the gentle, handsome young Daoist remained as mild as ever, yet seemed even more striking and clear-spirited.
Beyond that, he could discern no other change in him.
The trouble was that this gentle, handsome Daoist had killed Zhang Xinhu's most gifted son and slaughtered fourteen rogue soldiers at Baishi Crossing.
And in last night's battle, who knew how many more rogue soldiers had fallen by his hand.
Wu Di was thoroughly astonished. Having lived through his share of bloodshed, he knew that anyone who had killed many people inevitably accumulated killing intent; their temperament and even appearance would alter accordingly.
Yet the Zhou Wuji before him was as gentle as water and bright as the autumn sun, just as before, devoid of even a sliver of killing intent.
Wu Di could not tell whether this was the marvel of Daoist divine abilities or some unique skill belonging to the young Daoist himself.
In any case, to endure so much and remain entirely unchanged was impressive.
Wu Di thought somewhat higher of Zhou Wuji in his heart, but no matter how highly he thought of him, the youth was merely a Rank Eight ordained Daoist, far below his master Yiyuan!
A smile squeezed onto his speckled, dark face. "Daoist Zhou, haven't seen you for a few days, and you've already achieved Qi Ingestion. Congratulations, congratulations."
Before Zhou Wuji could utter a modest reply, Wu Di sighed again, "Daoist Yiyuan was in the prime of his life, yet passed away so suddenly. It truly brings grief and regret to one's heart."
With his master mentioned, Zhou Wuji could only cup his hands and bow once more.
Dissatisfied with Wuzheng, Wu Di was deliberately chatting with Zhou Wuji to snub him.
Wuzheng possessed a somewhat cold, unyielding nature along with shrewd restraint, so he stood quietly to the side without rushing to join the conversation.
Seeing that Wu Di harbored petty intentions, Zhou Wuji took the initiative to introduce, "Chief Banner, this is my Senior Brother Wuzheng. From now on, Senior Brother will take charge of Canglong Temple."
Only then did Wu Di leisurely cup his hands. "With Daoist Wuzheng stationed here in Siming County, you are sure to deter all manner of demons and ghosts..."
Disliking Wu Di's conduct immensely, Wuzheng gave a slight nod. "In the days ahead, I must trouble the Chief Banner Officer to look after us."
After a few more words, Wuzheng and Zhou Wuji courteously saw Wu Di out through the gate.
No sooner had the group stepped outside than they saw a troop of riders galloping in from the village entrance.
The lead rider had thick brows and tiger-like eyes, clad in a black robe with a long saber thrust upright into the saddle. He possessed a formidable aura as his horse charged forward—none other than Siming County's number one master, Zhang Xinhu.
Galloping in the lead, Zhang Xinhu caught sight of Wu Di and the others as well. His sharp gaze immediately locked onto Zhou Wuji, his eyes brimming with undisguised murderous intent.
Though several dozen zhang separated them, Zhou Wuji felt his entire body tighten. The immense pressure radiating from Zhang Xinhu exerted a tremendous intimidation over both his body and spirit.
Zhou Wuji was somewhat astonished; Zhang Xinhu was far stronger than he had anticipated.
If the man charged straight over with his saber drawn right now, the situation would be dire indeed...
Chapter 34