Gold-Ring Poison Bees

Early the next morning, Zhou Wuji woke in a different guest room. He had mentioned nothing to the innkeeper or servants, simply finding an unoccupied room when it came time to sleep and slipping inside. The Zhang family wielded immense power in this territory; neither innkeeper nor server dared cross them. Changing rooms required no effort at all, yet provided a tremendous guarantee of personal safety. Zhou Wuji slipped quietly back into his own room and waited until Wuming came knocking, after which he joined Wuzheng and the others for breakfast. As usual, he ate just a token bite to be polite. That morning, Wuzheng needed to visit the county magistrate at the yamen. The Daoist sects were, after all, supported by the imperial court and bore the duty of quelling demons and subduing monsters; as temple prior, he naturally had to deal with the magistrate. Regardless of how powerful the Pacification Office, the Daoist sects, prominent clans, or river gangs were, the county magistrate remained an imperial court official in the open—the lord of the county. Wuzheng disliked social pleasantries, but calling upon the county magistrate was an unavoidable obligation, and he had to manage the relationship as smoothly as possible. "The magistrate is named Han Yulin, in his early thirties," Zhou Wuji explained. "He has a dignified appearance and knows how to conduct himself. Word has it he belongs to a collateral branch of the Yanbei Han clan. While somewhat greedy for money, he is careful about keeping up appearances, so he isn't a bad person..." Zhou Wuji had dealt with Magistrate Han Yulin before and held a fairly favorable impression of him. In times like these, there was no such thing as an official who was not corrupt; the only difference lay in how and how much they took, and more crucially, whether they possessed the competence to govern their jurisdiction. Han Yulin had mediocre abilities, but he refrained from reckless meddling and minded his manners, so everyone regarded him as a good official. With Zhou Wuji's introduction, Wuzheng breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the man was reasonable to deal with, that was enough. As for which prominent clan the magistrate hailed from, that had little bearing on him. Canglong Temple lay more than twenty li from the county seat. While Wuzheng headed to the yamen, Zhou Wuji led Wuming and the others back to the temple first. The disciples from the various local families had long since fled, leaving only odd-job workers and servants. When the servants saw Zhou Wuji returning with such an entourage, they were both shocked and overjoyed. They were shocked that Zhou Wuji actually dared to return, yet overjoyed that Canglong Temple finally had someone in charge again. Canglong Temple was not small, and its daily expenses were steep. Without a prior presiding over the grounds, a bunch of servants could not have held out for long. Zhou Wuji noticed that Li Ruyi was gone as well, which surprised him a little. It seemed the Li family truly did not dare cross the Zhang family. Even Li Ruyi had chosen to stay far away rather than remain entangled with Canglong Temple. Familiar with the layout, Zhou Wuji called the servants over to help carry their belongings, assigned rooms to everyone, and saw their things settled. The servants held immense respect and even outright awe for Zhou Wuji. They threw themselves into their chores with great zeal, none daring to slack off or cut corners. By noon, everyone was comfortably settled. Taking advantage of the midday lull, Zhou Wuji went to the grand hall to offer incense and pray before the statue of the Northern Emperor. He harbored no devout faith toward the Heavenly Emperor beyond the Nine Heavens; offering incense and prayers was done more for his master's sake. Wuming joined him in offering incense and kneeling, praying for the Heavenly Emperor's blessings and protection. For some reason, kneeling in prayer beside Senior Brother Wuji filled her heart with sweetness, and she could not help feeling that something wonderful was about to happen... "Second Senior Brother..." A cool, crisp voice interrupted Wuming's daydream. She hurried to her feet and turned around, only to see a young woman of seventeen or eighteen walking in briskly. The newcomer had delicate, lovely features and clear, cool eyes. Her hair was bound in a Daoist bun and she wore an azure Daoist robe—evidently a female cultivator. The girl glanced at the striking Wuming, then shifted her gaze directly to Zhou Wuji, who was kneeling in prayer. Zhou Wuji rose unhurriedly and asked softly, "Wuyi, what is it?" The young woman was indeed Li Ruyi. Her bright eyes gazed deeply at Zhou Wuji. After more than twenty days apart, her second senior brother's appearance had not changed, yet his eyes were brighter and more spirited than ever, carrying an indescribably ethereal, extraordinary presence. Li Ruyi fell silent for a moment. This change in him made her feel somewhat distant. "It's only been a few days, and we're already strangers?" Zhou Wuji smiled. "Junior Sister, you helped me tremendously that day, and I've kept that favor in mind all this time. If anything is the matter, speak freely. I will do everything I can." He truly remembered the favor, though he also remembered that Li Xin owed him four hundred taels of silver. He had not gone knocking on Li Xin's door because he hoped the man would be sensible enough to deliver the money of his own accord. If Li Ruyi had brought the silver with her, that would have been even better... Li Ruyi had no idea what Zhou Wuji was thinking. The situation was pressing, her father was away on business, and she could find no one else to turn to for help. Paying no heed to the pretty female Daoist beside them, she said hurriedly, "Second Senior Brother, the Ironclad Guards rounded up over twenty able-bodied men in Laocang Village! They claim they stole armor and weapons, hid them away, and harbored treasonous intentions..." "Oh?" Zhou Wuji was already aware of the matter, though he had not paid it much mind at the time. He knew everyone in Laocang Village was surnamed Li and belonged to the Li clan. Far too many people had died in that incident, and it had blown up completely, unlike what had happened at Baishi Crossing. He would never touch the armor and weapons of rogue soldiers. It was only natural for the villagers of Laocang Village to seize the chance while hauling corpses to make off with valuable clothing and armor. Times were hard, and the villagers lived in bitter poverty; presented with an opportunity to profit off the dead, they certainly would not let it slip by. Zhou Wuji understood those villagers. There was no point in judging it as good or evil; it was merely an unsophisticated choice driven by survival. He simply had not expected Wu Di's heart to be so black that recovering the armor was not enough—he had to detain the people as well. The Pacification Office garrison possessed independent authority to investigate, arrest, detain, and interrogate. When the Pacification Office detained someone, not even the local yamen could intervene. Those villagers hauled off to the garrison were in a perilous plight. After a moment's thought, Zhou Wuji said, "Wu Di just wants money. Your family should pay a sum to buy your peace and avert disaster." Li Ruyi said anxiously, "My father had to leave on business, and my uncles in the family refuse to part with the coin. They say Wu Di is far too greedy. Besides, privately hoarding armor is a capital offense. If our clan gets dragged into this, we'll be stripped down to the bone even if we survive..." Zhou Wuji nodded. Selfish as the Li clan elders might be, their words were not wrong. Wu Di was fierce and insatiable; if the Li family stepped forward to shoulder the matter, there was no telling how much silver it would take to satisfy his appetite. Seeing Zhou Wuji fall silent, Li Ruyi said earnestly, "Those men are the backbones of their households. If anything happens to them, their elderly and young will starve to death. Senior Brother, they are foolish and greedy, but they do not deserve to die!" Wuming, having listened from the side, understood the situation and could not resist pleading, "Senior Brother, they're so pitiful. Please help them..." Zhou Wuji sighed inwardly. Wuming might seem haughty and aloof on the surface, but underneath she was naive and softhearted—not even as clever as Li Ruyi. Li Ruyi said solemnly, "Second Senior Brother, you promised to send me to the lower abbey. I don't want that opportunity anymore. I only beg you to save those villagers." "I will do my best," Zhou Wuji replied. He knew he lacked sufficient standing. As an eighth-rank ordained Daoist, he was a formal disciple within the Arctic Sect, but in the eyes of the imperial court, he did not even possess an official ordination certificate. He had no standing to negotiate terms with Wu Di. This matter would require Wuzheng to step forward. While Wuzheng had yet to return, Zhou Wuji took Li Ruyi and set off for Siming County. He had intended to seek Wuzheng out at the county yamen, but happened to run into him right at the city gate. Zhou Wuji explained the situation. Though Wuzheng had a cold, unbending temperament, his heart was good. He felt the villagers deserved at most a minor reprimand; their crime certainly did not warrant death. Falling into the hands of the Ironclad Guards, however, would likely mean a grim fate. Wuzheng immediately led Zhou Wuji toward the garrison. Li Ruyi had intended to follow, but Zhou Wuji sent her away. The garrison also bore the duty of guarding the county seat, occupying a sprawling expanse in the northern corner of the city alongside a small drill ground. Outside stood a tall wooden palisade, while inside stood rows of single-story brick-and-timber quarters that looked drab and unremarkable. At the main gate, a saber-bearing Ironclad Guard sat idling inside the entryway porch. Seeing visitors approach, he ambled out to meet them. Zhou Wuji knew these lowest-ranking Ironclad Guards were called runners. He stepped forward to explain their purpose. Hearing that they sought the Chief Banner Officer, the runner dared not drag his feet and hurried inside to report. The runner returned shortly and escorted Zhou Wuji and Wuzheng into the garrison. In a spacious hall deep within the compound, Zhou Wuji met Wu Di. The Chief Banner Officer was not wearing his braided coir hat, dressed only in standard iron armor. Smiling broadly, he rose to usher Wuzheng and Zhou Wuji inside. "I was just about to pay my respects to the Daoist Master, yet the Daoist Master has arrived first! Please, have a seat..." Though Wu Di knew full well they had business, he refrained from asking, offering only polite pleasantries. Wuzheng had no patience for such probing and stated flatly, "Chief Banner Officer, we have come on behalf of the villagers from Laocang Village. We ask that you be magnanimous and release them." Wu Di was slightly taken aback. Wuzheng had actually come to stick his neck out for a pack of mud-legged peasants? Even the Li family refused to care, yet this Daoist was so oblivious to reality! Putting on a stern face, Wu Di said, "They stole armor and hid it away with treasonous intent—a grave offense. I hold immense respect for you, Daoist Master, but I cannot neglect public duty for private favors." Hearing Wu Di spout official platitudes, Zhou Wuji knew Wuzheng's face alone carried no weight here. He said in a gentle voice, "Chief Banner Officer, we know this puts you in a difficult position. We will not ask you to help for nothing. Whatever requirements you have, please speak plainly." Wu Di had initially intended to ignore Zhou Wuji. The Li family had money, but what could Zhou Wuji and Wuzheng possibly possess? Besides, even if he named a steep price, neither of them would actually pay it if they could help it. Yet a thought struck him: with Zhou Wuji delivering himself to his door, this was the perfect opportunity to claim that one thousand taels of gold. "My recent martial cultivation injured my lungs," Wu Di said. "I've heard that deep within Red Leaf Ridge dwell gold-ring poison bees. The red blossom honey they brew has miraculous medicinal efficacy. If you can fetch a few jin of it, I can release them..." Wuzheng knew nothing about red blossom honey, so he could only look to Zhou Wuji. Zhou Wuji pondered for a moment before nodding. "We shall do our utmost. Please give us a few days, Chief Banner Officer." "Seven days. Deliver the honey within seven days, and I will release them. Once that deadline passes, the offer expires." Wu Di gave Zhou Wuji a deep, pointed look as he stressed the time limit.