Village Chief Liang had a bustling household, but out of courtesy to their distinguished guest, everyone else had been shooed into the kitchen. Only He Lingchuan, Village Chief Liang, and Bailiff Zhou sat at the massive square table.
As for Shan Youjun and the other personal guards, food had been arranged for them in the kitchen as well.
The rock wolf had been given a whole live duck, and even the monkey received two pieces of fruit.
He Lingchuan's conduct was a textbook example of freeloading off prominent locals. Not only did he expect to be fed, but the village had to provide for his men as well—a routine habit among rural officials. In good harvest years, wealthy rural households didn't mind; they even took pride in it.
The moment he sat down, he smiled. "One look and anyone can tell Village Chief Liang knows how to entertain."
A large basin of goose stewed with potatoes was set upon the table. Glossy dark with a golden sheen, it had a layer of rich fat half a finger thick, and the goose meat was piled so high the bowl seemed ready to burst. The other plates held fish, stir-fried dried bitter greens, shredded bamboo shoots, and pickled beans—humble farmhouse dishes, unrefined yet hearty.
Village Chief Liang personally used his chopsticks to place a piece of goose into He Lingchuan's bowl. "This is a domestic goose we raised for two full years, weighing a solid eight jin! Try it, it's fragrant as can be!"
He Lingchuan adapted to the local ways, putting on none of the airs of a pampered scion. He took a bite of meat, chased it with a sip of the village chief's homebrewed rice wine, and chatted animatedly with the other two men. Hearing amusing anecdotes from the countryside, he even slapped the table in laughter, as though their previous standoff had never taken place.
The village chief's family had originally been eavesdropping from the side. Seeing how harmonious the mood appeared, they gradually let down their guard.
After all, he was a man of the officialdom, with a name and a recognized pedigree. Could he really turn violent and hurt someone in the middle of a meal?
Surely not?
After three rounds of wine, Lingguang the medicine ape, perched upon the windowsill, let out two soft chirps.
To He Lingchuan's ears, this signal meant only one thing:
There was no one left nearby.
The rock wolf had finished gnawing on its duck and padded over, sprawling out in the courtyard just outside the dining hall to groom its fur.
With such a massive monster looming right there, how could any villager dare approach? At most, they lingered outside the courtyard, watching from a distance.
Just as Village Chief Liang was naively assuming that the wealthy young master, having been treated to good food and wine, no longer intended to cause trouble, He Lingchuan patted him on the shoulder again. "A person's character at three reveals their entire life. Your grandson has striking features; he's bound to accomplish great things when he grows up."
"May your auspicious words come true." Before Village Chief Liang could even manage a proper smile, the next sentence followed immediately:
"He looks remarkably like you."
Village Chief Liang's smile froze. "What?"
"Your grandson. It's as though the two of you were cast from the very same mold—those eyes, those brows, that mouth."
"He's my grandson, of course he looks like me."
"That isn't always how it works." He Lingchuan chewed on the goose meat, unhurried. "Your son is in the outer room, isn't he? To me, your grandson resembles you far more than he resembles him."
The hand Village Chief Liang used to hold his wine cup trembled slightly. Forcing himself to stay calm, he said, "Young Master He, that remark is utterly out of line. What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Want to lay all our cards on the table?" He Lingchuan dragged his chair closer, leaning in and whispering, "What I'm saying is, you only have two grandsons, yet you have three sons."
With a sharp clatter, Village Chief Liang set his cup down. "What do you mean by that?"
"Shh—" He Lingchuan raised a finger to his lips. "Keep it down. Don't let your family hear."
He put heavy emphasis on the word "family."
Bailiff Zhou was utterly bewildered, his fingers twitching behind his back as he tried to tally the numbers.
Didn't Village Chief Liang have two sons and three grandsons?
Could Young Master He possibly mean...?
No way... surely not?
"Liang Su is the whelp you sired with your third daughter-in-law." He Lingchuan gave a wanton smirk. "You dirty old goat, did you enjoy that delicious pleasure right in your own house, or did you roll around with her out in the fields? Does your son know just how tall a green hat you've fitted onto his head?"
Village Chief Liang had never heard the phrase "green hat" before, nor did he have time to ponder it. The muscles on his face twisted together in agony. "Young Master He, you're spouting slander! You're destroying my reputation!"
He instinctively moved to slam the table, but caught himself.
"Cut the crap. The way your third daughter-in-law looked at you was dripping with longing. Tsk, tsk, nothing like the way she looks at that blockhead of a husband." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder again. "We're both men here. Who wouldn't recognize an illicit affair?"
Village Chief Liang dipped his shoulder to shrug off his hand, flushing with fury. "Where's your proof? Without proof, you're talking utter nonsense!"
Though his outrage was unmistakable, he did not shout. Instead, he kept his voice tightly suppressed.
He Lingchuan gave a slight wave. From somewhere unseen, Lingguang the medicine ape brought out a bowl and placed it on the table. It was filled with clear water.
From his robes, He Lingchuan produced two silver needles, each affixed to a translucent soft bulb at its base.
These were tools Lingguang used for administering medicinal moxibustion, requisitioned by He Lingchuan for the moment.
He Lingchuan squeezed one bulb, and the fresh blood within dripped into the bowl. Instead of diffusing, it sank to the bottom and condensed into a tight sphere.
He squeezed the other bulb to release a second drop, then gently swirled the base of the bowl.
All three men watched as the two droplets at the bottom met and swiftly merged into one.
Village Chief Liang's expression changed completely; he understood what this meant.
Earlier, he had felt a slight, numb prick on his arm, but had dismissed it as a mosquito bite. So this scoundrel had ambushed him then!
He Lingchuan said, "This is the blood of your 'third grandson,' Liang Su. My apologies, I took the liberty of pricking him with a needle earlier."
Village Chief Liang and Bailiff Zhou finally realized why the child had burst into wails earlier.
"And the other needle held your blood," He Lingchuan continued softly. "Liang Su's blood merged perfectly with yours, proving you share the same bloodline. This is proof. What else do you have to say?"
Shocked and infuriated, Village Chief Liang hissed in a hurried whisper, "Who knows what drugs you put in that water!"
He Lingchuan glanced sideways at him. "Do you admit it or not?"
"Admit my ass!" Village Chief Liang spat a curse. "I am clean, and my third daughter-in-law is clean!"
He Lingchuan chuckled. "Right, clean together."
Bailiff Zhou sat beside them, mouth agape, thinking this trip had been well worth the trouble.
"If you won't admit it, I'll summon every elder and villager right now and run the test again." He Lingchuan shrugged. "If you disagree, that's fine too. We can debate it in front of them all."
Village Chief Liang's dark face, flushed red from wine just moments ago, had drained completely pale. Beads of sweat broke out relentlessly on the tip of his nose.
If this vile young master gathered the entire village to bring up such a matter, he wouldn't even need to conduct the test. As village chief, father, and grandfather, Liang would already be thoroughly ruined!
If the test succeeded, his reputation would be obliterated. Even if it failed, whispers and rumors would follow him, never to be wiped clean in this lifetime.
How would his son look at him? How would the villagers look at him?
Could he still hold onto his position as village chief?
Having said his piece, He Lingchuan lifted the wine jar and poured another cup for the three of them. Bailiff Zhou didn't touch his, entirely preoccupied with savoring Village Chief Liang's dumbstruck stupor.
This village chief usually held himself in far too high regard, showing scant courtesy to rural officials. Now his retribution had arrived.
After a moment, seeing that Village Chief Liang still hadn't uttered a sound, Bailiff Zhou couldn't help chiming in. "Village Chief, it's only a few land deeds. Stamp the village seal and be done with it. Why make things unpleasant for everyone?"
Only then did Village Chief Liang's eyes shift, turning toward He Lingchuan. "As long as I agree to stamp them, you won't spread a word of this? You won't leak it?"
"Naturally," He Lingchuan smiled. "A place like Shuangyu Village isn't somewhere I'd ever visit if not for this assignment. We share no past grudges or enmity; why would I go out of my way to make trouble for you, Chief?"
Village Chief Liang turned to Bailiff Zhou, who patted his chest in assurance before the chief could even ask. "I'll keep it completely secret. Not a single word will cross my lips for the rest of my life. Rest easy, Village Chief!"
Village Chief Liang fell silent for a long time. Then he rose, went into the inner room, brought back a cloth bundle, and sat back down.
"Where are the deeds? Bring them out."
Inside the bundle was a seal. He blew a breath of warm air onto it, then pressed it firmly down upon the land deeds.
According to local custom, only with this stamp could the buyer of subsoil rights in Shuangyu Village approach the tenant farmers to collect rent.
Bailiff Zhou inspected each deed thoroughly. Seeing the impressions were valid and clear, he let out a sigh of relief, nodded to He Lingchuan, and carefully tucked them away.
As for how Village Chief Liang would explain this to the village elders and inhabitants, He Lingchuan couldn't care less. A tongue was flexible enough to say anything; if Liang lacked that much ability, how could he have become village chief at such a relatively young age?
He Lingchuan asked again, "Has Elder Liang of Chuanyun Pavilion returned?"
Village Chief Liang's face stiffened. "He returned yesterday."
"And he went up to the prefectural capital today," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "To plead on your behalf, I presume?"
Village Chief Liang remained silent.
He Lingchuan wiped his mouth. "Mission accomplished. I won't disturb you any longer."
Shuangyu Village had refused to follow official procedure, insisting on their own parochial rules. If so, they could hardly blame him for taking an unorthodox route.
Countering crookedness with crookedness, fighting negative with negative—that was how proper results were achieved.
Just as he was about to stand, Village Chief Liang suddenly spoke: "Where... where did you hear about this?"
He Lingchuan stared at him for a long while, until the chief's skin began to crawl. Only then did the young master reply, "You're better off not knowing."
"Please make it clear!" Village Chief Liang insisted. "Otherwise, when Elder Liang returns, I'll tell him you got me drunk and coerced me into stamping."
He Lingchuan chuckled. He gave a beckoning wave, and Lingguang the medicine ape hopped onto his shoulder, settling down comfortably.
Stroking the monkey's head, He Lingchuan said to Village Chief Liang, "This monkey of mine was born with a pair of yin-yang eyes, capable of seeing what ordinary people cannot. Earlier, when we were discussing matters in the village hall, there was a well beneath the eaves outside. A boy of seven or eight sat beside it. He wept to my monkey, saying you drowned him in the river with your own hands."
Village Chief Liang froze. His mouth opened, but no sound came out, like a gasping fish.
Indeed, when Young Master He had approached the village hall earlier, he had paused briefly outside the entrance.
It took a long time for Liang to find his voice, and when he did, it was terrifyingly raspy. "What did you say?"
"I said, that child wept to my monkey..."
Just as He Lingchuan was about to repeat himself, Village Chief Liang cut him off: "What did the child look like?"
"Skinny and small, with sparse hair, wearing yellow clothes that he said his mother bought him before the New Year." He Lingchuan leaned in and whispered, "Oh, and when you drowned him, he kicked off one of his shoes. He wants you to give his shoe back."
Village Chief Liang sucked in a sharp breath, letting out a strangled, broken wheeze as if someone had clamped a hand around his throat. All the wine he had consumed seemed to pour out as sweat.
Or perhaps it turned into something else entirely.
"Is... is it still by the well?" The village chief didn't dare glance toward the doorway, asking only the medicine ape, his voice trembling violently.
Lingguang shook its head.
"It's high noon; why would such things wander about outside?" He Lingchuan said casually. "It's most likely hidden inside the well. There's water in there, isn't there?"
Village Chief Liang nodded numbly.
He Lingchuan stood up, gave his shoulder another heavy pat, and said with solemn earnestness, "Take care!"
Village Chief Liang lunged forward, grabbing his arm like a drowning man clutching at a straw. "What... what should I do?"
Chapter 242