NOVEL WEB Chapter 45: You Didn't Used to Call Me That!
Chapter 45: You Didn’t Used to Call Me That!
Someone once said that two men and one woman is the gender combination that produces the most stories.
Especially when the woman is very beautiful.
The horse-drawn carriage with the Mirror Division’s tiger flag was galloping on the official road, and the atmosphere inside the carriage was somewhat awkward.
Zhou Cheng looked at Xu Qingwan, then at Wei Changtian, and scratched his head with some embarrassment.
“Well, this time’s task… is quite easy.”
“…”
Neither of them spoke, especially Wei Changtian, who didn’t know what to say.
Although Kong Changgui had just said that this time was mainly to let them get familiar with the work process and rhythm.
But three silver leaves going up against a group of wild chickens… was a bit ridiculous.
It was likely that if they went late, the villagers would have already killed all the wild chicken demons.
Sigh…
Just as Wei Changtian was about to change the subject, Zhou Cheng suddenly remembered something and his face lit up with excitement.
“By the way, Brother Wei, I heard about you composing a poem on the flower boat last night!”
“Huh? It spread that quickly?” Wei Changtian was a bit surprised.
“It’s not like that.”
Zhou Cheng laughed and clapped his hands: “I heard it from my younger brother this morning.”
“He usually likes to hang out with those bookworms, and this morning, he was muttering ‘wanting clothes’ or something.”
“I thought he wanted to buy new clothes, so I asked him, and it turned out it was your poem, Brother Wei.”
“It’s said that all the scholars in the capital are now spreading your poem!”
“…”
Wei Changtian thought to himself that it was impressive that the news could spread so quickly without social media.
Just thinking about becoming famous in the Great Peace poetry circle, with people stepping on poetry saints and punching poetry immortals… made him feel a bit proud.
“Brother Zhou, it’s just a poem, not worth mentioning.”
“Writing poetry can’t fill your stomach, and besides maybe getting free entry to the brothels, there’s no other benefit.”
“!!”
Zhou Cheng was initially fine, but when he heard that he might not need to pay for brothels, he suddenly felt envious and admiring: “Amazing, Brother Wei! As a martial artist, I don’t understand poetry, but I know that being able to make the courtesans look at you with a twinkle in their eyes is a remarkable ability.”
He leaned in, his face full of expectation, and asked: “Brother Wei, what’s the taste of that Maiden Luishi?”
“Heh!”
Wei Changtian waved his hand: “It’s nothing special, just a bit prettier than ordinary women.”
“How pretty is she? Is she more beautiful than General Xu?”
“General Xu?”
Wei Changtian’s heart skipped a beat, and his face froze.
He awkwardly turned to look at Xu Qingwan, who was also looking at him calmly.
Her thin lips opened slightly, her tone calm and unruffled.
“The courtesan? Didn’t you go drinking with her yesterday?”
“Uh, I just… went drinking with the courtesan…”
“Oh.”
Xu Qingwan closed her eyes and didn’t speak again, while Zhou Cheng saw the two of them like this and didn’t understand the situation.
He hesitated for a moment, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he whispered again:
“Brother Wei, please tell me more about the experience.”
“I’m definitely not lucky enough to have that kind of experience, but you can just let me live vicariously through you.”
“By listening to you, I can also imagine what it’s like to ride that courtesan…”
Wei Changtian: “…???”
…
Shanyang County was the farthest attached county from the capital, with a large mountain called “Wanglong” behind it, which was said to offer a glimpse of the capital from its peak.
Wei Changtian and the others set off in the afternoon and arrived at the Shanyang County government office at dusk.
After the horse-drawn carriage stopped, Zhou Cheng jumped out first, taking two deep breaths of fresh air.
The atmosphere on the way was too oppressive, and it had almost suffocated him.
Meanwhile, Wei Changtian looked at Xu Qingwan, who had her eyes closed, and finally reminded her, “General Xu, we’ve arrived.”
Her beautiful eyes slowly opened, and Xu Qingwan glanced at him before getting off the carriage, leaving behind only one sentence.
“You used to call me Miss Xu.”
“……”
The vinegar taste was too strong.
Shaking his head, Wei Changtian was the last to get off the carriage, while Zhou Cheng had already started chatting with two tall and short constables from Shanyang County.
When they saw Wei Changtian come out, they hurriedly introduced themselves: “You two, this is General Wei, the son of the commander of the Mirror Division.”
“Wei, Young Master Wei?”
The two constables’ smiles gradually disappeared, and from the movement of their legs, it seemed like they were about to kneel down and pay their respects.
Damn, his notorious reputation was indeed fearsome.
Wei Changtian quickly stepped forward, laughing and clasping his hands together: “No need for formalities, brothers. We’re all just doing our jobs.”
“Let’s hurry up and discuss the case.”
“……”
The two constables were taken aback, seemingly thinking that Wei Changtian was different from the rumors.
However, they quickly reacted and nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, yes, Young Master Wei, ah, and the two of you, please…”
“I’ll go report to the county magistrate immediately, please wait for a moment…”
“……”
Wei Changtian thought it was a bit too much trouble, but they still had to see the county magistrate about this small case. If they continued like this, it would probably become a free vacation.
Wei Changtian felt a bit helpless, Zhou Cheng was secretly delighted, and Xu Qingwan remained unmoved.
The three of them entered the county government’s reception hall and sat for a while before meeting the county magistrate of Shanyang County.
The county magistrate, who spoke with a southern accent, was very direct. As soon as he entered, he wanted to take the three of them out to eat, but eventually agreed to discuss the case first after Wei Changtian’s insistence.
“The three of you, according to the villagers’ reports, these chicken demons have appeared for several months, but they didn’t harm anyone before, so they thought they were just larger-than-usual wild animals and didn’t pay much attention,” the tall and thin bailiff said, continuing to report.
“However, a few days ago, a boy in the village was pecked blind by a chicken demon, and a man was also pecked while taking a nap in the fields. That’s when the villagers realized something was wrong…”
“The villagers took the initiative to surround and kill the demons, killing two of them, and the rest escaped…”
“Both of the dead chicken demons’ heads had a demon core the size of a fingernail, so we estimate that they were not more than five years old…”
The report was quickly finished.
The situation was basically the same as what was written in the case files, without any major discrepancies.
However, Wei Changtian had a question.
“Why didn’t the villagers report to the authorities as soon as they discovered the chickens had become demons? Why did they try to kill them first?”
The tall bailiff looked embarrassed, and the county magistrate, who was waiting on the side, took over to explain:
“You don’t know, Lord Wei.”
“Although it’s the law to report demonic creatures immediately, in reality, if the demon’s cultivation is not deep, most people won’t report it.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s because of the demon core.”
The county magistrate replied, “If you report it, the demon core will belong to the government, but if you don’t report it and secretly kill the demon, the demon core will be yours.”
“Take this case, for example. Although the demon core is small, it can still be exchanged for a few silver coins.”
Wei Changtian asked again, “Don’t they fear that killing the demon might not succeed and they might lose their lives?”
“Of course, they’re afraid, but…”
The county magistrate sighed and stopped talking, and Wei Changtian understood his meaning.
Sometimes, a human life might not be worth a few silver coins.