Chapter 41 Bringing them both back to the Mirror Bureau

When Achan saw Bai Xiuming, she gasped and wondered to herself, "Why is this person here?"

She rushed downstairs and immediately saw Hui Niang, who was holding a plate of egg dumplings and being blocked by a knife.

"What are you doing, sir?" Achan asked, feigning confusion.

"you do not know?"

"What do I need to know?" Achan asked innocently. "Huiniang is my new cook. Is there a problem?"

"Since you don't know, then forget it." Bai Xiuming smiled in his alluring peach blossom eyes, but the words he uttered were extremely cruel. "Feng Yang, cut off this zombie's head, write down her crimes, and pretend she was human to murder Miss Ji."

Before Feng Yang could respond, A Chan hurriedly interrupted, "Wait, I understand."

"Now you know? Taking in a living corpse, Ji Chan, you've got some nerve."

Ah Chan immediately softened her tone, saying, "My lord, Hui Niang was murdered for no reason. Instead of dying, she became a living corpse. I took her in because I felt sorry for her. Besides, she has never harmed anyone and has not bothered anyone else."

"Only dead living corpses pose no threat to people."

Achan's eyes reddened, and she stubbornly said, "But she has never harmed anyone."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Ah Chan sniffed and said in a muffled voice, "Some people can raise half-demons in the city, so what's wrong with me raising a living corpse? I haven't done anything immoral!"

Bai Xiuming almost laughed out of anger at her; she, on the other hand, was quite self-righteous.

"Who told you that you can keep half-demons in the city?"

Achan looked at Feng Yang, who was secretly moving to the side and immediately froze. Seeing the cold look in his master's eyes, he had no choice but to admit, "It was your subordinate who said it."

“If nobles can raise children, why can’t I? I’m not uglier than them.” The more Achan talked, the more she felt she made sense.

"They can kill a half-demon with a single slap, can you?" Bai Xiuming's voice was low and threatening.

Achan raised her little face, her aura no less imposing: "Then if I can be slapped to death by a half-demon, wouldn't I need Huiniang to protect me even more?"

Feng Yang nodded silently; it sounded very reasonable.

Seeing that Bai Xiuming remained silent, Achan pressed on: "My lord, please spare Huiniang for the sake of the great favor I did for you before, okay?"

"I remember that our transaction has already ended."

Achan immediately looked hurt: "Even without a transaction, we still have a relationship, right? Doesn't the master have any regard for us at all?"

What relationship do you have with me?

Ah Chan turned her head away, tears streaming down her face. Between sobs, she said, "I thought I was very familiar with you, but it turns out I was just being delusional. You and I aren't familiar at all."

Bai Xiuming gets a headache whenever he sees her cry, and can't help but say, "Don't you know any other tricks besides crying?"

"So what if I cry? We're not even close, so it's none of your business how I cry. Yesterday, some people came to vandalize the shop, and it was Hui Niang who saved me. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be here alive. Anyway, I'm only alive today and there's no tomorrow, so I can cry however I want!"

As Achan spoke, she became even more heartbroken, her eyes red and swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks and onto her delicate chin, dripping down her face.

Her words made Bai Xiuming frown slightly. The words of Physician Huang that day came back to mind: compared with ordinary people, she didn't have many days left.

"The rain I begged from the Dragon King couldn't come as fast as your tears."

"Oh, next time someone asks me to pray for rain, I'll charge them half price." Achan was crying so hard that she was incoherent and had no idea what she was saying.

Seeing that she was crying so hard she couldn't breathe, Bai Xiuming sighed, stepped forward and patted her back twice to help her catch her breath, his voice still tense: "She's not human."

"She's much nicer than most people; she even cooks for me."

"She put some corpse poison in your food; you'll die tomorrow."

"Die, it's better than starving to death anyway."

The guards of the Mingjing Division inside the house were originally ready to fight the living corpses and slaughter them, but they found that their commander was arguing with the shop owner.

But doesn't something about the content of this argument sound a bit off?

Feng Yang clicked his tongue twice in his heart, knowing that Miss Ji had a way to deal with their adults. Anyone else who dared to speak like that would have been slapped against the wall long ago.

She was halfway to success the moment she said she wanted to raise living corpses without angering the adults.

"You can't bear to part with her?"

"Mmm." Sensing that Bai Xiuming's attitude seemed to have softened, Achan nodded frantically, "I want to be with her."

"Alright." Bai Xiuming's lips curled down slightly. "Someone, take both of them back to the Mingjing Division."

"Huh?" Ah Chan was stunned.

The group of Mingjing Guards who were watching the commotion dared not delay after receiving the order. One group escorted Chen Hui, while the other two carefully helped Achan out of the room.

"What are you looking at?" Bai Xiuming glanced at Feng Yang as he craned his neck to look outside.

"Miss Ji was crying so hard just now, won't she catch a cold if she goes outside and gets chilled in the wind?"

"Is it related to you?"

"That's alright." Feng Yang muttered to himself, if you really make someone sick, you'll have to call the imperial physician.

Bai Xiuming ignored him and walked out with a cold face.

Chen Hui was bound to a dragon-blood horse and did not say a word from beginning to end. She already knew what kind of place the Mingjing Division was, and how anyone who went in could not come out alive.

She didn't care, since he was already dead anyway, but Ah Chan had been obsessed with this person for so long because of her, and yet he had also been arrested, which made her uneasy.

On the contrary, Achan adapted well. She didn't need anyone to tie her up and climbed onto the back of the tallest dragon-blood horse in the group on her own. The horse pawed its hooves but didn't throw her off.

As soon as Bai Xiuming stepped outside, he saw Ji Chan, who had stolen his horse. Her petite body sat on the horse's back, swaying precariously.

Feng Yang, who followed behind, also saw this scene as he followed his master's gaze, and tentatively asked, "Sir, should I get Miss Ji a different horse?"

Bai Xiuming didn't say anything, but went to his horse and mounted it.

The Mingjing Guards arrived and left quickly, and the shop owners in the surrounding area had no idea what had happened before they rode away.

Achan had ridden Bai Xiuming's horse before, but at that time he was leading the horse and the speed was very slow. She didn't know that the Dragon Blood Horse could run so fast.

In no time, her hair was all over her face.

Achan struggled with her hair for a while before finally giving up, suspecting that Bai Xiuming was secretly taking revenge on her.

Soon, the group returned to the Mingjing Bureau.

Chen Hui was taken away directly, but no one paid any attention to A Chan.

She watched Bai Xiuming walk towards the inner hall of the yamen, hesitated for a moment, and then followed him.

After Bai Xiuming entered the inner hall, he didn't even glance at A Chan and went straight to reading official documents. A Chan first found a chair furthest away from him and sat down, but after a while, she felt the chair was too cold, so she moved to the chair in front of her.

After trying out each seat, she successfully moved herself right under Bai Xiuming's nose.

"My lord, I want some water." Achan was a little dehydrated from crying and was now thirsty.

But in this room, only a teapot was placed on the desk in front of Bai Xiuming.

Bai Xiuming lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.

"Can't I drink water?" Achan asked pitifully.

Rather than asking for water, she was testing Bai Xiuming's current level of anger.

Bai Xiuming picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. The tea in the pot had gone cold, and no one had come to replace it.

Seeing that he actually poured her water, Achan was a little surprised. Could it be that he wasn't actually that angry? Maybe they could talk about Huiniang's matter again.

She got up and went to the desk, about to pick up a teacup, but Bai Xiuming stopped her and handed her the teacup.

This unnecessary action startled Achan. She had just picked up the teacup when she immediately put it down again, burning her hand.

This person actually used their inner energy to heat the tea! How can someone be so vengeful!

"Not drinking anymore?" Bai Xiuming asked.

"I'm not drinking anymore." Achan sat back down, her eyes fixed on Bai Xiuming, but her mind was racing. Had she been using the tactic of feigning weakness too often? It didn't seem to be working very well today.

Perhaps I should consider something else to win him over? But what does he need?

Just then, an unfamiliar commander walked in and whispered something in Bai Xiuming's ear.

As Bai Xiuming listened to the man speak, he looked up at A Chan.

After the commander finished speaking, he said in a low voice, "Understood. Have someone prepare the contract."

"Yes." The commander accepted the order and left.

To show she wasn't eavesdropping, Achan was intently fiddling with her fingers when she heard Bai Xiuming ask, "Did you perform the embalming on that zombie?"

"How did you know?" Achan asked in surprise, then became somewhat wary. "You tortured Huiniang?"

"She is a living corpse, she has no sense of pain."

Ah Chan remained silent, thinking to herself, "Who knows what despicable methods you used?"

Bai Xiuming continued, "She doesn't want to implicate you, so she'll answer whatever she's asked. And you, what do you have to say to me?"

"Yes, is it really impossible for me to support her?" Achan asked earnestly.

After staring at Bai Xiuming for a moment, she looked away and compromised, "Alright, I did the preservation for her. I can teach you my exclusive preservation technique for free."

What would I need this technology for?

Ah Chan thought for a moment: "We can smoke the chicken, duck, fish and meat at home, and they'll still be fresh next year. Don't you adults really want such an amazing technology?"

"Alright, once I've learned it, I'll fumigate you so that you'll still be a fresh corpse next year."

"...Sir, let's talk this out."

Achan curled her lip and muttered to herself, "Using corpses to threaten people all the time, how petty."

Bai Xiu asked, "Do you know how Chen Hui died?"

"I heard her say that she was bitten to death by living corpses released by Lord Yan Liru's wife and son," Achan replied.

"What a coincidence, Madam Yan and her son have both died recently," Bai Xiuming said meaningfully.

Achan's eyes lit up: "I know that. Madam Yan was killed by her lover."

She had an expression that said, "If Bai Xiuming is interested, I can tell him in detail."

Bai Xiuming ignored her eagerness and continued, "What about the death of her son?"

"I don't know, but since Lord Yan didn't report it to the authorities, I suppose he died in an accident," Achan said casually.

"What about Yan Liru's infection with corpse poison?"

"Ah, Lord Yan has actually been poisoned by corpse poison?" Achan asked in surprise. "Could it be that his wife is dissatisfied with him and secretly poisoned him?"

"That's right, we checked each other's statements?" It was exactly the same as what Chen Hui said.

"What are you saying, sir?" Achan smiled shyly.

"Ji Chan." Bai Xiuming suddenly called her name.

"I'm here." Achan looked up at him. "What else do you want to ask, sir? I will answer whatever I know."

As for whether it's true or false, that's uncertain. There's no rule that being outspoken means telling the whole truth.

"If you want to raise a living corpse, you will be implicated if she does evil."

"I know, Lord Feng told me about it before."

"You'll also be implicated in the trouble she causes."

Achan suddenly realized something, and she stood up abruptly, her face beaming with joy, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes almost sparkling: "You agree to let me raise Huiniang?"

Just then, someone outside announced: "Sir, the contract is ready, and the living corpse has been brought over as well."

"Come in."

Bai Xiuming gave a word, and the door opened. A commander holding a piece of paper walked in with Chen Hui.

Achan turned to look at Chen Hui. The two had only been separated for less than an hour. Chen Hui had no wounds and looked normal, so Achan was slightly relieved.

The commander carefully placed the paper on the table, and Bai Xiuming gestured with his chin towards A Chan: "Come here."

Achan fluttered to his desk like a light little butterfly, not forgetting to turn around and call out to Chen Hui, "Hui Niang, come quickly."

Chen Hui was unaware of what had happened, so she could only listen to her and step forward, but her gaze toward Bai Xiuming still held a strong sense of vigilance.

"Sign it."

Achan picked up a pen and wrote the name Ji Chan on it, then handed the pen to Chen Hui.

Chen Hui belatedly realized what this was. When they were in the shop, A Chan had told this person that some people could raise half-demons, and she wanted to raise one herself.

So, this person agreed?

Her hand trembled slightly as she held the pen, and the name she wrote wasn't as neat as usual. When both names appeared on the paper at the same time, Achan didn't feel anything, but a red mark appeared on Huiniang's forehead.

Achan leaned closer to take a look, and it seemed to be the character "Xia" written in ancient script.

This seems to indicate that their contract is recognized by the Great Xia Dynasty.

Bai Xiuming carefully put away the contract signed by the two of them before saying to Chen Hui, "From today onwards, all your actions will be monitored by the Mingjing Division. If you commit a serious crime, Ji Chan will be punished as well."

Chen Hui turned to look at Ji Chan, who was smiling, and her lips twitched slightly. She said to Bai Xiuming in a serious tone, "I will not commit a crime."

It will also prevent Achan from being implicated.