Chapter 4 My good brother, from this day forward, we'll join forces and fight anyone who dares to rob us...

Lu Bingzheng rushed over after hearing the news, and instead of catching up with old friends, he took out the porters at the scene of the murder and questioned them one by one.

Because the incident happened so suddenly, the porters panicked and only cared about running for their lives. None of them saw what killed their companion, or rather, there was nothing at the scene, and their companion was inexplicably reduced to skin and bones...

After recounting the whole story, one of the porters hesitated for a long time before finally stammering out a guess: "Sir, could this be—could this be—a vengeful ghost seeking revenge?"

Lu Bing lifted his eyelids and stared at the other person.

The porter was somewhat wary of the officials on duty in the government office. When the other party stared at him silently, the porter immediately shrank back and dared not say anything out of turn.

In fact, Lu Bing knew what was going on. It wasn't just the porters who speculated; everyone in the know—the city's residents and the officials in the government offices—shared the same suspicion. Everyone said they'd seen a ghost, that something strange had happened.

About twenty days ago, five such murders occurred in the city in succession. Lu Bing led his men to investigate for more than half a month, but they were still at a loss.

Such a bizarre murder case was unprecedented and unheard of. Anyone would suspect evil spirits, so the county magistrate specially sent someone to Renzu Mountain to invite the Taoist priests who were practicing in the temple.

The Taoist priest didn't know if he had any real skills. Anyway, he had been down the mountain for more than half a month, carrying his magic tools and searching every corner of Beiqu Village. He had also spent several days examining the corpse in the government office, but he couldn't figure out anything at all.

The magistrate asked him, "Is it really caused by evil spirits?"

The Taoist priest, who always maintained the air of a reclusive sage, couldn't utter a word for a long time. Finally, he shook his head with considerable difficulty and uttered a completely useless piece of nonsense: "Hard to say."

I'm truly impressed.

Lu Bing knew that he couldn't rely on this half-baked Taoist priest. Among the people he had some connection with, Zhou Yaren, who lived deep in the palace, was an extraordinary person and was definitely more capable than these scoundrel Taoist priests. Therefore, he specially sent a letter to invite her from Chang'an.

After Lu Bing finished understanding what had happened, he asked Zhou Yaren, "You said you were there at the time, did you notice anything?"

Because Zhou Yaren needed to protect Qin San's safety at the time, she dared not rush forward and had to lead her people to safety first: "I still need to go back to the scene of the incident to investigate and examine those corpses again."

Lu Bing hesitated and said, "Now is probably not the right time."

Zhou Yaren asked in confusion, "Why?"

When the murder occurred, the yamen immediately dispatched officers to the scene. However, one of the officers was killed as soon as he approached the deceased. Lu Bing was about several feet away at the time and witnessed his colleague's gruesome death. But there was no perpetrator or wild animal around, so how could he have died in such a horrifying state?

Lu Bing and the other constables present witnessed it with their own eyes; it was simply unbelievable, they couldn't help but believe it.

Unable to find any clues, everyone speculated at once, arriving at a bizarre conclusion: after each murder, the "vengeful ghost" would hover around the corpse for a while, and anyone who dared to approach would be killed.

Therefore, the government offices had to wait several hours or even a whole night for the "vengeful ghost" to leave before they could collect the body.

It might seem absurd for an official to believe in superstitions, but Lu Bing had an elderly grandmother who burned incense and prayed to Buddha at home every day, a sworn brother who specialized in this practice, and even the current emperor believed in Taoism. Under such an environment, Lu Bing was by no means a staunch atheist.

Therefore, it is better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't. Never act rashly in unknown dangers. We are all born of parents, and whose life is not precious? Except for those who have nowhere else to turn, who doesn't cherish life and fear death?

Lu Bing also had two "ancestors" who looked forward to his coming home for dinner every day—his father and his great-grandmother. They dared not act like a reckless man and risk their lives outside. If they couldn't handle a task, they would seek help from capable people. He himself knew to act within his capabilities and never overestimated himself.

Although there are plenty of talented people out there, Lu Bing didn't trust them, because most of them were just charlatans and troublemakers, and who knew what they were really capable of?

However, Zhou Yaren was different. He was well-known and had assisted the Dali Temple in solving several bizarre cases in the capital, making him famous. Whenever there was a mysterious matter that couldn't be explained by common sense, the Dali Temple would specifically ask Zhou Yaren to handle it, so Lu Bing automatically categorized him as a person of extraordinary talent.

Because of Zhou Yaren's arrival, Lu Bing spoke with more confidence. He straightened his back, casually put an arm around her shoulder, and said like two brothers, "Anyway, no matter who is behind this, from today onwards, we'll join forces and catch people if they're people, and catch ghosts if they're ghosts."

Zhou Yaren didn't respond to his question: "I'll go take a look first."

Lu Bingting hesitated: "Are you really going? You've been traveling for days and just arrived. You're covered in dust and haven't had much rest. It's getting late. Why don't you come home with me first and have a good meal to recharge? We can investigate the case tomorrow..."

Of course, it's necessary to check the scene as soon as possible after a murder has occurred. If we wait until tomorrow, who knows what changes might happen, such as a heavy rain in the middle of the night that could wash away all traces.

Zhou Yaren is a woman of action; she leaves whenever she wants, ignoring the nagging of her family.

“Hey… Yaren…” Lu Bing took two steps to catch up, then turned back and grabbed a subordinate at random, instructing him, “Go to my house and ask my father to prepare a table of food and wine, make sure to prepare a few more hearty dishes, and tell him that we have distinguished guests arriving later.”

The bailiff replied, "Yes, sir."

"The rest of you, come with me first." Lu Bing led his men to catch up with Zhou Yaren quickly. "Wait a minute... slow down, you can't see, don't bump into anything and fall."

Even though he knew that Zhou Yaren had reached a certain level of blindness and could move around like an ordinary person, Lu Bing still couldn't help but nag and remind him every time. After all, no matter how well he could move around, he was still a blind man who couldn't see anything, and he was bound to bump into things.

Lu Bing switched into his overly concerned mother mode: "You don't know this place, so don't wander around on your own. Wait for me to show you the way."

Zhou Yaren, however, said, "I know the way."

Having walked that route once, he remembered it and prepared to return the way he came. But Lu Bingyi grabbed his arm and turned him around, saying, "Don't show off. Come this way, I'll take you to take a shortcut."

Zhou Yaren tapped the other person's heel with her bamboo cane: "If you're going to lead the way, then lead the way properly. Don't drag me along."

Lu Bing didn't let go: "The ground in the alley is uneven, so I have to hold you up."

Zhou Yaren had no choice but to let him pull her.

Lu Bing's mind seemed to slow down by half an hour before he suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Zhou Yaren abruptly: "Wait a minute, why are you the only one here?"

How could that old stubborn man, who keeps such a close watch on his apprentice, possibly let Zhou Yaren leave the capital alone without sending an attendant to escort her?

Zhou Yaren glanced at her indifferently: "Otherwise, who else do you want to bring?"

Lu Bing seemed to understand that look instantly, and exclaimed, "You didn't sneak out, did you?"

Zhou Yaren didn't take it seriously and replied perfunctorily, "Yes."

Lu Bing never dreamed that this guy would defy his master's orders and travel hundreds of miles alone to Bei Qu to help him.

Lu Bing was almost moved to tears, but after trying for a long time, he couldn't muster the affected tears, so he gave up. He slammed his Vajra Hand hard on Zhou Yaren's back, carrying his surging emotions, and roared, "Good brother!"

Zhou Yaren was caught off guard by his sudden move and was knocked off balance by Lu Bing's palm strike. Her chest was shaking, and her left foot slipped off balance, almost causing her to fall on the uneven ground.

"Lu Bing, just talk, why are you hitting me!" His ears were almost deaf. His hearing was not like that of an ordinary person. Even the slightest movement would be magnified several times, let alone Lu Bing's shout from so close by. "Also, how many times have I told you, don't yell at me."

Lu Bing quickly lowered his voice and helped the person steady: "I was wrong, I was wrong. It's just that we haven't seen each other for too long and I forgot for a moment. It's just that I usually yell at people when I catch thieves, so I'm used to it. I'll definitely pay attention next time."

Zhou Yaren was speechless and choked with emotion, continuing to walk forward in silence.

Lu Bing pressed on relentlessly, "But you snuck out, you'll get a beating when you get back, won't you?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

“Why not? It’s because of me.” Lu Bing pondered for a moment and made a decision. “Once this case is closed, I will personally escort you back to the capital. I will take the beating for you.”

Zhou Yaren didn't stand on ceremony with him at all: "Sure."

The other party's quick agreement left Lu Bingzheng speechless. He hesitated for a long time before saying, "Brother, why didn't you refuse?"

Who would refuse to be beaten? He's not a brainless idiot. Zhou Yaren smiled and said casually, "I know you're righteous, I appreciate your kindness."

Lu Bing: "..." He felt like something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After all, he had volunteered to take the punishment for someone else.

Zhou Yaren lowered his eyes, his thin eyelids covering half of his light-colored pupils, as if shrouded in shadow. The smile on his lips gradually faded, and his originally gentle appearance instantly turned cold. He listened to Lu Bing's complaints all the way to the city gate.

"I have already ordered men to cordon off the area outside the city where the murder occurred, and to forbid anyone from approaching it."

Zhou Yaren nodded: "I'll go check the situation first. You all wait here."

Lu Bing reacted incredibly quickly: "That won't do..."

Zhou Yaren interrupted him: "Since you asked me to help, you should do as I say. If there's anything I can do to help you later, I'll take care of you and won't let you be idle."

After hesitating for a while, Lu Bing said as instructed, "Then be careful and call me loudly if you are in any danger."

Zhou Yaren couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth: "You only know a little bit of skill, and I even taught you that."

After saying that, he ran away, covering his ears with his hand. As expected, Lu Bing behind him exploded and howled at the top of his lungs: "You surnamed Zhou, don't look down on me. Your young master Lu has been famous for catching thieves and robbers in Beiqu all these years. It's not because of your mere skills. If you don't believe me, come back and let's have a go. I'll beat you until you beg for mercy!"

Zhou Yaren ignored this stubborn duck and walked towards the desolate wasteland overgrown with withered grass without looking back.

The guard, carrying a red paper lantern, approached Lu Bing, intending to offer it up: "Young Master Lu, it's so dark, shouldn't he carry a lantern?"

Lu Bing was furious and immediately turned his anger towards the guards: "Are you seriously ill? Have you ever seen a blind person who needs to carry a lantern?!"

"Huh?" the guard exclaimed in surprise. "Is he blind?"

Lu Bing was like a firecracker, only allowing the magistrate to set fires: "You're the blind one, your whole family is blind."

The guard said pitifully, "No, I really didn't realize he was blind..." Before he could finish speaking, he was beaten, making the guard scream and yell.

Hearing the commotion behind him, Zhou Yaren shook his head, suddenly feeling a pang of emotion. Back in the capital, surrounded by powerful and influential figures, Lu Bing was someone you couldn't easily offend. He always knew to restrain himself, suppressing his temper, and spending his days fooling around with a bunch of unambitious spendthrifts. He never imagined that now that Lu Bing had returned to Bei Qu, far from the emperor's reach, and was a minor constable, he'd become so arrogant, berating everyone he met.

In fact, Lu Bing was still able to judge the situation clearly. He only dared to show off to his underlings, but when facing his superiors, he would still act like a coward. He called this shameless behavior of bullying the weak and fearing the strong "being pragmatic."

Recognize his shamelessness and opportunism.

A note from the author:

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