Is it good? Or bad?
The three of them returned to the Qu residence happily. Before they even had a meal, Yi Qing and Wu Zi went straight to their rooms to sleep.
While eating alone, Xu Yi listened to Qu Yi's praise: "Thank you so much. Now that the demons are gone from Quhua Town and the river embankment has been repaired, things will only get better and better here in the future. I really don't know how to thank you enough."
Xu Yi, eating the food meant for three people, could only feign politeness and reply, "You're welcome, you're welcome, it's all fate."
"Because you were cleaning the river, the two masters stayed by the riverbank and didn't show themselves. So everyone thought that it was Imperial Censor Chu who brought the money and dealt with the water demon," Qu Yi said very tactfully. "It's just a pity that the people attributed all these credits to Chu He."
"A title?" Xu Yi thought of what the supervisor had told the emperor and said bluntly, "He probably won't get any in the end."
"Oh?" Qu Yi asked in confusion, "Are there other methods later?"
Xu Yi thought to herself: A scheme? It was just a coincidence. She pursed her lips and replied, "You'll find out later."
"Oh..." Qu Yi responded and then took his leave: "Then I won't disturb Miss Xu's meal any longer. Please enjoy your meal."
"Mmm," Xu Yi mumbled with her mouth full of food, then ignored it.
The next morning, when Qing and Wu woke up, Xu Yi told them about it.
Yi Qing glanced at Wu Zi with eyes full of sarcasm, and Wu Zi shook his head and sighed, "That's just how people are."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Wu Zi patted Xu Yi's hair before explaining, "Qu Yi came to tell you that Chu He had stolen all your fame, which meant that he himself hadn't gained any recognition. But then, by some twist of fate, you said that Chu He couldn't get any recognition either, and that's when he left feeling at ease."
"Oh...it's that complicated?"
“In officialdom, political achievements are paramount. Naturally, everyone wants to claim some credit for such a great achievement,” Yi Qing explained. “Even Qu Yi, this good county magistrate, is no exception.”
"Sigh..." Xu Yi sighed, "I really don't know what to say."
“Others have their own karma, we just need to do our own thing,” Wu Zi comforted him. “Don’t worry too much, it will only hinder your spiritual practice.”
"Okay, sure." Xu Yi nodded.
Yi Qing nodded in agreement, cupped his hands in greeting to Wu Zi and Xu Yi, and said, "I have to go back and report. I need to hand the water demon back to the Imperial Observatory as soon as possible."
"Are we leaving already?" Xu Yi asked. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"
"No, no, things can change in the long run. I'd better get going." After saying that, he said to Wu Zi and Xu Yi, "See you again sometime," and then turned and left.
Xu Yi was genuinely surprised by Yi Qing's decisiveness. By the time she realized what had happened, she and Wu Zi had already seen Yi Qing off.
Watching Yi Qing's departing figure, Xu Yi sighed, "It was all too rushed."
"Coming and going in a hurry," Wu Zi pursed his lips. "That's life. Let's go too."
"Now? Aren't you going to say goodbye to Lord Qu?"
"The matter of this place has been settled; there is no need to linger any longer."
“Okay,” Xu Yi, always obedient, nodded and followed Wu Zi.
When the butler came to deliver the meal, he discovered that the masters had all left. He quickly reported this to Master Qu, who waved his hand and said, "Let them go. We don't need them anymore anyway. But make sure you handle Chu He's farewell banquet well. Give him a push so he can fall more gracefully later."
The butler glanced at his master's smiling face, nodded, bowed, and withdrew.
As Xu Yi stepped out of Quhua Town and looked at the brightly lit outlines of Baijia behind her, she was filled with admiration.
Seeing Xu Yi stop and look at Quhua Town, Wu Zi asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Yi turned her gaze back: "Wu Zi, the mortal world is really complicated! Qu Yi is a good official, and Chu He is also a good person, but once they get involved with power and desire, they both become extremely ugly..."
Wu Zi smiled and patted Xu Yi's head: "You can't judge a person by just one part. A good official is part of Qu Yi, and someone who is greedy for power and fame is also part of Qu Yi; there are many other parts that we don't see, which ultimately make up the complex Qu Yi. As long as he is not a bad person and is willing to do things for the people, then he is also a good official."
“I know, I just feel that a person’s goodness is divided into parts, and it doesn’t mean that a person is good in every aspect just because they are good.”
"Yes, you've learned to see the world from a different perspective."
"Are there no pure people in this world?"
Wu Zi hadn't expected Xu Yi to ask that question, so he could only pat her head reassuringly and say, "There should be... such a thing, it's just that we haven't met it yet."
"You didn't meet him?" Xu Yi looked at Wu Zi: "You haven't seen him before, right?"
"Often, not having seen something doesn't mean it doesn't exist... What we can see is always a very small, very limited part."
"Maybe," Xu Yi said, trying to comfort herself. "Where do we go next?"
"We'll just have to see where we end up."
"Hey, let me ask Bai Er and the others if they've done it yet."
As soon as Xu Yi finished speaking, Wu Zi rolled his eyes. By the time Xu Yi called out "Bai Er Bai Er" to the bell, Wu Zi had already impatiently turned away.
"I'm here, Xu Yi."
"Bai Er, have you arrived in the capital? When will you come to find us?"
A faint laugh came from the bell: "We've arrived in the capital, but we might stay a while longer. I'll contact you then."
"Okay, Bai Er, is the capital city fun?"
"It was fun, and I learned a lot of things. I'll show them to you later."
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you. By the way, did you encounter any trouble in the capital?"
"No," Bai Er's smile widened, "I, my brother and I are both fine. I'll tell you what happened when we meet."
"Okay." Xu Yi disconnected the call in a very good mood.
Seeing Wu Zi's back in front, Xu Yi inexplicably felt that Wu Zi was unhappy, so she went over to him in a conciliatory manner and tugged at his sleeve: "Wu Zi, what's wrong?"
"I'm fine," Xu Yi's hand was slapped away by Wu Zi: "Go chat with Bai Er."
"I'm done talking!" Wu Zi had just smiled when he heard Xu Yi say that he was done talking when he heard Xu Yi continue, "Let's go to the capital to find Bai Er and the others."
His lips drooped visibly, and he turned to look at Xu Yi: "You like him that much?"
"Ah...he's such a nice guy, he gave us so many snakeskins!"
“That’s not the kind I’m talking about,” Wu Zi replied.
Now it was Xu Yi's turn to be confused: "Then...which one are you talking about?"
"Forget it," Wu Zi gave up, "I can't explain it to you. Why do you want to go to the capital to find Bai Er and the others?"
“I was trapped in the palace the whole time and never got to see the capital properly. Besides, Bai Er and the others are coming to find us anyway, so why don’t we head to the capital instead? Wouldn’t that be faster?”
"You like him as a friend."
“Yes,” Xu Yi nodded, “Since I came out, I’ve only known Ling Jian and the Bai brothers. Now that Ling Jian is gone, my only friends are the Bai brothers.”
When Wu Zi heard that Xu Yi hadn't mentioned him at all, he became a little anxious: "What about me? Wasn't I the one you met?"
"You? You're different. You're family, not friends."
"Am I family?" Wu Zi felt a little lost.
"Yes, I've been with you since I left the mountain, so you're definitely family."
Xu Yi's matter-of-fact tone made Wu Zi's lips curl up slightly: "Okay, then I'll... go with you to find your friend."
"Okay, okay, let's go now."
After saying that, Xu Yi grabbed Wu Zi's hand and started running quickly, as if they could reach the capital in the next second. Infected by Xu Yi's bouncy and energetic manner, Wu Zi also quickened his pace a few steps...
But how far away is the capital? Many people spend their entire lives without ever getting a foot in it; it's not something you can get there in just a few steps.
Traveling from Quhua Town to the capital via neighboring Yuzhou is closer. Although Yuzhou is not as large as Quzhou, it is closer to the capital, so the journey is much more prosperous, and Xu Yi saw many sights and people she had never seen before.
In Yuzhou, there is a custom of sealing the dead in dry wells, which is meant to protect the mud from fallen flowers. So, while mass burial grounds in other places are mostly flat land or small hills, the mass burial grounds in Yuzhou are densely packed with the edges of dry wells.
Xu Yi had never seen this method before and asked Wu Zi curiously, "Wu Zi, isn't there water in the well? If you put the body in the well, won't the water spoil?"
“They are all buried in dry wells, and nowadays most of them are just building a well rim at the burial site, it’s all just a formality.”
"Oh," Xu Yi nodded, "How peculiar, I wonder why?"
“In Yuzhou, there was once a cultivator who, after his death, specifically instructed his family to bury him in a dry well, sealing it so that there would be no water, no moon, and no human presence. In fact, he was afraid that his corpse would cause a great trouble after his death. However, other ordinary people did not know this and only saw that even cultivators were buried in this way, so the practice of burying bones in dry valleys became popular... This is how Yuzhou came to be a place full of dry wells.”
Xu Yi nodded, then looked at the unsealed well opening next to her and asked, "Wasn't it supposed to be sealed? Why isn't there even a stone slab to cover the well opening?"
Wu Zi chuckled: "The longer a custom is passed down, the more distorted it becomes. The imitations become increasingly sloppy, and in the end, it turns into this incongruous fake."
"Then... won't these people buried in the dry well turn into zombies?"
“No,” Wu Zi tapped Xu Yi’s forehead: “Do you think just anyone can easily turn into a zombie? That senior who was buried in the dry well must have been poisoned by a zombie or experienced some other misfortune before he died, otherwise he wouldn’t have invented such a burial method.”
"Oh," Xu Yi felt much more at ease: "That's good."
Before long, they arrived at Yuwu County. Xu Yi wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the sky in Yuwu County seemed darker than usual. Xu Yi looked at Wu Zi: "Wu Zi, the sky..."
“It needs to be darker.” Wu Zi nodded.
Xu Yi touched her chest: "Why do I feel a little flustered?"
"There seems to be something fishy about this place. Let's be careful."
“Okay,” Xu Yi nodded.
They found an inn on the street and booked a room. At night, the yin energy was very strong. Xu Yi looked at Wu Zi beside her. They walked to the window together and saw a dark ghostly aura slowly rising from the street. It was extremely cold... Even Xu Yi, the ghost, felt the chill. She frowned and looked at Wu Zi: "Wu Zi, this ghostly aura is much stronger than mine."
"Hmm," Wu Zi nodded, "It's quite serious. Try following this ghostly aura to see if you can find the person emitting it."
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