Part 4
Shen Yuanzhi was relieved; these unruly people were difficult to deal with. If they refused, he’d have to keep them… He was still apprehensive about going to Linshan at night.
“But I have conditions,” Fan Yue continued calmly.
Shen Yuanzhi’s beard twitched in anger; who was this savage? Demanding conditions from a magistrate!
“You—”
Before he could finish, the magistrate “thudded” to the ground, his legs bent at an exaggerated angle; his mouth opened as if to cry out. But no sound came.
Baixu Ci was startled; reflexively grabbing Fan Yue’s sleeve.
“Wh-what happened to him?”
Fan Yue looked down at the hand on his sleeve, then his gaze moved upward. He calmly stated,
“I did that.”
The magistrate on the ground twitched more violently, his eyes wide with terror.
Baixu Ci shivered, saying fearfully,
“Well done.” A sincere assessment.
Fan Yue looked down at the little demon beside him, his eyes growing more peculiar.
“You don’t sympathize?”
Baixu Ci questioned, puzzled,
“Why should I sympathize?” The magistrate wasn’t entirely wrong, but he wasn’t a good official; he used the Linshan disturbances to enrich himself.
Fan Yue: “But why do you care so much about the farmer family at the foot of the mountain, and your attitude is so different?”
The magistrate on the ground felt extremely wronged. This expert should say what conditions he had; don’t just leave him hanging!
Baixu Ci was confused, pausing for a moment before realizing.
“That’s not comparable,” his tone rose unconsciously, his brows furrowed in puzzlement.
“They are both human; why not?” Fan Yue’s tone was calm.
The magistrate stopped writhing and wailing… He lay still, as if stiff.
Baixu Ci forgot to let go of Fan Yue’s sleeve, arguing,
“It’s different. People have good and bad, so my attitude is different. If someone treats me sincerely, I will treat them sincerely; if someone harms me, I will fight back.”
“That’s why I like Uncle and Aunt Lin, but not this person.” He released his grip, pointing at the magistrate on the ground.
Seeing Fan Yue didn’t respond, Baixu Ci leaned down and poked the magistrate. He was worried.
“Are you okay?”
The magistrate remained still, unable to respond.
Fan Yue looked down at the curled-up little demon; his expression didn’t change much, but he spoke,
“Why use such a complex method of differentiation? Humans are humans; even with slight differences, their essence remains the same.”
“Human nature is evil.”
Baixu Ci: … Was this a debate?
“What does Sir think?” He had to find a view that “the boss” liked…
“Humans are inferior to demons,” Fan Yue stated calmly.
The magistrate’s eyes rolled back, his legs trembling.
Baixu Ci noticed and tried to comfort him, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch him. He looked up.
“Dirty,” Fan Yue explained indifferently.
“Okay.”
The debate ended hastily; the magistrate was restored to normal. It was only a minor punishment; he wouldn’t be killed.
“I beg you, don’t kill me! I have a family!” Shen Yuanzhi cried.
Baixu Ci felt annoyed. And… They weren’t gods; they were demons.
“What conditions do you want? I’ll agree to anything!” Shen Yuanzhi was anxious, afraid these “non-humans” would kill him.
Fan Yue, who had been looking at the little demon, frowned at the interruption. He looked over coldly.
Shen Yuanzhi broke into a cold sweat, not daring to move.
A short time later—
Baixu Ci, holding a whole plate of melon seeds, followed Fan Yue at a small pace. Like a little follower.
“Sir—” Considering they were in the courtyard, he changed his words, “—Brother, why am I carrying a plate of melon seeds?” He sounded puzzled.
They stopped. Fan Yue looked down, slightly puzzled…
“Don’t you like them?”
Baixu Ci tilted his head. Why did the topic change?
“I like them!”
This seemed satisfactory; Fan Yue started walking again.
Shen Yuanzhi, at the back, didn’t dare to breathe, bending low. The servants in the courtyard looked curiously, wondering why their master looked like this… so humble.
In the room—
“Your esteemed guests can stay here; summon anyone you need.”
“Stay as long as you like; no need to be ‘guards.'”
“This humble official will—”
He was about to continue, but Fan Yue waved his hand, and Shen Yuanzhi couldn’t utter a word. His eyes widened, bloodshot.
“Too talkative,” the “guest” said calmly.
Shen Yuanzhi trembled, not daring to look up; his earlier ambition to flatten Linshan vanished. His mind was filled with stories about demons…
“Sir, this is alright? He knows our identities, what do we do?” A somewhat delicate voice.
Shen Yuanzhi’s sweat dripped into his collar. His heart pounded; he was really hearing two demons talk!!
“Can’t kill him, right?” The clearer voice.
Then the sound of munching melon seeds, and someone standing up, coming closer.
Shen Yuanzhi felt despair. Would he die? His ears buzzed; his vision blurred…
“Thud—”
As consciousness faded, he vaguely heard—
“Eh? He fainted? Hey! Hey!”
“Brother, he’s so cowardly…” a soft murmur.
Shen Yuanzhi woke up, pale. The maidservant looked worried; what happened to their master? He’d been fine earlier!
A richly dressed woman had an unpleasant expression. “Always acting crazy! What’s wrong with you? Getting married in Linshan to quell the people’s fear?”
“And ending up like this?”
Her red lips moved; she was sharp-tongued.
“Yu Yan, stop nagging…” Shen Yuanzhi was weak.
But she continued complaining.
“If it weren’t for those two esteemed guests, you’d be dead! I’m not going to that mountain for the wedding. Find a wooden dummy to replace me.”
Her voice was spoiled; she was clearly throwing a tantrum.
When he heard “two esteemed guests,” Shen Yuanzhi felt a sharp pain in his head; cold sweat broke out.
The maidservant and the woman turned pale, looking at him.
“What’s wrong? Shen Lang? Don’t scare me!” The sharp-tongued woman panicked, grabbing his sleeve.
“Cough…cough…”
“Those two esteemed guests… I…I must thank them properly!” He slowly recovered, his expression clearing.
Shen Yuanzhi didn’t know what happened; he’d felt a sharp pain in his head, and after a while, remembered fainting. He’d been happily welcoming the two “guards,” but perhaps he was too weak, tripped on a step. He hit the back of his head on the threshold and lost consciousness.
He vaguely remembered their conversation.
“Eh? He fainted? Hey! Hey!”
“Brother, let’s get a doctor…”
Shen Yuanzhi felt lucky. He took the medicine the maidservant offered and drank it.
“Shen Lang, let’s not get married in Linshan; you’re injured,” Yu Yan advised.
His expression changed. He said sharply,
“This is non-negotiable. I’m here by imperial order; if I don’t show some results, how can I report back?”
“Besides, Linshan has many beasts; building a hunting ground will please my superiors!”
He seemed to be thinking of his future career, his face full of longing…
“Remember to treat the two esteemed guests well,” Shen Yuanzhi instructed earnestly.
Night deepened. He was alone in his room, wanting to read. As he bent down, he sensed something unusual.
It was just calling a doctor; why did he care so much…?
That thought surfaced.
“No, I must treat the esteemed guests well! I must!” Shen Yuanzhi started muttering to himself, his doubts dissipating.
In another room—
Baixu Ci lay on the table, his head buried in his arms, sleeping soundly. His bunny ears were starting to appear.
Fan Yue came behind Baixu Ci, looking down at the unguarded little demon. He reached out… and pushed his ears back down.
Baixu Ci woke up, seeing the demon. Their eyes met.
“Sir…yawn…” he couldn’t help but yawn, “…uh…”
He turned to go back to sleep.
Fan Yue frowned, puzzled. He didn’t eat, but needed sleep?