Part 3
The street was bustling; the only strange thing was the two young men walking together. One was imposing, but with a hint of annoyance. The other was timid, glancing at his companion.
Baixu Ci was worried Fan Yue would kill the hawker. This was the market! No violence!
They reached a corner with a notice board. They stopped.
“Humans are short-sighted and deceitful. Why protect them?” Fan Yue’s tone was straightforward.
Fewer people were around. Baixu Ci looked around before speaking:
“But some aren’t.”
Fan Yue’s gaze was even more puzzled. Baixu Ci felt ashamed; he’d been human and sometimes sided with humanity. He couldn’t help it.
“You are a demon.” Fan Yue reminded him.
“…” Thankfully, no one else was around. Baixu Ci wanted to ask if the disguise was necessary. Fan Yue constantly called him demon and human, never sparing his “evaluation.” Why did he seem unbothered about being discovered?
“Hey, what’s this?” Baixu Ci walked forward, smoothing a curling piece of paper.
Fan Yue: “Can you understand it?”
Baixu Ci: “No.” He picked up the “bunny” holding up the paper.
“Hey, the paper will fall!” Baixu Ci was anxious, pushing the paper.
Fan Yue tore it down.
“Rip—” The notice board was clean.
Baixu Ci was speechless, but tearing it was convenient. He kicked away the stone, patted the dust from his hands, and looked at the notice.
Then… an eerie silence. All passersby were looking at them, with varied gazes, as if looking at monsters.
“Someone actually tore it down!”
“The magistrate getting married is absurd enough, but someone signed up to escort the wedding procession?”
“A tough guy! The notice was almost falling; he had to tear it down himself…”
Baixu Ci closed his eyes, hoping things weren’t as he thought.
“What’s wrong?” Fan Yue asked, puzzled.
People dispersed after watching the excitement. Baixu Ci took a deep breath.
“Brother, someone might invite us to be guests later.” His gaze was sincere.
“Guests?” Fan Yue didn’t understand.
A short time later—
Baixu Ci sat in the yamen, boredly tapping his fingers. A cool gaze turned to him… He sat up straight.
“You two need to wait here; the magistrate will be here soon,” a clerk said softly, avoiding eye contact.
Baixu Ci glanced behind, then at Fan Yue. Why didn’t he have that intimidating presence?
Fan Yue looked down, and Baixu Ci looked away, nervously grabbing a handful of melon seeds.
Before he could eat them, his chin was pinched, forcing eye contact.
“Why do you eat everything?” Fan Yue’s tone wasn’t playful; he was genuinely puzzled.
Baixu Ci was dumbfounded; several melon seeds fell to the ground. The clerk was still there!
“I didn’t eat much…” he mumbled.
Fan Yue pinched Baixu Ci’s cheek; the action was devoid of any intimacy; his eyes only showed puzzlement.
“Why are you so lacking in ambition?”
Baixu Ci: … He glared at the clerk. Leave!
The clerk, already timid, scurried away.
Whew, no more audience. Baixu Ci’s eyes were slightly disdainful.
“I really don’t.” He was honest, not trying to “pledge loyalty.”
“…”
Fan Yue released his grip. Baixu Ci pouted, rubbing his chin. He quickly threw a melon seed into his mouth, catching it perfectly. He looked over innocently.
Then, a commotion outside.
“I said Yun De Town has brave young men!” An excited voice.
Baixu Ci looked; a red blur entered his vision… Who was that?
Shen Yuanzhi, the magistrate, hadn’t expected to find guards and had been worried about the wedding. But someone had torn down the notice! Excited, he’d rushed over without changing clothes…
Fan Yue’s expression was unchanged; his silence made him seem colder. He calmly watched the door, like looking at food.
Shen Yuanzhi stood outside, swallowing. He carefully looked at the door. This was his yamen! Why did he feel like he’d intruded?
He looked around the room and made eye contact with the young man on the chair.
Baixu Ci blinked, greeting him. Easy to deal with.
He entered, adjusting his sleeves, trying to regain his authority.
“You are—” His voice was loud.
Baixu Ci looked at the puddle nearby, having a bad feeling. He looked up, about to explain…
“Oof!” A cry of pain.
Baixu Ci closed his eyes; it wouldn’t be pretty.
He opened them. The middle-aged man in wedding attire stood up, holding his waist, his face contorted.
After a while, he looked inside. The young man on the chair was still looking over, the person beside him expressionless. Neither moved.
“Are you alright?” Baixu Ci asked.
Shen Yuanzhi limped inside, waving his hand, looking around, slowly finding a chair.
“Hiss—” He’d hit his tailbone.
Baixu Ci frowned; the situation was strange.
“You know who I am, right?” Shen Yuanzhi tried to regain his image, touching his newly grown beard.
“No.”
The magistrate froze— It wasn’t Baixu Ci’s fault; anyone seeing a man in wedding attire rushing in and falling would not associate him with a magistrate.
Eventually, it was explained.
“I intend to get married soon, to set an example and stabilize the people’s hearts!” Shen Yuanzhi declared.
But Baixu Ci was suspicious; was the magistrate’s brain alright? Could he do that? People had rashly gone to the mountain, provoking demons; to stabilize hearts… Shouldn’t he stop those people? Why was he leading the charge?
His gaze grew suspicious.
Baixu Ci remembered what A Shan had said—the new official planned to clear-cut the Linshan area, building a hunting ground.
“Sir, I heard you’re building a house and a hunting ground?” Baixu Ci asked tentatively.
Shen Yuanzhi’s eyes changed, as if struck.
“That…is true, but there’s a reason!” His initial tone was weak, but later grew stronger.
“I’m setting an example for the people by building my residence in Linshan, despite personal risk!”
Baixu Ci was speechless.
“The hunting ground is to eliminate troublesome animals, preventing people from being frightened,” Shen Yuanzhi said casually, thinking it wasn’t a big deal. He’d found guards; his worries were over.
He took a teacup, leisurely sipping, already imagining the people praising him.
Baixu Ci frowned; the words sounded off. “Eliminate troublesome animals”? Wasn’t Linshan their territory? Weren’t they causing trouble…?
He felt angry.
“Oh, then we won’t.”
Shen Yuanzhi was excited, choking on his tea.
“You…you unruly people! Do you know the consequences of tearing down the notice—” His voice was heavy; he stood up. But he wasn’t as tall as the other. His momentum weakened.
He glanced over, wanting to see who the other person was. He’d visited the wealthy families, but none had someone like this.
Before he could finish, the young man on the chair stood up, his expression unpleasant, and he was about to leave.
“Brother, let’s go back,” Baixu Ci said, speechless. They’d come to see the magistrate’s plans, but it was all nonsense… Talk about being for the people; it was all to hide his self-interest.
Shen Yuanzhi tried to stop them, but the young man glanced over, with clear disdain.
Baixu Ci really wanted to leave; he’d gotten melon seeds, so it wasn’t a loss. He tugged at Fan Yue’s sleeve, signaling urgently. Sir, let’s go?
But—
“We can agree to be your guards,” Fan Yue’s tone was flat, unemotional.
Baixu Ci’s eyes widened in disbelief. The demon would deign to be a “guard” for a mortal?