Qu Fengyin didn’t answer and hastily stepped back several paces, lowering his head and putting on the cold, indifferent expression he had shown to the black-clad constables earlier.
“Good heavens, how did Xiao Liu end up here?”
A bad premonition gnawed at Qu Fengyin’s heart, and the pressure in his chest mounted unbearably.
Please, don’t…
The Xiaotong raised his eyebrows slightly.
“Alt—”
One lamp after another, the wicks suddenly flared to life.
The light stretched from the bedroom doorway all the way to the plaque above the desk, illuminating the four characters “The Way of Humanity” in the main hall.
Xiao Liu was enveloped in the warm glow as well. He stepped forward a few steps and hopped onto the chairs flanking the desk.
His cunning eyes swept across the table, where the documents lay undisturbed, as if untouched.
“From the very beginning, I’ve been curious, Brother Qu Bazhe Qu, what is your real name?”
Xiao Liu propped his chin on his hand and asked.
Qu Fengyin’s heart, which had been suspended in anxious suspense, plummeted completely.
This could only mean one thing—he’d been played again.
There was no way he would tell him! Qu Fengyin was furious but also a little sad inside, a strange feeling of resigned familiarity washing over him.
At the library, Xiao Liu had bailed him out, then dragged him all over this place.
Qu Fengyin suspected that Xiao Liu had long anticipated he would sneak into the county magistrate’s office at night and released him only to capture him now.
Everything about this was unfathomable, leaving the Chief of Jin Yi Wei incredulous.
Qu Fengyin’s scalp tingled; his confidence was shattered like never before.
How could a seven or eight-year-old child be so meticulous in planning?
Though Qu Fengyin had always thought he was the one guiding Xiao Liu, the results suggested it was the child who was actually leading him in the shadows.
It was Qu Fengyin who’d been manipulated!
Xiao Liu had exploited Qu Fengyin’s underestimation of children, using that disdain to prod his vigilance three times until it was completely lulled.
The most infuriating part was that Qu Fengyin had been smug about it.
He silently salvaged his dignity with the stubborn roar of a beaten dog. He should’ve trusted his instincts right away—just looking at that kid’s face told him he liked to lie! He must be scheming deeply!
Qu Fengyin gritted his teeth.
Name? Real name? He wouldn’t admit to that. At worst, he’d run! Xiao Liu was just a kid, how could the Jin Yi Wei stop him from running?
He might as well make up some nonsense to bluff him.
“My name is Qu Fengyin.”
“How—”
The man’s eyes widened, and he fell silent belatedly, confusion clear as day in his gaze.
“Qu Fengyin, Fengyin—what a fine name.” Xiao Liu repeated the name, clapping his hands in admiration.
Why did he say the truth?
Qu Fengyin was utterly bewildered.
He twisted his body and kicked off toward the door.
How could he not be able to escape now!
***
Qu Fengyin’s slender frame was like a nimble black panther, moving with incredible speed, his back muscles tense and low.
In just a few strides, he reached the door and yanked it open fiercely.
The Chief of Jin Yi Wei froze, a drop of cold sweat forming on his temple as he instinctively stepped back.
Through the opened doorway appeared a gentle profile, but on closer inspection, there were actually five identical faces aligned at the same height and angle, stacked from the side view.
They were five constables standing in a row, their cold expressions sharpening the gentlemanly face into something more angular and hard.
Someone swallowed nervously.
Qu Fengyin forced a crooked smile and turned his head. “No need to be so heartless, right?”
Watching coldly as Xiao Liu laughed at his escape, the constables waved their hands decisively.
“Bang—” The door was slammed shut by the two constables at the edges.
Qu Fengyin was shut out.
He had to admit, this brat’s methods were impressive—calculating everything from start to finish.
The lax atmosphere in the county town during the day was clearly something the kid had deliberately shown him, subconsciously relaxing his guard toward the place.
The repeated recruitment attempts were the same, making him mistakenly believe he was valued and wouldn’t be eliminated so quickly.
Deliberately guiding his attention to the county magistrate’s office planted the idea of searching for clues within the official premises.
If all this hadn’t clouded his vision, he would have found a chance to escape the county town immediately after fleeing and wouldn’t have blundered straight into this trap, where the brat caught him like a fish in a barrel—feeling the bitter pain of trying to run but trapped in someone else’s palm.
“You don’t seriously think you’re the county magistrate here, do you?”
Qu Fengyin blushed, belatedly realizing he had voiced the thought.
A seven-year-old county magistrate sounded absurd enough.
Xiao Liu blinked and burst out laughing, “Brother Qu, I really do like you. I told Ling Lingqi you’re a bit naive.”
He stretched out a small hand to pat Ling Lingqi. “Of course, I’m not the county magistrate.”
His leisurely tone shifted.
“Where did you come from? What is your position? Who do you serve? Why are you here?”
The Xiaotong’s questions came like a machine gun.
“I came from the Imperial Capital.” Qu Fengyin was startled.
He quickly covered his mouth, trying to muffle his voice, but his head and hand seemed to have separate wills.
His head seemed desperate to fly free, dodging the pressure of his own hand, making his neck crack several times as if willing to snap despite the risk.
“Stop struggling. You’ve already been dosed with the Truth Serum. No matter what I ask, you’ll answer.” Xiao Liu smiled cheerfully, enjoying the internal battle between head and hand, kindly explaining.
Qu Fengyin was filled with regret, gritting his teeth and cursing, “Meeting you is truly my misfortune!”
He tried to recall when he had been drugged, but after being toyed with by a seven-year-old kid, naturally, he couldn’t remember a thing.
Eventually, Qu Fengyin gave up in despair, thinking that being in the Jin Yi Wei wasn’t so bad as long as he listened to his superiors.
“Answer me, who do you serve, and what is your duty?” Xiao Liu asked again.
Qu Fengyin’s struggling was futile. “I am an A-Rank Jin Yi Wei, acting under the orders of Guoshi Shen Cuo, courtesy name Zui Ji, serving the people by exorcising Yao Gui, killing evil and injustice.”
Xiao Liu’s demeanor turned serious.
He scratched his chin somewhat puzzled, exchanging looks with Ling Lingqi.
The so-called Jin Yi Wei, the imperial watchdogs, were supposed to be “licensed by the royal power to monitor all officials,” weren’t they? Where did this “exorcising Yao Gui and killing evil” come from?
Or was this “Jin Yi Wei” just a name, like the Jin Yi Wei of the previous life, but in reality, marked by “otherworldly” traits?
He pulled a Folding Fan from his waist and opened it, the fan adorned with the satirical Jiang Taigong Fishing Painting.
Leaning forward, Xiao Liu said, “Explain in detail the origin and background of this Jin Yi Wei.”
“In the Song Dynasty of the Southern Continent, there was a prominent Guoshi named Shen Cuo, courtesy name Zui Ji, deeply beloved by the young emperor.”
“The Guoshi had been assisting the throne for over thirty years, diligent and unwavering. The Jin Yi Wei was a special organization established by the Guoshi in response to the rampant Yao Gui in the world.”
“The Jin Yi Wei regularly purged Yao Gui breeding grounds among the Song Dynasty’s population, operating under the Guoshi’s command as the young emperor’s trusted elite forces.”
“Unfortunately, some treacherous ministers in court spread rumors, slandering the Jin Yi Wei as the Guoshi’s bloodhounds and claws, persecuting honest officials.”
“The Guoshi chose not to argue with them to avoid troubling the young emperor and reluctantly accepted the disparaging titles, and we had to endure the bad reputation.”
Qu Fengyin grew more pained as he spoke, his face revealing deep grievance by the end.
“But this is all for the people to live in peace. We willingly walk in darkness.”
Xiao Liu awkwardly rubbed his face. Brother Qu’s heartfelt words slipped out accidentally, and as a child, he naturally didn’t know how to comfort him. He couldn’t just say, “Wow! Batman! That’s so cool!”
Sorry, this kid was Ling Lingqi’s agent, preferring to be lively and flamboyant.
He could only play the obedient foil, “Ah, you really have it tough then.”
“Is that so? Those spreading rumors really deserve to die.”
Qu Fengyin quickly forgot his past wounds and started getting close to the kid again.
Xiao Liu shook his head helplessly, still unsure how Qu Fengyin had managed to become an A-Rank Jin Yi Wei. Could it be by sheer foolishness and naivety?
“When facing Yao Gui, in most cases we take action ourselves. But in some cases—”
Qu Fengyin struggled to continue, “In some cases, we need to ask other sects for help. If the Jin Yi Wei can’t handle it here, it’ll probably be handed over to Fomen.”
Xiao Liu’s eyes flickered as his thoughts wandered. He casually asked, “Why not just ask Fomen from the start?”
Qu Fengyin’s face immediately flushed with embarrassment. “Asking Fomen is expensive, and they often charge extra.”
If the Southern Continent were truly that wealthy, the Guoshi probably wouldn’t bother managing the Jin Yi Wei so much.