Chapter One Hundred: Baiting the Snare

Hearing Yan Chixia’s words, Magistrate Wang was truly stunned this time, left staring in speechless bewilderment.

He remained in that state for a long while.

From the look on the other man’s face, it did not seem like idle bluffing; rather, he appeared wholly earnest.

And since he was already on the verge of throwing up his hands and walking away, why would he bother deceiving him now?

So after Yan Chixia finished speaking, Magistrate Wang immediately believed him by eighty percent.

But from what the other man had implied, it was clear that calamity was about to befall him.

This sent Magistrate Wang into a panic. Especially over these past two days, he had already felt strangely uneasy, as if a lifetime’s worth of bad luck had suddenly come crashing down upon him.

Could it be...

At the thought, an unprecedented terror rose in Magistrate Wang’s heart.

He could not help shivering. Seeing that Yan Chixia was about to gather his things and leave, how could he agree?

At such a moment, he no longer cared about dignity or face. He hurried forward to Yan Chixia and Yi An, repeatedly begging Yan Chixia to show him the way through the fog.

Yan Chixia sighed. “Alas, it is not that I do not wish to help you. It is only that this matter lies beyond my reach. Even if you press me, I truly cannot do anything.”

When Magistrate Wang heard this, his fear deepened yet again, and he said with a mournful face, “Then what am I to do?”

What made him even more bitter and helpless was that he did not even know what peril he was about to face.

The constable beside him interjected at that moment. “Your Excellency, I have heard that there is a renowned Daoist in Hangzhou by the name of Master Xuanyang. They say a great name is never empty of substance. Perhaps he may have a way to avert this crisis?”

At that, Magistrate Wang’s eyes lit up at once. He cast the constable a look of approval. At a critical moment, it seemed the people under him were still of some use.

“Constable Li, I will entrust you with the task of inviting Master Xuanyang here.”

“Whatever means you must use, you must bring him to me.”

“Do not disappoint my expectations!”

Constable Li felt bitterness flood his heart. Was this not reaping what one had sown?

His understanding of Magistrate Wang’s shamelessness deepened once again.

This task was nothing but thankless drudgery. If it succeeded, there might not even be any reward; if it failed, all the blame would fall on him.

Just as Constable Li was about to agree helplessly, Yan Chixia cut him off. “To tell you the truth, whether you believe me or not, the Master Xuanyang you speak of is my own teacher.”

“If you will only heed my advice, then there is no need to waste your efforts.”

“I have followed my master by his side since childhood and inherited his full teachings.”

“To speak without modesty, I have already learned eighty percent of my master’s ability.”

“What I cannot solve, I fear my master would also be powerless to handle.”

Yan Chixia did not blush or even flinch, as though it were all perfectly true.

And at Constable Li, he cast a look of approval. That timely assist had come at just the right moment, far beyond his expectations.

In this way, what he had said earlier became seamless, as though stitched without a single flaw.

Yan Chixia was a perfect example of the proper use of a master.

Magistrate Wang went ashen-faced at the words, and the hope that had just begun to kindle in his heart was mercilessly extinguished once more.

Even during the storms and upheavals of the imperial examinations, he had never experienced such dramatic highs and lows.

Fortunately, his heart was fairly sound; otherwise, he would surely have been frightened sick.

“However, this matter is not entirely beyond remedy. It is just that it will require a great price,” Yan Chixia said thoughtfully.

“Daoist master, please save me! No matter what the cost, I can accept it.”

“I beg you not to withhold your guidance.”

Magistrate Wang’s dead-white expression flipped once again, and he hurriedly sought help.

When a person’s own life hangs in the balance, they often lose all composure.

No matter how clever they may be, they are no exception.

Those who can remain calm in such circumstances are exceedingly rare.

“Very well then,” Yan Chixia said with a sigh.

“At this point, I might as well not hide it from you.”

“Actually, I have already found the true murderer who killed your son.”

“It is just that the matter is hard to explain in a few words.”

He paused there, as though he had encountered something extremely difficult to speak of.

“Daoist master, I will remember this kindness forever. Great grace needs no thanks in words. Once this matter is resolved, I will surely repay you handsomely in some other way!” Magistrate Wang said earnestly.

At that moment, Yan Chixia’s image in his eyes suddenly grew towering and noble. To slay demons and defend the Dao without seeking reward, to draw his sword in aid of the wronged when he saw injustice in the road—was this not exactly the bearing of an enlightened master?

Though the man’s appearance was plain enough, his moral purity was rare in the world.

Once the matter was settled, he would certainly erect a stele in his honor, praising his shining deeds for future generations to admire.

Sensing that the time was ripe, Yan Chixia continued from where he had left off.

“Yi brother and I followed the faint traces left at the scene and successfully found the murderer’s lair. Unfortunately, both of us miscalculated!”

“First, we encountered a wraith in that lair. Only after exhausting every ounce of our strength did we barely gain the upper hand and capture it. The process was fraught with peril; one misstep, and both of us might have lost our lives.”

When Magistrate Wang heard this, his brow tightened immediately. Even from those few words, he could imagine how difficult it must have been.

Thinking of this, he was moved beyond measure and felt that he had earlier judged the gentleman by the measure of a petty man.

It was all that Constable Li’s fault, making him mistake a good man for a bad one. Truly unforgivable.

Turning to Constable Li, the constable happened to notice the reproach in Magistrate Wang’s glance and felt somewhat baffled.

“Daoist master’s kindness, I shall remember it all my life and never dare forget it.”

“Only, since that wraith has already been dealt with, where does the calamity come from?”

Magistrate Wang looked somewhat bewildered, yet Yan Chixia’s demeanor just now had absolutely not been a joke.

“Take a look here,” Yan Chixia said, waving a hand as he revealed the wraith he had long prepared.

Originally, this wraith had been intended to dispel Magistrate Wang’s suspicions.

But seeing how completely convinced the magistrate already was, the gesture now seemed somewhat superfluous.

Still, since it had been brought here, it would be a pity to let it go to waste.

One should make full use of everything; waste is shameful.

“Aah!”

The instant he saw the wraith, Magistrate Wang could not help crying out.

He had never experienced anything like this before. Especially such direct contact with the uncanny and evil; it was something he would not even have dared imagine.

Had he been a more timid man, he might well have fainted at the sight.

Yet the wraith before his eyes was oddly pitiful to behold. Though its appearance was disheveled, its flaws could not conceal its essential grace.