Chapter Forty-Five: Narration

“I—I am from the Twelfth Squad of the Constabulary! Our captain was ambushed and surrounded by remnants of the Crimson Cult in Lijia Town! Open the city gates quickly, I need to report to the chief!” Qin Yi was in a sorry state, his body marked by several knife wounds, all of which he had inflicted upon himself. They were, fortunately, only flesh wounds.

“Crimson Cult remnants?” The city guards atop the wall paled at the news.

“Wait here. I’ll send someone to the magistrate’s office to notify them. We’ll let you in once your identity is verified.”

“Alright.”

Two quarters of an hour later, several figures appeared atop the city wall. Among them was Deputy Captain Cheng Dong, and the other was He Xiongjian, the squad captain whom Qin Yi and his teammates reported to.

“Cheng Dong, is that man below from your Twelfth Squad?” He Xiongjian looked down at the battered Qin Yi and turned to ask.

“Yes, his name is Qin Feng. He just joined us a few days ago. He’s at the third tier in terms of ability. Today he did indeed go with Captain Lei to Lijia Town to investigate the missing persons case.” Cheng Dong nodded.

Below, Qin Yi saw He Xiongjian speak a few words to one of the city guard officers. Soon, a small side door beside the main city gate opened.

“Hurry and come inside!”

...

“Greetings, Chief He, Captain Cheng.” Qin Yi, having entered, saw the two men hurrying toward him and quickly bowed.

“Qin Feng, what exactly happened?” Cheng Dong asked anxiously.

“Captain, we were ambushed and surrounded by Crimson Cult remnants! Upon arriving at Lijia Town today…” Qin Yi recounted the entire incident.

Aside from omitting the fact that he had slain a dozen Crimson Cult experts himself, everything else was true.

“You encountered a siege by over a hundred Crimson Cult remnants, and Captain Lei and Deputy Captain Ding covered your escape to allow a few capable ones to break through and return for help?” He Xiongjian frowned.

“Yes.” Qin Yi nodded honestly. With his third-tier strength, he was indeed considered one of the more capable members of the squad. After all, Deputy Captain Ding Wanhao was only at the fourth tier.

“When you escaped the battlefield, how many of your team were still alive?” He Xiongjian glanced at Qin Yi’s wounds and asked further.

“It was chaotic. When the attack began, the captain immediately ordered a few of us to break out because of the overwhelming numbers. When the captain opened a gap for us, many teammates had already become separated. I truly don’t know how many colleagues survived.” Qin Yi replied flawlessly.

“Very well, go rest now. You’re granted three days leave. If your report proves accurate, you’ll be credited with a merit.” He Xiongjian waved his hand.

“At your command.” Qin Yi bowed and departed.

...

“Chief, do you think there might be a problem with Qin Feng? He’s the only one who returned.” Cheng Dong whispered.

According to Qin Yi’s account, Captain Lei Yongyuan had given them a chance to escape, but only one managed to return. Furthermore, the situation at Lijia Town was unclear. Who could tell if Qin Yi was lying?

“If Captain Lei hadn’t encountered trouble, this would only be a minor missing persons case. But now, with Captain Lei and more than twenty team members lost, this case becomes highly suspicious!

First, the disappearances at Lijia Town, then the fifteen-member squad sent out goes missing, and finally Captain Lei’s group is beset by Crimson Cult remnants. If Qin Feng speaks the truth, then his survival and return may mean the Cult deliberately let him go to deliver this message to us.” He Xiongjian’s expression was grave.

“You mean the Crimson Cult is setting consecutive traps?” Cheng Dong, not slow of wit, immediately grasped the possibility.

If Captain Lei’s group was ambushed, and they sent more people, who’s to say the enemy wasn’t lying in wait with more men at Lijia Town? The outcome could be disastrous.

“Should we send people to Lijia Town now?”

“It’s already late. Leaving the city at night is strictly forbidden. We’ll wait until tomorrow. For now, let’s go together to report this matter to the Chief Inspector.” He Xiongjian said quietly.

Normally, the loss of twenty constables wasn’t serious enough to warrant informing the Chief Inspector, but the involvement of Crimson Cult remnants changed the nature of the case entirely.

The higher-ups in the county city all knew the rebels in the county were instigated by the Crimson Cult. Perhaps, once the Chief Inspector learned of this, he would swiftly report it to the County Administrator as well.

...

Qin Yi did not go home immediately, but instead sought out a medical clinic, rousing the physician from sleep. After having his wounds treated and bandaged, he finally returned home, lest his father worry.

With the wounds bandaged and clothes donned, it was nearly impossible to tell he had been injured.

At home, he changed his clothes, sat on his bed, and took out a purse from his breast.

Within were over two hundred taels in silver notes, all found on the bodies of the three Crimson Cult members.

“Now I have over three hundred taels in savings!”

“No one saw me kill those Crimson Cult men, and my explanation upon return was reasonable. I shouldn’t arouse any suspicion.” Qin Yi carefully recalled the day’s events, analyzing them.

...

In a secluded courtyard.

“You say Wang Kuntai died near Lijia Town?” Zhou Wuzhi heard the news, his face betraying no emotion.

“Yes, Master. Even his friend Zhang Can, whom he brought along, perished. The strange thing is, the constable captain and all those constables died as well. As for who killed Deputy Altar Master Wang, we haven’t been able to find out yet.”

“Perhaps it was a passing expert. Regardless, continue investigating.”

“Yes.”

The next day, Qin Yi rested at home.

The county office dispatched three squads, totaling over one hundred and fifty men, along with three squad captains and three hundred city guards, all setting out in grand formation toward Lijia Town.

...

In yesterday’s forest.

Except for the bodies of the constables, there were no Crimson Cult corpses found; they must have been cleared away by the Cult members who arrived later.

“A fierce battle definitely took place here!” He Xiongjian, observing the traces of combat along the way, made his assessment.

Just then, Cheng Dong hurried over. “Chief, I questioned the villagers living closest to this area, as well as some farmers with fields nearby. Several of them saw, from a distance, a group of men wearing red scarves leaving the forest yesterday evening. They must have been Crimson Cult members!”

“It seems Qin Feng did not lie.”

“Chief, should we expand the search?”

“Yes!” In truth, He Xiongjian believed the Crimson Cult members had already fled, but the procedures had to be followed.