Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Liu Ye hurriedly lifted the little Fiend off Old Master Liu.
“Goodness, little one. Grandpa Liu is a man. He doesn’t have any milk for you.”
Old Master Liu stared at him.
My chest has been bitten open, and you’re worried about whether that little bastard got any milk? Bite him, little Fiend! Bite him!
This time, the little Fiend shared his opinion. How dare a mere servant pick it up?
It opened its mouth and bit Liu Ye’s arm.
Crunch!
The little Fiend released him in confusion, then spat several times. One broken tooth after another tumbled from its mouth.
The little Fiend fell silent.
So did Old Master Liu.
Liu Ye stared in wonder. “Is the child losing its baby teeth?”
“Waaaaah!”
The little Fiend began bawling from the pain in its mouth.
Liu Ye hurriedly cradled it and rocked it back and forth, nearly shaking the creature into vomiting. It screamed even louder.
The wailing quickly drove Liu Ye out of his mind. He resorted to his ultimate technique.
“Advisor Qi! Advisor Qi!”
Before long, Qiqi shuffled in, rubbing her eyes.
“Boss!” she said in her childish voice.
“Qiqi, do you know how to look after a child?”
She stared at Liu Ye in shock.
“Boss, I’m only seven!”
“Mm… Seven isn’t that young. Besides, you’re my advisor. Do you understand what an advisor does? You handle the problems I can’t solve. Advisor Qi, this is a test. If you pass, I’ll promote you!”
With that, Liu Ye deposited the child in Qiqi’s arms.
Qiqi clutched it in a panic.
“Boss, what am I supposed to do?”
“Think about how I’ve handled things in the past.”
Qiqi and the little Fiend stared at each other.
The little Fiend opened its mouth indignantly and lunged at Qiqi with a howl. Qiqi thought about how Liu Ye usually dealt with trouble, then…
Smack!
One slap plunged the entire room into silence.
“Boss’s method really works!” Qiqi marveled.
Then she dragged the little Fiend back to her room.
“Pfft!”
At Three Hearts Temple, Wushenzi spat out a mouthful of blood. Shock filled his face.
“My divine attendant was destroyed! How is that possible?”
“Master, are you all right?”
Wuxinzi immediately approached, but Wushenzi waved him back. He took a porcelain bottle from inside his robes and poured out a pill.
The pill was pink from end to end, and the markings on its surface formed the shape of a tiny person.
Wushenzi swallowed it. Color immediately returned to his pallid face, and he released a long breath.
“I am fine. It seems the evil spirit possessing Liu Ye has profound cultivation. Let me rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will visit the county seat and meet him myself!”
The next morning, Liu Ye was sleeping soundly when a loud clatter erupted outside.
“Who’s making all that noise this early? Some people have no sense of public decency.”
He got up and scratched his belly. When he turned around, he found Senior Lord Liu staring directly at him with wide, bloodshot eyes, looking utterly haggard.
“Whoa, Father, what happened to you? Insomnia? The physician never said that was one of your symptoms.”
Senior Lord Liu said nothing.
“Don’t worry, Father. I’ll ask about it today and get you some medicine. We’ll definitely cure you.”
Senior Lord Liu remained silent.
I am not reassured.
Still, seeing Liu Ye prepare to leave brought him considerable relief. At least with Liu Ye gone, he might finally sleep.
Then Liu Ye turned toward the door and shouted, “Advisor Qi!”
“Present!”
Qiqi came running out, dragging the little Fiend like a dead dog.
“Boss!”
“Good. I need to go to work, and I’m afraid my father will be lonely. Keep him company for me.”
“Yes!”
Qiqi nodded solemnly.
Satisfied, Liu Ye left.
Qiqi scampered over to Old Master Liu and climbed onto the bed.
“Grandpa, I’ll sing you a song.”
She began one Liu Ye had taught her.
“Let’s all learn to squeal like pigs, oink-oink-oink together…”
Old Master Liu stared at her.
Please, just let me sleep!
Tears poured down his face.
Qiqi actually had a lovely voice. The problem was that her singing style came directly from Liu Ye. She could turn the happiest song into a funeral dirge.
Someone save me!
…
The moment Liu Ye stepped outside, he spotted a bedraggled figure. The man became wildly excited at the sight of him.
“Magistrate Liu! You’re finally here!”
Liu Ye took a closer look. Wasn’t this Eunuch Wu from yesterday? How had he ended up in such a state overnight?
“Magistrate Liu, I… I have some recent duties that require me to trouble you for a while. Might you… make an accommodation for me?” Eunuch Wu asked with an ingratiating smile.
It was not that he wanted to hide the truth from Liu Ye.
The problem was that a man like Liu Ye would never believe tales of ghosts and gods.
And what Eunuch Wu had experienced was simply too terrifying.
When he returned to the inn last night, he had planned to leave immediately. The moment he entered, however, he found every one of his subordinates dead. Their corpses looked exactly like the soldiers at the garrison.
He fled outside in a frenzy, only to discover that everyone working at the inn was dead as well.
His terror deepened. Then he twisted an ankle, struck a table as he fell, and lost consciousness.
When he awoke, something even more horrifying had happened.
All the dead had come back to life.
But Eunuch Wu knew perfectly well that they were no longer human. Something writhed endlessly inside their chests.
He dared not remain. He raced into the street, but the densely packed crowds offered no sense of safety.
He could no longer tell who was human and who was a Fiend.
Nor did he dare make the journey back to Jingcheng alone.
Fortunately, he thought of Liu Ye!
As the old saying went, Fiends feared wicked men. And who in the entire county could possibly be more wicked than Liu Ye?
So Eunuch Wu came straight to him.
“I don’t mind, but my place isn’t very big. Someone as delicate as you might not be used to it,” Liu Ye said.
“That’s fine. That’s perfectly fine. Your agreement is all I need.”
Eunuch Wu finally relaxed.
At that moment, a constable entered and addressed Liu Ye.
“My lord, it is time to hold court.”
Liu Ye nodded and walked toward the courtroom. Eunuch Wu trotted behind him like a servant attending the emperor.
By the time they reached the front hall, a crowd had gathered outside and a man was kneeling below the dais.
Liu Ye looked closer. Wasn’t that Cui Niu from yesterday?
The moment Cui Niu saw him, he dropped to his knees and wailed.
“My lord! Because you refused to let me make an offering to the River God, my wife died last night!”