At Taihe Teahouse, the crisp sound of storytelling floated down from the upper floor.
"That Yun Zhongzi is an immortal with great looks, stepping into the midday gate, where the officials and King Zhou could only see him: wearing a light veil and a headband, with two ribbons floating behind his head…"
This was the fifth chapter, "Yun Zhongzi Enters the Sword to Exterminate Demons."
Today, the teahouse was even busier than yesterday; the first floor was filled with patrons, while the second floor, with a one or two taels entry fee, was still relatively empty.
Jiang Ming had no choice; he couldn't ask everyone to crowd into the second floor.
Luo Tianlin, accompanied by three thugs from the gambling den, was about to head upstairs when he saw Fu Bo step out, blocking the way with one hand while pointing at a nearby sign with the other.
"Entry to the second floor is two taels of tea money per person."
Left with no option, Luo Tianlin paid the fee, his face dark as he ascended the stairs and chose an empty seat.
"Excuse me, who is that storyteller?" Luo Tianlin asked someone at the next table.
But no one paid him any mind; after some annoyed inquiries, he snapped, "What are you yelling about? Can't you see I'm trying to listen?"
"Who are you scolding?" One of the thugs slammed his hand on the table, glaring at him menacingly.
This commotion caught Jiang Ming's attention, but fortunately, he was just finishing up.
Luo Tianlin didn't act rashly; he had already checked and confirmed that the corpse demon was not in the teahouse.
Clack! The wooden block signaled the end of the chapter.
"Good!"
"Walking on clouds, cutting evil with a pine branch—this is indeed a figure of the immortals; reward him!"
"Indeed, reward him!"
In an instant, the crowd began to shower rewards, and Xiao Si was busy collecting silver with a tray, the sound of coins clinking filling the air, making everyone envious.
"Little Young Master, I roughly estimated that just from this performance, at least a hundred taels in rewards were collected."
Luo Tianlin's face darkened again. Compared to their gambling den, this earning speed was nothing, but his plans were likely to be thwarted.
Jiang Ming recognized Luo Tianlin; just three days ago, they had been like close friends, and his previous demise was probably linked to this guy.
Seeing the situation calm down, Jiang Ming decided not to show himself; for now, acquiring cards from storytelling was the priority.
As the morning passed, he was dry from talking, utterly exhausted, and in the afternoon, he continued with the third and fourth chapters he had spoken of yesterday.
Just as he was about to return to his room for a rest, the group of constables who had taken away the corpse demon last night arrived at the teahouse.
"Master Jiang, please come with us to the magistrate's office."
Fu Bo instructed the staff to clean up the teahouse and personally accompanied Jiang Ming to the East Capital Prefecture.
On the way, Jiang Ming subtly inquired about the corpse demon incident, but the constables kept tight-lipped, saying they would explain everything at the office.
Before long, the master and servant were led by the constables to a morgue in the back hall of the prefecture, where a man and a woman in black robes were scanning them with sharp eyes.
"Your Excellencies, this is Jiang Ming, the young manager of Taihe Teahouse; he reported the case last night," a constable said as he stepped forward.
These two were from the Demon Extermination Division of the Great Jin, responsible for matters concerning demons and monsters, and Jiang Ming was the one they had called for.
"This corpse demon has strong muscles; from my examination, it seems to have reached the ninth rank. Young Master Jiang, you appear not to have practiced martial arts. How did you manage to kill it?" the female demon hunter asked.
Though a brainless creature like this could easily be defeated by any ninth-rank martial artist if there were no numerical disadvantages, it was still not something an ordinary person could handle.
Jiang Ming maintained the story from last night, saying he had a protective talisman brought back by his father, which had been used up.
The two demon hunters exchanged glances; there were no fatal wounds on the corpse demon, which would require at least a seventh rank to unleash their aura to kill silently. Taoists and monks often transformed their aura into talismans as a means.
"Hmm, I'm the little flag officer, Zuo Qiu Xue. If you encounter any traces of the corpse demon again, report to the Demon Extermination Division immediately," the female demon hunter said, looking at Jiang Ming with a certain fondness for some unknown reason.
Jiang Ming nodded and was about to leave when she asked, "Little Flag Officer, didn't you find anything?"
Ma Liang, another officer, inquired, knowing that Zuo Qiu Xue had developed a bloodline ability that allowed her to sense demonic auras.
"Nothing. It seems he truly is a victim. I didn't expect such a thing to appear again after six months!"
Meanwhile, outside the prefecture, Jiang Ming and Fu Bo walked in silence.
Fu Bo didn't question how Jiang Ming had killed the corpse demon; as long as he was safe, that was enough.
"Fu Bo, when can I start practicing martial arts?" Jiang Ming suddenly asked. This world was too dangerous; he couldn't solely rely on the still-mysterious "Investiture of the Gods."
Fu Bo replied, "You can start once your father returns to wash your marrow. He went out this time mainly to find suitable demon blood for you."
The martial arts culture of Great Jin was robust, but to be considered a true martial artist, one must reach a rank. There were nine ranks, with the first being the highest, and entering a rank could be both difficult and simple.
The first step was washing the marrow, which required bathing in demon blood. Each person's physique varies, so the suitable demon blood also differs, making this step a barrier for many.
After washing the marrow, one could cultivate based on the type of demon blood absorbed, generating inner strength with various attributes. If lucky, one might even gain abilities known as bloodline powers from the demons, thus qualifying as a ninth-rank martial artist.
"Isn't my father's return still a few days away?"
"Hmm, about ten days or so."
Meanwhile, inside the prefecture, Zuo Qiu Xue called for an examiner to dissect the corpse demon, only to be surprised when a wave of demonic energy suddenly erupted from its belly.
The examiner was instantly affected, developing corpse spots all over his body, with his teeth falling out and regrowing into fangs.
"Not good, this corpse demon isn't dead yet!" Zuo Qiu Xue's expression changed dramatically.
Previously, Su Daji's black mist had merely scattered the remnants of the corpse demon's consciousness but hadn't expelled the demonic energy within it. Now that the examiner had opened its belly, the released demonic energy had struck him, and being an ordinary person, he had no way to resist.
In an instant, he transformed into a new corpse demon.
Swish!
A blade suddenly glimmered as it sliced the examiner in half, scattering the demonic energy and killing it completely.
However, both Zuo Qiu Xue and Ma Liang's faces were grim. They had lost another person for no reason, and the potency of this demonic energy easily turned a person into a corpse demon, suggesting an even more terrifying source. How could such a monster hide within the East Capital?
"Taihe Teahouse, Lao Ma, you don't need to report to work tomorrow; just keep an eye on Taihe Teahouse daily. Ensure Jiang Ming's safety, as the key to this case may lie with him."
Ma Liang immediately accepted the order, feeling somewhat excited; if he accomplished this, he might get promoted to a little flag officer.
Inside the prefecture, no one knew what was happening, while Luo Tianlin returned home, tossing and turning, feeling uneasy.
He called out, "Ah Hu."
The attendant waiting outside entered and asked, "Young Master, what are your orders?"
"Tomorrow, go find some ruffians and have them stir trouble at Taihe Teahouse, disrupt their business. Use whatever method you can, but make sure it's discreet and doesn't implicate us."
For now, he didn't dare use the corpse demon again; he could only disrupt Taihe Teahouse's business and wait for seven days. If he couldn't gather three thousand taels by then, he would take over the teahouse.
"Rest assured, Young Master, I'll arrange it right away."
There were plenty of ruffians in the gambling den, and causing such trouble was no difficulty at all.
Luo Tianlin had no other options; this was the East Capital, one of the five capitals of Great Jin, close to the emperor, unlike ordinary counties.
Making too much noise could easily attract attention.
"Taihe Teahouse…"