Yinshan Record

Chapter 50 Fishing
Zhou Si lowered his head and pressed his face tightly against the blue bricks on the ground.

He could feel the chill of the earth emanating from the blue bricks, stimulating the tip of his nose, which reminded him of countless mornings when he woke up in the mountain dew.

Sometimes he wished he could go back to the past and be a herb gatherer with a bow and arrow and a steel knife at his waist.

Back then, everything was simple. If you encountered a monster, you would draw your sword and either fight or flee. There was nothing extraordinary about it.

I am old now, but I can still draw a strong bow and wield a steel sword. However, I can no longer hit the target, and my hand holding the sword has become weak and powerless.

"This humble subject will certainly convey Your Excellency's message."

The demon kings around Shanyin County wanted peace of mind, and Su Che gave them that peace of mind.

It would be even better if you brought a few hundred-year-old ginseng roots or rare Ganoderma lucidum.

“These demon kings are all very rich. One hundred taels of silver for a chance to meet, and three hundred taels of gold for a peaceful resolution.”

County Magistrate Su picked up his teacup and took a sip of the bluish-green tea.

"That isolated city couldn't possibly earn that much money."

Regarding the way the city was opened, Su Che didn't know how much money the person in charge, Lord Dushan, was going to invest.

The demon kings are able to come up with a large sum of gold to buy peace again today. Did their money come from the Xuan Mountain?

"I won't make things difficult for you. Everyone chooses their own path. Since Mr. Zhou has chosen this route, it was only a matter of time before he encountered these problems. Please, Mr. Zhou."

Su Che immediately ordered him to leave.

"This humble subject thanks Your Excellency."

Zhou Si got up from the ground with a sigh of relief, his back covered in sweat.

This outcome was completely unexpected for him.

He had witnessed Su Che's methods before at the Kulin Temple. In his opinion, this County Magistrate Su was probably someone who hated evil and was eager to kill demons.

When the demon king behind him suggested that he negotiate with Su Che, he was extremely unwilling.

Zhou Si was only willing to cooperate with the monsters for money, but now he has been forced to become their spokesperson in the human world.

Why bother?

If anything changes in the future, how can I remain uninvolved?

Zhou Si raised his head and took a deep look at Su Che, who was drinking tea.

A thousand thoughts surged through my mind, but when I tried to speak, I couldn't utter a single word.

“Mr. Zhou, you often walk in the mountains, so you should know that every morning at dawn, the moisture in the mountains accumulates and a thick fog forms. Sometimes the fog is so thick that you can’t even see three feet in front of you.”

Su Che glanced at Zhou Si.

"But later, the sun rose in the east, its red light spreading everywhere, and all the fog disappeared without a trace. Mr. Zhou, Shanyin County may have been shrouded in fog and clouds in the past, but now it is bathed in the glow of the rising sun. There are some things we need to plan ahead for."

"I won't keep you today. Come find me again when you've made up your mind and can see the mountain path clearly. Zhang San, see him out."

Hearing Su Che's call, Zhang San, who was waiting outside the door, carefully pushed the door open and came in, glancing at Zhou Si, whose face was covered in sweat.

This Mr. Zhou is a ruthless man with a reputation in Shanyin County, and now his clothes are see-through.

"Mr. Zhou, please."

Zhang San reached out and led Zhou Si towards the door.

Su Che sat quietly in the chair.

Thinking about it carefully, this is actually the first official business I've handled since taking office.

I've been so busy every day and haven't slacked off, so why do I realize I haven't done anything?

There must be something wrong with the feng shui of Shanyin County.

Thinking of this, Su Che took out the book "Xuanzhong Ji" that he had brought from Jiankang to Shanyin and began to read it.

Speaking of which, the Imperial Guards are indeed full of hidden talents. This book, "The Records of the Mysterious Center," should be considered a compilation of various materials, yet they managed to write it with such brilliance. Just take the few pages I've just read, for example: the foxes outside Gushu City, in order to gather and refine essence, seduce the young men in the city to engage in spiritual intercourse in the mass grave, offering them some money after each encounter.

At first, they would only give one or two coins.

There were probably too many foxes and not enough boys, which eventually led to vicious competition, and the subsidy for spiritual communication actually swelled up to fifteen or sixteen coins.

That's not even the most outrageous thing. Some of the scoundrels in Gushu City even murdered people for money. When they went to the mass grave, they secretly brought weapons. After they finished, they not only took the money, but also drew their knives to kill foxes and sell the fox pelts, causing a huge upheaval in the market.

The fox demons' revenge resulted in some heinous crimes, which eventually attracted the attention of the Imperial Guards, who launched a heavy crackdown and wiped out all the foxes outside Gushu City.

Su Che wasn't interested in the underlying realities of the case; what truly impressed him was the skillful writing of the imperial guard who described it, especially the wicked transactions between humans and foxes, which were so vivid and detailed that they seemed to immerse the reader in the experience, leaving a lasting impression.

This person clearly went to experience life.

"I wonder if that fox from Qingqiu knows about this art of sexual cultivation. Perhaps we can have a friendly competition if we have the chance."

Su Che drank tea while reading the Xuanzhong Records until the sun set.

"Zhang San."

"Ah, sir."

Zhang, the yamen runner, had essentially become Su Che's personal assistant and secretary.

Do you have any night-clothes?

"Ok?"

"If you don't have any night clothes, find me a black mask and two knives from the armory."

"Sir, what is this?"

"I've been feeling a bit tired lately, so I'll go out at night to practice my bullying skills."

Su Che looked at Zhang San, who still seemed a little surprised, and asked, "What, want to come along?"

"Um……"

"Just kidding. I have other plans for tonight. If Commander Shi asks, just say I went to a brothel."

Su Che increasingly felt that social death had many benefits.

If a young martial arts master disappears at night, people will most likely speculate about his plans, such as practicing martial arts in the middle of the night.

If we let people follow the clues, they might uncover something big.

You don't need to think about all that; a simple "drinking and carousing" completely explains everything. If you say you can't find it in brothels, it's because the places you've been to haven't gone far enough.

The saying "Things are dialectical" is truly ever-relevant.

Before long, Zhang San found a set of what Su Che wanted and placed it on the table.

"Sir, please look, this is a night suit, made by the Qi family's old shop in this county. I went to their shop and picked out a suit that fits your size."

"These three knives, two long and one short, were all used by bandits who were captured in our Shanyin. I wonder which one you have taken a fancy to, sir."

"This is a sleeping incense mixed with muscle relaxant. Anyone who has not cultivated will feel weak in the limbs after smelling just a little bit."

"This is a love potion, I've heard it's very effective, but this one was confiscated and has been sitting in storage for over thirty years, so its effectiveness..."

Okay, I know that a flower thief was killed in Shanyin County more than 30 years ago.

"Leave everything except that ointment."

Su Che gave an instruction, saying that the little fox had helped him a lot and had even taken the blame for the White Deer Cave incident.

She's going to take action herself today; she absolutely has to stand up for herself.

Otherwise, he would be too much of a scumbag.

Gushu: Located in present-day Dangtu County, it was once fortified during the Eastern Wu period. Huan Wen, the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, once stationed here to remotely control the political situation in Jiankang.

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(End of this chapter)