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Chapter 42: The Department of Extermination

"Don't run around these few days. Your second uncle will probably come looking for you. Also... I'm afraid the matter at Qihetai isn't over yet."

"You mean the Pingtian Society?"

The stepmother shook her head: "The Pingtian Society may not be able to find you right away. But with such a big incident and so many people dead, the Extermination Bureau will definitely investigate."

Xu Yuan nodded.

The Ministry of Eliminating Filth was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Observatory.

It is the department of the Ming Dynasty that specializes in investigating and handling various evil and strange incidents.

Together with the Demon-Exterminating Army and the Mountain and River Division, they became the "Three Yamen of Strange Affairs" of the Ming Dynasty.

The powers of the three parties partially overlap - this situation is widespread among the various government offices of the Ming Dynasty, so they often argue with each other. When there are benefits, everyone rushes to take action, and when there are troubles, they all pass the buck.

The Shanhe Division is affiliated to the Canal Yamen and is responsible for resolving all strange incidents related to the canal and ensuring the smooth operation of the canal to the greatest extent possible.

Among the three, only the Exorcism Department was truly established to eliminate evil spirits, and of course it is more professional.

The power of the Imperial Observatory has expanded rapidly since two hundred years ago.

Their biggest task every year is to determine the "almanac"!
After dinner, Xu Yuan took the initiative to wash the dishes.

The stepmother returned to her room and said to Xu Yuan, "Go to bed early. You can still stay in your room. I've made the bed for you."

Xu Yuan called her and said with a playful smile: "Please do me a favor."

"explain."

Xu Yuan took out the three-barreled hand cannon and the Secret Machine Cannon Recipe: "Repair it. Make some cannon ammunition while you're at it."

Lin Wanmo looked at the three-eyed hand cannon with a hint of displeasure in his eyes, but for Xu Yuan's sake, he still picked it up and fiddled with it for a few times. When he saw the name "Chen Wutong" on it, he frowned slightly.

Xu Yuan took out the Saint Lady's hammer again and said, "I won't let you work for nothing. This is for you."

The stepmother had no illusions about what her "rebellious son" could give her - first of all, the appearance of this gift was very well chosen: it was a hammer.

She took a casual glance at it, her eyes shining, and she could tell something was unusual, so she took it and took a closer look.

"It's a very good craftsman's item, which is enough for you to use before reaching the sixth level." Then he accepted it without hesitation.

This thing is like a pearl thrown into the dark in the hands of the Saint Lady, and she has no ability to bring out its power.

"This gun can be repaired, but I'm not very good at it. It will take a few days." The stepmother agreed. As for the "Secret Machine Cannon Recipe", she only glanced at it briefly and secretly became alert: "What are you doing with this thing?"

I just warned you not to cultivate the inner elixir of cannon medicine anymore.

Xu Yuan slapped the three-barreled musket on the table and said, "Use this."

"Really?"

Xu Yuan was impatient: "Can't you do it?"

"Ha!" The stepmother sneered. How difficult could this be?
But the stepmother really thought it was used with a three-barreled musket, and never imagined that this kind of gunpowder was used by craftsmen to make cannons.

Lin Wanmo is not good at making guns and cannons, so he made such a mistake.

But Lin Wanmo would not make a lot for Xu Yuan, at most enough for him to fire about twenty shots.

Even if this kid continues to strengthen his inner elixir behind my back, the harm will be limited.

"Then I'll wait." Xu Yuan was not in a hurry to get the two things, and then the two of them went back to their rooms to rest.

Xu Yuan's bedsheets and bedding were all clean. Lying on them was a comfortable feeling, a world of difference compared to the broken wooden planks with hay in Qihetai Town.

"Home is still the best." Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, rested for a while, and took out the iron box.

It contained twenty pounds of gunpowder.

Xu Yuan ate all the bait in one breath.

The inner elixir, which was originally only the size of a mung bean, quickly grew to the size of a longan.

It is estimated that these features can be used about fifteen times.

But if you want to increase the power, that's hard to say.

…The nights in the city were much quieter than in the town. Xu Yuan only heard two unusual noises that night.

As soon as the sun rose, the east and west alleys became bustling with activity.

Uncle Mao packed up his things and opened the door early, placing the various small furniture he had made at the door.

Aunt Wang's mixed vegetable shop is doing a booming business right now. Two large pots of mixed vegetables are placed at the door, with a stove burning underneath, emitting bubbling steam.

Next to it was a large basket filled with baked pancakes.

A dish and four pancakes cost only fifteen cents. There was a constant stream of laborers and porters coming to eat.

Xu Yuan slept until noon and looked at the almanac on the wall. Today's prohibitions included: walking at night, bathing, offering sacrifices, and building temples.

No wonder my stepmother didn’t call me to get up.

Normally, we should visit my father's grave today, but sacrifices are forbidden today.

Xu Yuan wiped his face with a wet cloth, but didn't dare to wash it.

No bathing allowed - still be cautious.

Just as I finished cleaning up, someone knocked on the door: "Is anyone there? We're looking for Xu Yuan."

Xu Yuan went to open the door. A yamen runner was standing outside, followed by a man and a woman.

Xu Yuan's gaze lingered on this man for a moment.

This man's destiny is dazzling gold:

Taiyin guards the fate!
This person is born to work in the Extermination of Filth Department.

The yamen runners looked reluctant, and no one in the yamen wanted to come to Hegong Lane.

"I'm Xu Yuan, what can I do for you?"

The bailiff stepped aside and said, "These two gentlemen are looking for you."

Both of them were wearing black satin sword sleeves with dragon patterns embroidered in red silk thread on the collars and cuffs. The only difference was that the man's cuffs had three cloud patterns, while the woman's only had two.

Almost everyone in the Ming Dynasty recognized this: this was the uniform of the Quhuisi, and their identities were self-evident.

Xu Yuan secretly thought that his stepmother had guessed it right, it came so quickly.

The man was the most prominent of the two. He pointed to the yard and said, "Let's go in and talk."

The bailiff stood at the door and said with a smile, "My lords, I..."

The man didn't make things difficult for him. He waved his hand and said, "There's nothing for you to do now. Go back to the government office."

The bailiff bowed and left quickly.

Xu Yuan welcomed the guests in and pretended to pour tea for them in the main hall, but he couldn't find any tea leaves.

The man said, "Don't bother. We're just here to ask a few questions and leave after we're done."

Xu Yuan also sat down: "Excuse me, sir."

The man did things step by step. He first took out paper and pen from his sleeve and placed them on the table in order, making sure the order was perfect. He was ready to take notes.

Then he took out his badge from his other sleeve and said, "Please take a look. This is the badge that proves my identity."

"I am Fu Jingyu, a third-class mountain-moving lieutenant from the Jiaozhi Southern Office, Department of Extermination of Filth."

He then beckoned to the accompanying woman: "Song Lu, show him your badge too."

Song Lu took it out helplessly.

Then Fu Jingyu asked Xu Yuan: "Can you check and confirm it?"

Xu Yuan: "It has been confirmed. There is no problem with your identities."

"Okay." Fu Jingyu put away his badge, picked up a pen and began to ask questions: "Xu Yuan, how did Qiao Ziang die?"

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　The ranking has climbed up a few more times, hehe, thank you everyone!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)