The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 28 Good baby, good baby

The county magistrate understood that this kind of sentiment could not be moved by money or status. He sighed inwardly, thinking that Zhou Yan was indeed a man of integrity and chivalry. However, because of this regret, he valued Zhou Yan even more.

They even envy someone else.

After Zhou Yan finished eating and drinking, he even packed a portion for Shen Cangming.

The county magistrate knew he couldn't recruit them, but still wanted to leave a good impression, so he took out a stack of papers and handed them to Zhou Yan, saying:

"This is the person that my husband asked me to find. He is listed in the wanted posters in various places. Among the people I have found, there are more than thirty children who have been trafficked by him."

"This person is hiding everywhere and is very difficult to find."

Zhou Yan glanced at the stack of arrest warrants, quickly flipped through them a few times, confirmed that it was Wang Chun's intelligence, and then politely replied:

"That's it."

Zhou Yan said, "Thank you, Master." In the Tang Dynasty, there is no such thing as "Master" or "Lord." Even if someone has an official position, if you don't know their name or rank, it is perfectly acceptable to call an older person "Master" or a younger person "Young Master."

The county magistrate's smile softened considerably, and he took out another portion of travel expenses and handed it to Zhou Yan.

“Those involved in gambling will be dealt with according to the law. If the amount of money involved is less than five bolts of silk, both parties will be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane. If it is more than five bolts of silk, it will be treated as theft and the offender will be sentenced to at least one year of penal servitude.”

"Lost? Losing is still a gamble."

Zhou Yan said, "Then Lin Rongxuan..."

The county magistrate was taken aback. Seeing the fire in the young swordsman's eyes, he immediately realized that this young man was not the kind of person who followed the law. There were human emotions in his eyes; he was not the kind of person who was rigidly serious.

The county magistrate leaned over, took out two fingers, and pinched them together:
"Within the bounds of the law, give him this."

"Top-of-the-line!"

"Before being exiled, I, no, the thief-catching officer, no... the lieutenant personally beat him with those sticks."

Zhou Yan grasped the county magistrate's hand and said:
"Ah Lang is indeed a good official!"

The old county magistrate's beard bounced with delight.

This kid is really something.

The deterrent effect of caning is actually quite significant.

Modern caning is administered on the back, legs, and buttocks, and it must be carried out in three separate sessions to avoid killing the person. In other words, it would leave an ordinary person with torn skin and unable to withstand it, crying and screaming for their parents, and then being dragged back for treatment.

The injury was almost healed, but not completely, and it hurt the most when I fought.

Drag him over and beat him up again.

It must be done in three separate sessions to accumulate enough for the punishment.

In some ways, psychological pressure is even more terrifying.

The county magistrate and others saw Zhou Yan off. When they saw Zhou Yan mount his horse and wear a sword at his waist, the county magistrate looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a treasure, and with regret. He said, "He has chivalry, but he's not the kind of person who's too rigid. He's a young man with a clever mind and a bottom line. He's no longer a rough gem."

"What a talented person!"

"What a pity, we can't keep such talent here."

"Yes."

Should we break up?

"Well... how about we eat some more?"

Zhou Yan ate so heartily and voraciously that the local officials barely ate anything. They exchanged glances and went back to their quarters.

The cook was wiping away sweat, his face visibly flushed: "More?!"

"What do you mean they left and then came back?"

"What do you mean the officials' sons haven't had enough to eat yet?"

"What do you mean that a meal that could barely feed twenty people was all eaten by one person?!"

"Damn it, I'm not serving you anymore!"

When Zhou Yan returned to the outskirts of town, Shen Cangming was tending to the campfire, as if he had always been there. The big black horse sat beside him, glancing at Shen Cangming with a strange sense of disdain, as if saying, "What are you pretending for?"

Zhou Yan told Shen Cangming what had just happened, and then took out the packed food for him, which was still warm.

Shen Cangming did not answer, but simply ate quietly.

After a long silence, Shen Cangming didn't say that he had gone along, but simply said:

"Tell me about that rat demon."

Zhou Yan then recounted all the specific details of their fight.

He was full of vigor, and although it was somewhat dangerous at the time, he spoke of it to Shen Cangming in a nonchalant manner, his clothes slightly dirty, and Shen Cangming simply nodded.

Because of the silence, Zhou Yan took out the oil lamp and examined it with great curiosity, only to shake it slightly.

The bronze lamp just lit up like that.

The oil lamp was lit, and a golden flame rose. Zhou Yan immediately noticed something was wrong.

The campfire beside them suddenly dimmed, and the darkness of the night, under the oil lamp, became even more profound, with something terrifying swirling in the shadows.

Suddenly, Zhou Yan saw a certain aura churning in the darkness.

This time, it wasn't even the physical form of the monster that I saw, but rather the aura of a demon.

These auras surged and churned, eerie and frightening to behold. Zhou Yan felt a sliver of fear from the flesh and blood of the human race, so he activated the Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman and glared back.

Originally, it was just to increase strength, but a thought suddenly popped into my head.

Hmm? Can we eat these demonic and ghostly auras too?
The kind of deep-fried icicles?
The Hungry Ghost Jade Talisman suddenly lit up brightly.

Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!
The yin energy that had been churning around him with 'malice' suddenly stopped.

With a whoosh, they scattered. Before Zhou Yan could do anything, something shot towards him, causing the oil lamp in his hand to fall to the ground. He instinctively drew his knife, but a large hand pressed it back down. "I..."

It is Shen Cangming.

Zhou Yan blinked, and the oil lamp went out, so the demonic and yin energy disappeared.

Shen Cangming took the extinguished oil lamp and said:
"You're lucky; it looks like you've found a treasure."

"This thing must have been an oil lamp from some temple, which had been fed with incense for over a hundred years. Later, it was bitten off by this rat spirit and taken away, becoming tainted with its filth."

"Judging from what just happened, if this lamp is lit, things that are normally visible to the naked eye will become blurry. At the same time, things that are invisible to the naked eye will be clearly illuminated. Use it carefully, as sometimes encountering yin energy or evil spirits is not a good thing."

Zhou Yan asked curiously, "What's the reason for this?"

Shen Cangming looked at Zhou Yan, who was staring at him obediently, and after a moment of silence, said:
"The power of the five elements is the blade of heaven."

"The material of this thing itself is sufficient to bear the power of the five elements."

"Look, the wick of this oil lamp is made of cotton mixed with grass, which is pure yang wood. It was bitten off by the rat demon with its teeth. [Metal overcomes wood], and the lamp oil was contaminated by demonic energy, becoming [filthy and unclean]. Finally, a little bit of Buddha's light remained, stabilizing the balance."

"But this tiny bit of Buddha's light turned into a [fire consumed all the wood].

“If Buddhist or Taoist practices are incomplete in terms of the five elements, they will attract filth and bring disaster.”

"This can be considered a treasure of the [Telepathic] category."

"From what I just saw, your eyes can see spirits and demons, but you can't see these faint demonic energy and lingering desires."

"It seems your eyes have a natural supernatural power."

Zhou Yan asked curiously, "Supernatural powers?"

Shen Cangming said, "Yes, divine enlightenment, which is naturally understood without cultivation, is supernatural power; what is learned later is magic. After you become a Xuan official and have magic power in your body, your eyes should change."

"What you will see then will be far beyond what you can see now."

"Put this lamp away carefully. There's not much oil left inside, so use it sparingly."

Shen Cangming tossed the oil lamp to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan hurriedly caught it, looking at it with great satisfaction.

Can you see demonic energy and hide things you can normally see? If you light a lamp, wouldn't that hide yourself?

Similar to invisibility?! And it even has the ability to track demonic energy?
Could it be that the rat spirit is able to hide and evade others because of this ability?

My darling, my darling.

Zhou Yan was secretly delighted.

Let's call you Collection Number One.

With this, things will be much easier when we go into bandit dens. We can just hide it and give it to them.

Stealth is what makes an assassin; no assassin would fight their way in.

Shen Cangming could see Zhou Yan's excitement, and he simply said:

Go to bed early tonight.

He held the knife and closed his eyes.

Zhou Yan stroked the oil lamp as if he had acquired a novel gadget.

Suddenly it occurred to him that there were wandering spirits and demonic energy in the wilderness that he could not yet see. If that was the case, then why did these wandering spirits never approach him, since they often stayed in the wilderness?

Even the musician was someone Zhou Yan only met when he went out to practice his sword.

Zhou Yan looked at Shen Cangming, who had his eyes closed.

Zhou Yan touched the oil lamp and lifted it over there.

Darkness descended, and within the darkness, something stirred.

However, the lurking ghosts and spirits dared not approach this place. The one-armed Shen Cangming closed his eyes, and under the shadow of the oil lamp in front of the Buddha, the blood-red aura on the man's body shot into the sky like smoke from a wolf.

The golden oil lamp flickered violently, as if it were about to go out.

Even if he lost an arm.

It is still a place where demons and ghosts are warded off.

No ghosts or spirits would approach; in fact, they would run far away if they saw them, only daring to observe.

Uncle Shen is indeed amazing...

Zhou Yan was filled with emotion, and then he saw Shen Cangming's severed arm and the wisps of azure flames burning eternally around his eyes.

All kinds of torment, the karmic fire like a knife, are constant and never cease.

This is practically torture by a thousand cuts.

Zhou Yan's movements froze instantly.

The excitement and high spirits he had just felt vanished. Suddenly, Zhou Yan recalled their first meeting, the heroic figure who had protected him with a knife in one hand.

'You have one arm, one eye, and exceptional archery skills.'

'it is good. '

The young man, who was full of vigor and had just made a name for himself by slaying demons and saving people, opened his mouth.

For some reason, a sharp pang of guilt pierced his heart.

"Uncle Shen..."

(End of this chapter)