Headless Immortal

Chapter 23 Pursuit
"It wasn't given to him; that's his name."

"what?"

"He told you that?"

"No, it's not that. We just guessed it."

"..."

Zhao Jia was confused; what nonsense were these brothers talking about?

When he first met Black Cat, he and his friends were playing dice in their cell in prison. How did he already know Black Cat's name now?

Seeing that the old cat didn't refute it, it seemed as if that was the cat's original name.

“Boss, you don’t know this. Master Song from the north of the city…” The little man boasted as he told Zhao Jia about their guesses and what they had verified.

"..."

Zhao Jia was already somewhat convinced.

"That little constable..."

The shorter man asked in a low voice, "How did the monster give him silver?"

Zhao Jia shook his head: "His name is Chen Shuichang, he's only twenty years old. I asked him, and he's just too scared. It has nothing to do with monsters."

"Not to mention him, we were scared too. That monster came riding on the river mist, with a ten-foot-tall mountain rabbit eyeing it menacingly beside it. I didn't dare to make a move either..." Zhao Jia sighed in frustration. He was angry at himself for not daring to draw his sword, but also secretly pleased that he hadn't. Fortunately, the monster only took the tax silver and didn't intend to fight them.

"Not only that, if there's a yellow dog by your side, then it's truly like having a yellow dog on the left and a falcon on the right."

Big Mouth was filled with envy, and he still couldn't hide his surprise when he thought about it.

The old man, puffing on his pipe to relieve his pain, was shirtless, blood seeping through his white cloth: "That monster was too arrogant, and it chose the perfect time to appear when we were exhausted. If it had been well-formed, with hundreds of armored soldiers in front, and powerful bows and crossbows drawn at full strength, it would have been riddled with holes no matter what kind of supernatural powers it had!"

The black cat pricked up its ears.

"Meow."

The younger man pressed on, "Do you have any stories to tell us?"

Big Mouth was also full of curiosity.

clack.

call!
Old Cheng, exhaling a cloud of choking smoke, recalled: "Hey, back when there was a disaster in Jiangxi, the bandits grew rapidly. My brothers and I were recruited into the army to follow General Di in suppressing the rebellion. The bandit leader was known as Li Banxian, who could summon wind and rain and turn beans into soldiers. Those who drank his talisman water were invulnerable to swords and spears. Everyone said that Li Banxian had selected strongmen and forged them into armored corpses."

General Di was not afraid at all and said: "We are all flesh and blood born of our parents, so who is more capable than whom?"

"Three thousand archers, prepare."

"Full bow."

The drawn bowstring sounded like a fierce mountain wind.

"put!"

"After the shock, not one in ten survived."

"That's why I said he chose a good time. If he had chosen it before our troops were fully assembled and hadn't yet engaged the river bandits, we would be riddled with holes by now."

Humans and monsters fear each other; humans fear the unknown, and monsters fear the unknown as well. In the eyes of monsters, humans are large, gregarious beasts that use all sorts of unknown magic, and they dare not easily provoke them.

I don't know why this strange creature swaggered in like that.

So Lao Cheng said this monster is very arrogant.

Lu Xun, the black cat, nodded repeatedly.

This is the truth.

"Strange, it neither eats people nor does anything strange, it only took the silver."

The little guy clicked his tongue in amazement: "He commands crows and orders mountain rabbits; he's like a great commander!"

Zhao Jia had no doubt: "Go back and investigate him. He's so ostentatious, it should be easy to find him."

……

Silent all night.

Everyone got up very early and boarded the ship to return to Meilan County.

Land travel is slow, but water travel is much faster.

At dusk, I could see Mei Lan Wharf.

……

"what?"

"The tax money is lost!"

Master Lü was still immersed in the joy of his great victory and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Upon hearing what County Lieutenant Lei Ji said, he was almost scared to death under the table.

A powerful demon has appeared, which is beyond their ability to handle. They must immediately inform the prefectural government and request the head constable of the Six Doors in the province to take action.

The magistrate ordered, "Here's what I'll do. I'll write a letter to the prefectural government. County Commandant Lei and the two counties will join forces to take the water fortress. Constable Zhou Liang, considering this is not a crime committed in battle, will be allowed to redeem himself by raiding Qingquan Temple, this den of iniquity. Constable Zhao, please investigate the origins of the monster. You are allowed to freely mobilize the three shifts of yamen runners."

"If you find a monster, do not act rashly."

“Monsters are not like river bandits. Once they are frightened away, they will be difficult to deal with if they escape to the deep mountains and cause trouble.”

Although they are all made of flesh and blood, monsters come and go without a trace, and even the most powerful army moves slowly. If he angers the enemy and launches a decapitation strike, Lü Qian will lose not just his official hat but his head.

Therefore, he repeatedly instructed them to wait for the provincial constable to arrive.

……

"I knew it was."

The little guy almost laughed out of anger.

"You don't need to get involved in this matter. Take a few days off and relax."

Zhao Jia said, "I have already sent the three shifts of yamen runners to look for information. Just like Lao Cheng said, this monster is so arrogant that it will definitely appear again."

The younger man asked in confusion, "Boss Zhao, why are you working so hard?"

"It's my duty!" "Brother Cat, let's go."

The dozing black cat perked up, dusted itself off with its large tail, and waved.

The man and the cat headed straight for the donkey cart parked next to the county government office.

Old Liu, who was driving the cart, asked, "Where is the constable going?"

Just as Zhao Jia was about to speak, the little guy caught up and jumped onto the car.

"you."

"Hey, boss, Lao Cheng needs to recover from his injuries, Zhuangzi went to the doctor, and Da Zui went home to rest. I only have minor injuries and I'm homeless and jobless, so I'll go with you." The little guy rubbed his hands together. It wouldn't be fun leaving him there alone, and he wouldn't get along with the other group of constables.

He had no money to go to the brothel since the county's reward money hadn't been issued yet.

"Row."

"Where are you two gentlemen going?"

"The cat will show you the way."

"cat?"

Old Liu was taken aback, wondering if the bailiff was just making fun of him.

Then he saw the cat raise its arm and point to the main road.

"My goodness!"

The cat points the way, and the donkey runs.

Less than two quarters of an hour later.

Old Liu, who was driving, pulled on the reins.

North of the city.

Song House.

The two people and the cat got off the donkey cart.

dong dong.

"Who?"

The old butler opened the door with suspicion.

Two constables in black robes stood outside the door. One stood like a lean, sleeping eagle, the other short and stocky. He only vaguely recognized the smaller one, but he knew the leader well—it was Zhao Jia from the county yamen, the head of the three shifts of constables. The constables in the yamen had to address him respectfully as "Sir."

Take a closer look.

He exclaimed in surprise, "Three-legged!"

Lu Xun, the black cat, grinned.

Bang!
The door was closed tightly.

"It's a disaster, it's a disaster!"

The old steward hurried through the main hall and into the inner hall, anxiously searching for the master. Upon seeing Master Song, he nearly collapsed to the ground.

"What's the matter that's causing such a commotion?" Master Song asked with a chuckle.

The old butler was out of breath.

"Two constables."

"Zhao Jia."

"..."

"Cat, cat, three legs!"

"He's back with two constables."

"what?!"

Master Song was greatly alarmed. He dropped his teacup on the table with a clatter and stood up, pacing back and forth, saying, "This...this...what should we do?"

Staying closed off like this isn't a solution.

No matter what Sanjiao did, he still came from the Song family.

Master Song sighed deeply:
"please."

Then they invited two bailiffs and a black cat into the main hall for a meeting.

Master Song was filled with emotion: "You're back again."

Lu Xun, the black cat, sat on the chair, tilting its head to look at Master Song.

Zhao Jia had a prepared answer in mind, but he still cautiously probed first: "Does the master know him?"

“I not only recognize it, I’m also very familiar with it. This is my pet cat, Sanjiao, who’s been with me for almost fifteen years.”

"Didn't the constable come for him?"

"Yes and no."

"I heard that a strange thing happened in Master Song's house, and he asked a master from the Lushan Sect to help."

"You've come for that matter?"

Zhao Jia nodded.

Master Song's expression immediately turned cold: "Forgive me, but I have no comment."

Seeing that it involved the reputation of the Song family's young lady, Zhao Jia did not press the matter further. He cupped his hands and said, "I only want to know the origin of that strange creature. Do you have any clues, sir?"

"origin?"

Master Song frowned, deep in thought.

After a long silence, he spoke: "That monster once said he was the Five-Power God."

(End of this chapter)