Free Web NovelChapter 253: Chapter 215: A Major Event in the City, Constables at the Door
"Quick, shut the door!"
"Yeah! Hurry up and close it! Are you trying to freeze me to death?"
Amid the shouts, the person outside walked in quickly with an apologetic smile. He brushed the snow from his shoulders and muttered, "This snow is really coming down!"
Then, he called out confidently to the area behind the counter, "Waiter, bring me some wine!"
The waiter had just finished with a rush of customers and was taking a short break, warming himself by a pillar.
Seeing this man call for him, the waiter couldn’t help but laugh.
"Chen Er, you rascal. Can’t even a snowstorm like this keep you at home? Did you really have to come out for a drink?"
"Of course I had to! Otherwise, what’s the point of living?" the man named Chen Er chuckled.
Wu Liangchen was seated facing the door, so he had a clear view of the man.
He was a down-and-out middle-aged man. His cotton-padded jacket, so filthy its original color was a mystery, was bursting at the seams, and his feet were in a pair of torn cotton shoes that gaped open at the front.
A glance at his face revealed it was disheveled and grimy, as if it hadn’t been washed in ages.
It was clear he was an idler, not much better off than a beggar.
"Chen Er, by that logic, your life isn’t worth much, is it? A couple taels of sweet potato liquor is all it takes to satisfy you?" one of the patrons who knew him joked.
Sweet potato liquor was a spirit fermented from rotten sweet potatoes and their vines. It tasted sour and bitter, but had the advantage of being cheap.
Unexpectedly, Chen Er, who was usually meek, was surprisingly bold today. "Who said I’m drinking sweet potato liquor? Waiter, bring me a catty of Lotus White, a jellied pork skin, and a plate of pig’s head meat!"
This time, even the waiter was stunned.
"Well, look at you, Chen Er. Haven’t seen you in a few days and you’ve really made something of yourself. Not only are you ordering Lotus White, you’re even ordering food! What, did you strike it rich?"
Chen Er tilted his head back and smirked smugly. "Didn’t strike it rich. But I’ve got a story to tell today, and I guarantee you all will be so impressed you’ll pool your money to pay for my drinks."
"Chen Er, did you get your head slammed in a door? You tell a story and expect us to pay for your drinks? You sure have some beautiful dreams," a patron sneered.
But others couldn’t contain their curiosity and pressed him, "Chen Er, what is it? Hurry up and tell us."
"I guarantee it’s great news. But like I said, this round of drinks today..." Chen Er said, looking around.
The patrons all started to clamor.
"Stop dragging it out! Just spit it out already! If it’s really a fresh piece of news, I’ll pay for your drinks!"
"I’ll pay for the jellied pork skin!"
"The pig’s head meat is on me!"
"But I’m warning you, if you dare try to fool us, you won’t be escaping a beating today!" said the first patron who had spoken.
This alone was enough to reveal the character of the people of the Northeast Plain.
They were even willing to pay just to hear a bit of fresh gossip.
"How would I dare fool you all? Something truly big has happened!"
Then, his face alight with excitement, Chen Er lowered his voice and said, "As soon as I stepped out today, I saw a group of constables from the yamen examining a body in an alley!"
"Is that it?" someone immediately asked with disdain.
After all, in this day and age, who hadn’t seen a few dead bodies? Especially in the cold of winter, not a night went by where a few beggars or vagrants didn’t freeze to death on the roadside.
Some people would even be walking along, then THUMP, they’d collapse to the ground and never get up again—becoming what’s commonly called a ’road-faller.’
They even heard that in the Imperial Capital, several cartloads of bodies had to be hauled out every day, so it was hardly anything strange.
"Of course, it’s not just that. I was wondering myself, why would these masters from the yamen suddenly brave such heavy snow to examine a body on the street? But then I took a closer look, and guess what?"
Chen Er looked around, and seeing that everyone was hanging on his every word, he said with satisfaction:
"The dead man was Tong San and his gang!"
BOOM!
As soon as he said this, the main hall erupted.
The crowd went wild. A few of the more impatient ones shot to their feet, asking in disbelief, "Are you telling the truth?"
"Absolutely true! I checked again and again. It was Tong San and his men," Chen Er said with a nod.
"Good! A good death!" someone couldn’t help but clap and exclaim.
"Heaven really does have eyes! Those scumbags are finally dead!" someone else sighed in relief.
Chen Er chuckled, took the wine brought by the waiter, pulled out the stopper, and took several large gulps. GLUG, GLUG. Then, he wiped his mouth in satisfaction.
"You guys have no idea how gruesome their deaths were. Some of them were missing their heads! Tong San himself had half his body blown to bits, and his face was frozen stiff. It was a terrifying sight!"
"Good! That bastard Tong San wasn’t even human! He got what he deserved for this to happen to him!" someone said happily.
"Waiter, bring me another pot of wine! I’m happy today, I have to have a few more cups."
For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar, making the already boisterous hall even livelier.
Wu Liangchen watched with cold detachment, but he had already reached a conclusion. ’
’It seems the deaths of those thugs last night have stirred up public anger. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a strong reaction.’
’But how did the authorities find out so quickly?’
’With this much snow, the bodies should have been completely covered. They shouldn’t have been discovered until the weather cleared.’
’And so many constables came to examine the bodies.’
’It’s clear those thugs had some connections with the authorities.’
Just as Wu Liangchen was speculating, a noise came from outside. Immediately after, several constables pushed aside the door curtain and walked in.
The moment they saw these blade-carrying constables, the noisy hall fell instantly silent.
The faces of the more timid patrons turned pale.
"What the hell are you all shouting about? We could hear you all the way from the street!" the lead constable barked.
"Tong San is dead. Did any of you see the killer?" the constable next to him immediately shouted.
No one answered.
Chen Er, who had just been showing off what he’d seen today, now wished he could shove his head under the table.
"Damn it, are you all deaf? Fine! I’ll question you one by one and see if the culprit is hiding among you!" the Chief Constable shouted, furious.
After all, he had been enjoying the soft, warm embrace of his mistress in bed this morning only to be dragged out. After rushing about in this heavy snow for half the day, he was already full of pent-up anger.
"Sirs, please, calm your anger. Have a cup of tea to warm yourselves first!" The Shopkeeper rushed over upon hearing the commotion, bowing and scraping with an apologetic smile.
"Get lost! We’re on official business, so wipe that damn grin off your face!" the Chief Constable said, putting on an air of incorruptible authority, then began to pace through the hall.
Most of the drinkers in the hall were locals. The Chief Constable quickly scanned past them, focusing his scrutiny on the unfamiliar faces.
Soon, he arrived by the stove. He lifted his eyes and was met with the sight of Wu Liangchen sitting behind a table, drinking his wine slowly and methodically, possessing an aura as profound as a deep pool and as imposing as a great mountain. The constable froze.
Just then, another constable came up from behind. Seeing Wu Liangchen still eating and drinking as if nothing was happening, he was overcome with anger and barked:
"You son of a..."
Before he could get the "bitch" out, the Chief Constable clapped a hand over his mouth and said with an apologetic smile,
"My apologies. This lad doesn’t know any better. Please, continue your meal. We won’t disturb you."
With that, he turned and left. Throughout the entire exchange, Wu Liangchen hadn’t even lifted an eyelid, as if the constables didn’t exist at all.
After the group of constables had gone, the atmosphere in the room eased slightly. Everyone looked at Wu Liangchen with astonishment, but no one dared to speak.
Meanwhile, the group of constables who had left the inn also stopped in their tracks. The one whose mouth had been covered asked, puzzled,
"Chief, what was that about? That kid didn’t look like the son of some powerful noble. Why were you so afraid?"
"You don’t know shit! If it weren’t for me, you’d be a dead man right now, believe it or not!" the Chief Constable sneered, then added with lingering fear,
"He may not be a noble, but he’s far more terrifying than any noble!"
At this, the constable’s face instantly turned pale.
"You mean..."
"That’s right. If my eyes don’t deceive me, that man is a Martial Artist of at least the Third Realm!"
Now, none of the constables dared to make a sound.
The constable whose mouth had been covered was so scared he nearly pissed his pants. His voice trembled as he said,
"Th-Thank you, Chief, for saving my life."
"Enough. We’re all in the same boat. If you had finished that curse, we all would’ve been doomed," the Chief Constable said.
"Chief, could Tong San’s death be related to that gentleman?" a constable asked.
"I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. Why don’t you go back and ask him?" the Chief Constable glared and said coldly.
The questioner shrank back and didn’t dare say another word.
"When we get back, we say we found nothing. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"You guys, why can’t you read the situation? In this day and age, it’s not just the common folk who need to mind their own business. It’s the same for us."
"The saying goes, ’less trouble is better than more trouble.’ Sometimes, playing dumb is the only way to live a long life!" the Chief Constable lamented.
All the constables nodded in deep agreement.
Meanwhile, back in the inn, the atmosphere finally returned to some semblance of normal. Although a few timid souls had quietly slipped away, most of the patrons remained, albeit speaking in much softer tones.
Wu Liangchen paid them no mind, focusing his full attention on his food.
He had already ordered three refills of the dog meat.
Xu Kai had long since eaten his fill. He was leaning back in his chair, so stuffed he could barely get up.
But Wu Liangchen was still eating.
With his current rate of digestion, he could probably keep eating until midnight if he wanted to.
Just then, the Shopkeeper, carrying a jar of fine wine, approached them trembling. He mustered his courage and said,
"Sir, this is a vintage wine that the inn has treasured for a long time. I’ve never been willing to drink it myself, feeling I’d be wasting good fortune by doing so."
"Today, I offer it to you. I hope you won’t find it lacking!"
Wu Liangchen raised his eyes, glanced at the Shopkeeper’s fawning smile, and nodded.
"Then I thank you."
The Shopkeeper, looking as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, immediately placed the wine jar on the table. He then bowed repeatedly with a smile. "Please, enjoy. Call for me anytime if you need anything!"
