Chapter 16: Don't Cause Trouble for Everyone

When Shang Lu arrived at the yamen, his disheveled appearance immediately drew the attention and curiosity of the constables. The members of the patrol squad had already heard about Shang Lu being attacked by mad dogs, but the other officers were not aware and gathered around to ask what had happened to him.

Upon learning that he had been assaulted by mad dogs, the constables were full of lamentation. Though they refrained from making comments in front of Shang Lu, after he left, they clustered together and sighed:

“Who would have thought that Deputy Shang would end up in such a state because of mad dogs?”

“He used to have the cultivation of Bone-Cutting at the intermediate level. A few mad dogs would’ve been nothing to him—wolves and jackals would not have frightened him. Now it’s just like the old saying: ‘A tiger fallen to the flatlands is bullied by dogs.’”

“The performance evaluation is next month. With his situation, will he even be able to pass?”

“No chance. His position as a full-duty constable has already been eyed by others.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“You didn’t know? Let me tell you, but don’t breathe a word of this to anyone else…”

In the end, many of the constables looked at Shang Lu with sympathy and pity in their eyes.

Shang Lu made his way to the Third Squad office and first sought out the white-clad constables under his command. His sorry state drew their concern and sighs as well.

He went straight to the point, instructing them to visit the families of the Heifeng Gang members who had been coveting his ancestral land.

As a constable, Shang Lu was no stranger to the Heifeng Gang. Even if he didn’t know all their names, he had memorized their faces. The white-clad constables under him needed only to conduct a quick inquiry to confirm their identities and locate their families.

“Lu-head, did these people offend you?” asked Du Feng, one of the white-clad constables, after hearing Shang Lu’s orders.

Shang Lu did not conceal anything and gave a brief explanation.

Once they understood the situation, the constables realized that the Heifeng Gang had likely heard of Shang Lu’s loss of cultivation and the upcoming performance evaluation, and thus felt emboldened to act so disrespectfully.

Normally, these constables would simply follow Shang Lu’s orders. However, with the performance evaluation looming and Shang Lu likely to lose his post, offending the Heifeng Gang for his sake seemed unwise. They hesitated.

Only Du Feng, indignant, said, “Those Heifeng Gang scoundrels are acting like they own the place! Lu-head, do you want us to do something to frighten them when we go?”

“No need,” Shang Lu quickly stopped him, worried his colleague might go too far. “Just deliver my message. Do nothing else.”

The Heifeng Gang members were still in Shuanggui Village. If their families were pressured too much, it might provoke an extreme reaction.

What Shang Lu wanted was to warn the Heifeng Gang members, make them wary, not drive them to rebellion.

“Understood. This is simple. We’ll handle it.” Du Feng patted his chest and set off immediately, urging his hesitant colleagues, “Come on, don’t just stand there.”

After weighing things quickly in their minds and judging that delivering a message would not offend the Heifeng Gang, the others followed.

Shang Lu noted their reactions, watched them leave the office, and then went to find Captains Niu and Ma.

Entering the duty room, he found both captains present—a rare occasion.

Seeing his battered state, the two captains looked him over in surprise.

“I heard this morning you were attacked by mad dogs on your way back from the countryside last night. I thought it was just a rumor, but you’re really injured,” Captain Ma said, rising to examine Shang Lu’s wounds.

He seemed concerned, but in truth, he was checking to see whether the injuries were real. He even deliberately uncovered the herbal poultice.

Shang Lu’s untreated wounds now served their purpose: after the snake venom had been neutralized, the injuries looked no different from those caused by wild beasts.

After inspecting them and finding nothing amiss, Captain Ma dismissed his suspicions. He sent for wound medicine and gave Shang Lu a perfunctory warning not to travel at night, lest he encounter danger again.

Only after all this did Captain Ma frown and ask, “Why are you here instead of resting at home?”

“Reporting to the captains, yesterday when I returned home, I heard of a strange incident on the road—something highly unusual. I did not dare ignore it and have come to report it to you both…”

Shang Lu followed Captain Ma’s line of questioning and recounted the matter of the monstrous serpent.

Of course, he did not say he himself had encountered the serpent, fought it, and eaten its gall bladder. He attributed everything to an imaginary “passerby.”

“I heard that recently, Mount Yunhua has been shrouded in thick fog. Sometimes, banks of mist roll down the mountain, and whenever people or livestock are caught in it, they vanish without a trace…”

“Some claim to have seen strange, serpent-like creatures within the mist, but once the fog disperses, nothing remains…”

“Others outside the fog report hearing cries of terror from people and animals, as well as bizarre noises…”

“As far as I know, the villages trapped by the fog on Mount Yunhua have indeed seen little travel lately. I haven’t seen any hunters or herbalists from the mountain at the marketplace either…”

He concluded, “I suspect there is a monster hiding on Mount Yunhua. I beg you to report this matter and request a shaman official to exorcise the creature and prevent further harm to the people!”

If a shaman official arrived, not only could the monster be eliminated and lives saved, but Shang Lu could also follow them up the mountain and perhaps acquire more serpent gall to eat. Besides its terrible taste, the monster’s gall had no ill effects; it could strengthen the eyes, and was much more effective for cultivation than ordinary food.

However, after hearing Shang Lu’s story, Captains Niu and Ma both shook their heads.

Captain Ma said sternly, “We haven’t received any missing persons reports, nor has anyone reported strange fog abducting people. If the people do not bring it up, the officials do not investigate. No reports mean nothing has happened—Luo River County’s jail is gathering dust, all is peaceful.”

Captain Niu added, “Shang Lu, what you have is merely hearsay—folk rumors, nothing more.”

After a pause, he added, “You need to understand: with the performance evaluation approaching, any disturbance about demons or monsters—true or false—is bad for us, and for the magistrate.”

The two captains’ attitude was clear: better to avoid trouble, especially with the evaluation imminent.

Whether or not there truly was strange fog or a monster preying on people at Mount Yunhua, they did not care. Even if Shang Lu had hard evidence, it would have to wait until after the evaluation.

“But what if there really is something evil, and leaving it unchecked causes a disaster…”

“If trouble arises, the shaman officials will handle it. There’s no need for us to worry,” Captain Ma interrupted coldly. “You’d best focus on preparing for the performance evaluation instead of stirring up trouble at a sensitive time. Don’t bring trouble to yourself—or to the rest of us!”