[POV: Teng Wen]

  I never imagined that, in all my years serving as the lord’s bodyguard and acting as Chief Constable of Xincheng, I would find myself presiding over something like this.

  The Dragon Heart cultivator slammed his palm against the table. “It is the responsibility of the government to handle criminals. Why must you rely on us?”

  The Boulder Path cultivator sneered. “Isn’t it pathetic that the Xincheng Constabulary needs outside help just to deal with one measly troublemaker?”

  The Phantasm Star cultivator stepped forward, his voice sharp and indignant. “Our sects joined forces to hunt a demon, yet instead we are humiliated by a mysterious expert who toys with us night after night! We will no longer tolerate this. Give us the identity of this man, and we will demand compensation!”

  It had been over a week since Yakuza Man’s strategy had been put into motion.

  Chaos didn’t even begin to describe it.

  The fox had grown bolder by the day with harassment escalating, ambushes sharper, and worst of all, the deliberate sowing of discord. He struck like one sect’s cultivator, retreated like another, and even mimicked techniques convincingly enough to turn allies against each other.

  Not long ago, I personally witnessed a Phantasm Star disciple and a Boulder Path cultivator beating each other senseless at an inn, both convinced the other had been the fox in disguise.

  So yes… I knew the plan was working.

  That was why I found it amusing that these three had come together of their own volition, likely thinking I was the weak link. A mortal official they could browbeat.

  Hah.

  The gall of them.

  Just because they were cultivators didn’t mean they could trample over Xincheng’s law.

  I straightened my back and let my voice ring out. “Don’t make fools of yourselves. We both know this so-called fox is likely not a single individual.”

  Their brows furrowed.

  “Recent evidence,” I continued firmly, “suggests that what we are seeing is infighting between your three sects, disciples pretending to be this fox while beating up their rivals. It is quite strange, isn’t it, that three cultivators from different sects would gather here together to intimidate a government official?”

  I leaned forward slightly. “If you were not cultivators, I would have already arrested you for disturbing the peace of Xincheng.”

  My heart was pounding.

  I was still a mortal, no matter how polished my martial arts were. One wrong move, one offended ego, and I could be dead before my sword cleared its sheath.

  They did not like my answer.

  “What? Do you know who I am?” one barked.

  “Think carefully, Constable,” another warned. “Is it wise to offend our sects?”

  “You are a small man in a small city,” the third said coldly. “I suggest you cooperate.”

  *Smack!

  A paper fan struck all three of them across the head in rapid succession.

  The sound was crisp and humiliating.

  “Who dares—!”

  “I will tell my uncle—!”

  “Huh?” one of them faltered. “Isn’t that… Lady Meng Rong?”

  Meng Rong stepped out from behind them, her expression was calm, and her eyes just as dangerous. She flicked the fan open lazily.

  “I recognize the three of you,” she said coolly. “All of you are disciples of the Dragon Heart Sect. So tell me… why are two of you dressed in the colors of the Boulder Path Sect and the Phantasm Star Sect? I wonder what those sects would think if they learned that Dragon Heart disciples were impersonating them and causing trouble in Xincheng—”

  “Apologies, Lady Meng,” one of them cut in hastily.

  “It seems we have misunderstood the situation,” another added.

  “We shall not bother the Constabulary any further.”

  The three of them cupped their fists, bowed deeply, and retreated without another word.

  Meng Rong did not stop them.

  I heaved a quiet sigh of relief, only then realizing how tense my shoulders had been.

  “Thank you, my lady… or should I call you lord now?” I asked.

  Since dawn, word had already spread through Xincheng that Lord Meng Wu had fallen gravely ill, and that his elder sister had assumed temporary authority. Among the citizenry, whispers brewed… some fearful, some resentful, some simply confused. But I was one of the few who knew the truth.

  The lord was not dying.

  Meng Rong shook her head lightly. “No need. It’s temporary.”

  “As you say,” I replied, straightening. “How may I assist you, my lady? You wouldn’t seek me out without reason.”

  “I need your second opinion,” she said. “Follow me.”

  She turned and left my office without another word. I followed at once.

  The moment we stepped beyond the threshold, she flicked her sleeve. A peculiar pressure brushed against my skin, like cool mist sliding over my senses.

  “What is this?” I asked, lowering my voice.

  “An obfuscation spell,” Meng Rong replied calmly.

  We moved swiftly through the residence grounds, then beyond the inner wards. When we reached the city wall, she leapt ahead with a lightness that barely disturbed the air. I followed, circulating my breath and stepping into my own movement technique.

  I did not fall behind her, but I could tell she was holding back.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  I had always known Lady Meng was no ordinary cultivator. Compared to her, those sect cultivators earlier might as well have been loud children waving wooden swords. Lord Meng Wu was truly blessed to have an elder sister like her.

  As we traveled, I ventured, “My lady, what sort of second opinion could you possibly need from someone like me? I am but a lowly official—”

  “There’s no need for humility,” she cut in. “My brother trusts you. That alone makes your judgment valuable to me.”

  She halted abruptly. “We stop here.”

  She descended lightly from a branch and stepped onto the soft earth beside a quiet lake. I followed, taking in our surroundings. A small forest embraced the water, deer grazing peacefully nearby, unbothered by our presence.

  Then Meng Rong spoke, her voice carrying effortlessly.

  “Show yourself, Yakuza Man.”

  “I’m here.”

  The voice came from directly behind me.

  My hand was already halfway to my sword before my mind caught up. I froze as strong fingers closed gently but firmly around my wrist.

  “Calm down,” the man said. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to surprise you.”

  I exhaled slowly and eased my blade back into its sheath. My pulse took a moment longer to settle.

  Meng Rong glanced at him, mildly intrigued. “I didn’t know you were capable of stealth arts.”

  Yakuza Man scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, well. I’m practicing my crouching skills. Trying to get my muscle memory back. Calling it stealth arts might be overselling it.”

  I studied him from the corner of my eye, unease stirring in my chest.

  From the start, I had assumed he was merely a wandering martial artist, someone who happened, by chance, to cross paths with Lady Zhu Shufen and the child. But standing here now, watching how naturally he appeared and disappeared even from my senses, I began to wonder.

  What if it hadn’t been coincidence at all?

  Yakuza Man sighed, looking around. “But seriously, why drag me all the way out here? Isn’t the lord’s residence or the library good enough if you wanted a secret meeting?”

  “It’s safer this way,” Meng Rong replied. “The sect representatives aren’t fools. They’ve already begun to piece together that something is amiss.”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. You’re the boss. Your call.”

  I cleared my throat deliberately. “Ahem… if I may… what exactly is the reason the three of us are gathered here?”

  Meng Rong answered without hesitation. “To discuss our next step.”

  She turned her gaze to Yakuza Man, her tone measured but unmistakably approving. “Honestly, I’m impressed. Just as you said, I would see results within a week. I never expected you would go so far as to ambush and harass them directly, disrupting their ability to search discreetly.”

  Her eyes shifted to me. “You did well too, Teng Wen. You ensured the curfew was enforced to the letter. Anyone who deviated from the patrol routes or behaved abnormally immediately stood out and was placed under scrutiny.”

  Yakuza Man folded his arms behind his head. “Hey, it was my plan. But yeah, it worked out pretty great. What really impressed me was you managing to stick a constable into every patrol group… and that compass artifact? That thing’s insanely useful.”

  I cupped my fists and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your generous words. The compass is a gift from my lord. I dare not take credit for his foresight.”

  “Humble too,” Yakuza Man remarked with a grin.

  Meng Rong, however, did not smile. “Still, it isn’t perfect. While they can no longer act freely at night, they’ve begun shifting their efforts to the daytime under the guise of sightseeing and leisure. They are still searching for the Meteor Child.”

  Yakuza Man clicked his tongue. “Yeah, I noticed. That’s why I’ve been hitting them somewhere else. I’ve been asking the shops to raise their prices. Exorbitantly.”

  I blinked. “You did what?”

  He waved it off. “Those ignorant cultivators have been spending mortal coin like there’s no tomorrow. Absolute idiots.”

  That was news to me… and troubling news at that. “How did you manage that?” I asked carefully. “No offense, but the people of Xincheng pride themselves on honesty.”

  “Tsk, tsk.” He shook his head. “You underestimate people. Being too rigid can be a disadvantage. And don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t raise prices illegally.”

  I frowned. “Then how?”

  “I bought a tenth of the businesses.”

  My composure cracked. “A tenth? How is that even possible? Isn’t a business a single entity? And if you acquired them unlawfully—”

  “I bought them with money,” he cut in, raising both hands. “Some with coin, some by trading recipes. I had a huge influx of mortal coin recently.”

  I felt a headache forming. “From where?”

  “Those cultivators I beat up? Turns out they keep their belongings on them. After a few days they stopped bringing spirit coins, but mortal coin was fair game. Plus, there was the reward for slaying the spider demon. You handed me that money yourself, remember?”

  I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

  “Also,” he added, “I was going to reimburse—”

  “No more!” I snapped, losing my temper entirely. “If you’re rich, then don’t reimburse anything! And don’t tell me you used government money to buy businesses. That would be fraud!”

  Meng Rong interjected calmly, “There’s no need to worry. Reimburse him.”

  I stared at her.

  “I instructed him to buy out the vagrants gathering in the city,” she continued. “They’ve been assisting with the harassment.”

  Ah.

  So that was it.

  No wonder complaints had been piling up. No wonder Meng Rong herself had been seen roaming the streets so often, likely waiting for a cultivator to lose patience and strike a beggar, creating cause for intervention.

  I sighed inwardly. The swelling number of vagrants had already been a growing issue. Many were martial artists, drawn here for the same reason as always: the hope of being noticed, recruited, or at the very least, fed. With so many sect disciples in Xincheng, even begging yielded more coin than usual.

  “Alright. Next step of the plan,” said Yakuza Man. “Ready to hear it? It’s pretty simple, really.”

  I straightened unconsciously.

  “We need to deprive these cultivators of a base of operations,” he continued. “A place where they can rest, plan, and retreat when things get rough. I want them kicked out of the lord’s residence.”

  I frowned slightly. That should be easy. With the authority of the lord, relocating guests was hardly impossible.

  “No,” Meng Rong said flatly. “That’s impossible.”

  I blinked. What?

  She exhaled slowly, as if restraining irritation. “The Tuyin royal court tasked my younger brother with hosting these cultivators. Now that he is indisposed, that responsibility falls to me. I cannot expel them. They are officially guests of Xincheng. As long as protocol stands, it is their prerogative to remain.”

  I cleared my throat. “Is… there an alternative?”

  Yakuza Man shook his head without hesitation. “Nope.”

  He turned toward Meng Rong, his tone suddenly sharp. “But listen carefully. If you can get them out of the lord’s residence, I can promise you two things. First, the prosperity of Xincheng. The businesses are already bleeding them dry, and I’ve got one or two more schemes that’ll make sure it stays that way. Second—” his grin widened, “—they will never find the Meteor Child.”

  Meng Rong scoffed. “Hah. And what makes you so confident?”

  “I know where the Meteor Child is.”

  My heart skipped.

  But the one who truly lost composure was Meng Rong.

  “That’s impossible,” she snapped. “Even I don’t know where the Meteor Child is! Did Zhu Shufen tell you? No… she wouldn’t. She swore she didn’t know and that only my brother knows. Why would she lie to me?”

  I had never seen her like this, her calm fractured, and her voice sharp with disbelief.

  Yakuza Man raised both hands. “Relax. Total coincidence. Seriously. Just hear me out first.”

  He continued, “I know for a fact the Meteor Child isn’t inside the lord’s residence. If we kick the cultivators out, we can stage a fake-out. Make them think the child is there. Once they’re expelled, they’ll assume we’re trying to keep them away from something important.”

  Meng Rong’s jaw tightened. “Then show me. Where is the Meteor Child? Even Meng Wu refused to tell me, and now you expect me to believe you know?”

  Yakuza Man sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Guess this is as good a place as any to spill secrets. She’s hidden in the library. And since I’ve been hanging around there whenever I can, you should believe me… I’m pretty sure her name is Xue Hai.”

  My breath caught.

  “The little girl? With Lady Zhu Shufen?”

  I have no idea about this Meteor Child business, but I knew about the little girl.

  Meng Rong froze and then laughed, a sharp, incredulous sound. “Meng Wu… that clever bastard. So that’s what he hid in the library.”

  Understanding slammed into place.

  They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

  They forgot I was here, I lamented.

  I raised my hand awkwardly. “Excuse me,” I said. “But… I might have an idea.”

  Yakuza Man turned instantly. “Spill.”

  Meng Rong’s gaze followed. “Let me hear it.”

  I swallowed, then forced myself onward. “What if we burn the emergency grain stores in the granary inside the lord’s residence… and frame it as an accident caused by disciples of the three sects after picking a fight with each other?”

  Both of them stared at me.

  I hurried on. “The city’s tax income has already increased thanks to their spending. Public resentment is growing. If the granary incident is tied to sect disciples acting recklessly, the pressure becomes unbearable. Given that Yakuza Man can imitate their techniques… making it convincing shouldn’t be difficult.”

  Meng Rong frowned deeply. “No. That’s too dangerous…”

  She paused.

  “…Wait.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she reconsidered. “It might be possible.”

  Yakuza Man burst into laughter and clapped loudly. “I like your idea, Teng Wen! It’s evil!”

  I winced.

  That was, without question, the last compliment I ever wanted from a man like him.