Chapter Thirty-Six: The Goal of the Seventh Rank

Unless? A glimmer of sharpness flickered in Magistrate Li’s eyes—unless this Scar Wolf was lying, knowing that Constable Liu was not someone to be trifled with and thus fabricated a story to shield him.

Clad in the black-green official robe, his deep eyes laced with sinister coldness, he exuded a natural authority that made others tremble. Even a single glance at those official robes was enough to chill the blood. Scar Wolf’s body shuddered; he retreated, forcing himself to look away.

The agony of losing his only daughter almost drove Magistrate Li mad. She was his sole child, the one he’d hoped would marry well and continue the family line. Now, staring at Scar Wolf, who was still lying, his voice was icy: “Men, take him away… use torture!”

“My lord, I’m innocent… Why are you torturing me, my lord?!”

“Think on that yourself.”

Scar Wolf was dragged away by two black-clad officers. His usually ferocious face was now frantic. He might bully neighbors, seize women for a few days, or even beat disobedient commoners to death, but he’d never done anything truly heinous.

The water-soaked whip lashed his body, iron tongs yanked out fingernails one by one—waves of searing pain forced howls from his lips.

“Boy, confess honestly, and it’ll be better for you and everyone. Don’t cover for anyone. If you go down the wrong path, you won’t survive,” the constable interrogating him said coldly. “Think carefully if you got the time wrong. In half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, I’ll be back to deal with you.”

With that, Scar Wolf, now covered in blood, was thrown into a cell, where several of Magistrate Li’s trusted men guarded the door.

He gazed around the dim cell as weak light filtered through the narrow window. Damp and cold, the oppressive air matched the gloom in his heart.

He kept turning over the magistrate’s words and the hints from the constable during the interrogation.

The Li family’s young lady’s jade hairpin had been found in Constable Liu’s secret chamber—no doubt she’d met a tragic end.

Among the great households, many had secret chambers. As a minor leader of the Black Wolf Gang, Scar Wolf knew much about the hidden affairs of these prominent families, who built such rooms to indulge their twisted desires—raising book boys, keeping young wet nurses, pregnant women, old women, twin sisters, even mothers and daughters…

These shameful acts all took place in secret chambers. Since Miss Li’s trace was found there, her fate could only have been miserable.

Yet he had truly left the house at dawn that day.

By all rights, his wife shouldn’t have appeared in Constable Liu’s home, let alone suffered such a fate.

Unless…!

A terrifying thought flashed through Scar Wolf’s mind.

Unless Magistrate Li had learned that his daughter was imprisoned and violated in Constable Liu’s secret room, perhaps even found her corpse, but hid the body for the sake of family honor—yet vengeance for his daughter was unavoidable.

Constable Liu was under the protection of the county magistrate; he couldn’t be killed without cause. At such a time, another crime was needed as pretense, and somehow Scar Wolf’s wife was chosen.

Thus, the real murderer was Magistrate Li himself, who had killed Scar Wolf’s wife. Scar Wolf became nothing more than a weapon in his hand. If he failed to grasp this, he’d be silenced, and Magistrate Li would use his wife’s death in Liu’s chamber as an excuse to attack and kill Liu in revenge.

Scar Wolf was chilled to the bone at this realization.

These powerful men were so ruthless, sacrificing his wife just to save face.

“I must see Magistrate Li! I must see the magistrate!” Scar Wolf clung to the bars, shouting desperately.

…

In the main hall—

Scar Wolf reorganized his account, moving his wife’s disappearance up by two days, since she’d been at home the previous two days and hadn’t gone out, while three days prior, someone had seen her leave—there were bound to be some inconsistencies.

“Is this the truth?”

“It is, it is!” Scar Wolf nodded hastily.

“Good. Then sign and press your fingerprint. Rest assured, your safety will be protected.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Joy flickered in Scar Wolf’s heart as he quickly signed and pressed his mark.

“My lord, the county magistrate has gone to the cells,” Constable Feng entered and reported.

“Let’s go.”

Magistrate Li glanced at Scar Wolf’s confession in his hand, a cold glint in his eyes, and headed toward the prison, his trusted aides following closely.

As soon as they reached the county jail, they saw County Magistrate Zhou approaching, his black-green robe tattered and bloodstained, surrounded by his own men. Constable Liu, held by two officers, had clearly been severely beaten and was moaning in pain.

“Why is the county magistrate not supervising the battle atop the city walls? Why have you returned?” Magistrate Li’s imposing presence was like the vast blue sky.

“Li, do you think you have the right to question me?” Magistrate Zhou snapped. “Don’t forget what you are—just a mere magistrate!”

Though his robe was in tatters, Magistrate Zhou’s aura remained fierce and commanding, his life-and-death authority undiminished.

As the top martial artist in Yanggu County, his presence rolled over Li and his entourage like a hurricane, making some of the lesser officers tremble and turn pale.

Looking at Magistrate Zhou, they couldn’t help but feel fear, cold sweat streaming down their faces.

Fortunately, Constable Feng’s inner energy surged, allowing him to barely shield Magistrate Li from the overwhelming martial presence, preventing them from losing face.

“Constable Liu is suspected of murder and should be jailed. Is the county magistrate intending to bend the law and trample on the Great Qian’s statutes?”

“What’s this? Is Magistrate Zhou planning to rebel as well?” Magistrate Li folded his hands behind his back, his voice resonant.

“I’ve been fighting outside, and you take the opportunity to frame Constable Liu. Does your conscience not trouble you, Li?”

“My daughter’s disappearance—what does it have to do with Constable Liu? You found a single jade hairpin in his secret chamber and beat him like this. I demand an explanation today,” Magistrate Zhou said through clenched teeth.

“My daughter? What has this to do with my daughter?”

“What do you mean?”

“Magistrate Zhou, you underestimate me. A single jade hairpin found in a secret room—how could that convict Constable Liu? Wouldn’t that be wronging an innocent man?”

“My business here concerns the case from two days ago, when Constable Liu abducted Scar Wolf’s wife, imprisoned her in his secret room, and violated her to death. There is testimony from all his household servants—only he had access to that courtyard.”

“Witnesses, evidence, confessions—all present. A life for a life. What more is there to say, county magistrate?”

“In addition, there’s another unidentified dead woman—two murder cases.”

Magistrate Li waved Scar Wolf’s confession, a hint of cunning in his eyes.

Magistrate Zhou frowned deeply, having overlooked the two corpses in the secret chamber. He hadn’t expected Li to move so quickly and produce a confession, but he remained composed: “As the county magistrate, I should preside over murder cases. But this matter has many doubts. The other victim’s identity is still unknown. For now, Constable Liu will be imprisoned, and we’ll schedule another trial.”

“When will that be, county magistrate?”

“Do you think you, a mere magistrate, can dictate my actions?”

“Step aside!”

…

Constable Liu was imprisoned, Scar Wolf was placed under Magistrate Li’s protection—two people who had posed great threats to Su Yang were now caged birds, finally giving him room to breathe.

But this matter would not end so simply. Magistrate Li was convinced his daughter’s death was at Liu’s hands; if he could not kill openly, he would likely act in secret.

Night fell.

At the Wang estate, after the banquet, there were no more opera troupes in these troubled times. A group of unmarried maids giggled as they planned to crowd together and eavesdrop on the bridal chamber from the courtyard wall.

Candlelight flickered softly.

Xichun sat demurely on the edge of the bed, a hint of shyness coloring her exquisite face, making her even more alluring. Her graceful figure, long slender legs, and delicate curves exuded a gentle charm. Biting her lip, she whispered, “My lord… it’s time for our wedding night…”

“My lord…”

That soft, lingering tone sent a rush of heat through Su Yang’s body.

…

Outside the room, a group of young maids huddled at the corner, pressing their ears to the wall, cheeks flushed red, eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. Some bit their lips, hearts pounding, limbs weak.

Time slipped by.

No one knew how long it was.

Inside, Su Yang lay on the bed, idly playing with a delicate jade foot. Xichun, feeling his warm grip, gazed at him with eyes full of tenderness and whispered, “My lord…”

At the courtyard wall, the maids’ eyes grew even wider, hands over their mouths in shock and disbelief.

…

Knock, knock, knock!

In the dead of night, Su Yang had already fallen asleep. The eavesdropping maids returned to their rooms, hearts racing with strange feelings, and it was unclear what they did afterward—but the next day all of them were listless.

A loud noise startled Su Yang from his sleep. Looking toward the window, he seemed to see past thousands of homes to the world beyond the city walls.

Such an inexplicable boom surely meant something was amiss outside the city.

Early the next morning.

Su Yang, after serving tea to his elders and having breakfast with Xichun, set out with three tasks in mind: first, to seek out the bearded constable for news of Constable Liu’s case; second, to find a wet nurse to advance his family’s progress; third, to visit the charitable mortuary to deliver the heart-eater insects for the mission, receiving payment in return.

Now that the bearded constable’s fate was in Su Yang’s hands, he was eager to please and recounted the events in the yamen from the previous day.

“Master, after Constable Liu and Scar Wolf were separately imprisoned yesterday, word came this morning that Liu died in his cell last night, and Scar Wolf has vanished. It seems Magistrate Li has won.”

“Oh… so swift?”

“The county magistrate is furious. This wasn’t just about killing Liu—this means Magistrate Zhou lost to Magistrate Li. Some fence-sitters in the yamen, like Wu Song the chief constable who might be promoted to judicial commissioner, may swing toward Magistrate Li now,” the bearded constable analyzed for Su Yang.

Su Yang nodded thoughtfully. In his mind, he realized this was a test of strength among the three great families of Yanggu County. The Zhou family was clearly inferior to the combined forces of the Fengs and Weis. After this, the Feng and Wei families would surely press their advantage, but what they might do next was anyone’s guess.

“By the way, what was the noise outside the city last night?” Su Yang asked, recalling the thunderous sound.

“Last night the rebels brought in a great demon, the Blue-armored Wild Bull, to aid them. They launched a night assault, aiming to breach the city magistrate’s residence and smashed several holes in the wall. Fortunately, General Zhao the Barbarian Bow noticed in time and, together with powerful martial artists inside the walls, repelled both the rebels and the demon.”

“But part of the wall is broken, so today they’ll likely call up the militia to repair it.”

“If you want the position of constable, fight hard for it. If you lack silver, come to me.”

“Thank you, Master.”

…

After the bearded constable left, Su Yang headed toward the Zhou family market, marveling that the rebels could even recruit a great demon to attack the city—it seemed they were becoming even more ruthless.

In this world, besides martial artists, there were also demons—like the tiger demon Wu Song had once slain, or the bull demon from last night’s assault. But demons were rare, mostly living deep in remote mountains and forests.

At the Zhou family market—

Entering the bustling market, Su Yang strode toward the slave market. He first glanced at the girls for sale—few were attractive, so he shook his head in disappointment.

There were three wet nurses to choose from, all accompanied by the men of their households, with intermediaries to make introductions.

“Sir, this wet nurse is twenty-five, with three years’ experience,” the broker said.

Su Yang glanced at the woman. She was plain, and the man with her looked ashamed, head bowed.

After childbirth, a woman could continue producing milk with the right stimulation, but after two years, the milk lost most of its nutrition. Su Yang shook his head and looked at the next candidate.

“This wet nurse is twenty-six, just started half a year ago.”

“And this one?”

Su Yang’s gaze turned to the last wet nurse. Her dark hair veiled a pale but beautiful face. Her eyes brimmed with emotion, her whole demeanor radiating the allure of a mature woman.

She was striking—truly pleasing to the eye.

Though he was hiring a wet nurse, not a concubine, having a pleasant-looking one at home was no problem.

“Oh, this one gave birth just days ago, but the child died. Her husband’s family sent her here as a wet nurse. She’s inexperienced, so the price is lowest,” the broker explained.

“What is your name?”

“You may call me Shui Niang, sir.” Her voice was weak—likely due to her child’s death, the blame from her husband and mother-in-law, and the hardships she’d faced since. Sent to be a wet nurse before she’d recovered from childbirth, she looked frail.

If she continued to be undernourished, she’d likely fall gravely ill.

“You’ll do.”

“Ah, sir… won’t you reconsider?”

“Since you’ve decided, so be it. I’ll notify your family and send the silver as well.”

…

Shui Niang, carrying her belongings, hurried after Su Yang toward his home, her expression heavy and her hands clutching her bundle tightly, fear for the unknown Wang household in her heart.

Name: Su Yang (Prospective Immortal)
Incense Points: 272
Level: Eighth Rank, Tempered Skin
Techniques: Incense Division, Qi Watching Art, Heartworm Control
Manuals: Savage Bull Long Fist
Compendium: Medical Classic
Lifespan: 81+
Family Offspring: 1

1. Family Progress: The family is thriving. For the healthy growth of your offspring, and to ensure their proper care, assign a maid to every pregnant woman. Each assignment earns 20 incense points.
2. Family Progress: The family is thriving. To further your family’s success, you need to build your own influence. Recruit three ninth-rank martial artists into your service to earn 100 incense points and the Root Measuring Technique.
3. Family Progress: The family is thriving. Have your third wife conceive to earn 30 incense points!

Daily Reminder: You need 400 more incense points to reach the seventh rank. The stronger the mother’s foundation and fortune, the greater the chances for your offspring to prosper, and the more incense points you will gain.