Chapter 20: Patrol Inspection

At this time, Wu Ming had just arrived and naturally found that speaking too much would lead to more mistakes, so he chose to remain silent.

Although the elder seemed to have a task to assign, which might even be a side quest, Wu Ming was under the threat of being erased. Therefore, he did not stay long. After asking for directions, he headed straight to the county town.

“This small town feels eerily oppressive and gives me goosebumps—it’s definitely not a place of good fortune…”

After walking several miles directly toward the sun, the fog gradually thinned, and Wu Ming finally exhaled in relief.

At this moment, he saw fields stretching all around, with crisscrossing paths, the sounds of chickens and dogs, and a few thatched cottages in the distance from which curling smoke rose—clearly a peaceful scene.

After walking another dozen miles, he reached a square city wall surrounding several miles. The city wall was covered with dark green moss, the gates stood wide open, and the bustling crowd flowing in and out appeared pale and malnourished, giving the city an air of decline.

“Entry fee: ten copper coins!”

The city guards stood with cold expressions. Seeing Wu Ming’s tall and elegant figure dressed in fine clothes, clearly not an ordinary commoner, the guard’s eyes flickered slightly.

Wu Ming, however, carried nothing of value. Although the main temple did have such items available for exchange, merit points were precious, so he had not paid much attention to these mundane things.

But now, this lack of preparation had become a minor inconvenience.

“A bit of a miscalculation. If I had known beforehand, I should have worn a simple robe and brought a sheath for the peach-wood sword—I could have pretended to be a scholar with certain privileges…”

Wu Ming noted this to himself. Instead of entering the city, he turned to the notice board nearby.

On one side of the city gate, notice after notice was pasted in layers, their corners turning yellow. Most were wanted posters, criminal portraits, and official proclamations.

In the center was a bright yellow proclamation that read:

“…Within the jurisdiction of Heitai County, the Heishui Town has been plagued by monstrous creatures and wandering spirits. It is my duty as the local official to protect the people and maintain peace… Unfortunately, the living and the dead walk different paths. Therefore, I hereby summon capable individuals, generous heroes, and valiant warriors from among the common folk to relieve the people’s suffering… Regardless of origin or background, those who succeed shall be awarded one hundred taels of silver and one hundred mu of farmland…”

Below were an unfamiliar era name, the month and date, and a large, bright red official seal.

“One hundred mu of farmland? That’s worth about a thousand taels of silver—it’s quite generous… But… Heishui Town?”

Wu Ming suddenly recalled where he had come from and chuckled in disbelief: “Never thought I’d end up back at the starting point after all that wandering…”

Without further ado, he stepped forward and effortlessly removed the proclamation, holding it in his hand.

“Ah?”

“Someone actually removed the notice?”

In an instant, a crowd gathered around, looking at him with curiosity, shock, and even a hint of schadenfreude.

“Hmm? Judging by their expressions… it seems the previous people who removed the notice didn’t fare well…”

Wu Ming’s mind stirred, but his expression remained calm and composed.

Two constables immediately approached. Having seen many people like this, they could tell at a glance that this young man was different from the previous frauds who only came for free food and lodging. They said cautiously, “Sir, have you really made up your mind? If you fail, Magistrate C will hold you accountable, and no one will be able to save you!”

“Of course!”

Wu Ming replied with a smile and followed the two constables into the city, where the entry fee was naturally waived.

Inside Heitai County, it was somewhat more prosperous than the outside. The people on the streets didn’t seem to suffer from hunger or cold, the streets were quite clean, and there were rice shops, salt shops, tea shops, pawnshops, taverns, inns, cloth shops, jewelry shops, brothels… all lined up neatly. There were also peddlers carrying various goods, hawking their wares through the streets.

Without further incident, they arrived at the county office. Wu Ming was led through a side entrance and taken to a side room to wait.

At this time, a minor official said, “Our Inspector Wu will be coming shortly—you’d better be careful!”

The county magistrate was the chief official of the entire county, a local ruler in his own right, naturally not someone you could meet on a whim. The inspector was in charge of the county’s security, similar to a modern public security chief. His rank varied across dynasties, sometimes from ninth rank or full ninth rank, but always an official with formal status, not just a lowly clerk.

“I understand. Thank you for informing me!”

Wu Ming bowed politely, only to receive a cold stare in return.

“Hmph!”

The minor official, who hadn’t received the expected bribe, snorted coldly and sullenly walked away. Wu Ming immediately realized he had offended a petty official, which could lead to trouble later on.

However, as an outsider from beyond the heavens with not a single coin to his name, he didn’t really care.

Inspector Wu was obviously a busy man. Wu Ming waited for more than half an hour before finally seeing him in person.

Of course, during this time, not even a drop of tea or a single snack was offered—this was the consequence of offending a petty official.

“Student Wu Ming greets Inspector Wu!”

Seeing an official enter, Wu Ming quickly bowed deeply. The man was about seven feet tall, looked under forty, had dark skin, bright eyes, a sharp and dignified face, and exuded an air of legal authority. Wu Ming naturally recognized him as Wu Hong, the inspector of Heitai County.

At this moment, he couldn’t possibly say he had no name or title. After all, he had previously used the alias “Wu Ming” (meaning “unknown”), and other reincarnators would only assume it was a pseudonym.

Thus, the false became true, and the true became false.

“You are called Wu Ming? What virtue or ability do you have that qualifies you to take this notice? Hmm? Have you studied in a school?”

Seeing Wu Ming merely bowing without kneeling, Wu Hong’s eyes narrowed slightly. Upon hearing Wu Ming refer to himself as a “student,” he asked further.

He was in charge of the county’s security, and no matter how unruly a rogue or how dangerous a fugitive, all would tremble in fear before him, bending to his will. Ordinary commoners would kneel immediately upon seeing him, or else face charges of disrespect.

Seeing Wu Ming behave calmly and politely, Wu Hong’s opinion of him rose slightly.

Of course, this was also related to Wu Ming pretending to be a scholar.

Throughout history, as long as it was an agrarian empire, scholars and literati were always given preferential treatment.

“I have studied since childhood, but I am ashamed to say I have no official title—just a bit of literacy…”

Although Wu Ming had some knowledge, he had no idea how the Four Books and Five Classics worked in this dynasty. If he claimed to be a student or scholar, he would surely be exposed during an exam. It was better to say he merely knew a few characters.

In fact, after reading the notice outside the city, Wu Ming had already noticed that the script here was quite similar to that of the Zhou dynasty, so it posed no major problem.

“If that’s the case, it’s still quite impressive…”

Wu Hong nodded slightly, his expression softening.

Although Wu Ming was not even a student, he was from a scholarly family and considered a potential scholar. Thus, Wu Hong gave him some leeway. Besides, this was not an official ceremony, and he himself was not a county magistrate of the seventh rank, so he let it slide: “This notice is not trivial. Once you accept it, you cannot back out. Have you thought carefully?”

“Please rest assured, sir! I have practiced breathing techniques since childhood, and my father was acquainted with a Taoist priest who gave us some talismans. I do have some confidence in dealing with minor ghosts…”

Wu Ming said, noticing Wu Hong still seemed hesitant. He continued, “This journey is also due to my boredom with studying—I thought it would be better to travel and broaden my horizons. This time, I crossed the Heishan Mountains to come here…”

The last sentence was an inspiration. He thought of the villagers in Heishui Town, who had been terrified upon seeing him emerge from Heishan.

“Heishan Mountains?”

After hearing this, Wu Hong’s expression changed. He stared at Wu Ming for a long time before smiling: “In these turbulent times, the fact that you can travel around shows you must possess some extraordinary skills. If that’s the case, I will report your name…”

“Thank you, sir!”

Wu Ming bowed deeply. At this moment, a task in his mind suddenly changed:

[Successfully arrived at Heitai County and claimed the notice. Sub-quest—Arrival (completed)!]

[Second sub-quest initiated: Investigation!]

[Task Objective: Having claimed the magistrate’s notice, you must investigate the truth behind the disaster in Heishui Town within seven days. Success will unlock the main quest! Failure will deduct one thousand minor merits. If merits are insufficient, you will be erased!]

“Heishui Town?”

Wu Ming sighed inwardly and frowned slightly: “So it really is related to that village? But why go through the trouble of coming to the county first?”

Wu Hong continued, “Hmm, you are a promising young man. The people of Heishui Town will be in your hands. The magistrate has ordered that results must be achieved within seven days… Do you have any other requests?”

At this point, a servant brought tea, signaling the end of the conversation.

“Well… To deal with ghosts and monsters, I still need some materials to set up an altar and prepare offerings…”

Wu Ming feigned some hesitation.

But in reality, he was penniless and destitute.

“This, of course, I will arrange through the public accounts. When you leave, take ten taels of silver with you!”

Wu Hong frowned slightly and lifted his teacup.

Wu Ming naturally understood this was a signal to leave. He immediately stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

…

After leaving the office, Wu Ming touched the five taels of silver in his pocket and let out a faint, cold laugh.

The official record stated ten taels, but after passing through the hands of the household department and various minor officials, it was immediately halved—this was the rule, and no one could say anything about it.

And when Wu Hong said ten taels, the actual amount recorded might have been twenty or thirty taels—this need not be elaborated.

At least, considering he still needed Wu Ming to carry out the mission, the silver given was high-quality official silver, white and fine, in neat pieces, enough to support a family of three for a whole year on a tight budget.

“After claiming the notice, I wonder whether the tasks of Tu Yanghao and the others have changed, failed, or whether they can claim a new notice…”

Wu Ming seemed to wander aimlessly through the county town, but he ignored the tails following him from the office.

The government was not foolish enough to let him take the money and leave—they had to follow and monitor him.

For now, there was no problem, but if he failed to complete the task within seven days or attempted to flee, the consequences… well, let’s just say they wouldn’t be pleasant.

“But… the waters of Heishui Town seem to run quite deep…”

Wu Ming did not leave the city to provoke the two tails. Instead, he walked calmly, though his brows were tightly furrowed: “That Wu Hong! His bones are thick and strong—his martial arts skill is at least equivalent to the fourth level of body cultivation in the Zhou dynasty, a master of internal strength… And as an inspector, his subordinates, including squad leaders and constables, could number up to a hundred… Even if there were some empty positions, he would still have twenty or thirty men under his command, and with his official status, they could greatly reduce the effectiveness of magical techniques… Furthermore, if he himself is not enough, he could even call upon the county’s military forces, which could number three to five hundred…”

“With such a powerful force, how come they can’t resolve the strange occurrences in a small town?”

Wu Ming furrowed his brows.