At the break of dawn, vendors from outside the city were already carrying their wares and pushing their carts into the city. Changjing was indeed a bustling place. Every morning, both sides of this street would be lined with stalls. Many vendors had their own fixed spots. For example, in front of Song You’s door, there was a woman selling eggs, an old man selling vegetables, and a short man selling tofu.
Changjing provided them with ample opportunities to earn a living, and it also brought countless conveniences to the people within the city. Yet, before the sun had even risen, who knew how far these common folks had traveled from the mountains at this hour?
Voices began to rise from below.
It was the vegetable farmers and vendors discussing in low voices, negotiating the prices of vegetables and setting a minimum price.
Sometimes they sighed and complained. Other times they chatted and laughed. Their emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—came in through the window.
Song You glanced out and suddenly noticed three figures approaching from the left side of the street.
An elderly man, not very tall and dressed in officer robes, were accompanied by two deputy officers. One was a civil officer and the other military officer, whose attire was either grand or imposing. The commoners around them seemed unable to see them.
Before they reached the building, the military officer noticed Song You at the window and mentioned it to the elderly man, pointing in his direction. The elderly man then stopped, cupped his hands, and bowed to Song You from afar.
Song You didn’t speak, but he returned the gesture and waved for them to come up.
It wasn’t long before the three of them were upstairs in the loft.
“Greetings, Immortal Master.”
“I'm merely a mortal, unworthy of being called 'Immortal Master.' Since Your Excellency is a person of this dynasty, you may address me according to the customs of this dynasty. 'Sir' will suffice.”
“Greetings, sir.”
“Congratulations, City God.”
“I merely slew one of the rebellious demons, and that was only thanks to the talisman you bestowed upon me. I’m hardly deserving of such congratulations.” The City God cupped his hands repeatedly. “I came here today to report that one of the demons was indeed slain by my military officer on the spot, using the thunder talisman you provided. But it seems you anticipated this outcome and already knew.”
The City God paused before continuing, “Although the demon who killed the court officers some days ago was indeed that wolf demon, now brought to justice, I fear that some of its accomplices are still lurking in the city and hiding deep. But rest assured, my subordinates and I will patrol day and night to uncover their tracks as soon as possible...”
Song You nodded.
The City God had come not only to report on the battle last night but also to explain why the second fire talisman remained unused, likely to prevent Song You from misunderstanding and thinking it had been kept for another purpose.
“However, I’m curious—if the wolf demon's accomplices are hiding so well, how did you come to know they are still in the city?”
“In response, sir...” The City God showed a look of shame. “Though I’m not very capable, I am still the City God of Changjing. I often pay close attention to the happenings in the city in secret. This is my divine duty, which makes it easier to manage.” Ȑ
“It seems that you indeed have a heart set on serving the people.”
It was not necessarily the case that the City God has a genuine heart for serving the people. It could be that he was unwilling to humbly serve as a god, or perhaps he had realized that if things continued this way, being discarded was only a matter of time. There might also be other considerations at play. Regardless, it was best to speak in pleasant terms.
Song You paused and then said, “Earlier, I congratulated Your Excellency, but it wasn’t for successfully eliminating the demon last night.”
“I’m not sure what you mean...”
“Since the beginning of the month, I’ve often heard the people discussing you, City God. I imagine the incense offerings in your temple have been much more abundant lately?”
“This...” This was indeed true.
On one hand, the City God's military officer was seen slaying demons at night, and the news spread among the people. On the other hand, Song You had sent a dream to the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, instructing him to withdraw the people from the base of the mountain.
Although this matter had not been publicly discussed, the people who had been forcing others to buy incense at the City God Temple disappeared overnight. This led to some speculation among the common folk. More importantly, the incense offerings purchased by the people themselves to honor the City God were made with more sincerity than before.
With more people offering incense and doing so with genuine intent, the power and faith the City God received naturally far exceeded what it was before.
The City God could only repeatedly cup his hands in thanks. “It’s all thanks to you, sir.”
As Song You calculated the time, he decided it was time to make breakfast and go out to pick up the pillar of his household from work.
In truth, over the past few days, Lady Calico had already figured out the route and could easily travel back and forth on her own. However, she still insisted that Song You escort her every evening and come to pick her up in the morning.
She claimed that in the morning, she worried she couldn’t count properly and feared that others might shortchange her on the offerings, but she never explained why she needed him to escort her in the evening.
By this time, the outside was already bustling with noise and activity.
***
In the afternoon, the heroine next door returned a bit earlier than usual today.
She knocked on Song You's door, stepped in and glanced around before she naturally sat down.
“Did you hear? Last night, around midnight, somewhere between the fourth and fifth watch, there was a thunderous clap at the east city gate. It was truly a thunderbolt out of a clear sky! Some people thought it was going to thunder or rain and opened their windows, only to see a sky full of stars, a few golden-armored divine officers, and a demon lying on the ground. Isn’t that something?”
“I’ve heard.”
“Hmm?” Heroine Wu was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit disappointed that her story didn’t have the desired effect. “How is it that you're so well-informed? Do you have some kind of Daoist technique that lets you know everything without leaving your house?”
“If I had such a technique, I wouldn’t have needed to leave the mountain.”
“True...”
Heroine Wu waved her hand dismissively, not dwelling on it. “I wonder if they’ve caught all the demons yet. If they have, the palace might lift the curfew, and then you’ll be able to properly enjoy the splendor of Changjing... Though I never understood what good the curfew did. Those demons, while they do eat people, don’t seem to target ordinary folks. It’s just a nuisance.”
The sound of light footsteps came from the stairs. A cat walked down, paused at the sight of her at the bottom of the stairs and yawned, and then lay down right there.
“Look how tired your cat is!”
“She's worked hard.” Song You said with a smile. “How did your information gathering go, heroine?”
“I had someone read a few of the public notices for me today and did some asking around. It’s pretty much what I expected. The ghost troubles inside and outside Changjing. Some of it is handled by local scholars and wanderers, some by the monks from Tianhai Temple. The rest, the jobs that no one takes, are either too difficult or not worth the trouble for the little pay.” Heroine Wu explained.
She continued, “I’m not an expert in this, but I’ve picked out two or three that seem promising. What do you think? We can choose one together.”
“We’ll tackle them one by one.”
“What?”
“We’ll tackle them one by one.”
“Ha!” Heroine Wu laughed. “You’re not afraid of death or trouble, are you?”
“Quite the opposite. I dread trouble more than anything,” Song You replied calmly. “But with nothing else to do and with a heroine like you to assist, and since it’s about eliminating threats for the people, why not give it a try?”
“Then why not take care of the demon in the city?”
“The city has the City God; the outskirts do not.”
“You always have a reason, don’t you...”
“Please, tell me more, Heroine Wu.”
“Alright, I'll start with the most troublesome one!”
“Alright.”