Embroidered Uniform Guard: I Can Plunder Talents-Chapter 133 - 19: Special Gift: Lady of the Yin Hour! (Part 2)

Chapter 133: Chapter 19: Special Gift: Lady of the Yin Hour! (Part 2)

...

Early the next morning.

The officials from Nanmu City yamen arrived.

The County Magistrate led a group of people, and upon seeing Ye Liuyun, he hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"I am the County Magistrate of Nanmu, paying respects to Lord Thousand Households. My lord, you appear weary from travel, and yet I failed to receive you promptly. This is truly a dereliction of my duty."

Ye Liuyun gave a simple wave of his hand, not paying much attention to such words.

"Tell me about the case first."

"Yes, my lord!"

Seeing Ye Liuyun’s manner of putting the case first,

the County Magistrate actually felt somewhat relieved inside.

He had originally worried that the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent this time might be the same as before—just here to seek pleasure and profit, never handling actual business.

Even if, in the end, nothing was resolved, they’d simply arrest a few commoners to take the blame.

The Great Qian Dynasty may not have many upright officials, but this County Magistrate of Nanmu was relatively responsible.

The main thing was that Nanmu City was very important to the Great Qian Dynasty.

If anything really went wrong, let alone his official hat, the magistrate might not even keep his head.

Soon after—

The County Magistrate related in detail the circumstances of the women who had gone missing recently.

Some details, while recorded on file, could never be as thorough as the account from those directly involved.

"It started half a year ago?"

Upon hearing that, in fact, the disappearances had started half a year prior, Ye Liuyun could not help but pause.

A matter begun half a year ago, yet only now reported?

Noticing Ye Liuyun’s gaze directed at him,

the County Magistrate gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"My lord, to be honest, at the start, the women who disappeared were all from ordinary families. Though some people reported it to the authorities, very few reports actually made it to my desk."

The lower officials also did their work for money.

If you didn’t pay up, even if you made a report, few cases were ever truly accepted.

Only when the situation escalated, and the numbers grew too great, did the County Magistrate finally receive the news.

Furthermore—

To say something a bit cold, ordinary people with no background—who would truly care about their life or death in such an era?

But recently—

The identities of the missing women began to shift; there were wives of wealthy merchants, and even relatives of yamen officials.

The County Magistrate at first had hoped to resolve the matter with his own full effort.

But as he could not make headway, it was then reported to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"..."

How could one put it?

The magistrate negligent in duty? But even once the case was wrapped up, he’d still be magistrate; nothing would really change.

The only ones truly affected, perhaps, were those missing women.

After gazing at the County Magistrate for a long moment, Ye Liuyun finally spoke.

"When the disappearances began, did anything else occur around Nanmu City?"

It is impossible for such disappearances to have no reason.

And for the crimes to continue, it meant the perpetrators never truly left the area of Nanmu City.

"Anything else?"

This line of questioning actually made the County Magistrate frown unconsciously.

He pondered for a moment. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"I don’t think so. Each year, the imperial court dispatches people to sweep the area surrounding Nanmu City; there shouldn’t be any bandits or the like surviving."

Given all that—

It seemed there really were no leads.

Must they wait for the next incident before they could hope to catch the culprits?

Rather than sit and wait for doom, Ye Liuyun preferred to take the initiative.

As he was considering this—

Suddenly, the chanting of Buddhist mantras rose from the street.

"Amitabha!"

Looking toward the sound, it was several figures in Brahma Sect robes, entering the street.

The locals, upon seeing these Brahma Sect disciples, all hurried over to them.

"Master! Please bless us, Master!"

"Master!"

Clearly, the Brahma Sect held great prestige among the common folk.

These so-called masters, once surrounded, also stopped in place, producing prayer beads from their sleeves and handing them out to those gathered around—free of charge.

Judging by the expressions of those present, this was a frequent occurrence.

Each received Buddha Beads with tearful gratitude.

Ye Liuyun’s gaze caught this.

The County Magistrate beside him offered a cheerful explanation.

"Not long ago, a Yunkong Temple was built on the mountain behind our Nanmu City. These Brahma Sect masters are all from Yunkong Temple. Every few days they come down to distribute these consecrated Buddha Beads for free."

"And whoever receives these beads will be blessed by the fortune of the Brahma Sect, living a lifetime free from illness or misfortune."

"It’s just a shame that the beads are limited in number, and each person can only receive one."

At this point—

The County Magistrate’s tone even carried a hint of regret.

He seemed he would love to get more, if only he could.

"How do you know that?"

"What?"

The County Magistrate was visibly caught off guard by the sudden question.

He looked at Ye Liuyun with confusion.

"How do you know these Buddha Beads can grant a life free of illness and misfortune?"

"Uh, the masters’ words—they wouldn’t deceive us, would they? Besides, they’re giving them out for free, it costs nothing."

The County Magistrate couldn’t vouch for it either.

He simply felt that, since it was a free gift, even if it were a lie, what was the harm?

"..."

Ye Liuyun said nothing.

Unlike the others, Ye Liuyun had always believed that what is offered free is the most expensive of all.

"My lord!"

At that moment—

Si Nan, who had just blended into the crowd, squeezed his way out as well.

He held a string of Buddha Beads in his hand.

Evidently, he had just gone to receive one with the others.

Ye Liuyun took the Buddha Beads and examined them carefully in his hand.

As expected, there was a reaction of Inner Strength.