After breakfast, he went to the front hall and repeated the usual routine.

Unlike before, hurried footsteps quickly sounded outside this morning.

The footsteps sounded urgent, so Henry Thompson quickly sat up straight, his expression serious.

There are two kinds of people who come to the temple to offer incense. One is the daily believer—these people’s incense money is a steady trickle; although they make offerings often, it’s never much. The other kind doesn’t usually burn incense, but comes in a hurry when they need help—these people are usually seeking favors from the gods, and they tend to be much more generous.

Such hurried footsteps usually mean a big fish.

And sure enough, the person who entered was a big fish.

The visitor wore a dark robe embroidered with brocade, a black hat, a long black-sheathed sword at his waist, and shiny leather official boots. Although his figure was a bit out of shape and his looks were nothing special, with this outfit and the aura he’d built up over the years, he did have a rather imposing presence.

Henry Thompson was familiar with this man; he was the head constable of Yuhang Town, David Parker.

If he was looking for Henry Thompson, it must mean there was another case in town involving ghosts or spirits. Otherwise, a man like him could visit Chunmanlou a hundred and eighty times and never come to offer incense at Deyun Temple even once.

"Little Daoist, hehe, long time no see, I’ve missed you," David Parker said with a broad smile, sitting down on the meditation cushion opposite Henry Thompson.

"Thank you for your concern, Chief Parker," Henry Thompson replied calmly. "You’ve come to see me—could it be there’s another tricky case in town?"

"I was planning to come to the temple to pay my respects anyway," David Parker said, pausing before continuing, "It’s just that a case happened last night."

Henry Thompson had heard these pleasantries so many times he could recite them, so he didn’t bother responding, just nodded and said, "Please go on."

David Parker didn’t waste words and got straight to the point: "This is truly a strange case! The owner of the silk shop, Manager Xue, was murdered in his home, along with several of his servants, and the deaths were extremely gruesome! But the strange thing is, all the victims were men! Every male in the household, including the master and his attendants, was killed, but not a single woman was harmed. Even Manager Xue’s newly-wed concubine, who shared his bed, was completely unharmed."

"Huh?"

Henry Thompson was a bit puzzled; he’d never seen anything like this. But his experience was limited—there are all sorts of strange evils in the world, so something new was only to be expected.

"After investigating, I suspect this case is related to a vengeful spirit," David Parker continued. "So I’d like to ask the little Daoist to come with me."

"Of course," Henry Thompson nodded.

"We might have to stay there tonight," David Parker added.

Henry Thompson frowned slightly.

If he had to stay in town overnight, that meant he wouldn’t be able to do his cultivation today, and his streak of daily monster-hunting would be broken.

David Parker quickly said, "We can pay extra."

He’d dealt with Henry Thompson many times and knew his habits well—overnight work was a separate fee.

When officials ask cultivators for help, they can claim a reward, the amount depending on the difficulty of the case, but overall it’s quite generous.

Actually, David Parker could have gone to Hangzhou to ask his superiors for help. There’s a branch of Chaotianque in Hangzhou, and he could have gotten help from cultivators affiliated with the court. But the people at Chaotianque are always busy, and constantly asking for help makes you look incompetent, plus the credit gets divided up. So, the local constables prefer to find nearby cultivators.

Even though it means paying an extra reward, the money comes from the government. Public funds—does that even count as real money?

This way, Henry Thompson gets the reward, and he gets the credit. Maybe you make a profit, but I definitely don’t lose out...

Hearing this, Henry Thompson immediately relaxed his brow. "Chief Parker, what are you saying? For the peace of our town, this is my duty! I’ll go inform my master right away."

"Such righteousness, little Daoist," David Parker said.

Henry Thompson got up to go to the backyard, and after a few steps, he turned back to emphasize, "It’s not about the money."

"Of course."

David Parker echoed with a beaming smile, though inwardly he thought, Yeah, right.

Henry Thompson went to the backyard.

Brian Sullivan was still by the stone table, holding a scripture and reciting, his robes fluttering, exuding an immortal air.

"Master," Henry Thompson said, "Chief Zhou from town has asked me to help with a case that may involve a vengeful spirit. I might not be back tonight."

Brian Sullivan looked up, concern in his eyes. "Be careful in everything, and make sure to stay safe. If you encounter an evil spirit you can’t handle, make sure to keep yourself alive and come back to tell me. I’ll cover for you."

"Understood, Master!"

Hearing this, Henry Thompson felt a surge of confidence—this was why he always felt so assured when going out on a job.

Because his master had his back!

With Brian Sullivan’s words, he felt he could go anywhere in the world. If he ran into any monster or demon he couldn’t handle, he could just come back and find his master—how reassuring.

……

After watching Henry Thompson leave with his iron sword for a long while, Brian Sullivan finally turned his gaze back to the picture book in his hands.

He could be heard muttering softly, "If something shows up in Yuhang Town that even you can’t handle, you must come back and tell me... Then the two of us master and disciple will run away together... As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn..."

A gentle breeze flipped the cover of the picture book, faintly revealing three large characters: Nine, Tailed, Turtle.

Chapter Five: I Have Other Methods of Releasing Souls