Henry Thompson certainly knew what Chaotian Que was for.

Back in the day, when the Heluo court conferred titles upon the Twelve Immortal Sects, they were divided into seven major sects and five minor ones.

The Central Plains imperial court’s Chaotian Que was ranked among the five great sects.

Among all the great immortal sects, Chaotian Que was quite different. The difference lay in the fact that, although it was an independent sect, it also served the Heluo court.

This involved some high-level secrets, which outsiders were not privy to.

In short, nowadays Chaotian Que could be regarded as a court institution specializing in matters of ghosts and spirits, with offices established in every province and city.

Henry Thompson had a sense of “self-awareness.”

It was precisely because Chaotian Que didn’t set up shop in the town that he had business helping the authorities drive away evil.

Now that the court had sent people, he knew it was time to bow out gracefully.

“Eh, why wouldn’t I need you?” Olivia Thompson’s eyes darted as she said with a sweet smile, “I’ve just arrived here and don’t know the situation yet. With a local helping me, I’ll be able to solve the strange case much better.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a series of low coughs came from behind her, and images of the lecherous constables flashed through her mind.

They didn’t count as people.

She quickly made that judgment.

Huh?

Henry Thompson’s eyes lit up. “So the yamen still needs my help?”

“Of course! You’ll come with me in a bit, won’t you? I don’t have any knowledgeable assistants anyway,” said Olivia Thompson.

At the same time, she solemnly declared in her heart that this was for the sake of the investigation.

I already suspected this Daoist! This is the perfect chance to get close and see if he’s up to anything suspicious!

That’s right, that’s all it is.

Even though he really doesn’t look like a suspect at all...

But you have to get to know someone deeply to be sure.

Henry Thompson pondered for a moment, then asked, “What about my reward...?”

“As agreed, you’ll get it,” Olivia Thompson said with a grand wave of her hand.

Although someone from Chaotian Que had arrived, and by rights the reward shouldn’t be given anymore—

But... it’s the yamen’s money anyway, so even if it’s used to hire someone who’s just there to look good and is otherwise irrelevant, it doesn’t matter.

Government money—can you even call that money?

Hearing this, Henry Thompson smiled, and his impression of this generous young lady improved a little.

He nodded and added, “Of course, it’s not about the money. As cultivators, it’s our duty to exorcise evil and uphold the Dao.”

“You’re very principled, little Daoist,” Olivia Thompson praised with a beaming smile.

At the same time, she screamed inwardly, He’s so cute, pretending not to care about money when he’s obviously greedy!

Come to think of it—

A greedy person and a lustful person... make a good match.

“Thank you for the compliment, my lady.”

“Oh, don’t call me ‘my lady’—I’m still young, you know.”

“Uh...”

Chatting idly like this, the two of them walked side by side toward the scene of the strange case.

The group of constables left behind looked at each other in confusion.

Young? In what way are you young? Not at all!

Very big!

And... this very “big” lady, did you forget something?

You’re not even bringing any constables to the investigation? Not that we wanted to go anyway.

But at least take the head constable, right? Oh, you knocked him out yourself.

Watching the two figures—one dashing, one graceful—walk away, the constables couldn’t help but wonder.

With this vibe, are you really going to catch ghosts?

...

Henry Thompson and Olivia Thompson walked two or three miles along the riverbank and arrived at Xiayou Village, where the strange case had occurred.

Along the way, the water sparkled, the setting sun shone on the mountains, and a warm breeze greeted them—it was quite a pleasant walk.

On the road, Olivia Thompson carefully probed Henry Thompson’s aura, only to find that he seemed to have no trace of true qi at all.

So she asked, “Little Daoist, which of the Seven Realms of Heaven and Man have you reached?”

“Hmm?” Henry Thompson was taken aback and asked honestly, “What are the Seven Realms of Heaven and Man?”

“Heh, it’s nothing important,” Olivia Thompson waved her hand as if it really didn’t matter.

At the same time, she completely let go of her suspicions about Henry Thompson.

No true qi fluctuations, and he didn’t even know what the Seven Realms of Heaven and Man were—this meant Henry Thompson knew nothing about cultivation and couldn’t possibly have committed a major crime like raising ghosts to cause trouble.

So, obviously...

He was just a simple, kind, and handsome con artist.

Con artists weren’t Chaotian Que’s concern.

If he were an ugly con artist, Mr. Thompson wouldn’t mind helping the constables deal with him.

Besides, for someone to have fooled the entire yamen of Yuhang Town for so long—that’s pretty impressive.

Love it, love it.

...

Soon, the two of them arrived at Xiayou Village. Olivia Thompson’s expression grew serious, regaining some of the bearing of a disciple of Chaotian Que.

As for Henry Thompson, he had always been serious.

Compared to dealing with Olivia Thompson’s chatter, he actually found handling resentful spirits easier.

The tragedy had occurred at the Fang family’s home in Xiayou Village.

It was a shabby little courtyard with only a few thatched huts, sitting at the edge of the village with few neighbors. It seemed the Fang family was not only poor, but probably didn’t get along well with the other villagers.

The yamen had come to tidy up early in the morning, so the scene was already cleaned up.

It looked like just an empty yard; though the house was a mess inside, there were no bloodstains.

Olivia Thompson had already read the case files several times before coming and was thoroughly familiar with the case.