The moment he sat down, John Adams was suddenly struck by a chilling sensation.

He turned his head and saw that black dog.

The black dog immediately closed its eyes, as if it had fallen asleep.

“Madam, just now you mentioned ‘Amy Chandler’, who is that?”

“Oh, Amy Chandler is my son. He’s currently working at the yamen.”

John Adams was taken aback and asked curiously, “May I ask, which yamen?”

“He works at the Chang’an County yamen.”

At this moment, James Bolton and Leonard Grant had also finished looking at the house and walked over.

“Helen Grant, what do you think?”

“This house is very nice. I’m quite satisfied.”

As John Adams spoke, he stood up.

“Madam, I’ll rent this house… May I move in tomorrow?”

Madam Liu didn’t waste words. She went inside, brought out a contract, and handed it to John Adams, saying, “Sir, as long as you sign and seal this document, you can move in at any time. As for the rent, the tenth is the day after tomorrow—just pay me then.”

“Madam, you’re a straightforward person.”

John Adams couldn’t help but smile, taking the contract and glancing over it.

It was a very standard lease agreement, even bearing the signature and seal of Sun Youdao, the head of Chongde Ward.

This was a woman who followed the rules!

Moreover, since Madam Liu said her son worked at the Chang’an County yamen, John Adams felt even more at ease and immediately signed his name.

“In that case, I’ll come over early tomorrow morning.”

“Good, then I’ll clean the house again tonight.

It just so happens that Amy Chandler is off duty tomorrow. If you need any household items, let him take you to buy them.

There’s a Sun’s General Store on the west side of the ward—it’s owned by the ward chief’s family. They specialize in old goods, very cheap but also practical.”

John Adams quickly thanked her, “Thank you for the trouble, Madam.”

After bidding farewell to Madam Liu, it was already past noon.

Having settled his housing problem, John Adams felt a weight lifted from his mind and much more at ease.

The three of them found a nearby tavern. John Adams took out a string of coins and placed it on the table.

“This time, I really have to thank you, Brother Bolton. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found such a good place to stay.”

The money was a token of gratitude.

If John Adams had found a house through a broker, it would have cost about the same.

James Bolton didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately put the money away.

“Helen Grant, I didn’t expect you to make a decision so quickly, so there are some things I haven’t had a chance to tell you.”

“Oh? Please, Elder Brother, go ahead.”

“After I looked at the house last time, I also inquired a bit about Madam Liu’s family.”

When John Adams heard this, he frowned and said, “Is there something wrong with Madam Liu’s family?”

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong… Madam Liu’s husband, named Steven Sutton, used to be a constable in Chang’an County. He was an upright man and had a good reputation in the county. In the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, he was recruited by Court Gentleman Wang Xuance and accompanied Li Yibiao on a diplomatic mission to India. In the twenty-first year of Zhenguan, he was recruited again and went with Wang Xuance to India, but this time… he never came back.”

“Is that so?”

John Adams was startled and sat up straight.

“Steven Sutton had a son, named David Sutton, who is the Amy Chandler Madam Liu mentioned.

Last year, Chang’an County suddenly recruited him as a constable. In May last year, he was injured while on duty, and after that, he started acting a bit strange. There are even rumors that he was possessed by evil spirits…”

“Possessed?”

John Adams’s eyes flashed, and he asked softly, “Is this Amy Chandler a bad person?”

“Not really bad, just a bit odd in his behavior. As far as I know, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“That’s good!”

John Adams breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “I was just worried he might cause trouble.”

“That’s unlikely… Anyway, Helen Grant, if you want to back out, there’s still time.

If you decide to stay, there’s no need to worry too much. I’ve heard he’s very filial. With Madam Liu around, and you being a student at the Imperial Academy, I doubt he’d dare do anything bad. I’m just telling you this so you’ll be a bit more cautious.”

“I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Brother Bolton.”

Chapter Four: The Strange

At dusk, the golden crow set in the west.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Chang’an was awash in rosy light.

Dong dong dong dong!

The second round of street drums sounded outside Chengtian Gate, and the palace gates of the imperial city, along with the left and right Yanming Gates, began to close in turn.

In Daan Ward, located on the south side of Chang’an City by the Yong’an Canal, there was a scene of busy activity. Everyone knew that when the six hundred rounds of street drums ended, the night curfew in Chang’an would begin. So, merchants hurried to close up shop, ward officials and patrol officers began making their rounds inside the ward. The gates on both sides of the ward started clearing out people coming and going; once the drums stopped, the gates would be shut.

David Sutton squatted motionless on a low wall at the street corner.

Not far away was the Yong’an Canal.

By the canal, at a tavern, the shop assistant was hurriedly taking down the wine banner, then hung two lanterns above the door.

After hanging the lanterns, the shop assistant took the towel off his shoulder, gave it a couple of shakes, and turned to go back inside.

A dozen or so men in black emerged from the corners and alleys, quickly closing in on the tavern.

Bang!

A loud crash.

The tavern’s window lattice shattered.