Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 173 The Silent Weasel Demon

The Taiyue Sword Sect has always been frugal, with Zhuang Wansong being the only exception.

When he first joined the sect, he brought with him hundreds of acres of fertile land and more than a dozen shops. He was a member of the sect who brought his entire family with him, so of course everyone in the sect had to support him.

To put it bluntly, even now, the majority of the income of the Taiyue Sword Sect still comes from the assets "donated" by Zhuang Wansong.

Therefore, as long as the request was not excessive, Qu Zhiweng would satisfy Zhuang Wansong, which made him the most "luxurious" person in the entire sect—of course, he was still no match for the Ye family of Jiangnan, and his so-called "luxury" was only slightly better than that of ordinary people.

The white porcelain and plain satin were actually just a coincidence.

The plain satin was a complete accident, but white porcelain was the Zhou Kingdom's favorite "luxury item" from the Xiao Kingdom, and it sold very well in the Jinsha Kingdom and further west, although the Xiao Kingdom itself didn't really recognize its value.

Therefore, Chang Ping'an, like Magistrate Zhou, did not recognize any of them and regarded them as worthless!
As dusk approached, Chang Ping'an and Qu Zhiweng were waiting for Magistrate Zhou when a commotion suddenly broke out in the courtyard.

However, the noise only lasted for a moment before it was suppressed by someone's shout.

Then, a number of men in black uniforms and yamen runners suddenly appeared in the courtyard, hurrying back and forth, seemingly searching for something.

Just then, a rustling sound came from inside the house. Chang Ping'an suddenly sensed something, looked up sharply, and saw a hole the size of a bowl in the corner of the house. A furry yellow weasel was trying to squeeze into the house through the hole.

Qu Zhiweng also saw the weasel at this moment. It was the "weasel demon" he had met during the day. Its small, pointed face showed a very human-like panic. When it saw the two looking over, it was clearly happy despite its fear. Then it put its two front paws together and shook them frantically as if in a pleading gesture.

While doing this, because its hindquarters were stuck outside the hole, it struggled to twist its body as if it was still trying to squeeze in.

Qu Zhiweng was initially startled by the weasel demon, but then found its actions amusing and stroked his beard as he looked at Chang Ping'an—this was a question for Chang Ping'an.

Chang Ping'an knew something was amiss, so he immediately went over and dragged the weasel demon into the house. As soon as the weasel demon entered, it jumped to the ground, knelt upright, and clasped its paws together, desperately kowtowing as if it were praying for something.

Qu Zhiweng was puzzled and pointed at the weasel demon, asking, "Little Immortal Chang, look at it, what is this...?"

Chang Ping'an carefully examined the weasel demon in front of him, which was only slightly larger than an ordinary weasel, and shook his head, saying, "This matter is really strange. This thing seems to have very weak magical power. I'm afraid it can't even defeat an ordinary seventh or eighth-rank martial artist. I'm afraid it's just as Sect Leader Qu guessed. The so-called 'Yellow Robe Immortal' is just a self-directed and self-acted performance by Magistrate Zhou... At least he didn't say much truth!"

Qu Zhiweng nodded and said, "Why don't we take this thing with us first? Without the so-called 'Yellow Robe Immortal,' Magistrate Zhou will probably have no chance to perform!"

"Alright, I'll go first..."

Before they could finish speaking, there was a loud knocking on the door. Chang Ping'an and Qu Zhiweng exchanged a glance. One of them quickly picked up the weasel demon and stuffed it into the bedding on the bed, while the other slowly opened the door.

Upon opening the door, they saw Magistrate Zhou, accompanied by two constables. With a gloomy face, he complained to Qu Zhiweng, who opened the door, "Two immortals, it is truly my fault for failing in my duties. That yellow-skinned... Yellow-robed Immortal has escaped, and it will not be easy to find it again. I wonder if the two immortals could use their magic to find that demon and deal with it on the spot, so as to appease the people of the county and restore peace and order to this place."

Qu Zhiweng smiled slightly and asked, "Magistrate Zhou, what do you mean by 'dispose of it on the spot'?"

Magistrate Zhou was taken aback, not expecting Qu Zhiweng to ask such a question, and awkwardly replied, "This... such a demon, can't we just kill it and be done with it?"

“Alas, Magistrate Zhou, you are unaware of this. My sect has a rule that if a demon is causing trouble, we must always investigate.”

Chang Ping'an, who had hidden the weasel demon, walked over at the right moment. Imitating his master, he straightened his chest, put his hands behind his back, and slowly said, "So-called demons are formed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They are born like blank sheets of paper, without good or evil. They may have some instinct for survival, but they will not deliberately harm the people..."

"Therefore, when encountering a demon causing trouble, if no one has died, one should carefully investigate why the demon is harming the area before convicting it..."

"The so-called punishment without teaching is cruelty. Most spirits and monsters need to be strictly disciplined to make them know morality and observe etiquette, rather than simply killing them."

Upon hearing Chang Ping'an's words, Magistrate Zhou's face showed a momentary panic, but he immediately said impatiently, "You two immortals are unaware of this! That Yellow-Robed Immortal is extremely wicked! Not only does he demand offerings from us, but he also eats young boys and girls! It's pitiful that some children in the county have already been murdered! Such a demon must not be let go, immortals!"

Chang Ping'an watched Magistrate Zhou with great interest, remaining silent for a long while until Magistrate Zhou was sweating profusely. Finally, he nodded and lied without changing his expression, saying, "Since it's a demon that has injured people, it certainly needs to be dealt with swiftly. However, we two were just passing by and didn't bring any magic treasures, so it's difficult to search for one. How about this, we two go back to our sect first, retrieve some magic treasures, and then settle accounts with that demon?"

"This, this, this..." Magistrate Zhou was clearly displeased. He cupped his hands and said, "If we're going to retrieve a magic treasure, wouldn't it be enough for just one immortal to go? Why do both immortals have to leave?"

Then, Magistrate Zhou said in a fawning tone, "I am not trying to coerce you two immortals, but we are truly terrified if this Yellow-Robed Immortal is not eliminated! Moreover, it fled tonight at the first sign of trouble, perhaps because it heard about your exorcism. What if it returns to take revenge after you leave? I beg you two immortals to have pity on the people of Pingding County and leave one of you to protect us!"

Chang Ping'an listened and seemed to think it made a lot of sense. He readily agreed and said to Qu Zhiweng, "Magistrate Zhou is right. How about this, please ask Sect Leader Qu to go to Baishi Mountain and ask my junior sister Murong Ruyan to bring some magic treasures to help. I will stay in the county to keep an eye on things for a while!" As he spoke, he deliberately turned his back to Magistrate Zhou and winked at Qu Zhiweng, emphasizing the words "Murong Ruyan".

Qu Zhiweng understood immediately, stroked his beard, and said, "In that case, this old man will make the trip!"

"Oh, right, I only brought two paper puppets with me this time. This one is for you. If anything unexpected happens on the way, just toss it into the sky, and it will carry a message for you!"

As Chang Ping'an spoke, he took a hastily pasted paper bird from somewhere and handed it to Qu Zhiweng.

Qu Zhiweng took the paper bird, put it in his pocket, and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Little Immortal Chang, I will not fail in my mission."

"Ah."

Chang Ping'an put his hands behind his back, nodded slightly, and then urged, "In that case, there's no time to lose, Sect Leader Qu, let's go now!"

Qu Zhiweng immediately responded, gathered his inner energy, and leaped past the crowd in the courtyard, disappearing into the night in a few bounds. Before Magistrate Zhou could even react, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Oh dear! Why did you leave like this, Immortal Master? You should have found a horse!"

Chang Ping'an said, "It's alright. Sect Leader Qu is the sect leader of Taiyue Sword Sect. He has the cultivation of a fifth-rank cultivator and his lightness skill is quite good. The round trip to Baishi Mountain will take at most one day and one night. Please put your mind at ease, Magistrate Zhou."

"Ah, ah! You two immortals have really gone to great lengths!"

Magistrate Zhou slapped his thigh and sighed, but quickly rallied his spirits and invited, "Now that Sect Leader Qu has left, we're all waiting anyway, and it's getting dark. Why don't you join me for a simple meal, Immortal?"

Upon hearing this, Chang Ping'an, still with his hands behind his back, said half-jokingly, "Oh, that won't be necessary. I am a cultivator who has mastered the art of fasting, and I mostly eat dew and wind, not the grains of the human world. Magistrate Zhou, please eat by yourself!"

Magistrate Zhou lowered his eyes, his expression becoming inscrutable, but he said, "Well... then I won't disturb the immortal's rest any longer!"

With that, he cupped his hands in greeting and led the constables away from the doorway.

Chang Pingan said "Take care" and closed the door behind him before letting out a sigh of relief.

After performing for a long time, my hands were covered in sweat, and two handprints were left on the closed door frame.

Although he wasn't afraid that the county magistrate would resort to desperate measures, he was afraid that Qu Zhiweng would hold him back.

By finding a way to send Qu Zhiweng away, he no longer needed to be restricted in his actions within the county.

There's only one thing...

Chang Ping'an pondered, looking at the bedding on the bed. The weasel demon was wrapped in the bedding, with only its pointed little head showing, staring at him with its two beady eyes.

He listened intently for a moment, making sure no one was lingering outside the door, before sitting down at the table and speaking to the weasel demon with a friendly tone: "Come on, this Pingding County is so strange, there are some things that need to be investigated, so I'm asking you, will you nod or shake your head?"

Demons that have gained sentience can understand human speech, and the weasel demon is no exception.

Upon hearing Chang Ping'an's words, it immediately nodded vigorously, and put its two little paws together in a pleading manner, no one knows where it learned it from.

Chang Ping'an nodded, lowered his voice, and asked, "Alright, then let me ask you, have you been helping Magistrate Zhou, the man from just now, by robbing passing merchants?"

The weasel demon hesitated to make a move, but seeing Chang Ping'an's furrowed brows and unfriendly expression, it hurriedly nodded and admitted its guilt.

"Then let me ask you again, did you do this under the instructions or coercion of Magistrate Zhou?"

The weasel demon nodded again, like a chicken pecking at rice.

"Since you were coerced, have you killed any of the merchants who came and went? Where are those merchants who haven't returned in the last few days?"

The weasel demon nodded first, then stretched out its paws and frantically pointed to the ground and then to the window. Because it couldn't speak, it paced around the bed anxiously, scratching its ears and cheeks.

(End of this chapter)