How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

The men carrying the sedan chair were rather clumsy, and Li Hu swayed back and forth inside, having to hold onto the window to stay upright.

After striking the gong three times, Old Man Yuan would raise his voice and call out:

"Lord Li Hu has taken office! Silence! Get out of the way!"

Seemingly feeling that the name Li Hu was too imposing but not elegant enough, Yuan Sou, taking advantage of the absence of onlookers, even took it upon himself to change the lyrics of his hawking cry, and soon began to sing:

"Li Feng has taken office, Master Li! Silence! Distance!"

Sitting in the sedan chair, Li Hu understood what Yuan Sou meant.

So he lifted the curtain and asked, "Old Yuan, you've just recovered from a serious illness, are you really alright activating your internal energy like this?"

"Don't worry, Tiger, this is nothing serious." Old Man Yuan laughed and coughed twice before continuing to beat the drums and gongs.

And so, the crowd carried the sedan chair through the city, turning onto several country roads, attracting quite a few people.

A group of passersby gathered at the edge of the procession. When they saw that it was the county magistrate taking office, they all knelt down and kowtowed to Li Hu, banging gongs and drums.

"Oh, Your Honor!"

Li Hu didn't close the curtain; he just waved awkwardly to the crowd through the window next to the sedan chair, looking quite uncomfortable.

Huang Daxian and Chi Yue were both amused by this scene and couldn't stop laughing, but the people on the roadside thought that this was because the new magistrate had taken office and they were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

Therefore, they became even more convinced that Li Hu was the new county magistrate.

Yuan Sou knocked and tapped his way through this section, then came to the sedan chair and explained to Li Hu:

"Tiger, although my art of cultivation cannot alter the memories of evil spirits, mortals are like weeds in front of my technique. They have already memorized your face, so even if you meet an acquaintance, they won't recognize you. Just be open and greet the villagers."

Yuan Sou laughed heartily, and Li Hu nodded, but still harbored some resentment, saying:

"Then... if I directly replace someone else, my resume will change, right? Even if they recognize me as a county magistrate, how can I prove it if the capital sends people to investigate?"

"Master Tiger, why don't you take a look at this letter of appointment?" Old Yuan said knowingly, pointing to the paper placed next to Li Hu.

So Li Hu unfolded the letter of appointment, which was written clearly in black ink on yellow paper:

"In accordance with the selection criteria, I am appointed as the magistrate of Qingyuan County, Dengzhou. On the 23rd day of the 12th month of the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Linwei, I have passed the selection process and am deemed qualified for the post."

"Li Feng should be ordered to go to his post as soon as possible, hand over his official seal, weapons, and documents, and take office by the 30th of February. His salary will be paid according to the regulations. If he fails to do so, he will be treated as a negligent official."

As expected, the name that originally belonged to the previous county magistrate was replaced by Li Hu.

This document now names Li Hu as the new county magistrate.

Old Yuan chuckled and said, "Although there are always flaws in the world that this cultivator has changed, we are only here to find the other two corpses. We are not here to become officials. Once some expert discovers it, we will slip away."

"That's excellent." Li Hu smiled, then folded the letter of appointment and put it in his pocket.

In this season, large fields of newly green winter wheat line both sides of the official road. The sun is shining warmly and the breeze is just right. As Li Hu sees the scenery along the road becoming more and more familiar, he can't help but feel a little excited.

After ascending to heaven, I wonder how my wife is doing now.

So Li Hu decided to postpone his trip to the county government office and instead wandered around the city for a while before returning home.

Li Hu's family owned a traditional Chinese medicine shop, which his parents left him.

For a long time, Li Hu was obsessed with cultivating immortality, and his wife had been managing the pharmacy. His parents' medical skills were also passed down to his wife, Li Sujin.

Her intelligence was in no way inferior to Li Hu's; at a young age, she managed the pharmacy perfectly.

Over time, Li Sujin became a renowned female doctor in the area.

Standing in front of the shop, Li Hu felt a little apprehensive. The closer he got to the door, the stronger the feeling of being both near and apprehensive about returning home became. Now, Li Hu could finally understand the feelings of Yuan Sou when he first returned to Blackwater Mountain.

Finally, Li Hu pushed open the door, and the first thing he saw upon entering was Li Sujin, who was arranging medicinal herbs.

She was dressed in simple clothes, with a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, and still exuded her usual gentle and graceful demeanor.

"Husband, it's you back!" Li Sujin smiled the moment she saw Li Hu, her face full of genuine concern.

"My lord has passed the imperial examination and we have received your letter. I have been waiting for you for a long time. You have finally returned." As soon as he entered the door, Li Sujin came up to greet him, took Li Hu's luggage, and used a duster to wipe the dust off Li Hu's clothes.

Li Hu was slightly taken aback, not expecting that Yuan Sou had even altered his wife's memories.

My wife used to always complain that I neglected the family because I was cultivating immortality, but now she finally stops bringing it up.

"His Majesty is quite kind; he actually sent you back, which saves us the trouble of going to the place where you took office."

While muttering to herself, Li Sujin used a towel to wipe Li Hu's face with hot water.

Why do you feel so cold?

Li Sujin frowned, as if realizing something, and grabbed Li Hu's hand, saying, "Let me take your pulse."

"No."

Li Hu withdrew his hand somewhat guiltily. Yuan Sou and the others, who were standing at the door, seized the opportunity to help Li Hu out of the predicament.

"Is Madam Li in good health?" Old Yuan slipped in, cupping his hands in greeting with a smile.

"You..." Li Sujin was still a little confused when faced with the group of people who suddenly entered. Yuan Sou immediately replied, "My surname is Yuan, and I am the advisor invited by Master Li."

"These men behind me are the clerks and runners of the yamen. They greet the lady here."

Old Yuan bowed with a smile.

"Ah, welcome, welcome." Li Sujin greeted them with a smile and welcomed them in.

"Please wait here for a moment, I'll go cook. Please stay here and have a meal." Li Sujin wiped her hands on her apron, then turned and lifted the curtain to go into the inner room.

As she was leaving, she suddenly turned back to Li Hu and said:

"My lord, please come in with me. I have much to say to you."

Her eyes were full of affection, and her gaze was filled with longing.

Seeing this, Yuan Sou and the others also kept their eyes downcast, while Huang Daxian made no attempt to hide his barely concealed expression and winked at Li Hu.

That's all they can do to help. Li Hu is so engrossed in cultivating immortality that he neglects his family, and he will have to face the consequences of his actions.

So Li Hu reluctantly went into the kitchen with Li Sujin. As soon as they entered, Li Sujin turned around, hugged Li Hu's waist, and pressed her cheek against Li Hu's chest.

"My husband has studied diligently for so many years, and today he has finally achieved his goal."

She looked up at Li Hu with intense eyes, making him blush.

Li Hu thought carefully and realized that in all the years he had been married, he had never been so close to Li Sujin. Every night he would sleep in the side room with his sword in his arms and never had any contact with women.

The intense heat emanating from Li Sujin's body, even through her clothes, made Li Hu's heart flutter and his nose sting. They looked at each other in silence.

"My husband is naturally prone to anxiety and insecurity. These days in the capital, with the imperial examination and the wait for the results, he must be going through a lot of hardship."

Li Sujin reached out and stroked Li Hu's cheek, asking gently.

Li Hu shook his head and sighed, saying, "In the past, I was so engrossed in practicing swordsmanship that I neglected you."

Now that we're back, let's not think about those things anymore. Let's live our lives well from now on.

After hearing these words, Li Sujin looked somewhat bewildered. She reached out and touched Li Hu's forehead, frowning as she said...

"What nonsense are you spouting, my husband? You've studied for ten years and never even touched a sword."

Li Sujin pouted and said, "But it's true that you've been studying day and night and neglecting me."

Li Hu responded with a smile, then pulled Li Sujin into his arms, secretly planning to find a time to explain everything to her.

Otherwise, if the two of them spend every day together, and Li Sujin is a girl with excellent medical skills, while Li Hu doesn't need to eat, drink, or relieve himself, they will eventually discover that something is wrong with his body.

However, there was no rush. Li Hu breathed a sigh of relief and helped his wife prepare a sumptuous meal, which was then served on the table.

During the meal, Li Hu and Huang Daxian only drank alcohol and did not eat any food. In order to attract Li Sujin's attention and prevent her from noticing the strange behavior of Li Hu and the others, Yuan Sou kept talking to her.

"Madam, you have excellent cooking skills! Look how white this tofu is, and how real this fish looks! Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Wong Tai Sin and Chi Yue could only bury their heads in their bowls, laughing so hard they were practically going crazy.

Li Sujin simply smiled and silently served Li Hu some chives.

……

The next day, Li Hu got out of bed without disturbing Su Jin.

He went to the side room and woke up Yuan Sou and the others. He changed into a green official robe and then went to the yamen.

Qingyuan County had not had a county magistrate for three months, so the accumulated case files and documents had already piled up on the table. Li Hu quickly read through them and cleaned them up in just two hours.

He then leaned back in his armchair, contemplating his next move.

Li Hu took the time to ask the sword immortal, and the remains of the other two corpses were indeed in Qingyuan County, Dengzhou. However, what exactly they looked like, where they were located, who had them, or whether they were quietly lying unnoticed in some corner were all questions that were difficult to answer with a simple yes or no.

If we use the process of elimination and ask each person one by one, by the time we pinpoint the exact location, Li Hu will probably be facing a catastrophe.

These things are still somewhat difficult to handle.

After sitting quietly for a while, Li Hu still had no ideas. Just then, a yamen runner entered the hall. Li Hu recognized him as Ji Heng, the chief constable of the yamen.

Li Hu hadn't had much contact with him before, only passing by him on the street, but he had heard that this person was quite righteous and not a villain.

"Sir, are you free this afternoon?" Chief Constable Ji Heng asked.

"What is it?" Li Hu asked.

"Sir, you have just taken office. Although you are a local, I think it would be good to pay a visit to the various wealthy merchants and magnates," Ji Heng replied.

Upon hearing this, Li Hu became interested and asked in return:

"Since I'm here to take office, why should I be the one visiting them, and not the other way around?"

"Sir, you don't know this, but these people are all big taxpayers who are very arrogant and domineering in the village. In particular, Master Zhou is extremely stingy, as you know."

Ji Heng frowned and continued, "The spring tax payment is still outstanding. If you don't go and collect the tax, we won't dare to go in and knock on the door."

Li Hu frowned, understanding dawning on his mind.

This Zhou family is the wealthiest household in Qingyuan County. At least half of the fertile land around the county town belongs to them, but they are notoriously stingy and miserly.

His family had some influence, and many of his relatives held official positions in the capital. Therefore, every Qingyuan County Lieutenant had to endure some hardship and waste time and breath to accept money from his family.

If one doesn't handle their attitude well and a conflict breaks out, they'll likely be impeached.

"When the time comes, you can just lead a team of constables in to collect the money. Why do I have to go through all this trouble?" Li Hu said, frowning.

"Oh dear, I really wouldn't dare."

Ji Heng bowed and said aggrievedly, "The Zhou family's servants and vicious dogs are probably more than ten times the number of our constables. If a conflict breaks out, it won't end well. In the past, the county magistrate would personally offer kind words, good tea and wine, and only then could he negotiate the money."

Even so, he will probably have to wait until summer to collect the spring taxes.

Ji Heng was quite anxious. The yamen's finances were tight, and if the money couldn't be collected, he wouldn't be able to receive his salary.

Li Hu did not answer, but took out the three copper coins from his pocket and threw them on the table.

"If my elder brother is watching from heaven, will my journey be helpful in finding Peng Zhi and Peng Qiao?"

After Li Hu finished asking the question, the copper coins all fell onto the table with a clatter.

A uniform pattern of flowers indicates that something is helpful.

Although Li Hu didn't know what kind of help it would provide, there was a certain "Three Corpses" lying in Master Zhou's house. If that was the case, then it was indeed necessary to make a trip there.

"Old Yuan, Brother Huang, Brother Qi!" Li Hu slammed his gavel and shouted.

"Huh?" Wong Tai Sin was teasing the dog in the yard when he heard Li Hu call him and suddenly stood up in confusion.

"We've got a job," Li Hu replied.

The four men walked briskly, without any constables or yamen runners to bolster their presence.

Before long, they knocked on the door of Master Zhou's house.

Master Zhou, heavily pregnant, was lying on a chair in the courtyard, surrounded by seven or eight concubines massaging his shoulders and feet.

Upon seeing Li Hu barge in, dressed in official robes, Master Zhou didn't even bother to get up. Before Li Hu could speak, he coldly replied with two words:

"I have no money!"

Li Hu wasn't in a hurry; he simply wandered around his courtyard, searching for any trace of the Three Corpses.

If the Three Corpses were here, Li Hu would definitely be able to detect a black aura. Unfortunately, Li Hu walked around the courtyard and did not see any such signs.

So Li Hu ignored Master Zhou and kicked open the hall door, intending to search inside.

Master Zhou was extremely puzzled by what he saw. It was the first time he had ever seen a county magistrate who treated the place like his own home. So he got up from his recliner and saw Li Hu playing with the vases and decorations inside. He quickly followed him.

"Hey, hey, hey, these are worth a lot of money, don't break them!" Master Zhou said anxiously.

"Since it's valuable, let's use it as tax money."

Li Hu plucked all the plants from the vase in front of him, looked into the vase, and saw no black aura. Disappointed, he shook his head and tossed the vase to Yuan Sou.

"Master, take this and calculate its value."