Chapter Eighty-Two: A Single Deed Cannot Outweigh His Wrongs

Ah, I see—the shape.

Wu, the head of the bureau, recovered himself. A glint flashed through his eyes. Rather than object, he changed the subject. "Well... I rather admire your... thinking. Let us set that aside for now. Yan Xian, did you find anything? Yan Xian, why are you not speaking?"

Fang Mu pointed at Yan Xian. "He seems unable to speak..."

Yan Xian was sprawled on the ground, pinned down by overwhelming pressure, his face practically written all over with innocence.

What did I do? What did I do? I only told the truth. What's wrong with telling the truth?

"We were talking so pleasantly, I nearly forgot about that." Wu, the bureau chief, awkwardly withdrew the pressure and asked, "What did you discover?"

Yan Xian struggled to his feet, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said, "I've found it. In Dongfeng County, there is a place where someone blood-linked to this longevity lock exists. I've already located the place!"

At that, Fang Mu gathered A-Bai into his arms, tightened his grip on the pig-slaughtering blade, and said, "Let's go take a look."

Yan Xian nodded, preparing to go with Fang Mu.

"You two go ahead." Wu spread his hands. "I'm leaving soon anyway, and what I have to do is important too—very important. Fang boy, I admire you, especially your taste. When I'm free, I'll come looking for you again."

Seeing that Wu did not intend to follow, Fang Mu said no more. After all, he was the chief of the Heaven-Observing Office; having more important matters was only natural.

Time was pressing. Fang Mu and Yan Xian left the shop at once and headed toward the direction Yan Xian had indicated.

After they had gone, Wu withdrew his gaze and coughed once toward the shop.

A middle-aged man came out at once, his attitude extremely respectful, holding a thick booklet in both hands.

"My lord, this is what you asked for: the exact number of times the ghost market has appeared in Dongfeng County, along with the details of each occurrence." The middle-aged man spoke deferentially.

Wu took it and nodded.

The middle-aged man seemed to want to say something, hesitating and struggling, as though there were words he did not dare utter.

Wu glanced at him and said indifferently, "My Heaven-Observing Office is unlike other places. We are not a place that shuts its eyes and seals its ears. If you have something to say, speak plainly."

"My lord, is the ghost market making any move?" the man asked. "If so, should we prepare in advance..."

Wu waved a hand. "No need. Everything remains as it is. Let me see for myself first. After all, those the ghost market has slain through the ages have been great traitors and great evildoers."

"I have investigated," the middle-aged man said hesitantly. "This time there is no difference from the previous appearances."

As those words left his mouth, the pressure around him suddenly intensified. Cold sweat broke out on his brow, and fear rose from the depths of his bones.

Wu narrowed his eyes. "Have you forgotten the rules of my Heaven-Observing Office?"

"Watch over the world!" The middle-aged man was drenched in sweat, answering rapidly. "I would never dare forget."

"I meant the line before that."

"For the livelihood of the human race, watch over the world!" The man's teeth began to chatter. "My lord... I..."

Wu said calmly, "Every opening of the ghost market is examined closely by the bureau chief. This time is no different. Do not forget our stance. Prevention comes first.

"We do not destroy the ghost market only because the cost is immense, but that does not mean it cannot be destroyed. Its killing of great traitors and great evildoers may have little impact, but if it is found to harbor even the slightest ill intent toward the mortal world... then destruction is its only end, at any cost. After all... that is our duty."

The middle-aged man nodded again and again, not daring the slightest defiance. "Yes, my lord, you are right."

Wu drew his gaze back and said leisurely, "You, too, have made great contributions to the mortal world. The Heaven-Observing Office needs only those whose hearts are wholly devoted to the mortal realm. You know my temper. I dislike being probed by you before my face."

The middle-aged man no longer dared to speak, like a lamb awaiting slaughter, quietly waiting for the result.

"I said before that members of the Heaven-Observing Office may not open shops in the ghost market." Wu's tone remained light. "Because once you do, greed will arise in your heart. Though it is only a tiny possibility, for the sake of the human race, no possibility may be left unsealed."

"Spare me, Bureau Chief." The middle-aged man understood the meaning beneath the words and pleaded desperately. "I was only momentarily swayed by greed. I swear I have done nothing that betrays the Heaven-Observing Office!"

"Any evidence?"

"No." The middle-aged man gave a bitter smile. "I beg you, my lord, to remember the meritorious service I have rendered the Heaven-Observing Office and spare my life."

Wu shook his head. "If you were a free man with a shop, that would be one thing. If you had a shop before entering the Heaven-Observing Office, that would also be one thing.

"But why, after entering the Heaven-Observing Office, did you still go and open a shop? You have merit, yes, but has the Heaven-Observing Office ever wronged you for the merit you earned?"

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"In special times, merit cannot outweigh fault..." Wu said regretfully. "All of this is for the mortal world, for the protection of our human race. According to the rules of the Heaven-Observing Office, you knowingly broke the law... and the only sentence is death. As for your family, the Heaven-Observing Office will take good care of them."

A broken blade fell to the ground. The middle-aged man's gaze turned blank.

"This was the weapon of your closest friend." Wu said indifferently. "He died defending the mortal world against hundreds of aberrations. Use his weapon... and take your own life."

The middle-aged man looked down at the broken blade and picked it up.

His face passed through a tangle of emotions before finally settling into calm.

A flash of cold light.

The broken blade pierced straight through his chest, and the light in his eyes gradually faded.

Wu took out a sheet of paper and softly recited to the corpse on the ground, "Wu Chang, while operating a shop in the ghost market, leaked a piece of intelligence to a visiting spirit cultivator, causing the Heaven-Observing Office to lose five mystic cultivators.

"In consideration of your courage in taking your own life, your family will be cared for by the Heaven-Observing Office, which may also be counted as fulfilling the merit you earned for the office."

The dense writing on the paper gradually vanished, transforming into a ball of fire that fell upon Wu Chang's corpse.

Within the flames, the body slowly turned to ash.

Amid the raging blaze, Wu's voice came again.

"I, Wu Liao, have not admired a person in a long time. Boy named Fang Mu, do not disappoint me..."

...

Fang Mu had no idea such a great affair had unfolded in the general store; he had already arrived with Yan Xian at their destination.

"That's it?"

Before them lay an empty street. Fang Mu looked at Yan Xian suspiciously. "Are you sure this is the place you meant?"

Yan Xian pointed in a direction. "No mistake. It's definitely there!"

Fang Mu followed the direction of Yan Xian's finger and his eyes sharpened.

In the corner of the empty street, a beggar was lying crookedly.

The beggar wore tattered clothes, his entire body filthy black, and he was sprawled in the corner snoring soundly, completely unaware of the two men's arrival.

"The aura of blood kinship." Yan Xian continued, "It's coming from that beggar."