Chapter 43: A Change in Attitude

"Stop putting on a mystical act! Brother Sun, don't listen to her nonsense about some ridiculous blood curse. Our priority is quickly getting a doctor for Magistrate."

"I second that motion. Putting aside whether there is actually something fishy about this Wang family case, just look at her—a young woman pretending to be a sorcerer to bluff people. She didn't bother to ask around; our yamen is the last place to believe in such crooked and heretic ways."

The bailiffs all thought: how could such a young, pretty, and frail woman possibly possess genuine abilities?

They were, after all, officials from the prefectural yamen; why on earth should they listen to her?

Assistant Magistrate Sun didn't believe it in his heart either, but the moment he exchanged a distant gaze with Chu Li, his resolve wavered.

Could someone with such a lively and sharp pair of eyes really make jokes about matters of life and death?

Assistant Magistrate Sun hesitated, and Chu Li let out a soft sound of annoyance.

"Forget it. By the time you make up your minds, your Magistrate will already be dead. Step aside. If anything goes wrong, I will bear the consequences."

Assistant Magistrate Sun was unceremoniously pushed aside by Chu Li, who then pressed a finger directly onto Magistrate Zhou's darkened forehead.

The next second, a faint flash of golden light vanished into his forehead, and Magistrate Zhou's complexion visibly improved. The bailiffs were utterly astounded.

"His Lordship's complexion really has gotten much better. Just a moment ago, he looked like a corpse."

"What did she do? Could His Lordship really be possessed by evil spirits?"

The bailiffs, who previously did not trust Chu Li at all, suddenly lost their bravado and even began to regret shouting and roaring at her just now. She looked so delicate; they deserved to die.

At this moment, Assistant Magistrate Sun and Cui Shi, who were closest to Chu Li, couldn't help exchanging glances, both seeing a trace of shock and doubt in each other's eyes.

Did a streak of golden light just drill from Miss Chu's finger into Magistrate Zhou's head?

Then they noticed that Magistrate Zhou's ash-black, corpse-like complexion immediately regained color, and his breathing steadied.

Magistrate Zhou soon regained consciousness, opened his eyes in a daze, and locked eyes with Chu Li instantly.

"What is happening to me?"

Magistrate Zhou straightened his body to get up, only to suddenly find that his head no longer felt dizzy, the stuffy feeling in his chest had vanished, and his entire body felt reborn—unprecedentedly light and comfortable.

Yet shortly after, Magistrate Zhou was badly startled by the shocking patch of black blood stained across the front of his robes. This helped him recall that just before losing consciousness, he seemed to have coughed up a mouthful of blood, after which he lost all sensation entirely.

Assistant Magistrate Sun briefly explained to Magistrate Zhou what had just happened, and looked at Chu Li with a grateful expression as he said,

"Your Honor, if not for this young lady's intervention, your life would likely be hanging by a thread right now."

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Zhou looked at Chu Li again with a surprised expression. However, he did not doubt his deputy's words and immediately stood up to bow solemnly to Chu Li.

"Thank you, Miss, for saving my life. I am the Imperial Appointed Magistrate of the Rongcheng Yamen. May I ask for your honorable name?"

Chu Li replied indifferently, "My surname is Chu. Magistrate Zhou, what have you uncovered regarding the deaths of the Wang family father and son?"

This time, no one dared to accuse Chu Li of meddling again, and even Magistrate Zhou no longer fussed over Chu Li's identity, speaking up at once:

"The coroner's autopsy concluded that they died from excessive blood loss. According to the accounts of Wang's wife and daughter-in-law, the father and son suddenly went mad during a drinking banquet, fighting and tearing at each other until they actually severed one another's hands.

"Afterwards, they walked toward the lake outside like souls possessed. Fortunately, they were stopped, or else the two of them would likely have drowned themselves in the lake.

"However, judging by the results of my interrogation, the father and son always had a good relationship and had no recent disputes or conflicts. For them to suddenly turn on each other with blades is indeed suspicious."

Chu Li glanced at the Wang family woman in the corner; the two of them were clearly frightened out of their wits, and their bodies were similarly shrouded in a dead aura.

"Miss Chu, what did you mean earlier by a blood curse?"

Assistant Magistrate Sun had not forgotten what Chu Li said earlier. A blood curse sounded like a spell, and the deaths of the Wang father and son truly looked as though they had been cursed by someone.

Chu Li signaled for Cui Shi to answer. Cui Shi then recounted the matter of the weasel pelt and the Wang father and son, while also revealing a bit about how he himself had almost died abruptly. Everyone turned pale with fright upon hearing this.

"What? You mean the deaths of the Wang father and son were solely because of this piece of animal hide?"

"Does Miss Chu mean that the weasel cast a curse before dying to kill the Wang father and son? Could that weasel be a spirit monster?"

The bailiffs chimed in all at once, guessing wildly in their hearts.

At that moment, one of the bailiffs suddenly let out an exclamation.

"A weasel? Isn't that a relative of the Great Lord Yellow? Your Honor, this subordinate once heard some folklore from the village elders about how weasels are one of the Five Great Immortal Families. A weasel must be related to a yellow-furred weasel, right? Could this have something to do with it?"

Magistrate Zhou's brow furrowed so deeply it could crush a fly. Ever since he took office, no matter how bizarre the cases he handled were, they always ultimately proved to be the work of humans. In truth, he did not believe in such mysterious and illusory things.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, he suddenly and vigorously promoted sorcerers, even establishing a Prayer and Deity Bureau within the imperial court to honor sorcerers so they could contribute to the nation. At that time, he had been opposed to it.

Being a mere sesame-seed official of low status and meager influence, however, he naturally could not shake the sovereign's ideas.

Yet when the emperor proposed that all major county and prefectural yamens could hire resident sorcerers, he had chosen not to follow suit.

His yamen was not lacking in talents for solving cases and conducting autopsies; why should he let a sorcerer point fingers and bark orders?

Only at this moment did Magistrate Zhou's inner convictions waver slightly.

Why would the emperor suddenly promote sorcerers and elevate their status in the martial and secular world? Could there be some hidden meaning behind this?

Chu Li glanced at that bailiff and then looked over at Magistrate Zhou.

"What he said is correct. The Wang father and son flayed the weasel's pelt, intending to pass it off as snow fox fur to sell at a high price. Because that weasel possessed the bloodline of a Yellow Immortal, such wanton slaughter provoked a curse. If handled improperly, the entire city of Rongcheng will be buried along with them."

Chu Li had no desire to alarm people with sensationalism, but since she was in Rongcheng, a massacre of the city was not going to be allowed to happen.

However, if she did not paint the consequences in grim enough terms to give Magistrate Zhou cause for concern, they would not take the matter seriously.

Hearing Chu Li's words, Magistrate Zhou was indeed startled inward, exchanging a look with the assistant magistrate beside him.

"Then, according to Miss Chu's advice, what should we do now?"

Chu Li was very satisfied with Magistrate Zhou's attitude toward handling the matter and immediately stated:

"Arrange for your men to cordon off a fifty-meter radius around the Wang residence, prohibiting anyone from entering. I will brew a pot of medicinal broth shortly. You go issue a public notice: anyone who has recently had dealings with the Wang family, or any commoner who has wandered near this area today, must come and drink a bowl of talisman water."

"Talisman water? What will happen if they don't come to drink it?"

Chu Li replied indifferently, "They will die."

!!!

"What are you all staring blankly for? Quickly give orders as Miss Chu instructed! Furthermore, go prepare a large cauldron, and tell the chief secretary to draft the public notice as vividly and severely as possible. You must make the commoners realize the gravity of this situation!"