"Constables?"
Ji Qing's pupils contracted, and he immediately gripped the hilt of his saber! He hadn't forgotten that he was a wanted fugitive. Had his whereabouts been exposed, allowing the constables to track him down?
However, this group of constables paid Ji Qing no mind. Instead, they headed straight for the front hall.
"They aren't here for me?"
Ji Qing understood. These constables probably weren't here to arrest him. Most likely, it had to do with the Rat King's corpse.
Sure enough, a servant hurried over from the front hall and said respectfully, "Hero Li, people from the Government Office have arrived. They want to take away the Rat King's corpse and also wish to meet the hero who exterminated the rat. Therefore, the master invites you to the front hall."
"Lead the way."
Ji Qing didn't avoid them. For one, the people from the Government Office had asked for him by name, making it impossible to refuse. Secondly, Ji Yao was still in the front hall watching the commotion with Jin Suo'Er, so he couldn't exactly slip away with her unnoticed. Furthermore, the other party was just a group of ordinary constables. If it really came to blows, Ji Qing wasn't afraid.
Thus, he followed the servant to the front hall.
At this moment, the front hall was packed with people. A group of constables was loading the Rat King's corpse onto a carriage.
"Hero Li is here! Chief Wang, this is the rat-exterminating hero, Hero Li!" Landlord Jin pulled Ji Qing forward and introduced him to Chief Wang.
"Greetings, Chief Wang."
"You killed this giant rat?"
"Yes."
"Then you are indeed a rat-exterminating hero. For ridding the people of this menace, the Government Office will grant you a reward. You may return with me to the Government Office; the bounty is at least twenty taels of silver."
Ji Qing shook his head and replied, "Landlord Jin has already given a substantial reward. I will pass on going to the Government Office."
"Very well, I will report this truthfully to my superiors!"
Ever since Chief Wang laid eyes on Ji Qing, his gaze darted left and right, deliberately avoiding direct eye contact. However, a young constable behind Chief Wang had been staring intently, constantly sizing Ji Qing up.
Seeing that Chief Wang was about to leave, the young constable stepped forward and whispered a reminder, "Chief Constable, this man looks very familiar. He is likely the one on the wanted poster..."
"Silence!"
Before the young constable could finish his sentence, he was harshly reprimanded by Chief Wang.
"But Chief Constable, he is clearly..."
SLAP.
Chief Wang slapped the young constable across the face.
The atmosphere instantly froze. Everyone held their breath, not daring to utter a word. Many were bewildered, having no idea what had just happened. Why had Chief Wang suddenly lost his temper?
"You're mistaken. This Hero Li is a rat-exterminating hero!" Chief Wang barked. "Load up the Rat King's corpse. We are returning to the Government Office!"
Chief Wang acted with lightning speed, immediately departing with the Rat King's corpse.
Ji Qing watched Chief Wang's fading figure and nodded inwardly. "He's a smart man."
In truth, Chief Wang had recognized Ji Qing from the very first glance. After all, anyone who could serve as a Chief Constable in the Government Office for twenty years had to have a keen eye. How could Chief Wang fail to recognize a wanted fugitive?
It was just that Chief Wang didn't dare to—nor could he afford to—"recognize" him. To recognize "Ji Qing" in this situation would mean their deaths!
Ji Qing also knew this was no longer a place to linger.
"Yao, we have to go."
"Right now?" Ji Yao felt a bit reluctant to part with Jin Suo'Er. After all, the girl was her only friend during this time. Still, Ji Yao was very sensible and bid Jin Suo'Er farewell.
"Li Yao, will you come back to see me in the future?" Jin Suo'Er asked, reluctantly handing a bracelet over to Ji Yao. "This is my favorite bracelet; my mother said it keeps people safe. Since you're leaving, I'm giving this bracelet to you. Don't forget Suo'Er."
Ji Yao also took out a wood carving. It was a toy Ji Qing had whittled for her out of boredom on the road. "A toy my brother made, for you. Jin Suo'Er, I will definitely come back to visit you."
"Okay! When you do, I'll take you to the back mountain to play. There are lots of fun things there."
The two six- or seven-year-old children had become good friends after just two days together. Their serious farewell here was quite endearing.
Ji Qing placed Ji Yao into the bamboo basket on his back and then said his goodbyes. "Landlord Jin, I will take my leave."
Landlord Jin was an astute man. He seemed to have guessed something from the abnormal scene between Chief Wang and the young constable just now. He vaguely sensed that Li Mu's identity was probably not simple. Therefore, Landlord Jin didn't try to make Ji Qing stay. Instead, he cupped his hands and said, "I wish Hero Li a safe journey."
Ji Qing turned and left, quickly vanishing without a trace.
Chief Wang and the others galloped madly the entire way, finally returning to the county town. Only after passing through the city gates did Chief Wang heave a sigh of relief.
He turned back to look at the young constable and said coldly, "What, you're not convinced? Do you know that if I hadn't slapped you just now, we all would have died!"
Hearing this, the young constable's eyes widened. "How could that be?"
"Hmph. Did you think I didn't see that 'Li Mu' was actually Ji Qing from the wanted poster? But what kind of person is Ji Qing? Ranked eighth on the Martial World's Evil People List! According to the latest news, he killed the Lingdong Three Monsters and the Desert Eighteen Riders in a ruined temple outside Li City!
"And look at the corpse of this Rat King. You all tested it just now—isn't it invulnerable to swords and spears? For such a formidable giant rat to be killed by Ji Qing, just how strong must he be? Do you really think the few of us could take him down? Once we exposed his identity, wouldn't we just be forcing him to go on a killing spree?"
Chief Wang's words made the young constable suddenly see the light, and a cold sweat broke out all over his body.
"Thank you, Chief Constable, for saving my life!" The young constable hurriedly bowed to Chief Wang.
It was no wonder Chief Wang had been a Chief Constable at the County Magistrate's Office for over twenty years, standing tall and unshakeable. Experience truly was the best teacher! While at Landlord Jin's home earlier, they had actually walked right up to death's door.
"Chief Constable, what should we do then? Do we need to report this matter regarding Ji Qing?" the young constable asked in a low voice.
"Of course we have to report it. If we conceal something like this and it gets found out, we'll all be in deep trouble. However, we must wait a few Two-hour periods. Once Ji Qing is far away, we will make our report."
The young constable grew thoughtful, realizing this was all valuable experience. After a few Two-hour periods, Ji Qing would be long gone. Even if Shangguan ordered them to arrest Ji Qing, there was a high probability they wouldn't run into him. This was the true "way of survival" for constables.
"You're all still young. Listen more, learn more. Especially when facing people from the Martial World, you must be extremely cautious. If you can avoid playing the hero, then don't play the hero.
"However, this Ji Qing won't be running free for much longer. Word has it that the higher-ups have dispatched the number one constable of the Qingzhou Six Gates, Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen, to capture him. Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen has never failed a mission. Once he makes his move, Ji Qing is bound to be arrested and brought to justice to face execution!"
At the mention of "Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen," the many constables lit up with glowing expressions, their faces full of excitement. Evidently, Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen had a massive reputation among the constables, serving as an idol that all of them revered and aspired to be.
The group of constables dragged their feet for a few Two-hour periods, waiting until the afternoon before heading to the Government Office to report their encounter with the fugitive Ji Qing.
The Government Office promptly reported it up the chain of command as well. After all, ordinary County Magistrate's Offices and Governments lacked the capability to capture a "Demon" from the Martial World's Evil People List; they could only pass the information higher.
In a flash, another ten or so days passed.
Ji Qing arrived in front of a set of city gates.
"Anyang City!"
Ji Qing breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He had finally reached Anyang!
If nothing unexpected happened, Anyang City would be Ji Yao's "final destination." The Martial World, after all, was no place for a six-year-old girl.
Following the flow of the crowd, Ji Qing took large strides and entered Anyang City.