Chapter 60 I Didn’t Expect You to Be Someone Who Repays Kindness…

Chapter 60: Who Knew You Were the Grateful Type...

A Chan rolled her eyes internally. Who wanted to read books? So boring. Humans always loved banning the weirdest things, and she had no interest in understanding any of it.

Her little scheme had been seen through so easily that she had no choice but to change tactics, appealing to reason instead. "Lord Bai, don’t you think half the credit for slaying that tiger demon so quickly belongs to me?"

"Oh? How so?" Bai Xiuming played along.

"If I hadn’t gone through all that trouble, enduring my fear of the tiger demon and playing nice with it, leading it straight to you, you wouldn’t have killed it so easily. When the Bright Mirror Bureau hands out rewards, you really shouldn’t forget about me."

"So it’s this official’s fault?"

A Chan immediately graciously forgave him. "Mistakes happen. So, where’s my tiger pelt?"

Bai Xiuming neither agreed nor refused outright. Instead, he asked, "What do you need the pelt for?"

A Chan answered frankly, "For a blanket, of course! I always thought that tiger demon’s fur looked warm. It’d be way cozier than a heating pad in winter."

Bai Xiuming remained silent, considering.

"For that pelt, I even designed a ten-foot-long bed in advance. Lord Bai, how could you bear to let my design collect dust?"

"It sounds like you really do need that pelt."

A Chan nodded eagerly. Yes, exactly—she needed it desperately.

"Once something enters the Bright Mirror Bureau, it becomes official property," Bai Xiuming said leisurely. "However, this official is willing to let you buy it. A thousand taels of silver."

A Chan took a deep breath. "My lord, how could you charge me a thousand taels when we have such a close relationship?"

She held up five fingers. "Five hundred!"

Bai Xiuming sighed regretfully. "It seems you’re not truly sincere. Then this official will have to give the pelt to someone who really wants it."

"I want it!"

A Chan’s first attempt at bargaining ended in failure.

Though a thousand taels for a Third Realm tiger demon’s pelt was practically Lord Bai giving her a deal, she had put in effort too—and now she was shelling out so much cash.

If only Hui Niang had come along—she was so much better at haggling. A Chan thought bitterly.

"My lord, can I go see my tiger-fur blanket first?" Afraid he might change his mind, A Chan planned to drag her trophy home as soon as possible.

"The case involving the tiger demon isn’t closed yet. It’ll take a few more days to process the remains."

A Chan gave him a suspicious side-eye. "In a few days, you won’t secretly give the pelt to someone else, will you?"

She knew how much humans went crazy for monster hides—that black tiger’s fur was bound to be in high demand.

"If you’re worried, you can pay a deposit. This official will reserve it for you."

A Chan felt her coin purse and dramatically produced a ten-tael ingot, shoving it into Bai Xiuming’s hand. "You’ve taken my deposit now—no take-backs."

Surprisingly, Bai Xiuming didn’t scoff at the meager sum, tucking it away. "Deal."

"My lord, when the Bright Mirror Bureau slays demons, do you usually take them apart and keep the useful parts?" A Chan asked, playing innocent.

Bai Xiuming turned to her, giving her a searching look. "What exactly are you asking?"

A Chan’s eyes flickered slightly. This man was way too perceptive.

"I was just wondering… was the fox spirit who saved me… handled the same way?"

Unlike humans, A Chan didn’t believe dead bodies were off-limits. Among demons, their traditions—by human standards—were savage and bloody. Enemies were free to be hunted and eaten.

She just thought that, even if her original body wasn’t pretty when she left it, it was still her body. If she could buy it back, she might as well.

"What do you plan to do with its remains?"

"Bury it, of course. It saved my life, after all. I ought to visit its grave during festivals, light some incense, clean the grave—that sort of thing." A Chan replied as if it were the most natural thing.

"Look at you being all grateful."

"Of course I am."

"Unfortunately, the fox spirit’s remains aren’t in the Bright Mirror Bureau."

"Not in the Bureau? Then where are they?" A Chan was surprised. Had Qingyu Mountain learned of her death and reclaimed her body?

But she quickly dismissed the thought. Impossible. Her grandmother despised humans and had almost no dealings with Great Xia. When her younger sister had gone missing, she hadn’t cared—now that A Chan was dead, she probably wouldn’t spare a glance, let alone retrieve her remains.

Besides, her demon core was gone. To demons, her body was little more than flesh and blood—hardly worth her grandmother's time.

Could it be… the Northern Wastes?

At the thought, A Chan frowned slightly, her expression darkened.

"That corpse was claimed by King Ming," Bai Xiuming said bluntly.

"King Ming?" That was the last thing she expected to hear. "What would King Ming want with a corpse?"

"Should this official ask him for you?"

A Chan shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not! I’m just a little curious—I don’t actually want to know the truth."

King Ming was a Fifth Realm cultivator. Like her grandmother, such beings could uncover secrets with a glance. Who knew if he’d detect her anomaly? A Chan had no desire to end up on his radar.

With no further questions from A Chan, the topic ended there.

In truth, Bai Xiuming had some idea of the reason.

King Ming had explained that the fox spirit’s ancestors had history with him. As the child of an old acquaintance, he would keep the remains and, if the opportunity arose, return them to her kin.

Since it involved King Ming’s personal affairs, Bai Xiuming didn't feel like sharing it with others.

After speaking with Bai Xiuming, A Chan glanced at the sky—it was definitely past curfew. What was she supposed to do tonight?

"My lord, now that the antidote’s done, can I go home?"

"Once your statement is recorded, this official will send someone with you."

"Fine," A Chan grudgingly agreed before adding, "You're not coming with me?"

"This official has work to do."

"Lin Ting and her entire family? My lord, mind if I watch?" Her interest piqued, A Chan found herself not so keen on going home.

"What do you say?"

A Chan pouted, knowing it wouldn't work.

Bai Xiuming summoned a subordinate and instructed him to escort A Chan for questioning.

The process was brief. They only asked about Zhan Grass and her relationship with Lin Sui. The hardest question to explain—how she knew about Zhan Grass—was deliberately skipped, likely because Bai Xiuming had given prior instructions.

After finishing her statement, A Chan made her mark below, and she was free to go.

When the Bright Mirror Bureau Guard opened the interrogation room door, A Chan saw Feng Yang standing outside.

"Miss Ji, the Officiant has instructed me to escort you home."

"Thank you, Captain Feng."

A Chan yawned, already growing sleepy.

On the way back, she tried fishing for information from Feng Yang, but the man kept his mouth shut—either "I can't say" or "The Officiant would kill me if I did." Frustrated, A Chan returned home with her questions unanswered.

After A Chan left the Bright Mirror Bureau, Bai Xiuming returned to the main hall, now ablaze with light, with rows of Bright Mirror Bureau Guards standing at attention on either side, swords at their waists.

"Bring Yao Dingbang forward," Bai Xiuming commanded as he took his seat.

Soon, Yao Dingbang, soaked with sweat, was dragged into the hall.

"Officiant, I’ll tell everything!" Before Bai Xiuming could even speak, Yao Dingbang began kowtowing desperately.

He had initially hoped to conceal some of his crimes, thinking he might receive a lighter sentence.

But after being taken to the prison, whether he wanted to or not, he ended up spilling everything—things he should and shouldn’t have said.

That place was no place for the living. The guards didn’t care about his status; they didn’t even seem to expect him to survive.

Yao Dingbang was cowardly by nature. Even knowing he was facing death, he clung to the hope of delaying the inevitable.

"Where did you obtain the Zhan Grass?" Bai Xiuming asked.

"Huang Shi got it from her family. One of her aunts used to live in the Northern Wastes, where Zhan Grass could be bought. It was she who told us about its uses. I—I was just momentarily deluded, believing her words."

"What did you do after obtaining the Zhan Grass?"

"We... we fed it to the newborn Tingting. Then we arranged for a Daoist priestess to 'coincidentally' meet my sister a few times. I fed the Daoist priestess some of my sister’s personal matters, and she managed to deceive her."

"Go on."

"Later, the Daoist priestess told my sister that the child in her womb was ill-fated. We also secretly orchestrated complications during her delivery, making her believe it was true." Yao Dingbang gasped for breath, but after getting these secrets off his chest, he actually felt lighter.

He continued, "Eventually, under Huang Shi and the Daoist priestess’s persuasion, my sister gave away her daughter. Huang Shi then replaced her with my daughter."

After finishing his confession in one breath, he glanced up at Bai Xiuming, whose expression remained impassive. "Officiant, I swear this is the truth. Back then, I was just a minor seventh-grade official, and the Yao family was in decline. My only hope was my brother-in-law, but my sister despised me and refused to help.

So I thought... I thought I could use my daughter to gain some advantage. After adopting Tingting, my sister changed completely—she treated me better and even gave me many benefits in secret."

"Are you trying to tell me that the fortune-stealing artifacts found in Lin Heng and Yao Shi’s homes had nothing to do with you?"

"They did," Yao Dingbang admitted, his voice trembling.

"Explain."

"Because... because the benefits my sister gave weren’t enough. The money she gave me was all spent on Zhan Grass. Without funds to bribe my way, my promotions were slow—years passed, and I was still only a sixth-grade official. But my brother-in-law leapt straight to second-grade general. I... I gave in to temptation for a moment."

"Who helped you this time?"

"It was..." Yao Dingbang hesitated but finally said, "Huang Shi’s sister-in-law. She discovered Huang Shi’s dealings with her aunt and approached her."

"Name."

"Shen Yuehua."

"Shen... of the Xiling Shen family?" Bai Xiuming mused briefly before speaking.

"Yes. I heard she was a distant relative of the Shens. People say the Shen family is formidable—they’ve produced many demon hunters. Though they don’t serve in court, they hold great influence among the common folk."

Bai Xiuming didn’t need his explanation and pressed on, "What did Shen Shi do?"

"She gave us a pair of jade pendants. One was engraved with my son’s birth details, one with Lin Heng’s.

Tingting gave the one with my son’s birth details to Lin Heng, telling him to keep it close. Soon after, my son seemed to gain sudden clarity—he passed the county-level exams."

At first, he had known his eldest son was slow of mind and held no great expectations, only wishing for his safety.

But later, his son passed the county-level exams, then the prefectural exams... His hopes grew, and so did his greed.

"I recall you have two sons. Did both borrow Lin Heng’s fortune?"

"My younger son borrowed from Tingting’s fiancé. Unfortunately, his talent was mediocre—worse than Lin Heng, who had never even taken the exams."

A note of resentment seeped into Yao Dingbang’s tone.

"And whose fortune did you borrow?"

"Lin Cheng’s... and Lin Yi’s."

Feeling Bai Xiuming’s icy gaze, Yao Dingbang hastily defended himself, "I didn’t borrow continuously! They rarely returned home, so Tingting couldn’t get close to them. We could only place the artifacts in their rooms. Each time they came back to the capital, I could take a little—it hardly affected them!"

"Magistrate Yao is quite honest," Bai Xiuming remarked.

"I dare not hide anything from you, Officiant!" Yao Dingbang kowtowed again. "Officiant, I’m selfish, despicable, and shameless—but I swear I never harbored even a shred of disrespect toward His Majesty! Please, see the truth clearly!"

"I know."

Yao Dingbang’s head snapped up, hope flickering in his eyes.

But Bai Xiuming’s next words sent him plunging into the abyss: "Unfortunately, Magistrate Yao, you seem unaware that the previous emperor decreed an addition to the Bright Mirror Bureau’s laws: Anyone who uses Zhan Grass or similar means to deceive officials is guilty of treason—punishable by the extermination of one's clan."

Yao Dingbang collapsed to the ground, his vision darkening. He was finished. Utterly finished.

Dumbstruck, Yao Dingbang was dragged away. Soon after, Huang Shi was brought in, followed by Yao’s two sons.

After interrogating each, Bai Xiuming found their testimonies mostly matched.

Once the questioning concluded, he sat in deep thought.

Though Yao Dingbang and Huang Shi were the plotters, they only understood part of the picture—especially regarding the fortune-stealing. If fortune and talent could be so easily borrowed through artifacts, the world would have fallen into disorder long ago.

There had to be deeper secrets behind this—secrets known only to Shen Shi, the one who conducted the ritual.

The Shen clan wields significant power in Xiling, yet Lin Cheng became the General of Anxi stationed there a few years ago. He couldn't help but connect the two events.

It seems the Shen clan has overextended their influence.

Bai Xiuming stood up: "Jiang Kai."

"At your command."

"Huang Shi and the Yao clan stand accused of treason. Bring all their clan members to the Bright Mirror Bureau for interrogation."

"Yes." Jiang Kai accepted the order and left.

The Yao clan was already in the capital, and the main branch of the Huang clan had also moved to the capital two years prior, which simplified matters.

As for the other clan members, he'd need local forces to round them up.

Overnight, the Bright Mirror Bureau raided two minor clans in the capital under the charge of treason. By the next morning, officials flooded the court with impeachment petitions against the Bureau for overstepping its authority.

This time, however, the emperor wasn't content to watch. He directly rebuked the censors who had impeached the Bright Mirror Bureau and even demoted one of them from the capital.

The courtiers immediately read the writing on the wall and fell silent.

After the morning audience, the emperor summoned Bai Xiuming to the imperial study to inquire about the case. Finally, the conversation turned to the Shen clan. Bai Xiuming said, "By the time my men arrived, Shen Shi had already taken her own life, leaving behind a suicide note shouldering all blame for all crimes."

The emperor scoffed. "She was remarkably well-connected indeed, even managing to plant spies in the Bright Mirror Bureau. I underestimated the Shen clan. Xiling must be brewing trouble."

Bai Xiuming remained silent. The most restless figure in the emperor’s words was none other than his own biological father, the Prince of Xiling.

The emperor glanced at him and sighed. "I’m speaking to you."

"Shall I dispatch troops to exterminate the entire Shen clan to vent Your Majesty’s anger?"

The emperor threw an inkstone at him in exasperation. Bai Xiuming caught it and carefully stored the imperial inkstone.

"Assign more people to monitor the Shen clan. They consort with the demon race, and I will deal with them sooner or later."

"Your Majesty is wise."

"Lin Cheng... was deceived, so we won’t hold him accountable. When will he recover?" the emperor asked.

"At most two weeks. Once I conclude the trial, the true culprit will be executed immediately. The stolen fate has little effect on General Lin and his son," Bai Xiuming replied.

"Good. Once he recovers, have him return to Xiling early. The Duke of Song’s eldest son may have adequate cultivation, but his abilities still fall short. He needs to be hardened—the complaints from Xiling’s border generals have already reached my desk. What a pity the Late Duke of Song’s strategic brilliance was inherited by neither his son nor his grandson."

Bai Xiuming listened quietly to the emperor’s ramblings without interjecting. Military affairs were outside his purview.