Just as Song A Mi was sinking into despair.
A beam of light shone upon her heart.
“Do you need my help?”
Song A Mi suddenly looked up, seeing a handsome young man with a noble bearing, smiling slightly at her. His smile was like a spring breeze caressing willows, or the sun reflecting on water.
She didn’t understand how this elegant gentleman had managed to slip in unnoticed.
But she understood that she might be saved.
At that moment.
A rustling sound came from the roof beams, and both turned to look.
They discovered it was a giant white python, thicker than a man’s forearm.
The white python, with its crimson tongue, let out a deadly warning to the two.
Song A Mi screamed and dived into Wei Ming’s arms, clinging tightly and refusing to let go.
Wei Ming remained calm, raising his hand and making gestures in the air. His fingers moved through the air, creating streaks of light that shimmered and pulsed.
In the next second, the white python opened its maw, ready to strike. Song A Mi, terrified, closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.
Wei Ming raised his hand and made a swipe, drawing a talisman in the air - a Divine Script of Beast Control.
“Hold!”
The white python’s gaping jaws were just ten centimeters from the two. They could smell the foul odor emanating from its mouth.
However, at that ten-centimeter distance, the white python suddenly froze, as if struck by a petrifying spell, unable to move.
Then, with a thud, it crashed to the ground.
Wei Ming softly reprimanded, “Go back!”
The white python, as if understanding human speech and obeying Wei Ming’s command, coiled its body and slithered away.
Song A Mi was astonished. She herself was skilled in the art of beast control, passed down from her ancestors.
But she knew that beast control required growing up alongside the beast, forming an emotional bond, and using special methods for long-term training, before one could gain control of the beast.
Yet, this handsome gentleman had only made a few gestures in the air and uttered the word “hold,” and he had already subdued and driven away the creature?!
It was unbelievable!
“Are you alright, miss?”
Wei Ming lowered his head, looking at Song A Mi in his arms.
He saw that she was only eighteen years old, in the bloom of youth, with skin as white as frost and snow, exquisite features, and a pair of bright, shimmering eyes like autumn water. Her thin lips were slightly pursed, making her look even more endearing.
Then, a faint fragrance of narcissus wafted into his nose, making him want to inhale more.
Realizing that the danger had passed and that her posture with Wei Ming was too intimate, Song A Mi’s face turned crimson, her cheeks flushed a vibrant red.
“I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to.”
Wei Ming smiled gently. “It’s alright. It was sudden, and you’re a delicate woman. It’s only natural to be afraid.”
“By the way, I haven’t asked your name, miss.”
“Song A Mi. From Han Zhou.”
Wei Ming nodded. “Wei Ming. From Ju Lu.”
“Ju Lu Wei Ming?” Song A Mi was startled, her beautiful eyes gleaming. “Sir, are you the esteemed Imperial Censor Wei Ming, renowned for your talent?”
“Renowned for my talent is a bit too much. But I am indeed the Imperial Censor. Do you know me, Miss Song?”
“I’ve heard of Wei Censor’s name.” She was about to kneel. “I am Song A Mi, and I beg you, sir, to avenge my fellow villager, Zhu Ling Ling.”
“Rise. Speak.” Wei Ming helped Song A Mi to her feet. He said solemnly, “Not long ago, we encountered a dead body of a woman who had fallen from a cliff in Nan Shan, Hulu Kou, Gan Tang County…”
“It must be Ling Ling. Please, sir, bring justice for us.”
…
Meanwhile, Yu Yang returned to the main hall.
The deputy said that the left and right upper rooms were spacious and clean, and then ordered the soldiers to catch some chickens from the coop to stew.
Liu Shi Ba immediately protested, saying those chickens were not for people to eat, but for the pythons and his little brother. He insisted that there was already a stew of delicious meat in the kitchen.
However, the Chief Constable Yu insisted on having chicken, and ordered his men to catch some. What could Liu Shi Ba do against a group of brutes?
Soon, the stew was brought out, and Yu, the deputy, and the others praised it highly.
Yu asked, “Where’s my chicken?”
“It’s already being cooked.” Liu Shi Ba replied.
Thinking of the fair and beautiful maiden locked in the side room, Yu’s mind stirred. “Later, bring me a bowl of chicken soup, and send it to the right upper room.”
Liu Shi Ba heard that Yu was going to stay in the right upper room and gave him a strange look. “That room’s not clean. Everyone who’s stayed there before says it’s haunted. The reason this inn is abandoned is because it’s haunted.”
Upon hearing this, all the soldiers and the deputy were startled.
Yu, disbelieving, ordered his men to drink more alcohol. Once they were drunk, they’d fear nothing!
There’s a saying: Wine makes a coward bold.
Just then, the inn’s front door was knocked on again.
Liu Shi Ba was about to lose his mind.
What day was this, anyway? Another wave of people!
Opening the door, he saw a man in his thirties, with a proud demeanor. As soon as he opened the door, he shouted, “Qing He Cui Wu Ji will be staying here.”
Liu Shi Ba explained again. “This inn is abandoned. The new inn is ten miles away. Would you like to go a little further?”
Cui Wu Ji peered inside, dissatisfied. “There are lights on inside the inn, and there are horses in the courtyard. How dare you say it’s abandoned?”
He immediately threw the reins of his white steed to Liu Shi Ba, warning, “I’m telling you, this is a famous horse. You can’t tie it with those other horses. You hear me?”
Then, pushing Liu Shi Ba aside, he walked straight towards the main hall.
Pushing the door open, Cui Wu Ji raised his proud head and said disdainfully, “I am Qing He Cui Wu Ji!”
Yu, the deputy, and the others were startled, and quickly stood up. The Qing He Cui family was the first great clan of the land. Not to mention the countless students and officials they had in the court, but just their vast lands and farms accounted for one-tenth of all the good land in the country.
It could be said that during times of disaster, even the Tang Dynasty court had to go to them, begging for grain to relieve the suffering.
One of the key reasons for the demise of past dynasties was land consolidation.
Yu Yang introduced himself. “This subordinate is the Lieutenant of the Guard, Yu…”
Cui Wu Ji raised his hand to interrupt him, arrogant and dismissive. “No need to tell me your name, Lieutenant.”
“I was passing through this place late at night, and I’ll be staying here for the night. I’m going to sleep now, so don’t make any noise.”
The deputy couldn’t stand it anymore and slammed his hand on the table, scolding, “What rank are you, anyway? You don’t even have an attendant. How dare you be so arrogant?”
“A County Magistrate of the Eighth Rank! So what?” Cui Wu Ji scoffed with a smile.
“Then how dare you speak to my Chief Constable like that!” The deputy was indignant, brimming with anger.
Yu Yang waved his hand, holding his breath. “Qing He Cui family. One of the great families of the Tang Dynasty. There’s no one like them.”
He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying politely, “To encounter a County Magistrate like yourself in this desolate inn, I am truly honored, Yu, to the third degree. May I invite you to sit down and share a drink?”
Cui Wu Ji snorted with a laugh, disdainful. “Forget it. Not everyone can drink with me.”
Yu Yang’s face instantly changed, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. This man was so arrogant and dismissive.
Cui Wu Ji didn’t even bother to look at Yu Yang or the others. He asked Liu Shi Ba, “Is the right upper room available?”
Liu Shi Ba bowed. “Reporting to sir, the right upper room is not clean. It’s not suitable for guests.”
“Ha, my Qing He Cui family, other than the right upper room, where else could I stay?”
“Stop talking. Lead the way!”
His arrogant and domineering attitude, his unreasonable and tyrannical demeanor, made everyone present furious but dared not speak.
Yu Yang glared coldly, thinking of the beauty in the side room, and also wanting to save face and vent his frustration, he said in a deep voice, “I am a Fifth Rank Lieutenant. I have the right to stay in the upper room, and I arrived first. County Magistrate Cui, there’s a matter of order, right?”
Cui Wu Ji looked down at him in disdain. “What right do you, a Lieutenant, have to compete with my Qing He Cui family?”
Yu Yang was enraged. “You may be from a great family, but you’re just a County Magistrate of the Eighth Rank. How dare you…”
Cui Wu Ji interrupted him again, proudly shouting, “So what? Even if the four surnames are commoners, they still laugh at the high officials.”
Then, he coldly threatened, “Are you sure you want to fight me for this right upper room?”
The murderous intent in Yu Yang’s eyes intensified. Cui Wu Ji didn’t care what you thought, he turned and walked up the stairs.
The deputy couldn’t contain his anger. “Chief Constable, are you just going to take this?”
Yu Yang’s cold eyes flickered. He took a large gulp of wine, unable to swallow his pride. “What can you do when someone is surnamed Cui? What’s the point of not accepting it?”
The deputy, trying to curry favor with the Constable, thought of a plan. He gestured with his hand, tracing a line across his throat. “Anyway, there’s no one around in this wilderness. How about… *click*.”
At that moment, Liu Shi Ba came out from the back kitchen with the stewed chicken, placing it on the table.
Yu Yang and the others’ anger dissipated somewhat.
Suddenly, Su Wu Ming’s voice came from outside. “Liu Shi Ba, you really know how to discriminate!
“We want chicken, we don’t get any. Others want chicken, and then there’s chicken?”
Su Wu Ming and the others returned from their late-night snack and entered the main hall.
Yu Yang’s eyes widened upon seeing Pei Xi Jun. Could there be such a beauty in the world?
His greed was apparent.
Wei Ming stepped out from behind Pei Xi Jun, calmly glancing at Yu Yang. Never mind the kidnapping of Song A Mi and the murder of Zhu Ling Ling.
Just this greedy and vile look, Yu Yang would be killed. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, it would be no use. Wei, the Imperial Censor, had spoken!
And in the original plot of Tang Gui, Yu Yang had kidnapped Pei Xi Jun and brought her here, intending to do something untoward.
Therefore, no matter what, Yu Yang would not see the sun tomorrow.