Xiaosuo did not attend the Zhu Clan's funeral.

Wang Zhengwu also chose to stay at the Empty Form Temple.

Wei Min noticed that Xiaosuo and his group hadn't left, finding it peculiar.

With nothing else to do, he decided to continue guarding outside the temple with the constables.

Inside, the monks were preparing to perform rites for the departed souls again.

The Old Monk's disciple asked the Shop Assistant for his name.

This time, Xiaosuo remembered and said his name was Zhu Yuanli.

Xiaosuo didn't particularly like Zhu Yuanli; he preferred the Shop Assistant.

But when it came time to write, he hesitated and eventually wrote "Zhu Yuanli."

Perhaps he still wanted to be Zhu Yuanli after all.

At night, the sound of chanting sutras echoed once more in the Empty Form Temple.

The number of souls being sent off had increased from two to four.

The flickering candlelight stirred his thoughts.

Old Huang was dead, and so was the Shop Assistant.

Before they died, they left no useful information for Zhu Xiaosuo.

Many secrets were now forever beyond Xiaosuo's reach.

Why had those ten or so taels of silver been given to him and not the Shop Assistant?

Why had Old Huang and the Shop Assistant targeted him?

And who exactly was his mother?

Xiaosuo asked Zhu Sangao, who confirmed that the Zhu Clan had never taken in the daughter of a Lu family blacksmith.

Old Huang had lied about that.

The only thing Xiaosuo could confirm now was that his father was Zhu Fulu.

Everything else drifted away with the sutras.

With their passing, they took with them the years Xiaosuo had spent at the Braised Chicken Feet Shop.

One was a Shop Assistant he saw every day, the other a regular customer.

Besides them, few in Yellow Dog County knew Xiaosuo's name.

The constables called him "that guy who sells chicken feet."

Customers called him "shopkeeper."

Oh, and Aunt Yang, who raised chickens, knew his name.

He wondered if that donkey had returned home.

If it was lost, it would be quite embarrassing.

Aunt Yang, seeing how he and the Shop Assistant depended on each other at such a young age, had always been considerate and never overcharged for the chicken feet.

Thinking of Aunt Yang, Xiaosuo pictured the simple village woman in his mind.

Aunt Yang was a kind person.

...Or so he hoped?

Then he thought about how he had spent the past two and a half years verifying the linear propagation of spiritual energy.

Day and night, diligently working on one thing.

And he had succeeded.

Xiaosuo felt a sense of satisfaction.

He just didn't know when such a groundbreaking theory would find its use.

With no opportunity to showcase his talents, he felt stifled.

Or perhaps, had the linear propagation of spiritual energy already been discovered by the cultivators of this world?

After all, it was quite simple.

Xiaosuo couldn't be sure.

He thought of the girl who had given him five Spirit Stones.

What did she look like again?

He only remembered her bold manner of pulling the Spirit Stones from her chest.

The Monk's glance at the clock brought Xiaosuo back to reality.

In front of him lay four cold corpses.

He had ventured out, not even catching a glimpse of a Vein Opening Pill, and now he was back to being alone.

No one around him had known him for more than two days.

Thinking of this, Xiaosuo, whose inner age was over fifty, suddenly felt a deep loneliness.

In his past life, his parents had died early, and in this life, their situation was unclear.

He felt an urge to talk to someone.

But when he looked around, all he saw were people relying on him for survival.

To them, he couldn't show a hint of weakness.

It wouldn't be good for morale.

He heard two sobs.

The Young Monk Jieku had been crying all day.

Xiaosuo envied his freedom to express his emotions.

Watching Jieku cry and chant sutras, Xiaosuo gently rubbed his head.

The name Jieku was quite insightful.

There are no wrong names, only wrong nicknames.

It seemed the Old Monk was an interesting person too.

Unfortunately, the Old Monk met him and couldn't die a natural death.

Could it be that he was destined to be a lone star?

As he pondered, Xiaosuo saw Wei Min walking in with a serious expression.

Xiaosuo quickly stood up and stepped aside.

"Master Wei, what brings you here?"

"It's both bad news and good news."

"I'm all ears."

"The Zhu Clan didn't hold a funeral today; the news was false. Among the guests who went to the Zhu Clan to pay their respects, several were hidden members of the Zhu Clan's bloodline, and the First Madam had them taken away. They're likely dead by now."

So it was a trap.

The information the Old Monk protected with his life wasn't baseless after all.

Xiaosuo didn't know how the Old Monk had learned such secrets.

But the Old Monk had indeed saved him at the cost of his own life.

Xiaosuo didn't have time to dwell on it, noticing Wei Min's continued serious demeanor, he asked:

"Thank you for informing me, Master Wei. Is there anything else?"

"The higher-ups asked me to pass on a message. They know your identity. They know you survived an assassination last night. They know you didn't attend the funeral today. They're very interested in you, so they sent me to ask how confident you are."

The local authorities' attitude last night and today was ambiguous.

They didn't want to offend the Zhu Clan, nor did they want to be ignored by them.

Like neighbors keeping a careful distance.

Since they hadn't killed him, it meant the person asking Wei Min to inquire wasn't aligned with the First or Second Madam.

The reason they sought him out was clear.

The local authorities wanted to place a bet in the Zhu Clan's internal conflict.

Xiaosuo believed the authorities couldn't have suddenly decided to join the Zhu Clan's strife.

They must have planned it long ago.

Perhaps they had invested in more than one Zhu Clan bloodline.

So why had they suddenly come to him?

It seemed their original plan had encountered a problem.

Although Wei Min only asked how confident he was, showing the authorities' interest in him.

Xiaosuo knew he had no choice.

If the authorities ignored him, he would be left to fend for himself.

Now that they had reached out, there was no turning back.

Currently, it wasn't a partnership but one side overpowering the other.

Xiaosuo had to either accept the authorities' support or die at their hands.

"Master Wei, I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace last night and your introduction today. If I ever achieve success, I will not forget your kindness."

He bowed deeply to Wei Min.

Speaking official language to officials.

Xiaosuo emphasized the "life-saving grace" and "introduction."

The former was to reassure Wei Min that he would remember the favor no matter what.

The latter was to tell Wei Min that he was just a messenger, and they couldn't discuss results; he needed to meet someone who could make decisions.

Wei Min understood and nodded.

The life-saving grace of the Zhu Clan's patriarch was enough to move him to persuade the higher-ups.

"Very well. To be honest, it's Shen Ma, the Arrest Warrant, who asked me to find you. I'll take you to see Shen Ma now."

Xiaosuo remembered that Wei Min was just a constable leader, with a head constable between him and the Arrest Warrant.

Logically, the Arrest Warrant shouldn't be giving orders directly to someone like Wei Min.

"Did the Arrest Warrant give you the mission directly?"

"Yes. The Arrest Warrant values you highly, so he gave the order directly."

Xiaosuo smiled slightly:

"The Arrest Warrant may seem to value me, but in reality, he values you, Master Wei!"

In officialdom, when a superior's superior directly issues a task, it's usually a clear signal to promote the person.

Wei Min responded with a smile:

"I have you to thank for that. Last night's and this morning's attacks, only our group of constables protected the main target, which caught the Arrest Warrant's attention. You don't need to worry about the rescue; I've already benefited."

Wei Min's polite words were not to be taken seriously by Xiaosuo.

"Congratulations, Master Wei! This is your own fortune, and I will repay the life-saving grace separately."

The two of them had only taken a few steps out of the temple when they saw an iron-plated horse carriage.

Wei Min signaled Xiaosuo to stop in front of the carriage.

He approached the carriage, bowed, and said:

"Arrest Warrant, Xiaosuo is here."

There was no immediate response from inside the carriage, but after a moment, a voice said:

"Please, quickly invite him in!"

The enthusiasm in the voice couldn't hide that moment of silence.

Clearly, the Arrest Warrant hadn't expected Wei Min to bring Xiaosuo directly.

If Wei Min hadn't brought him without reporting, Xiaosuo might not have been able to meet Shen Ma, the Arrest Warrant.

There are many types of introductions.

Some are optional, some are opportunistic, some are timely, and some are shared in honor and disgrace.

Wei Min's introduction had the potential to offend the Arrest Warrant, effectively binding himself to Xiaosuo.

If Xiaosuo succeeded, Wei Min would prosper.

If Xiaosuo failed, Wei Min would fall.

Unexpectedly, even a constable leader had to gamble his career on a bet.

Thus, Xiaosuo noted Wei Min's introduction as another favor in his heart.

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Wei Min turned to signal Xiaosuo to board the carriage.

Xiaosuo nodded heavily at Wei Min.

Wei Min gave a faint smile.

Inside the carriage sat a robust man in his forties with three scars on his face and white hair at his temples.

"Greetings, Master Shen."

"Please have a seat, Boss Xiao."

The opening exchange between the two was harmonious.

"My appearance didn't frighten you, did it, Boss Xiao?"

Xiaosuo shook his head:

"Many people have died around me these past few days. Seeing a living person only makes me feel more at ease; how could I be afraid?"

Shen Ma laughed heartily:

"Boss Xiao, your words are extraordinary. Others only praise the scars on my face as heroic and imposing, but I've never heard a response like yours. However, I have a different perspective on what you said."

"I am eager to hear your insights, Master Arrest Warrant."

"I wouldn't dare call it teaching; it's just a discussion between us. I believe that living people are far more frightening than the dead."

"Your words, Master, must have a story behind them."

Shen Ma laughed again:

"Boss Xiao, you're truly neither servile nor overbearing. If others heard me speak, they would flatter me for my insight and depth. But you, Boss Xiao, simply say there's a story. Interesting, interesting!"

Although Shen Ma kept laughing, Xiaosuo sensed he wasn't as pleased as he seemed.

He was subtly pointing out that Xiaosuo hadn't shown him the proper respect and hadn't recognized his status.

Xiaosuo said directly:

"Master, you seek cooperation with me. But whether our cooperation can be mutually beneficial depends fifty percent on fate and fifty percent on people."

Shen Ma's smile remained:

"Please continue, Boss Xiao."

"Forgive my boldness. Before I obtain the Vein Opening Pill, you are in control, and with a flick of a finger, you could crush me. After I obtain the Vein Opening Pill, I am in control, as the difference between immortals and mortals is vast. Therefore, throughout our cooperation, there will never be a time of equality. This means that our mutual benefit depends not only on fate but also on trustworthiness. I can assure you that how I treat you now is how I will treat you in the future."

Shen Ma continued to smile:

"And how can Boss Xiao guarantee that?"

"What do you think of Wei Min, Master?"

At this point, Shen Ma finally stopped smiling.

"He's more than qualified as a leader but not enough to be a head constable."

"Can I interpret it this way? He's more than qualified as a leader because he's reliable and capable. He's not enough to be a head constable because he hasn't fully understood his superior's intentions?"

"Boss Xiao, you have insight; your thoughts are quite similar to mine."

"Master Arrest Warrant, you climbed the ranks step by step, so you should know that someone who can stand firm as a constable leader may not be highly capable, but they are definitely smart enough."

Shen Ma's expression was indifferent.

"Continue."

"If Master Wei suddenly starts acting boldly, it's because he believes it's worth it."

Xiaosuo was indicating to Shen Ma that Wei Min bringing him to meet Shen Ma without permission wasn't a lack of intelligence but a complete commitment.

Shen Ma surely knew that Wei Min and Xiaosuo had only met for two days.

For someone he had only known for two days, Wei Min was willing to risk his career.

Shen Ma might not know Xiaosuo, but he certainly knew Wei Min.

What better endorsement of credibility could there be?

Shen Ma remained noncommittal.

After a moment of thought, he spoke to the outside of the carriage:

"Bring them over."

"Yes."

After speaking, Shen Ma closed his eyes to rest.

Seeing that he refused to talk, Xiaosuo said no more.

After a stick of incense's time, a voice came from outside:

"Arrest Warrant, the people are here."

"Greetings, Master."

Shen Ma didn't open the carriage curtain but spoke to those outside:

"Introduce yourselves with your real names."

There was a moment of silence outside before someone spoke:

"Master, do you mean..."

"Your real names."

"..."

"I am Zhu Yuanlu."

"I am Zhu Yuanqi."

"I am Zhu Yuanyu."

Xiaosuo was taken aback.

He looked at Shen Ma, who still had his eyes closed, and then Shen Ma spoke:

"Wei Min, are you there?"

"I am here!"

"Kill these three."

"Yes!"

"Arrest Warrant, you can't... ah..."

"Ah..."

"No, no, I have money! I have..."

Wei Min acted swiftly and ruthlessly.

In just a few breaths, there were no more cries of pain.

"Reporting to the Arrest Warrant, the task is complete!"

"Clean up and escort Boss Xiao back to the temple later."

"Yes. You there, come clean up!"

Once the sounds of cleaning outside ceased, Shen Ma opened his eyes and looked at Xiaosuo.

"This is my sincerity."