The story branches out here to follow another path.
On her end, Nan Zhi watched as the boat pulled into the wharf and docked. However, the minor official from the Transport Office ran back and forth, up and down the vessel, without breathing a single word about letting them pass.
“Heavens! This lot came aboard and said nothing at all, just told us to wait.
“I reckon those people from the Transport Office saw there was a murder on this boat and are putting on airs. They’re probably looking for some ‘filial silver’ to grease their palms—”
The boat owner was anxious to deliver his goods, and the sweat on his forehead never seemed to dry. He leaned in close to Nan Zhi and whispered urgently:
“Lord, Lord, you cannot leave this old man to fend for himself! I have fresh fish on this boat. If I don’t get the workers to move them soon, they’ll rot and I won’t get a copper for them!
“You are an official. Could you speak with that gentleman and see if we can pull over and go ashore first?
“Afterward, whether it’s a red envelope or ‘filial silver,’ I won’t let you be shorted a single cent!”
“I am sorry; it seems I have implicated you. Please do not worry, elder. I will go and ask what the procedure is.”
Nan Zhi knew the boat owner was likely turning to her out of desperation, seeking help from an outside official of low rank, but she did not refuse. She went to find the leading transport official.
Since boarding the ship, that official had ordered someone to bring him a table and chairs. He sat there sipping tea he had brewed, looking as if he were entirely oblivious to the noise around him, focused only on the flavor of the leaves.
“This… little lord.”
The transport official appeared to be in his forties and had an average face.
However, he was quite smooth in his dealings. Seeing Nan Zhi approach, he set down his tea bowl and offered a polite, practiced smile.
“I am Mo Buwei, the Transport Commissioner of the Water Transport Yamen. I am in charge of all transport matters at the Bianshui Canal wharf. Might I ask who you are?”
Nan Zhi did not stand on ceremony and went straight to the point.
“Lord Mo, I am a fourth-class arrest officer under the jurisdiction of the Northwest Circuit’s Demon Suppression Monastery. I have entered the capital on orders to handle a case.
“The demon practitioner who was kidnapping people has been executed on the spot. Everyone else on this boat is an innocent civilian. Why have we not been cleared to leave?”
Upon hearing that Nan Zhi was merely a fourth-class demon suppressor, a hint of disdain inevitably colored Mo Buwei’s face.
“Well… as the official in charge of all matters large and small at this wharf, I heard from those on board that a demon was causing trouble, using evil arts to turn people into sheep and harm the populace.
“Although the culprit has been punished, it is hard to guarantee there are no other accomplices on this vessel. It is safer to verify everyone’s identity before letting you ashore.”
Mo Buwei held his tea bowl, his eyes fixed on the wharf as he chuckled.
“But do not worry. I have already sent word to the Demon Suppression Division and the Kaifeng Prefecture. I expect they will arrive shortly.
“I am doing this to provide an explanation to the people of Bianjing. I am sure Arrest Officer Nan can appreciate my difficult position.”
Having said this, he expected the demon suppressor before him to argue. To his surprise, she simply nodded and turned to walk away.
So easy to talk to?
Mo Buwei was somewhat stunned, his tea bowl hovering mid-air.
The demon suppressors he had encountered in the past, regardless of their rank, usually acted as if their eyes were on the tops of their heads if they had even a modicum of talent.
To think this one was actually reasonable.
It was truly rare.
It was just a pity she was so ugly.
...
Having clarified the reason and learning that the other party wasn’t intentionally being difficult but had followed official protocol by reporting the matter, Nan Zhi asked no further questions.
She turned back to retrieve the Blood Supplementing Pills from her bag, dissolving them into a pot of boiled water to distribute among the people.
The twenty victims had been tormented by Ma San’s evil arts and had not had a drop of water for days, eating only fodder and bitter leaves. Their vitality was severely damaged.
Furthermore, they had been tossed about on the boat for several days. A few of the children had fallen ill, and their lives were only saved because Nan Zhi used the Blood Supplementing Pills.
One child was particularly pitiful. Ma San’s abuse had left him with a large head and a tiny body, looking like a withered bean sprout.
Seeing his plight, Nan Zhi pulled out some stinky tofu from her bag to coax him. But just as she reached out, a slender, fair hand suddenly darted in from the side—
“Mmm… Yin Niangzi’s fried tofu. Even after hundreds or thousands of years, it still tastes exactly like this! How very strange.”
The owner of the hand popped a piece of stinky tofu into her mouth, her beautiful eyes scanning Nan Zhi incessantly.
“Are you that fourth-class arrest officer from the Northwest Circuit? Hmm, with that pitch-black look of yours… are you sure your surname isn’t Bao?”
Nan Zhi was startled at first, but then she saw the speaker clearly.
It was an extremely beautiful young girl in purple robes with a red cloak, crouching atop the boat’s railing. As she moved, the purple gold bells at her waist let out a crisp chime.
But none of that was important.
The girl actually recognized this as 【Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu】!
Nan Zhi had never shared the names of her game items with anyone. How could this unknown girl know?
“I am Nan Zhi, a fourth-class arrest officer of the Northwest Circuit’s Demon Suppression Monastery, a native of Dingyuan.
“Who might you be, miss? Looking at your attire, are you perhaps a fellow member of the Demon Suppression Division?”
Alarm bells rang in Nan Zhi’s mind. She immediately took a step back, her right hand hidden behind her back as she prepared to cast a spell, ready to strike at any moment.
“However, I do not understand what you are saying. This is just ordinary fried tofu. If you like it, feel free to eat.”
The game system was her trump card; she could never let another soul know of it.
Nan Zhi had long understood the danger of a commoner possessing a treasure.
“Your surname is Nan?”
The purple-robed girl blinked, her eyes filled with incredulous doubt.
“How can your surname be Nan? Look at your face! Even if Lord Bao himself had a child, he couldn’t produce a second one that looks so much like him!”
Nan Zhi: “...”
The sense of mortal peril and potential threat were all swept away by the girl’s nonsensical banter.
“I have resembled my father since birth. Hearing you say this, I suppose my father must share some facial similarities with Lord Bao,” Nan Zhi explained patiently, not letting her guard down.
“However, I am a mere nobody. I would never dare to claim a connection to Lord Bao. Please watch your words, miss.”
“Your surname really isn’t Bao?”
The girl in purple held the bowl of stinky tofu, her expression shifting through waves of shock. Finally, her gaze landed on Nan Zhi’s face, and in an instant, her eyes became incredibly firm.
“I don’t believe you.”
Nan Zhi: “...”
...
Everyone in the capital had seen Bao Zheng’s true face.
His appearance was unique, one of a kind in the world. Even the current Emperor had once joked that Minister Bao absolutely must not have a daughter, for if she resembled her father, she would likely be teased her whole life.
Xu Zi had once seriously wondered what that Lord Bao’s daughter would look like if he actually had one.
Who would have thought she would see a living example today?
The girl before her was tall, not at all slender or weak like ordinary women. Her shoulders and waist were corded with lean muscle, giving her the lithe power of a tiger.
Her black face was striking, leaving only her eyes, which were somewhat delicate and revealed a hint of gentleness.
Most importantly, that aura of righteousness radiating from her heart to her brow—
This was the spitting image of Lord Bao’s own daughter!!
“Your surname isn’t Bao?”
“My surname is Nan. Nan Zhi.”
“You’ve never changed it? You’re truly from Dingyuan? Did your mother really never go to Luzhou? She never remarried?”
“...My father and mother were very much in love. Please do not talk nonsense.”
“I’ve got it! You must be a foundling! Just like Master Sanzang in the old stories—your family met with a sudden disaster, and Madam Bao painfully threw her newborn infant into the river, only for you to be taken in by a kind family!”
“My parents were married for several years before they had me. Besides, we were in the butcher business and had no mortal enemies.
“Where would this ‘fleeing from disaster’ or ‘abandonment’ come from? Your theory is complete nonsense… and why does that story sound so familiar?”
“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it! Go look for yourself! Lord Bao couldn’t produce anyone more like him than you! Your surname definitely isn’t Nan!”
“Is it possible that, currently, men still cannot give birth to children on their own...”
After this dialogue looped for the dozenth time, Nan Zhi finally lost her patience.
She desperately wanted to know how the girl knew about the 【Yin Niangzi Brand Stinky Tofu】, and she also wanted to reach the Kaifeng Prefecture as soon as possible.
But before she could interrupt the purple-robed girl, two groups of people arrived in a hurry at the wharf.
One group consisted of young demon suppressors, men and women all dressed in the standard uniform of the division.
The other group wore black official uniforms. Leading them was a handsome man in a bright red official robe. He was tall and moved with a vigorous stride.
With a light tap of his toes, he soared like a swallow returning to the woods, leaping onto the deck in a single bound. It was a display of martial skill that commanded admiration.
As soon as the man landed, his eyes instinctively fell upon Nan Zhi’s face. For a moment, his handsome features were also filled with profound shock.
The way he looked at her was so focused that even a blind person could sense the confusion and wonder in his heart.
Nan Zhi simply threw caution to the wind and declared loudly:
“My name is Nan Zhi. I am from Dingyuan. My family is in the butcher business. I do not know Lord Bao. None of my ancestors ever went to Luzhou. My mother did not remarry. I was born resembling my father. Thank you.”
The man froze in place.
From both on and off the boat, the faint sound of people stifling their laughter drifted through the air.
Rate on N.U.
