Volume 5, Chapter 286 – No, No, No, I Have No Wishes

“No, no, no! I appreciate the young master’s kindness, but I truly have no wishes to speak of.”

Prefect Niu was drenched in cold sweat as he slowly retreated.

“Governor Niu, in these troubled times, with commoners displaced and merchants struggling, how can you, as the lord of this prefecture, claim to have no wishes?”

Qi Huang advanced step by step, her tone pressing.

“Thank you for your concern, young master, but those are merely my duties. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself.”

Prefect Niu repeatedly declined with polite excuses.

“Truly no wishes? What a pity. Then remember your words, ensuring the people’s peace and prosperity is your duty. If you fail, I will return to help you fulfill that wish.”

Qi Huang let out a cold snort before turning away. The people of Yongning Province were truly cursed to have such an official. Unfortunately, she had neither authority nor concrete evidence to expose him.

“I’ll keep a close eye on this man. Once I have proof, I’ll act on Heaven’s behalf.”

With this thought, Qi Huang left the government office and set off in pursuit of Constable Peng. For some reason, she had a feeling this man wasn’t as simple as he appeared.

After all, an experienced constable like him wouldn’t openly defy the prefect’s orders without reason. His outward compliance concealed cunning deceit, hardly the behavior of an impulsive man. There had to be more to it.

Even if there wasn’t, she still needed to extract information about the informant from him.

Qi Huang’s suspicions proved correct. The moment Constable Peng returned home, someone immediately confronted him through the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube.

“Constable Peng, you took money to do a job. As I recall, you promised me that the Golden Fortune Auction House would be shut down by today. So why is it still operating?”

A man’s voice echoed from the tube.

“Don’t even ask! It’s all because of that damned lackey of Qi Huang’s. Not only did I fail to seal the auction house, but I also lost my position!”

Constable Peng cursed bitterly, his voice thick with resentment.

“Who you ran into is none of my concern. Whether you keep your job or not matters even less. What I want now is an explanation.”

The man’s tone was unyielding.

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“Then what do you want? Fine, I’ll return the money!”

Constable Peng had no choice but to relent.

“At least you’re sensible. I’ll be outside the northern gate. You have half an hour. Don’t be late.”

The other party accepted the offer.

“If it’s just about returning a few banknotes, why meet outside the city?”

Constable Peng’s face darkened with suspicion.

“Hmph! How do I know you’re not setting a trap? If we meet inside the city, we’d be sitting ducks for an ambush!”

The man shot back.

“You’re overthinking it. I don’t have time for theatrics.”

Constable Peng was growing impatient.

“I don’t care. If you’re not there on time, don’t bother coming at all. Keep the money and buy yourself a coffin instead.”

With that final threat, the communication cut off.

“A pack of wolves that devour men without spitting out bones! After all my running around, even if there’s no merit, there’s still effort. Not even a single coin for my troubles—do they fear no retribution?”

Though he grumbled under his breath, Constable Peng didn’t dare delay. He retrieved several banknotes from a chest and hurried out.

“Heh, just as I thought. This man is definitely involved.”

Qi Huang smirked before leisurely tailing him.

Constable Peng soon exited the northern gate and met his “employer” in a small grove.

From a distance, Qi Huang used her Divine Sense to observe. To avoid alerting them, she pulled out the Eavesdropper’s Ear she had acquired from a Severed Immortal Sect disciple. The device was incredibly discreet, undetectable even to cultivators, though its only flaw was that it could only transmit sound, not images.

“Here’s your money. Since the job wasn’t done, I’m returning it in full.”

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Constable Peng presented the banknotes with both hands. Faced with four men who had deep pockets, he didn’t dare complain.

“Good. Constable Peng is a man of his word. Tell me, what are your plans now?”

The middle-aged leader—his face concealed by a black mask, as were his subordinates—asked curiously.

“What else can I do? Without my position, I’ll have to go back to farming.”

Constable Peng sighed helplessly.

“The world is drowning in Yin energy now. Even in the city, we barely see a few months of sunlight a year. Farming won’t be easy.”

The masked man offered a sympathetic reminder.

“If not farming, then what? Business isn’t any better these days.”

Constable Peng lamented his misfortune.

“I could point you to a brighter path!”

The man extended a seemingly generous hand.

“What path? Please, enlighten me!”

Constable Peng’s face lit up with hope. These men were clearly wealthy, if they were willing to help, his future would be secure.

“The path of death.”

The man’s smile remained, but in the next instant, he vanished.

Constable Peng barely registered a flash of cold steel before a tingling sensation spread across his neck. Puzzled, he reached up, only for the skin beneath his fingers to split apart as smoothly as sliced tofu.

“Wh-why…?”

Clutching his throat in horror, Constable Peng choked out the question.

“Dead men don’t worry about trivial matters. Isn’t that the brightest path of all?”

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The masked man slowly sheathed his sword.

Constable Peng collapsed, his face twisted in disbelief. He had never imagined he wouldn’t even get the chance to farm.

‘Ruthless.’

Qi Huang noted coldly. But since she had found her target, she saw no reason to intervene—Constable Peng had gotten what he deserved.

“Immortal Huo, what’s our next move?”

One of the lackeys stepped forward.

“What else? Find another official to work with. If that auction house stays open, we’ll end up just like him.”

The masked man—Immortal Huo—glanced at Constable Peng’s corpse.

“Immortal Huo, just who is this employer? Are they really so terrifying that even a Unity Realm cultivator like you can’t handle them?”

The lackey pressed curiously.

“Have you forgotten our agreement? I pay, you work. Don’t ask questions above your station.”

Immortal Huo’s voice turned icy.

“Y-yes, of course!”

The lackey immediately trembled and backed off.

“Immortal Huo, with the constable dead and Governor Niu being so stubborn, who else can we turn to?”

“Exactly! The government office is vast, but aside from them, no one else has the authority to seal the auction house at will.”

The other two lackeys voiced their concerns.

“You’re wrong. No man refuses money. With enough ‘sincerity’, even Governor Niu will bend.”

Immortal Huo spoke with absolute confidence.

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“Then we have no choice but to try.”

The lackeys nodded in agreement.

‘Heh, I was just worrying about how to expose that bastard Niu. Now they’re handing me the opportunity.’

Qi Huang was delighted. She had considered capturing the group immediately, but since they planned to test Governor Niu’s integrity, they were practically doing her a favor.

‘If that spineless governor falters, I’ll rid the people of this scourge.’

With this in mind, Qi Huang decided to play the long game.

After disposing of Constable Peng’s body, Immortal Huo and his men leisurely returned to the city, intending to visit Governor Niu later that night.

Qi Huang pondered briefly before contacting Liu Yingyue via the Thousand-Mile Communication Tube.

“Manager Liu, does your auction house have any talismans or artifacts that can record images?”

As the saying went, to catch a thief, you need the loot. To justly eliminate a corrupt official, she needed irrefutable evidence.

“Image-recording talismans or artifacts?”

Liu Yingyue thought for a moment. “We do have one such item, but it was entrusted to us for auction. It isn’t mine to lend.”

“What can I do? I need it urgently.”

Qi Huang grew restless. Night was falling, and the group would soon make their move.

“If it’s an emergency, there is a way. I can put it up for auction immediately, the consignor never specified a timeframe. As long as you win the bid, it’s yours.”

Liu Yingyue proposed a solution.

“Perfect! I’ll be right there.”

Overjoyed, Qi Huang rushed toward the Golden Fortune Auction House.