The candlelight in the private chamber flickered softly, stretching their shadows long across the mottled walls.
The moment Pang Song pushed open the door, his gaze casually swept across the private office.
He had imagined that for a prodigy from the Daoist School like Chu Bai, a man who had just performed a great service and was now in the limelight, his office would have some semblance of refinement, even if it wasn’t luxurious.
A few antiques and paintings on display, or a high-quality tea set—these were commonplace in official circles.
However, the sight that greeted him made even an old hand like himself shudder inwardly.
Aside from the essential bed, table, and chair, the room was practically bare.
There were no superfluous decorations, not even a single respectable ornament.
The only thing that filled his view was a mountain of case files. Some were stacked neatly on a corner of the table, while others lay scattered by the bed, clearly perused on a regular basis.
A faint scent of ink and old paper permeated the air, but it was entirely devoid of the intoxicating, worldly scent of the Red Dust.
’Truly an ascetic cultivator...’
Pang Song silently affixed this label to Chu Bai in his mind.
People like this, free of wants and desires and wholly devoted to their duties and cultivation, were often the most difficult to handle.
You couldn’t find their weakness. Money, women, pleasure—all the methods that worked on ordinary people were useless against someone like him.
Such a person was like a sharp blade without a scabbard—capable of wounding enemies and oneself alike, and all the more difficult to control.
"Forgive my presumption in visiting so late at night. I hope I’m not disturbing your rest, Banner Inspector Chu?"
Pang Song collected his thoughts, a perfectly measured smile on his face—neither fawning nor discourteous.
"You’re too polite, Captain Pang."
Chu Bai gestured for Pang Song to sit, his expression calm. "I was just finishing up some case files myself and haven’t rested yet. To what do I owe the pleasure of your late-night visit, Captain Pang?"
Pang Song didn’t rush to the main topic, instead starting with a few pleasantries.
"I’ve long heard that Banner Inspector Chu was the top student of the Daoist School, a man of incredible skill. That strike of yours three months ago didn’t just execute that scoundrel Wang Sanshui, it helped me clean house in Team Three."
At this, Pang Song sighed, his tone tinged with emotion. "Though I’m the captain of Team Three, my hands are sometimes tied. That Wang Sanshui had some backing, making him difficult for me to discipline.
Your actions really did me a huge favor and served as a harsh lesson to the veterans under my command. The atmosphere in Team Three is much better now than it was before."
His words were half-truth, half-lie.
With Wang Sanshui dead, Pang Song certainly had fewer worries, but it also meant he had lost a deputy he could use as a scapegoat.
But that didn’t stop him from using the matter to get closer to Chu Bai. On the surface, at least, he showed no resentment for the execution of his deputy.
This was the cunning of an old fox.
Chu Bai gave a noncommittal nod and said flatly, "To hold a position is to perform its duties. Investigating lapses is my responsibility. You needn’t dwell on it, Captain Pang."
Seeing that Chu Bai was completely unreceptive, Pang Song stopped beating around the bush.
His expression turned serious. He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.
"Since you’re a straightforward man, Banner Inspector Chu, I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve come to you tonight about a particularly thorny case I’d like to consult with you on."
"Oh?" Chu Bai set down his teacup, his gaze calm. "What case?"
"It’s about the Sanmu River."
Pang Song spoke the name, observing Chu Bai’s reaction.
Chu Bai’s expression didn’t change. He merely gave a slight nod. "The Sanmu River is our County’s major river. Its Water Veins run deep, so incidents are indeed common. To which one are you referring, Captain Pang?"
"Strange things have been happening on the river lately."
Pang Song said in a low voice, "I don’t know if you’ve heard, Banner Inspector Chu, but for the past few months, several fishing villages along the Sanmu River have been experiencing one bountiful harvest after another. The fishermen go out, and they hardly even need to cast their nets. The schools of fish act as if they’ve gone mad, jumping right into the nets themselves.
"Some of the bolder ones can pull in a catch in a single night that’s worth more than half a year’s normal haul."
"At first, everyone thought it was a blessing from the Dragon King, a fortuitous omen. But for it to continue for months on end, and only in those specific villages, started to seem sinister."
Chu Bai’s brow furrowed slightly.
An abnormal event surely signifies something monstrous at play. Fish throwing themselves into nets was no natural phenomenon. It was more like they were being lured by some kind of bait, or driven and controlled by some unseen force.
"I had my people investigate in secret."
Pang Song continued, "We discovered that many of the fishermen enjoying these bountiful harvests were conducting private worship in their homes. They weren’t making offerings to the Dragon Monarch, nor to the River God officially recognized by the Great Zhou. Instead, they were worshipping an unknown ’Divine Lord’."
"A Wild God?" Chu Bai asked.
"Precisely."
Pang Song nodded.
In the Great Zhou, the Divine Dao also fell under the jurisdiction of the Law Net.
So-called "True Gods," such as the local City Gods, Land Gods, and River Gods, were all appointed by the Court. They received orthodox incense offerings, were constrained by the Law Net, and their divine positions were, in fact, an integral part of the Law Net itself.
"Wild Gods," on the other hand, were entities that had not received an official title.
Some were Spiritual Objects born from nature, others were the lingering Heroic Spirits of the dead, and some were even demonic entities that had gained sentience, cultivating through the people’s Incense Fire Will Power.
Among these, if one were benevolent and protected its local region, the Court might consider offering it amnesty and an official position.
But if it was the kind that bewitched the hearts of the people or even demanded blood sacrifices to fuel its cultivation—a "heretical deity"—then it was a target the Evil Suppression Department was obligated to eradicate.
"This case... shouldn’t it be handled by Team Two?"
A glint flashed in Chu Bai’s eyes as he went straight to the heart of the matter.

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