9: Are you trying to fool a fool?

Jiang Lan knew quite a bit about Mirror Lake.

He had previously read in records that Jinghu County was destroyed because a Flood Dragon passed through, causing nine consecutive days of heavy rain, which led to the collapse of the dam and directly submerged the entire county.

Moreover, this should have been intentional on the part of the Flood Dragon.

Otherwise, there’s no explaining why large patches of fish scales grew on the bodies of all the deceased in the county.

However, knowing is one thing; such matters were still too distant for Jiang Lan at his current stage.

What he needed to do now was to quickly master the Iron Shirt Stance and enter the Clay Body Realm.

Chen Niqiu shivered.

“Alright, let’s get to work. Who knows when the Demon Suppression Division will deal with those merfolk.”

Jiang Lan nodded, picked up the nearby bucket and boar-bristle brush, and prepared to start cleaning the Dungeon.

There weren't many prisoners held on the entire first floor.

After all, those who could be linked to demons and still be alive were very few.

Most were cultists of evil sects.

Typically, they worshipped demons and resorted to cruel methods like human sacrifice.

But these prisoners had nothing to do with Jiang Lan.

He was just an odd job worker, only doing miscellaneous tasks in the Demon Suppression Division. Things like hunting down demons and interrogating prisoners were handled by specialists.

Jiang Lan squatted on the ground, holding the boar-bristle brush, scrubbing the bluestone floor stroke by stroke.

Suddenly, next to him, a sinister voice sounded:

“Little one…”

Jiang Lan turned his head, glancing in the direction the voice came from.

The Dungeon was already dark, and from Jiang Lan’s perspective, he could only see a figure tied to a wooden post in an adjacent cell.

The figure’s clothes were tattered, and the moment Jiang Lan turned his head, he distinctly smelled a stale odor mixed with a foul stench.

“Little one… if you secretly release me, when this old man gets out, I guarantee you endless riches and honor.”

Hearing this, Jiang Lan almost couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

He’s already stuck in the Demon Suppression Division Dungeon, and he’s still bragging?

“Save it. You can barely save yourself, and you’re going to give me endless riches and honor? If you have that much energy, think more about whether you’ll even see tomorrow’s sun.”

After speaking, Jiang Lan ignored him and continued with his work.

There were no good people among those locked in this Dungeon.

Even if he really did let someone out, what awaited Jiang Lan would most likely not be riches and honor.

Presumably, the person in the cell had run out of options, otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t have said something so insulting to one’s intelligence.

Seeing Jiang Lan ignore him, the person who had spoken earlier continued to mumble something in a low voice, indistinctly, and Jiang Lan didn’t catch it clearly.

But even if he had heard it, he most likely wouldn’t have cared.

While working, he chatted idly with Chen Niqiu.

The medicinal effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill were still ongoing.

Jiang Lan could clearly feel that even his breathing was a few times smoother than before.

And all over his body, he felt like he had endless strength.

Normally, after an hour of scrubbing, he would always need a break.

But now, chatting and working with Chen Niqiu, Jiang Lan didn’t feel tired at all.

Jiang Lan marveled inwardly, such a small Medicinal Pill actually had such an effect.

He became even more motivated, and his movements were slightly faster than before.

Unconsciously, it was time to leave work.

Jiang Lan tidied up the bucket, picked up the nearby cloth to wipe his hands, then said to Chen Niqiu:

“I’m leaving now.”

“Ah, take care.” Chen Niqiu seemed to remember something and quickly added, “Oh, right, they say there are Corpse Ghouls in the county. Lan Ge’er, don’t go out at night, and don’t forget to light your lantern.”

Jiang Lan paused, then nodded and said:

“Thank you.”

Although Corpse Ghouls are similar to the zombies Jiang Lan knew, they have a weakness that isn't exactly a weakness.

That is, they dislike light.

Especially red light.

In fact, apart from a few special ones, most demons and strange beings dislike light, so they usually appear at night.

That’s why in the county town, almost every household hangs a large red lantern outside their door.

Lighting the lantern at night can significantly reduce the probability of demons visiting.

Of course, if one is truly unlucky, or targeted by a demon, then there’s nothing that can be done.

Bidding farewell to Chen Niqiu, Jiang Lan left the Dungeon and headed straight for the accounting office.

“Uncle Li, the Banner Officer told me to come and get five taels of silver.”

Behind the counter of the accounting office sat a slightly plump middle-aged man, with an abacus in front of him and a smiling expression.

“The Banner Officer told me. Wait, I’ll get it for you.”

After speaking, the slightly plump man stood up, walked to a cabinet nearby, and took out an ingot of five taels of silver.

Just as he was about to hand the silver ingot to Jiang Lan, his movement suddenly paused. He put the silver ingot back, then took out a small pile of broken silver, weighed it in his hand, and then nodded with satisfaction.

Jiang Lan watched all of this but did not speak.

The slightly plump man returned, placed the silver on a small scale, weighed it once, showed it to Jiang Lan, and then handed the silver to him.

“Uncle Li, this is two qian extra.”

Jiang Lan saw clearly that this handful of broken silver totaled five taels and two qian.

The slightly plump man smiled and said:

“I heard about the wedding. The extra is a small token of my regard, Uncle Chen’s well wishes. Take some cured meat back; don’t let your wife go without. Also, it’s not that I won’t give you whole ingots, but if I did, they wouldn’t be easy for you to use. Broken silver is better.”

Jiang Lan felt a surge of emotion.

In this world, though demons ran rampant, people were mostly warm-hearted.

He didn’t decline, nodding and thanking him:

“Thank you, Uncle Chen.”

Two qian of silver wasn’t a lot, nor was it insignificant, but there was really no need to refuse it.

With the System, Jiang Lan would definitely not remain just a small odd job worker in the future.

At that time, he could slowly repay the kindness.

Having received the money, Jiang Lan left the Demon Suppression Division.

However, he didn’t go straight home but turned east and entered the market.

After picking up some good pork, refined rice, and buying some cured meats, dried meat, eggs, vegetables, and some roasted chicken and cooked food, Jiang Lan then hurried home.

Uncle Chen was right; he couldn't possibly neglect his new wife, could he?

Moreover, he himself needed to practice the Iron Shirt Stance and required appropriate nourishment.

Among Martial Artists, there was a saying: “Three parts training, seven parts eating.”

If one only trained and didn’t eat, even an iron-forged body would eventually break down.

After more than fifteen minutes, Jiang Lan returned to his courtyard gate.

Seeing the lock still hanging on the gate, he let out a soft breath.

Unlocking it, Jiang Lan stepped into the courtyard.

He entered the main hall, where Lin Zhaoye and Lin Qixing were sitting by the wooden table. Seeing Jiang Lan return, they quickly stood up.

Lin Zhaoye nervously clutched the corner of her clothes, seemingly wanting to say something, but swallowed it back.

Lin Qixing, on the other hand, was even shyer, shrinking half her body next to Lin Zhaoye.

Jiang Lan smiled at the sight.

“Whatever you want to say, we can talk about it later. Let’s eat something first.”