27: Chapter 27 I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!

Jiang Hongli.

Chen Mo silently memorized this name in his heart.

He subconsciously pressed his chest, feeling the hardness of that piece of sinking silver.

In any case, the item was in his hands.

Although the process was a bit terrifying and he had been targeted by a strange woman, as long as he could melt this silver into his blade, his strength would reach a new level.

While Tiger Li was still enthusiastically explaining the prestige of being a "Personal Disciple of the Director," Chen Mo had already begun to edge backward inch by inch on his tiptoes.

Since the big shot had left, it was time for him to withdraw as well. Carrying several pounds of contraband Ore in his arms was no different from carrying a live grenade. As long as he got out of this alley, ducked into his cellar at home, and shut the door, even the Heavenly Emperor himself couldn't search it out.

"Alright, pack it up!" Tiger Li finally finished his lecture and gave a grand wave of his hand.

Chen Mo felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty, blending into the crowd to leave immediately.

"Wait."

Two words.

Light as a feather landing on water, yet they caused Chen Mo's right foot, which he had just stepped out with, to freeze mid-air.

He turned back stiffly.

There was no one on the roof.

The voice had come from behind him.

Jiang Hongli, who was supposed to have "disappeared like a butterfly," had returned at some point. She was currently squatting on the head of that half-dead Monster, tossing a shiny copper coin in her hand.

"Constable Li, I'm borrowing someone from you."

Jiang Hongli didn't look at Tiger Li. Her clear, black-and-white eyes looked past the crowd and accurately locked onto Chen Mo, who was preparing to slip away.

Tiger Li was stunned. He followed her gaze and saw Chen Mo with a face that looked like he was suffering from severe constipation.

"Borrow him?" Tiger Li scratched his head, looking completely puzzled. "My Lady, this kid is a real quiet one. Usually, he only knows how to chop wooden posts and lacks any social awareness. If you need a hand, how about I give you Squad Leader Old Zhang? Old Zhang has plenty of experience and knows how to handle things."

The Squad Leader named Old Zhang immediately straightened his back, his face wrinkling into a smile of anticipation. To serve an official of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau was a stroke of luck that meant his ancestral graves were smoking with fortune. If just a few Medicinal Pills or Talismans leaked through her fingers, he wouldn't have to worry for the rest of his life.

"No need, just him."

Jiang Hongli jumped down from the Monster's head and clapped her hands. "Earlier, when this Monster went berserk and charged out, you were all dazed. Only this Little Runner used a staff to block it. Although his posture was a bit ugly, his courage is decent. It just so happens I need to investigate some cases in the south of the city for a few days, and I'm missing an assistant who knows the area."

The entire scene went silent.

Dozens of pairs of eyes fixed sharply on Chen Mo.

Chen Mo felt so bitter inside.

Block my ass! I was tripped!

And be an assistant to this woman? You've got to be kidding!

Her eyes were as poisonous as a snake's. That sentence about "the clothes being too tight making him look fat" was a blatant warning. If he stayed by her side for a few days, would he even be able to keep the belongings in his arms? Even his hidden cultivation foundation might be stripped bare.

This was a life-or-death choice.

"My Lady..." Chen Mo took a deep breath, cupping his hands and bowing low, adopting an extremely humble posture. "This lowly servant is shallow in talent and weak in martial arts; I fear I might ruin your important matters. Furthermore, my aunt next door is gravely ill, and I must return to brew medicine for her..."

It was a cliché excuse, but a useful one.

Tiger Li also chimed in: "Indeed, My Lady, Little Chen's family situation is truly difficult..."

"Oh? You don't want to do it?"

Jiang Hongli raised an eyebrow.

She wasn't angry; she simply looked at Chen Mo with a half-smile, her right index finger lightly tapping the hilt of the saber at her waist.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The rhythm was slow.

Then, her gaze once again, very deliberately, fell upon Chen Mo's bulging chest.

Her lips moved slightly. No sound came out, but Chen Mo understood the mouth movements.

It was two words:

Stolen. Goods.

Chen Mo's scalp instantly felt like it was exploding.

This woman was too wicked!

This was blatant blackmail!

If he didn't agree, she could point out his possession of black market contraband in front of everyone the next second. According to Great Xia law, possessing profound iron essence and deep sea sinking silver was punishable by military conscription at best, and decapitation at worst.

Compared to losing his head, being a follower for a few days seemed somewhat acceptable.

The expression on Chen Mo's face instantly shifted from "resistance" to "loyalty unto death."

He suddenly straightened his back and shouted loudly: "Since My Lady thinks highly of this lowly servant, it is a blessing I've earned over several lifetimes! Through fire and water, I will not hesitate! As for my aunt's medicine... I will find a way to ask a neighbor to brew it!"

Tiger Li: "..."

This kid changed faces faster than flipping pages in a book.

Jiang Hongli nodded with satisfaction, a mischievous, successful smirk curling at the corner of her mouth. "That's the way. Young people should have ambition."

The surrounding air began to fill with a sour scent.

It was the smell of fermenting vinegar.

The way the Runners looked at Chen Mo had changed.

Envy, jealousy—they wished they could take his place.

That was Jiang Hongli! The Personal Disciple of the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, looking like a fairy stepped out of a painting. Although her temper was a bit eccentric, as long as one could talk to her, who in the capital wouldn't look up to them from now on?

This was a leap to the heavens in a single step!

"Little Chen's dog-shit luck..." Squad Leader Old Zhang muttered, the hilt of the saber in his hand growing warm from his grip. "He usually looks so honest and plain, but he sure knows how to suck up to a big shot at the critical moment."

"Exactly, I didn't see him block anything just now; didn't he just trip?" another Runner added sourly.

However, the blow had only just begun.

Jiang Hongli seemed to feel that the fire wasn't burning bright enough yet.

She pointed at the Monster on the ground, which was tied up like a zongzi, and said casually, "By the way, Constable Li."

"Present!"

"According to the rules of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, there is a reward for assisting in subduing Monsters. This Ghoul variant, while not strong, is rare. The bounty is roughly... hmmm, eighty taels of silver."

Eighty taels!

As soon as those two words came out, the only sound left in the alley was the collective gasping of breath.

Chen Mo's eyelids twitched as well.

Serving in the yamen, his monthly salary plus various under-the-table perks amounted to at most two taels of silver. Eighty taels was the income of more than three years of work without eating or drinking!

It was enough to buy a house with a small courtyard in the south of the city and marry a wife with a big backside!

In these times, although Monsters were numerous, they were man-eaters. If an ordinary Runner encountered a Monster, they'd be lucky to keep their lives; who would dare dream of a reward? Usually, this money was earned by bounty hunters who specialized in such tasks or by the scions of noble families.

"I don't lack this money."

Jiang Hongli waved her hand, her tone sounding as if she were throwing away a rag. "Since this Little Runner put in some effort, it counts toward him. Go to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau later to collect it and deliver it to him."

Boom!

If it was just jealousy before, the eyes of these Runners were now glowing green with greed.

Eighty taels of silver!

Just because he tripped?

Just because he caught this Young Miss's eye?

On what basis?!

Tiger Li's face twitched several times, his gaze toward Chen Mo becoming extremely complex. As a Constable, he worked himself to the bone all year round and couldn't save much money, yet this kid had struck it rich in a single night?

"Yes... this lowly servant thanks My Lady on behalf of Little Chen." As Tiger Li spoke, even his teeth felt sour with envy.