Chapter 13: Useless? Or Genius?

“What?”
Xu Ye looked utterly confused.
He hadn’t felt anything at all—much less witnessed the strange phenomena in Judge Wu’s eyes. All he saw was the sword, suspended some ten inches from his neck, when suddenly Judge Wu withdrew it, his face contorted as if he’d seen a ghost. Then came a sharp crack, and the so-called Sword of Righteousness shattered completely.
“Sir, does this mean I’ve passed the test? May I serve in your Demon Suppression Bureau?”
Xu Ye, unsettled by Judge Wu’s silence, asked anxiously and repeatedly.
From what little memory he had on the matter, the Demon Suppression Bureau was an official post—not too high, nor too low—but entry required a recommendation. If he missed this opportunity, it would be much harder to get in later.
“Do you know what it means for the Sword of Righteousness to break?”
Judge Wu didn’t answer directly, but instead stared at Xu Ye as if he’d discovered a treasure.
“I’m not quite sure.”
Xu Ye shook his head, feeling uneasy under the intense gaze of the burly judge.
“To break the Sword of Righteousness—what we call the Courage of the Broken Sword—is…” Judge Wu began, then paused, “In short, it’s a remarkable talent, perfectly suited for the martial path of the Confucian sect.”
Xu Ye breathed a sigh of relief.
“So, I can serve in the Demon Suppression Bureau, right?”
He smiled as he asked.
“Of course!”
Judge Wu grabbed Xu Ye’s hand and slapped it heartily, saying,
“Xu Ye, you’re gifted. From today, do your best in the Ming Division. Your future will be limitless!”
Judge Wu’s attitude had changed completely from before, making Xu Ye wonder if he’d been possessed by a ghost.
“Judging by Judge Wu’s reaction, am I that martial prodigy from the novels—everyone wants to be my master? Isn’t it a bit rash for me to join the Demon Suppression Bureau so unremarkably?”
Xu Ye mused silently.
He noted Judge Wu’s attitude, but regardless, his goal was achieved; there was no reason for regret.
“Sir, is there any paperwork I need to complete next?”
Xu Ye pulled his hand back and casually asked.
“Paperwork? You mean the appointment letter? Don’t worry, I happen to be going to the Celestial Court today—I’ll handle it for you.”
Judge Wu waved his hand with unusual courtesy.
“In that case, I’ll return to the medical office. I need to ask Lady Silent about my sister.”
Xu Ye nodded and moved to leave.
“Wait, wait.”

At that moment, Judge Wu grabbed Xu Ye again, his face suddenly serious as he warned,
“Don’t speak of what happened here to others. The Courage of the Broken Sword is seen as an excellent martial talent among us, but demons hate such people to the bone. If they learn you possess this courage, they’ll stop at nothing to destroy you.”
“One man’s honey is another’s poison—I understand, sir. Don’t worry, I won’t be foolish enough to brag about it.”
Xu Ye naturally understood Judge Wu’s meaning.
…
A short while later.
At the doorway.
“Judge Wu truly has a kind heart, letting the boy leave without a scratch.”
Watching Xu Ye’s departing figure, Sun Wuchang—the man who’d interrogated Xu Ye alongside Judge Wu—remarked at the gate of the bureau.
He believed it was Judge Wu’s timely withdrawal of the sword that spared Xu Ye from injury during the test.
“Sir, you’re out!”
Judge Wu finally emerged from the room, and Sun Wuchang hurried to greet him.
“Sun Wuchang, from now on Xu Ye will serve under you.”
Judge Wu nodded to Sun Wuchang and issued the order directly.
“Alright… Wait!”
Sun Wuchang nearly agreed without thinking.
“Sir, you… you really allowed Xu Ye to join our Ming Division?!”
He looked at Judge Wu in disbelief.
“What do you mean ‘allowed’? He passed the Sword of Righteousness test, possesses the courage of a common man, and his background is clean—he’s qualified to serve.”
Judge Wu glared at Sun Wuchang.
“Yes, yes, of course—you’re right, sir. I spoke out of turn.”
Sun Wuchang shrank back under Judge Wu’s glare, nodding repeatedly, but inwardly grumbling, “Judge Wu surely fears the case won’t be solved and will hinder his promotion, so he agreed to let that troublemaker in. Still, you shouldn’t dump this useless fellow on me! No, I absolutely won’t accept him!”
“That’s settled. Once Xu Ye recovers, he’ll report to you.”
While Sun Wuchang was stewing over this, Judge Wu instructed him and strode off.
“Please wait, sir!”
Seeing this, Sun Wuchang called out to Judge Wu.
“If you have something to say, say it quickly—I need to visit the Celestial Court before dark.”
Judge Wu looked impatiently at Sun Wuchang.
“Sir, you may not know—just yesterday, I recruited two new demon bailiffs under me. There really isn’t any room left.”

Sun Wuchang spoke with difficulty.
Judge Wu frowned.
He saw through Sun Wuchang’s ploy at once, and a cold smile curled his lips.
“I see—you just don’t want to take Xu Ye, do you?”
“Sir, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but there truly are no vacancies.”
Sun Wuchang insisted, gritting his teeth.
He’d decided, even at the risk of offending Judge Wu, he wouldn’t take another useless subordinate.
“Very well.”
Judge Wu nodded slightly, frowning, then swept his gaze across the courtyard, finally settling on a burly man dusted with road dirt, leading several others toward the bureau gate.
“Zhou Mang, come here.”
Judge Wu called out to the man.
“What orders do you have for me, sir?”
The man strode over immediately.
“Have you heard of Xu Ye from the Xu family?”
Judge Wu asked.
Hearing this, Sun Wuchang’s heart leapt with joy—he thought,
“So the sir is placing that useless fellow under Zhou Mang?”
He and Zhou Mang were both subordinates of Judge Wu, both vying for his position. If Xu Ye became Zhou Mang’s burden, solved fewer cases, earned less merit, then when Judge Wu left office, his position would surely be Sun Wuchang’s.
“Sir, you mean Xu Ye—the boy who survived the Xu family massacre?”
Zhou Mang asked for confirmation.
“That’s right.”
Judge Wu nodded, then asked,
“What do you think of him?”
Zhou Mang scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.
“I haven’t met Xu Ye myself, only heard a bit when the Xu family case broke. Folks say he’s ignorant and idle, often lingering in taverns and pleasure houses.”
Judge Wu nodded, and then said directly to Zhou Mang,
“He possesses the courage of a common man. I wish to recruit him for the Ming Division, to serve under you. What do you think?”