Chapter 24: Scholar? Cellar?

“I am the medical officer of Mingzi Camp. There are wounded here, so of course I must come.” Lin Buyu looked at Xu Ye with equal confusion in her eyes. “But you—didn’t you just register your citizenship? Why are you already out handling cases?”

As she finished speaking, her gaze fell upon Iron Mask and Fox, a hint of dissatisfaction flickering in her expression.

Clearly, she suspected the two were making life difficult for Xu Ye.

“Miss Buyu, you and Brother Xiao Ye know each other?”

Fox stepped forward with a smile.

“Yes, not long ago, I was treating his injuries.”

Lin Buyu nodded.

“Miss Buyu, you needn’t worry about me. Today, I’m merely here to observe and learn from Brother Iron Mask and Brother Fox. It will be some time before I take a case on my own.”

Xu Ye smiled as he stepped beside Lin Buyu.

“Who’s worried about you?”

Lin Buyu frowned and quickly moved a few steps to the side, keeping about a meter’s distance between them.

“I’m only afraid you’ll get possessed by a ghost and become a burden instead of help.”

She continued.

“On that point, Miss Buyu, you can rest assured. Xiao Ye has just awakened his martial courage and is wearing the patrol uniform. Unless he makes close contact, it’s difficult for a ghost to possess him.”

Iron Mask explained as he stepped forward.

“You awakened your martial courage so quickly?”

Lin Buyu was surprised.

“Judge Zhou praised my extraordinary talent, after all.”

Xu Ye grinned and winked at Lin Buyu.

Lin Buyu rolled her eyes at him.

“Fox, Iron Mask, is it you two outside?”

At that moment, a robust male voice echoed from a stone house ahead.

“Scholar Brother, I’ve brought Iron Mask Brother!”

Fox, eager to claim credit, quickly responded.

“If you’re here, hurry in. Are you dawdling, waiting for the seal on this cellar to be broken by the ghost?”

The man called Scholar snorted in a commanding tone.

Xu Ye’s brow furrowed at these words.

Iron Mask seemed to sense Xu Ye’s displeasure, gently patting him on the shoulder and then called out calmly toward the stone house, “Scholar Brother, are you sure there’s only one ghost in there?”

“Iron Mask, stop wasting words. Get in here. After serving so long, I can surely recognize a ghost, can’t I?”

Compared to his tone with Fox, Scholar’s words were slightly more relaxed, but the impatience and arrogance remained.

“Cousin, don’t mind him. Scholar Brother just isn’t good with words.”

Fox softly apologized to Iron Mask.

Iron Mask grunted, frowning.

It was clear he was displeased with Scholar’s attitude as well.

“Xiao Ye, come in with me, but don’t stay too close; just watch from behind.”

Iron Mask then turned to Xu Ye.

“Alright.”

Xu Ye nodded.

“I happen to have an Innocence Token with me. Stay beside me, and even if something unexpected happens, nothing too serious will occur.”

Lin Buyu suddenly pulled out a bamboo slip and walked over to Xu Ye.

“Miss Lin actually brought an Innocence Token?”

Even Iron Mask, usually expressionless, was moved at the sight of the token in Lin Buyu’s hand.

“Miss Buyu truly is a disciple of the Sacred Medical Bureau. An Innocence Token is worth at least a thousand coins.”

Fox looked on with envy.

“This token is powerful?”

Xu Ye couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course! My senior brother lent it to me for protection!”

Lin Buyu’s lips curled in pride.

After saying this, she followed Iron Mask and Fox toward the stone house without looking back.

“My senior brother gave it to me!”

Xu Ye mimicked Lin Buyu’s proud demeanor in a whisper, then hurried after them.

…

Inside the stone house.

Xu Ye finally saw the arrogant second-class ghost officer—Scholar.

Scholar was tall, almost as tall as Iron Mask, but his face was like that of a pale, refined scholar, exuding elegance. He liked to tilt his chin when looking at others, as if perched above them.

“Why did you bring a tag-along in here?”

After greeting Iron Mask, Scholar’s gaze finally rested on Xu Ye.

“Scholar Brother, don’t speak so harshly.”

Iron Mask shot Scholar a cold look.

Even the good-natured have their limits.

“Hmph.”

Scholar snorted and pointed to a large millstone in the center of the room, atop which lay a scroll painting.

“I sealed the ghost in the cellar with the Kunshan Scroll. When I retract it, you and Fox need only block it for a breath or two, and I’ll collect it into my Azure Lake Inkstone.”

As he spoke, he lifted an ancient inkstone in his hand.

“Are these treasures powerful?”

Xu Ye, watching from afar, whispered to Lin Buyu.

“It’s decent. Scholar is from a branch of the Song family in the capital. His ancestors once served as Minister of Rites. Even though the family has declined, he can still produce impressive things.”

Lin Buyu spoke indifferently.

Meanwhile, the three ahead began their preparations.

Scholar, with a cold expression, cradled the inkstone and quietly recited passages. Fox wrapped his hands in linen strips covered in ancient script. Iron Mask used a small carving knife to inscribe ancient characters around the cellar entrance.

Xu Ye’s gaze was drawn to the text on Lin Buyu’s bamboo slip.

“Speaker... is blameless, listener... enough...”

“Enough caution.”

The script was archaic and Xu Ye struggled to read the final character, until Lin Buyu, exasperated, supplied it.

“What’s the use of the Innocence Token?”

Curious, Xu Ye asked again.

“Hold the token and recite the eight-character mantra aloud, and it wards off ghostly attacks.”

Lin Buyu clasped the token and demonstrated for Xu Ye.

“So just inscribing this line gives it that effect? If I engraved words of sages or unmatched poems, wouldn’t it be even more powerful?”

Xu Ye’s eyes sparkled.

He possessed countless sage texts and peerless poems in his mind.

“It’s not so simple.”

Lin Buyu had no patience left for Xu Ye’s ignorance and explained without turning,

“Not to mention, the knife used to carve the text on this bamboo slip is a second-grade sacred artifact. And the slip itself was placed in the academy, nurtured daily by the righteous energy of hundreds of students during morning readings, for over half a year.”

“So it’s like consecration?”

Xu Ye was amazed.

“Miss Buyu, if I recited sage texts daily over some object, could I nurture a treasure too?”

He refused to give up.

“In the Imperial City, even the smallest academy has at least three hundred students in morning lessons. Even with three hundred, it takes at least half a year to nurture a sacred artifact. How many sage texts would you need to recite to match that?”

Lin Buyu hadn’t heard such fanciful notions in a long time.

“That’s not certain. The sage texts in my mind are ones your world has never seen.”

Xu Ye bit his lip and muttered to himself, his eyes alight with excitement.

Once he understood the process, he was determined to try for himself.

“Scholar Brother, Fox.”

At that moment, Iron Mask put away the carving knife and glanced at Fox and Scholar for confirmation.

Clearly, the two were ready to begin.