I recall that you have some foxes under your command, right, Master Qiao? Chu Qiguang asked.

I do, Qiao Zhi confirmed. Why do you ask?

I won't be needing your help here for now, so please make a trip back to the Wang Clan Village and bring me one of your foxes, Chu Qiguang requested.

Why? You're not planning to have a fox pose as the fox fiend, are you? Qiao Zhi asked.

Why would I do that when I already have the fox fiend’s body? Chu Qiguang scoffed. This fox is for Gu Wei to capture. Make sure to pick a fox that hasn't awakened higher intelligence and doesn't qualify as a fiend.

Qiao Zhi's eyes instantly lit up.

Ohhh, I see! You're going to screw that bastard over! Let's do it!

Given your martial arts abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for you to bring a fox into the county town. If you run into any trouble, you can seek out the dog fiends for help, Chu Qiguang reminded. Also, don't forget to bring the fox fiend blood we collected.

You can count on me, Qiao Zhi chuckled, his tail wagging excitedly. I'll make sure they fall for your trap.

***

After Qiao Zhi left, Chu Qiguang decided that he needed a witness.

Thus, he sought out Daoist Master Law Origin and began flattering him, addressing him as a venerable master. With everything that Qiao Zhi had taught him about fiends, he was easily able to strike up a conversation with Daoist Master Law Origin.

"There aren't many young men as knowledgeable as you," Daoist Master Law Origin praised with a pleased expression.

Sensing that the time was right, Chu Qiguang changed the subject. "Why is Head Constable Gu still not back yet? Didn't he say that he was going to summon some bailiffs?"

Daoist Master Law Origin had grown quite fond of Chu Qiguang during their conversation, and after a brief hesitation, he revealed, "I think he's already gone out to search for the fox fiend himself, and he's most likely not planning to follow through on his promise of giving you a cut of the reward."

"What? How could he do that?" Chu Qiguang exclaimed, feigning shock.

Daoist Master Law Origin sighed at Chu Qiguang's naïve display.

He felt like Chu Qiguang was a fine young man with a great deal of potential, so he patiently explained, "You just told me that you come from an ordinary farming household in the Wang Clan Village, right? Unfortunately, if you don't have any backing in this world, you're often going to find yourself at the mercy of others. This is just how things are in the officialdom.

“Everyone is trying to fatten up their coffers as much as possible, and it often comes at the expense of people like you. Don't think about reporting this matter to the county magistrate. Head Constable Gu works for the county office, and there's no way the county magistrate would side with you over his own subordinate."

Daoist Master Law Origin shook his head, a hint of sympathy in his eyes as he looked at Chu Qiguang’s indignant expression.

"You're still young. If you pass the martial examination, you'll have plenty of opportunities to make money in future. Just treat this as a lesson and let it go."

However, Chu Qiguang wasn't ready to give up, and he implored, "Please come with me, Daoist Master Law Origin. I think I know where that fox fiend might be."

"You want to find the fox fiend yourself?" Daoist Master Law Origin asked with a shake of his head. "Fox fiends are very alert and cunning, and they're not easy to track down. Besides, if Head Constable Gu finds out what you're doing, he'll likely send people to cause trouble for you."

"Please help me, Daoist Master Law Origin," Chu Qiguang insisted earnestly. He had already slipped ten taels of silver into his hand in case an additional bribe was required.

The young, naïve, and stubborn Chu Qiguang reminded Daoist Master Law Origin of his younger self, and he couldn't bring himself to disappoint the young man.

In the end, he shook his head and sighed, "You really don't know when to give up. Fine, I'll go with you just this once."

Chu Qiguang let out an inward sigh of relief and discreetly put the ten taels of silver away again.

Just as Chu Qiguang was about to leave with Daoist Master Law Origin and Chen Gang, He Xian hurried out of the county office to catch up with them.

"Where are you going, Brother Chu?"

He Xian was very invested in the case, and after hearing that Chu Qiguang intended to go out in search of the offending fox fiend, he immediately offered to accompany them.

Chu Qiguang was looking for witnesses anyway, so he was happy to have the son of the county magistrate come along.

Thus, the three of them left the county office together, with Chen Gang and He Xian's personal servants following behind.

Upon returning to the crime scene, Chu Qiguang pointed at the trail of blood on the ground and said, "Judging from this trail of blood, the fox fiend appears to have escaped through the main entrance. Jujube Orchard Street runs from east to west, and the night watchman's station is in the east, so it most likely went west."

Chu Qiguang led everyone to the western entrance of the street, then examined some coal powder on the ground before questioning an employee from a nearby shop.

After his questions were answered, he continued his analysis, "Coal is transported along this street every day, and some coal powder always ends up falling onto the ground. The street sweepers only start work at around four in the morning every day, so if the fox fiend went through here, then there's a very good chance that it got some coal powder on its paws." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Chu Qiguang climbed onto a nearby wall, while He Xian asked, "What're you looking for, Brother Chu?"

"I'm looking for fox paw prints," Chu Qiguang explained. "The trail of blood ends here, and I don't see any paw prints stained with coal powder, so the fox fiend most likely used another route to escape."

As he spoke, he walked over to a dog hole and began examining the coal powder around it before concluding, "It must've gone through this dog hole!"

He Xian instructed his servants to step forward, and the group forced their way into the house, much to the fear and alarm of its owner.

Chu Qiguang took some time examining the house before arriving at a window.

He pointed at the blood at the base of the outer wall and concluded, "It went through this window. It must have left the street and tried to escape through the residential houses."

They quickly arrived at the next house, and Chu Qiguang continued to follow the faint trail. His exceptional attention to detail that left both He Xian and Daoist Master Law Origin stunned.

"I've never seen anyone as sharp and keenly observant as Brother Chu," He Xian quietly said to Daoist Master Law Origin. "His investigative skills are incredible!"

Daoist Master Law Origin nodded in agreement as he replied, "I'd say he's a better detective than many of the people in the Demon Vanquishing Department."

Brother Chu created this entire trail, so of course he knows exactly how to follow it, Chen Gang thought in amusement upon overhearing their conversation.

Some time later, the "trail" led everyone to an abandoned culvert.

This culvert was originally a part of the Azure Sun County sewage system, but it had been left in a state of disrepair for many years. Consecutive years of droughts meant that it hadn't been used for a very long time.

"It looks like the fox fiend tried to escape through the drainage channel of the culvert," Chu Qiguang speculated. "Young Master He, can I trouble you to send some people down to see where this culvert leads?"