Chapter 56: A Refused Offer and a Rumbling Stomach

Lu Hongzhuang’s countenance fell instantly. A cold, murderous aura emanated from her, spreading through the air.

“What did you say?”

Her voice, though low, sent an involuntary shiver down the officer’s spine.

“She is my dearest friend.”

Lu Hongzhuang enunciated each word deliberately. She stepped forward, shielding Su Qinghan’s wheelchair behind her, her posture making it clear that if the officer uttered another disrespectful word, she would draw her sword then and there.

However, the tense atmosphere did not linger for long.

“If that is the case,” she scoffed, a cold smile gracing her lips, “then we shall not dine!”

With that, she turned, preparing to push Su Qinghan away. How could her dearest friend, Lu Hongzhuang’s friend, be subjected to such humiliation?

“Hey, hey, hey! Heroine Lu! Please, wait! Wait!”

A portly figure scurried out from Moonfall Pavilion. The man, approximately forty years old, was clad in a brocade official’s robe, sporting a massive beer belly, his face plastered with fawning smiles. It was none other than Magistrate Jia of Moonfall Town, Jia Qinglian.

“A misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”

Magistrate Jia rushed forward, bowing and scraping profusely. He first offered a series of deep bows to Lu Hongzhuang, then spun around abruptly, delivering a kick to the officer who had blocked their path.

“You dog! Are you blind?!

“This Miss Su is Heroine Lu’s friend! She is also a distinguished guest of our Moonfall Town! How dare you bar their way? I think you have a death wish!”

The officer stumbled from the kick, immediately falling to his knees and pleading for mercy.

After expertly concluding this act with his subordinate, Magistrate Jia instantly donned a smiling facade once more and personally approached Su Qinghan.

“Miss Su, these subordinates are ignorant. Please, with your magnanimity, do not stoop to their level. Come, please, enter!”

His overly enthusiastic attitude aroused suspicion.

Su Qinghan remained silent, simply watching his clumsy charade.

Lu Hongzhuang frowned. Though displeased, the man was, after all, a local official, and she still had to save face.

“Let’s go then,” she murmured to Su Qinghan.

The group ascended to a private room on the second floor.

Inside the elegant room, a massive round table was already laden with a lavish spread of delicacies from land and sea, an aromatic feast for the eyes and nose.

Magistrate Jia warmly invited them to sit, personally pouring wine for both Lu Hongzhuang and Su Qinghan.

“Heroine Lu, had you not turned the tide of disaster last night, I fear my Moonfall Town would have been plunged into utter devastation!” Magistrate Jia raised his wine cup, his face filled with gratitude. “This humble official, on behalf of all the town’s residents, toasts you!”

Lu Hongzhuang picked up a teacup, using tea in place of wine, and drained it in one gulp.

“It was merely my duty.”

Magistrate Jia, sensing the atmosphere was ripe, waved his hand, dismissing all the attending servants.

He then retrieved a heavy money pouch from his robe, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Lu Hongzhuang.

The pouch landed on the table with a soft clink.

“Heroine Lu.” Magistrate Jia rubbed his hands together, his smile growing even more fawning. “Here are two hundred taels of silver, a small token of my appreciation, nothing more.”

Lu Hongzhuang’s brow furrowed.

“What is the meaning of this, Lord Magistrate?”

“Hehehe…” Magistrate Jia chuckled dryly, finally revealing his true intentions.

“Heroine Lu, as you’ve seen, in these troubled times, demons and evil spirits run rampant. It is truly… not peaceful.”

He sighed, his face etched with worry.

“This humble official is of no consequence; my life is but a cheap one. But my wife and my son are defenseless, which keeps me restless day and night!”

“Therefore, this humble official wishes… to ask Heroine Lu to temporarily step away from your duties in the Demon Exorcism Division and serve as a guard in my residence.”

“Rest assured, the remuneration will be absolutely generous! Your main task would be to look after my wife and child, and of course, when this humble official is at home, you could also… protect me as well.”

The true purpose of the banquet was laid bare.

He intended to spend money to hire an elite member of the Demon Exorcism Division to serve as his personal bodyguard!

Su Qinghan, seated beside them, picked up her teacup, gently blew on the hot liquid, and began to drink tea and nibble on dishes, her eyelids lowered. After all, the choice was entirely Lu Hongzhuang’s.

That corpulent fox, his schemes were truly astute.

Upon hearing this, Lu Hongzhuang merely scoffed, a mirthless laugh escaping her. She gazed at Magistrate Jia’s corpulent face, her voice cool and clear.

“Lord Magistrate, are you suggesting that I abandon my responsibilities to the Demon Exorcism Division, forsake protecting all the town’s people, solely to protect your family?”

“No, no, no, Heroine Lu, you misunderstand!” Magistrate Jia hastily waved his hands. “It’s only temporary! Temporary! Just until this wave of trouble passes…”

“There’s no need.”

Lu Hongzhuang stood up, looking down at him from her elevated position.

“If a demonic entity invades, I will naturally act.”

“To me, there is no distinction between officials and common folk.”

“If Lord Magistrate is afraid, you can certainly dispatch more officers to guard your residence. Farewell!”

With that, she turned, walked behind Su Qinghan, pushed the wheelchair, and headed for the door without a backward glance.

Su Qinghan was just picking up a peach shortbread, preparing for another sweet treat to soothe her stomach, when she saw the banquet table receding further and further away from her.

‘Hey~ Weren’t you taking me to eat delicious food? You simpleton, you ruined the conversation in two sentences. You should have dragged out the topic of the common people a little longer so I could finish eating.’

In the private room, only Magistrate Jia remained. The smile on his face slowly solidified, then vanished.

He stared at the untouched bag of silver on the table, his eyes darkening.

Very well. You refuse the polite offer, so you’ll face the consequences.

He slowly raised his wine cup, draining its contents, a strange, cold sneer twisting his lips.

“Miss Su is your dearest friend, is she not? This official has plenty of ways and means to make you willingly serve as a guard.”

Outside Moonfall Pavilion, officers still stood in formation, yet the street felt even more desolate than when they had arrived.

Lu Hongzhuang pushed the wheelchair, silent, her footsteps much heavier than before. The anger simmering in her chest made her heart ache.

“I’m sorry.”

Finally, she could no longer hold it in, her voice muffled, coming from above Su Qinghan’s head.

“I promised to bring you for delicious food, but instead…”

‘Instead, you didn’t get to eat peacefully and had to accompany me while I got infuriated.’

Su Qinghan, who had been closing her eyes, savoring the taste of the peach shortbread she hadn’t quite swallowed, languidly lifted her eyelids at the sound.

“My appetite is small; a few pastries were enough to fill me long ago.”

She paused, then changed the subject, a hint of imperceptible teasing in her tone.

“It’s you, Heroine Lu.”

“You were too busy delivering your grand pronouncements to that corpulent fox, you didn’t even have a sip of hot tea, did you?”

Lu Hongzhuang’s steps faltered.

Only then did she realize that her stomach was utterly empty, a wave of faintness washing over her. From last night’s fierce battle until now, she truly hadn’t had a single drop of water.

But with Su Qinghan pointing it out, she found it hard to maintain her composure, and she retorted stubbornly.

“I’m not hungry.”

The words had barely left her lips.

“Grrrrrumble—”

A distinct and resounding rumble broke the silence between them. The sound was so loud that it seemed strikingly out of place on the quiet street.

The air seemed to solidify.

Lu Hongzhuang froze in place, a flush of heat rapidly spread from her neck to her earlobes. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into immediately!

Su Qinghan leaned back in her wheelchair, her shoulders subtly shaking, as she fought hard to suppress her laughter. This foolish girl, truly… how could she be so silly and yet so endearing?

She cleared her throat, forcibly suppressing her mirth, and spoke in a perfectly serious tone.

“Let’s return to Master Qian’s residence.”

“I’ll get you something to eat to line your stomach.”

“I told you, I’m not hungry!” Lu Hongzhuang almost gnashed her teeth in refusal, pushing the wheelchair with increased force, her steps quickening, as if she wanted to swiftly escape the embarrassing scene.

Su Qinghan experienced a sudden lurch forward, and she helplessly gripped the armrests of the wheelchair.

“Hey, hey, hey~ Slow down, you’re going to crash!”