Chapter 243: Chapter 242: Aberration, Use a Slow Fire

Despite his suspicions, Wu Chen still asked, "Has anyone gone missing in Water Town?"

"I... don’t think so?"

Asking once was one thing, but his repeated questions on the matter made Master Liu’s heart pound with unease.

He sank into thought for a moment, then shook his head firmly after a moment of recollection.

"None!"

"Water Town isn’t big, but it’s not small either. There are six hundred households, and there’s a market in town."

"I have a habit of taking a stroll outside in the morning and evening. If someone went missing, I would have surely heard about it."

"Even if I somehow missed it, the steward of my estate would detail the day’s events in town for me."

"If someone had disappeared, it’s impossible for me not to know."

"So there definitely haven’t been any!"

Seeing his firm answer, Wu Chen nodded, not suspecting that Master Liu was deceiving him.

After all, he could find out for himself just by taking a walk around town. Master Liu had no reason to lie about it, and couldn’t have fooled him anyway.

He glanced at Sun Yuting beside him, who had already put down her chopsticks, her red lips plump and oily. "Wipe your mouth. We’re going for a walk around town."

Sun Yuting nodded, rubbing her small belly in satisfaction. "Okay."

"Master Liu, we’ll take our leave then." Wu Chen stood up and walked toward the door.

Seeing the two were leaving, Master Liu got up and followed to persuade them to stay. "I have already prepared a fine room for you two honored guests. If you plan on enjoying yourselves here for the next few days, you can stay at my residence."

"Alright."

Wu Chen nodded. "We appreciate it."

...

Leaving the Liu family’s large residence, a straight walk of two li to the west led to the market.

The Water Town market was a lively place. After all, the town itself had six hundred households, not to mention nearly ten villages of various sizes in the surrounding area.

Even before they got close, they could hear the ceaseless sounds of acrobats and singers, storytellers and balladeers, and vendors hawking all kinds of snacks.

Wu Chen immersed himself in the crowd, constantly scanning his surroundings for suspicious figures as he walked.

"Don’t be so tense. Eat something first! Here, open up, ahhh—"

Sun Yuting had already passed several stalls and bought a pile of snacks. She stopped in front of Wu Chen, picked up a piece of jerky with her fingers, and held it to his mouth, gesturing for him to open wide.

Wu Chen wasn’t used to such intimate gestures. He took the jerky from her hand, tossed it into his mouth, and mumbled,

"We just ate, and now you’re eating again. How can you eat so much..."

’She knew Wu Chen was being tactful, indirectly pointing out how little she seemed to care about their official business in Cold Rain City.’

She didn’t argue, just chewed on her jerky and replied in a similarly mumbled tone,

"Let’s not even talk about that imposing, ’don’t-mess-with-me’ air you have when you walk. The main problem is the righteous energy practically overflowing from your eyes."

"With that murderous look, who would dare to meet your gaze as you scan the crowd?"

"Anyone can tell with a single glance that you’re not an ordinary person. If the mastermind behind the Cold Rain City incidents were here, do you think they’d dare show their face?"

...

’Wu Chen froze for a moment. He really hadn’t considered that.’

His immense strength gave him immense courage. He naturally feared no demons or monsters, and didn’t worry about his enemies’ plots.

So much so that he had actually forgotten his current task was an investigation, the phase where he didn’t even know where the culprit was.

It wasn’t the "roll up your sleeves and start killing" phase yet.

He shook his head, grabbed a handful of jerky from the pile Sun Yuting was holding, and began chewing it with a devil-may-care attitude. The light in his eyes dimmed, and his aggressive aura vanished.

At a glance, he looked like some dissipated young master from a wealthy family, wasting his time strolling about.

"That’s more like it!" Sun Yuting nodded.

And so, the two of them began to wander aimlessly through the market.

Because it was a market where farmers from the surrounding area gathered, things were sold very cheaply.

Often, a single copper plate could buy a large bowl of sweet tea, and five copper plates could get you a large piece of sticky cake.

"Seriously, you can actually eat a sticky cake made of meat?"

Wu Chen watched, stunned, as Sun Yuting stuffed the meat cake into her mouth, her cheeks bulging as she chewed with a satisfied expression.

’Isn’t this stuff supposed to be sweet?’

"This is delicious too! Do you want a piece?"

Sun Yuting broke off a piece and held it out to him. "Here, open wide!"

...

Staring at the large lump of pastry made from glutinous rice and meat filling, Wu Chen shuddered and shook his head repeatedly, backing away.

"Heretic!"

’Just like those people who eat savory tofu pudding.’

’They should be slowly roasted over a low flame!’

"Strange. Why do I see fear in your eyes!"

Seeing Wu Chen dodge, Sun Yuting shook her head, then stuffed the meat cake into her own mouth and began to eat it happily.

"Delicious!"

"These mountain fruits are delicious too!"

"Barbecued meat! I have to get a few skewers!"

...

Strolling and eating all the way, Sun Yuting’s mouth never stopped. It didn’t feel at all like she was in Cold Rain City to investigate a case.

Wu Chen’s eyes lowered slightly, looking at the girl beside him who was hugging a huge pile of food.

’For a moment, he couldn’t tell if she was just a phenomenal actress, or if there were no missing people in Cold Rain City at all and she had simply fabricated a case to trick him into coming to Cold Rain City as her playmate...’

However, given what he knew about Sun Yuting, Wu Chen thought for a moment and decided the former was more likely.

"Hey, Wu Chen, look! What are all those people gathered over there doing?"

Sun Yuting swallowed the pastry in her mouth and pointed ahead with her smooth chin.

Wu Chen followed her gaze and saw thirty to forty people surrounding a stall so tightly it was impenetrable.

Unlike the various stalls with music and singing, this one was quiet. The surrounded stall wasn’t making any loud noises or shouting.

"Is it a magic show?"

After saying that, Sun Yuting trotted over to get a closer look, and Wu Chen had no choice but to follow close behind.

As they got closer, they heard someone ask:

"Miss, what’s the meaning of this thing you’ve drawn on the paper? It’s too ugly to look at!"

"The stall’s sign says ’Face Painting.’ Does that mean you paint this stuff on people’s faces?"

"If you paint this on your face, you’ll look neither human nor ghost. Who would want that!"

The crowd commented on the patterns drawn on several sheets of Xuan paper on the table, which resembled both vicious demons and wild beasts.

As a few skeptical voices rose from the crowd, a woman’s voice—the stall owner’s—cut through.

She explained to the onlookers:

"This practice of face painting was passed down from the ancient Witch Race. Painting fearsome patterns on one’s face can drive away ghosts and ward off evil."

"The drawings on the paper only show the full designs. In practice, just a few simple strokes on the forehead are enough to make ghosts and evils retreat, and protect you from malevolent spirits!"

"It’s only twenty copper plates per person for a painting. And if I feel we have a connection, it might even be free."

As her voice faded, the crowd saw the woman pull a yellow paper covered in runes from her sleeve. With no discernible movement, the paper began to burn.

WHOOSH!—

Wu Chen, standing at the edge of the crowd, saw a plume of flame rise from above their heads.

As the flame flared, the stall owner tossed the burning talisman into a bowl of clear water on the table.

The flame was extinguished, and the ashes fell into the bowl. After this, the woman’s voice continued,

"For twenty copper plates, you not only get a face painting, but also a complimentary bowl of talisman water that can strengthen the body."

"I have only twenty bowls of talisman water today, so I will only paint twenty people. First come, first served!"

Twenty copper plates wasn’t cheap, but thinking of the chance to be chosen for free, someone heckled:

"Well then, proprietress, why don’t you take a look and see who among us has a connection with you? Who gets it for free?"

The speaker winked suggestively, and the crowd of onlookers burst into laughter.

The woman, dressed as a village girl, gave the man a sultry look and nodded at him.

"I think you and I have quite the connection."

"Huh?!"

The man hadn’t expected this, but thinking it was free and he’d get a bowl of water out of it, he sat down in the stall’s chair and let her begin.

The stall owner picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in ink with a flick of her wrist, and drew a pattern of unknown meaning on the man’s forehead between his brows.

"You know, after just those few strokes, I feel completely refreshed!"

The man stood up with a laugh. Without waiting for the stall owner’s prompting, he picked up a bowl of talisman water, drank it down, and stepped aside, completely satisfied.

"Anyone else?" the proprietress asked, scanning the crowd.

"Yes."

A young lady walked over, followed by a maidservant. She appeared to be the daughter of a wealthy family in town.

She walked up to the stall, her gaze sweeping across the designs on the Xuan paper, and finally pointed to a petal-shaped pattern.

"I choose this one. Also, can you change the color? Is vermilion red okay?"

"Of course."

The stall owner nodded, smiling as she guided the young lady to a seat.

As the young lady requested, she switched to a different wolf-hair brush, dipped it in red cinnabar paste, and adorned the girl’s forehead with the petal pattern.

A short while later, after the young lady drank the talisman water, her eyes became bright and full of spirit, and her face glowed with abundant Qi and Blood.

She seemed to have much more vitality, and her entire bearing improved significantly.

Sensing the direct stares of the crowd, the young lady seemed to realize her actions were rather improper. She had her maidservant pay the twenty copper plates, then quickly left.

"This is so interesting! I’m going to get one too! Here, hold all this food!"

Sun Yuting had been watching eagerly from the side for a while. The moment the stall was free, she pushed the pile of food she was holding into Wu Chen’s arms and walked over.

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