Chapter 5: I Want To Oppose The Three Vulgarities

The county magistrate was shocked, and the clerk wore a face of astonished doubt, tentatively asking, “What does Your Honor mean? It’s broad daylight outside and Li Chaosheng doesn’t look like a ghost!”

The magistrate picked up the lidded teacup on the nearby table, took a sip, and said, “It seems Li Chaosheng is tough and that incident didn’t happen. Very well, clerk, go fetch Li Chaosheng.”

“Yes, sir.”

The clerk left with the magistrate’s words still on his mind, mumbling as he went out and looked at the sky, which was clear and vast with the bright sun high. And when he reached Li Chaosheng he deliberately glanced at the shadow on the ground.

“There’s a shadow, so he’s not a ghost. It seems Your Honor worried too much,” the clerk thought, then smiled and said, “Brother Li, the magistrate requests your presence.”

Li Chaosheng clasped his fists toward the clerk and entered the room. Inside he saw the magistrate seated at his desk, looking at a miscellaneous book, though his eyes kept sneaking glances at Li Chaosheng.

Li Chaosheng came to the desk, clasped his hands, and said, “Greetings, Your Honor the County Magistrate.”

Only then did the magistrate slowly put down the book, force a smile onto his face, and say, “Oh, Brother Li has arrived. Take a seat.”

Hearing this, Li Chaosheng saluted again, “Thank you, sir.”

Li Chaosheng brought over a small stool and sat at the desk. The magistrate smiled and said, “Ah, Brother Li, are you feeling better? At yesterday’s execution ground your complexion was terribly pale, but today you look much healthier.”

“Thank you for your concern, sir. I’m already much better.”

“Oh, that’s good. By the way, here’s your transfer certificate, you shouldn’t be an executioner anymore. Our county’s latrine attendant is old and returning home, so you can take his post. It’s a decent living!”

The magistrate kept his eye on Li Chaosheng as he handed Li Chaosheng an official paper stamped with a government seal.

Li Chaosheng was taken aback. If it had been before, he would have gladly accepted. The latrine attendant job was quite lucrative.

As the name implied, the latrine attendant was a minor official in charge of toilets, but not just anyone could hold the post. It required connections and favor with the magistrate. Don’t underestimate this little official: it was a position with more perks than many in the magistrate’s office, even more lucrative than a head constable.

In ancient times, especially in the city, using the toilet wasn’t casual. Both rich and poor households had to pay the latrine attendant monthly, who would then send out night soil carriers to handle the filth.

The night soil carriers gathered the filth, the latrine attendant sent carts to haul it out of town, and outside the city that waste became a treasure. Landlords and farmers fought to buy it since this was a steady supply of natural fertilizer, essential for a good harvest.

You could say the latrine attendant made money on both ends. The sums involved took up a large part of the county’s expenses and even though by regulation the attendant remitted ninety percent, the remaining ten percent was enough for him to live extravagantly.

Thus the position was a plum post that many vied for. The magistrate giving it to Li Chaosheng was also a kind of compensation, especially since he nearly lost his life yesterday.

In the past, Li Chaosheng would have dreamed of this job: it’s not tiring, the carriers do the dirty work, you sit in the office, collect the money while listening to tunes and drinking tea, and the pay was enough for him to go to the pleasure quarters a few times a month. What more could one want?

But now things were different: Li Chaosheng had the Killing Scripture, and only killing could earn him various treasures. Having seen the effects of the Essence-Washing Marrow-Refining Fruit, he couldn’t give up the rewards from the Killing Scripture to become a mere pleasure-seeking dullard!

Indeed, Li Chaosheng had become inflated with ego. Before, frequenting the pleasure houses seemed like an upscale life. To be someone who often listened to shows there was to be above others.

But now with the Killing Scripture, what were pleasure houses? A little entertainment now and then was fine, but going often was too vulgar. He wanted immortality, so he was going to reject the Three Vulgarities!! (The three: being superficial, being crass, pandering to others.)

“Ahem… Your Honor the County Magistrate, there’s no hurry about this transfer certificate. If I transfer now, the county will be left without an executioner. In future we’d have to borrow one from neighboring counties for executions, which is always a personal favor that’s hard to repay later.“

The magistrate was stunned by Li Chaosheng’s words, and his heart was twisted with mixed emotions. Brother Li was truly a good man, willing to risk the dangerous executioner’s work to help the county, while the county had nearly caused his death yesterday. The magistrate felt ashamed.

The magistrate was truly moved. Little did he know Li Chaosheng’s real intent was to oppose the Three Vulgarities, ahem… to seek immortality!

“No, no, Brother Li, you cannot keep killing. A hundred heads were taken as of yesterday and misfortune befell you. If you kill more, won’t it be even more dangerous?”

The magistrate couldn’t bear to see Li Chaosheng take more risks. In truth, he was a decent man: fond of small gains but not of great evil, with the pride of a scholar and some conscience. Though he hadn’t achieved great merit in office, he lived in tune with the people. In these times, such an official was considered good.

“Ah, Your Honor, your kindness is weighty as a mountain. But a hundred heads have already been cut and the rule is broken, so from now on two hundred or a thousand won’t matter. Our Li family has passed down this craft for generations. Being able to relieve the magistrate’s burdens in the future is a blessing for my family!”

People have two faces; navigating the old world required social nuance and flattery. As soon as Li Chaosheng finished, the magistrate was moved to exclaim, “An able officer! An able officer!”

Li Chaosheng hurriedly and humbly replied, “I don’t deserve such praise from you, sir.”

Though he said that, Li Chaosheng inwardly cursed himself for the hypocrisy. Clearly he was angling for the Killing Scripture’s rewards, yet now he acted like a devoted servant to the magistrate. How else could one put it? The adult world is genuinely ‘sincere’ like that~

The magistrate took a sip of tea, then shifted his tone and asked, “You mentioned your executioners’ rules just now. You broke the rule this time, so did any unexpected incident occur?”

The magistrate looked Li Chaosheng over, and Li Chaosheng wore a pained expression as he said, “Sir, you really hit the nail on the head. I almost didn’t get to see you today!”

“Hmm? Why?”

Hearing this, the magistrate’s hand holding the lidded bowl trembled slightly and his eyes widened. Could what they’d said actually be true?

Li Chaosheng gave a wry smile and said, “Sir, there really was a haunting last night!”

Li Chaosheng recounted the night’s events, omitting mention of the Killing Scripture, and described his battle with the female ghost. He changed that part into a confrontation in which he held his ghost-head blade against the specter. They say even gods and ghosts fear a vicious man, so perhaps the ghost was frightened by his ferocity and fled out through the window…

The magistrate listened with eyes bulging and gaping mouth, and after a long moment he came to his senses and sighed, “There really are ghosts and monsters in the world after all… The Nightwardens did not lie to me.”

At this, the magistrate glanced at Li Chaosheng with a complex look and said, “Brother Li, your opportunity has arrived. Since you’ve already touched the unknown side of the world, your future path is beyond my prediction.”

With that, the magistrate took a thick paper envelope from a nearby document chest. On it the character for the word ‘night’ was written in red lacquer.

“Take this letter and go to the City God Temple outside the town. Someone will be waiting for you there!”