Zhang Hucheng was currently both shocked and delighted, and also conflicted.
He was shocked that Gu Zheng had actually managed to kill a Demon Fiend.
That was a Demon Fiend, after all. Though Gu Zheng was a first-rate master, not even a Grandmaster was guaranteed to be able to kill a Demon Fiend, let alone a first-rate one.
However, the facts were the facts. Gu Zheng's operation last night had not only succeeded, but he had even brought back the Demon Fiend's corpse.
This was also the source of Zhang Hucheng's delight—he wanted the Demon Fiend's corpse!
The only problem was, Gu Zheng and his men had killed the Demon Fiend, and Gu Zheng had Tong Yuanshan as a backer. To get the corpse from him, Zhang Hucheng would have to swallow his pride, force a smile, and offer some pleasantries.
For Zhang Hucheng, this was no less painful than having his own face slashed with a knife. It was impossible to describe just how conflicted he felt at that moment.
But no matter how conflicted he felt, he had to get his hands on that Demon Fiend corpse.
So, despite being filled with seething hatred and incredible conflict, Zhang Hucheng plastered a wide smile on his face. The moment he stepped through the entrance of the main hall, his expression became one of utter adulation.
It was just that the words on the tip of his tongue subconsciously morphed into a question about the Demon Fiend corpse's whereabouts.
"The Demon Fiend's corpse?"
Gu Zheng turned to the side. Seeing Zhang Hucheng striding in with unconcealed eagerness in his eyes, he recalled how the man had tried to sabotage him yesterday. An idea flashed in his mind. "Lord Zhang, you want the Demon Fiend's corpse?" he asked.
Before Zhang Hucheng could speak, Gu Zheng continued, "There's something you might not know, Lord Zhang. During last night's hunt for the Demon Fiend, three of our constables were gravely injured. They're still unconscious, and even when they wake up, they won't be able to work anymore. They'll be dependent on medicine for the rest of their lives, and I honestly don't know what's to become of them."
"Sir, how does the Government Office normally handle situations like this?" Gu Zheng asked, turning to Tong Yuanshan.
Hmm?
Tong Yuanshan, who had been feeling conflicted himself, blinked upon hearing this. His gaze shifted as he decided to play along. "Ahem. Well, for injuries sustained in the line of duty, the Government Office provides some money for medical fees, but it's not a lot. What happens afterward is up to the individual. Unless the injuries prove fatal, in which case we issue a higher death benefit."
"But they're still alive," Gu Zheng said with a frown. "They'll be dependent on medicine for the rest of their lives, unable to work, and they still have families to support…"
"Ahem!"
Zhang Hucheng let out a cough, his face wreathed in a smile as he interrupted, "The situation Chief Gu describes is indeed a difficult one. But since they were gravely injured hunting the Demon Fiend, I am willing to personally provide one hundred taels of silver—no, two hundred taels—for those three constables. A little something to add to their medical fund and relieve some of their pressure."
"Thank you, Lord Zhang!"
Gu Zheng immediately turned to Zhang Hucheng and bowed deeply in gratitude. "On behalf of those three constables, I thank you, Lord Zhang, for the two hundred taels each for their medical fees! You are truly benevolent, Lord Zhang! Thank you!"
"That's not—"
"Don't be so modest, Lord Zhang. They are the ones who ought to be thanking you," Gu Zheng cut in quickly. "Their entire families will be eternally grateful to receive your reward."
"Yes, a gesture of this magnitude from Captain Zhang is something I'm sure they will remember for the rest of their lives," Tong Yuanshan chimed in, his expression turning serious. "Rest assured, Captain Zhang, I will personally oversee this money to the very end and ensure not a single coin is embezzled!"
"..." Zhang Hucheng.
'Oh, thanks a million.'
'The two of them are bastards!'
Zhang Hucheng cursed them silently, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to swallow the bitter pill of having been outmaneuvered.
'Three men, two hundred taels in total.'
'Gu Zheng twisted that into two hundred taels each, adding an extra four hundred taels. That damned scoundrel!'
But for the sake of the Demon Fiend's corpse, Zhang Hucheng endured it.
"Heh, no need for thanks. They were injured hunting the Demon Fiend, after all."
The corner of Zhang Hucheng's mouth twitched, but he quickly restored his smile. "By the way, where is this Demon Fiend corpse? I won't hide it from you—my third cousin over at the Prefecture Magistrate's Office has, for some reason, developed a taste for the flesh and blood of Demon Fiends. I originally thought there were no Demon Fiends in Qingshi County, but who would have thought…"
"So Lord Zhang knew about the existence of Demon Fiends?" Gu Zheng interrupted, staring directly at him. "After the horrific incident in the city, you knew it was the work of a Demon Fiend?"
"Of course not," Zhang Hucheng denied at once. "I only learned about the Demon Fiend last night, after Chief Gu successfully hunted it down. I also only recently learned of my third cousin's particular taste. I didn't believe it at first, either. Who knew that Demon Fiends actually exist? Of course, to this day, I still haven't seen one myself. Could Chief Gu perhaps tell me where the corpse is now?"
"The Demon Fiend's corpse is in the constables' duty room. We worked all night to hunt it down, and after succeeding, we were thinking of selling it to make a bit of money."
Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow. "After all, a Demon Fiend's corpse is edible. I figure the men would want to try something new."
Zhang Hucheng tensed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, but he chuckled lightly. "That would be so much trouble. How about you sell it directly to me, Chief Gu? I'll offer three hundred taels of silver to buy that Demon Fiend corpse!"
"Of course. If Lord Zhang buys it directly, it'll save us a great deal of effort." Gu Zheng bowed with a clasped-fist salute toward Zhang Hucheng once more.
'Best to quit while I'm ahead. All told, I've managed to squeeze nine hundred taels of silver out of Zhang Hucheng's pockets. That's enough.'
Besides, Gu Zheng had already claimed the most valuable part of the Demon Rat's corpse for himself.
He had been planning to burn the remaining flesh and blood anyway.
With Zhang Hucheng footing the bill, he made a clear profit of three hundred taels—just enough to give each of the men from last night's operation a ten-tael share.
Thus, Gu Zheng led the way, taking Tong Yuanshan and Zhang Hucheng straight to the constables' duty room and into a dark side room.
Tong Yuanshan had come along out of curiosity, to see what a Demon Fiend looked like with his own eyes.
Zhang Hucheng was there to inspect the merchandise.
The rat was the size of a calf and had a tail like a snake. It was the first time either of them had seen a Demon Fiend, and they were both stunned.
As a result, when Zhang Hucheng saw the incisions Gu Zheng had made on the Demon Rat while dissecting it, he simply assumed they were wounds left from the hunt and thought nothing more of it.
'You'd have to cut a Demon Rat open like that, or it wouldn't die!'