Chapter 3 Refund more and make up less

　　Xiyue is a place with four seasons like spring, known as a blessed land.

　　Zhou Ge has been a Inquisitor for two months. During this time, the biggest case he dealt with was helping a Mr. Zhang to chase away a thief who stole his fruit. After catching the thief, Zhou Ge gave him ten lashes as punishment. Other than that, his daily work mainly involved resolving disputes and finding lost items, nothing major or crucial.

　　The two teams of patrol officers had a busier schedule than him. The October team was led by Zenggang, while the November team was led by Shenghuan.

　　The handover matters were handled by City lord Zhao, so he didn't need to worry about them. He could go and see for himself if he wanted, or just stay in the trial hall and read through the files.

　　After he looked through the files, he knew that the outer city had been a major case that required the joint investigation of the five cities.

　　There had been a demon attack on the city before, which he had not expected; he've never heard that before.

　　In addition, they arrested robbers from the sea and tried to find others, but there was none.

　　After reading through all the files, he was very literally admire the predecessors. He could see that the safety he enjoyed and the daily stability of the city's residents were owed to the diligent efforts of the witchcraft policemans, as well as the city lord and the commander of the city defense.

　　On the 17th of January, Zhou Ge had nothing to do and decided to go out for a walk with two soldiers. The soldiers were happy to hear this news, as they could finally do something instead of just staying in the courtroom.

　　There were few strange things in the city, ever since Zhou Ge made deliveries to various wineries as a boy.

　　He knew at least 40% of the people who lived there.

　　As they walked down the street, they greeted people they knew, gradually making their way to the main thoroughfare.

　　Today, there was something new on the street corner - a vendor selling wooden carvings,Feng Zhen displayed three new wooden carvings. From a distance, they looked like three birds.

　　The first two carvings were a pair of birds with wings that were light and agile, about the size of ordinary sparrows. Their bodies were pure white, as were their beaks and wings, which had a slightly gray tinge to them. On their heads were two long, vibrant blue feathers that were almost as long as their bodies. The craftsmanship was exquisite, and even more amazing was that their wings could flap, making them look almost alive.

　　The third carving was of a common long-tailed gull, which didn't seem to have any special features besides its high-flying tail. It wasn't clear what was so special about it.

　　The vendor struck a small copper bell to draw attention, and passersby turned their heads towards the commotion. Many of them knew Feng Zhen, the seller of carved wooden pieces, who was affectionately known as craftsman Feng due to his skillful craftsmanship.

　　The crowd gathered around as Feng Zhen introduced his new creations. "Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen,I've been selling these carvings for quite some time now, so I won't waste time introducing them. Today, I'm here to show you two new things: first, a pair of birds with wings that are light and agile.Many girls in our city like this kind of carved wood bird, grandpa bought it for his granddaughter, dad bought it for his daughter, brother bought it for his sister, and boy bought it for his girlfriend, they must like it."

　　He tapped the wooden bird's neck and flapped its wings, making it look almost alive. "And second," he continued, picking up the long-tailed gull carving, "this one. You might ask, 'Why is this one special? Its neck doesn't move and its wings don't flap like the other one.' Allow me to demonstrate."

　　He proceeded to show the crowd that the bird wasn't made of wood but rather from paper clippings carefully glued together. The crowd gasped in amazement at such craftsmanship.

　　Speaking of which, he twisted the bird's neck and flapped its wings, making it look alive and very delicate.

　　He then picked up a long-tailed gull and said, "This is the second one. You might ask, what's the point of something so common? Its neck doesn't move, its wings don't flap, so what's the big deal? "

　　He then displayed the exhibit to the gathered crowd.

　　"Take a good look, this isn't carved from wood, but from paper scraps. Don't believe me? Feel it."

　　Upon hearing this, the gathered crowd gasped in amazement. To make something out of paper in such a way was truly skilled.

　　A young woman asked, "Craftsman, how much for something so well made?"

　　"A good question. A pair of birds with wings for two silver coins, and a single piece for one piece of silver and ten pieces of bronze. The long-tailed gull is cheaper, forty copper coins."

　　The vendor gave the prices and the crowd whistled in awe because it was twice as expensive as most wooden figurines.

　　The vendor had anticipated their reaction and signaled for quiet. He continued, "Today is the first day of selling, so no money will be collected."

　　"So how do you bid? Bidding?" someone asked.

　　"No, no. A few silver coins isn't worth bidding over. Let's play a game." He then clapped his hands twice.

　　Soon, two shopkeepers brought a target, and one shopkeeper brought a bow and five arrows.

　　People who had trained in martial arts could tell that the bow and arrows were inferior to normal ones. Compared to a regular bow, it was softer and had looser strings. The arrows were even worse; they were thinner than normal ones.

　　Zhou Ge seemed to understand some of this and whispered, "This stuff isn't going to cost money, is it..."

　　The two soldiers looked at each other and didn't understand what was going on. They thought simply that no one would buy such inferior items.

　　Quite a few people think the same way as them.

　　The vendor Feng continued, "Listen everyone, the rules are very simple. Twenty paces away, hit the bullseye and get A pair of birds with wings. Hit the nine-ring and get the long-tailed gull. But there is a condition; you can't shoot for free, otherwise it wouldn't be business. Shoot an arrow for fifteen copper coins, two arrows for thirty, and so on. If you damage the item, you pay the price: twenty copper coins for the bow and five for each arrow. Does anyone want to try? Anyone?"

　　He asked several times and made sure everyone understood by repeating the rules.

　　At this point, the wooden target was stable and the shop assistant walked twenty big steps away and used a rock to draw a line.

　　As the crowd was discussing, a hunter-looking person stepped forward and said, "I'll try."

　　"Great, pay first,"

　　The hunter counted out fifteen round eagle copper coins, took the bow and arrows, and stepped back beyond the line.

　　The hunter tested the bow and found it inferior to what he used for hunting. However, he understood that the Craftsman was trying to make money by selling these carvings, so Craftsman probably had to do something to them.

　　Unfortunately, he was too enthusiastic and broke the bow in half.

　　The shop assistant quickly ran over and said, "Guest, in advance to declare..."

　　The hunter understood and counted out twenty copper coins.

　　Someone went back and got a new bow for him, and he stepped back beyond the line again.

　　This time, he was extra careful, testing the draw, fitting an arrow, and aiming at the bullseye.

　　Unfortunately, a gust of wind blew in from the sea, and the arrow curved in the air before landing on the ground.

　　"Ah, I'm so unlucky!"

　　"Zero!" shouted the shop assistant.

　　The onlookers heard this and burst into laughter. Some nearby people joined in and shouted "Zero."

　　The hunter felt a little embarrassed and red-faced. He threw down the bow and arrows, stepped back into the crowd.

　　The vendor was happy since he had already made fifty coins from this business. He smiled widely.

　　"Ladies and gentlemen, today the weather isn't cooperating. There's always a bit of wind. It's okay, I believe there are skilled hands here who can hit the target. Who else wants to try?"

　　Soon, several people who wanted to spend small money on a big item came forward to try their luck. Some didn't have enough strength, while others were affected by the wind. Some tried to use the wind to hit the target, but either the wind didn't come or they couldn't control it well.

　　At this time, one of the soldiers asked,"Inquisitor Zhou, you are out of Linfeng Academy. Why don't you try?"

　　Zhou Ge snorted and said, "I make four silver coins a month and thirty copper coins. I can't afford it."

　　The vendor was happy since he had already made back his initial investment and kept selling.

　　"Ladies and gentlemen, who else wants to try? The huntsman over there, why don't you come over and try? The new Inquisitor, why don't you show everyone how it's done? The scholar over there, do you want to give it a try?"

　　After being called out, they stepped back a few paces but no one was willing to try.

　　Just then, a martial artist emerged from the crowd.

　　"I'll try."

　　"Great, how many shots?"

　　The martial artist reached into his pocket and took out a silver coin: "Keep the change."

　　He then brought over a bow and arrows.

　　"Wait, I need something else."

　　The crowd was puzzled and waited to see what would happen. After a while, he borrowed a large copper bowl from someone, filled it with water, and immersed the bow and arrows in it.

　　The vendor became anxious: "What are you doing? Take it out! Take it out!"

　　The huntsman understood and said, "You didn't say we couldn't soak it! What if it needs some toughening up? I'll pay if it breaks!"

　　At this point, not only did the huntsman understand but everyone else did too. They started to heckle and wait for the martial artist to shoot.

　　After more than an hour, the martial artist thought it was ready. He stepped behind the line, assuming a shooting stance.

　　The vendor silently prayed: "Wind! Wind! Give him a strong wind!"

　　Perhaps his request was heard because a strong wind blew in soon after.

　　The martial artist was experienced and watched the wind direction, estimating the wind speed. He adjusted the bow and arrow, drew the soft bow to its fullest extent.

　　There was a "Clang!" as he hit the target dead center.

　　The vendor opened their eyes and let out a sigh of relief,"Good thing it was the seventh ring."

　　The martial artist smiled as he picked up the second arrow, "Craftsman Feng, don't forget to return the change."

　　"Clang!" He hit the bull's eye with his second arrow. The other four arrows were shot a little more casually, missing the target entirely.

　　He walked over to the vendor proudly, his hand open, and said, "A pair of birds with wings are mine now, Craftsman Feng.Give me the change."

　　The vendor covered his heart and counted out ten copper coins. He then had his assistant place the wooden carving in a box and handed it to the martial artist.

　　Zhou Ge watched the scene and felt it wasn't as boring anymore.