Chapter 403: Changle Street

Changle Street is the central thoroughfare of Shenyun Prefecture, intersecting with the Dan River that winds through the Shenyun Prefecture City from east to west.

The pavilions and the river view reflect off one another, creating a charming scene.

Those able to live in this district are either wealthy or noble.

Duan Rong, Zhu Cheng, and Zhu Peng, each riding a horse, trotted slowly along Changle Street.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng were both wearing official robes; passersby who encountered them all hurriedly stepped aside, casting sidelong glances as they went.

The residence of Minister Zhu Shizhong, Lord Zhu, was right on this Changle Street.

But at this moment, the three of them were heading to Zhu Peng's residence first.

The season was still late summer, and the weather in Shenyun Prefecture was still very muggy, unlike the land of the Southeast Four Prefectures, where it had gradually become cool.

It was during a summer night thunderstorm that Lord Zhu Shizhong was struck by a heavenly thunderbolt. The place where he was struck by the heavenly thunderbolt was a cooling house within Lord Zhu's residence.

This cooling house was not yet very popular in the Southeast Four Prefectures of Qingzhou, and Duan Rong had never seen one before.

In Shenyun Prefecture, this cooling house had only spread among the high officials and nobles in the last two or three years.

It is said that this cooling house was invented and designed by craftsmen in Ji Province, which is controlled by the Shenyi Sect, and only slowly spread to this side of Qingzhou.

More than a month ago, this Lord Zhu married the famous courtesan Li Muping from Yanyue Pavilion, making her his sixth concubine.

Also to please the beauty, he had a cooling house built within his residence for Li Muping to live in.

In the scorching summer, hiding a beauty in a cooling house—could it be any more wonderful?

Yet, Heaven was jealous, and with one thunderbolt, it struck him dead!

Because Duan Rong had never seen a cooling house, he wanted to take a look. The cooling house at Lord Zhu Shizhong's residence had already been struck by lightning, so Duan Rong asked Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng where else there was a cooling house and if they could take him to see one.

Zhu Cheng glanced at Zhu Peng. There was one in Zhu Peng's residence, built half a year earlier than the one at Lord Zhu Shizhong's residence, just slightly smaller in specifications.

Zhu Peng rubbed his nose and agreed to take Duan Rong to his residence for a visit.

Duan Rong smiled and told him it was not a visit, but a field investigation.

Zhu Peng's residence was not very far from the Dali Temple; the three of them rode their horses, swaying along, and arrived before long.

They dismounted at the side gate, followed a path shaded by a bamboo grove, bypassed a pond, and arrived in front of that cooling house.

Beside the cooling house, a waterwheel turned slowly, and the clear flowing water made a splashing sound as the wheel turned.

As soon as he stepped into the cooling house, Duan Rong felt the temperature was significantly cooler; his eyes brightened slightly, and he had a feeling of returning to an air-conditioned room from his previous life.

He saw that on the inner walls of the house, water curtains were constantly flowing down along the walls, and there was a recessed water trough on the ground along the edge of the walls.

The water trough ran through the house, circled around the bed behind the screen, and then flowed back into the pond outside.

Zhu Cheng looked at Duan Rong and said, "The water in this pond is drawn from the nearby Dan River. The water flow passes through the waterwheel, reaches the roof, flows down the inner walls inside the house, and after gathering, runs through the house and returns to the pond. The design of this cooling house is quite ingenious."

In fact, even if Zhu Cheng had not said anything, Duan Rong had already used his Divine Sense to probe the design and structure of this cooling house clearly.

This cooling house was truly impressive; in terms of its effect alone, it was perhaps even more comfortable than the air conditioning of his previous life.

It seems that the nobles of ancient times really knew how to enjoy themselves!

As soon as the three of them sat down in the cooling house, servants brought iced melons and fruits.

Duan Rong ate the chilled melons and fruits, watched the clear water flowing past his feet, and then thought of Zhu Shizhong—at a time like this, he might have been able to take off his shoes and socks, wash his feet in the water, and hold a great beauty famous throughout Shenyun Prefecture. Never mind that Heaven struck Zhu Shizhong dead; even he wanted to strike him!

It was simply too sinful!? Too decadent!?

They only stayed in the cooling house for a while before coming out. After all, they still had to see the death scene of Lord Zhu Shizhong; if they stayed any longer, Duan Rong estimated he wouldn't want to leave.

Indulgence and ease can lead to one's ruin!

Lord Zhu Shizhong's residence was still some distance away, and by the time they walked there, they were already covered in sweat.

This residence had already been surrounded by the Heavy Armored Cavalry. Clearly, as long as this case had not been concluded, these people would not withdraw.

The three of them rode their horses directly into the residence and arrived at the cooling house in the garden.

However, at this moment, it was already a pile of black, charred remains.

A dozen heavy armored soldiers were guarding the place from different positions; under the sunlight, their heavy armor emitted a faint glow.

Beside the cooling house was a small lake.

Duan Rong looked carefully at the lakeside and saw that the lake water was as smooth as a mirror; except for a red dragonfly that landed for a moment, not a single fish could be seen poking its head out.

Duan Rong had read the case file and already knew that nearly a thousand koi fish were originally kept in this lake, but unfortunately, on the night of the thunderbolt, a great thunder passed over the lake.

It is said that at the time, the entire lake was struck until it glowed, and it was only the next morning that they discovered all thousand koi fish had died on the surface of the lake. The soldiers fished for several days before they were all cleared out.

Duan Rong looked at the mirror-like lake surface, thinking of the tragic sight of a thousand koi fish dying all at once, and could not help but sigh. He still quite liked koi fish.

Duan Rong walked past the lakeside and arrived in front of a ruin that had already collapsed and turned black, with only a few pillars still standing.

Zhu Cheng pointed out to him the place where the bodies of Zhu Shizhong and Li Muping were found.

When they died, they were on the bed, already turned into charred remains, and in a state of embracing each other.

Duan Rong listened silently to Zhu Cheng's account without saying a word, merely walking a circle around the collapsed ruins.

Duan Rong suddenly bent down, picked up a piece of charred wood, held it in his hand for a moment, then threw it aside, and then picked up another piece.

Duan Rong pursed his lips and, without a word, picked up and put down the broken walls and tiles one by one in front of the collapsed ruins.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng were a bit stunned.

Zhu Peng said, "What is he fussing about?"

Zhu Cheng shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Zhu Peng said, "Could there be some clue under those ruins? Should we go over and help move them?"

"That might be good."

The two walked over, and Zhu Cheng said, "Lord Duan, have you discovered some clue? Shall we give you a hand?"

Duan Rong raised his head, patted the pitch-black ash on his hands, and smiled, "No need! If you move them too, it will easily get messy!"

"Messy?" The two could not understand what Duan Rong meant for a moment.

"Besides, you wouldn't be able to tell anyway!"

Zhu Cheng frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "I don't know what you mean, Lord Duan, when you say there is something we cannot see?"

"All things have spirits. They can speak." Duan Rong smiled slightly, then said, "I intend to pick through all the debris in these ruins." Duan Rong paused as he spoke, looked up at the position of the sun, and continued, "I estimate it will take until the second half of the night. You two lords may please yourselves; there is no need to wait for me."

"Pick through all of it...?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng both looked at Duan Rong with shocked expressions, as if looking at a madman.

The two stood there for a while longer, watching as Duan Rong really did start flipping over the broken walls and tiles one by one, stacking them in the empty space beside his feet.

The two then retreated from the area and came to the lakeside.

The favorable impression Zhu Peng had just formed of Duan Rong had already vanished completely; he pursed his lips toward Duan Rong, who was busy in the ruins, and said, "Is this man sick in the head?"

Zhu Cheng's expression was also somewhat unsightly. Picking through all the broken walls and tiles in that ruin was, in his view, a complete waste of effort.

Zhu Peng said, "Did you hear what he just said? Didn't he say those rotten tiles could talk? Isn't that a sign of a sick brain?"

"Enough! Keep your voice down!" Zhu Cheng glared at him.

Zhu Peng said, "Why don't we just close the case? If this man keeps investigating like this, I don't see it yielding any results."

Zhu Cheng sighed and said, "Let's wait another two days. After all, he was sent over by the Ancestor; we must be able to provide an account."

Zhu Peng said, "Then you can deal with him regarding this matter. I'm not coming back! I really can't stand his way of being mysterious and playing the ghost!"

Zhu Cheng said, "It's only a matter of two or three days at most. Can you have some patience? In three days, if he still can't produce a lead, we will tell him to close the case."

Duan Rong "heard" their conversation by the lake clearly using his Divine Sense, but he did not care at all; he simply continued to bend over, feeling his way through the broken walls and tiles, one by one.

Seeing the sunset sink and twilight descend, many bats were circling in the low air, catching insects.

The soldiers guarding the perimeter saw Duan Rong still rummaging there and brought him a lantern.

Duan Rong hung the lantern on a pillar beside him and straightened his somewhat stiff waist.

By the time he worked into the night, he had only finished a small half; it seemed his original estimate had been a bit optimistic, and to finish it all, he would likely have to pull an all-nighter.

Duan Rong wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, then suddenly circulated his True Qi, lifted half a broken beam at his feet, and continued to feel through the broken walls and tiles one by one.

When dawn broke, Duan Rong finally sat down on the dirty stone steps beside the cool house, his face covered in black ash, with many soot particles stuck to his eyelashes.

He sat there catching his breath for a while before going to the lakeside to wash his face, then walked straight out of the residence of Zhu Shizhong to find something to eat on the street.

Having stayed up all night, he was already famished.

After eating, Duan Rong returned to the post house, covered his head, and slept soundly, not waking up lazily until noon.

He got up, washed up again, ate lunch at the post house, and then strolled to the teahouse on the side of the street.

This time he did not go to the second floor, but sat down directly somewhere on the first floor.

He was here to listen to storytelling!

He had devoured Spirit Tools all night in the ruins where the Secretariat Chancellor had been struck dead by lightning; although he had slept, those Spirit Tools had not yet been fully digested and absorbed.

Duan Rong sat in the teahouse, drinking tea and listening to the storytelling while waiting for the many Spirit Tools he had devoured to be completely absorbed.

About two hours later, just as Duan Rong was listening intently, his expression suddenly changed; most of the Spirit Tools he had digested and absorbed contained useless information, but just a moment ago, a very crucial piece of information entered Duan Rong's mind.

The old man was just reaching the most exciting part, spitting as he spoke, and the entire hall of tea guests was silent, when they saw Duan Rong suddenly jump up and rush out of the teahouse.

The moment Duan Rong jumped up, the old man's breath almost choked in his throat.

This was the part he was most proud of, and as he reached the most high-spirited moment, Duan Rong's sudden rush out felt to him almost like being slapped in the face in public.

He had always felt that if he reached this part, even if your father had died at home, you would still have to finish listening before leaving.

Since he had taken the stage to tell stories, this was the first time someone had walked out at this point.

It was just that he hadn't seen Duan Rong's appearance clearly just now, otherwise, he would definitely have asked for advice afterward: what exactly was the matter that made him leave at this time?

If there wasn't a reason that could convince him, this scene would become a thorn in his heart, making him unable to sleep all night.

It made him very suspicious of his own skill. As long as one was a person, how could one put it down upon hearing this part?

Duan Rong naturally did not know that his sudden departure would so wound the sensitive and proud heart of a self-respecting old storyteller.

If he had known, he would definitely have spat on the ground before leaving.

Duan Rong left the teahouse, arrived at Changle Street, and walked directly to the residence of Lord Zhu, the Secretariat Chancellor Zhu Shizhong.

When Duan Rong walked to the entrance, the Heavy Armored Cavalry stopped him.

Duan Rong immediately showed the Taiyi Order and said that he had come yesterday with the Temple Rectifier Zhu from the Dali Temple, and that he was an Outer Sect Disciple sent by the Sect to assist in this case.

Only then did the gatekeeper let him in.

Duan Rong entered the residence and immediately rushed to the pile of collapsed ruins by the lake.

The moment he stood beside the ruins, his Divine Sense was suddenly released.

The tentacles of his Divine Sense, dense as a net, searched within the collapsed ruins.

Matching the information in his mind, Duan Rong soon made a discovery.

When his Divine Sense explored a certain object, his figure flashed, and like a ghost, he squatted in a corner, rummaging through a pile of broken debris.

Duan Rong took an object out of the pile of debris.

It seemed to be a piece of wood from a roof beam, but there was a square, deep groove in the middle of this wood.

Duan Rong knew that this was a groove for water to pass over the roof when the waterwheel channeled cool water onto it.

However, at the bottom of the deep groove, a slender wooden handle extended from the side.

The groove was quite deep, with a shadow at the bottom, and the wooden handle was extremely slender, no thicker than a toothpick, making it very difficult to discover.

And not far from the wooden handle, above the groove, there was also a very tiny round hole, with a black, sharp object faintly protruding from within that tiny hole.

Duan Rong touched it with his hand; it seemed to be a needle tip.

Under the probe of his Divine Sense, the needle tip and the wooden handle were connected as one.

Holding the object in his hand, Duan Rong sat on the nearby stone steps and fell into deep thought.

After a long while, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"This is someone who deliberately channeled the heavenly lightning down to strike Lord Zhu to death!"

Disguising a murder as a natural disaster!

What a fine method! What a fine scheme!

Duan Rong stood up immediately, walked over to the heavy-armored Guard not far away, looked at the heavy-armored Guard, and said in a deep voice, "Trouble yourself to make a trip to the Dali Temple, find Lord Zhu Cheng and Lord Zhu Peng, and tell them that Duan Rong has an urgent matter to discuss with them."

Upon hearing this, the man just stared blankly at Duan Rong, seemingly with no intention of moving.

Duan Rong suddenly raised the Taiyi Order, his face fierce as he shouted in a deep voice, "If you delay this matter, I will wring off your head!"

At this moment, the aura around Duan Rong seemed to change abruptly.

The man did not know why, but he suddenly shivered, his face trembled, and he immediately grabbed his blade and rushed out.

(End of this chapter)