Chapter 336: [Past Life · 1] Old Rain in Shu City

【Past Life · 1】 Old Rain in Shu City

"In the Taiji Palace Change 117 years ago, a personal guard was very sure that he personally cut the throat of Crown Prince Zhao Wen. But in the Four Kings Rebellion ten years later, under the eyes of everyone, it was also Crown Prince Zhao Wen who led three hundred cavalry to persuade the opening of the city gate of Taiyuan."

"How can the dead come back to life?"

"Therefore, this is the first time 'General Scripture of Stored Intent' has left traces."

Zhang Siche's hand was very steady. The fine pen like a needle trembled a few times at the end, leaving the signature at the end of the letter.

In the first year of Suolin, the capital city was experiencing the last thin snow of this winter. As spring was about to open, the wind was still like a knife, but it was not sharpened so sharply.

The window of the corridor outside the door was not closed tightly again, and the whistling of the wind and snow passing through the hall was heard clearly in the quiet room. However, the sounds of nature were often not classified as noisy by Zhang Siche, who liked quietness. Many times, they were effective membranes instead.

He liked and was very composed in using his heart for two purposes. When he solemnly finished the small note in his hand, his mouth was not chaotic at all, sorting out the more than ten case files he had just crossed-read, and the new clerk recorded cautiously on the side.

Zhang Siche opened the scarlet ink pad and continued to say:

"Twenty-nine years ago, the wife of Grand General Wei Zhaojie was convicted for stabbing Prince Fu to death on the street, but ten days after she was executed, the Grand General remarried a woman with the same appearance, claiming that she was the wife's sister."

"Wei Zhaojie doesn't seem to be a heartless person."

"They were a loving couple, entrusting each other with life and death. Let alone that Mrs. Wei was also a famous sect disciple with a reputation back then, and there was no news of any sister... Therefore, we suspect that this is the second appearance of 'General Scripture of Stored Intent'."

Two seals, one large and one small, Zhang Changshi dipped in the mud and left the seal steadily, and then placed this paper note with special texture beside the candle flame to dry the ink.

"Is there any connection between these two things?"

"During the Four Kings Rebellion, there was a confidant lieutenant under Crown Prince Zhao Wen, named Zhao Yuping. After the rebellion was quelled, this person and Crown Prince Zhao Wen were both executed, but one of his young sons disappeared. And in the ten years that followed, a line of Zhao-surnamed elders appeared in the Taishan Medicine Hut. This line later became Mrs. Wei's apprenticeship."

"This is a bit too..."

"Catching the wind and clutching at shadows? Perhaps, but this context, although weak, is very clear. The platform also gave a case that is more catching the wind and clutching at shadows—do you know that Crown Prince Zhao Wen's biological mother was a princess of the previous dynasty?"

"I've heard of it."

"In the twelfth year of Yuanzhen of the previous dynasty, Noble Consort Sheng gave birth to a naked cat, which was sentenced to death as a demon."

"Can 'General Scripture of Stored Intent' also give birth to a cat?"

Zhang Siche reached out and took a sealed official document. At this time, at the end of the corridor outside the door, a sound of footsteps appeared on the stairs, getting closer and closer, gradually becoming clear from vague.

"This matter is indeed different from the ability of 'resurrection from the dead' shown by 'General Scripture of Stored Intent' later, but it may be closer to the essence of this strange skill. Because I have always believed that the so-called 'resurrection from the dead' is just a false rumor, it's just that there are no more cases to corroborate it at the moment. And from the previous dynasty's royal family to Crown Prince Zhao Wen, this context is also very clear."

"Well, then after Mrs. Wei, whose hands did 'General Scripture of Stored Intent' go to?"

"Twenty years ago, the General's mansion was destroyed, and the clues originally broke here."

"Originally?"

"Do you know Linan County?"

"What kind of place is that?"

"It's a county town in the mountains of Western Shu, thousands of miles away. The most famous sect in the local area is called the Shenxiao Sect, and the Shenxiao master is named Zhu Lianwo."

"What does this have to do with 'General Scripture of Stored Intent'?"

The footsteps reached the corridor, and the soles of the shoes squeezed out some sharp sounds with the thin snow. This was clearly noise. Zhang Siche looked up at the door, paused slightly before continuing: "Just a few days ago, Zhu Lianwo sent a message to the Left Prime Minister's mansion, saying that she rescued a baby girl from the General's mansion back then, and has secretly raised her for twenty years. She is Wei Zhaojie's orphan."

"'General Scripture of Stored Intent' is in her hands?"

"Not sure, but this made the platform dig out a piece of news in Linan five years ago," Zhang Changshi said. "Five years ago, the platform learned that a 【Mangshan Dao Doctor】 was active near Linan. This person covered his shape and face, acted secretly, and was especially good at treating physical disabilities—we said earlier about the descendants of the Taishan Medicine Hut, 'General Scripture of Stored Intent' and doctors might be related."

"What is the relationship between Zhu Lianwo and this Dao doctor?"

Zhang Siche shook his head: "Don't know, maybe there is no relationship at all. At that time, this matter was indeed too unimportant, the platform didn't leave a file, let alone investigate deeply. Only a colleague in the local area—called... Bai Feiping—was ordered to monitor it slightly. It wasn't until ten days ago that the platform began to search for the traces of 'General Scripture of Stored Intent', and because Zhu Lianwo's letter continued this context of the General's mansion, did we think of this 【Mangshan Dao Doctor】. So we sent a letter to ask Bai Feiping. We didn't hope for any harvest, let alone predict any danger, so we didn't use soul birds when sending the letter, but went through the official post."

He sighed slightly: "I think this is where the mistake happened."

"What do you mean?"

The footsteps on the corridor got closer and closer, and then stopped for a while. With a soft "click," he thoughtfully closed the window that was leaking snow.

"Bai Feiping is dead," Zhang Siche said.

"Dead?"

"Dead. We sent the letter on the ninth of the second month, and on the nineteenth of the second month, his soul bird returned to the platform with a sad cry."

"...... Sometimes monitoring is two-way. I'm afraid that when Bai Feiping was investigating this Dao doctor, this Dao doctor had already targeted him. Our letter of inquiry went, and it touched the grass and startled the snake."

"This matter is actually a bit worth pondering. If Bai Feiping had mastered any important information, why didn't he report it actively earlier? If he didn't master it, why did that person have to kill him? Is it just a coincidence?" Zhang Siche shook his head. "Maybe we harmed him, but there is no one who died unjustly in the Immortal Platform, and there is no reason to let a snake that has bitten someone escape again. This matter might involve 'General Scripture of Stored Intent'. Next, we will mainly handle this matter, and put other work aside first."

"Good."

"In addition, Bai Feiping had made a routine report on this 【Mangshan Dao Doctor】 before." Zhang Siche took out an old scroll, unfolded it, spread it under the candle flame, and handed it to him.

The clerk looked down.

"... His appearance has no fixed time, and the location covers the surrounding counties. He often visits the patients in person, feeds them sleeping medicine, and when the patients wake up, they have returned home. I once waited for the rabbit to see him once, but he covered his face with a cloak, wrapped his hands, and was dumb, and finally gained nothing.

—Li Shui Inspector Bai Feiping."

"... This doesn't seem to be of any use."

"Whether it's useful or not is not up to us," Zhang Siche picked up the dried small note, blew on it twice, touched the ink, rolled it up, put it into a small tube, and carefully buckled the cover. "Any information must be recorded without deletion or modification."

The clerk nodded, but sighed slightly: "It takes time for the soul bird to fly, and it will take a few more days for us to send someone over. Nearly ten days have passed. This snake has finished biting people, I'm afraid no evidence will be left."

At this time, the "creak" sound finally reached the door. The clerk's pen was fast, and he had already looked up, ready to shout "Please come in." It was the neatness of someone who had been busy in the heavy prison of the Northern Yamen.

However, the footsteps didn't even slow down. The door was pushed open directly, and a tall figure wrapped in the cold air of wind and snow walked in.

The black hair, neither long nor short, was tied behind his head, and the thin snow on it was slowly melting. On such a winter day, the man only wore a light black shirt, holding a cold sword in his hand, and a pair of long and bright eyes were embedded under his sword eyebrows.

Zhang Siche looked up and smiled: "Long time no see—do you know everything?"

The man nodded: "Came to take the case files, sorry to trouble you."

Zhang Siche waved his hand, summoned a strange yellow-eyed green bird, and carefully fixed the written small tube on its sharp claws: "Also trouble you with one thing, bring it along, it's also going to the southwest. Release it after leaving the capital."

The man glanced at the clerk who was bowing his head and writing fast: "Does your letter need 【Liuqing】 to transmit? To whom?"

"Inspector Li He."

"Which Inspector Li He?"

"You don't recognize him yet... the one who investigates the Sun-Swallowing Society. He is sensitive and secret, so don't recognize him for the time being."

"Okay, I understand."

The conversation quieted down here, only the fast pen of the clerk. The man stretched out a finger and gently picked the golden beak of 【Liuqing】.

This fierce bird was obedient and motionless.

After a while, the clerk finally put down his pen, packaged all the materials written in the morning, and stamped a small red seal.

"Ting has just arrived in this position, and he is not very skilled yet," Zhang Siche apologized slightly, then turned to signal and smiled. "Hand it to this Inspector adult, the one who specializes in catching snakes is here."

Fu Zaiting stood up quickly and handed it over with both hands.

The man took it casually, nodded slightly, and turned away, his shirt fluttering slightly.

"Yue Muzhou," Zhang Siche hesitated and called out.

The man looked back.

"If this time it is really related to 'General Scripture of Stored Intent', after the matter is finished... you can probably be promoted to Inspector."

Fu Zaiting, who had just had time to drink a sip of water, choked suddenly, his eyes widened in astonishment.

The man smiled, waved his hand, pushed the door and went out.

February 25th.

Southwest, Li Shui.

The rain was almost about to stop. The gray-white mottled sky was still pressing down gloomily, and was supported by countless giant bamboo-like, green-meaning peaks.

Since passing the lower reaches of the Li Shui River, these peaks had become higher and higher, and with the continuous rain, the sky had descended lower and lower. Green peaks filled the sky, the road wound in the cracks at the bottom of the peaks, surrounded by green bamboo, cold stones, dew grass, cold mist, needle-like cool rain hitting the body, and the iron-like great river seen occasionally.

After walking in such a cold and secluded realm for a long time, one would always feel that the world one is familiar with is another world. At this time, Yue Muzhou drove his horse up the slope and looked at the corner of the guest-welcoming flag exposed in the distance, and breathed a sigh of relief, as if rejoicing that he was still in this lively human world.

Leaving the capital, his mood was always much easier.

Yue Muzhou actually liked this simple errand. Even the identity and name of the suspect had been obtained. He just needed to see Zhu Lianwo. If Zhu Lianwo was the mastermind, he could be arrested or killed on the spot, and then return to the capital to report; if he was innocent enough, he could also ask him about the news of 【Mangshan Dao Doctor】, which was always better than investigating by himself as an outsider. And if he had already absconded, that was also good, saving some brainpower.

He really hated that kind of hide-and-seek enemy, one hammer in the east and one hammer in the west, full of true and false information, the case was full of masks, traps, lies, traitors, disguises, fake identities... and so on.

He certainly had enough patience to pull out the silk from the cocoon, but that was definitely not a pleasant thing. Therefore, after bringing such people to justice, he often had his own means to channel this unpleasantness.

At this time, he dismounted, slowly moving his waist and legs that were stiff and painful like cracking under the continuous galloping, while squinting at this inn. He saw that against the green background, there was a white ribbon.

The small, three-story building connected to two courtyards was shrouded in mist, with faint creaking sounds drifting out. The four large golden characters "Welcome and Send Off" on the lintel had long since faded, and after being dampened, they had blended into the color of the wood, making them increasingly difficult to distinguish. A strip of white cloth, a foot long and two fingers wide, hung down from the eaves, its color appearing quite new.

Yue Muzhou stood on his horse and looked at this cloth belt. When Ding Xiaoer lifted the curtain to welcome him, what entered his eyes were four horse legs that were washed black, bright, and smooth by the water.

"... Guest?" The knight was wrapped in a wet and heavy straw raincoat, covering the already gloomy sky. Ding Xiaoer couldn't see his face, so he looked up and asked carefully, "The road is hard, do you want to stay? Shall I heat some wine, meat, soup, and rice for you, and burn a bucket of hot water?"

Yue Muzhou withdrew his gaze from the eaves—he really didn't see it wrong. This was the custom of funeral in the Li Shui River Basin. The locals knew it at a glance.

"Good, sorry to trouble you."

"Where did the brother come from? Do you want the small shop to pass on your name? So that the Shenxiao Sect can receive you."

Yue Muzhou looked at Ding Xiaoer steadily, tilted his head, and smiled: "My name is Yue Muzhou. Why, are all the people who come here looking for the Shenxiao Sect?"

"... Ah! Since the brother is not a guest of Shenxiao Mountain, then forget it." Ding Xiaoer scratched his head, his expression was simply a bit confused. Yue Muzhou could almost read his thoughts—"Not looking for the Shenxiao Sect, why come to this territory? To catch long worms?"

Yue Muzhou pointed to this belt with a smile: "Excuse me for asking, does your shop have any relatives or friends who passed away recently?"

"... No, guest, this is what everyone has to tie." Ding Xiaoer had already grabbed the horse's reins, but hesitated again, "Guest... since you are not here for a funeral, our courtyard is holding a funeral. If you mind, don't go in—but the whole Linan City is actually like this."

Yue Muzhou immediately thought of Bai Feiping, his colleague he had never met. If he was not "missing" but had a funeral, some things needed to be reconsidered.

"No problem, whose funeral is this?" Yue Muzhou dismounted.

"... You'll know when you go in and see."

Yue Muzhou lifted the curtain and entered.

The scene in the shop came into view.

The hall of the inn was brightly lit. A case table was placed opposite the door, white banners hung on both sides, a heavy spirit tablet stood on the table, and the light of dozens of candles swayed slightly.

No coffin and no relatives were seen, only a lonely spirit tablet placed here. And the diners were all kinds of people, farmers, merchants, scholars, craftsmen... more were martial artists. These people drank and talked as usual, but on their arms or wrists, or even on their weapons, they actually tied a thin white belt.

The faint, muffled babbling from outside suddenly became clear. It turned out that this small hall actually contained a tiny stage. White banners hung on both sides of the stage, one inscribed with "Joyfully Entertaining the Yama" and the other with "Feasting the Little Ghosts," a local custom of entrusting them to care for the spirits of the departed.

Looking up, a young musician sat and played music, and a woman in green clothes and water sleeves was singing and dancing on the stage. It was really a good performance, and it was just at a fast-paced flow, and the tune was very familiar: "The ears hear the sad sound, the heart is like pounding."

Yue Muzhou skipped this section and placed his gaze on the spirit tablet behind the stage, never moving away again.

A small line of words was written vertically on it.

【Spirit of the Seventh Generation Master of Shenxiao, Zhu Jun, taboo Lianwo】

In the silence, the man laughed softly: "Fuck your mother, it's still hide-and-seek."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 337 =====