Chapter 83: The Fish Eats the Peach and Grows Fat

After listening to Ji Yunying recount Ji Baichang’s will, Lan Shiwen walked to the desk and pulled out the unfinished calligraphy from beneath the paperweight.

“Better to go without meat than live without bamboo? The symbolism is fine, but…” Lan Shiwen gently traced the paper in his hands, glancing at the brother and sister beside him: “Yet if Master Ji so loved bamboo, why does this villa have none?”

At least, he hadn’t seen any when he entered.

Ji Yunying nodded. “Yes. Due to Yundu City’s environmental protection regulations for Chuyun Mountain, highly invasive and expansive plants like bamboo and eucalyptus are prohibited from artificial cultivation within the mountain’s boundaries.”

“No,” Lan Shiwen shook his head. “That regulation only restricts the natural reserve zones. Private residences may still plant a few ornamental plants without restriction.”

Environmental regulations alone cannot explain why not a single bamboo stalk exists in Chuyun Villa.

“Perhaps Father was too lazy to bother,” Shi Yurou said.

“Maybe…” Lan Shiwen set down the half-finished calligraphy, glanced at the stack of spare paper on the desk, and frowned: “Is this mulberry paper?”

Shi Yurou nodded slightly. “Yes. What’s wrong?”

“No, no, this doesn’t make sense…” Lan Shiwen shook his head, walked to the wall, took down a painting, examined it, then hung it back.

As he observed the calligraphy and paintings on all four walls, he said: “I’ve known Master Ji for many years. I know he was extremely picky about paper for calligraphy and painting—almost never used anything but Baishou Xuan paper from Jingzhou.”

He took down another painting. “Look for yourselves—all the calligraphy and paintings on these walls are done on Xuan paper.”

Ji Yunying looked closely and confirmed: “Father favored Xuan paper—he wrote and painted almost exclusively with it. But the paper on the desk now isn’t Xuan paper; it’s this other kind of mulberry paper.”

Mulberry paper is a relatively high-grade paper; in ancient times, it was even designated the sole material for currency. Yet it contradicted Ji Baichang’s personal preferences. As his children, Ji Yunying and Shi Yurou had no idea when or why their father had bought mulberry paper and left it on the desk.

“The clue is hidden in this paper…”

Lan Shiwen scanned the room, his gaze lingering on the desk and tea table before settling on the five rattan chairs: “These chairs aren’t part of the same set as the room’s furniture, are they?”

Ji Yunying nodded. “Correct. The matching set for this rosewood desk were several huangnanwood armchairs. But a year ago, Father said wooden chairs hurt his lower back, so he stored the original chairs and bought these softer rattan ones instead.”

An elderly man switching chairs due to back trouble was not unusual.

“The act itself isn’t strange—but when linked with other oddities, it becomes significant.” Lan Shiwen pulled a blank sheet from beneath the paperweight. “Do you know what mulberry paper is made from?”

“Um… tree bark?” Ji Yunying was uncertain.

“More precisely, the bark of the paper mulberry tree,” Lan Shiwen continued. “The paper mulberry, also called the Chu tree, is a common mulberry-family plant abundant on Chuyun Mountain. Its young leaves and fruit are edible; its bark is the primary raw material for mulberry paper, and its tough branches can be woven into crafts like willow baskets or rattan chairs.”

“You mean…”

“Exactly.” Lan Shiwen set down the white paper and pulled the rattan chair out from under the desk. “This chair was woven from paper mulberry branches.”

At Lan Shiwen’s words, Shi Yurou’s eyes widened suddenly. She recalled what Ye Tian had told her not long ago: “Just before he left, Mr. Ye Tian said Father hid his own corpse and left clues in the room—clues for us to find his body…”

Mulberry paper and rattan chairs—both made from paper mulberry. Was Ji Baichang hinting that he hid his corpse somewhere with paper mulberry trees?

But paper mulberry trees grew everywhere on Chuyun Mountain. They were incredibly adaptable, found across nearly all of China, north and south, as common as weeds. “Hss…” Lan Shiwen’s face darkened. “Did he say anything else?”

Shi Yurou shook her head. “Mr. Ye Tian said he’d return tomorrow during daylight, because visibility is better then. That was all.”

Lan Shiwen’s gaze grew heavy. A sense of dread rose in his chest.

“This Ye Tian, the Ascended—could he already know where Ji Baichang hid his corpse? How?” Lan Shiwen wondered.

Lan Shiwen was a native of Yundu City and had known Ji Baichang for years. He came immediately upon hearing of his death, intending to honor his invitation to collect the body. But he hadn’t expected Ye Tian to arrive before him.

He, as Ji Baichang’s old friend, had only noticed suspicious details—yet this outsider, Ye Tian, had seemingly solved the mystery in such a short time?

“Who exactly is this Ye Tian?”

He needed to investigate his background.

Lan Shiwen composed himself, saying that since Mr. Ye Tian planned to return by daylight, he would take his leave for now and come back tomorrow.

After hastily bidding farewell to Shi Yurou and Ji Yunying, Lan Shiwen returned to his residence in Yundu City and accessed the Ascended Network to search for information on the Ascended with the alias Ye Tian.

The results surprised him.

=9+ Shu _ Ba

Contrary to Lan Shiwen’s impression of Ye Tian as deeply mysterious, Ye Tian was not famous online. His reputation paled beside those of Tu Yu or Wu Tong—he was practically unknown.

Especially recently, a rumor had spread among Ascended circles: Ye Tian was dying.

“So that’s it…” The moment Lan Shiwen read this, the pieces clicked: “No wonder Ye Tian came to Yunzhou for Master Ji’s funeral—he’s hoping to find a way to survive by seeking out ‘Wu Tong.’”

Ji Baichang, a senior Ascended of Tu Yu’s generation, used the alias 【Wu Tong】 on the Ascended Network.

Wu Tong was extremely famous among Ascended—perhaps one of the most renowned—because of one single fact:

—【Wu Tong】 can resurrect the dead.

Literally.

“Ye Tian is dying. He probably wants to find the rule Ji Baichang controls—the one that brings the dead back to life—to extend his own life.”

Believing he now understood Ye Tian’s motive, Lan Shiwen hesitated. All Ascended shared a rule: never provoke a dying Ascended. A desperate man will do anything.

Ye Tian’s presence made Lan Shiwen hesitate: should he still proceed to collect Ji Baichang’s corpse?

After much thought, he decided to stay and wait.

“If Ye Tian fails to use Wu Tong to extend his life, I may have to handle two strange incidents at once…” Lan Shiwen sighed deeply, his brow furrowed under mounting psychological pressure.

Everything must wait until tomorrow. According to Ye Tian, only daylight could reveal where Wu Tong’s corpse was hidden.

(End of Chapter)