Chapter 14: Mingxi's Trouble, Encounter with the Scholar Again
Danzhou City, Mingxi Pavilion.
At dawn, another exclamation broke the heavy silence inside the pavilion.
The pavilion doors were wide open, and the stench of blood filled the air. A crowd of daring onlookers gathered in front of the doors.
"How... how come someone else has died?"
"Which one is it now?"
"This is the fifth one, I think. You can tell it's going to be bad just by smelling it..."
"Quiet! Everyone be quiet!"
The officers and soldiers accompanying the case interrupted the whispers of the people. They forcefully pushed through the crowd, carving out a wide path.
A sharp gust of wind blew by, raising dust on the road and dispersing the bloody atmosphere inside the pavilion.
The surrounding people fell silent instantly; the leaders of the Demon Suppression Pavilion had arrived.
The demon-suppressing envoy Zhu Mengfeng was not there; instead, it was Deputy Envoy Bai Lang, who had returned to the city the day before. The middle-aged man led his men into Mingxi Pavilion with a cold face.
At this moment, the sun is just rising, and the weather is clearly warm, but inside a certain guest room in Mingxi Pavilion, everything is blood-red and extremely cold.
The heavy stench of blood drew many people's attention, and was even accompanied by bouts of gagging. Bai Lang frowned as he looked at the horrific scene before him.
...
"The dead man was a young man. He was naked from the waist up and was hanging from the rafters. Blood was everywhere on the ground."
Thick strands of blood clung to her middle finger. Qingyu examined the bloodstains and murmured to herself.
"yue..."
Zhang Xuan patted his chest, bent over, and dry-heaved a few times in the distance. Cai Cai felt nauseous but was also afraid of getting Zhang Xuan on her. The little yellow chick flapped its wings and jumped away with a clucking sound.
Wen Chuan moved his hand a little closer to Qing Yu and said helplessly, "Did you see anything?"
Qingyu smiled but didn't say anything. She turned to Zhang Xuan, whose face had turned pale, and said, "I told you we'd go and see. You were supposed to scout around in the crowd, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on going."
"Who knew that man would die so tragically, I...yue..."
Zhang Xuan waved his hand, trying to forget what had just happened. He had only thought of going up to tell the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion that they were coming soon, but when he glanced at the corpse, he was met with its eyes, which were white and bloody. He almost fainted.
"Are you feeling better?" Wen Chuan poured him a cup of hot water. They casually found an inn and sat in the room. The bustling street was right outside the window, but perhaps because of recent events, the street was much quieter.
Zhang Xuan nodded to calm down, but his face was still pale.
The vegetables looked listless; they'd seen the world this morning with Zhang Xuan.
Qingyu sighed and poured herself a cup of tea. "Such a sharp wound, cut straight down to the waist. Either a cultivator or a demon."
This morning, the three of them arrived at Mingxi Pavilion before the Demon Suppression Pavilion. Perhaps because the man's death was too tragic, there was no one guarding the entrance. Qingyu and Wenchuan entered through the window and only glanced at him briefly. It was indeed tragic.
Wen Chuan wiped his fingers clean with a handkerchief. He had been urged by Qing Yu to examine the blood, but Zhang Xuan almost collapsed when he arrived, so he had to lightly dab his fingers on the dried, thick blood mixed with dust.
Qingyu couldn't help but yawn and said to Zhang Xuan, who had just recovered, "You visited the governor yesterday and inquired about things. What did you find out?"
Zhang Xuan: "The governor didn't say anything when he saw me. In the morning, I didn't dare to be too conspicuous in the crowd. I only know that a lot of people have died recently. The modus operandi is very similar. It was originally handled by the government, but later it was said to be done by a monster, and it was handed over to the people of the Demon Suppression Pavilion."
He paused, then stroked Cai Cai's feathers and said, "It's definitely a demon. I wonder when the people from the Demon Suppression Pavilion will be able to catch it."
Qingyu smiled but remained silent, gazing at the street outside the window.
Wen Chuan: “Not necessarily. Although the City Lord’s Mansion and Mingxi Pavilion are on two streets, they are close in a straight line.” He looked at Zhang Xuan. “We entered the city the night before last and have been in the City Lord’s Mansion ever since, but we haven’t sensed any demonic aura.”
Zhang Xuan retorted with doubt: "Perhaps they are so powerful that they have concealed their strength."
Qingyu slowly took a sip of tea. "When minor demons cause trouble, they can't hide their demonic aura. When major demons cause trouble, they prefer to be decisive and efficient. It's rare to see someone torment others like this."
What she said was true. It's true that demons are born warlike, but they are really not easy to torture. Of course, deep-seated hatred is an exception. However, when a demon reaches the level of a great demon, if there is hatred or inner demons, he can simply wipe out the entire clan. Why bother killing this and that and wasting time?
Zhang Xuan looked Qing Yu up and down a few times and said, "Do you really know anything about demons?"
Qingyu paused for a moment, then smiled: "...I've killed more demons than you."
"Of course, there are exceptions, but... if there are exceptions among demons, there are also exceptions among cultivators. Who knows what kind of evil cultivator did it? We'll just have to see what the Demon Suppression Pavilion catches in the end."
Qingyu shook the teacup on the table. She wasn't particularly interested in this matter to begin with. Seeing that Danzhou was under martial law and in turmoil, she wondered what was going on. But it turned out that it might not have been the work of a demon. The great demon was quite helpless.
Wen Chuan didn't say anything; he didn't care about these things either.
Zhang Xuan frowned, looking at the two of them with a disappointed expression. He had thought they would be as interested as he was.
"The governor said yesterday that there has been unrest in Danzhou recently, and told us not to rush off. He said he would host a banquet for us after he was done with his business, as a farewell banquet."
Qingyu: "I'm fine with whatever you want. We can see how the Demon Suppression Pavilion will finally close the case."
Zhang Xuan sighed. He couldn't say for sure either. He was thinking of finding out who the murderer was, but Qing Yu and Wen Chuan clearly didn't want to get involved. They didn't even go to see the body that was discovered yesterday, and they only went to check on it this morning because they happened to run into it. He couldn't say anything about it.
He stood up. The young man, carrying a knife on his back, was tall but inexplicably looked somewhat lost. "I'm going for a walk outside."
Qingyu and Wenchuan didn't stop them; they just wanted to join in the fun and there was no need for them to get involved.
Zhang Xuan paused, then turned around and picked up Cai Cai, saying, "I'll take Cai Cai to sunbathe."
Qingyu couldn't help but laugh, "Go on, go on, enjoy the sunshine a little longer."
Zhang Xuan's back stiffened, then he seemed to hum softly and strode away with Cai Cai, leaving only Qing Yu and Wen Chuan sitting opposite each other.
Sunlight streamed through the window and landed on the table. Perhaps it was due to the orientation, but Qingyu's side received more sunlight.
"Sigh—" Qingyu stretched, "I don't know if it's because I got up early today, but the sun is making me want to sleep."
Wen Chuan smiled and poured her some tea. "Don't you really want to know what's causing this trouble?"
Qingyu glanced at him. "You knew?"
The young man sitting opposite her was dressed in light white, with a gentle smile and a demeanor like cold jade. Even the light and shadow seemed to give way to him.
Qingyu suddenly moved a few steps closer to him, leaning into the light, her eyes full of interest, and upon closer inspection, a hint of inquiry and aggression.
For some reason, she always felt that Wen Chuan seemed to have changed, but since they were together every day, she never really noticed.
The boy simply lowered his head slightly, met her beautiful eyes, and a smile flashed across his eyes.
"I have no idea."
Qingyu curled the corners of her lips and said softly, "Wenchuan, I didn't see anything in the blood, but I know you did."
Before he could answer, Qingyu quickly returned to her seat, adopting an obedient demeanor. "Of course, I won't force you if you don't want to tell me. I'm just an ordinary little demon with a bit of curiosity."
Wen Chuan followed her gaze, then raised an eyebrow upon hearing her words, "It's just some spiritual energy, nothing special."
"Spiritual energy?" Qingyu looked at Wenchuan in confusion. "The same kind of thing as... Qingshui?"
Wen Chuan nodded slightly: "It should also be attached to something, as a spiritual artifact."
Qingyu rested her chin on her hand, her head bobbing. "Qingshui's jade pendant was broken into two pieces, yet it could still trap a great demon. What could it be in Danzhou?"
Wen Chuan: "Since you want to know, why don't you go with Zhang Xuan to investigate the case? He's very interested in this matter."
“Being interested is one thing, but meddling is another. Are they the same thing?” Qingyu said, putting down her hand and then listlessly picking up her teacup and taking a sip.
It was already morning, and outside the window, pedestrians strolled in twos and threes, vendors called out their wares, and laughter occasionally drifted over, making it quite lively.
"I've heard that the pastries in Danzhou are especially delicious. Would you like to try some?"
Qingyu blinked and looked at Wenchuan, "How about we go buy some to try?"
Wen Chuan: "Aren't we waiting for Zhang Xuan?"
Qingyu stood up. "Let's go and come back quickly."
As Qingyu spoke, she walked to the door, her crimson skirt shimmering with tiny lights. She stood on the threshold and turned back, saying, "Let's go, I'm actually hungry."
Wen Chuan reluctantly stood up, picked up his bag from the table, and said, "Let's go."
Qingyu smiled, stepped over the threshold, and went out the door one after the other with Wenchuan. They walked to the stairs and were about to go downstairs.
"Gougouga—"
A loud rooster crow seemed to come from afar, both clear and indistinct.
A guest in the inn's lobby remarked curiously, "People in this city actually raise chickens..."
"Shouting in the middle of the day, are they trying to get ripped off?"
"Who knows? Look at how this rooster crows."
"..."
Amidst the laughter and chatter of the guests below, Qingyu and Wenchuan exchanged a glance—it was Cai Cai.
Qingyu lifted her skirt and quickly went downstairs. At the corner, a breeze brushed past the girl's shoulder, and a clattering sound rang out. She suddenly turned around.
Dressed in a tall, straight blue robe, with a large book basket on his back, Qingyu could only see the boy's back from the bottom of the stairs. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Wen Chuan speak in surprise from the top of the stairs.
"Qin Tianshu?"
His simple blue linen robes could not conceal his scholarly demeanor, yet his face revealed a beauty; his phoenix eyes held a deep, ambiguous smile, exuding the refined elegance of a scholar, like a fox-like scholar.
The scholar, backlit, looked up and said,
"haven't seen you for a long time."
As noon approached, the inn gradually filled with people, laughter, and sunlight streaming through the windows.
A girl in red stood at the end of the stairs, raising an eyebrow. Above her stood a scholar in blue robes carrying a large book basket at the corner. At the top of the stairs, a gentle-looking boy in white robes stood calmly, but his eyes held a growing interest.
Meeting is easy, but reunion is rare.
Qingyu tilted her head to look at this strange scene, only to see the scholar turn around and look at her with a smile.
"...A storybook vendor?"
"……haven't seen you for a long time."
...
"Don't worry, the chicken and the knife-wielding man are fine for now."
Qin Tianshu said with a smile, his phoenix eyes full of laughter. He went upstairs with them as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and used the room they had booked. He casually put down his book basket with a thud and began his discourse.
According to Qin Tianshu himself, he was a handsome scholar who traveled extensively. He read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles, and he made friends all over the world. This was his ideal.
Therefore, he had visited Qingshui and Wenchuan for three days and had also passed through Qishan and had a meal with Hua Fan at that time—it was all fate.
This bookseller is still so inexplicable. Qingyu inwardly scoffed, but didn't show it on her face at all. "...You mean Cai Cai and Zhang Xuan will have something going on?"
Qin Tianshu made a soft "Eh?" and casually poured three cups of tea onto the table. He paused, feigning seriousness, and said, "This matter is a long story—"
"Then, let's make it short."
Qingyu gently lifted her fingertips and slowly pushed aside the tea in front of her. She looked at the scholar with a gentle expression, but there was no smile in her eyes.
Wen Chuan didn't react much; he remained calm as he looked at the scholar in front of him.
Qin Tianshu was taken aback at first, then inexplicably laughed twice. Feeling the gazes of the two people in front of him, he felt that the world was truly interesting.
Qingyu's appearance was quite different from before, with less of a fierce look. She wore a simple scarlet dress with a flower hairpin and a black belt around her waist. A small, simple flower-shaped wooden carving hung down from her waist, attracting attention but making people afraid to look at it too much—she must have suffered a lot, as if she had changed.
Wen Chuan was even more puzzled. His appearance seemed unchanged, but he no longer looked like the lazy fisherman from the small town of Qingshui. He seemed to be even better at pretending than Wen Chuan.
"This won't do," Qin Tianshu thought to himself. "It's alright, Wen Chuan isn't as good-looking as me."
As he pondered, his thoughts drifted further and further away until he couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Qingyu and Wenchuan remained expressionless; they understood that reading too much would damage one's brain.
Qin Tianshu ignored them, the smiling, jade-faced scholar leaning against his forehead, laughing heartily amidst the shifting light and shadow.
"It's been a long time. Old friends have become friends, and friends have become old friends."
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