Chapter 170: The Golden Cicada Sheds its Shell
By the time Wuqing realized what was happening, it was too late. Xie Huailing finished speaking and was about to leave.
He knew she wouldn't say another word to him; she wouldn't say another word until he solved the riddle she had left him. But he couldn't let it end there. But who knew, she even anticipated his outstretched hand, and before he could fully raise it, before he could speak, she gave him a light tap.
She taught him, "You can't break the rules."
Then Xie Huailing disappeared outside the door, and the door to the room closed.
Left alone in the room, Wuqing felt as if he had been doused with a tree full of cold dew and then immersed in a pool of mystery. He stared at the ebony box that had been pushed in front of him, momentarily unable to hear his own breathing. It was only through years of experience that his senses were pulled back, and he quickly realized that the world had turned upside down, and the situation was no longer the one he recognized.
What exactly happened behind the scenes at the Divine Marquis's Mansion? What did Xie Huailing do? And what does "all the questions" refer to? He clearly harbors three questions, but collectively they are merely byproducts of the Fu Zongshu death case. Or will he have even more questions as the game progresses?
Wuqing had no reason to refuse her; once she distanced herself from Xie Huailing, she would never have another chance to get close to the truth.
But once he entered this game, he also realized there was no turning back.
Xie Huailing. Perhaps he had never known her, perhaps no one in Bianjing had ever known her.
.
Upon returning to the Divine Marquis's Mansion, Wuqing's first action was to immediately seek out Zhuge Zhengwo. This matter had already exceeded his capabilities; consulting Zhuge Zhengwo was the most appropriate course of action.
However, Xie Huailing's move caught Zhuge Zhengye completely off guard. He had never faced such an opponent before, and he remained silent for a long time because of the amount of information in Xie Huailing's words. He knew that with such an absolute imbalance of information, whether what Xie Huailing said was true or false, the Divine Marquis's Mansion and Wuqing had to play along with her until the end. Only by playing along with her until the end could they find out what had really happened.
Since she chose Wuqing and specifically named him as her only choice, it means that Wuqing must risk his life alone time and time again. Although the Divine Marquis's Mansion can help Wuqing, there is no one to accompany him or replace him.
But at this point, Wuqing was actually glad that he hadn't brought Lengxue along. Of the four fellow disciples, Lengxue was the least suitable. If he had really gone along with Xie Huailing's wishes, the situation might have been even worse, and it would have been the worst for Lengxue as well.
Having made his decision, Wuqing had no regrets. He shifted his focus and brought up the most important matter at hand, first handing the ebony box to Zhuge Zhengwo. On the way back, Wuqing had examined the box carefully several times, scrutinizing every single piece of wood, and had even figured out some of the mechanisms and locks on it.
This lock is made up of two mechanisms joined together, one above the other, interlocking as one. To unlock it, both mechanisms must be used simultaneously. Wuqing recognizes the upper mechanism and knows how to solve it by heart, but the lower mechanism is completely unfamiliar to him, something he has never seen before. He dares not even try, fearing that in the absence of clarity, a moment of carelessness will mean losing all chance to open the box.
Wuqing didn't recognize it, but Zhuge Zhengwo did. He was knowledgeable and erudite, and after a moment's thought, he explained to Wuqing: "This is a mechanism from the Jin Kingdom outside the Great Wall, called the 'Wolf Lock.' As the name suggests, it also has a 'key.' To unlock it, you need to press the wooden grid on the surface to activate the internal mechanism, and then insert the 'key' into the groove below. It will change according to the mechanism's movement to unlock it."
“Since she gave you the box, the ‘wolf lock’ is here, and the ‘key’ won’t be far away. Without the ‘key’, the ‘wolf lock’ can never be unlocked, and naturally, the box can’t be opened either. However, there is another possibility. After all, this mechanism lock has two parts. Perhaps she has changed it and left you another way.”
If Xie Huailing wanted to play along with him ruthlessly, she would never have blocked him at this stage of testing.
But Zhuge Zhengwo changed the subject and became more cautious: "But if she is deliberately testing you, she will definitely hide some mystery in it. For example, she gives you the box and a poem without a beginning or end, but does not tell you what kind of answer she wants you to give."
“Exactly.” Wuqing’s mind was as clear as a mirror, which was also what made things difficult for him by Xie Huailing. “But if she wants me to guess, it’s not to deliberately make things difficult or to deliberately obscure it. Such actions would only diminish her elegance. As long as I follow her test, her true meaning will surely be hidden within it.”
He composed himself, having already formed a plan, and then took his leave of Zhuge Zhengwo, asking him not to worry.
There was no other way, no other path to take. So, if Xie Huailing said it was a game, a case, then he would treat it as a game, a case, for now. Solving cases was something that was done relentlessly, year after year, day after day.
Back in his bedroom, Wuqing placed the ebony box on the table and took out his brush and ink. He didn't start with the ebony box, but instead copied down the poem Xie Huailing had recited. She hadn't explained what each syllable corresponded to, so he had to keep guessing and trying, which was itself a process that required multiple explorations.
Then, he would pick out the most likely version and think about what the poem or the question meant.
A thousand households and a hundred families are not too few; the fat pigs under the gate are my hometown. A lone ox walks under a single tree, revealing the arrival of spring; no one can match the brilliance of Tuomi.
Hidden meaning is impossible; Xie Huailing wouldn't use such a simple riddle. The meaning of the sentences is also nonsensical, making it difficult to form a poem. There are no corresponding parts in the lock and the ebony box either. Wuqing then tried to break the poem down and think about each sentence separately.
Like the tassels wrapped around a lantern, only by carefully untangling them can one retrieve the riddle hanging inside. By pondering the individual lines of text, Wuqing immediately grasps the key to understanding the mystery.
Indeed, it's a word puzzle. "Thousands of households, hundreds of families," emphasizing that it can't be considered few, forms the character "万" (wan, ten thousand). Similarly, "a pig under a door, and my hometown," forms the character "家" (jia, home). "An ox walking on a single log, returning in spring," forms the character "生" (sheng, life). "Humans not depending on each other, paired with the Amitabha Buddha," forms the character "佛" (fo, Buddha). Put them together: "万家生佛" (Wan jia sheng fo, Buddha born in ten thousand families), and the answer becomes clear.
But new questions arise one after another. Wuqing knew of "Wanjia Shengfo" Chai Yuguan, who died seven years ago in the Hengshan disaster. The killer was "Yunmeng Fairy" Wang Yunmeng. Why did Xie Huailing mention him? What was the connection between him and the box she gave him?
He had no choice but to think again, and Wuqing turned his gaze to the ebony box.
To ensure his attention was focused solely on the lock, the box was devoid of any other patterns; the lock itself was the only thing that caught his eye. Wuqing examined it thoroughly, with utmost care, before finally confirming that, just as Zhuge Zhengwo had described the "Wolf Lock," without the "key" inserted into the groove, the "Wolf Lock" was impossible to unlock. However, the upper half of the lock could be moved first, suggesting that unlocking it would likely require starting from the top.
Having made up his mind, Wuqing focused intently on studying the lock.
The "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" originates from the Taoist arts of Qimen Dunjia and the Zhouyi (Book of Changes) arithmetic, testing a person's mental calculation and responsiveness. The upper surface of the lock has nine pressable beads arranged in a grid, hence the name. Pressing them activates the internal mechanism, producing clear and melodious sounds of varying pitches. The person unlocking the lock must press the beads in a specific sequence and rhythm to unlock it.
Judging from its appearance alone, Wuqing did not find any trace that the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" had been modified. Without further hesitation, he tapped the surface of the lock, mentally calculated the sequence of numbers engraved on the beads, and pressed the first bead.
The following solution was completed almost in one go. A few years ago, Wuqing could play with this type of lock as a toy, and could unlock it without even looking. After about twenty breaths, with a crisp "click", the beads in the middle row of the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" sank down, revealing a hidden compartment three fingers long and one finger wide. Then, with another slight crisp sound, the wooden block on the left fell off and landed on the table.
This was an perfectly normal ending; that's how the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" was solved. But Wuqing was no ordinary person. He accurately detected something amiss from the last two sounds and discovered exactly where the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" had been altered to connect with the "Wolf Lock."
However, when he picked up the fallen piece of wood and tried to put it into the groove of the "wolf lock," he suddenly realized that he couldn't put it in no matter what he did.
The wooden block was slightly larger than the groove; it might be possible to force it in, but in the art of mechanisms, this was an intolerable margin of error. Seeing this, Wuqing paused, shifting his gaze to the hidden compartment that had appeared on the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock," frowning as he wondered if it could be…
No matter how much he thought about it, he decided to give it a try. Seeing that the size was just right, he carefully placed the wooden block into the hidden compartment and pressed it down gently.
After his fingers left, the two rows of beads suddenly started moving, as if the entire "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" had come to life. He then heard a series of sounds as the six beads he had pressed down bounced back up one after another, urging him to move on to the second round.
With three beads missing, the solution becomes increasingly difficult to discern, but this second round is not a challenge for Wuqing.
After another twenty or so breaths, he pressed the last bead, and the final sound rang out, but it did not come from the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock".
The "Wolf Lock" trembled for a moment, like a dying person being stabbed in the vital spot; without the strength to struggle, it met its end first. After its tremor, the wooden block placed from the hidden compartment fell out of its groove, and then it shattered into pieces, breaking into a pile of parts. The "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock," having lost its support, also broke in two, crashing together onto the merciless table.
It was only then that Wuqing understood the design of the mechanism lock. Xie Huailing had modified most of the "Wolf Lock," and it had lost its original mechanism characteristics. It was now affected by the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock." Once the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" was unlocked, the "Wolf Lock" would also be unlocked.
However, there were also parts he didn't understand, so he examined each of the mechanical parts one by one.
The two lock mechanisms are connected by a divination column. Therefore, when the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" moves, the "Wolf Lock" moves. This has nothing to do with the wooden block embedded in it. The wooden block only serves to open the divination column. So why add an extra design element to allow the wooden block to be transmitted to the "Wolf Lock" through the operation of the divination column and then fall out?
It could have been buried inside the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock," so that after the mechanism was unlocked, it wouldn't have fallen apart like an illusion collapsing, like—
A spark flashed through Ruthless's mind.
He pulled the Xuan paper inscribed with "May all families be blessed with Buddhahood" to his front, then rummaged through the parts of the lock. He seemed to have grasped Xie Huailing's intention. What was inside the box was unimportant; what mattered was the box itself. Xie Huailing was telling him something.
Tell him an old story from nine years ago, a secret that has been buried for many years.
Ruthless found the part he wanted, a small wooden block on the body of a "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock". In order to create distractions, the body of the "Nine Palaces Calculation Lock" is engraved with many words. What is engraved depends entirely on the person who made it. For example, this piece is engraved with "Golden Cicada".
The other part he was looking for was impossible to find because he didn't understand the Jin people's writing system. However, he already knew that among the wooden blocks with patterns carved on the "wolf lock," there must be one with characters carved on it, which meant "shedding the shell."
Wuqing let out a long breath, calmed himself down, and opened the box.
As if to verify his discovery, there was nothing of value in the box except a piece of paper with only one sentence on it.
This was Su Mengzhen's handwriting, which Wuqing recognized at a glance. The words, however, were what Xie Huailing wanted to say, and only Xie Huailing could utter them. It was just one short word, an extremely arrogant word. When she designed this riddle, she had already foreseen all the developments and calculated Wuqing's intelligence, leaving a score:
First.
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