Chapter 3, Chapter 3: The Small Tombstone Recalls the Entire Story...
The small tombstone vividly recounts the story that Qiu Shuang would tell every time she came to the grave on the mountain.
But aside from knowing Lin Huaijin's identity, there seems to be no information related to the murderer.
Fortunately, now that his destination is Yanjing, the investigation can begin with the two people Qiushuang had suspected.
The little tombstone walked along the road, head down, sorting through the events of that year, unaware that a carriage had stopped beside it.
"Young man."
The little tombstone hadn't realized the voice was calling him yet, and continued walking with its head down. Using demonic power to travel was too conspicuous, and Su Xiaochun had repeatedly told him to hide his demonic identity. He wouldn't disobey him so soon after coming down the mountain.
The person in the carriage called out again, "Young man, wait a moment."
The little tombstone then realized that he and the carriage were the only ones on the road. He stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.
Are you calling me?
When he finally stopped, the people in the carriage lifted the curtain and got off.
"He is calling for his younger brother."
"Is there something you need?"
The little tombstone looked at the first person he met on his way down the mountain. He looked like a young master from a wealthy family. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a boy dressed as a child following behind him.
"To be honest, my map was unfortunately damaged. Seeing you walking alone here, young man, you must either have a map or be familiar with this area."
"You want my map?"
The richly dressed man in front of him was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting him to be so straightforward, but having a map was good enough.
"But I need to use it myself."
"Where are you headed, young man? I see you traveling alone in these mountains, and I am worried about your safety. Besides, your footwork is no match for a carriage. Why don't I give you a ride? Once we reach the nearest town, I can buy a map."
"Yanjing." The little tombstone ignored the long, rambling string of words that followed; he really couldn't understand how humans could be so verbose.
"Oh my, what a coincidence! My destination is Yanjing, so why don't we travel together?"
The little tombstone glanced at the carriage behind it, thinking it was easier than walking there on his own.
"Can."
—
Invited to board the carriage, Xiao Tombstone looked around. It was the first time he had ever seen what a human carriage looked like inside. He wondered if Xiaochun would like it.
"My name is Su Yuanshuang. May I ask your name, young brother?"
The little tombstone was taken aback when he heard the name. What a coincidence! He only knew a few people and demons, and two of the three characters in Su Yuanshuang's name sounded the same as the names of people he knew.
Su Yuanshuang noticed the gaze on the small tombstone: "Is there anything inappropriate in what I said?"
"It's nothing, it's just that you and my friend share the same last name."
"I see. Then we two are truly destined to meet."
The small tombstone pondered Su Yuanshuang's question carefully. Surname, given name—the first thing that came to mind was the surname engraved on the tombstone itself.
"My surname is Lin, and my given name is... Mushi."
It is indeed a tombstone.
Su Yuanshuang paused upon hearing his name. Would an ordinary family give someone such a name? Although there is a saying in some places that giving someone a humble name makes it easier for them to be raised, isn't this name a bit unlucky?
"But is this how 'twilight' is written?"
He dipped his finger in tea and wrote the character "暮" (dusk) on the small table inside the carriage.
The carriage curtain was lifted, interrupting the conversation between the two people inside. Lin Mushi turned his head and saw that the person who had entered was someone he had seen with Su Yuanshuang not long ago.
"Young master, it's time to review your studies."
"I understand. Go and find the book I was reading yesterday."
Su Yuanshuang waved to the man and introduced him to Lin Mushi: "Brother Lin, this is a servant I brought from my home, named Shan Qing. I'm afraid I won't have time to entertain you for the next few days. If you get bored while traveling, you might as well go find Shan Qing to relieve your boredom."
"You want to read a book?"
“Yes.” Su Yuanshuang pulled out a book from the stack of books that Shan Qing had brought.
Lin Mushi looked at the stack of books, his eyes filled with curiosity: "May I look at them?"
"Young Brother Lin, please make yourself at home."
Lin Mushi didn't pick and choose; he took the top book from the pile.
He flipped through a few pages, which were full of classical Chinese phrases, making his head spin. He turned the pages again, but there were no pictures on any of them, so he simply closed the book and put it back in its place.
Su Yuanshuang took a sip of tea and noticed Lin Mushi's actions: "Why aren't you watching anymore, young brother Lin?"
"This book is full of words."
Su Yuanshuang put down her teacup and smiled: "Of course, the book is full of words."
The carriage curtain was lifted again, but Shan Qing did not enter. His voice rang out from outside the carriage: "Young Master, Madam instructed you to keep reading throughout the journey."
Su Yuanshuang sighed, "I'm just taking a break." Seeing that Shan Qing was about to nag, he glanced apologetically at Lin Mushi and picked up his book again.
—
Lin Mushi glanced at Su Yuanshuang, who was studying, then got up and walked outside to sit down next to Shan Qing.
Does your young master have any picture books?
Shan Qing glanced sideways at Lin Mushi, who sat down next to him: "You're talking about storybooks, right? My young master doesn't read those kinds of books."
"Doesn't your young master get a headache from reading those books full of obscure and pedantic words?"
Shan Qing glared at him: "What nonsense are you spouting? My young master is going to take the imperial examinations, so naturally he reads only the classics."
Lin Mushi didn't understand these things and was afraid of revealing that he wasn't human, so he didn't say anything more.
Seeing his ignorant appearance, Shan Qing started talking: "My young master is not an ordinary person. He won the runner-up in the provincial examination last year. He came to the capital this time to participate in the imperial examination."
The unassuming tombstone, more eager to hear stories than those erudite books, didn't detect the boastfulness in Shan Qing's tone; instead, it piqued his interest.
Receiving Lin Mushi's gaze, Shan Qing felt even more relieved and continued, "Do you know Lord Xie in the capital? He's the top scholar personally selected by His Majesty and betrothed to Princess Huayang."
Lin Mushi's eyes lit up when he heard the words "Princess Huayang". As for the Lord Xie that Shan Qing mentioned, he was a top scholar and a frequent character in storybooks. Presumably, that Lord Xie was similar to the one in the storybooks.
Thinking of this, Lin Mushi, although he had no idea who the Lord Xie that Shan Qing mentioned was, still agreed to Shan Qing's words and vaguely said, "I have heard of him."
Shan Qing gave Lin Mushi a knowing look and said smugly:
“That Lord Xie is related to my young master. He even praised my young master’s writing before.” Shan Qing paused for a moment, then added, “My young master should call him his cousin.”
Lin Mushi didn't understand how much difference there was between "some" and "calculated" in Shan Qing's words; he was more concerned about Princess Huayang, whom Shan Qing mentioned.
Now that he had someone who could gather information, Lin Mushi naturally wouldn't let the opportunity pass him by. Without even being tactful, he asked bluntly, "What kind of person is that Princess Huayang?"
The topic changed too quickly, and Shan Qing gave Lin Mushi a strange look. "The only daughter of the current princess, she must be a fairy-like figure."
This was certainly not the answer Lin Mushi wanted. He simply asked the question directly: "I heard that Princess Huayang is missing..."
Before Lin Mushi could finish speaking, Shan Qing covered his mouth. Shan Qing glanced around, then turned to glare at Lin Mushi, and said in a low voice:
"This is not something we can discuss. If you're looking for trouble, don't drag me into it."
After saying that, Shan Qing let go of Lin Mushi's hand and moved to the side, clearly no longer intending to talk to him.
—
Lin Mushi simply shut up. Fortunately, they had a carriage, and the rest of the journey wasn't far.
After a bumpy eight or nine days in the carriage, the group finally saw the city gate of Yanjing.
Just as Wu Nian had predicted, at the city gate, besides the soldiers guarding the city, there was also a middle-aged man dressed in a Taoist robe.
The procession entering the city soon reached them.
Lin Mushi squeezed the jade pendant Su Xiaochun had given him, then handed the travel permit he was carrying to the soldiers at the city gate. The sorcerer beside him glanced at him and then looked away.
After paying the toll to enter the city, Lin Mushi got back into the carriage.
The carriage hadn't gone more than a few steps when it was stopped. Lin Mushi, through his clothes, held the jade pendant and peered over to see Shan Qing talking to the soldiers who had stopped them.
The soldiers' rough voices came through the lifted curtain into the carriage: "An official is entering the city. Please make way."
Lin Mushi exhaled and released the jade pendant from his hand.
The carriage was pulled aside, and a loud clatter of hooves approached from afar.
Lin Mushi stayed beside Su Yuanshuang, raised his eyes and looked out through the gap in the carriage window curtain, and unexpectedly met the gaze of the person sitting in the carriage that had just entered the city.
As a cold, indifferent gaze fell upon him, Lin Mushi felt a powerful demonic force for a fleeting moment.
He was certain he wasn't mistaken; the demonic power was indeed coming from the person in the carriage outside.
This was the first time he had ever seen a demon act so openly and without any restraint in front of others.
—
Fortunately, the carriage was traveling very fast and soon disappeared from Lin Mushi's sight.
Su Yuanshuang coughed twice, drawing Lin Mushi's attention back: "Young Brother Lin, what are you so engrossed in looking at?"
Lin Mushi shook his head. His purpose in coming to Yanjing was to repay his debt of gratitude and continue his cultivation. As for the great demons who appeared openly in the mortal world, it was just a novelty for him to see them for the first time.
It should be understood that although humans and demons coexist in this world, humans are the most intelligent of all beings, while demons are subject to many limitations.
Seeing Lin Mushi shake his head, Su Yuanshuang changed the subject: "I haven't yet asked what brings you to Yanjing, young brother Lin? Do you have a place to stay?"
"Not yet. I came to the capital to find someone." Lin Mushi was unusually tactful, saying directly that he came to Yanjing to find someone and seek revenge. It's likely that his plan will be aborted before it even begins.
Su Yuanshuang: "Do you have a specific address for the person you're looking for?"
Lin Mushi: "No, not either."
Su Yuanshuang: "In that case, my family has prepared a house in the capital for my studies. If you don't mind, you can stay at my house first, and leave after you have found out the news of the person you are looking for."
Shan Qing, standing to the side, seemed to want to say something but hesitated, and because of Su Yuanshuang, he opened his mouth but ultimately kept quiet.
"Thank you." Lin Mushi thought for a moment and then agreed. Following this Young Master Su, he might be able to meet Princess Huayang's husband, who was a top scholar.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Su Xiaochun: You just agreed?! What if he's a bad person?!
Lin Mushi: (Feeling guilty) (Looks away)
Xie's father will appear in the next chapter.
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