Yangzhou Nine
As the sun sets, the distant mountains, a shimmering black, contrast beautifully with the afterglow in the sky. The eaves of Dayin Temple are draped in a warm yellow veil. The melodious sound of bells echoes through the mountains and forests, creating a picturesque scene.
Under two rows of towering trees, a cool and noble young man in a round-necked brocade robe stood opposite a slender man in a black robe.
"General Cheng, is there something wrong?" Su Zirui's face was indifferent, and even his tone was calm.
Cheng Sheng's facial expression was mostly obscured by his beard, leaving only his piercing eyes revealing a military aura. "Recently, the court has been in turmoil over the disappearance of the Lord. I never expected Lord Su to be hiding in Dayin Temple. I'm sure Lord Su will be overjoyed to know that the Lord is safe."
He wasn't in the capital, but he had been a general for many years and was not completely ignorant of the court's dynamics. In particular, Su Qingdu had used the disappearance of his only son to stir up such a huge storm.
Su Zirui's expression remained unchanged, as if what he had just said was merely a casual greeting. "I am under the Emperor's orders, so I cannot speak directly to the General. Please do not tell anyone about what happened today."
No wonder they say the officials of the Ministry of Justice are cunning. An imperial order and an outsider easily extinguished Cheng Sheng's desire to gain leverage over him. Such a person would definitely not be completely unaware of his presence in the guest room. Since he hadn't come to visit, it was certain that even if he knew, he wouldn't intervene.
Thinking of his experience in the northwest in his early years, Cheng Sheng's face changed slightly. He himself didn't want to deal with this person. But...
"Why is General Cheng at Dayin Temple? I vaguely remember that General Cheng was transferred back to the capital from the northwest half a year ago, but he hasn't taken up his post since returning. What's the problem?" Su Zirui had indeed known about Cheng Sheng's presence in Yangzhou, but his intentions were clearly not focused on the matter he was investigating. Peace and tranquility were best. Unfortunately, he couldn't pretend to have noticed now. From the commotion just now, it was clear that the man before him was somewhat interested in the girl next to Aruo.
Cheng Sheng's eyes flickered slightly, his expression somewhat gloomy. "I should have been here, but my mother is ill and has a knot in her heart. General Ning is kind enough to ask the emperor to grant me a year to accompany my mother in searching for my sister who has been missing for many years."
A flash of understanding appeared in his black eyes. Su Zirui had heard in the northwest that Cheng Sheng had a younger sister who went missing more than ten years ago. At that time, the Zhenyuan Army had sent people to help look for her, but the Cheng family soon gave up.
In those days, the border villages were rife with bandits, and the Cheng family wasn't the only one whose children went missing. A young girl stranded outside would likely be in grave danger. Furthermore... Back then, Su Zirui and the Ning family, during the crackdown on the mountain strongholds, had organized a public and private investigation to identify families with missing children, but the Cheng family wasn't among them. Back then, he hadn't been so active in the search, so it was truly strange that he still seemed so steadfast after all these years.
Irony was hidden in his cold eyes. Su Zirui was too lazy to delve into other people's family affairs and simply said, "So that's how it is. General Cheng is so filial. I believe there will be good news."
Cheng Sheng felt inexplicably depressed. He could hear the sarcasm in the other party's voice, but this person always spoke like that. He also couldn't tell outsiders about his family's affairs, so he could only bear it.
Since they both have secrets, then let's just stay out of each other's way. Cheng Sheng blinked, his brows slightly cramped, and he couldn't help scratching his head, "Well, Lord Su, why are you so familiar with them?"
Others don’t know, but Master Yiyuan is always mysterious and likes to quote from classics in a ambiguous way. But just now, when he talked to Su Zirui, he was not verbose at all, but rather a little presumptuous.
Su Zirui had clearly not expected the other party to ask this question after such a long pause, and for a moment he was both amused and annoyed. Seeing that he was asking seriously, Su Zirui could only remind him to avoid offending those people and hindering him. "You were also inappropriate just now. Even if you are anxious, you can't be too harsh on others..."
Before he could finish his words, a brown figure swiftly passed through the dormitories' archway. Su Zirui and the other man's brows trembled, and they moved quickly, closing in on him in an instant.
The visitor hadn't anticipated the swiftness of the two men's movements. He instinctively swung his palm, and before the palm wind had moved, the cold light of the sword and the silver spear flashed. Frightened, the visitor suddenly looked up, only to meet a pair of surprised black eyes.
"Bai Yong?" Su Zirui's mind raced. He drew his sword and slapped the man with his palm, knocking him away from the spear. The man fell heavily to the ground, and before he could turn over, he was grabbed by the chest and forced into the other party's hands.
"It's really you!" With a cold look in his eyes, Su Zirui turned his wrist slightly, and the cold sword light cut through the air.
The man he was clutching was wearing a brown monk's robe, with two scars on his bald head. His horrified face was Bai Yong, the man from the Beijing gambling house. His expression changed drastically, and he struggled to free himself. "It wasn't me!"
"Lord Su, be careful!" Cheng Sheng, unaware of the situation, saw that he had murderous intentions and quickly stopped him. He had been at Dayin Temple for several months and had seen this monk before, but he didn't know what the feud between them was.
"The Ministry of Justice is arresting fugitives, and no one else should get involved."
Bai Yong heard this and fought back with all his might. During the struggle, his monk's robe ripped from his chest, and he fell backward. Su Zirui's grip loosened, and the tiger tattoo on his chest, marked with several scars, caught his eye.
The wailing, the begging for mercy, the blood-stained everything, as well as the deep shame and resentment suddenly burst out from the calm eyes, the meridians in the body boiled, the sword energy surged and sharp, and in an instant it went towards the person on the ground.
"stop--"
At the critical moment, the silver spear and scimitar stabbed into the ground simultaneously, barely blocking the long sword. At the same time, Bai Yong was grabbed by the collar and pulled away.
"Lord Su!" Cheng Sheng growled, and was caught off guard by those cold eyes that were filled with crazy murderous intent, and his heart trembled.
Qin Zhi and Yiyuan looked solemn, with a hint of suspicion in their eyes.
"Su Feng?" Aruo called out subconsciously upon arriving and seeing the chaos. This was the first time she had seen this man's undisguised murderous intent; even back in Sizhou, he hadn't been as crazy as he was now.
A voice filled with surprise and worry echoed from the side. Su Zirui's rationality returned instantly, as if conscious. He closed his eyes lightly, a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen, and without warning, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, he saw the girl approaching him with a drastic change of expression.
The anxiety between her brows and the tears in her eyes momentarily dazed him. While his mind was clear, a surge of internal energy coursed through his internal organs. Su Zirui, struggling to suppress the sweet, fishy taste in his throat, let himself lean against her frail shoulder. A faint peach fragrance lingered around him, and the intense hatred slowly subsided. His cold eyes lowered, all the murderous intent gathered within them, and his face grew even paler.
"Su Feng, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me..." Aruo and Qin Zhi supported him closely. She instinctively wanted to look at Yiyuan, but an inexplicable sense of crisis suddenly hit her. She felt a chill on her spine and looked up at the pale handsome face with worry.
"Didn't you hear Doctor Song telling you not to use your internal energy?" Qin Zhi frowned as he watched him unceremoniously leaning most of his strength towards him.
Su Zirui narrowed his cold eyes, supported her hand and steadied himself. He gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth before lowering his sword. He looked coldly at Yi Yuan who was standing in front of Bai Yong, "Master Yi Yuan is so brave to harbor a fugitive from the imperial court."
Bai Yong knew that he had caused trouble for his master, his face turned pale, and he lowered his head slightly and clasped his hands together.
Yiyuan suppressed the urge to pull someone over and give him a good beating. He raised his palm expressionlessly, "I don't know who you are talking about, sir. There is no wanted criminal in Dayin Temple. Only Xuanqing has transcended the worldly world and converted to Buddhism."
Before harboring someone, why not look at himself first? Besides, what Bai Yong committed in Beijing wasn't a capital crime. He was just a fugitive, so why was he so nervous... Yiyuan stared indifferently at the man in front of him, whose emotions were rarely and obviously fluctuating, and his doubts grew.
"Do you know that this man is a remnant of the Menghu Village in Liangzhou? The Menghu Village has committed many evil deeds, and all the people who came out of it are extremely treacherous and evil. The imperial court had already issued a clear order when it was eradicating the village that everyone in the village must be killed." Cheng Sheng frowned and looked at the two monks with disapproval.
When that familiar name came out, Yiyuan and Aruo both trembled slightly, but they reacted quickly and calmly. Yiyuan remained motionless, his eyebrows and eyes indifferent, his face still with that unfathomable expression, "Buddha is merciful. If those who lay down their butcher knives can sincerely repent, Buddhism will not turn them away."
"After doing so many bad things, if you repent, you will be accepted by Buddhism. Buddhism is too indulgent. How can there be such a good thing in the world if you just put down your butcher knife and wipe out your past?" Cheng Sheng said in a deep voice.
He has never believed in Buddhism, and he hates these unreasonable bald men even more. In the past, the Tiger Stronghold had been wreaking havoc in the northwest for a long time, countless people suffered, hundreds of boys were brutally humiliated, and many families were broken. If a word of repentance can now absolve him of the crime, what does it matter to those innocent people who died?
"Even if he is imprisoned, his crime is not punishable by death. He will just be transferred to another place of imprisonment. Xuanqing was still young when he was in Menghuzhai, and he never did those sinister things that the donor mentioned. And in the capital... he did help Lord Su a lot in the previous case and bought time for those babies. Now he sincerely repents and is willing to atone for his sins in front of the Buddha, practicing asceticism to serve the Buddha every day. I have no intention of stopping him." Yiyuan said coldly, and in his heart he cursed the person who had been causing him trouble thousands of times.
"Master Yiyuan, you are quite clear about what he did before." Su Zirui said mockingly with a cold look in his eyes.
After Bai Yong escaped the capital, the Ministry of Justice sent troops to intercept him, but found nothing. Unexpectedly, he was hiding in Yangzhou. The monk before him clearly knew Bai Yong's past, yet he still accepted him as his disciple, demonstrating his lack of regard for the law. How could such a person be a renowned monk at Dayin Temple?
The two of them were in a subtle standoff. Qin Zhi glanced at Aruo, who had been silent and lowered his head since a while ago. Unable to bear the tense atmosphere, he quietly touched Aruo's elbow.
Tiger Village... Aruo's eyelids twitched, she gritted her teeth and looked up, suddenly looking into a pair of deep, probing black eyes, which frightened her so much that she almost broke down, and a sinister chill climbed up her spine.
"Su, Su Feng, that... wasn't the Tiger Village massacred? Bai, Xuanqing was born there, but he's not a particularly treacherous villain. Yiyuan is also kind-hearted..."
Damn, that look was so scary, she couldn’t continue.
Su Zirui half-closed his eyes, his thoughts unseen. "Do you know the Tiger Village?"
"Uh," Aruo's fingers, supporting his, moved slightly uncontrollably. She suppressed the urge to ask Yiyuan for help and said weakly, "Isn't that what you just mentioned... Also, I've been in the northwest for a few years, so of course I've heard about the massacre at the Tiger Village."
"Oh?" Su Zirui snorted coldly, lowering his head and giving her a very faint smile, "Then you know... the one who slaughtered the Tiger Village was me."
Suddenly looking up, Aruo was in shock. She had heard Lao Cai mention that he had done great things in the northwest, but she didn't dare to connect him with the events of the Tiger Village. Back then, she...
Aruo opened his lips, but his throat was too dry to speak.
"Are you scared?" Before Su Zirui could finish his words, a fishy-sweet taste surged in his throat and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Su is crazy!" Aruo looked at Yiyuan in horror. The latter grabbed his wrist and frowned.
"Master Su, your injury shouldn't be treated with internal energy. You..." Yiyuan choked suddenly, remembering that he had asked Aruo to find someone for help. The monk, who had just had a confrontation, felt a little guilty. "Let's go in first. The doctor left some pills for you. Take them quickly. Aruo, bring the person in."
Shit, is this the rhythm of asking her to play forward? She doesn't want to... Aruo looked at Qin Zhi.
Qin Zhi completely ignored her pleas for help and pulled Cheng Sheng aside to explain Bai Yong's problem. The situation was already chaotic enough, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble. As for these two... they saved people so casually, so they just had to bear with it for now.
He was very busy as he had to look for Cai Xin who was missing and Lin Ya who had been missing for several days.
Aruo pursed her lips and resigned herself to helping the man turn around. For a moment, she wasn't sure whether his hands were cold or hers.
"Big Beard, let me ask you, do you know the third daughter of Mr. Lin, the Lianghuai Salt Transport Commissioner?" Qin Zhi changed the question after watching the person leave.
They originally turned back to ask about Lin Ya, but unexpectedly saw the two men attacking Xuan Qing.
Of course Qin Zhi knew Xuan Qing's background, but he didn't object to what his friend decided to do.
"My mother is a distant relative of Madam Lin. What's the matter?" Cheng Sheng was a little surprised that he asked about this.
"Aruo once saw you two talking on the street. Did you notice anything unusual about her that day?" Qin Zhi's eyes lit up and he asked quickly.
Cheng Sheng glanced at him suspiciously, reflecting on what had happened that day. His mother had fallen out with Madam Lin over his younger sister's disappearance, and she hadn't considered visiting her on her trip to Yangzhou. It was only when she'd chanced upon Lin Ya on the street that day that she'd approached him. It had been only a brief conversation, though. She was incredibly timid and fearful, and if she hadn't felt guilty towards the Cheng family, she probably wouldn't have forced herself to approach him.
"No, she doesn't talk much. She just said hello and asked some interesting questions about the ghost market." Cheng Sheng shook his head.
It sounds like there is no problem. Qin Zhi was not disappointed and smiled slightly, "Thank you, General. I won't bother you anymore."
"Wait." Are these people from the Jianghu so quick to come and go? Seeing him turn around and leave, Cheng Sheng hurriedly shouted, "If you have any news about Miss Caixin, please let me know. I'll also check around here."
Qin Zhi was not surprised by his plan and nodded readily. How could he refuse an extra helper?
Worried about Caixin's safety, Aruo was unable to deal with Su Zirui's inquiring gaze and overly sharp questions. After sending him back to the room and watching him take the medicine, he found an excuse to slip away.
Su Zirui did not keep anyone, but just sat quietly by the window looking at the white wall outside, until the dim light and shadow gradually became smaller and finally returned to darkness.
"Sir," Beili leaped into the room silently and bowed respectfully, "It is almost certain that Miss Caixin should still be in the mountains. But there is something strange in this mountain."
They had left people outside Dayin Temple, but unfortunately, the men in black were likely disguised as pilgrims, so they hadn't caught their attention. However, Master Yiyuan had chased them after the incident, and they hadn't had time to change clothes, so they were likely still inside the mountain. However, there was something strange about this mountain: after entering, their men generally stayed in the same area, and their locations changed with the time of day.
"What you can confirm, the White Flame Gang can confirm as well. They've probably already determined the location, and they'll go up the mountain tonight to search for him."
Ning Caixin is from the Qin family, they won't wait another night. Even if the Qin family wants to wait, the girl won't wait.
"Old Chen's elixir can only keep you going for a while. You used your internal energy again today. Sir, your injuries..." Beili couldn't help but ask with concern when he saw that his face was sickly pale.
Su Zirui raised his hand and waved, his eyes cold, "It's okay."
The poisoning was real, but the impact wasn't too significant. Besides, I was afraid I wouldn't have a peaceful night.
"The matter of Bai Yong is my fault." Beizao had previously secretly investigated the monks of Dayin Temple and failed to discover this familiar figure. He was truly ashamed of his negligence. If Bai Yong was an enemy, then the safety of the master and even the entire situation would be disrupted.
Su Zirui looked down at his hands. The girl's reaction was strange when she held him, as if she was extremely nervous, and her fingertips were cold. Not only her, but also Yiyuan. Especially when they talked about the Tiger Village, the two of them didn't even make eye contact.
From the time she was besieged to the time Ning Caixin got into trouble, she had always looked to Yiyuan first, proving that he was the person she trusted the most. This reaction now was too deliberate, and therefore suspicious.
It's just that... he personally slaughtered all the members of the Menghuzhai back then. There's no way any of them escaped, unless that person was lying. The Qi family is a prominent clan in Shu, and the Menghuzhai incident happened ten years ago. There's no way she could be connected to the Menghuzhai...
So, what is she panicking about?
"Beili, I want to see someone." Su Zirui's slender knuckles slowly clenched into a fist, his eyes cold and firm.
"who?"
"Jing Lan, the magistrate of Futian County, south of Yangzhou."
Beili was slightly surprised, "Former Liangzhou Tongpan?"
He knew this man; a brilliant young man. He had made great contributions as an insider in the suppression of Menghuzhai. Later, Su Qing recommended him for an official position in Liangzhou. Within a few years, he had risen to the position of Tongpan (Tongpan), and his career should have been very successful. But four years later, Jing Lan, for unknown reasons, had offended the Marquis of Dingbei, and soon after, he was schemed and demoted. He hadn't been heard from since. From what the adults said, this man was now the magistrate of Futian County? When had he been reinstated?
"Tell him that an old friend is here to visit." Su Zirui turned his head and smiled lightly. His gentle eyebrows were soft and elegant in the newly fallen moonlight, and he looked like a handsome young man.
Beili was startled and quickly nodded in agreement.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
