Chapter 36 Changxingfang That person, dressed in blue, looked somewhat like him…
...
Pei Xueyi tilted her head and called out, "A-Yun?"
Jiang Geyun paused for a moment, holding the hairpin, then realized she had been distracted. She withdrew her hand and said to Pei Xueyi, "I'm sorry."
Pei Xueyi waved her hand dismissively and said, "I understand. If this happened to me, I would be worried too."
Beside them, some people were busily packing luggage for Pei Xueyi, who was about to embark on a long journey.
“What I just told A-Yun were the most basic spells,” Pei Xueyi said, holding Jiang Geyun’s hands and pouting. “If I could be with A-Yun, A-Yun wouldn’t need to learn them.”
Jiang Geyun smiled faintly and shook her head.
Pei Xueyi racked her brains and said, "Let me think of something else I can tell Ayun... about the situation of the dead in the mission?"
Jiang Geyun said, "It has already been explained."
In investigating murder cases, being able to get the deceased to speak can save a lot of effort.
Even considering the possibility that the deceased may be unwilling to speak, or that they may be influenced to tell lies, the effectiveness of the soul-summoning ritual remains beyond doubt.
However, the Xuandujian officials investigated and found that none of the deceased in the mission case met the conditions for a soul-summoning ceremony, so the ceremony could not be performed.
Xuan Dujian had various speculations about this. It was possible that the soul had suffered irreversible damage and could no longer communicate, or it might be related to race. The souls of the Tulan people did not have a high degree of recognition of the Great Zhou and might not be willing to answer the call.
It could also be... that the manner of death was unusual.
For example, dying from a weapon formed from one's natal fire.
To explain to Jiang Geyun as vividly as possible, Pei Xueyi casually gave this example.
Clearly, Pei Xueyi did not think that Xuan Dujian had the possibility or need to do this, and therefore was not worried about such a suspicious situation, so she spoke without thinking.
The main message she wanted to convey was that summoning spirits has very high requirements for the soul of the deceased and other aspects, and in the case of the mission, it is not a method that can be used casually.
Lu Jianzheng also said the same thing to Jiang Geyun.
This morning, when the old fox...Lu Jianzheng saw her, his face was full of regret, pity, and sorrow.
Xuan Dujian had no investigative methods for the dead, nor for the living who were "missing."
In short, Xuan Du Jian cannot handle this case.
They're practically incompetent police officers from movies and TV shows.
However, regardless of the reality, those people couldn't possibly be so incompetent; there must be some deeper reason behind it.
Sure enough, after recounting the powerlessness of Xuandu Supervisor, Supervisor Lu, as if just recalling a trivial matter, stroked his beard and said leisurely:
"I almost forgot, Lord Pei is leaving this afternoon. Would you like to see him off, Lord Jiang?"
So, Pei Xueyi brought Jiang Geyun, who had been taken to Xuandujian, to see Lu Jianzheng, and then went back to find Pei Xueyi.
The two talked for a very long time, so long that Jiang Geyun became somewhat dazed.
...
Upon hearing Jiang Geyun's answer, Pei Xueyi pondered for a moment and said, "Then only this matter remains."
Jiang Geyun's spirits lifted.
It's here!
The fact that Lu Jianzheng indirectly arranged for Jiang Geyun to meet Pei Xueyi suggests that it wasn't just a formality for them to say goodbye. There must be something Lu Jianzheng couldn't say directly and needed to convey through Pei Xueyi.
However, the groundwork laid beforehand was far too long.
Pei Xueyi told Jiang Geyun about many basic spells mastered by the Zhenyi Division, and also gave Jiang Geyun a stack of finished talismans. She also shared a lot of her understanding of the case.
That sounds good.
However, during the process, Pei Xueyi inserted more content that could be described as concern or complaints, and only about two or three out of ten sentences were useful, so it's no wonder that Jiang Geyun would lose focus.
After their meeting at the private prison in the mountain villa, their relationship grew much closer, and Jiang Geyun trusted Pei Xueyi more.
Jiang Geyun should have realized that Pei Xueyi was so cheerful and talkative even when they were strangers, let alone when they became familiar!
Seeing that the topic was finally getting to the heart of the matter, Jiang Geyun pretended not to care and quickly replied, "What is it?"
Pei Xueyi said, "When all hope seems lost, Jiang Da... Ah Yun might try her luck at Changxingfang."
No need to change your tune.
Jiang Geyun could tell perfectly well that these were words instructed by Lu Jianzheng.
In situations like these, it's best to be a little oblivious.
Jiang Geyun asked in confusion, "Changxingfang?"
Pei Xueyi said happily, "It's in the Hu Si area, it's so much fun! You can find lots of new and interesting things to do there!"
This is probably what Pei Xueyi wanted to say all along.
Jiang Geyun asked with a smile, "That sounds really interesting, but why did Xueyi suggest I go when I'm at my wit's end?"
Pei Xueyi's tone became noticeably uncertain. She said, "Maybe it's because there's everything there, which can inspire you to come up with a lot of interesting ideas?"
Jiang Geyun nodded and said, "I see."
In other words, the place is a mixed bag, and some things that are inconvenient to discuss openly might be resolved there.
Jiang Geyun readily agreed, but Pei Xueyi was somewhat dissatisfied.
Pei Xueyi said, "It's not that complicated. To be honest, it's better to go and pray to Lord Yuantian."
Jiang Geyun asked in surprise, "Are you seeking divine guidance?"
Pei Xueyi said mysteriously, "This deity is extraordinary. He is incredibly efficacious and kind-hearted. Many things don't need Xuan Dujian to handle; we can just ask the deity for help!"
Where could there be such a magical deity?
Jiang Geyun smiled and shook her head.
Pei Xueyi said, "There must be believers of the Divine Lord in Yingzhou, right? Why does A-Yun seem to have never heard of them?"
Jiang Geyun was not a native of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so she couldn't really say she was familiar with this kind of background knowledge, and she was caught off guard when asked.
She quickly composed herself and explained, "I had never met the deity before and did not know his nature."
Pei Xueyi didn't press further, and nodded naturally, saying, "After all, not all temples are effective. The way of the gods is elusive, and it's normal that ordinary people can't follow it. It's probably because the temples in Yingzhou aren't very useful."
Can we really use the word "effective" to describe deities?
Jiang Geyun said helplessly, "Xueyi, do you believe in God or not?"
Pei Xueyi understood Jiang Geyun's meaning. She smiled brightly and said, "Those who have no desires don't need to believe in God. I have desires, so believing in Him is a perfect exchange."
This coincides with Jiang Geyun's thoughts, or rather, many modern people have this idea of believing things only when they are useful.
Jiang Geyun was simply surprised that Pei Xueyi could be so composed.
While Jiang Geyun was pondering, Pei Xueyi had already moved on to the next topic.
"Jingzhou is still too desolate, I really don't want to go..."
Jiang Geyun said, "It's just that the climate there is a bit cold; it's not exactly desolate."
Pei Xueyi leaned into Jiang Geyun's arms and mumbled, "It's so desolate compared to the capital!"
Jiang Geyun casually patted Pei Xueyi's head and said thoughtfully, "Speaking of Jingzhou, I have something I want to entrust to Xueyi."
"Huh? What?"
*
"Girl, what exactly do you want?"
The vendor behind the stall was completely wrapped in a suspicious black cloth, and his words sounded somewhat impatient.
Jiang Geyun calmly stood up and said, "I'll just take a look."
The vendor stretched out a hand and waved it vigorously, no longer hiding his impatience, and shouted, "Don't look if you're not going to buy!"
Jiang Geyun passed away with regret.
It's not that regrettable.
The items on that stall weren't anything special; they were probably worthless trinkets used to trick people into buying them. This kind of thing happens in every era, and it's nothing short of a fleeting moment of beauty that lasts forever.
Lu Jianzheng subtly told her about the special features of Changxingfang through Pei Xueyi, and Pei Xueyi also praised it highly. She thought there would be something even more amazing than anything she had ever seen before.
In reality, it is indeed quite prosperous and interesting.
The houses in the neighborhood are crooked and crowded, with a mix of foreign and ancient styles. One place looks like a teahouse in Jiangnan, but the building next to it has a Persian-style dome. The air is filled with the aromas of spices, tea, wine, and cosmetics, and the people coming and going are no longer a single group.
For the natives of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Changxingfang was a very new place, but for Jiang Geyun, who had two sets of memories, very few places could surprise her.
The divination and prophecy bureau is one example.
The administration building is terrifying.
I should have told her she was from the Bureau of Prophecy.
When Jiang Geyun went to look at the vendor's items, it wasn't because she had her eye on anything, but because there was a copper tag among the pile of things that read "Cause and effect follow the heavens, and light enters the net through a crack."
Judging from the meaning of the divination slip, that thing should be related to the God of Fate.
Jiang Geyun had never paid attention to this deity before, nor did she think there were many related beings. But once she became aware of it, she felt that she could see traces of this deity everywhere.
It's not exactly suspicious; there's a corresponding principle behind it.
The Bader-Meinhof phenomenon, where after encountering a piece of information for the first time, one will "frequently" encounter it again, thus creating the illusion that this thing is everywhere, is essentially a kind of attentional and cognitive bias.
However, even the deity believed in by Pei Xueyi, the Night Watcher, is subordinate to the "Mountain God" in Yunling Manor...
What kind of deity is this?
As Jiang Geyun pondered, she strolled along Changxingfang Street.
In broad daylight, with her sword and having learned the techniques of the Zhenyi Division, she was somewhat more at ease than before.
Therefore, when she saw a man in blue being harassed ahead, she didn't think of just watching and waiting, but instead went to help him.
The shop must have been selling paper umbrellas; they were hanging on the signboard, displayed on the stalls, and even the sky over that small section of the street was completely obscured by the open umbrellas.
Looking up, the sky is filled with flowers and birds of all four seasons, and mountains and clouds.
Sunlight filters through the paper umbrella, weaving a dappled pattern of light and shadow that casts a dreamlike glow on the people passing by.
The figure of the man in blue was mostly obscured by the layers of umbrellas, and Jiang Geyun could only vaguely see the section from his chest to his calves, just like a pine tree and a bamboo grove.
Across from the man in blue, a shopkeeper was enthusiastically handing him an umbrella.
The man in blue leaned back slightly, clearly not wanting the weapon the shopkeeper offered.
That's alright, at least she doesn't have to stand up for herself.
But the man was dressed in blue and looked somewhat like him.
Jiang Geyun looked around, then casually picked up a paper umbrella painted with white camellias and walked towards the man in blue.
Holding a closed umbrella, she walked through the cloud-like cluster of paper umbrellas, as if a curtain were being drawn back before her eyes.
One step, two steps, besides the overlapping light and shadow, there is also the subtle rustling sound of paper umbrellas rubbing against each other as the wind passes.
After squeezing her way to the person in blue, she smiled and asked the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, how much is this umbrella?"
The shopkeeper stopped his enthusiastic sales pitch and said to the customer, Jiang Geyun, "Is this your first time here, sir? My umbrellas are no ordinary products!"
This starting move doesn't look cheap.
Jiang Geyun sighed inwardly for the man in blue. She turned to look at him, about to say "Go quickly," but froze on the spot.
Under the dazzling light and shadow, Su Heng was smiling as he looked at her.
He said, "Miss Jiang, what a coincidence."
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Author's Note: A surprise is coming—!
I have something very important to prepare for these next couple of days, and I'm afraid I'll forget to update, so I'm just putting this chapter in advance. There will be another update on Tuesday and Wednesday, but I've run out of drafts, so it depends on how fast I finish writing. I can update on Wednesday to avoid missing out. Thank you all for your support, I'm so happy! [kissing emojis]
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