Chapter 269 Searching for Her
Ouyang Rong suddenly stood up.
He sat on the couch, holding the bedding in his arms.
He turned his head in a daze.
A pitch-black room.
The white moonlight flowed onto the floor in front of the bed.
There are also wooden windows that constantly let in the chirping of insects in summer.
It was past midnight, the moon was still as water, and he was still on his bed in the familiar plum grove courtyard.
The young magistrate looked dazed.
"Why am I awake again? It's still that very long dream..."
With a soft murmur, Ouyang Rong lowered his head and rubbed his numb face.
He casually murmured, "Craftsmanship."
The words had barely left his lips.
A long, narrow wooden box leaned against the foot of the bookshelf, about three zhang away from the bed.
"Thump—!" "Bang—!"
The sound, like pulling a trigger, echoed in the room. The wooden sword case suddenly opened, like a butterfly spreading its wings.
On the right "wing", a long sword is inserted diagonally, its snow-white blade emitting a hazy moonlight.
It is the Moonlight Longsword.
The left "wing" was empty... No, the sword nurtured on the left wing was too fast, faster than the blink of an eye.
An arc, suspended silently in the very center of the pitch-black inner room.
Ouyang Rong let out a long breath, seemingly relieved.
He rolled over and got out of bed.
Pushing open the window, Ouyang Rong, dressed in a thin white undershirt, looked up at the moon with a worried expression.
In the sky, the crescent moon, like a knife, hangs in the western sky.
Inside the room, the cauldron and sword, like an arc, hung silently in mid-air.
Ouyang Rong turned his back to the "craftsman" and gazed at the moon in a daze.
I have been down the mountain for three days since I recovered from my illness and woke up.
He was ready to regroup and start afresh, but for the past three days, he has been plagued by a strange dream every night.
Even when handling official business at the county government office during the day, he would often lose focus.
I am currently lucid, but the fragmented memories of my dream are still vivid in my mind.
He felt a surge of heat throughout his body, as if he had swallowed a golden crow, and then he touched a slender figure as cool as the moon.
One hot, one cold; the sun and moon merging together.
Ouyang Rong vaguely remembered that it was a hard bite on the neck and collarbone.
Someone held his head tightly, silently enduring everything he vented.
That serene, moon-like presence made him feel as fragile and vulnerable as a small boat before a raging storm.
When you touch it, it is like a tranquil ocean, embracing all rivers and able to withstand all storms.
"Was it a dream...?"
Ouyang Rong murmured, then suddenly turned his head and glanced at the dark, solitary mountain in the distance.
"The unknown miracle doctor... Zhao Xiaoniangzi..."
A murmur could be heard coming from outside the window.
He felt a surge of impulse.
The next instant, the window slammed shut.
In the center of the room, a clear blue arc disappeared.
In front of the bookshelf, there was a wooden sword case, its wings folded and its mechanism closed.
The short-haired youth put on a casual outfit, then took a bronze mask from under his pillow and stuffed it into his sleeve.
He turned and walked to the bookshelf, picked up the Mo family sword box, slung it over his shoulder, and strode out the door.
Ouyang Rong moved with the agility of a monkey and quietly left the courtyard.
However, there's not much to hide in the Deer Park.
These past two days, the Meilu Garden has been very quiet. Zhen Shi and Ye Weilai have not yet returned, and Ouyang Rong lives alone, accompanied only by a few old gatekeepers who go out early and return late.
Only his junior sister would visit him regularly, and Ouyang Rong declined all invitations from the Li Xian family next door with various excuses.
During the day, he went to the Longcheng County Government Office to help Magistrate Diao and Yan Liulang finish up the affairs of July 15th. When he returned home at night, he took care of all his own needs, from food and clothing to daily life.
It was a quiet moment amidst the busyness, a rare sense of fulfillment.
This also gave Ouyang Rong the opportunity to calm down and seriously consider some issues.
For example, what is important and what is not important.
This involves his future plans.
His mind calmed down, and that's why the "biting dream" that had been lingering in his mind for days seemed so strange and conspicuous.
As night deepened, Ouyang Rong carried the box and left Luming Street.
He sneaked around the curfew and left the city under the stars and moon.
No one was notified.
As the first rays of dawn illuminated the mountaintop Buddhist temple, Ouyang Rong arrived at Donglin Temple, his clothes damp with dew.
Ouyang Rong went straight to Xiufa and said:
"Are you aware that I was recuperating at Sanhui Hospital not long ago?"
"ah?"
The woman with the beautiful hair, who was copying scriptures and reading aloud in the hall, paused for a moment, then looked up at the county magistrate who was climbing the mountain early in the morning:
"I know a little, but the Sanhui Courtyard was rented by Miss Xie after she went through the formalities. Later, I heard that you, the county magistrate, fell into a coma and stayed there."
"Miss Xie initially asked my master to treat you, but he was not proficient in this disease and declined."
"Later, it seems that Miss Xie found a doctor from out of town."
Ouyang Rong asked without blinking, "Have you and the monks seen the doctors and medical staff at Sanhui Temple during this time?"
Xiufa touched her head and said, "This humble monk didn't see it. It's mainly because Miss Xie and the others sealed off the courtyard and wouldn't allow us monks to get close. My fellow monks probably didn't see it either."
"I heard that Miss Xie hired a miracle doctor. I don't know who he is. He's very mysterious. Even her meals are delivered from down the mountain. She doesn't need the temple's."
Ouyang Rong asked, "What is the name of the divine physician?"
"This humble monk does not know." The woman with the flowing hair shook her head, as if remembering something, and said vaguely:
"However, I heard that besides the miracle doctor, there is also a respectable woman in the temple who takes care of the patients. It seems that Miss Xie and Mr. Xie found her from the foot of the mountain to help. When she entered the temple, Miss Xie registered with the senior brother guarding the gate, so her name should be there."
Ouyang Rong said calmly:
"After I left the day before yesterday, is anyone still living in Sanhui Courtyard? Where did this respectable woman go?"
"I don't know, but the day the county magistrate recovered from his illness and came down the mountain, Sanhui Temple was empty and no one lived there. It had been cleaned by the monks."
"This respectable woman must have gone down the mountain, but I don't know where she lives."
“Alright.” Ouyang Rong sighed softly, “Where is the list of people entering the temple? Take me there.”
"Alright, Your Excellency, please wait a moment."
Xiufa handed over the Buddhist scriptures and asked his uncle, who was supervising the morning reading in the hall, for a break.
Ouyang Rong followed him silently to the main gate of Donglin Temple, where he obtained a thick roster from a monk.
Ouyang Rong quickly flipped through the pages, followed the corresponding dates, and found the specific page number for the names of those registered on that day, sliding down line by line with his fingertips.
"Zhao, Mother?"
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and whispered, revealing the familiar, neat, and beautiful handwriting of his junior sister.
However, only two characters were registered, not the full name.
He pursed his lips, a slight disappointment in his eyes, but he didn't seem particularly surprised.
Women in the Great Gan Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty were mostly addressed as "So-and-so Niang" or "So-and-so Xiao Niangzi" in public, and only close relatives knew their real names.
The list that Ouyang Rong was currently flipping through showed that most of the other female benefactors were registered in the same way, with older women even being registered as Li or Wang.
"This Zhao Niang should be the Zhao Xiao Niangzi that Junior Sister and Teacher were talking about, that's right... Her surname is Zhao..."
Ouyang Rong racked his brains, but he didn't know anyone with the surname Zhao in Longcheng, except for a local gentry family.
His brow remained furrowed.
Immediately, Ouyang Rong asked the monk at the door if he still remembered, and when he found out that the monk had no recollection of him, Ouyang Rong turned away in disappointment.
The trail went cold.
The woman surnamed Zhao, whom he allegedly assaulted and bit, has disappeared without a trace.
"What is the county magistrate looking for?" Xiufa asked curiously.
“A dream,” Ouyang Rong whispered.
"Dream?"
The young novice monk was completely baffled.
Ouyang Rong slowly walked down the mountain.
He wasn't even sure if it was a dream.
But when I woke up that day, my back ached as if it were falling apart, which deepened my suspicions.
If it wasn't a dream, the "woman in his dream" was most likely Zhao Xiaoniangzi, who took care of him closely.
This is something Ouyang Rong cannot tolerate.
He couldn't have defiled the chastity of a respectable woman for nothing; in fact, his rudeness might have caused her a lifetime of psychological trauma.
What, you're saying the other person might be proactive, or even enjoying it?
But what is she after?
Ouyang Rong couldn't understand it.
Was it simply because he was handsome, talented, and had a wealthy and powerful official position? But why did she disappear afterward?
This isn't how you extort money. Are you absolutely certain you'll leave a seed and can't escape? So you disappear temporarily, planning to launch a bigger attack later?
This kind of guessing is getting more and more outrageous.
Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly.
Watching the young county magistrate, who had been working tirelessly up the mountain for a "dream," gradually walk away, Xiufa couldn't help but shout:
"Magistrate, why don't you have a meal at Zaozhaiyuan before you leave? Since you're already here, I remember you quite like going there."
Ouyang Rong slowly stopped.
“I like going there…” he muttered to himself, then suddenly nodded slightly: “There’s another place I love to go to too.”
"What?" Xiufa was taken aback.
But in the next instant, the young novice saw the young magistrate suddenly turn around, pass by him like the wind, and re-enter the temple gate.
“Hey, magistrate, this isn’t the way to Zaozhaiyuan.”
Ouyang Rong ignored him and strode forward; he was more mature than Xiu Fa.
A quarter of an hour later, Ouyang Rong arrived at a monastery that was even more familiar than Zaozhaiyuan.
Inside the Beitian Sanatorium, under the early morning sun, the patients were already up and lining up for their meals.
The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled are pitiful to behold.
Ouyang Rong strolled around the courtyard but did not see the two familiar figures.
He then went straight to the backyard, came to a well, and inspected the underground palace.
Apart from Master Xiuzhen, there was no one else around.
The old Taoist priest in his crane-cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger were not at the Beitian Nursing Home.
Ouyang Rong silently turned and walked away.
This time, however, he didn't leave immediately like he had left disappointed the last time he came looking for someone.
"A list of disabled and sick patients admitted to the hospital during this period?"
At the gatehouse of the Beitian Aid Home, the steward Xiudu stared blankly at the young county magistrate who had come to the door early in the morning, and asked curiously.
“That’s right.” Ouyang Rong stared into his eyes: “Also, bring the records of patients who recently left the Beitian Nursing Home… bring them all.”
"The Beitian Aid Home received funding and subsidies from the county government, and these details should be very detailed."
“Your Excellency is right. Please wait a moment while I go and fetch it.”
Seeing Ouyang Rong's serious expression, Xiu Du quickly nodded and turned to go to the courtyard to retrieve the booklet.
Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and waited.
Previously, he had visited the old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger twice.
The first time was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony; the mute girl with the severed finger was present, but the old Taoist priest in his crane-cloak was not.
The second time was when he quietly resigned from his official post, spent the night at Donglin Temple, and before exchanging his blessings for the underground palace, he reminisced about the past and searched for people.
The old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger were both absent.
Ouyang Rong only searched around and didn't investigate further, assuming that they had been taken down the mountain by their families.
"Please take a look, Your Excellency. It's all here."
A moment later, Ouyang Rong received a thick book with a dirty cover.
He took a deep breath, carefully flipped through the document, his brows furrowing more and more, until his finger paused on a line of records.
"There really is someone on the register... Am I overthinking this..." Ouyang Rong murmured, lowering his eyes, "Is he really a patient admitted to the Beitian Nursing Home?"
The register in my hand shows that the old Taoist priest in the crane-cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger were indeed recently taken in at the orphanage.
The date of admission was after the date that "Zhao Niang" registered to enter the temple.
This list of inmates is even more comprehensive than the list of those admitted to the temple. It not only records the symptoms of the patients, but also the recent departure dates of the patients.
Ouyang Rong then discovered that the old Taoist priest in the crane cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger had completed the formalities and left on the morning of the day he recovered from his illness.
They descended the mountain around the same time as Ouyang Rong, and both were picked up by their families at the foot of the mountain; their whereabouts are unknown.
Ouyang Rong frowned:
"What a coincidence! Also, that young lady Zhao and the unknown divine doctor all left on the same day. Could there be some connection between them?"
"Was I truly sleepwalking or just pretending after recovering from my illness that day? There was a previous instance where I fell into the underground palace while sleepwalking. How do you explain that? Could it be... no way, that guess is a bit absurd."
"Furthermore, how could a miracle doctor who saves lives be a patient taken in by the Beitian Salary and covered in sores?"
"The Zhao girl who took care of me, if she was a respectable woman from the foot of the mountain who took care of patients, how could she be a patient who needed to be taken in and cared for by the Beitian Nursing Home?"
"These two are clearly contradictory, or is one of their identities a forgery? Are these contradictions just a smokescreen?"
"The most likely explanation is that the inmate status at the Beitian Sanatorium was fabricated."
"But how do we explain these detailed records of entry and exit?"
"Could it be that someone guessed I would turn around and investigate? This person is so meticulous, cleaning up the mess so thoroughly."
"He's a master. I was almost fooled. It's no wonder."
"Is it really necessary to go this far?"
"If he were truly such a master, and wanted to set a trap to harm people, he would have already taken the bait and made his move."
"How can someone rescue someone like this, without taking a single penny, and then leave so cleanly? Are they doing charity work, or are they playing the long game to catch a bigger fish?"
After frowning and pondering for a moment, Ouyang Rong shook his head vigorously:
"There are not enough clues; these are just guesses, and such deductions are not helpful."
After a short while, he sighed to himself, "Ouyang Lianghan, why didn't you stay a little longer that day? Why did you go down the mountain with your junior sister so soon..."
But since things had come to this point, there was no point in dwelling on it now. Ouyang Rong composed himself and continued to scan the roster, before his gaze settled on a line of text on the paper.
These are the names of the Taoist priest in the crane-cloak and the mute girl with the severed finger, respectively, registered in the register.
"Old Master Sun, Xiu Niang."
The old Taoist priest's surname was Sun, which was not surprising to Ouyang Rong. He had already found out about it that day, and now he was verifying it again.
The name of the mute girl, which the old Taoist priest in the crane cloak had been keeping secret, finally came into Ouyang Rong's view.
"Xiu Niang?"
Only these two words were recorded on the paper. It was undoubtedly the name given by the "family member of the mute girl" who picked her up and dropped her off, and it was registered by the monks in the monastery. The names on the register were all written in the same handwriting.
And the name "Xiuniang" is clearly not the mute girl's full name.
Perhaps, as Master Sun jokingly mentioned in the underground palace, the conservative customs of his hometown prevent him from easily revealing his full name?
Therefore, Ouyang Rong could not find any connection between "Xiuniang" and "Zhaoniang" for the time being, and was unsure whether they were different names for the same person.
However, after pondering the name "Xiuniang" for a moment, his pupils contracted slightly.
Ouyang Rong had some recollection of it!
"No way..."
Ouyang Rong suddenly looked up, immediately returned the roster, turned around and rushed out of the Beitian Aid Home, quickly leaving Donglin Temple.
This lightning speed left Master Shandao and Xiufa, who had just arrived, stunned.
Without uttering a word, Ouyang Rong rushed down the mountain and returned to the county town.
He had heard Aqing mention the name "Xiuniang" before:
The cook at Meilu Garden, I think her name was also Xiuniang! I vaguely remember she was also a mute girl.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the character "秀" appears frequently in girls' names, making it easy for them to have the same name as someone else.
But Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered a trivial matter from a few months ago.
When Li Dalang treated everyone to dinner at Yunshui Pavilion, Ouyang Rong saw a figure from behind that resembled the slender, mute girl.
He followed the figure to the kitchen, but found no one there.
However, later, Ouyang Rong had a delicious and spicy meal at Yunshui Pavilion. When he returned to Meilu Garden that evening, he mentioned it to Zhen Shi, who seemed to remember it.
Finally, Madam Zhen ordered Banxi to invite the cook, who was also called "Xiuniang"!
After searching for a while, he couldn't find any trace of "Miss Zhao," but he unexpectedly discovered the mute girl's identity as someone from down the mountain.
Upon returning to the county town, Ouyang Rong went straight to Yunshui Pavilion on a bustling street near the dock.
Upon entering the bustling restaurant, he immediately went to the counter and, just as he had done at Donglin Temple, questioned the person in question.
About fifteen minutes later, the young magistrate silently walked out of the gate of Yunshui Pavilion.
Walking on the bustling street, my expression was somewhat distracted:
"Is it true? This mute girl named 'Xiuniang' has actually been by my side all along, working as a cook at the Meilu Garden?"
A look of surprise appeared in Ouyang Rong's eyes.
He had just questioned her carefully and confirmed that the cook whom Zhen had asked Banxi to hire at Yunshui Pavilion was indeed named 'Xiuniang', and was a mute girl who had lost her little finger, exactly the same.
Ouyang Rong couldn't help but mutter, "Why didn't she tell me... Never mind, she can't speak, but even if she can't speak, why didn't she find an opportunity to appear in front of me so I could find out?"
"Does he not know that I am the male head of the household, or is there some unspeakable reason?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly recalled the mute girl's clear eyes and her slightly reluctant face when she crawled out of the underground palace.
"When she left, why did she look at me like that? But when I got closer, she kept her head down and didn't say anything?"
Ouyang Rong slowly stopped and stood in the bustling street, frowning as he looked around.
The trail went cold again.
The cook, Xiu Niang, has resigned and hasn't come to Mei Lu Yuan for a long time; there's nowhere to find her.
Ouyang Rong sighed.
Whisper:
Is it true that in a dream, during the act of sexual intercourse, one might bite someone rudely?
"Is the mute Xiu Niang really Zhao Xiao Niangzi?"
"What if both things are true..."
He fell silent.
Actually, it's quite simple to verify these two questions.
They found the woman whose neck bone had been retracted, the one whose teeth marks he had left.
Or, if you encounter the mute Xiu Niang again, check if there are any teeth marks on her neck.
"The underground palace was dark that day, so I didn't get a good look at her neck..."
Ouyang Rong rubbed his brow.
At this moment.
"Senior Brother, what are you doing here?"
Ouyang Rong turned around, and Xie Lingjiang rushed forward in surprise, grabbed his sleeve, looked him up and down, and said with concern:
"I went to the Deer Park early this morning, but I didn't see you. I went to the county government office, but you weren't there either. I've been looking for you for so long..."
Ouyang Rong felt a warmth in his heart and said softly, "I had a dream."
Xie Lingjiang asked in confusion, "What dream?"
Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his hand and pointed behind her: "Want some?"
Xie Lingjiang turned her head to look. "What? Candied hawthorn? No way, only kids like that."
Ouyang Rong glanced at the fair, flawless neck of the woman in red before him and asked:
"Aren't you just a child?"
“You are!” she retorted.
“Okay, then I’ll eat.” Ouyang Rong smiled and walked over.
"..." Xie Lingjiang.
About an incense stick later, on the snack street, a pair of senior and junior disciples, each holding a string of candied hawthorns, walked side by side in the sunlight.
With a reluctant expression, Xie Lingjiang followed her senior brother. At one moment, her pink tongue swiftly pecked at the first candied hawthorn on the stick.
Her pretty eyes narrowed slightly, like crescent moons.
She glanced again at the person who had wolfed down the food, the girl in red today guarding her food, her eyes wide with suspicion:
"I've already eaten!" she snapped, then tilted her head and asked, "By the way, you haven't finished. What was your dream about?"
Ouyang Rong flicked the thin stick away and squinted at the Jiangnan snack street, which was gradually coming back to life in the early morning sun.
"I suddenly forgot."
He smiled and said, "Let's just pretend it's a dream for now."
(End of this chapter)
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