Chapter 33, the legend of seeking immortals, is said to have originated from the time when Yu the Great was controlling the floods…
Just then, a constable strode in, saying as he walked, "Boss, the old man is here."
Lu Bing stood up and stepped out: "My father? What's he doing here?"
"Seeing that you were injured, the old man brought you chicken soup with a food box."
Lu Bing frowned slightly: "I'm busy right now, you should send him back first."
"Since you're already here, let's not let the old man make a wasted trip. It won't take much time. I'll ask around for you first. The old man even brought some wound medicine."
Having soaked in the river this morning, his wounds had reopened and were still aching. He definitely needed some medicine. Lu Bing nodded and walked straight out, striding into the guardhouse: "Father."
Old Man Lu sat upright, his back ramrod straight. Even in his simple clothes, he still exuded a touch of old-fashioned official air. He replied indifferently, "Your grandmother made you some chicken soup and insisted that I make this trip to deliver it. Drink it while it's hot."
Lu Bing plopped down in his seat, opened the food box, and brought out a bowl of steaming hot, golden chicken soup.
Old Man Lu glanced at his unkempt appearance, his stubble beard, and his pale, bluish face, and said with a hint of annoyance, "Injured like this, couldn't you just stay home and rest for a few days? You've made your grandmother worry about you every day."
Lu Bing gulped down the bowl in several large mouthfuls: "The case is getting more and more complicated, I can't rest." He wiped his mouth and immediately began to take off his clothes, "Dad, can you help me apply some medicine?"
Old Man Lu picked up the bottle of wound medicine on the table, stood up, and helped him unwrap the cotton bandage around his shoulder. He asked in a low voice, "On my way here, I heard that Master Shen came back to life and jumped into the Yellow River carrying a coffin. Is that true?"
Anyway, the news has already spread in Beiqu, so Lu Bing has no need to hide it: "The night watchman who was on duty last night said he saw it with his own eyes, but who knows?"
Old Man Lu uncorked the bottle of wound medicine and carefully sprinkled the powder onto Lu Bing's wound: "If that's really the case, then this case is not something that a few constables in your yamen can handle."
Lu Bing endured the pain, showing no sign on his face, but his body tensed up subconsciously: "I know what I'm doing. The cultivators from Taihang Road should be able to reach Beiqu today."
Old Man Lu nodded, then said, "Where is Ya Ren? He hasn't been back for the past few days. Your grandmother was just wondering where he went."
Fortunately, Lu Bing hadn't hastily told his family about the false alarm that Zhou Yaren might have been buried alive by the ghost yamen, because he was afraid that his father and grandmother would worry and be sad: "He was busy with important matters, but he was still working on a case with me at the yamen this morning, and he went out at noon."
Old Man Lu was slightly relieved. After applying the wound medicine, he began to bandage him. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "By the way, the Shen family had a zombie apocalypse last night. Their new bride was alone in the mansion. I hope nothing happened to her."
The new bride that Old Man Lu was referring to was naturally Shen Yuanwen's wife, Madam Shen. Lu Bing said, "She was pregnant. After the Shen family's incident, she moved to the inn and didn't..." Lu Bing suddenly raised his head and asked sharply, "Father, why would you say that she stayed at the Shen family alone?"
“Isn’t that right? All the servants and helpers of the Shen family have left, so she’s probably the only one left in this huge mansion.” Old Man Lu said, “I happened to pass by on my way home last night and saw this new bride of the Shen family carrying a lantern home at night. I was thinking to myself, this new bride is really bold.”
"Last night?" Lu Bing's expression turned serious. "What time?"
Old Man Lu thought for a moment and said, "Hai Shi (9-11 PM)."
It was already late at night at Hai Shi (9-11 PM), but the old butler clearly said that Madam Shen was pregnant and should leave before dark. Why was she carrying a lantern back at Hai Shi?
Lu Bing's expression was solemn: "Father, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
This question made Old Man Lu a little uncertain. He didn't actually live that close, and he had only seen the new bride of the Shen family a few times. He had only caught glimpses of her from afar on the street a few times, and thought her figure looked like her: "I shouldn't be mistaken, and who would dare to enter the Shen family mansion so late at night?"
Old Man Lu had already bandaged his shoulder. Lu Bingteng stood up and quickly put on his clothes: "Dad, you go back first. I have important things to do now, so I won't see you off."
When he said it was important, it really was. Before Old Man Lu could say anything, he had already strode away.
Staring at Lu Bing's tall and straight back, Old Man Lu, though always stubborn, was quite worried. Being the head constable was not an easy job. He was dealing with troublemakers, bandits, and desperate criminals who had no other choice but to commit murder and arson.
Old Man Lu had initially been firmly against his son taking a job in the government office, and had instead secured a stable and reliable position for Lu Bing working alongside an instructor. However, Lu Bing had never been a peaceful child; he was restless and unruly, unable to settle for routine tasks. So, without consulting his father first, he switched to a menial, physically demanding job in the government office, infuriating Old Man Lu. He grabbed a stick and gave Lu Bing a severe beating, leaving him bedridden for three days. In the end, Old Man Lu couldn't outmaneuver his stubborn son.
The brat has grown up, his wings have hardened, and he can make his own decisions. This old man can't interfere anymore, so he simply lets him run wild.
He couldn't help but worry. The recent murders in Beiqu were truly terrifying, and Old Man Lu had been living in constant fear at home. But there was nothing he could do. He was just a commoner and it wasn't appropriate for him to get involved in the affairs of the government. So he could only sigh and pack his food box to go home.
Lu Bingze used both soft and hard tactics to relentlessly interrogate the old housekeeper of the Shen family, and only let him go when he couldn't extract any more information.
Judging from the old butler's pitiful, trembling, and bewildered expression, he was indeed completely unaware that Madam Shen had returned home at 9 PM last night.
Lu Bingsui sent men to the inn where Madam Shen was staying to look for her, but the constables who had gone there found nothing there.
Where are they?
The constable shook his head: "I don't know. The innkeeper said he only saw her leave the inn last night, and then she never came back."
Lu Bing fell silent, pondering over and over what the woman was doing back at the Shen residence at night. Wasn't it taboo? Was she really not afraid? Or had she stumbled upon a dead member of the Shen family coming back to life? Where was she now? Was she still at the Shen residence?
Lu Bing pondered for a long time, realizing that the only way to verify anything was to go to the site, and then made a decision: "Come with me to the Shen family's house."
The constable felt a chill: "The Shen family's house is now a haunted house."
However, Constable Lu always kept his word, and immediately led several hesitant constables to the Shen residence.
After experiencing these past few days, Lu Bing considered himself a man who had seen a lot. If that young mistress was really in the mansion, someone had to go and check on her to see if she was alive or dead.
But the sun had already set in the west, night had fallen, and the sky was suddenly completely dark.
The yamen runners who entered the dark house were all terrified, especially when the north wind blew, making the empty corridors howl and lifting the white mourning cloths hanging around the mourning hall, as if layers of ghostly figures were hidden among the towering mountains.
The constable couldn't help but shiver. Through the fluttering white curtain, he could vaguely see a sliver of silver light reflecting off the open courtyard in the darkness.
The constable's throat tightened: "Boss, what's that?"
Lu Bing cautiously stepped into the courtyard. In the square courtyard stood a large water vat, about half a person's height, filled with water and reflecting the cool, clear moonlight.
Someone chimed in, "The reflection is from the water."
Lu Bingjing stared at the full moon reflected in the water and the seven coffins lined up in the mourning hall, and suddenly shuddered.
*** ***
“This is the Taiyin Spirit Shrine.” Zhou Yaren suddenly spoke up. He had lingered by the riverbank in the canyon for several hours, and the fabric of his clothes was cold and stiff from the north wind.
Bai Yuan stared for a long time at the stone hollow embedded in the rock, about the size of a whirlpool, filled with a pool of clear spring water, reflecting the bright moon hanging high in the night sky.
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuan glanced at him, then turned aside and slowly strolled along the stone hollow by the riverbed. He then casually began to speak: "During the Qin Dynasty, the people called it the Stone Mortar Immortal Traces. Legend has it that it was the hoofprint left by Yu the Great when he was controlling the floods."
Ancient texts briefly mention: Before the Longmen Pass was opened and the Lüliang Mountains were excavated, the Yellow River, originating from Mengmen, overflowed and flowed upstream. No hills or high mounds could contain it, and this was called the Great Flood. Yu the Great dredged the river, and it was called Mengmen.
Zhou Yaren followed closely beside Bai Yuan. A few miles ahead was Mengmen Mountain, which was recorded in this book. It was the place where Yu the Great passed through while controlling the floods, and the traces of immortals he left behind became the Taiyin Spirit Shrine.
Bai Yuan said, "Those things went in search of the immortals."
Zhou Yaren paused in her tracks: "What?"
“Do you think these are merely Taiyin spirit niches?” Bai Yuan observed the various-sized stone hollows laid out on the riverbed. “The reason I’ve been lingering here until nightfall is to wait for the bright moon to hang high and the moon’s spirit to enter the earth’s gate, so I can search for the immortal’s traces.”
Zhou Yaren turned around in a daze, and a talisman was handed to him.
Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Bai Yuan instructed him: "Dissolve into the wind."
Zhou Yaren took the talisman, touched it with his fingertips and then pulled away. He didn't ask any questions and waved his hand, letting the talisman melt into the biting cold wind.
The pitch-black night was instantly imprinted with an ancient rune, which stretched out in the wind like a dragon and a phoenix, and was scattered in the valley like a jade seal.
He could see the rune clearly, but he didn't know what kind of talisman it was.
Of course, he couldn't possibly understand it. Just for this one talisman, Bai Yuan had spent most of the day observing the mountains and rivers to draw it, taking into account the complex terrain. It was quite a painstaking effort.
At the same time, Zhou Yaren's previously blocked ears finally became clear. The surging waves, like cannon fire and thunder, suddenly exploded in his ears, the sound reverberating for miles around—his hearing had finally been restored.
This is under the waterfall.
The raging torrent crashes down vertically, the turbulent current churning up waves of turbid water on the seabed, spraying water droplets like dust and mist.
Bai Yuan involuntarily took a step forward, because she saw dark shadows in the rising mist.
Zhou Yaren had obviously also seen the dark figures hidden in the mist, swaying and ghostly, and was certain that they were all evil spirits.
They walk in the surging river, their feet treading on the turbulent waves, yet they do not sink or rise at all, as if they are simply stepping on soft mud.
Zhou Yaren stared intently at the line of uneven black figures, with a large rectangular box being carried in the middle of the separated ranks.
The long box resembled a dark coffin, with thick hemp ropes at both ends, weighing heavily on the shoulders of the dark figures. This scene suddenly reminded Zhou Yaren of the vanished funeral procession. They carried the coffin, seemingly for a day and a night, still moving through the swirling mist, indistinct and swaying, neither disappearing nor fading away, like a lamp's reflection in the mountains and rivers.
Until the runes that had blended into the wind seamlessly invaded the valley's veins, a sudden wave of damp moisture swept over them, enveloping Bai Yuan and Zhou Yaren.
The stone hollow beneath my feet blurred for a moment under the moonlight, then suddenly transformed into a "fairy trail," resembling the footprints left by predecessors, winding its way into the surging waves.
Without hesitation, Bai Yuan stepped forward on the "Fairy Trail" and said indifferently, "Let's go."
Zhou Yaren followed closely behind, and although they were only a step apart, Bai Yuan's figure appeared blurry and indistinct amidst the misty fog.
Whether it was psychological or not, as Zhou Yaren stepped onto the surging tide, it felt as if his feet were treading on empty air, and his mind seemed to float precariously. When he looked at Bai Yuan's back again, his figure, though seemingly calm, appeared unsteady, like a small boat adrift on clouds and water, slowly elongating and deforming.
However, he vaguely heard a rough, sinister voice calling from afar: "The living ascend to the yang, the dead descend to the yin..."
"The living are placed on high platforms, the dead are hidden deep within..."
"The sky is vast and boundless, the earth is boundless and desolate..."
"The dead return to the underworld, the living return to the mortal realm..."
The voice drifted faintly from the mist, perhaps because of its distance, it was slightly indistinct, like a lingering echo.
Zhou Yaren vaguely remembered that these were the words used to send off the dead during a funeral procession. Hearing them now felt like hearing a curse, adding to the eeriness of the situation.
He tried to calm himself down and looked up at the line of dark figures carrying the coffin for the funeral. As he looked, he noticed that Bai Yuan's back was being stretched thinner and thinner. Zhou Yaren sensed something was wrong and blurted out, "Bai Yuan."
The person walking ahead paid no heed. Suddenly, a hideous ghost face burst forth from the long hair, opened its blood-red maw at his face, and roared, "Injustice!"
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