Chapter 6
Zhao Ze has been coming more and more frequently these past few days, almost every other day. The rice sacks piled up in the backyard are now taller than a person.
He managed to investigate all the apprentices who had participated or were watching.
Large-scale investigation was indeed the most useful but also the most troublesome method. They contacted the government office in Sanhe Town and spread the word that the government had set up a public pharmacy on the street to provide free pulse diagnosis and treatment for ordinary people.
The fact that they didn't charge a penny naturally attracted a large number of people, and even the quack doctor's place became quiet for a few days, with everyone going to the streets to see a doctor.
This discovery revealed that over a dozen people had taken hallucinogenic drugs.
Those people were completely unaware of this, only saying that they had been feeling very tired lately and wanted to see what kind of medicine they could take to refresh themselves.
If the motive for selling hallucinogenic drugs to the wealthy is reasonable, then what is the purpose of mixing them with the poor?
Zhao Ze kept running around, constantly updating the news.
Qiu Chiyan's injury is gradually improving. Although he still needs to be immobilized, he is able to stand for short periods of time.
He was settling accounts for his customers when a middle-aged man wearing a black soft hat walked in.
"Officer Yan!" Shen Yu greeted him first.
Their inn had almost no dealings with the government offices of Sanhe Town, only occasionally encountering some of the yamen runners.
It seems that Constable Yan came to see the person with an even higher official rank.
Officer Yan responded to Shen Yu with a smile, saying that he liked any honest and law-abiding businessman who paid his taxes on time.
However, his demeanor changed as soon as he reached the counter, and the corners of his mouth curved into a fawning smile.
"You must be Constable Qiu from the capital. I've heard so much about you!"
He got a little excited, and his voice, tinged with his local accent, got a little loud. Qiu Chiyan quickly raised his voice to cover it up.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I was just... too excited." Constable Yan chuckled twice. "I've never met such an important person from the capital before. My... Mandarin isn't very good, please forgive me..."
"You must be Constable Yan Rifu? Zhao Ze has mentioned you before." Qiu Chiyan promptly interrupted his potentially rambling remarks and went straight to the point, "You've come in person today because of the Huichuntang case?"
"Yes, yes..." Yan Rifu helped Qiu Chiyan take a few steps and hid under the stairs where the guests couldn't see him. He took out a few crumpled pieces of paper from his pocket. "These are Huichuntang's purchase orders for the past six months. Please take a look."
As Qiu Chiyan thought, there was no clue whatsoever from the records on it.
It would be strange if they could tell. They're not stupid.
"What about Yanyu Pavilion? Did you find anything?"
“This…” Yan Rifu looked troubled. “It’s not easy to investigate here. The people inside are mostly semi-legal figures in the underworld. The girls there are very tight-lipped. As soon as we get close, they confuse us and we can’t get any information out of them. Besides, the business there is booming, and there are people watching the streets and alleys. If we investigate too openly, it won’t sound good to outsiders.”
"I understand, this is not an easy task."
Qiu Chiyan didn't really understand either; it was just their first meeting, and he didn't want to embarrass the government office too much.
Sanhe Town is unlike the capital; it exudes a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world), with swords flashing and shadows lurking right before your eyes. Here, a single disagreement could lead to someone drawing a knife and overturning a table. Compared to dealing with the powerful and wealthy, there's a greater sense of calculation involved.
"How about this: find some brothers with clever faces to go into the Misty Rain Pavilion, and try to figure out what to get out of them?"
Yan Rifu blinked, stunned for a while before finally coming to his senses: "The method is indeed a good method, but the cost..."
“I will handle it, Officer Yan, you don’t need to worry.”
Once the topic of money was dropped, Yan Rifu became much more cheerful.
I knew that officials in the capital were powerful, but I never imagined they were this rich.
"Don't worry, there definitely won't be any mistakes!"
"Go to Yuebai Rice Shop to get the money; my people are there to meet you."
Alright!
After seeing Yan Rifu off, Qiu Chiyan unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and was met with Shen Yu's large, clear eyes.
He was startled. His waist and legs were fixed in place by wooden splints, and he couldn't move. Yet, he instinctively wanted to take half a step back, which caused him to tilt and lose his balance.
"Huh?" Shen Yu reacted quickly and with great strength. With her pull, Qiu Chiyan leaned halfway into her arms.
She had just come out of the kitchen, her cuffs still carrying the faint scent of cooking oil. Her warm palms pressed against his back through the fabric, bringing an inappropriate warmth.
"...Shopkeeper, could you please stop appearing out of nowhere behind me..." Qiu Chiyan had no temper with her behavior. In the end, it was because he was not skilled enough. His ability to recognize footsteps by sound was completely ineffective against her.
He steadied himself, took half a step back, his face calm, but his ears felt slightly hot.
“They can go to the Misty Rain Pavilion, but I…” Shen Yu’s eyes were full of longing for that place.
"No." Qiu Chiyan refused decisively before she could finish speaking.
"Alright." Shen Yu didn't argue with him anymore.
Anyway, she can go by herself.
At worst, we can just climb onto the roof without spending any money.
Qiu Chiyan was unaware of her little scheme. He slowly moved back to the counter, holding onto the corner of the table. Suddenly snapping out of his reverie, he said, "I was just chatting with a customer. He mentioned that a few door-casting craftsmen have come to town. Gong Er... is he alright?"
Shen Yu was somewhat surprised, but not worried: "What are the Hundred Gates Sacrificing to the Blade doing here? They won't fight."
"Anyone is welcome to watch this grand martial arts event. Besides, with the reputation and status of the Casting Sect, they are treated with respect wherever they go."
"Just tell Gong Er, he's a grown man, what's there to be afraid of?"
Qiu Chiyan thought to himself, "It's precisely because they're such adults that accidents are so easy to happen."
If things were as rumored in the martial arts world, Gong Er would most likely have to avoid trouble.
But judging from Shen Yu's appearance, it seems that nothing will happen.
He leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "How long have you known Gong Er, shopkeeper?"
"It's been four or five years, hasn't it?"
"So long? You knew he was Duan Yun from the very beginning?"
“Yes,” Shen Yu answered frankly, “but my father found him and he lived with my family for a while.”
So that's how it all started. No wonder Shen Yu wasn't surprised by anything she heard.
After finishing this matter, Qiu Chiyan didn't say anything more.
Having been here for less than a month, he found that his words and actions were gradually becoming influenced by the locals, and he began to speak more freely, always wanting to strike up a conversation with guests.
Recently, the town has become lively, with more and more out-of-towners coming to eat, and they always find something new to talk about.
He knew that this was a professional habit of a spy, but if he really developed the habit of gossiping, he would lose his sense of propriety.
There were few people in the afternoon, only two or three people came to have tea. Gong Er and Yao Liuliu went back to lie down after cleaning the lobby. Xu Dahe was also tricked by the two of them into going out to buy things, leaving only the shopkeeper busy outside.
This scene is unlike anything you've seen anywhere else.
Qiu Chiyan was also quite bored, so he started counting the people passing by outside the door.
Suddenly, an old man wearing an old cloth gown and tattered straw sandals slowly walked in.
Shen Yu went forward to greet them, but the faces looked familiar. When the guests sat down, she suddenly remembered that the itinerant doctor Feng Shun looked just like the portrait Zhao Ze had brought.
"What would you like to eat?"
"Give me a plate of peanuts and two ounces of Shaoxing wine."
He seemed to be in a bad mood and somewhat dejected after drinking during the day.
Qiu Chiyan recognized him earlier than Shen Yu; he had his eyes on him as soon as he entered the room.
It must be because of Huimin Pharmacy that no one goes there anymore, which is why he has some free time and nothing to do.
With the dishes and wine served, Feng Shun ate with little interest, scribbling on the table with his wine-dipped fingers and sighing occasionally.
"Why does this doctor seem so bitter and resentful?" Shen Yu came around from the kitchen to the counter and complained to Qiu Chiyan in a low voice.
"Zhao Ze said that he has always been seeing doctors and prescribing medicine normally, and there has been nothing abnormal about him. He has never had any pathological problems. When he is not teaching, he basically stays in the dilapidated temple and only goes out occasionally to eat."
His social interactions are very simple. As it stands, he is probably just an ordinary doctor who knows about the existence of hallucinogenic drugs, and his medical skills are mediocre at best.
The two whispered among themselves, and then a few more people came in, dressed even more shabbily than Feng Shun, with mud stains on their clothes.
As soon as they entered, their eyes were fixed on Feng Shun like nails. They chose a table next to him and sat down, almost facing him.
Shen Yu jogged over again, and upon getting closer, she realized that there was no goodwill in their eyes.
She had occasionally encountered such people who, when life was not going well, would deliberately pick on those who seemed weak to bully in order to vent their resentment.
Upon closer inspection, these people had thick calluses on their knuckles and faintly smelled of tung oil; they were most likely boatmen from the river.
Those thick calluses were from years of holding oars and ropes, and the oily smell was from maintaining the boat.
However, they did not do anything out of line at the moment. Shen Yu changed her mind and did not make any rash moves. She simply remained calm and efficiently ordered food and poured tea for them without showing any emotion.
The group ordered a plate of cornbread and a small dish of pickled radish. While Shen Yu went to the kitchen to get them, one of them got up, took a cup, and went to the empty table next door to get water, even though there was a pot of freshly served hot tea on their table.
He sat down directly opposite Feng Shun.
Old Feng was listlessly sipping his wine when he slightly raised his eyelids, showing a hint of surprise, but he didn't say anything. He simply pushed his teapot over to him with a nonchalant expression.
"This tea is much better than the tea we drink by the river."
The man brought his nose close, sniffed, and suddenly spoke out of the blue.
Feng Shun frowned slightly and replied simply, "It's alright."
The man suddenly sneered, his fingertips twirling lightly on the rim of the teacup. He deliberately raised his voice: "Is it alright? Ha, you've got quite the nerve. As if people like us who drink muddy water by the river aren't worthy of this stuff?"
Upon hearing this, one of his companions immediately chimed in, "Yes, look at him, pushing the pot around for others to use, it's like he's giving alms."
"What, old man, do you think we're dirty?"
Feng Shun didn't want to talk to strangers in the first place, and seeing these people causing trouble for no reason, he was even more confused: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
He himself brought up the topic, which completely ignited their anger.
The man deliberately slammed his teacup on the table, making a crisp sound.
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