Chapter 30 Not under their control
"They are assassins of the Liang family."
"These bastard mad dogs"
...
Inside the coroner's room, Song Xingzhi covered his nose with a white cloth, staring at the dismembered human limbs on the floor. His eyes were filled with intense disgust, and his words were unusually harsh, devoid of any gentlemanly demeanor.
Qi Zheng, squatting beside the corpses, glanced at him upon hearing this, pondered for a moment, then looked back at the corpses before him—or rather, the mutilated corpses. Each body had been disemboweled, the entrails separated, neatly arranged on white sheets; the scene was gruesome, and the stench was extremely pungent.
Even after years of wandering the martial world and enduring countless hardships, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a scene.
Indeed, true masters are often found among ordinary people.
Qi Zheng glanced at the calm and composed coroner, who hadn't even flinched, and sighed inwardly before gently picking up a piece of skin that had been peeled off.
Neat and tidy, without a single scrap of meat or broken skin, demonstrating the skill of the skinner.
However, that's not the key point. The key point is that it's printed with dark purple patterns, which is also the source of Song Xingzhi's angry outburst.
The Liang family?
Qi Zheng was very knowledgeable about matters of the martial arts world, but his knowledge of court affairs was mostly based on casual conversations, trivial matters, and the veracity of most of them was questionable. Therefore, he had never heard of the Liang family.
However, just by looking at the muscle structure and hand and foot marks on these corpses, it's clear that these people were definitely well-trained and had different areas of expertise.
Long sword, crossbow, horizontal staff...
Five people make a small team; they could easily handle not only a few ordinary, weak women, but also a group of merchants on the run. The fact that they could mobilize so many at once demonstrates the Liang family's resources and reveals their high regard for Song Jin, or perhaps their deep hatred for the Song merchants.
The person behind this may not have known that Song Jin was Song Shang's child, but they must have noticed the resemblance between the two, which is why they wanted to kidnap him before he returned to the capital, to use him for future threats.
Meanwhile, they must have established a foothold locally; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to learn of Song Jin's movements in such a short time and arrange for people to capture him in the most secluded and best-ambushed locations along the route.
However, it was clear that the other side wasn't as powerful as they seemed. They didn't know Song Jin's exact combat abilities, underestimated her, and sent a group of well-trained assassins, which also exposed their activities that they had been concealing for who knows how many years—even though she was dead, the body was still there; the food in her stomach, the sand marks on her body, and her walking habits all provided clues.
Song Xingzhi clearly harbored a grudge against these people. His expression was one of disgust, his fists clenched so tightly that his bones cracked. "After the Liang family stirred up trouble in Lingnan, they disappeared without a trace. I knew these people couldn't all be dead. Now it seems they've been hiding for a long time, even training assassins. This matter must be reported to the court for a separate investigation."
Even if he doesn't catch them this time, he'll still tear off a layer of flesh from their bodies.
He said, "There are definitely their hideouts near Si'an County; they must be eliminated and the area thoroughly cleaned up as soon as possible."
This time, Li Qingshan didn't contradict him, and his expression was serious: "I never expected that such a small county could hide so many people."
Unlike Qi Zheng, Li Qingshan had served as an official in the capital for many years. In his spare time, he would review past records and knew about some of the conflicts among aristocratic families.
The Liang family is a typical example.
The turmoil in Lingnan was caused by them, resulting in countless deaths. They then vanished without a trace, seemingly having gone into seclusion, but their influence was evident in several subsequent rebellions.
Involving the Liang family, the matter of illegally operating a silver mine wasn't so serious anymore.
No, actually, if you think about it carefully, they might be the ones behind the silver mine. After all, whether it's for their own food and drink, training assassins, or stirring up trouble, they all need money.
Thinking of this, Li Qingshan and Song Xingzhi exchanged glances.
Suppressing his disgust and hatred for the Liang family, Song Xingzhi said in a deep voice, "I'll write a memorial and send it back to the capital by fast horse."
Li Qingshan: "I'll contact the captain and have the troops mustered for defense."
The Liang family members are all madmen. No one can say for sure whether they will simply retreat after their plan fails, or go berserk and harm innocent people. We must be on guard.
Seeing that the two of them had devised a plan in the blink of an eye, Qi Zheng, who didn't even know what the Liang family was, turned cold and serious. After pondering for a while, he wanted to ask the two what he could do.
Li Qingshan and Song Xingzhi both knelt down, pleading, "Your Highness, please prioritize your safety."
If something happens to them, it's something; whether they live or die depends on luck. But if something happens to Qi Zheng, they're definitely dead.
"I interrogated the suspect in jail before bringing him back," Qi Zheng added quietly, noticing their still uneasy expressions, "...the others came along."
Seeing this, Song Xingzhi and Li Qingshan were relieved. After giving instructions to the other guards, the two went to find the person.
Starting today, Si'an County and even the prefectural city will be under martial law.
...
Song Jin felt this most deeply.
Because their expected trip to the capital was delayed due to this matter.
This postponement also means that her mother's medical appointment will have to be delayed.
Although she can suppress the Red Thread Gu now, it's like a dormant bomb; no one can predict when it will suddenly explode.
The consequences of the outbreak were something Song Jin could not accept at all.
She grabbed Song Xingzhi, who had come to deliver the news, her lips pressed tightly together, a hint of fierceness in her eyes, and resolutely refused: "No, we can't postpone it. We need to get there as soon as possible."
If it weren't for her mother's urgent matter, she wouldn't have hastily arranged things in just two or three days.
Song Xingzhi had been extremely busy these past two days, and seeing her like this only made him more worried. However, he still explained gently, "It's not that we don't want to go, but the Liang family's matter is too serious to ignore."
Song Jin frowned: "I don't care if they're from respectable families or not. My mother's situation is the most important thing. Let's get her treated first, then we'll talk about everything else."
Song Xingzhi sighed, "There's really nothing we can do about this. But don't worry, we've already sent people over from the prefectural city, and we have some leads. We'll catch them soon."
Song Jin: "How fast is 'soon'? A day or two, or a ten-day or month?"
Song Xingzhi: "...We will do it as soon as possible."
Song Jin didn't want to hear this nonsense. She kicked over a wooden stump, grabbed Song Xingzhi by the collar, and said angrily, "Fine, you can do whatever you want. I'll take my mother to the capital myself."
They really don't make any sense at all!
Song Xingzhi was choked by her and could hardly breathe. He said with difficulty, "I wouldn't have said anything in the past, but in the current situation, they are obviously targeting you. If you take your mother and leave alone, you will be walking into a trap."
He was telling the absolute truth, and it was the biggest reason Song Jin was so angry; otherwise, they could have simply postponed their plans and she could have left on her own.
Song Jin, who had been giving Niu Tielan the cold shoulder for the past two days because of this incident, gritted her teeth. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. In a fit of rage, she threw Song Xingzhi aside, used her light-footed skills to leap over the wall, and ran away.
Song Xingzhi quickly called out, "Hey, hey, Jin Jin, don't be impulsive!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Jin jumped over the wall and ran away; there was no way to catch her.
Song Xingzhi was anxious. Although Song Jin was highly skilled in martial arts, the opposing side was the Liang family. If anything happened to them, he would be in real trouble.
"Don't worry about her, just go and do your thing."
Just as he was getting anxious, Niu Tielan walked over slowly. She was dressed in the simplest white clothes, without any adornment, her hair tied up with a white ribbon, and without a trace of makeup. She was like a lotus emerging from the water, pure and graceful.
Song Xing, who had a penchant for delicate beauties, was momentarily taken aback, then lowered his eyes and gave a very respectful bow: "Madam."
As Song Jin's biological mother, regardless of any entanglements between Niu Tielan and Song Shang, as long as she doesn't become Song Shang's enemy in the future, Song Xingzhi can only treat her with utmost respect.
A Song merchant might not care about a woman, but he would definitely care about the mother of his child.
Despite his respect, Niu Tielan felt no joy. In her eyes, they were not related; the only connection was that her daughter bore a similar face.
His respect came at a price.
Niu Tielan's expression softened slightly, and she simply said, "Don't worry about her. She'll find her own way to vent her anger, and things will go more smoothly afterward."
Song Xingzhi's lips twitched. He felt that Song Jin's personality was partly innate, but her mother also bore a significant responsibility.
He explained, "The main problem is that there are all sorts of people out there, and who knows how many are watching. Madam, please try to persuade her; she listens to you very much."
Niu Tielan's expression grew even more indifferent: "If you really listened to me, we wouldn't be here. I'm tired, you should go back."
Song Xingzhi sighed: "Alright, please take care of yourself and try to stay home as much as possible. I've arranged for someone to keep watch outside; feel free to ask them to do anything."
Niu Tielan looked up: "Afraid we'll run away?"
Song Xingzhi: ...
He swore that the cold treatment he had received over the years hadn't amounted to as much as what he had experienced during this period.
But what can he do? He can only suffer in silence.
He gave a wry smile: "You misunderstand. Those people are there to prevent outsiders from offending you. You can go out anytime you want, but it's best to have several people with you."
Niu Tielan: "No need, let's leave. I won't go out; it's safe inside."
Song Xingzhi wanted to persuade him again.
Niu Tielan glanced at him and said, "Do you need to check on my guards before you feel at ease?"
Song Xingzhi's face stiffened. Judging from the gruesome wounds on the corpses, he guessed what the big cat was, and he certainly didn't want to face it head-on.
He bowed and left somewhat hastily.
Niu Tielan stood there, watching him leave completely, before leisurely turning around. Just as he reached the corner, a round, golden head suddenly popped out, its bright golden eyes staring at him in a sweet, delicate voice.
"Mimi~"
Niu Tielan was startled, but regained her composure and tapped its big head with an annoyed tone: "Just as naughty as your mother."
Huang Huang meowed for a moment, then collapsed to the ground and started rolling around, showing no signs of discomfort from the change of environment.
Seeing it like this reminded Niu Tielan of its mother, and she couldn't help but sigh deeply.
She's really worried to death.
**
Meanwhile, Song Jin, still troubled, had run a long way and arrived in a menacing manner.
County Government
She had nothing to say to Song Xingzhi, and she didn't think he would say anything to her. He seemed eager to take her home, but in reality, he was wary.
But so far, everything he's said is just information that can be found out from outside; there's nothing more specific.
Very slippery
It's not a good thing.
In comparison, Song Jin still felt that Qi Zheng and Li Qingshan were more reliable. They didn't look down on her just because she was a woman, nor did they treat her like some kind of monster that she had to avoid at all costs.
They will still tell her if she asks.
Just like now, facing the aggressive Song Jin, Qi Zheng only pondered for a moment before saying, "I don't know."
? ? ?
Song Jin's phoenix eyes widened slightly, both surprised and angry.
Seriously, bro? She trusts him so much, and he just brushes her off like this? He might as well just say it's confidential and can't be told to outsiders.
Qi Zheng paused for a moment, then said frankly, "I only heard them mention that the Liang family was related to the previous turmoil in Lingnan and involved in some rebellion, all of which happened more than ten years ago. I've only been back in the capital for half a year, and I haven't heard anyone mention it."
Song Jin frowned and asked again, "Have you found any clues? Are there any suspicious places or people?"
Qi Zheng looked at her, who seemed ready to fight, and silently shook his head: "They won't let me get involved."
Song Jin was shocked: "...You're being sidelined? You're a prince!"
Is her treacherous father really that powerful? He's a prince, after all!
Oh no, if this continues, she feels that sooner or later she'll be dragged back to the mountains to live like a hermit because of him.
Qi Zheng's lips twitched: "This must have been arranged by my father before I came. He sent me here specifically about the silver mine, but I didn't expect to run into this."
To be more precise, his father sent his own son here so that he could rightfully give him half of the mine; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Song Xingzhi along—that guy was the one who came to work.
Song Jin suddenly realized, and then became envious and jealous: "You have a mine and you're still so stingy?"
Qi Zheng stated frankly: "It's better to save money."
Song Jin couldn't help but roll her eyes, plopped down on the steps, frowned, and hugged the sword she hadn't let go of in the past few days, asking, "Aren't there any other clues?"
Qi Zheng thought for a moment and asked, "Terrible corpses?"
Song Jin pointed to herself, looking speechless: "Are you asking me?"
Qi Zheng also remembered, and after a long silence, he turned around and said, "Let's go."
Song Jin quickly got up and followed him; the two arrived at the morgue.
Two days had passed since the person died. It was summer, and even though the body was placed on ice, it still smelled foul, and flies swarmed around it.
Qi Zheng: "Today is the last day of storage. It will be burned tonight to prevent the spread of disease."
Corpses left for too long can easily spread diseases and infect people, so bodies in the morgue are kept for a maximum of three days. During this time, they are wiped with alcohol to slow down the decomposition process. Important internal organs and marked skin are soaked in alcohol in this case, awaiting examination by a more professional coroner.
Song Jin didn't examine the body. Although she was very skilled at killing, she didn't think she could compare to these professionals in autopsy. She simply picked up the record and carefully reviewed it.
She stood there studying it carefully, her eyes bright and radiant, her brows furrowed, her lips pressed together as she looked at it for a long while, before suddenly raising her head.
Qi Zheng couldn't help but feel a little expectant: "Did you notice anything different?"
Song Jin pointed to the Liang family's assassin emblem and pondered, "What is this thing? It's so ugly."
Qi Zheng: "Chrysanthemum flowers, a unique flower from Lingnan, have hallucinogenic properties and are very dangerous."
Song Jin looked at the simple little circle and hesitated: "Won't they feel ashamed to go out with this logo on their heads?"
Proper family symbols are things like wolves, eagles, and tigers, but this thing is just two interlocking circles. If Qi Zheng hadn't told her it was a flower, she would have thought it was an archery target.
Qi Zheng: "This is what the flower looks like."
Although this thing is very dangerous, it does look rather crude, making it easy to spot at a glance, so it's generally not something you'd accidentally eat.
Song Jin rested her chin on her hand, looking at it from left to right, front to back, feeling that this thing looked somewhat familiar. She racked her brain, "I think I've seen this before."
Qi Zheng frowned: "Are you sure?"
Song Jin shook her head: "I'm not sure, it just looks familiar, two circles, two circles, um, purple?"
Qi Zheng's expression turned serious: "It's purple. Think carefully about where you saw it. This thing is unique to Lingnan; it has high requirements for its growing environment and it's very difficult for it to grow naturally here."
And poppy flowers aren't exactly a good thing; if they were planted by someone, it could only be the Liang family.
This thing was so uniquely ugly that Song Jin was certain she had seen it before, but when she tried to recall, she couldn't quite remember it. She spent most of the year in the mountains; how could she possibly remember every single flower and plant?
Song Jin couldn't help but pat her head, trying hard to remember, then patting it again, and finally grabbing her messy, disheveled hair and clapping her hands heavily.
"I can't figure it out. I'm going back to get a good night's sleep; maybe I'll come up with something tomorrow. I'll go check out other places. If you're short-staffed here, remember to come find me."
After saying that, she shrugged, patted the hand that had touched the tattoo, and swaggered away.
Her expression made Qi Zheng instantly suspect that she had remembered something and wanted him to cause trouble. He quickly said, "The situation on the other side is unclear. There might be martial arts masters among them. You've been suffering a lot recently because of your mother. Don't push yourself. What will happen to your mother if something happens to you?"
Now it was Song Jin's turn to be speechless. She rolled her eyes and said, "Do I look that stupid? If I went and took them down by myself, would you give me a title or a mine?"
At worst, they'd give her a few thousand taels of silver, which wouldn't even cover her medicine costs; it would be a huge loss.
Qi Zheng remained silent: "Go back and rest well, then try to think about it again."
Song Jin rolled her eyes at him, strode away, and began to wander around the city again.
Look at it more, and you might remember it.
Si'an County was neither small nor large; she walked around it in less than an hour, eventually arriving at the Wenyuan Academy as usual. Seeing the closed bookstores, she was somewhat surprised.
She strode over, saw the large seal on the door, frowned, and casually pulled aside a passing scholar.
"What happened? Why were you locked up?"
A passerby commented: "Whether it's acceptable for men and women to have sex... I don't know, but I heard it was about smuggling smuggled silver, and they were arrested a couple of days ago."
Song Jin paused for a moment, looked at the large seal on the door, tore it off, strode away, and ran towards the county government office.
Qi Zheng was still at the morgue; Song Xingzhi and Li Qingshan weren't there, Magistrate Xiao had gone out, and only the bailiffs Luo and the others were still there.
Song Jin hurriedly went over: "Brother Luo, why is the Shu family bookstore closed?"
Luo, the constable, asked in confusion, "The Shu family? You know about that mine, right? Those mines were transported away by their bookstore's escort agency. They're still under investigation. If they really got involved in this, not even a miracle could save them."
Song Jin's face stiffened, and her mood turned heavy.
Although she didn't get along with Grandpa Shu, she was a genuine friend of Shu Chenghao. How could she accept that someone had an accident so suddenly?
Song Jin gritted her teeth: "With their guts, they definitely wouldn't do something like this."
The constable Luo sighed, "No, the silver always came from their side, so they can't escape responsibility for this."
Song Jin's mood worsened. It was all that wretched Liang family's fault; they were deliberately making things difficult for her. Her mother, herself, her friends—they were everywhere. Just wait and see!
She took a deep breath and asked, "Brother Luo, I want to see someone."
Luo, the yamen runner, sighed, "Song Jin, it's not that I don't want to help you, but this matter involves too many people, and officials from the county government and higher-ups are coming. I can't let you in."
Song Jin felt heavy-hearted.
Officer Luo: "But don't worry, since they're your friends, I'll definitely look after them and try my best to minimize their suffering."
Once you're in jail, you're bound to suffer; it's always better to suffer less.
Seeing his sincere expression, Song Jin forced a smile, took out a money pouch from her pocket, and handed it to him: "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Luo."
Luo, the yamen runner, refused.
Song Jin added, "Brother Luo, you don't care, but there are other brothers. Please help me take care of them, give them some good food, and also pass on a message to them not to worry. I'll find a way to help them out here."
The constable Luo sighed and reminded her, "This is no small matter; you should try to stay out of it."
Song Jin forced out a few more words of thanks before turning around with somewhat heavy steps.
This time, she really wasn't in the mood to wander around outside. She sighed and walked listlessly home.
Song Jin felt somewhat heavy-hearted and irritable.
Just as Officer Luo said, even if the Shu family father and son didn't know about the smuggling of private silver, they still followed their methods, so they couldn't escape responsibility.
The best-case scenario is that they get out of prison and the bookstore closes down.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to Old Master Shu. His family's bookstore, which had been run for generations, was now ruined in his hands. At his age, it was uncertain whether he could withstand the pressure. As for Shu Chenghao, who had just passed the provincial examination and had a glimmer of hope for an official career, that hope was now essentially gone.
Song Jin looked up at the sky, her feelings complicated.
The lives of ordinary people seem so fragile; they crumble at the slightest disturbance.
"What, does the smell on the wall smell better than down below? Why are you sitting on the wall for no reason?"
Niu Tielan was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea when he looked up and saw a familiar figure hanging motionless on the wall, lost in thought.
She glanced at them and said, "Come sit down."
Song Jin climbed down from the wall and walked dejectedly towards her mother. She plopped down on the ground, hugged Niu Tielan's waist, rested her head on her lap, and muttered, "The Shu family's property was raided; they're suspected of smuggling private silver."
Niu Tielan froze, frowning: "This is a capital offense."
Song Jin gave a wry smile: "Yes, they'll be beheaded."
So all she could do was keep them alive; she couldn't do anything more on her own and had to rely on others.
Song Jin was somewhat exhausted.
Despite her flamboyant behavior in front of Song Xingzhi, she knew in her heart that she and her mother were the weaker party, gambling only on whether Song Shang needed her as his biological daughter—whether for the sake of continuing the family line or for the sake of face.
She already owes them a lot in this regard, and now she still has to rely on them.
Song Jin was very unwilling, but powerless to do anything about it.
Power is indeed a good thing; having power and influence is better than being ordinary.
Niu Tielan looked at her weak and listless appearance with heartache, but didn't know what to say. He could only reach out and gently stroke her head to comfort her.
From the moment they left town, many things were beyond their control.
Song Jin hugged her mother's waist, gently closed her eyes, and tried hard to suppress her surging emotions.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her head, hissed, and opened her eyes. The long, barbed tongue tried to lick her again, but she gently pinched it back with her hand.
Song Jin gritted her teeth, about to curse at Tiger Girl, when she met its bright, excited, round, golden eyes, gleaming in and out.
The curse she was about to utter stopped abruptly.
Wait, those two circles look familiar.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
