"The envoy didn't come to Longyang Town to hunt down a murderer! A few days ago, His Majesty ate a meal prepared by a young woman at the Shura Taoist Temple. The young woman's cooking methods were novel and bold; she could create extraordinary flavors from ordinary ingredients. It greatly improved His Majesty's appetite, which had been poor for several days. Therefore, the envoy was ordered to secretly search for this woman." Qiu Kongkong spoke truthfully, adding, "The young woman speaks with a Lin'an accent. Several groups of men have been dispatched; we must find her."
"Oh." Qiu Zeyu wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing at the guilty-looking Lan Yamei, and understood most of it.
"Now that we've talked it out, let's put this matter behind us. Let's hurry and go check your teacher's grave to help us investigate the murderer," Lan Yamei quickly steered the conversation back on track. These days, people have money and leisure; why not enjoy life instead of having to serve others in the palace?
Furthermore, having followed the clues this far, in order to uncover the truth, we must continue to push forward.
Since their master was laid to rest, the two of them have only visited to pay their respects during the annual Qingming Festival. These past few days, however, have brought back memories of their master, stirring up old feelings of gratitude and longing. They feel they should pay their respects more often.
The three of them then rode their horses straight to Flower Fruit Mountain.
Huaguo Mountain is located 30 miles southwest of Longyang Town. Because it is full of mountains and valleys, with rugged rocks and sandy soil, there is almost no fertile land to cultivate, so no one has lived there for a long time.
The name sounds lovely, and I imagined it to be a beautiful place surrounded by fragrant flowers, singing birds, and lush fruit trees.
The horses galloped swiftly, and in just over an hour, the three arrived outside Flower Fruit Mountain.
As a result, the place was desolate, with sand and stones everywhere, few trees and short grass, but thorns and vines covered the rocks. In short, it was deserted.
Lan Ya Mei frowned as she looked around and exclaimed, "This dares to call itself Flower and Fruit Mountain?! Does it even have flowers or fruits? I think it should be called Thorn Mountain."
Upon entering Huaguo Mountain, the rugged path appears and disappears among the thorns, and every now and then, weathered stones will fall into the cliffs with the wind, then collapse and roll down until they hit the bottom.
Time was of the essence, and for safety, the three could only hurry on while the weather was still good. They hastily tied their horses to the roadside to rest, and then continued on foot.
It's a tough nut to crack!
In this day and age, everyone wears shoes with thick soles that lack elasticity, causing heel pain after walking for a while. So, under the pretense of going to the bathroom, Lan Ya Mei secretly took two pairs of bouncy insoles from her spatial storage and put them on, only then did her feet feel much more relaxed.
On the way, Qiu Zeyu explained, "Huaguo Mountain was the burial site chosen by Master before his death, and he even prepared the tomb chamber himself long ago. Master never married and devoted himself to studying martial arts. He was a rare sword fanatic in the martial arts world. It's just a pity that he died young and only took us three disciples in his lifetime."
"Why doesn't he get married and have children?" Lan Yamei didn't understand.
"My master was obsessed with martial arts. His greatest wish in life was to dominate the martial arts world. However, each family's secret techniques were never passed on to outsiders, so he had regrets until his death!" Qiu Kongkong said first.
Lan Ya Mei is speechless! It's true, no matter what, children are always these scoundrels' excuse for their failed lives!
After his death, the Qiu family arranged for his burial and even came to pay their respects on the anniversary of his death!
"How much further?" Lan Yamei asked, carefully watching her step.
"We'll be there in about half an incense stick's time. The road is difficult, so be careful." Qiu Zeyu led the way, passing through particularly narrow sections where they could only move slowly along the cliff face.
Lan Yamei asked, "How did they manage to get the coffin in through such a narrow road?" In this era, helicopters and giant cranes didn't exist. It's truly baffling; with a coffin and such a narrow road, how did they even get through?
Qiu Zeyu explained, "This road used to be wider, and although it was difficult to walk on, it was still wide enough for a coffin to pass through. Perhaps due to the heavy rains, this narrow path has become much more treacherous."
Qiu Kongkong also complained, "The road has collapsed like this in just a few years. The rocks are too brittle. We had to hold onto the cliff face when we crossed it to avoid slipping."
It seems that very few people come here; the road is covered with gravel.
The two nodded hurriedly in response: "Okay, be careful."
The further you go, the harder it gets. You have to keep your body close to the cliff face to move forward. Every now and then, you step on a loose rock, which serves as a constant reminder that you could fall and be smashed to pieces at any moment.
"This road is more difficult to walk than before, be careful." Qiu Zeyu carefully led the way while reaching out to guide Lan Yamei.
"Hurry up and hold on tight yourself, I'll be fine on my own," Lan Yamei declined. It was far too dangerous; her own heart was pounding, let alone helping others.
"When we get there, how do you plan to identify him? Master has been gone for more than five years, and his remains have long since turned into the soil." Qiu Kongkong was worried that this woman would open the coffin again, so he asked in advance.
Qiu Zeyu thought for a moment and then continued, "I remember Master had a beloved possession that we were not allowed to touch. Do you remember it?"
Qiu Kongkong suddenly realized: "Oh, you mean the silver bracelet that Master's mother left him back then?"
Qiu Zeyu turned around and said, "That's right! My master never parted with this item, and it was buried with him."
"I understand. You mean that as long as this item is in the coffin, the remains can be confirmed." Qiu Kongkong said excitedly, then added with some guilt, "I never imagined that Master would suffer like this after his death. We two juniors are ashamed!"
Qiu Zeyu comforted him, saying, "Someone is deliberately trying to smear Master's reputation and ruin his innocence. Their intentions are despicable. Otherwise, how can we find any flaws? Master has lived a life of integrity. If someone tries to ruin his reputation, I'll be the first to teach them a lesson! So it's no harm to investigate. Besides, I have a nagging feeling that someone is deliberately trying to muddy the waters in the pool to achieve their ulterior motives. Therefore, opening the coffin is a last resort, and Master will surely understand us."
Lan Yamei didn't speak, focusing only on the path ahead, afraid of falling and breaking into pieces. She secretly planned that if Wu Tongling was confirmed to be the real person, then her father would be the next to have his coffin opened.
Soon the three of them passed through the canyon and came to an open area, where they saw a tomb at the intersection of two mountain ranges.
Lan Yamei had read some ancient books and learned that this kind of feng shui tomb was simply built to bring prosperity to future generations, so it was built at the intersection of two dragon veins, so that the two giant dragons could be used for its own purposes.
But what's the point of building this if Wu Tongling is unmarried and childless?
After turning several corners, we finally arrived at the tomb.
The large stone tablet clearly reads: Tomb of Wu Tongling.
The grave mound was overgrown with weeds and looked rather desolate, suggesting that very few people ever visited. In that instant, Lan Yamei was convinced that Wen Dechang was dead, absolutely dead.
Qiu Kongkong took out offerings from the bundle on his back and laid them out one by one. The two brothers then burned a pile of gold ingots before kowtowing and apologizing, "Master, we are sorry for disturbing your peace."
After the incense and candles burned out, the two brothers began to dig the grave.
In the open mountains, the sound of shovels digging was very clear. Before long, they dug up a stone coffin. The two of them bowed together again before forcefully pushing open the coffin lid.
As the coffin lid was pushed open, a wooden coffin appeared before the three of them.
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