【Grand Canal Drowning Case】

Investigator: Fa Yan Data sources: Taipingwei files, county government case files, oral statements from corpse retrievers, and coroner's autopsy reports.

Death toll: 630

Excluding the accidental deaths of livestock, the number of people who drowned in Taiping County in the past three years is the sum of the number of people who drowned in the previous twenty years. It is suspected that water ghosts are causing trouble, and in order to find a substitute, it is necessary to find the location of the bound earth spirit in detail.

The most recent crime occurred on February 2, the third year of Qi Ling, when the dragon raises its head.

Case overview: The former county magistrate Fan Jin was ordered to build an arch bridge named Tengyun, which wished the students of Taiping County who were preparing for the imperial examinations success. However, just after it was opened to traffic for two days, a series of horse-drawn carriage accidents occurred, with 11 carriages falling into the river within two days, killing a total of 20 people. Under the blockade of Taiping Guards, Tengyun Bridge has been temporarily suspended.

Case investigation: All the drownings had two things in common : 1. Regardless of whether the drowning person practiced martial arts or was proficient in water, when the Taiping Guards salvaged the people, no one in the carriage survived; 2. The accidents mainly occurred in the morning and evening, and no similar accidents occurred in carriages crossing the bridge at noon;

After reading the report in his hand word by word, even though Wu Tianzhen was determined to travel far and wide, he couldn't help but feel the evil nature of the bridge under his feet. But now he somewhat understood why Zhang San asked him to come over.

Because of the reverence for ancestors, tomb robbing and stealing are serious crimes in any era. Once caught by the government, there is no way to escape beheading in the autumn.

However, after all, they are companions who have experienced life and death together. It's not impossible for Zhang San to show leniency to Wu Tianzhen. However, whether he can get this opportunity depends on his own luck.

"Uh... um..."

It seemed that he was afraid that what he would say next would involve the dynasty scandal. Unsure of Zhang San's attitude, Wu Tianzhen hesitated several times but still could not say it.

"Just say what you want to say!"

Although the two had not been in contact for a long time, Wu Tianzhen knew that Zhang San was not afraid of anything, otherwise he would not have given himself the chance, right?

Seeing the increasingly unfriendly expression on Zhang San's face, Wu Tianzhen quickly suppressed the joy on his face and said.

"Sir, do you know that there is a jargon in the construction industry that is not open to the public, called... driving live piles? Of course, I am not talking about the Ministry of Works' soldiers here. Compared with ordinary people, their methods are more than one level higher."

There is a natural destiny between the mountains and the sea. To put it in an exaggerated way, building bridges and roads is a process of man conquering nature.

Mr. Lu Xun once said, there are no roads in the world, but when more people walk on it, it becomes a road.

Because they are born immobile, their popularity is difficult to disperse. In addition, customs such as burial allow them to obtain the protection of their ancestors to a certain extent. For people who have been engaged in construction for many years, building roads is not a difficult task.

But it should be noted that bridge building is not included in this list.

Water flows naturally. It can wash away dirt, but it can also wash away popularity. It is unrealistic to suppress the fortune of both sides of the Taiwan Strait with popularity alone.

In addition, once the bridge is built, the fortune patterns on both sides of the river will be connected. If the fortunes complement each other, that's fine. If the luck is good, it may even become a blessed land.

Unfortunately, according to the experience summed up by the ancients, the pattern of destiny is like a roaring tiger in the mountains.

Have you ever seen two tigers on a hill? However, despite the bumpy road ahead, in order to allow the human race to set foot in every corner of the world and to make the mountains and rivers bow down to the common master of the world, there will always be wise men who will come up with different ways.

The person who made pioneering contributions to bridge and road construction should be Lu Ban!

After hearing Wu Tianzhen's words, Gu Xuanyan, who was originally standing on a high place looking out, turned back in time and gave Zhang San an affirmative look.

It was obvious that what Wu Tianzhen said was true, but Zhang San's focus at the moment was not on that.

"A living stake?"

"Yes, yes, it means the same thing, but the way you call it is a bit taboo. People in the industry will definitely not recognize it. They usually use the more euphemistic term 'beating a living stake'. It seems that you also... believe this, sir?"

"It's just a way for Lu Ban to compromise with the ghosts and gods. If he still had the status of the emperor, why would he do this? But I understand what you mean. You suspect that the reason why Tengyun Bridge has been in trouble is because there is not a living stake here?"

For cultivators like Zhang San who have practiced Taoism for a long time and have made great achievements, they can indeed ignore ghosts and gods, but Wu Tianzhen is obviously not one of them.

As if he had heard something extremely terrifying, Wu Tianzhen looked under the bridge several times, and only answered with lingering fear after confirming that the state of the river had not changed.

"Oh, my Lord, can we keep our voices down a bit?

There is a saying in the industry that civil engineering projects require animal sacrifices, while bridge construction requires human sacrifices. Building a bridge is much more taboo than building a tall building on flat ground.

This canal that runs through Taiping County connects almost all the main rivers in the north. Its aura is so strong that it is even not inferior to the Huai River. I would not be surprised even if there is a Dragon King practicing here.

In short, this place is too harsh. If you want to build a bridge across the river, one human stake may not be enough... well... at least three stakes are needed to hold down the river."

Seeing Wu Tianzhen's constantly dodging gaze, Zhang San was not going to scare him any more. The reason why he brought him out of the dungeon this time, in addition to his previous meritorious service in the crime, was actually because he had a request for him.

In the battle of Qingye Peak, the Nine Dragons Pulling Coffin was razed to the ground. For any force, this was an immeasurable loss. However, for Zhang San, who had countless raw goods in his hands, such an action solved some of his worries.

The masterpiece of the highest craftsmanship of the Yuan Dynasty, the magical instrument to be produced by the Divine Machine in the future, what Gu Xuanyan said before was not wrong. Due to his identity, it is indeed inconvenient for Zhang San to intervene in it, but Wu Tianzhen, who was born as a tomb raider, is the best candidate for delivery.

Of course, the above is only one of the solutions to Taiping County’s financial difficulties. The second and most urgent solution is Zhang San’s goal.

"The Five Elements Sect doesn't just teach earth escape, right?"

Instead of continuing the conversation about the living human stake, Zhang San's change of topic was still so unpredictable.

"Of course, the Five Elements Escape Technique is the foundation of the Five Elements Sect's practice. However, due to the limitations of qualifications, apart from the Sect Leader, few people can perfectly master the Five Elements Escape Technique.

As for me, I have only mastered the earth escape and water escape techniques. However, although I only have two escape techniques, I can still search for dragon caves, dig holes, and go to tombs without any human intervention."

As if feeling Zhang San's kindness, Wu Tianzhen's explanation was quite detailed. However, when he heard the subsequent arrangements, Wu Tianzhen could only sigh that he was still too young.