Chapter 43 The Wind Comes 2 The White-Eyed Wolf
Yundan Mountain is uninhabited, save for the Sitian Pavilion, built on a steep cliff atop the mountain. The steep terrain makes it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Hidden within the mountain are ladders, allowing disciples to ascend and descend by climbing the cliffs or using the ladders. There is no path suitable for horses.
Xun Shu found a place with fertile grass at the foot of the mountain, tied the reins to a branch, and left the horse to graze in the hidden place, while she tied her trouser legs tightly and continued to move forward on her own.
No one had taken care of it for many years, and the weeds were already taller than his waist. Xun Shu walked a dozen steps with difficulty, suddenly bent down, and looked carefully at a small patch of weeds in front of him that was pressed into the soil.
The weeds were rotting, probably because they had been trampled not long ago. They were larger than her footsteps, and there were faint marks of shoes on the edges.
It's definitely footprints.
Someone has been here recently.
The Sitian Pavilion had long been an empty building, and these traces of footsteps must have been left by people looking for the "treasures" left by the Sitian Pavilion.
Xun Shu's face was solemn. He did not delay any longer, held his breath, and continued forward carefully.
She wasn't planning to go up the mountain today. She skirted the dense forest before her, walking about a hundred steps away from the Sitian Pavilion. Dozens of trees arranged according to a Qimen Dunjia formation appeared before her. She skirted the formation and continued forward, pushing aside the increasingly tall weeds. After confirming that no one was following her, she entered a small cave hidden among the weeds.
The cave wasn't deep, and one could see the end at a glance. Xun Shu walked to the stone wall at the bottom of the cave and stopped. Just like many years ago, he skillfully groped along the wall in the darkness, but he couldn't find the mechanism to open the secret door.
She was stunned, took out a fire starter, blew gently, and a flame ignited instantly.
The flame was small, its light just enough to illuminate the entire cave. Xun Shu looked around in the light, startled to realize that the cave, which she remembered as incredibly spacious, had suddenly become so cramped. She glanced again at the stone wall where the mechanism was hidden, and a sudden thought struck her. She lowered her head and, sure enough, found the mechanism three inches below the stone wall she had just touched.
She is now much taller than she was back then, and the mechanism that she could touch with her hand before now requires her to bend down to reach it.
Xun Shu skillfully yet unskillfully pressed several triggers on the stone wall. A moment later, the stone moved with a sound like thunder, revealing a dark cave half a man's height hidden in a corner. She climbed into the cave, reset the stone door, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
After climbing through a long, narrow corridor, we entered a spacious cave. Every few steps, small niches were carved into the stone walls, each containing a night-shining pearl. These pearls dispelled the darkness, making the cave as bright as day.
The opening and closing of the stone door brought air flow, and the dust that had accumulated on the ground for many years was blown into the air. Xun Shu's nose felt itchy, and he couldn't help coughing a few times. He could only cover his face with his sleeves and wait until the smoke and dust dissipated before walking deeper.
Although it is called a secret room, it is more like the library of the Si Tian Pavilion. For thousands of years, all kinds of classics related to the mysterious arts have been found and collected here by successive Si Tian Pavilion masters. The earliest classics were even written on tortoise shells. The characters were so strange that Xun Shu had never been able to understand them.
The library is neatly arranged and filled with ancient books. Except for the layers of cobwebs in the corners and the thick dust on the surface of the books, everything is still the same as it was many years ago.
It doesn't look like anyone has been here.
Xun Shu's heart settled a bit as she began to search through books, hoping to find any information about the "Si Tian Pavilion Treasures," but she found nothing. Undeterred, she munched on the bread she had brought with her and continued searching for records related to the Changsheng Palace, but still found nothing.
Not finding it may not be bad news.
Xun Shu sighed, hugged his knees and sat on the ground, looking at everything that was so familiar in front of him, and was reluctant to leave.
Now that she has grown up, she has a rough idea of why her master was so anxious to expel her from the sect.
The master must have sensed the danger and calculated the moment when she would meet a benefactor, so he hurriedly drove her down Yundan Mountain. If she hadn't left the mountain, she would have been unable to escape the dangers that followed and would have gone underground with the master long ago.
But she hadn't expected that after all these years, this group of villains would not only be scouting around the martial arts world, but would also go so far as to repeatedly search the deep mountains and forests... Why were they so sure that there was a treasure in the Sitian Pavilion? Did someone tell them something?
And Jiang Zheng’s misfortune, if it was really related to her, how did this group of people know of her existence?
Xun Shu was puzzled and had a headache.
Sitian Pavilion is just a den of charlatans. There really is no treasure. How can she make them believe it...
Xun Shu stayed in the cave for a long time, carefully reading books, not only to look for clues to the treasure, but also to find answers to questions that had accumulated over the years.
The master is no longer with us, and only these books can help her.
It was already the next morning when he walked out of the cave. Suddenly seeing the bright light, the instantaneous change of light and darkness made Xun Shu close his eyes and relax for a long time.
Outside the cave, the sun was shining brightly, the perfect time of day. Carefully erasing her traces, she found her well-fed horse. Finally, she glanced up at the eaves hidden in the clouds, mounted her horse, and resolutely left, never to linger.
-
At Li Song's request, He Xuan stayed at the county government office to attend the welcoming banquet.
The banquet was extremely boring. Everyone's face seemed to be wearing a thick mask, and they spoke hypocritical and polite words that were meaningless. The only interesting thing was the surprised expressions of the people in the government office when He Xuan appeared before everyone as Li Xuanhe, the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple.
Especially Fang Yan, his eyes widened in an instant, and He Xuan was even worried that his eyeballs would fall out of their sockets.
He Xuan's mood, which had been gloomy all night, brightened up a little at this moment, and he finally felt like chatting with everyone.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, everyone was drunk or dizzy, and some people left the table one after another, including Fang Yan.
He Xuan had been keeping a close eye on Fang Yan's movements. Seeing him leave, he wished he could rush out of the yamen and get back to the coffin shop before him. Unfortunately, Qu Zhubu, standing nearby, was already drunk and kept him busy, chattering non-stop. When he finally managed to shake off the crowd and was about to leave, he was stopped by someone from the Ministry of Justice, who insisted on discussing the case of the disaster relief funds.
He Xuan was so angry that his teeth itched. He really wanted to ask them, "Can you have a clear conversation when you're drunk?" But thinking of the emperor's instructions and the fact that he would soon have to return to the capital, facing the tangled web of relationships and power, he could only suppress his impatience and follow them to the backyard.
By the time everything was over, it was already late at night. He Xuan guessed that Fang Yan had already told Xun Shu about what he had seen and heard today. It would make no difference whether he went back an hour earlier or an hour later.
He Xuan decided to live in the county government office, planning to get up at dawn tomorrow with the crowing of the rooster, wake up everyone, drag them to the court, and put an end to these cases together.
Isn't it just a competition of who can last longer? How could he lose?
By the time he finished his work at the yamen, it was already early afternoon the next day. He missed the old man and the young man in the coffin shop. He thought that if he went back now, he could have lunch with them. He was three parts excited and four parts nervous. He changed into the coarse cloth clothes of "He Xuan" again, and didn't forget to buy Xun Shu her favorite bubble cakes and flower cakes. He also went to Zhang's roast chicken shop and bought a roast chicken. Then he went to the coffin shop.
He Xuan looked at the full oil-paper bag in his hand and felt a little relieved.
These are the things Xun Shu likes to eat. After she eats them, she will definitely soften her heart and forgive him.
Of course you can.
-
At noon, Xun Shu rode his horse into the city from the north gate and went straight to the coffin shop, half a day earlier than originally planned.
It was noon, the sun was scorching, the streets were empty, and there was no one in sight for a long time.
As she was about to return to the coffin shop, Xun Shu's heart couldn't calm down. The closer she got, the more anxious she became. Her heart was pounding non-stop, unable to calm down. She spurred her horse forward, galloping all the way, her only thought in her heart was to get back to that familiar place as quickly as possible.
It seemed that if she went back, she would be able to find peace again.
There were few shops or houses around the coffin shop. In the past, there would be the occasional pedestrian passing by, but today it was eerily quiet, even the cicadas were muted. Xun Shu dismounted at the street corner and left his horse under a jujube tree. While no one was watching, he walked lightly, suppressing his pounding heart, and slipped towards the coffin shop.
The back door of the coffin shop was ajar, but not locked. It opened easily with a push. Xun Shu pushed the door open a crack and walked into the yard cautiously.
Everything in the yard was normal. Tables, chairs and benches were placed in the middle of the yard. There was uncollected food on the table. There were two sets of bowls and chopsticks placed beside the table, both of which showed signs of being used.
It doesn't look unusual.
Xun Shu swallowed and said softly, "Uncle Jiang?"
There was silence and no one responded.
She raised her voice: "Uncle Jiang? Are you home?"
Still no one answered.
She walked quickly to the coffin shop in front, but saw that the door was closed. It was not open today. She went to Jiang Zheng's house and pushed the door open, but still did not see Jiang Zheng.
She walked around Jiang Zheng's room several times, checking it inside and out. She didn't notice anything missing, but she found a small bloodstain near the door.
The bloodstain wasn't large enough to be fatal, but it sent a sledgehammer through Xun Shu's skull, sending her into a panic. She hung her head, darting around the room like a headless fly, unsure of what to do. When she looked up, she saw the hanging bronze mirror was gone.
Xun Shu stood there in a daze, his thoughts becoming clearer.
She had seen the mirror in Jiang Zheng's room before leaving yesterday, so why was it missing today? Nothing was missing from the room; Jiang Zheng hadn't even taken the purse he usually carried. He definitely hadn't taken the mirror... And the bloodstain by the door... Jiang Zheng had most likely been kidnapped, and his captor had taken the mirror with him.
Xun Shu was deflated and blamed himself.
I should have taken the mirror back yesterday, why did it remain in Jiang Zheng's hands?
Actually, the mirror was just an ordinary one, nothing special. It was just something she had used since she was a child, and it was a gift from her master, so she kept it with her and couldn't bear to throw it away. There was a small mark on the bottom of the mirror, a totem unique to the Sitian Pavilion. When she saw the mirror yesterday, she hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to take it back to avoid any trouble caused by the totem. But then she felt that the mirror was ordinary and quite old, and the totem was small, tucked away in a corner, so no one would notice it.
Now it seems that she was careless.
It was she who implicated Jiang Zheng.
Xun Shu stood in the yard, letting the scorching sun cover her entire body, but the chill in her heart still continued to emerge, numbing her body in a moment. However, she could not fight against the scorching heat and could not ease it no matter what she did.
The room was not turned upside down, indicating that the person who had abducted Jiang Zheng was very familiar with everything here. There were also dishes and chopsticks on the table in the courtyard, proving that Jiang Zheng and another person had dinner there last night.
Xun Shu bit his lips lightly, feeling confused.
There were three people living in this house, and apart from her and Jiang Zheng, no one else knew everything about this place better than He Xuan. Moreover, before He Xuan left yesterday, he had said he would be back for dinner that night, which matched the dishes on the table... He must have come back and seen that she was not in the coffin shop, so he took the opportunity to attack the defenseless Jiang Zheng.
Xun Shu, ah Xun Shu, you have been fortune-telling and physiognomy-reading for a lifetime, but you can only see that the man has a noble destiny. How come you can't see that he is an ungrateful traitor!
Now that she thought about it, everything in the past had traces to follow. He Xuan had asked her countless times about who her master of the Xuanmen technique was, and when she set up a stall at the market, she also used the name of Sitian Pavilion.
He had always had a strong interest in the Sitian Pavilion, but what about her? She had long seen that he had recovered his memory, but she still felt that he was not a bad person and was a good person. Perhaps there was a reason why he couldn't admit to recovering his memory, and it wasn't because he had any bad intentions...
Furthermore, while at the Zhao residence, she had also discovered that He Xuan and the people from the Dali Temple had known each other for a long time, and even had a close relationship. Five years ago, it was someone from the Dali Temple who had not thoroughly investigated the Master's case and had shielded the criminal. Five years later, it was someone connected to the Dali Temple who had captured Jiang Zheng!
There are no good people in Dali Temple! They are all people who want her life!
Xun Shu, oh Xun Shu, how could you be so stupid! He has no conscience at all. He just wants to stay in the coffin shop and wait for an opportunity to strike!
Liar! Ungrateful wolf! Turtle bastard!
What should she do now? Look for Fang Yan? No, Fang Yan is a government official, and government officials and the Dali Temple are always in cahoots... But if she doesn't look for Fang Yan, who else can she turn to? She has no relatives left in this world, only Jiang Zheng... Jiang Zheng has protected her for so many years, she should do something for him.
Jiang must be rescued!
But how to do it?
Before Xun Shu could figure out what to do, she heard a noise in the front yard. She didn't dare reveal her whereabouts, fearing that the Dali Temple had returned to the crime scene, waiting to take down the coffin shop. She could only quietly leave through the back door.
She decided to find a safe place first, calm down, and then think carefully about what to do.
She will definitely be able to find Jiang Zheng and rescue him!
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