Immortalis

Tong Xue IV

By the time Shen Qingshi returned, the sky had already darkened.

Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai were waiting downstairs in the inn, snacking on peanuts. Thanks to a certain young master, they had ordered nearly all the local specialties of Westwind Town, including the extremely filling meat pies.

The waiter bustled about, serving them a large table full of dishes. By the end of the meal, Yang Wujian had to loosen her golden rings a bit to avoid feeling constricted around her stomach.

"How did it go?"

Unable to glean any clues from Shen Qingshi's expression, Yang Wujian poured him tea and leaned in ingratiatingly. "Was it successful?"

However, Shen Qingshi wasn't as easily swayed as Zhou Huai. He didn't even touch the cup, replying calmly, "The county magistrate accepted the silver."

"What?"

Zhou Huai had initially thought Shen Qingshi was just boasting. After all, a case from fifteen years ago wouldn't yield results so quickly, even with connections. Yet the first words out of Shen Qingshi's mouth left him stunned.

"What silver?"

"He accepted eight hundred taels from the Lu family of Westwind Town to drop the investigation."

Shen Qingshi pulled out a piece of paper from his robe, which surprisingly contained the names and addresses of the entire Lu family. For some reason, the person who transcribed it seemed to have trembling hands—ink splatters were everywhere.

Zhou Huai raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get this? Why is it written like this?"

Yang Wujian thought to herself that the Zhaoming Guard truly lived up to their reputation—just investigating an old case had frightened someone so much they couldn't even hold a brush steady.

She laughed. "Who cares how it's written? Isn't this exactly what we need? Since this Lu family bribed the magistrate, they must be involved. Young Master Shen, did you look into them?"

In response, Shen Qingshi's slender finger tapped on the name Lu Wenxiu.

He said, "Before the incident, the Lu family's youngest son was sent up the mountain to learn swordsmanship due to his frail health. Shortly after the incident, Lu Wenxiu was brought back down. The reason is unknown."

"It seems this Lu family is hiding something."

Although Zhou Huai had no desire to get involved in such strange affairs, he had nothing better to do back home anyway. Plus, there was Yang Wujian...

He glanced sideways at the girl's smiling face and pursed his lips. "There's an address here. Why don't we go tomorrow?"

"We leave at Yin hour. Don't be late."

With those words, Shen Qingshi stood and left. Zhou Huai, who had never woken at Yin hour in his life, exclaimed in shock, "Leaving at Yin hour? Is it even dawn? The Lu family might not even be awake."

"Exactly. They won't be able to run."

Shen Qingshi offered no further explanation and went straight upstairs, leaving Yang Wujian to ponder.

That night, she had witnessed Shen Qingshi killing someone around Zi hour, yet he was fully dressed and clearly still alert.

On duty until Zi hour, and waking again at Yin hour...

Just what kind of place was this Zhaoming Division, to work its people to the bone?

The next morning, a yawning Zhou Huai came downstairs to find Yang Wujian and Shen Qingshi already waiting by the door. Aside from them, only the waiter was awake in the entire inn. Despite the early hour, he diligently nodded at Zhou Huai from behind the counter.

"What's with you two? Do normal people wake at Yin hour? Isn't the only one out on the streets at this time the night watchman?"

Zhou Huai was both sleepy and hungry, his eyes barely open. Peering outside, he saw the sky was still dark. Mumbling, he said, "I need to buy a pie... Is anyone selling pies?""Stop overthinking, young master. After staying here for several days, haven't you realized? The woman who used to sell pancakes here died of illness a few days ago."

Yang Wujian truly had no way to deal with him. Breaking off a piece of cold steamed bun and handing it over, he said with amusement, "You travel without provisions or attendants. How do you usually manage? Don't tell me you sleep until hunger wakes you before going out to find food?"

"I don't want it this way either, but my father is so paranoid he replaces all household servants every three months... Since I can't keep attendants for long anyway, I simply stopped using them. I just buy whatever I need with money."

Zhou Huai nibbled on the steamed bun and finally regained some energy.

He normally always slept until mao hour (5-7 am), but today, fearing he'd miss the appointed time, he had stayed up all night staring at the oil lamp in the room. Consequently, he had drowsily endured until the fifth watch (3-5 am).

"I'm dizzy... I hope we can uncover something from this trip."

Following the address they had obtained, the three quickly found the place.

According to the records Shen Qingshi obtained from the county office, Lu Wenxiu's father Lu Guanshan was a local wealthy merchant. Because he had a son in his old age, Lu Wenxiu had been exceptionally frail since childhood, forcing Lu Guanshan to send him to Boundless Mountain to practice swordsmanship.

Beyond the courtyard gate, the Lu residence was completely silent. When Zhou Huai felt the cold wind blowing through the door crack, goosebumps immediately rose on his back.

Wait...

He suddenly remembered that on the document Shen Qingshi brought back yesterday, the space beneath Lu Wenxiu's name had been completely blank.

In other words, according to the official household register, there was no one left in the Lu family after Lu Wenxiu!

Zhou Huai shivered, tightened his grip on his Buddhist prayer beads, and immediately retreated behind Yang Wujian: "Is... is there anyone inside?"

"Quiet."

Shen Qingshi tilted his head to listen.

The Bi'an Department Master specialized in interrogation. Many who fell into his hands ended up barely breathing, their delirious ramblings sometimes revealing accomplices' names. Consequently, Shen Qingshi was exceptionally sensitive to any sound people made.

If what the county magistrate said was true, then this courtyard should occasionally have visitors at night.

Soon, Shen Qingshi seemed to catch something in the night wind. Without hesitation, he vaulted over the wall. Before the person in the courtyard could react, Shen Qingshi had already firmly grasped his shoulder.

"Don't run, or I'll break your legs."

Though Shen Qingshi looked like a sickly person, his strength was formidable. The man, who had no martial arts skills, nearly had his arm dislocated as he knelt on the ground, begging for mercy repeatedly.

"Who is it?"

By now, Zhou Huai was fully awake. When he and Yang Wujian climbed into the courtyard, they realized the place had likely been abandoned for a long time, overgrown with weeds and covered in spiderwebs.

The sky hadn't fully brightened yet. Yang Wujian lit a fire starter, illuminating a weathered face.

The person was dressed shabbily and had been sleeping on the ground - clearly, he was a beggar.

Shen Qingshi said, "You're an old servant of the Lu family, aren't you? The county office said that after the last Lu family member died eight years ago, no one in West Wind Town dared enter the Lu residence. Only you would occasionally come back to stay for a couple of days."

The beggar trembled all over, falling to his knees with a thud: "I came to pay respects to the master! The Lu family all died unjustly. I feared they might hold grudges and be unwilling to reincarnate, so I've been secretly returning to sleep here at night and worship them."

"Died unjustly?"

Yang Wujian thought this was truly interesting.

The Lu family had bribed officials to cover up matters, yet the entire family ended up dead. Rather than calling it unjust, this looked more like retribution finally catching up with them.Shen Qingshi said, "The county office claims the Lu family members didn't all die suddenly on the same day. You should know the circumstances best. Tell me everything clearly now, and I'll let you go."

When it came to interrogation, Shen Qingshi was most skilled. He had countless methods to keep someone hanging between life and death while stripping them of their defenses. Before coming, he had prepared himself for this, but to his surprise, his question seemed to unlock a floodgate in the old servant, who proceeded to spill all the Lu family's secrets from the past several years.

Fifteen years ago, when Lu Wenxiu was brought down from the mountain, he was nearly insane.

The old servant would always remember the day the young master he had watched grow up returned home from the mountain. His face was as pale as paper, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably. From time to time, he would suddenly jerk his head around to stare into the dark, lightless corners behind him, as if some invisible ghostly presence lurked there.

Originally, Lu Wenxiu's constitution had merely been somewhat weaker than other children his age. Lu Guanshan had sent him up the mountain to strengthen his physique. Unexpectedly, after this trip down from the mountain, Lu Wenxiu first fell ill for an entire month. When he finally recovered from his illness, his mind began to grow confused.

Every night, mournful howls from Lu Wenxiu would echo through the Lu family's inner courtyard.

"He said, they're all dead... dead!"

"Next! I'm definitely next!"

"I hear... I hear him speaking."

Though Lu Wenxiu hadn't even reached adulthood at that time, when he screamed these words, it was as if he were possessed. The servants couldn't restrain him no matter how hard they tried.

No one knew what exactly Lu Wenxiu had experienced on the mountain. After all, in the letter sent from the sword manor, they only mentioned that Lu Wenxiu had suddenly developed madness.

On his final day on the mountain, the dormitory disciples searched everywhere for Lu Wenxiu but couldn't find him. Eventually, they located him in the Myriad Sword Cave at the back of the mountain.

At that time, the dormitory disciple heard strange noises coming from underground. Following the fissures in the mountain wall downward, he finally spotted Lu Wenxiu deep within.

He wasn't holding any torch, but was curled up alone in the darkness, covering his ears and muttering to himself, "I hear him speaking, I hear him speaking..."

The Myriad Sword Cave was naturally formed by ground collapse, with underground rock fissures extending in all directions. Rumors said the deepest parts connected directly to the mines dug during the Northern Xiang era. No one knew what exactly the Northern Xiang people had been searching for back then, but they dug so deep that it eventually triggered the ground collapse.

The rock fissure where Lu Wenxiu was found extended deep into the mountain. When the searching disciple shone his torch inside, he saw the rock walls stained crimson, as if countless bloody handprints had been slapped against them—a sight that struck terror into the heart.

The mines beneath North Mountain already had numerous eerie legends. Some even said Emperor Beixiang dug mines everywhere in search of ghosts and deities. Because of this, they claimed the deepest parts of Northern Xiang's abandoned mines housed soul-devouring monsters—those who ventured too deep would never return.

With all these rumors circulating beforehand, one can imagine how the disciple was startled into a panic. He hurriedly dragged Lu Wenxiu out of the cave. However, before they could completely exit, the depths of that cave had already collapsed.

Afterward, no matter who tried to speak to Lu Wenxiu, he would pay no attention, continuously muttering about hearing something. Left with no choice, the dormitory disciple had to send a letter down the mountain, asking the Lu family to bring Lu Wenxiu home.

"They're all dead?"After listening to half of it, Shen Qingshi seemed lost in thought: "When Lu Wenxiu was brought down the mountain, those four sword attendants must have already gone missing. That's why their first thought was to search the back mountain... But what exactly did he see deep underground that made him think everyone was dead?"

Zhou Huai felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. Combined with his poor sleep, he vaguely sensed something ominous and hurriedly took out a jade vial from his person, pouring out a green pill and tossing it into his mouth.

"What are you eating, Young Master?"

Yang Wujian had sharp eyes—or perhaps she paid close attention to anyone who carried medicine with them—and immediately leaned in with concern: "Something tasty? I'd like to try some too."

His pride at stake, Zhou Huai naturally wouldn't tell her it was a prescription his family had prepared to treat Evil Sickness. He quickly stuffed the jade vial back: "It's for refreshing the mind... and it's expensive, so don't think about getting a free taste."

"Stingy. I even shared steamed buns with you earlier."

Yang Wujian snorted but didn't seem upset.

She had indeed heard before that the young master of White Rainbow Tower had some congenital ailment, but after spending these past couple of days together, she noticed he looked rosy-cheeked and robust. In comparison, Shen Qingshi seemed more like the sickly one.

After a moment's thought, Yang Wujian said, "Could it be... Lu Wenxiu saw corpses in the cave? Since it was so prone to collapse, perhaps the sword attendants' bodies were in places people couldn't reach. As for the Corpse Seeking Sable, I've heard Medicine King Mountain has many rare medicines—some can drive beasts, others can repel them. If they sprinkled some medicinal powder on the corpses and tossed them where humans couldn't enter, then even the Great Luo Immortals wouldn't be able to retrieve the bodies."

Zhou Huai followed this line of thinking: "But why would he go into that cave for no reason? The underground of Myriad Sword Cave is labyrinthine—it doesn't make sense that he only encountered the corpses there. The only possibility is..."

"The only possibility is he already knew the sword attendants were dead, which is why he suddenly went mad and crawled underground."

Shen Qingshi narrowed his eyes at the old servant kneeling on the ground: "Your master realized this too. He knew Lu Wenxiu must be connected to the disappearance of the sword attendants from Boundless Sword Manor and feared it would bring trouble upon himself... So he went to bribe the county magistrate, trying to settle this matter quietly, didn't he?"