Сhapter 384: Тhе Bronzе Sparrоw оf Сhаng'аn Sings 38
Аfter seеing Shen Du off, Zhu Yan was so angrу shе cоuldn’t sleер аll night. Shе onlу mаnаgеd а brief nаp during the Yin hour bеfоre bеing awakenеd by knoсking at the dооr during thе Мао hоur. Groggy аnd unаble tо gеt uр, she wаs helреd by Cоnсubine Jin аnd Ru Shi into her offiсial robes, hеr hаir wаs stylеd into a bun, and shе wаs ushеred оut tо thе саrriаge.
“Оh nо, I forgоt to bring thе steamеd buns for Liu Niаng,” Соncubinе Jin ехсlaimed, slaрping her foreheаd in frustration.
Ru Shi immediаtely turnеd to fеtсh them. “Wаit for me, please.”
Before they could finish speaking, the carriage had already driven far away. The two women stamped their feet anxiously, worried that Zhu Yan was heading to official duties without having eaten breakfast.
When Zhu Yan arrived at the Lai residence again, the scene before her startled her. In the garden of the Lai estate, all the flowers and plants had been uprooted and discarded to the side. Even the paving stones had been pried up, revealing deep pits in some areas. Beside these pits lay corpses that had been excavated from within.
Some had already turned to skeletons, others were in the process of skeletonization, and a few were still relatively fresh, with only scattered cadaveric lividity—clearly having died only in recent days.
Frowning, Zhu Yan put on a face mask and gloves and hurried forward. Beside her, Jing Lin yawned, dark circles under his eyes, as he pointed at the corpses and said:
“These were all killed by Lai Luozhi. He buried the bodies in his own yard as fertilizer for the flowers. Isn’t he afraid these vengeful spirits will come for him in the middle of the night?”
Zhu Yan replied coldly, “Someone who takes pleasure in killing fears no ghosts.”
Jing Lin had the corpses moved into one of the cleared-out rooms. Zhu Yan quickly completed the autopsies:
“Most were either poisoned or killed quickly with sharp weapons. There are no obvious external injuries, only a single fatal wound each. In cases of poisoning, the internal organs are damaged, and the bones and heart have turned black.”
After compiling the autopsy results, Zhu Yan still hadn’t seen Shen Du. Recalling the events of the previous night, she couldn’t help but worry. She grabbed Jing Lin to ask for an update.
Jing Lin was surprised that Zhu Yan didn’t know yet and proceeded to describe the rebellion involving Lai Luozhi. Only then did Zhu Yan understand why Shen Du had come to her in the middle of the night.
With Lai Luozhi captured, he no longer needed to pretend to defect or divorce her. He must have been eager to bring her this good news, which was why he had climbed through her window late at night.
But was that the point? That fool.
As Zhu Yan’s thoughts shifted, Jing Lin led her to the cellar. Carrying her autopsy kit, Zhu Yan stepped inside and nearly felt as if she had returned to the cellar of Guangchun Hall in Yingzhou.
The space was filled with fragmented and mutilated bodies, along with the long-missing human hearts that had been turned into Human Preserves.
Zhu Yan urgently asked Jing Lin to go to the Ministry of Justice and bring Lu Chuichui to assist. Meanwhile, she busied herself with the autopsies.
Not a single complete corpse could be pieced together. Moreover, upon closer inspection, it was clear that these fragmented remains had been gnawed on—including the human hearts. Some half-eaten hearts were even discarded nearby.
Lu Chuichui, responsible for recording the findings, was so nauseated she nearly vomited up her bile. Pointing at the horrifying Human Preserves, her eyes welled with tears:
“Could it be… could it be that Lai Luozhi’s hobby is… cannibalism?”
This statement suddenly enlightened Zhu Yan. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Whether it was Madam Tang, Chen Huo’e, or Liang Jiren, they were all gathering people to provide edible flesh for Lai Luozhi. Lai Luozhi doesn’t believe in resurrection after death; he follows the Daoist art of immortality. The fire moths were merely a tool he created to divert attention.”It is said that the Taoist patriarch Li Er lived for over nine hundred years, and the celestial master Yuan Tiangang, who predicted the Empress's ascension to the throne, is rumored to still reside on the immortal Penglai Island in the East Sea, maintaining an ethereal and immortal demeanor. For this reason, some people, unable to endure the hardships of cultivation, turned their attention to the art of immortality.
The so-called art of immortality involves offering the flesh and blood of individuals with special birthdates as sacrifices to the true gods, thereby obtaining the power to avoid illness, aging, and death.
Naturally, this is impossible, which is why it has always been shunned by orthodox sects, and the imperial court has prohibited its practice. However, some practitioners, driven to obsession in their cultivation, become deeply fixated on eternal life and immortality, inevitably falling into demonic ways and committing such heinous acts.
"Jing Lin, have someone investigate the birthdates of all those recorded as victims of Lai Luozhi who lost body parts, as far as the records allow."
Jing Lin acknowledged and left.
Beside them, Lu Chuichui had long since emptied her stomach from vomiting. Suppressing her nausea, she recorded Zhu Yan's account before rushing out of the cellar to take several deep breaths. Leaning weakly against a wooden pillar, she gasped:
"Liu Niang, why... why did we ever choose to join the Ministry of Justice? With so many respectable offices across the Three Departments and Six Ministries, couldn't we have gone anywhere else?"
Zhu Yan sighed helplessly, removing her face covering and gloves to wash them clean. After cleansing her hands, she spoke to Lu Chuichui:
"Speaking for the dead is an act of accumulating virtue."
That may be so, but... Lu Chuichui gave her a resentful look, her face pale as wilted greens.
Just then, an Unrighteous Agent came looking for Zhu Yan, informing her that Concubine Jin had been abducted.
At the same time, Shen Du was also notified that Lai Luozhi had escaped from prison. He hurriedly left the palace and made his way to the inner court's dungeon.
Soon, the two met at the Zhu residence. Zhu Yan, her eyes brimming with tears, collapsed weeping into Zhu Manshu's arms. Lai Luozhi's prison break was a major incident, and the Ministry of Justice had dispatched personnel to assist. They were currently inspecting the room.
Shen Du approached Zhu Yan, only to have Zhu Manshu point at his nose and scold him: "It's all because of you! Lai Luozhi must have targeted the Zhu family in retaliation, abducting our concubine."
Shen Du silently accepted the blame. "I'll go examine the scene."
This time, Zhu Mojie seemed to have matured all at once. Guiding Shen Du forward, his eyes reddened but his mind still clear, he asked:
"Why would Lai Luozhi abduct our concubine? Even if he wanted revenge, he should have come for you or Liu Niang."
This was also Shen Du's question. After some thought, he replied: "The reason likely still lies with Zhu Yan."
After searching the Zhu residence thoroughly, no useful clues were found. Shen Du felt disappointed and even more worried that Zhu Yan might not be able to handle it. To his surprise, when he turned around, he saw Zhu Yan standing there with swollen eyes, calmly analyzing the situation:
"My mother is a lady of the inner chambers, and she is lazy by nature. Normally, if she walks more than one street, she insists on taking a carriage both ways. Her stamina is poor—she certainly couldn't have walked far."
Shen Du admired Zhu Yan's mental fortitude. "Lai Luozhi endured severe torture in the inner court's dungeon. Although he possesses formidable martial arts and stamina, he has suffered significant damage. He couldn't have gone far."
Zhu Yan pursed her lips. "These past few days, I've been gathering evidence everywhere. Based on the case of the Buddha Devouring Sins, I infer that the first human flesh Lai Luozhi consumed was a human heart. Remember? The bodies of Liang Chenzhong and Kuang Zhanxin were discovered at the Western Brightness Temple."
"That time, a total of six bodies were found, all missing their hearts and embracing one another."
"On the surface, it seemed as Madam Tang said—that the killer targeted illicit lovers out of hatred born from love, killing them and extracting their hearts. But in reality, the real Madam Tang had long been dead. The one committing the murders was merely a puppet, using the past grievances of the deceased Madam Tang to carry out the killings.""Madam Tang is Chen Huo'e, and Chen Huo'e is Lai Luofu, while the real Lai Luofu died long ago."
"They all carry the scent of Hundred Minds Incense, which is only found in temples."
Shen Du's eyes lit up: "The most dangerous place is the safest."
They had sealed the city gates, never expecting that Lai Luozhi, having abducted someone, couldn't have gone far and would never leave the city.
"Let's go, to the Western Brightness Temple."
Without another word, Shen Du scooped up Zhu Yan, mounted his horse, tightened the reins, and turned toward the Western Brightness Temple in the west market.
The others followed closely behind.
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