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墨書 Inktalez
"This... this is the Treasure Mouse raised by the Zhou family!" Seventh Uncle exclaimed, shaking his beard as he leaned in for a closer look. "See, it has a notch in its left ear; it's specially trained to search for food!"
Lin Dahe poked at the red string tied to the mouse's tail with a stick. "Last night, it ravaged my Mountain Yam."
"Mountain Yam?" Seventh Uncle suddenly lowered his voice. "Zhou Liangzhang has been asking around about the Western Region Treasure... Lin Family Boy, tell me the truth, what exactly is that thing..."
Before he could finish, a heart-wrenching cry echoed from afar. When they reached the village entrance, they saw Aunt Wang slumped in her vegetable garden—those cabbages they had rescued just yesterday were completely devoured overnight.
"Damn mice!" Aunt Wang wailed, pounding her chest. All around, the cabbage stalks were covered in tiny bite marks.
Lin Dahe crouched down to inspect and suddenly noticed some strange paw prints in the mud—larger than a mouse but smaller than a wild cat, arranged in an unusually neat pattern, as if... someone wearing specially made claw covers?
He suddenly recalled the location of the Zhou family's cellar marked on his system map. Just as he was about to turn around, his sleeve was tugged by Seventh Uncle. The old man shoved a rusty key into his palm. "There's an old mouse trap in the side hall of the ancestral hall, coated with snake venom..."
As the sun fully rose, Lin Dahe stood in his home’s main hall, gazing thoughtfully at the new red string hanging on the wall. Aunt Ma's hairband had been left behind in her haste last night, dangling from the fence like a flickering red snake.
The iron wires of the mouse trap glinted coldly in the morning light. Lin Dahe carried this squeaking "stolen good" toward the ancestral hall, the red string at the bottom of the cage wriggling like a twisted earthworm. Passing by Zhou's Grain Shop, he was suddenly blocked by a figure emerging from the shadow of the wall.
"Lin Xiucai, where are you off to?"
Zhou Liangzhang leaned against the wall with a smile, holding a Qingci Wine Pot in his left hand. The sunlight shone on his slick hairdo, and the pattern on his sandalwood hairpin matched that of Aunt Ma's bracelet.
"I'm going to find Li Zheng to settle this." Lin Dahe shook the cage, causing the gray mouse to squeak loudly. "Your treasure visits my house more often at night than I do to the toilet."
"A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!" Zhou Liangzhang laughed heartily, suddenly grabbing Lin Dahe's wrist with his right hand. "This creature has been running away for over half a year; I offered a reward of fifty coins but couldn't get it back." He magically produced a string of copper coins. "Today, I must treat you to some drinks!"
Just as Lin Dahe was about to decline, a system notification popped up: [Character Profile Updated: Zhou Shichang, missing left pinky finger (suspected injury from sharp weapon), matches characteristics of main suspect in Chongzhen Year Famine Relief Case.]
When the wine pot was offered to him, he deliberately reached out with his left hand. Indeed, Zhou Liangzhang's left pinky was completely severed at the base; the skin at the cut was wrinkled like crumpled paper. Strangely enough, when he poured wine, he always angled the spout toward himself—as if hiding something.
"Try it, Shaoxing Twenty-Year-Old Huadiao." Zhou Liangzhang urged him enthusiastically, his fingernail inadvertently grazing the spout.
Lin Dahe pretended to drink deeply but secretly poured some wine into his sleeve. The moment the strong liquor soaked through his inner shirt, a system alert flashed red: [Detected presence of knock-out drug!]
"Good wine!" He feigned staggering and took advantage of the moment to splash what remained on Zhou Liangzhang's clothing. "It’s just a bit too strong..."
A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Zhou Liangzhang's eyes as he pretended to assist him while suddenly snatching away the mouse cage. "I'll take this creature back and teach it a good lesson!"
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