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墨書 Inktalez
Outside Yuzin Garden, the area is tranquil amidst the hustle and bustle, with a serene view facing West Lake's Azure Water, bordered by a stretch of pink walls and black tiles, all belonging to the gardens of high officials and wealthy families.
Near Wu Mountain, there is a low-key garden named Yuzin Garden. It appears small from the outside, but anyone who has entered knows that it is filled with pavilions and towers, embodying the elegance of Jiangnan gardens.
Having passed the minor solar term, the greenery is lush while the flowers are sparse.
Outside Yuzin Garden, along the banks of West Lake, willows are planted in abundance. In the warm breeze that hints at summer, countless green tendrils sway in unison, resembling a green wave. A Yellow Oriole sings sweetly among the willow branches. A newly emerged Green Cicada climbs up to a branch but is startled by the Yellow Oriole and hides among the green leaves, too afraid to move. After a while, unable to endure any longer, it spreads its transparent wings to fly away but is caught by the Yellow Oriole in one swift motion.
The willow wave falls silent for a moment. Soon after, the Yellow Oriole begins to sing again, this time with an especially crisp and enchanting tone.
The midday sun causes the green shade of the willows to recede. At some point, the song of the Yellow Oriole fades away. A Bamboo Litter approaches from afar and stops at the entrance of Yuzin Garden. A young scholar dressed in a blue robe steps down and gently knocks twice on the door with his fan handle.
The Black Lacquered Door opens in response. The scholar bows twice and says something before stepping into the garden. The Bearers lift the empty litter into the shade and wipe their sweat-drenched faces with their sleeves.
Before long, loud scolding can be heard from inside. The scholar awkwardly retreats and barely escapes as the heavy black door slams shut behind him, almost hitting his nose.
The scholar appears somewhat disheartened as he gestures for the Bearers to carry him away, heading off into the distance.
The black lacquered main door closes tightly, and no one else comes to visit afterward. However, shortly after, a Corner Gate of Yuzin Garden quietly opens. A servant dressed in rough clothing emerges; he wears a large straw hat to shield himself from the sun and carries a bamboo basket covered with white cloth. He glances around cautiously to ensure no one is watching before pulling his hat low enough to cover half his face and quietly exits the city.
At first, he walks slowly like an ordinary traveler, but once he reaches an isolated area, he quickens his pace significantly. Before long, he arrives at Mass Grave Mound outside Lin'an City. He stops to look around and suddenly leaves the main road, turning into the woods atop Mass Grave Mound.
This place is eerie; even during daylight hours, few dare to venture here. In the dim forest, shallow graves are scattered about with thin coffin boards lying haphazardly everywhere. A few wild dogs gather around a recently buried mound, their mouths stained red with blood; in a shallow grave lies a pale and emaciated woman's arm sticking out. Suddenly hearing a noise, the wild dogs glance back and sense danger before scampering away.
The man frowns slightly and leaps high over where the wild dogs had been feeding, swiftly darting deeper into the denser part of the forest. He clearly possesses some skill; however, it seems rather rudimentary—similar to that of a rogue from the martial world.
Not long after, he stopped deep within the Mass Grave Mound, where the forest grew denser, filled with ancient tombs. Some dilapidated stone figures, covered in moss, lay amidst the deep green thicket. He approached a broken stele and placed his hand on it, tapping twice.
Suddenly, he vanished.
Before long, he reappeared at the same spot, but the bamboo basket he had been carrying was gone. He retraced his steps back to Lin'an.
As the sun moved westward, its heat lessened. Outside Yuzin Garden, there were more vendors than usual. They called out their freshly picked fruits and vegetables along West Lake, their voices resonating with authentic southern tones:
"Want some peaches? Freshly picked Peach, sweet and crunchy. Taste before you buy; if it's not sweet, no copper coins..."
"Soup Dumplings! Juicy and full of flavor..."
"Crispy Lotus Root! Sweet and delightful Crispy Lotus Root..."
The man glanced curiously at the slightly increased number of vendors before entering through Corner Gate. Moments later, two rough-looking maids emerged from inside and called over the vendors. They began to pick through the goods but were difficult to deal with, haggling fiercely. They pinched and poked at the Peaches and Crispy Lotus Roots but ended up buying nothing after a long while.
The vendors were somewhat displeased, surrounding them as one remarked coldly, "Ladies, this isn't how you buy things. The goods are all fresh; they just came in, grown and sold by us. Don't squeeze so hard; if you ruin them, who will we sell to?"
The two maids exchanged glances and took their time selecting a few items before wrapping them in Lotus Leaves and turning back into the garden.
The vendors sighed in frustration: "These two ladies are hard to please; let's not take this route anymore. Let's head to Qiantang Gate and try our luck there."
"Let's go together! We just opened shop and ran into two difficult customers; it seems our luck in business today isn't great."
The vendors formed a group, leaving this place with their burdens and heading off into the distance.
A head quietly peeked over the wall of Yuzin Garden; it was the same person who had gone to the Mass Grave Mound earlier. Watching the vendors depart, he jumped down from the ladder and muttered to himself, "They're just ordinary people; it seems I was too suspicious. However, being cautious at this critical moment isn't a bad thing..."
He mumbled as he walked past the flower path and disappeared.
********
The vendors passed through Qingbo Gate but did not head towards Qiantang Gate. At the end of this road, a bullock cart was waiting in the distance. They exchanged glances and tossed their burdens onto the cart before running off without a care.
In the next moment, these individuals appeared in the back hall of the Ministry of Justice, where a dark crowd of high-ranking officials from the Song Dynasty gathered. Leading them were Zhao Ding and Li Hong. Beside them sat a man in his fifties, his face filled with rage. He wore a scarlet official robe, but around his waist was tied a white linen belt, indicating that there was a death in his family, and it was someone very close to him.
He was Yuan Tao, the Minister of Justice, husband of the first-rank lady who had been impersonated by Li Xiaolou. His wife had died unjustly, and even now her remains had not been found; all he had received was a skin that sent chills down one's spine at first glance.
After being released by Zhao Ding, he immediately began investigating within the inner court and discovered that his wife's most favored maid, Qiong'er, had gone missing. Several senior maids recalled that over a month ago, his wife had gone to Great Compassion Temple to burn incense and returned saying she had a headache and felt unwell; since then, she often lay ill. It seemed that was when she had been swapped.
Filled with anger, Yuan Tao actively sought to redeem himself by joining Li Hong and Zhao Ding's plan to uncover spies.
These spies disguised as vendors were experts in case investigations from the Ministry of Justice, seasoned officials with years of experience. The scholar from earlier was one of them.
Now compiling intelligence, Li Hong nodded after listening: "It seems correct; Yuzin Garden is indeed a stronghold for Jin Kingdom spies. However, we must not act rashly and alert them; we need to continue monitoring closely. You all have done well; starting tomorrow, make sure to pass through Qingbo Gate every other day without raising their suspicions."
The spies withdrew. Zhao Ding, however, was restless, stretching his neck to look outside.
Li Hong smiled lightly and said, "Don't worry, that person won't discover that Jiang Xuanzi, the Celestial Master, is following him. If he doesn't want others to find out, even Li Xiaolou himself wouldn't notice he is being tracked."
As he spoke, a figure suddenly appeared silently at the door, dressed in a black crane cloak—Jiang Xuanzi.
Everyone was delighted. Zhao Ding quickly offered his seat and clasped his hands, asking urgently, "What did you find out?"
"That person entered an ancient tomb. I don't know if Empress Wu is down there, but I sensed the presence of several powerful individuals below. Since you mentioned not to alert the snake by beating the grass, I decided to come back," Jiang Xuanzi replied.
"Is it Li Xiaolou?" Li Hong felt it wasn't that simple and began to transmit a message through Ask the Way.
"I'm not sure. The depths below are quite profound, and I didn't dare to extend my Divine Consciousness too much. There are fifteen experts from the Demon Sect down there, including one at the Nascent Soul Stage. I'm worried that if Empress Wu is also there and I make a move, they might kill her on the spot. So I had no choice but to return. Hehe, it's up to you to decide," Jiang Xuanzi said, his gaze flickering as he noticed Zhao Ding's tea and casually took it to sip slowly.
Zhao Ding was deep in thought when he saw Jiang Xuanzi's demeanor; he immediately ordered tea to be prepared and began discussing with Li Hong.
Li Hong pondered for a moment and then spoke up, "That person brought a bamboo basket when entering the ancient tomb, but it was gone when he returned. I suspect it contained food, which indicates that Empress Wu is very likely down there. Tonight, we will proceed accordingly."
The voices of everyone lowered.
********
At midnight, the Mass Grave Mound was particularly eerie.
Ghostly lights flickered everywhere, and the calls of Night Owls echoed intermittently. The trees here grew crookedly and chaotically, casting shadows that swayed as if countless ghostly figures were lurking about. Wild dogs were increasingly common, with many pairs of glimmering green eyes peeking from the bushes—some even had an eerie dark red hue. As the grass rustled, a furry large tail flicked by and vanished in an instant; it was a Wild Fox roaming this area.
Li Hong was already well-prepared, with Chuming, Chuxuan, and Chu Liang waiting outside Lin'an to assist. Wei Ming and his four companions were stationed at the palace, while Jiang Xuanzi led the Nine Beast Cultivation Elders to launch a night raid on the ancient tomb. Before departing, Li Hong used an Invisibility Talisman on everyone so that they could quietly enter the Mass Grave Mound.
Upon reaching the Mass Grave Mound, the group suppressed their presence and flew low towards the ancient tomb, soon taking their positions.
Li Hong slowly nodded at Jiang Xuanzi.
Jiang Xuanzi reached out and tapped on a broken stele, causing mechanisms beneath it to shift and reveal a dark entrance. A chilling air emanated from the opening, resembling a monstrous maw in the night. Jiang Xuanzi's body suddenly transformed into nothingness, but in reality, he had swiftly darted inside.
Li Hong silently recited a mantra to remove his Invisibility Talisman, suddenly becoming visible before the ancient tomb. He coldly addressed the entrance, "Did you think hiding here would keep us from finding you? Demon Sect rabbits, Grandpa is here to kill you! If you have guts, come out!"
After a moment, a sinister voice echoed nearby: "Little thief from the Nine Li Sect, since you've found this place and know how to operate the mechanism, why don't you dare come down? If you have guts, come in!"
Hearing this, Li Hong felt joy instead of anger. This plan was intentionally crafted to make the Demon Sect's lackeys believe he only dared to operate the mechanism but not descend. Little did they know that Jiang Xuanzi had already entered. The Jingwei clan could make themselves invisible, while these Demon Sect monsters had fallen for a big trick.
With his thoughts racing, Li Hong sneered, "Do you think I'm an idiot? There are fifteen of you and just one of me; what’s the point of going down? Just...," he paused deliberately before continuing leisurely, "my people will be here soon."
"By the time they arrive, you'll be nothing but dust. Since this place is exposed, I'll grant your wish!" As soon as the words left his mouth, a Black Light shot out from the entrance towards Li Hong's face.
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