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墨書 Inktalez
By the time Lin Mingchang arrived at Shen Tong's courtyard, dusk had settled in. The gate was half ajar, and as he pushed it open, he discovered that Xiaoshuang and Zigui had already arrived.
Lin Mingchang took off his coat and hung it on the wooden rack by the door. Shen Tong and Zigui had prepared a simple meal, and the four of them sat down to eat while sharing their findings.
Having worked all day without food, Lin Mingchang was starving. He quickly shoveled a few bites of rice into his mouth before speaking. "I checked the recent files, and it turns out this case is not an isolated incident. In the month prior, two antique dealers were murdered, their causes of death identical to Han Mingshan's, except there were large amounts of blood at the scene. I suspect this case is the work of the same killer, who, for some reason, altered their method during the third attack by using a coagulant anesthetic."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Moreover, my informant told me that there’s a mysterious buyer in town who has been offering high prices for fragments of ancient musical instruments, particularly those with carvings or engravings on guqin strings and pillars. These are likely parts of the Ancient Konghou. The buyer is generous, willing to pay double without batting an eye."
Fang Zigui put down his chopsticks after Lin Mingchang finished speaking and added, "Regarding the coagulant anesthetic found on the victims, I consulted several ancient medical texts and finally found a remarkably similar formula in the Poisonous Classics Supplement—Xue Ning San, an ancient execution drug as well."
Zigui set down his chopsticks and noticed that Xiaoshuang and Shen Tong had nearly finished eating before continuing, "The text states that Xue Ning San applied to sharp instruments causes blood to coagulate upon injury, intensifying the victim's suffering while minimizing bloodshed. What chills me to the bone is that it mentions this poison was initially used with a special torture device called 'Drug-Soaked Strings.'"
Shen Tong's eyes lit up as she immediately picked up on Zigui's remark. "The drug you discovered can corroborate my findings." She stood up and walked to her desk to retrieve an open book. "This 'Drug-Soaked Strings' was an ancient form of torture where executioners would use poisoned strings to cut into offenders, allowing the poison to seep directly into their wounds. This not only inflicted immense pain but also reduced the bloodshed—a cruel yet 'humane' method of execution. My grandmother left me many ancient texts about strange arts; I found references to 'Xing Konghou' in one titled Ling Ying Lu, which indicates that this form of torture utilized 'Xing Konghou'—a modified version of the Ancient Konghou."
Shen Tong spread the book on the table and pointed to a hand-drawn illustration as she continued, "This Ancient Konghou was specially modified so that its strings were soaked in poison; it could serve as both an instrument of torture and a means to release special frequencies during performance that could induce a unique mental state in listeners, making them highly susceptible to suggestion. The ancients referred to this as the 'Yoke of Hearts' technique. If combined with specific spices or drugs, it could further disorient individuals and make them compliant."
"The text also mentions that after the An Shi Rebellion during the Tang Dynasty, the court ordered all Xing Konghou instruments destroyed and prohibited the transmission of this technique. However, rumors persist that certain secretive organizations have preserved both the crafting techniques and performance methods of Xing Konghou." Shen Tong closed the book and stated emphatically, "It seems that Gui Xu Society is one such organization."
"That's terrifying!" Ruan Xiaoshuang exclaimed as she set her chopsticks down and instinctively leaned back in her seat; she could no longer eat another bite.
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