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墨書 Inktalez
However, too many links were missing in between, and now I was unable to convey any information to them.
For instance, the cause of death. Without the Silver Needle, how could I convince anyone that I died from Poisoning without the Night Phantom?
"What was the cause of death?" I quietly asked Luo Dachun.
To my surprise, Luo Dachun replied without hesitation, "It was Poisoning."
I was taken aback. Then I heard Luo Dachun continue, "It was identified by Qiu Yuan. This is a special poison that causes instant death upon contact with blood; ordinary methods cannot detect it."
Last night, I had been amazed by Ren Pingsheng's professionalism but had forgotten that my idol seemed to be just as capable.
"Brother Luo," I pointed to the Peony Lantern displayed as evidence in the hall, "if you turn this Peony Lantern upside down, it resembles a Kongming Lantern!"
Luo Dachun froze, as if struck by a lightning bolt.
"I understand!" Luo Dachun suddenly exclaimed with excitement.
The people in the hall looked at him in astonishment.
I realized that placing my trust in Luo Dachun's Intelligence Quotient was the right choice; his cleverness likely rivaled that of Nie Qiuyuan and the others. With just a hint, he could immediately unravel the mystery.
"I understand the principle of the secret room and the cause of this person's death!"
Luo Dachun called for a piece of wax, lit it, and placed it inside the Peony Lantern. The heat filled the lantern, gradually causing it to swell and slowly rise into the air.
"It really is a Kongming Lantern! This Peony Lantern must be a tool used by some organization to convey messages!"
Seeing that everyone looked puzzled, Luo Dachun explained, "The deceased stayed at an inn. According to the innkeeper, he was always mysterious and kept his windows locked. This indicates that his identity was quite unusual. Looking at the scene, although it was sealed off, there was an air hole on the roof where neither humans nor animals could pass through, yet a lantern could still be brought in. Perhaps someone was delivering messages to this deceased person."
Luo Dachun worked hard to reconstruct the scene at that time. The scholar was inside copying the Diamond Sutra; why would he copy the Diamond Sutra? It is said that the Diamond Sutra can bring peace of mind, indicating that this person might have been very anxious. He was waiting for something. At that moment, a Peony Lantern slowly descended through the air hole in the roof. Yes, it was exactly what he had been waiting for—a piece of information, specifically a note attached to the Peony Lantern.
So, in a situation where one feels nervous inside, likely due to time constraints and a critical situation, what methods are typically used to destroy intelligence after reviewing it?
Burning it.
However, burning leaves traces, so a trained Shadow Agent usually employs another method.
Yes, it's the scene often seen in Anti-Japanese Dramas: I, as an Underground Party Member, boldly grab the intelligence, shove it into my mouth, chew it a bit, and swallow it down.
Eating the paper that contains the intelligence!
If the paper is poisoned, wouldn’t this person quietly drop dead in the secret room?!
Although this method of killing has a certain chance of failure, thinking about it from their perspective, the success rate is surprisingly high.
And besides, the person isn’t dead!
“Still, this doesn’t help us identify who the culprit is,” Luo Dachun sighed with regret.
“Da Chun, you’re absolutely right.” Nie Qiuyuan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. “But I’m afraid this case can’t be investigated further. Because this deceased should be one of Mirror Gate’s people, and very likely—a traitor of Mirror Gate.”
I felt a chill in my heart. The deceased was from Mirror Gate; Ren Pingsheng had told me that. But how did Nie Qiuyuan know this?
The expressions of everyone around suddenly turned serious. In this world, aside from me, there seemed to be no one else unaware of Mirror Gate.
“So, is this Mirror Gate cleaning up its ranks?”
Nie Qiuyuan shook his head. “The ones cleaning up haven’t had the chance to act yet; this was likely done by those who were trying to turn him.”
Luo Dachun finally asked what I was thinking: “Qiu Yuan, how do you know all this?”
“Because, Ren Pingsheng is the top disciple of Mirror Gate,” Nie Qiuyuan said coldly.
I felt my blood run cold. No wonder Ren Pingsheng was so familiar with Mirror Gate; he was actually at the core of that terrifying organization!
This deceiver was truly a dangerous individual. He pretended to be here to clean up the sect, but in reality, he was the one being proactive!
Wait a minute, why did the top disciple of Mirror Gate know so much about Nie Qiuyuan? Why was he investigating the people around him? Why did he approach me? No, it was I who accidentally ran into him…
But was it really an accident?
A wave of concern suddenly surged in my heart.
“Lord Nie, if Ren Pingsheng is such a core figure in Mirror Gate, why have we never heard of this name?” the County Magistrate asked in confusion.
“Have you heard of Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise?” Nie Qiuyuan inquired.
Everyone nodded repeatedly. “These are the titles of the four major disciples of Mirror Gate; all four are mysterious martial arts masters.”
They probably are also experts in solving cases! I thought to myself. However, those names—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—are so cliché; which martial arts film doesn’t have these four?
“Ren Pingsheng is the Azure Dragon Envoy.” Before Nie Qiuyuan finished speaking, a gasp echoed through the room.
The Azure Dragon ranks first among the Four Symbols; Ren Pingsheng's status in Mirror Gate must be second only to that of the leader.
No wonder I felt he was anything but ordinary at first glance.
From Nie Qiuyuan's expression and words, it was clear he held Ren Pingsheng in considerable regard. Yet my impression of Ren Pingsheng was quite good. How could these two be at odds?
“Bring him!” the County Magistrate decisively said. “Since the corpse has yet to be identified and no one has claimed it, let’s take it out and bury it.”
It seemed that they were avoiding the Mirror Gate like it was a venomous snake.
"We should head back to the inn now and wrap this up. I wonder if Lord Nie would do us the honor of accompanying us?" Ge Qing Song clearly held a great admiration for Nie Qiuyuan.
Nie Qiuyuan nodded. Luo Dachun said, "Perhaps I should escort Liuying back first."
Registrar Chen Shou stepped forward and said, "There is no need to trouble you with this matter, my lord. I will take care of the arrangements myself. I've also prepared some breakfast; if the lady has not yet eaten, she may do so first."
It seemed that the Registrar managed not only paperwork but also various aspects of daily life.
With the men off attending to their duties, I followed behind Chen Shou as he led me slowly toward what was likely the dining area.
As we walked, we arrived at the garden where I had encountered Ren Pingsheng the previous night. Not far from the pavilion was a lotus pond, surrounded by dense greenery. Although the lotus flowers had long since wilted in this season, the scenery remained quite elegant.
"Have you been thinking of me?" A pleasant male voice rang out, with laughter evident in his tone. "I originally intended to nudge you toward figuring out how that person died. Who would have thought that Ah Ying would be clever enough to figure it out on her own?"
Ren Pingsheng!
I was taken aback. But what startled me even more was when Chen Shou turned around, a strange smile creasing his face as he looked at me.
"Since I'm the Registrar of Feng County, why would you doubt me just because they said so?" Chen Shou remarked.
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