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墨書 Inktalez
"What does it mean? I didn't understand a word of what Ren Pingsheng said.
Could it be that he already knows who the Murderer is? But the investigation has only just begun, and there are no leads at all!
Moreover, from his tone, it seems he harbors a deep hatred for that Murderer.
This is quite strange because, judging by Ren Pingsheng's style of handling matters, he does all sorts of cruel and ruthless things not out of personal emotion. It's as if he kills not out of disgust or hatred, but from sheer indifference; he simply believes that human life is worthless.
So, for him to feel hatred is as unbelievable as if kindness and love were to manifest in him.
What kind of person could evoke such deep emotions in Ren Pingsheng?
Just as I was pondering this, I heard a commotion behind me; it turned out the Constables had arrived.
"Who are you! How dare you tamper with the scene!" the leading Captain Hu shouted angrily at us.
The term "scene" is not one I would expect to hear in the Tang Dynasty. I had been using it during my investigations, and gradually the Constables in Chang'an began to adopt it as well. I didn't expect this simple term to appear in the south too. This realization made me aware that a person can indeed have some influence on the world.
I calculated the time and recalled the distance from the magistrate's office to this village, nodding to myself.
In reality, that distance is quite considerable. Judging by their arrival time, they must have rushed over immediately after receiving the report. Such dedication is commendable.
I pulled out my badge for them to see and lazily said, "Dali Temple, just passing through."
Captain Hu recognized its significance. After examining the badge closely, he waved his hand, and his entire team knelt down.
"Your humble servant pays respects to you, my lord. May I dare to ask for your name!"
It seems that as a woman, I am still lacking in authority."
"Ye Liuhui from the Dali Temple," I said after a moment's thought, deciding to reveal my true name to them. Since I had mentioned the Dali Temple, it was only a matter of time before this news reached there. This was a good opportunity to let Luo Dachun and the others know that I was safe, so they wouldn't worry. As for Ren Pingsheng...
"This is my assistant," I introduced.
I hesitated, wondering if I should take this chance to inform them that Ren Pingsheng was still alive, but after a brief consideration, I dismissed the thought. On one hand, I feared that if Ren Pingsheng found out, he might eliminate these unfortunate Constables to keep them quiet. On the other hand, perhaps I had a bit of selfishness in me; I hoped that fewer people would know about Ren Pingsheng's survival. If he were to go into hiding... well, I would just turn a blind eye!
Thinking this way made me feel somewhat guilty towards those innocent souls who had unjustly perished at Ren Pingsheng's hands.
"Ye Shenbu's name is indeed well-known!" One of the Constables exclaimed as they bowed deeply towards me, clearly indicating that my reputation had spread far and wide.
In truth, I held no official position in the Dali Temple; being a woman, it was difficult for me to be granted any title. However, Li Shimin was quite progressive in his views. He believed that not appointing me to a position would be a loss for the state given my abilities. Thus, he generously issued an imperial decree stating "Authorized to investigate cases," along with a gold medal that commanded respect from all. As for my salary, it was based on the rank of a fourth-grade official in the court, which coincidentally matched my husband's rank and likely included some compensation for our family.
This situation was indeed quite unique, and given my fearsome reputation, it was no surprise that the Constables here had heard of me.
"Get up," I commanded succinctly.
As I pondered how to articulate our findings clearly and concisely for them, I suddenly heard Ren Pingsheng say beside me, "Lord Ye, we have already delayed here too long. Shouldn't we attend to that important task?"
I looked at him in surprise, not understanding his meaning. He continued, "Once I've briefed my brothers here about the situation, we should set off quickly."
Not knowing what he was up to and feeling hesitant to interfere, I allowed him to step forward and begin explaining the case details to the arriving Constables. They quickly became engrossed in discussing the case while I stood by, feeling perplexed.
Ren Pingsheng recounted how we stumbled upon this incident, detailing the dismembered remains we found and identifying them as belonging to three deceased individuals. He also mentioned that one of the victims had died from being struck by falling rocks from a height. However, it was strange; he seemed to possess information that I was unaware of but did not share any clues with the Constables.
"That is the situation. We have an urgent mission and cannot linger here any longer. The rest is up to you all," Ren Pingsheng said as he cupped his hands in salute to the Constables.
"Yes, we will do our utmost! We respectfully send off Lord Ye!" Captain Hu replied with a bow, his tone filled with reverence.
Ren Pingsheng led the horse over and gestured for me to mount. Although it seemed that I held the upper hand at the moment, I knew full well that the initiative in this relationship was not mine. So, I nodded in agreement and swung myself onto the horse.
With Ren Pingsheng leading the way, we headed toward the center of the village.
Now that I had some time on my hands, my ears were quite sharp, and I could hear the whispers of those Constables from a distance.
"Didn’t they say there was an important matter at hand? How can we travel with just one horse…"
"Could it be that the esteemed gentleman is sharing a mount with Lord Ye? But there are differences between men and women…"
"Stop your nonsense, can’t you see they’re heading to Village? The horse might be waiting there!"
"I didn’t expect Lord Ye from the Dali Temple to be so beautiful; she’s like a fierce tigress…"
"Shh, quiet down!"
I broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. If it were before, Ren Pingsheng would have laughed at me for such gossip, but he didn’t this time. It was as if he hadn’t heard anything and was lost in deep thought.
“Ren Pingsheng, what’s going on?” I asked him.
Suddenly, Ren Pingsheng chuckled softly, as if he weighed nothing at all as he mounted his horse and tightened his grip on the reins.
“Ah Ying, I really like the name you just gave me.”
A chill ran through me; his tone, his manner, and this evasive way of speaking—he had completely reverted to the original Ren Pingsheng.
"Can you please not do this? If there's something, we can discuss it!" I felt a surge of anxiety and blurted out something completely lacking in principle and boundaries.
Ren Pingsheng fell silent for a moment, his voice drifting from behind me.
"Don't ask, and don't look. You won't like it. When the time comes, I won't let you see."
Ren Pingsheng took me on horseback, racing through villages, mountains, and rivers until we reached the nearest county town. We passed through two or three counties, and his purpose for entering was to seek out informants well-connected with the Underworld to gather information about the Mine.
I listened in confusion. Clearly, Ren Pingsheng's unusual behavior began with the Dismemberment Case, but he wasn't inquiring about anything related to the case itself; instead, he kept asking if there were any Underground Mines outside the supervision of the Court Iron Official nearby.
As a result of his inquiries, it turned out there was indeed one, and after extensive questioning, he learned its specific location—just within the mountains not far from the village where the dismembered body was found.
Could it be an industrial accident? But that wouldn't explain why someone was dismembered!
Ren Pingsheng silently led me to buy various items. We stopped at a Weapon Shop to purchase some concealed weapons and then visited a pharmacy for some medicines. Finally, we found an inn on the outskirts of town where there were fewer people.
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Outside the bed curtains, the lamp remained lit, and Ren Pingsheng stayed awake, fiddling with the medicines he had bought. I suspected he was preparing poison.
Dressed in a loose blue robe with his long hair cascading down, Ren Pingsheng looked particularly pale under the candlelight, yet his expression was intensely focused. His eyes rarely burned with such fire as they did now; I believed he intended to kill.
This time, however, he wasn't killing without reason; it seemed he had a compelling justification for needing to eliminate someone.
For the first time, I noticed that Ren Pingsheng's body was enveloped by something called sorrow.
The next morning, Ren Pingsheng woke me up and took me outside. We rode together into the depths of the mountains, and along the way, he remained silent.
True to his nature, Ren Pingsheng analyzed the information he had gathered and effortlessly located the black Mine hidden within the mountains.
It turned out to be an iron mine, seemingly of enormous scale. The iron mine had been under the supervision of the court since the Han Dynasty, as iron was essential for producing weapons. Controlling the iron mine was equivalent to controlling the foundation of powerful military force. Therefore, how could such a resource be allowed for private extraction?
However, the gangs in the underworld also needed weapons, and the common people required tools for production. The uses of iron were extremely broad. If anyone in the underworld managed to secretly seize an iron mine and extract from it, it would be akin to opening a mint; this was self-evident. Thus, several major gangs in the underworld had started their operations based on illegal mining.
It seemed that the mine hidden deep within the mountains beneath our feet was part of them. Yet, despite everything being concealed, it was hard to believe that such a large scale operation could remain undetected without internal intelligence.
As soon as we entered the mountains, Ren Pingsheng appeared to be in a remarkably familiar place. After briefly observing the terrain and direction, he led me over a small hill and accurately found a very concealed shaft.
Ren Pingsheng lit a fire starter, and we cautiously made our way down the shaft. Upon reaching the bottom, I was immediately taken aback.
The narrow passage opened up within ten meters, revealing a spacious area illuminated by torches and fire pits on the stone walls. The underground pathways crisscrossed like a vast underground world.
Ren Pingsheng showed no signs of surprise on his face. He quietly guided me along the passage and turned onto a right path.
I felt puzzled because Ren Pingsheng had not spoken at all; yet his decisive actions suggested he was very familiar with this place.
After turning right, we entered another passage where the lighting noticeably dimmed. After walking for a while, we suddenly came upon a more open space of about ten square meters, where the firelight suddenly brightened.
Seeing what lay in that open area startled me greatly. By the light of the flames, I saw an eleven or twelve-year-old boy sitting on the ground, his legs covered in blood and his face filled with terror. A hulking man dressed in black was slowly approaching him, raising a knife.
What was most terrifying wasn’t that this place was about to become a murder scene; it was that this open space was piled high with large chunks of flesh and blood—so many that it resembled a meat processing factory. But these were definitely not pieces of pork or beef; from my experience, I could tell at a glance that they were all human limbs in various states of dismemberment.
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