It was noon the next day when we arrived at Cangyi City. The sun is in the sky and everything is warm. You can feel the breath of early spring here, with the coolness and sweetness of late February and early March in the air. It seems different here, at least it is better and more peaceful than last year when people were panicked due to the Taki Mansion murder case. That incident was like a gust of wind, passing by as soon as it blew, and people's memories are always bad.
For a fleeting life, that might be a good thing.
They found a hotel to rest and did not go to the place recommended by Ye Mu last time. This time the direction was different, it was further away from there. They rested until the afternoon before eating. By the way, they asked the waiter about the previous murder case in Taki Mansion and the crazy shopkeeper of the hot spring hotel. The murder case was said to have been taken over by Zou Wuchang, who said he would handle it well, but nothing happened. The waiter said that the government likes to blame all cases on Wu Chang, so that it can avoid the accountability of the people and does not have to explain the follow-up matters. It is so simple. These words did not mean to accuse the ghost of impermanence, but rather mocked those who were officials for their incompetence in doing things. Kisaragi-kun didn't say anything, just drank tea.
As for the place where Zashiki Warashi was imprisoned, it has been converted into a warehouse. The crazy shopkeeper was taken away by relatives and disappeared. People don't care about this.
This hotel also has a hot spring pool, but unfortunately there are only two large pools for public use, and there are no small pools like the ones in the guest rooms of that hotel at that time. But it doesn't matter - they can't afford the money anyway. What's more, in this season, the water in the south is hotter, which is not suitable. Looking at the mountains and sea from the window, the mountains in the south are still not green, they are as gray and dead as before. He remembered that the old mother of the Ye family had said that there was an extinct volcano there. If you think about it carefully, the water here is hot, and there should still be undercurrents surging underground, but the power is no longer enough to wake up the volcano.
"You are quite interested in these messy things."
No one was eating in the afternoon. The waiter said as he cleared the plates.
"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that I happened to catch up on some new things last time I came here." Shi Wuqi said.
"Nothing new. But half a month ago, the old master of a jewelry shop was killed, leaving two apprentices."
"How did you die?"
"It seems to be poisoning, right?" The waiter wiped the table, "The old master is usually low-key, and he shouldn't have any enemies. Who knows, the Yamen is still investigating. Poor those two children, the family is poor. Fortunately, they are here again. A craftsman, take down the shop and give them a bite to eat."
"Poisoned?"
Kisaragi-kun, who was always silent, caught the key words and asked further.
"Yes. It can be said to be poisoning. I haven't analyzed what kind of poison it is yet."
"What are the symptoms?"
"I've never heard of that."
Before they could be disappointed, another handyman came over with a pot of tea. He said somewhat proudly:
"You don't know this, right? My brother-in-law works for the Yamen. He said that the old man died strangely. There were no wounds or bruises on his body. He just opened his eyelids and his eyes turned white. At first, he thought he had rolled his eyes. His eyes were white, but later I found out that all his black eyes were gone, which was very scary."
Kisaragi-kun just nodded. After returning to the guest room in the backyard, Dai Luan asked her:
"Is that really poisonous?"
"It's poison." Ru Yuejun said, "There is a strange poison in the rivers and lakes. It is colorless and odorless, and touches like clouds. It doesn't have a serious name, but people in the rivers and lakes call it 'seeing death.' Where should this medicine be applied? As long as someone sees it, the poisonous gas will attack the brain and kill the person within two hours. The poison will not leave any traces, but will make the person's pupils fade, leaving only two blank eyes."
"hiss……"
Dai Luan took a breath of air, closed her eyes and shook her head. Shi Wuqi looked at Ruyue Jun with surprised eyes, and she frowned.
"Don't think about me like that. Could it be that I use this medicine to kill people, and also put eyeballs on it? This poison has not appeared in the world before I was alive, so it has nothing to do with me."
"Let's go to that store and have a look." Shanhai said.
"That's a way." Dai Luan nodded, "I'm going to get medicine in the afternoon anyway. Will Mu Wan go too?"
Mu Wan kept looking down at the burn marks on his right wrist, which seemed to have faded. He was stunned for a moment when his name was suddenly called. After realizing what they were talking about, he shook his head repeatedly.
"What if the poison is still there?"
"What happened half a month ago would have been fatal." Shi Wuqi was not worried.
"The investigation was conducted haphazardly, and if everything is not kept intact, something will happen."
"When did you become so timid?" Shi Wuqi knew what she was afraid of, "Girl, there's no need. Even if you have your umbrella by your side, your shikigami can't do anything about this poison."
"What do you know?" She was a little angry. "The order of unnatural termination of the contract has been destroyed. Now I not only have to guard against my enemies, but also have to guard against the shikigami I conquered back then. There are things going on inside and outside, you treat me like Imagine being like this...so uneasy!"
"It's useless for you to speak so loudly." Shi Wuqi pointed to the guest room door, "Even if you go back now, who will really come to your door? Is it safe to be alone?"
Shan Hai didn't want them to quarrel, just like he didn't want to quarrel with Shi Wuqi yesterday. Finally reunited, don't hurt your own people's feelings because of your own problems. He quickly stepped in between the two of them and said to Mu Wan in a questioning tone:
"...You don't want to go to Qinglize, right?"
"……right."
He was right. Mu Wan no longer has the courage to summon the Tengu. For those who are not recognized as contractors, the Tengu clan will abide by the contract and can take away the owner's life at any time. They didn't know if her tengu had thought so, and for reasons like injuries it hadn't - yet. Or there are various complex and deep-seated reasons. She was safe, at least for now. But she was clearly scared.
"What are you afraid of?"
Shi Wuqi pushed Shanhai away slightly and looked directly into Mu Wan's eyes. There was no passion or determination in her eyes like in the past.
"What am I afraid of?" She raised her head slightly and laughed, "I'm afraid of too many things. I'm afraid that my mother will be helpless, I'm afraid that my brother will not be heard from, and I'm afraid that my brothers and sisters in the sect will no longer hear from me. News - but let me tell you, what I am not afraid of most is death... and I don’t want others to bear everything after my death.”
Shi Wuqi looked at her quietly, his pupils in the sunlight were like flowing tiger's eye stones.
"Do you know what you remind me of? A weapon. The Demon Sealing Blade."
"..."
"You are obviously very strong - at least you can be very strong. But you locked yourself up."
"Okay." Mu Wan spread his hands, "Then I'll go for a walk."
After that, she actually turned around and walked towards the back door. No one stopped her, but Dai Luan wanted to chase her. She glanced at Shan Hai, and there was a brief exchange between their eyes before she chased him out the door. Shi Wuqi just watched silently.
Lord Ruyue shook his head slightly: "We'd better go to the front door and ask the waiter for the location."
Mu Wan walked very fast and disappeared into the crowd. Dai Luan could not find her for a while. She walked along the crowd for a while, feeling a little irritated, so she walked towards a sparsely populated area. Gradually, there are fewer and fewer people and more and more trees. She soon walked to a dense forest. The temperature is lower and the sound of gurgling water can be heard. Occasionally a deer ran past far ahead.
But the heat in my heart has not completely subsided. Mu Wan didn't lie - she was indeed not afraid of death, but she was far from the time to welcome and bear this. Not having a lover would save her a lot of trouble, and she didn't want to have one. She was already disappointed in relationships, and she didn't have children to worry about. Just the thought of "having an old life" made her breathless.
Mother is suffering so much. When she was a child, her family's conditions were not good, and a group of brothers and sisters did not care about her. Her father is older than her. He works as a minor official and does all his own duties. He has no time for romance. He met her mother completely by chance. His mother liked his kindness and honesty. When the family saw that the official was too far away, he was still an official. By marrying her off in a hurry, she would have less to worry about in the future. Not long after his brother was born, his father was promoted to the imperial court, and life finally became more comfortable. Then she had herself, and then again... She thought about it too many times.
Whenever my mother mentioned the past, she didn’t complain or feel any special nostalgia. She just kept talking about the unremarkable daily necessities of the past. The elder brother's official career was smooth, but later he was "implicated" by his father. I have no contact with my hometown anymore, my husband is gone, my children are living like that, and my life has just settled down. She didn't want her and her fellow apprentices from the Xue Yan Sect to know the bad news.
After walking a few steps, she slowly arrived at the stream. There was a man bending over the water to wash his hands, with a basket of scrolls beside him.
Mu Wan's skin stung all over his body, and the pain continued. Like many small cactus thorns, they were neatly inserted into the skin and stuck to the skin without hurting the flesh, thus separating the two. This numbness is accompanied by dizziness, and my vision is a little blurry under the sun.
The man turned around and was a little surprised to see her.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Liangqiu?"
"Chengyou?"
She seemed to be talking to herself, asking and answering questions.
Mr. Cheng quickly wiped the remaining water on his hands on his sleeves and took two steps forward. He changed his clothes. The fabric looked more affordable and the pants were light-colored. Mu Wan's lines receded in reflex, his eyes full of alertness, like a rabbit under the gaze of a fox. Cheng You was stunned for a moment, then stood there and picked up the painting basket again. He said:
"That's great news that you're alive."
"You want me to die." Mu Wan stared at him, "You stole my shikigami's charm and sent it back to Wu Yuangui."
"You have to understand. I am an old acquaintance of him and have heard some of his... little plans. As long as you don't go back, everything will be fine. However, I heard that he is dead?"
Cheng You's tone was calm and gentle, as if their relationship was not as cordial as the words. Mu Wan was a little unsure, she just stared at him warily to prevent him from doing anything else. But thinking about it carefully, since the weapons are not around, there is nothing worth stealing. At the moment, they should have no conflict of interest.
"I don't know if I'm dead or not." Mu Wan said, "But it's almost like death."
Cheng You looked her up and down.
"You've changed a lot."
"You don't seem to have changed."
Cheng You laughed softly, exactly the same as before. He nodded and said:
"Yes, I don't think I have changed much. There is still only one thing I have to do."
"...So you've been staying here all this time? Ever since Qing Lize came here?"
"No. I went to many other places and painted a lot of scenery, only to come back again. I asked someone to do the math. The person I'm looking for will soon appear in this city."
Mu Wan was actually not interested. At this moment, she turned around and prepared to leave. But she still said casually:
"who?"
"Didn't you ask me if there was anyone I respected? That's it."
She glanced back at him.
